The best part

As anyone knows, the absolute best part of new appliances is... the BOX! I may have gotten a new dishwasher (heaven!! love it!!), but the kids got a new HOME, and I got hours of peace, without the kids being parked in front of a screen. Win-win!

Happy Anniversary

So it's not technically our anniversary yet (13 more days) but I got my present early. At left is the "before", and below is the "after" picture of my desk. As you can see, my trusty Samsung monitor has been replaced with a sleek 23" Acer widescreen. After a few months of intermittently turning faces purplish, then red, then snapping back to normal, I decided that the Samsung CRT was due for retirement. After all, how can you edit photos when the colors on the screen keep changing?? After consulting "the computer guy" I used my super online shopper skills to find an awesome sale (I love newegg.com!); kudos to my husband for agreeing to an anniversary present that he will rarely use.

Anyway, I love the new monitor, even if it does make me feel old (the words are so tiny at 1920 x 1080... and yes, I know that you can adjust for that, but choosing "extra large" fonts just makes me feel even more visually impaired than I am, and that's saying A LOT). The best thing about the situation is not obvious from the pictures - I have doubled the work space on my desk. The CRT was so big that it came within a few inches of the front edge. The new setup allows me to put a 8.5 x 11" sheet of paper in front of me. Heaven!

Now, anyone who knows me (and why else would you be reading this blog??) knows that the LAST thing I need is extra incentive to spend time on the computer. So, here's hoping that I can fight the temptation to spend all day in front of my shiny new screen.

and yes, I know I need artwork on the walls, but I've been in a minimalist rut lately...

Give me SPRING!

This is what greeted me when I woke up this morning. I want to mention that a similar thing happened on April 1st, but I wrote it off as a cruel April Fool's Day joke from Mother Nature. At least on that day, the sun was shining.

view from my deck

view from my desk

I WANT SPRING! NOW! please. Or at least give me enough snow so that I can go skiing!

Magic Tree House: The Musical

So this afternoon, we took our girls to see Magic Tree House, the Musical at the State Theatre. Our seats were in the 9th row from the stage, so we were pretty close. The view was excellent, but in the future, I think we'll try moving back a bit... my girls are still too timid, and the action was a bit too much at times.

Anyway, it was a decent production, and we managed to stay in our seats the whole time (both girls wanted to get up and leave at least once, but we were able to talk them into staying). I think that, overall, they both really enjoyed themselves. At the end, Sarah said "and Jack and Annie lived happily ever after. The end." and gave it a "thumbs up".

Madilyn's favorite part was Jack and Annie singing "What Would I Do Without You?", which she declared was "beautiful".

Of course, no event would be complete without the inevitable souvenirs, so we are now the proud owners of the Magic Tree House: The Musical CD, as well as a light-up magic wand that bears an uncanny resemblence to a light saber. Apparently, my aversion to purchasing toy weapons has been lost along the wayside...

After the show, we walked two blocks to Applebee's for dinner. Doesn't seem like far, but when you've got Sarah, well, it's an accomplishment! I don't think she would have done it for a lesser restaurant, but Applebee's is her favorite...

We returned right at bedtime, but Sarah insisted that I import the CD into iTunes and add it to her iPod so that she could listen before she went to sleep. Madilyn was wishing that she had a magic tree house so that she could point to one of the pictures in her Speed Racer book and say "I wish I could go there." That girl lives for Speed Racer... but that's another story.

Anyway, my girls really love the Magic Tree House book series, and it was neat to see Jack and Annie "brought to life." A fun family outing!

Diet Advice

For those of you who watch what you eat , here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION
Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

A thought I didn't want to lose

I'm not an ocean, full of unseen depth, but a shallow puddle, reflecting the sun. It's enough.

Not Much Better

So, it's a month since I posted about my rededication to my weight loss efforts, and I'm here to report... nothing. nada. zippo. zilch. I actually weigh 1 pound more. I am officially insane.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein

So, in trying to break the cycle of insanity, I am announcing a trial separation from my treadmill. We are parting ways, and I have found a new (old) partner in my quest... my ancient Nordic Track ski machine.

Initial results are not promising - every day for the last week I have walked a mile on the treadmill to warm up, then spent 30-40 minutes skiing. Lots of sweat, but no change on the scale. My kind-hearted friends will say "it takes time..." or "you're building muscle" or something else, but

I want results!! I have been on a plateau for 3 months!! ARRRGHH!!