Grocery Shopping and The List.....

Chris has laughed at me repeatedly over the last two days. However, it is I who has had the last laugh!! Sunday afternoon, as I was cooking dinner, I began taking a survey of the grocery situation and started a list for the store.  I thumbed through several cookbooks looking for new menu ideas and recipes I would like to try. As I was writing all of this down, it hit me! An Excel spreadsheet would be perfect for this.  I can create a "staple" list which contains items we purchase on a regular basis and then add new items based on our menu for the week. Soooo, I took my idea to the computer and found the perfect template for completing my vision of organization. After finalization of my pantry and refrigerator survey, I was ready to input the information into my handy dandy spreadsheet. I had everything sorted perfectly. Produce, Dairy, Meats, etc. I checked and double-checked my recipes to assure that all the ingredients I would need for cooking these tasty dishes were included on my list. I was so pleased with myself and this stroke of genius. Upon finishing my list, I printed it and presented to Chris. It was a scene like that of a first grader coming home with her first art project. I was so proud.  Chris looks at the list for a moment and then very calmly looks at me and says "really? you put our grocery list in a spreadsheet?" I was thrilled and said "yes, this way when we shop it will be so much easier, quicker and hopefully we won't forget anything."

This is when he began to laugh uncontrollably. I did not find any humor at all in my beloved creation. At this point, I was still revelling in my extreme ingenuity and Chris is still giggling like a little girl. Apparently, he found this little project of mine cute and quite endearing.  Ahhh! But wait! My sweet husband put the list to work today. He took it and grocery shopped! He said that the list came in quite handy. He only had to call me twice for clarification and improvised on anything else in which we have not had occasion to discuss my labels for certain grocery items. For example: I actually call evaporated milk by its brand name rather than what it is...i.e. PET milk.....this confused my dear, dear husband so he bought evaporated milk AND sweetened condensed milk (which I call Eagle Brand milk....again it's brand name.)

I am thrilled that Chris is willing to do the grocery shopping when he is home and while I'm at work. It is a tremendous help to me BUT he should recognize that he is married to a grocery list making genius....just saying!!!!

ROLL TIDE!!!!!

It is another beautiful college football Saturday and I am watching my beloved Alabama team. If you are not from the South this will not make sense but here football is a religion. We eat, breathe and sleep football during the fall. Of course, boys are expected to enjoy football but us Southern girls LOVE football. I do not have to many girlfriends who do not follow and worship their favorite team each week with complete abandon and total devotion regardless of the team.

Our college stadiums are larger than most NFL stadiums. As Chris and I were driving away from Gillette Stadium (where the Patriots play) back in August, I looked back and then said to him "that is a really nice stadium but Bryant Denny is so much bigger."  I thought of this while watching today's game.  Crazy would be an understatement.

Anyway, just finished watching the final quarter of the game. Alabama won. All is right with the world. ROLL TIDE ROLL!!! Yea Alabama!!!

My husband the critic....

I just finished reading my sweet husband's blog for the night. His rant of the evening was his great disdain for the new reality show the "X Factor."  Actually, not the show but the premise of the show. He is not upset in the slightest that I have forced him to watch it the last two evenings (I stopped watching American Idol years ago but am morbidly curious about the X Factor.....I really like Simon and Paula). He was disgusted by the behavior of the contestants who lacked a smidgen of talent and who would then pitch a fit like a spoiled child when the judges would tell them "no." I think that I may have forgotten to tell him or remind him that the vast majority of the people participating in the show are only interested in being rich and famous (not necessarily the love and art of music). His rantings are funny to me because last year I subjected this dear, dear man to one (yes, just one) episode of The Bachelor and he lost it. He complained for hours. Citing that the dude was horrible and the girls were stupid to objectify themselves like that. As he put it "too much drama." The hours of entertainment I gained watching Chris rant was far more fun than watching the show.  I just might have to turn it on at least once this year just to get a rise out of him. I'm a stinker that way.

However, this week has been somewhat comical where television watching is concerned. Funny because I rarely watch television but for some reason (and I have been doing this for years) I watch the season premier of most shows and the season finale but not much in between. Chris has sat through each and every show with me. He loves me like that. 

In case you might be wondering, the front-runners for this year (and by front-runner I mean a show I might watch more than once) are the new shows: Revenge, Charlie's Angels, The Bunny Club and 2 Broke Girls. I have my old favorites too like Criminal Minds and The Good Wife when I can remember they are on.  These shows have passed the Chris meter as well......

With Age Comes Wisdom....

As a kid, I can recall asking my mother "why" when she would make an executive decision on my behalf. The "why" was usually because I did not agree with her assessment. I know that I made this inquiry on more than one occasion and can say that each and every time her answer was "because I have lived longer than you and I know best." I didn't quite understand her reply but knew that she was the boss.  Therefore, I accepted her declaration and went about my business. Fast forward to raising my girls. Each time either of them ask me "why" (because they do not agree with my decisions made in their regard) I also respond with "because I have lived longer than you and I know best."  It hit me recently that I now fully understand exactly what my mother meant all those years ago. As it applies to my own life, I don't so much think it's because I have lived longer than my girls, I think it's because I have matured to a point in my life in which I can see passed the right now or the immediate tomorrow. It's having experienced life in ways that have given me perspective and the clarity necessary to help them make better decisions.  Am I wise? Not even close. But I live and learn everyday and hope to share these truths with Ashley and Allison as they follow behind me.....

The Art of Marriage....

It's funny how we decorate our homes with cute stuff to hang on the walls or sit on a table. These things become fixtures in the background of our lives. I might walk by an object many times in a day and not pay it any attention but then for some reason or other a particular pretty catches my eye. I stop and look it and think about what may have been the inspiration for its acquistion. 


Tonight I was walking through our kitchen and was stopped. For what reason I do not know.  However, the photo for this blog entry is what stopped me. I have read the words on this canvas many times since Chris hung it on our wall. Every time I read it the words become more and more clear to me. Truths right there reminding me every day of who and what Chris and I should be to each other. As I stood there reading each of these things, I thought to myself "it really is that simple, why do people make it so much harder than this?" 

Karma....

It's kind of like the domino effect. There is a trigger and events are placed in motion which ultimately reach an end. Sometimes this is a continuous motion and sometimes it can be interrupted before completion. With an action comes a consequence. As I get older and live more life I understand this more and more. With this wisdom also comes the sadness that there are so many who don't get this. People make poor choices and when the outcome is less than they expected or not the desired result instead of looking at their role in the situation they justify the poor choice by blaming others. "Accountability" seems to be an ever growing issue. I could write a novel the thickness of War and Peace on this. My own experiences (as well as the observance of others) has taught me that whether it is now or later the choices I make will ultimately affect me.  I also know that even when I am trying to do the right thing sometimes the outcome is not always going to be what I want. All I can do is accept this and know that I can (with a clear conscience) sleep at night with the knowledge that I did my best. I have blogged about the "Golden Rule" before but it applies here as well. This is where I emphatically state that I am beyond blessed to have a husband like Chris. I have said it before and will say it again...Chris is the yin to my yang. We are the perfect balance. If I am ever in doubt about a decision he is there to check me and I him. 

Note: Misery loves company. Unhappy people want everyone around them to be unhappy. Love these people in spite of themselves. Pray for them but move on and be done.

My husband the floral arranger.....

Girls be envious!! Be jealous!! It's okay! There is no shame in it!!

So I have been decorating my new office and have made going to Hobby Lobby a daily event. (not so much because I'm making any purchases but because I cannot make up my mind on what I want to purchase) I have had Chris escort me to said store numerous times in the hopes that his connection to his feminine side would kick in and he would just make the choices for me and all would be right with the world. BUT NO!! After much contemplation and argument with my own indecision, I purchased several things for my office. I knew that I wanted a cute but simple floral to go on a book shelf; however, I do not have a creative bone in my body so I picked out several things and a container and YEP, you guessed it, brought them home to my sweet, sweet boy and said "here, make this pretty." Fifteen minutes later I had exactly what I wanted. My dear, dear husband had created the perfect floral arrangement for me and I share with you a photo of his masterpiece.

Oh but I wasn't finished there. Tonight I persuaded my patient and devoted husband to make yet another trip to Hobby Lobby. This was it! EUREKA!! His was in full decorator mode and I came away with some really groovy things to hang and place in my office tomorrow!! I am so thankful to be married to the perfect man.....

Priorities....

So I started a new job a few weeks ago. Still working in a law firm though. And as I examine how my mood and stress level have gotten so much better, I have begun to truly think about what motivates people to succeed and at what cost. Try to follow me here. Generally, people are driven to attain the next popular item or social tier in order to feel successful. In the meantime, some lose sight of what is really important.....what their spouses, children and friends think of them.  Over the years I have watched people completely devote themselves to their job and at the end of the day that is all that they have. Let me back up here for a moment and clarify that it is important to do your job well and to be responsible; however, a job well-done does not have to take priority over all else. With that being said, I love my job. I get to do what I love and still be what I need to be for those so dear to me.

Unconditional Love....

Most of us grow up hearing our loved ones and friends tell us that they love us regardless of our faults and short-comings.  What some of those same people fail to mention is the unspoken disclaimer that goes something like.....I love you regardless of your faults and short-comings as long as you don't have any problems or issues that might be a bother to my life.  With that being said, there is a vast difference between self-made problems and life throwing us a curve ball. This blog is not for the people who whine and moan about things in their lives that are easily changed but they choose not to change them. This blog is for those who find themselves in a situation not of their choosing and in need of friends or family members to just love them through whatever it is they are facing without opinion or trying to fix it.  The picture I chose for this blog is not one of a broken heart but one of a heart that is being mended. It is battered and torn but slowly starting to heal.  Which brings me to my next point.  Chris and I are blessed to have each other and a network of friends and loved ones who all love each other and us unconditionally. None of us say it...we show it.  It is a two-way, reciprocating street that we all travel together. If one of us hurts the entire group is in pain. If one of us is standing in the way of an oncoming train we all get hit.  No judgment, no questions....just unconditional love!!!!