You are here: Home / Archives for bff

Sunday Done Right

January 25, 2009 by 4 Comments

The days in tax season get kind of long sometimes. It’s hard to be ON all the time, and it’s lovely to have a break from the demands of life – to go out, be with a good friend and be silly. That was my plan for the day. Originally, when my BFF and I made plans, Hubby was going to be hanging with our kiddos at home while I went shopping. HOWEVER, he kinda lucked out because my mom called, all but begging to have the girls for the afternoon. Lucky guy. So, he got a bit of a break from his crazy week too.

The thing about this shopping trip was that I didn’t really need anything. I was just along for the ride, the social aspect of it. But when she went to go try on clothes, I did too. I tried on jeans. I hate trying on jeans by the way. While we were at Old Navy, I tried on their jeans that supposedly look good on everybody. Yuck. I was actually kind of glad they looked like crap on me because I’m cynical and cranky and like proving people wrong. Ha.
And more pillows, but I took this picture because this is my favorite color green, and I need to find a way to work more green into my house.

All in all, it was an awesome day to get out of the house, to hang with a good friend, and to just relax a bit. My sinus infection is finally fading and it’s good to start feeling human again and to live life and smile and laugh and JUST BE.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Starbucks + My BFF = Good

December 14, 2008 by 2 Comments

Last night was poker night in my house again (and yes, I’ve noticed that we host poker night more than anyone else in our neighborhood and hey, what’s up with that?). I pretty much barricaded myself upstairs while the testosterone was hanging around my dining table drinking beers and probably not using coasters. Well, the coaster thing isn’t their fault. I don’t have coasters. Yet. On my list: BUY COASTERS.

Basically, I hung out, did some writing, wasted some time, took a nice hot bath, and finally climbed under the covers to watch E! – Chelsea Lately and “Keeping up with the Kardashians” until I basically couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore and passed out from the obnoxiousness of it all.

I awoke this morning and was still feeling the effects of a Tylenol PM I took (okay, it wasn’t JUST Khloe Kardashian that bored me to sleep – I had help). I vegged on the couch in my pj’s while the girls watched cartoons and ran amok around the house doing god knows what.

Then there was a little bit of a raincloud to my morning. And without going into obnoxious detail, I’ll just say that it was the PERFECT day to have already had plans with my BFF for lunch at the mall.

I was so glad to get out of the house.

I have said before, and will say probably 101 more times at least, how lucky I am to have the friends that I have. I have wasted a lot of time on a lot of people in my day – and getting older, I realize more and more the true value of a really good friend. I have a lot of acquaintances but very few people that I feel invested in and that I feel invest in me. And that’s fine because those few people? They kick serious butt. Amazing. Sometimes I don’t know how I ever deserved to have friends like that – but – I’m glad they’re there.

Okay, schmaltzy interlude over.

So, we met for some lunch, some chatting, some grumbling, some diet Coke consumption, some shopping. And even though she has been so so so sick, she still wandered all over that freakin’ mall with me. I had a fantastic time. And when we were done we stopped at Starbucks for a coffee (moi) and some agua (her), and I truly felt that my day was turned around.
The magic of Starbucks and good friends. I’m a big believer.

For those of you who don’t speak Starbucks – that is a nonfat gingersnap latte, no whipped cream, hold the nasty chewy crystallized ginger, with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top

Also, if you care my finger nails are painted in OPI Mrs O’Leary’s BBQ. It looks like every other nail polish color I own because I buy every version of the same stinkin’ color. Every time. I know what I like.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Sugar and Sugar and… Loud Laughy Men In My Dining Room

November 23, 2008 by 1 Comment

At just past 11 on a Saturday evening I am still awake and I am still blogging, though thinking of curling up in bed with a book and just vegging. Sleep, while that would be really nice, seems like somewhat of a long shot as I hear the guys in my dining room bursting into random fits of laughter. At some point after dinner tonight, phone calls were made and it was determined that tonight would be poker night. And that poker night would be in my dining room. Lovely.

Guess it’s hard for me to complain (too much) because I have had a lovely day. My best friend (or as she so sweetly called me on her blog, “sister of heart” – which I tell you what, I’m such a sucker, that was the sweetest thing EVER!) and her sister-in-law came over to take over my kitchen and include me in their holiday baking extravaganza. Minor note: Nothing went into the oven. No baking took place. A whole lot of melting of stuff in makeshift double boilers but the oven stayed off. Apparently they do this every year – making a whole freakin’ ton of good things and kind of using them throughout the holiday season when special occcasions/events come up. Smart, right? I think so. Now, I have to make sure I have enough special occasions to use all this stuff otherwise I’ll just eat it (I’ll totally mail someone stuff if they ask nicely. Because I’m nice.)

Today, I got to be a part of it. We made Nanaimo bars (which I had never heard of, to be honest – but the crust is chocolate, butter, powdered sugar, coconut and walnuts. YUM), chocolate peanut butter balls (sometimes called “buckeyes” but NOT on the day that Michigan loses to OSU, thankyouverymuch) and chocolate covered pretzels.

We tripled and in some cases quadrupled the original recipes. In case of peanut butter balls, that required fifteen cups of powdered sugar and six cups of peanut butter and a god awful amount of butter. In case you wondered what that looked like, see below:
Healthy, right?

After several hours of making yummy things, we all packed up our stuff, dishes were washed, and the other ladies went home. I finished cleaning my kitchen (including scrubbing my floor which somehow managed to see a lot of melted chocolate – what a mess!). It was such a fun time, and I am really resisting the urge to eat all the chocolate pretzels now. Especially the ones with white chocolate because those are really yummy.

So, it’s probably not just the loud goofy guys in the dining room keeping me awake, but kinda sorta the fact that I maybe had a teensy tiny bit of a lot of sugar today. Whoops.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

When You Laugh So Hard People Give You Dirty Looks

September 30, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Tuesdays and Thursdays are my favorite days of the week. I know it’s going to make me sound like a rotten mom, but the days when both my kids are off and doing their respective things and I’m able to get work done, have down time (because that’s IT, y’all – Tuesday and Thursday – Saturday and Sunday? Doesn’t mean squat to me – same stuff going on!), and recharge my mental batteries by taking some time out to just be me. I’m not talking “Mom” me, but Me, the Sarah that doesn’t have to wipe noses or help put someone’s underpants on or cut crusts off sandwiches.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I get to get huge chunks of work done. I get to deal with lunch when I get hungry (I forget lunch a lot – especially Thursday when I head out for my guitar lesson realizing, “Oh crap! I did it again!” and grab a protein drink or pick up an iced latte on my way home to quiet my grumbly tummy). I don’t have to struggle with Pumpkin’s nap. On the whole, my productivity is awesome.

Sometimes I throw some fun stuff in the mix. Today, I went out to lunch with my best friend. She’s been in a funk lately – and I can relate… we both figured we’d catch up and chill out over some lunch. We planned on a whine fest.

Instead – we laughed… a lot. Sure, there was whining (are you new here? Of course there was whining!), but instead we turned it around and laughed our asses off and made fun of our crazy and the craziness in our lives, and made the people sitting near us give us these looks like, “Oh my god, who did I stab in a former life to get stuck sitting next to these loud mouths?!” (That’s what their faces were saying, but deep inside I know they really felt lucky because yeah, we may be loud… but we’re entertaining!).

And when it was over I went home and finished my work, folded six loads of laundry and didn’t entirely feel like Cinderella about it.

Good friends make things suck less. 🙂

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Thursday Ten, Meet the Teacher Edition

August 28, 2008 by Leave a Comment

1. Just got home from meeting The Princess’s first grade teacher. She was Hubby’s teacher back when he was in first grade. She remembers him as being a smartass. I mean, VIVIDLY remembers him as being a smartass. When you think that he was in her class over 25 years ago, it’s kind of telling that that is what she remembers, isn’t it? Or that she even remembers him at all?

2. Then, I found out that the daughter of the guy I dated my freshman year of college will be in The Princess’s class. I have no problem with him or his wife (who I was friends with before I ever knew the guy), but I don’t doubt it could be awkward as the wife doesn’t exactly love me since she found out that he and I once dated. Heaven forbid The Princess wants to start hanging out with their kid. Sigh.

3. Ran into a handful of other people from my high school days as the girls and I were leaving. It was great to see some of them. Others? Not so much.

4. I am going to see the Counting Crows tomorrow. And Maroon 5. I keep saying Maroon 5 as an afterthought. I really am not super crazy about them. They have some good songs, and I’m sure they’ll be awesome, but… meh.

5. Project Runway last night? I’m surprised that Keith went. Not because he didn’t suck – because yeah, his outfit sucked – and then it ripped when his model sat down and then he got all whiny with the judges on the runway… BUT, usually, when the show gets edited that way, that makes it seem like one person is the obvious choice to get auf’d… that person ends up being safe. Funky little twist there, Bravo. Sneaky. By the way, I’m kind of impressed that you can make that much stuff out of the parts of a Hybrid Saturn Vue (and let’s hear it for product placement).

6. Last night, I was able to meet a former coworker for dinner (hey C!) and it was a great time to see her, get caught up on life and talk about all things bloggy and Twitter-y. And to be out without kids? Whooohoo!

7. I’ve got a couple interesting projects in the works – so I’ll plan on dropping some news next week. Wait for it. (Love how I did that, worked some suspense into it?).

8. Hitting the road Sunday for a day trip to the other side of the state to shop at Ikea with my best friend – but most importantly to gab and catch up on life and not get lost. She kicks ass. She never gets lost, evah! She’s got mental GPS. Can’t wait.

9. As I type this, Pumpkin is snoozing on the couch and The Princess is so peeved that her sister fell asleep on the couch that she’s huffing around the house really loudly, “There’s no room to sit! The chair isn’t comfortable!” Silly monkey, if she would just use her manners, I would happily give up my seat on the couch. Oh well.

10. I am pretty sure the nice folks over at Apple are going to send a search party to my house, as my downloading habits have been a bit on the slow side this week. I did download “Whatever It Takes” by Lifehouse – moronic given the fact that it’s on the radio every five minutes… but I like it anyway.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,