Twenty Four At Heart

Rainy Weekend

I'll be at a Super Bowl party today.  I'm hoping the rain stops, or at least slows down, so we can enjoy being outside for part of the day also.  It has been a wet, wet, weekend.

(This is a stock photo, I didn't take it.  I don't want to get my equipment wet!)

© Twenty Four At Heart  

Bleh, Bleh and Bleh!

I think I'm suffering from food poisoning or some such thing.  Maybe by the time you read this I'll be better.

Saturday night we ate at a Mexican restaurant.  We've been there a few times before and the food is always good.  We all ordered the exact same meal.  (Something which rarely happens with my family.)  Right after dinner, PR departed for a friend's house to spend the night.

Not twenty minutes later, I was curled up in a ball with intense stomach cramps.  Briefcase was fine.  He looked a little frustrated, because ... hey - no kids in the house for a change.  I don't think listening to me moan was what he had in mind.

(Actually, it's exactly what he had in mind, but ...!)

I dug through our cabinets for stomach remedies and went to bed.

In the middle of the night I heard our phone ring, but then it stopped.  I thought maybe it was just a dream.  Awhile later, I heard the faint muttering of voices ... and then nothingness.

In the morning I learned PR had called from his friend's house at one in the morning.  He was feeling really sick to his stomach and wanted to come home.  Being the good mother I am sick myself, I never even woke up.  Briefcase answered the phone and drove to pick him up and bring him home.

Yes, you can nominate me for mother-of-the-year, why do you ask?

Briefcase, by the way, is fine.  

PR and I spent Sunday laying around doing nothing.  Between the two of us we might have consumed two pieces of toast over the course of the last 24 hours.  I feel perfectly fine except for my stomach ...  and oh, how miserable my stomach is.

I'm thinking it must be something we ate, because what are the chances of us both falling ill with the exact same symptoms within a few hours of each other?  Plus, neither of us has a fever.

On the positive side?

Maybe I'll lose an ounce from not eating.  I have the metabolism of a snail so it would be unrealistic to expect to lose more than an ounce.  

I also went through a lot of Lynda.com tutorials while sitting on the couch.  (And for those of you who asked, I'm finding them pretty informative.)  It wasn't exactly the conclusion I wanted to my weekend, but I suppose it wasn't a total waste of time.  After all, now my brain is a little smarter and my weight is a full ounce lighter.

Lastly, I tweeted my way through the Grammy awards.  I'm sure everyone enjoyed was annoyed by my (very) smart ass comments through the entire show.

Did I mention ... bleh?!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Are You Sick of Sunrise Photos? Me Too!

I'm sure you're sick to death of seeing photos of "my" damn mountains.  I can't help it though.  I'm not a morning person.  Lately I've been forced to be up prior to sunrise.  When the sky begins celebrating with vibrant colors I can't control myself - I start clicking away.

Here are two shots taken just a few minutes apart on Friday morning.  It wasn't as spectacular as the sunrise I shared with you last week, but it was still quite beautiful.  I haven't uploaded either of these to my photo gallery, but if you want either of them let me know and I will.

Shot #1

 

And a few minutes later - Shot #2:

© Twenty Four At Heart

Bits and Pieces

I'm going to be touching on several topics, briefly, today.  I know you must love when I ramble on and on about this and that.  Nonetheless, there are a few things I want to update you on and none of them are worth an entire post on their own.

By the way, I might sorta be on drugs.  I don't think I need to confess that, but I better in case this post doesn't make sense.  Or in case I have a lot of typos.  Or something.  Only a little itty bit of drugs (and totally The Torturer's fault), but I'm warning you just in case ....

1.  First of all, wow!  Yes, wow!  Thank you so much for your support yesterday with my new photo gallery.  Honestly, the best people in the world come here (and there!) to visit.  I don't even know what to say except THANK YOU for being so supportive and just plain wonderful!

2.  Apple announced the new iPad yesterday.  I've never heard as many period-related jokes in my life as I did in the first hour after the announcement.  Clearly Apple needs a female on their marketing team.  There's not a woman on earth who would have suggested or approved iPad as a name.

3.  I'm taking three classes right now.  I feel like a full time student again.  First, I'm taking a Photoshop class.  So far, I've primarily learned how much I don't know about Photoshop.  I'm also taking a photography class.  The instructor thinks I'm really good at landscape photography.  He made me happy, giving me a lot of really positive feedback.  He also told me he can make me even better by teaching me "a few tricks."  Then he informed me I pretty much suck at portrait photography.  Um, maybe that's why I don't shoot people very often?

Shoot people?

It sounds so violent.

In addition, I'm taking some online tutorials (various topics) at Lynda.com.  It sounds so wrong when I tell my family I need to be left alone for awhile so I can "go do Lynda."

4.  I barely have time to breathe.  Maybe one class at a time would have been a better idea?

5.  Remember when my son was injured during football season and had to be rushed in for ankle surgery?  Well, he's still going through physical therapy, but he's almost done.  He is doing GREAT!  In addition, the baseball coaches at his high school have bent over backwards to accommodate him.  The freshman baseball team was announced this week and he made the team.  He's thrilled.  I'm very happy for him and also relieved.  My son lives for baseball, it's hands down his favorite sport.  He would have been crushed if he couldn't play due to a football injury.  (No more football in his future!)  

There will be a lot of high school baseball games for me to attend in upcoming months.  

Bleacher butt here I come!

6.  The Torturer put me in the worst pain imaginable last Monday.  I haven't been back to PT since.  (For a host of reasons, not just because the man hurts me.)  In any case, I'm hoping in another day or two the pain will have mellowed out to the point where I might be able to sleep through the night.  I'm verrrry tired from all the pain.  Boo Hiss on The Torturer!  (Also?  I bet he really misses me a lot!)

7.  There's a town in Canada named Lower Sackville.  I find this exceedingly funny because I have the sense of humor of a 12 year old boy.  One of my twitter friends is Canadian and informed me there is a Middle and Upper Sackville also.  Another Twitter friend chimed in with a town she encountered named Glory Hole.  ("I just entered Glory Hole - it's rockin' my world.")  

Yes, I use Twitter to further my intellectual development, why do you ask?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Hee Haw! Or Did I Mean Hoo Haa? (Part 2)

* Part 1 of this story posted yesterday.  If you missed it, you can click here to read it. *

 Dr. Mary Sunshine situated herself on my right side to begin a breast exam.  She lifted my right arm to position it properly over my head, but my right arm won't move in the direction she needed it to.  She frowned.  I explained.  She changed her technique to accommodate my bum arm.

As she palpitated my breasts I stared blankly at the ceiling.  I once had a GYN who put funny posters on the ceiling above his exam tables.  They were a nice distraction and usually a good conversation piece.  I dared a downward glance at my bionic nipples.  As always, they were alert.  I wondered if post-breast reduction boobs feel different during an exam?  I wondered if she was appraising the skill of my breast surgeon?  I wondered if she thought my alert nipples meant I liked the breast exam a little too much?

Did I mention, my brain was going 500 mph due to my anxiety over the entire appointment?

With the breast exam complete, Dr. Mary Sunshine smiled and said, "Scoot on down!" with so much cheerfulness I was tempted to slap her.  Reluctantly, I slid my feet into the stirrups on each side of the table and slid my booty body down the table.

"A little further please," she said in her sing-songy voice as I heard the snap of rubber gloves being put on her hands.

With dread in every ounce of my being, I scooted further down the table.  To say I felt a little exposed is an extreme understatement.

I saw the doc glance at my cooch and then do a double-take and look again.

"The Brazilian," I thought to myself.

She didn't comment, but clearly she knew things looked different than last year.

I'm pretty sure I was blushing from head to toe at that point.  I wonder what a blushing Brazilian-waxed hoo haa looks like?

I will spare you all the embarrassing details of the next several minutes, but I will say there was an extreme amount of lube involved.  Also?  Dr. Mary Sunshine warms her speculum's prior to inserting them into cooters.  She also covers the stirrups with fabric so they aren't ice cold on your feet.  (She is an OC doctor after all!)

Kudos to Dr. Mary Sunshine. 

Once the exam was completed, the doc cheerfully announced, "Well, you can get dressed now and I'll see you again next year!"

She handed me a pantyliner and exited the room.

Now, this is where things started going wrong.  I glanced at the pantyliner.  The intention, of course, is to preserve panties from all the lube she just inserted into my va-jay-jay.  The problem, however, is I was wearing thong panties and a regular pantyliner won't work with a thong.

I wasn't sure what to do with the pantyliner in my hand.  I could throw it away, but if Dr. Mary Sunshine saw it in the trash she would think I was rude, ungrateful, and/or that I like the feeling of a gallon of lube dripping out of my cooch.  (Same thing if I left it sitting on the exam table.)  I hadn't noticed where the pantyliner came from and there were several drawers and cupboards in front of me.  

I considered opening them all until I found the one holding pantyliners.  I could sneak the pantyliner she gave me back into its original location.  (It was individually wrapped and still sterile.)  I was worried, however, the nurses or doctor would hear me opening and closing cupboards and drawers in the room.  What if they walked in to find me naked and pillaging through their cupboards?

It might look like I was trying to steal pantyliners (or other items) instead of politely refusing the one she gave me.

Yes, I know I was way over thinking this whole dilemma, but I get very out of sorts at my yearly poon peek.  

Finally, I tossed the pantyliner in my purse.  The doctor would assume I used it, I wouldn't get arrested for stealing pantyliners and all would be right with the world.

(Maybe I should have known better than to put anything in my purse.  I once had a very embarrassing incident occur as a result of putting a pair of panties in my purse.)

Nonetheless, at this point, I just wanted to get out of there and go home.  Have I mentioned it was now 6 p.m?

I got dressed, I exited the office.  It was raining.

I checked my phone and saw there was a message from my 14 year old son.  I called him as I was getting into my car.  He wanted to know why I was taking so long.

"What kind of appointment were you at?"

Um ....

And, he wanted to let me know he was starving and, "What's for dinner Mom?"

I told him I'd pick something up on the way home.  

I hung up and called Wood Ranch restaurant with a to-go order.  It had been a long day.  I was more than ready for it to be over.

Thirty minutes later, I arrived at the restaurant.  I went to their take-out desk and gave Hawt 18 Year Old my name.  He gathered my order and informed me how much money I owed.

Well, by now you can probably guess what happened.  I pulled out my wallet and the pantyliner went flying out across the take-out counter.  In fact, it not only flew across the counter, it fell on the floor on the other side of the counter where Hawt 18 Year Old stood.

It was a classic "24" moment.

Hawt 18 Year Old didn't realize at first what had just gone flying past him.

I did though.  I felt my face flushing a deep shade of red.

Instinctively, he reached down to retrieve the slightly crumpled item he'd seen fly from my purse to his feet.

 

As he extended his hand to return it to me, I saw comprehension wash over his face.  He blushed.

He returned the pantyliner to me.  He kept his eyes averted as he rang up the charges for the food.

I paid.  I also intentionally over-tipped him as a means to make up for his, and my, embarrassment.

"Here you go," he said at last (still averting his eyes), as he handed me a bag with our food in it.  "I hope you have a very nice evening."

I mumbled a quick thank you.

And then, I do believe I ran right out the door.

For now until eternity, Briefcase will be in charge of picking up to-go orders from Wood Ranch.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Hee Haw! Or Did I Mean Hoo Haa? (Part 1)

Last week I had to go in for my once a year girly-parts check-up.  You know, it's often referred to as a woman's "annual" or gyn check-up, or poon peek.

* Ahem *

I'm wondering if other women have crazy thoughts running through their heads as they undergo this yearly wonder, or if it's just me?  I get so nervous about the exam, I never know what thought will pop into my head next.

Every year, I dread this appointment for at least a full week before it takes place.  I always try to think up excuses for canceling it, and then the image of one of my neighbors who died of cervical cancer comes to mind.  

I keep the appointment.

I'm in my forties and you'd think I'd be used to this nightmare event by now, but I'm not. I'm not a sexually shy person (clearly!), but I get nervous for this appointment every year.  My heart races, my hands sweat, I feel awkward and uncomfortable and I would rather be anywhere else.  

I've given birth to three children with a host of people in the room as I did so.  How can a simple exam fluster me so?

I entered the office with a wayward nod to the expecting mothers in the waiting area.  My youngest is fourteen and I'm clearly past the baby birthing stage of my life.  The receptionist asked me to fill out a zillion of the exact same forms I filled out last year, and I did.

And then I waited.  

While I waited, I wondered if there would be time to take one more quick shower before the doctor began exploring my nether regions.  Perhaps the shower I took an hour before was not enough.  Why don't they have bidets in the waiting area?  

I reminded myself my doc (a woman) looks at twats all day long and surely mine can't be unique.  

Then I wondered if perhaps mine is unique, because I don't have any real-life experience with other women's lady bits.

I began to ponder, in depth, the possibilities for variations in va-jay-jays.

Right then an overly friendly nurse called my name and ushered me out of the waiting area into the dungeons of hell actual offices.

She asked if I'd like to step on the scale.

I told her, I really would not like to at all.

She laughed and we passed up the scale for the actual examination room.

"Whew!" I thought.  "I escaped the scale!"

I was quite sure I lost five pounds stressing about being weighed in public.

The nurse was very! happy!  She chattered nonstop about every topic imaginable except those related to why I was there.  I suppose she's a tool of distraction.  She took my blood pressure.  She instructed me to get naked and put on a hospital gown with the opening in the front.

"Why bother?" I thought.

"No problem," I said instead.  

The nurse departed.  I stripped off my clothes and folded them on a chair.  I hurried into the hospital gown in case anyone should happen to walk in as I stood there buck naked.

God forbid, the woman who delivered my last child should see me naked.

I sat on the examination table waiting for the doctor.  While I waited, I began to wonder who invented the speculum and whatever possessed him (definitely a him!) to do so.  I sent a tweet out to over 2,000 people on Twitter asking if any of them knew who invented the speculum.

Maybe it was my imagination, but I could have sworn I heard people all over the world laughing as they read it.  Those who didn't laugh, most likely un-followed me.

I'm pretty sure, a bazillion years ago, some man wanted to get a good look-see up inside a cooter in an attempt to figure out why the damn thing felt so good.  He invented the speculum and women have been subjected to it ever since.

Don't ya think?

Right then it occurred to me I now have a Brazilian!  

Omigod!  

I have a Brazilian (!) and I didn't at last year's appointment.  What if the doctor had never seen a bald hoo haa before?  I suppose it's unlikely in Orange County, but possible.  She certainly had never seen one on me.  Before I could worry much about my Brazilian, Dr. Mary Sunshine entered the room. 

The doc greeted me with a huge hug and her sing-songy voice exuded so! much! happiness! to see me again.  She's an expert at small talk but her efforts to make me enjoy my visits with her are futile.  She inquired as to whether I've had any health changes in the last year.  I told her I underwent a breast reduction last summer.

"Ok then," she said.  "Why don't you go ahead and lie back?  I'll start with your breast exam."

"Oh shit!" I thought.  "What if my bionic nipples misbehave?"

** The conclusion of this story will be posted tomorrow. **

© Twenty Four At Heart

Clear Skies

The rain has finally stopped ... at least, for now.

The clouds gave way to clear skies yesterday.  For the first time in days, the mountains behind my house were visible again.  Imagine my surprise, when I saw snow on them.  

In Orange County!!

© Twenty Four At Heart 

Winter Sunrise

During the first week of January, I watched the most beautiful sunrise I've ever seen.  

I was up early when I caught my first glimpse.  Within seconds I was snapping photos as fast as I could.  The colors were changing second by second.

 

 

Beautiful!

© Twenty Four At Heart

THIS is Orange County?

**  Twenty Four At Heart 2010 Calendars were mailed out to all contest winners yesterday.  **

I was going to write up the rest of my Santa Barbara trip for you today, but it will have to wait.  

You won't believe what's been happening in Orange County during this week of El Nino "epic" storms!

I know many of you will laugh at me for thinking this is a big deal ... but it IS a big deal here.

Yesterday we had a torrential downpour at my house.  The canyon I live in is right against the mountains.  When there's rain, we usually get a lot more than other areas of The OC.  The clouds get stuck here - basically, they stay pinned up against the mountains.

The bottom half of my two-level patio was flooded.  The drains couldn't begin to keep up with the amount of rain coming down.

The water level rose almost to the point of entering the house.  Thank goodness the rain finally slowed down just in time to prevent major problems.

We had buckets of rain, lightening (!), thunder (!), a tornado (!!) in Huntington Beach, and 50-60 mph winds.

This is not even remotely "normal" for Orange County.  Yes, we get awe-inspiring Santa Ana winds here but those occur with clear skies.

Oh, I almost forgot - we got SNOW too!  

 

Well ... not really.  It was hail.  

 

Nevertheless, anything white and cold is a very rare occurrence here. 

They're predicting even bigger storms today and the remainder of the week.

Wow!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Calendar Winners! (And A Palm Tree)

Thank you to everyone who entered to win a 2010 Twenty Four At Heart Calendar.  I used the Random Integer Generator to pick the twelve calendar winners.

They are:

 1.  Donna in VA  Comment #9

 2.  Pam  Comment #14

 3.  Alan  Comment #17

 4.  Momma Sunshine  Comment #31

 5.  Yvette  Comment #41

 6.  Sandra  Comment #44

 7.  Holli Buchter  Comment #56

 8.  Jason  Comment #63 

 9.  Tina  Comment #73

10.  Mad Woman  Comment #78

11.  Middle-Aged-Woman  Comment #97  

12.  Kim@BeautifulWreck  Comment #103

Congratulations to each of you!

If you are one of the twelve winners, please email me (via the Contact tab at the top of the page) with the mailing address you'd like your calendar sent to.  

For all of my readers ...

Many of you have heard about, but never experienced, the Santa Ana Winds of Southern California.  These winds are particularly fierce in our foothills and canyons.  As many of you know, I live in a major wind tunnel canyon.  

Thursday morning I was woken up by the sound of our (very heavy) patio furniture being blown around on our upstairs deck.  It's hard to describe the Santa Ana Winds but this picture of my palm trees might give you a little feel for what they're like.

© Twenty Four At Heart 

My Boobs Are Everywhere

** I'm giving away twelve Twenty Four At Heart 2010 Calendars.  You may enter to win one by clicking here. **

Do you remember, right before Christmas (December 23rd) an elderly man rear-ended my car?  I was stopped at a red light.  He had his dog in the front seat of the car with him.  The dog was running around all over the place and, distracted, he plowed into the back of my car. 

It scared me, of course, because of the accident-nightmare I've gone through these last several years.  It didn't feel so good either, for that matter.

One very important thing I learned from my Big Bad Accident three and a half years ago, is you should always (always!) have a camera in your car with you in the event of an accident.  A cheap disposable camera works fine, it doesn't have to be expensive.  I carry my point and shoot in my purse wherever I go, and have for many years.  The fact that I had photos (the police took them) after my Big Bad Accident, helped tremendously with the legal aftermath.

Anyway, Elderly Man With Dog On His Lap hit my car.  We exchanged insurance information.  My car (an SUV) wasn't too badly damaged, but the man's front car bumper was hanging off.  I decided to snap a couple photos of both our cars "just in case."

Yesterday I was putting together all the paperwork to send off to the insurance company.  I decided to print out a photo or two to send along.

I burst out laughing when I saw my reflection looking back at me in this photo:

I suppose I should have been surprised when I saw this photo, but for some reason I wasn't.  Should I include it with the other photos I mail to my insurance agent?  Or delete it and pretend I never took it?

© Twenty Four At Heart 

So Ready For The Weekend!

My weekend began a day early.  Yesterday my oldest son, RC, and I spent the afternoon at the beach.  It was beautiful.  It was fun.  We relaxed and watched the surfers.  It was probably my last time alone with him before he heads back to college early Sunday morning.

I wish he didn't have to leave.

© Twenty Four At Heart 

Black and White

If you're reading this today, it means I'm still having computer/technical problems.  I've pre-written this and scheduled it to spit out in the event I don't have the opportunity to write a "real" post.

I never write real posts anyway, right?

The good news is, I have "Apple Care" on my laptop so repairs will be free.  The bad news is ... I will have to abscond with other people's computers to write posts until my laptop comes home from the hospital.

I've been told it could take up to TWO WEEKS!

(I get the shakes just thinking about it!)

And didn't I just say I was going to try to get caught up on email, etc?  

Hmmm.  Maybe I can get some of it done.  (By the way - I will still see all emails and comments via my Blackberry.  How many emails I can respond to on that little tiny screen before I throw it against a wall is an entirely different subject, isn't it?)

Also, apparently I'd be better off with More RAM in my life.  I felt slightly violated when the Apple man suggested it.  Seriously, his eyes met mine and then he asked, "Would you like more RAM while we're at it?"

A little forward of him, don't you think?

I'll try to get back to nipple stories as soon as possible.  (The comments and emails yesterday clearly indicate a great love of nipple stories from both my male and female readers.)

By the way, the comment from Mama Llama yesterday made me snort out loud.  It said (in part): And my curiosity is piqued...did the nipple story have anything to do with The Torturer?  

Ha ha!  

*snort*  *snicker*  *guffaw*

And that's all I'm saying about that ....!

For now, I thought I'd share this photo.  

Some of you may have already seen it via Twitter.  I don't take black and white photos often, but once in awhile they seem to deliver a stronger visual impact than color shots.  As I left the beach last weekend I stopped mid-track as I crossed the railroad tracks.  (They run just a few feet from the beach itself.)  I glanced down the tracks and thought, "Wow!"  

A quick click later, I was on my way.

 
© Twenty Four At Heart 

Drugs and Flashing Lights

Omigod!

Which came first - the drugs?  Or the flashing lights?

I have so many things to share with you, (like my nipples!) but my MacBook has gone bonkers and the middle of my screen has turned into an Alien Being composed of rainbow-colored flashing lights.

I am emotionally, and most often physically, attached to my MacBook so I'm freaking the hell out ... it's about to DIE on me.

Dear Santa,

Please bring me a MacBook (Pro because it would be nice to step up a level as long as you're stopping in)  TODAY  NOW!

And yes, all my data on my possessed laptop is backed up.

If you don't back up your computer you should.

Because the aliens are coming!  

And they've come to my laptop first.

Which is really no surprise when you think about it.

But I can't think about it because STOP THE FLASHING LIGHTS!

Also?  

I didn't mean, just a minute ago, to say I intend to share my actual nipples with you.  I meant - I have a funny story about nipples to share with you.

My nipples.

The story, I mean, is about my nipples and a funny situation they found themselves in.

Also?  

A computer-savvy person told me my laptop most likely "only" needs a new video card or something like that - which made no sense to me because I don't watch many videos.  However, I don't think I've turned my MacBook off for more than five minutes since the day I got it.  Maybe I used whatever is inside it all up by now.

Who can say?

I'm not even understanding myself - how about you?

Someone stop the flashing lights!

Pleeeeeeease.

Ok, and then there's the deal with the drugs.  Because - are the lights really rainbow colored or is it a figment of  my imagination  the pain meds?  Are there even flashing lights at all?  I feel like I'm on LSD (which I've never taken) but I'm quite sure taking LSD feels exactly like Flashing Rainbow Lights In The Middle of A MacBook Screen.

By the way, for Christmas, The Torturer gave me quite a bit of time off.  (Yay!)  But when I went back to PT yesterday he decided to make-up for all the time off by turning me into a weightlifter/body builder in just one three hour session.

Yes he did!

With real weights!  The Torturer made me do things (sounds naughty, doesn't it?!) with a half pound weight, a one pound weight, and a two pound weight ... which I can't lift without his help.

I know I'm pathetic, but I'm way less pathetic than ever before.

He's trying to kill me, I'm sure of it.  Or make my arm fall off which would really be a blessing, I think.

Which is why I ended up taking pain meds.

I'm writing a lot of fragmented and run-on sentences today? 

I'm trying to rush, ya see - in case the entire computer dies this very second from the flashing lights   aliens.

Also?

Did I mention the Aliens  flashing rainbow colored lights  are making it nearly impossible to look at the screen?

Which means I'm typing with my eyes closed.

I'm a really good and incredibly fast (!) typist though, so it's probably okay.  (?)

Also?

Calendars!

Several of you requested I make Twenty Four At Heart 2010 calendars available with lots of pretty beach photos.  I've been busy.  I thought it was a great idea, but I've had no time.  I decided I would make ONE and see how it came out.

Beautiful!  

It came out fantabulous!  I'm so excited because it looks like a REAL calendar.

By now, most of you probably already have 2010 calendars?  I'm ordering just a *few* more to have on hand.  Maybe for a giveaway?  The photographs I selected look so pretty blown up all big-ish for a calendar.

I'll tell you more about it when they arrive, but what do you think?  Is there anyone out there who still needs a 2010 calendar?

© Twenty Four At Heart

San Clemente

** If you're one of the many people who have emailed me in the last several weeks, I can assure you I've read your email.  Most likely, I haven't yet responded to it and for that, I apologize.  I have visitors here for one more week.  I will be doing my best to get caught up with all of you in the next two weeks.  Thank you for your patience! **

Many of my virtual friends, around the world, have been sharing with me stories of winter.  They tell me stories of temperatures I've never experienced in my life (-49F anyone?).  I think maybe once, when I was in the mountains on a ski trip, I might have experienced 32 F/0 C.  In fact, I think a few little flakes swirled through the air and I got really excited because it was snowing.  

So, um, sorry - but that's all I know about cold weather.

However, since many of you are currently experiencing cold, I thought you might like to read about warm.

I woke up Sunday morning sweating.  

Aren't I attractive?

It was 77F/25C downstairs in our house, which means the bedrooms upstairs had to be at least 80F.  My house gets full morning sun and it heats up quickly in warm weather.

We decided to drive to San Clemente for breakfast at Fisherman's.  It's a quick drive from where I live and it promised to be a beautiful beach day.

I was not disappointed.

It was a spectacular morning.  

There were some big waves and we watched the surfers as we ate.  The waves would crash so hard against the pilings under the restaurant, the table would shake.  Ocean spray, from the crashing waves, shot up high enough to mist my feet through the planks of the floor.  (Tip: always wear flip flops if you plan to eat outdoors at Fisherman's.) 

This was the view straight in front of me while seated at my table:

PR was facing the opposite direction.  This is the view from where he sat:

 

We walked down the pier which is currently under (re)construction.  I wanted to get a photo looking back towards the town.  San Clemente is nestled in the hills and comes right down to the beach.

  

There were a lot of pelicans diving for food.  I have a weakness for pelicans.  They've only recently been removed from the endangered list.  In ideal conditions, pelicans can live up to 30 years.  Unfortunately, it's getting harder and harder for them to find "ideal" conditions.

Sadly, this pelican, perched on top of a pier building, had a piece of fishing line entangled near his beak.  Although the sight of the fishing line upset me, it didn't seem to faze him as he relaxed in the sun.  (He was staring at me, can you tell?)

 

We walked up and down the beach for a long time.  

 

It felt nice to be out on such a wonderful day.  Everyone we saw was enjoying themselves and had a smile on their face.

 

I convinced myself I was burning up thousands of calories with every step I took.

We walked, and we walked, until we ran out of sand.

© Twenty Four At Heart 

To Me This Says "Winter"

On New Year's Eve, I was bound and determined to capture a photo of the Blue Moon rising over the mountains.  I dragged out my tripod, and lenses, and was all set to shoot a good thirty minutes before I expected to see the moon.  As it turns out, the moon was covered in cloud cover until later in the evening (when I was off partying.)  I got some nice eerie shots of the moon lighting up the clouds and mountains, but not a fantastic Blue Moon shot. 

It wasn't a total loss though.  Sometimes the best photos end up being the ones you weren't expecting to take.  While I was waiting for my Moon Rise I started snapping the sun setting.

To me, this photo says "winter" in the most beautiful way.

 

© Twenty Four At Heart

Happy Twenty Ten!

I rang in the New Year with some old friends last night.  To be honest, I'm still a little fuzzy-headed this morning.  As I recall, one of our male friends celebrated at midnight with a pink party hat strategically positioned on the lower portion of his body.  (I never realized how phallic an improperly positioned pink party hat can be!)  When I hugged him at midnight he said, "Be careful, I might poke you."

And he did!

Happy New Year to me?

Wishing each and every one of you a wonderful, healthy, happy, fun, Twenty Ten!

© Twenty Four At Heart

A Winter Walk

Last Monday I felt a strong need to break out of holiday couch-potato mode and enjoy the beautiful day.  The holidays are great, but at some point I felt like I turned into one gigantic Christmas cookie.  I was seriously concerned my clothes might never fit again.

I'm sure all of you are svelte, and skinny, and exercised like maniacs during the last few weeks.  I'm sure you also lived on celery sticks and water while I gorged on cow(s?) to the point of mooing in my sleep.

Also?  I might have consumed a See's truckload little bit of chocolate during the holidays.

(The See's family is part of my family tree so you really can't hold me accountable for this particular weakness.  I'm genetically predisposed to consume See's candy.)

Surprisingly, I was able to fit into a pair of pants so I could leave the house.  Shocking, isn't it?  

They might be those stretchy kind of pants, but let's pretend they're not.

There's a man-made lake in a neighboring city.  My long-term readers have seen pictures of it before.

 

The perimeter of the lake is exactly one mile in length.  I decided I could accomplish two tasks at once by walking around the lake a few times and shooting photos while I was at it.

I walk around lakes a lot for exercise.  This isn't the only one within driving distance of my home.  There are always a lot of other people out walking/running/biking around the lakes.  

The mountains are beautiful this time of year.

By the way, the picture above is of Saddleback Mountain. 

While walking, I realized it really looks like winter right now.  (Well, the Orange County version of winter!)  Some of the trees have lost most of their leaves.

There were a lot of birds/ducks/coots/geese swimming in the lake too.

I was looking for an opportunity to play with my Lensbaby Composer lens.  I've had it for awhile, but I haven't had that many opportunities to use it.  If you aren't familiar with Lensbaby, it's a camera lens which allows the photographer a lot of creativity while shooting.  I'm far from an expert with mine, but it's wonderful for going completely creative-crazy as a photographer ... as I did with the flowers-gone-wild shot below.

More often, I'll be using the Lensbaby simply to show motion in a creative way.  You can see an example in the picture of the birds eating below.

My favorite Lensbaby photo so far, is my final photo of this post.  A lady, walking her dog, came by and scared the birds.  Instead of flying, they began running for the lake to escape her dog.  It was a humorous sight and a perfect shot for a more creative lens.

Wishing all of you a very happy, and safe, New Years Eve!

© Twenty Four At Heart  

The Saga of the Red Cup, Part III

Back in October, I took a marital spat public when I wrote about my favorite coffee cup.  It's a very old, red, Starbucks travel cup and it has to be hand washed because it's not "dishwasher safe."  I've had it for years, and I'm emotionally attached to my red coffee cup.  Briefcase always washes the dishes when he's home, but for some reason, he refused to wash my special cup.  He'd just leave it sitting in the sink rather than spend time hand washing it.  If you never had the opportunity to read my somewhat humorous post on our spat, you can do so by clicking here.

In November, I wrote a sequel to my initial post.  Briefcase came home from a business trip and surprised me one day with this:

 

I thought it was the end of the Red Coffee Cup saga, but I was wrong.

This year, for Christmas, Briefcase gave me this:

 

It's a new Starbucks coffee cup.  It's ceramic, unlike most of the Starbucks large travel cups.  Because it's ceramic, it keeps my coffee very hot which is what I love about my red cup.  (Sadly, although I still have my red cup it now has a crack in it and, after all its years of service, it really does need to be retired.)  

Of course, being ceramic means this cup is more breakable than many of the newer Starbuck travel cups, but it keeps my coffee very hot which is my top priority in a coffee cup.  

Yes, I'm the annoying person at Starbucks who always asks for my coffee to be "extra hot."

Briefcase is happy because, of course, he bought a dishwasher safe cup.  That's right - no more hand washing my coffee cup.  

I'm predicting this will be my most-used gift this year.

How about you?  Did you receive a gift this holiday season you'll be using more than others over the next year?

** No Starbucks coffee cups were harmed in the publishing of this post.

*** Starbucks is not a sponsor of Twenty Four At Heart, although they really should be.

© Twenty Four At Heart

What Are The Holidays Like At 24's House?

I received a few emails from readers wanting to know how I celebrate the holidays.  It always shocks me to think anyone cares what the hell I'm doing. 

And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

I forget many of you are reading from other states and/or countries and are naturally curious about how my lifestyle here in Orange County might differ from yours.

My family celebrates Christmas.  We do, however, have people in our extended family who celebrate every holiday under the sun this time of year.  We are an eclectic group and I love that about my family.

Although I grew up here, we no longer have family close by.  Briefcase grew up on the east coast and came west for me.  (Someday I'll write a post about that.)  Holidays in recent years are usually spent with just our nuclear family: Briefcase, myself, and our three kids.  Usually our extended family comes to visit either right before, or a week or two after the actual holidays.

This year we spent Christmas Eve Day just hanging out at our house.  A lot of our time was spent by the pool because it was a beautiful day.  This photo of our pool is one I took several months ago:

 

We didn't go swimming this Christmas (although we have in years past) because I hadn't bothered to heat the pool and the water was too chilly.  Instead, some of us napped in the sun, some of us read, and I was in and out of the kitchen preparing a nice dinner for Christmas Eve.

I was also pretty drugged up due to the after effects of my fender-bender last week.

We always go to church on Christmas Eve.  This year was the first year we've ever not gone.  To be honest, I was hurting pretty badly (in addition to being in a drugged up haze.) I knew I couldn't sit through the service this year.

With help from everyone in my family, we did manage to pull off a more formal Christmas Eve dinner.  We usually have our nicest meal on Christmas Eve rather than on Christmas day.  First, we had a few appetizers to choose from.  I fixed a prime rib for our main course.  It was served with au jus, a sour cream/horseradish mixture, a potato casserole and a spinach/artichoke heart casserole.  Dessert consisted of a delicious cheesecake.

Lots of calories all in one meal! 

(I've been living in sweats ever since - I don't dare try on my jeans until I've exercised for a week straight.)

We ate in our dining room vs. our usual meals in our kitchen nook.  The table was set with a nice tablecloth, candles, etc.  We had some very nice wines to accompany the meal.  I couldn't drink because I was on pain meds, but I hear the wine was great. 

After dinner we simply enjoyed family time together.  Now that my two oldest kids are in college, it's a celebration whenever we are all home together.  My eldest son acted as DJ and kept the tunes coming all night.  There was a lot of talking, reminiscing, and laughter.  It was a nice, cozy, low-key evening.

My youngest son is 14, but he still gets very excited about Christmas.  He woke the rest of the family up on Christmas morning to "come open gifts."  We spent our morning exchanging gifts and oohing and ahhing over them.  Even our dogs found a gift left behind from Santa.

I fixed a very nice brunch after we had finished opening gifts.  (Again, with everyone's help since I'm pretty sore these days.)

We talked about spending the afternoon at the beach, but we were feeling too lazy to go anywhere.  Instead, we spent more time on Christmas day hanging out by our pool and enjoying family time.  My sons spent a portion of the day trying to "beat" an X-box game they received as a gift.  

Pretty boring - but blissful at the same time.

After having prepared two big Christmas meals already, I usually go "easy" on the cooking for Christmas night.  Briefcase threw some steaks on the grill, I made a homemade Caesar dressing for salad, and I also assembled one of my family's favorite potato dishes for dinner.  Homemade Christmas cookies and peppermint ice cream, topped with hot fudge, finished off the meal.

There were one or two gifts we exchanged which you might be interested in.  I'll tell you about one of them in tomorrow's post.  Overall, I have to say it was a quiet, mellow, Christmas this year.  It was also a very nice one.

How about you?  Did you have a nice holiday, regardless of what holiday you celebrate?  Was it hectic and chaotic?  Or slow-paced and casual?

© Twenty Four At Heart

A Thank You & Quick Update

I hope everyone's been having nice holidays.  It's hard to believe 2010 is looming just a few days out.

I want to thank everyone who has emailed/commented or tweeted me with well wishes since I was rear-ended last week.  Honestly, I consider myself so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life as a result of Twenty Four At Heart.  

You guys are awesome!

I'm doing fine.  I'm sorer than normal but it could have been so much worse.  I credit The Torturer for immediately packing me in ice and my doctor for getting me on some powerful anti-inflammatories immediately for making the whole ordeal less painful than it would be otherwise.  It's ridiculous to think I need medical care for a minor accident, but at the same time - I'm very lucky to have people in my life who understand what I need in a situation like that.  

I think I'll be back to my version of "normal" in another week or so.  

Let's hope.

My family had a very nice Christmas.  We did less than normal, activity-wise, since I was in a bit of pain, but it was nice to keep the pace on the slower side.  Now, we're just enjoying a few lazy days hanging out together as a family.  I love it.

I have a few more things to share with you regarding our holidays, but I just wanted to post a huge thank you to everyone today.  I appreciate the support, concern, and well wishes more than you know.

Big hugs to each, and every single one, of you!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Remember Yesterday's Post?

** Thank you to everyone who (having heard via Twitter) has inquired regarding my well being.  Proving, once again, I have a target painted on my car ....  An elderly man rear-ended my car, quite forcefully, yesterday as I sat in it at a red light.  (Probably because his dog was running back and forth across the front seats as he was driving.)  

The Torturer packed me in ice immediately after the accident.  I was on my way to PT from a camera store when it happened.  The Torturer loves when I walk into PT crying.  It reminds him of all our good times together.  After he froze me to death, The Torturer sent me to my surgeon to be checked and x-rayed, and checked some more - because ... um, I'm not normal.  My body is so screwed up already, there is no such thing as a minor car accident. 

Also?  My head hurt so much ... I felt like it was esploding. 

I think I will be okay, but needless to say this has thrown my arm/shoulder/neck pain levels off the charts.  Merry Christmas to me.  My doctor decided drugging me into oblivion for the next few days would be the best course of action.  Yes, this whole situation sucks.  Especially at Christmas time.  Really, really sucks!

The short post below was already written and scheduled to go out today. ** 

                   ---------------------------------------------------

Yesterday I told you about fattigman cookies.  I explained what they are and how to make them.  

Well, everyone in my house loved them.

And I do mean ... everyone.

 

The guilty look on his face ... the powdered sugar on his nose ....  

He may think he's got me fooled, but I'm on to him.

© Twenty Four At Heart

A Sequence of Events

Last week was a marathon week for me.  I was up at 5 a.m. most mornings and booked solid with errands and activities all day, every day.

On Friday morning, I watched the sky light up with a beautiful sunrise.

I'm not a morning person - at all.  I hate waking up when it's still dark.  I do appreciate a pretty sunrise though.

I walked outside and noticed some deer behind my backyard fence.

A few minutes later my Golden Retriever noticed them too.

I called for him to come inside the house, but he pretended not to hear me.  

 

Wildlife behind our house is a good excuse to ignore me, I suppose.

A little while later, I checked back on him again.

I've never seen him sit on top of our raised planters like that before.  He wasn't about to leave his post.

I could also tell when the deer began walking away.  I didn't need to even walk outside to check.  I knew they were moving on just by watching him.

He seemed bereft of happiness once they'd gone.  

After all, he's got a serious job he's responsible for.   

Deer-watching is an important task!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Warm and Balmy

Last night my daughter and I went out for Mexican food.  It was just the two of us.  It was a warm, balmy, night here - absolutely beautiful.

We sat outdoors, overlooking the water, as we enjoyed our meal.  I know a lot of you are facing cold temperatures right now, but I was only wearing a t-shirt and it was very comfortable outside ...around 75F/23.9C.

There was a Christmas tree lit up nearby.  It was so peaceful.  The lights reflected off the water.  It was stunning.  I thought I could just sit right there for hours enjoying the warm breeze.

It was a little slice of heaven.  I had my point and shoot camera in my purse.  This photo doesn't really capture the beauty of the scene in its entirety, but perhaps it gives you an idea of what it was like.

© Twenty Four At Heart  

Well, Crap ...

I came down with a fever yesterday.  You know, because I didn't have enough on my plate already.  I'm not that sick - just enough to make me feel like shit.  As a result, I'm going to continue my attempt to keep you entertained with absolutely no effort on my part.

I'm getting good at it?  

Maybe?

My sister sent me this via email.  I thought it was really funny.  I hope you do too.

The Latest Woman's Car

  

Renault and Ford are working on a new small car for women.

They are mixing the Clio and the Taurus, and calling it the "Clitaurus."

It comes in pink, and the average male thief will not be able to find it, even if someone tells him exactly where it is.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Viagra

Well, like many of you I'm absolutely swamped with "to-do's" right now.  I'm at PT in the mornings for my bum arm.  I have about an hour break and then I pick my son up from school and go back to PT so The Torturer can work on his ankle.  (He's now in an ankle brace and can limp walk without crutches.)  In other words, I'm living at PT - or so it feels.  I might just bring my toothbrush and stay there 24/7.

The Torturer loves me.  I'm sure of it.

In the meantime, family has arrived for the next several weeks and there's a lot to do at home.  Plus, of course, there's all of the holiday stuff going on.  (Parties and parties and maybe a few more parties!)

I explain this to you with the hope you'll better understand I'm utterly exhausted if I miss a post here and there over the next two weeks.  Also, it's important you understand why I'm cheating and not really writing anything at all today.  

Instead I'm sharing this with you:

 

The label that comes with it says:

"If the light stays on for more than four hours, call your erectrician."

It made me smile - I thought you'd like it too!

© Twenty Four At Heart

The Eleven Foot Tree

I've gotten several requests for pictures of "that eleven foot tall Christmas tree."

If you find this post boring, don't blame me.  The squeaky wheel gets the grease around here.  (Except when the squeaky wheel is a perv or a troll - they get their IP addresses blocked.) 

Before I show you a picture of the tree in it's entirety, I should explain why our tree is decorated the way it is.

Many, many years ago, a man who worked for Briefcase gave us a beautiful ornament as a gift.  It was made by Christopher Radko, a company I was unfamiliar with at the time.  The ornament was made from mouth blown glass.  It was both whimsical and old fashioned at the same time.  I treasured it.

The employee who gave it to us informed me his family purchased one of these special ornaments each year to add to their collection.  I was inspired to begin the same tradition at our house.

I won't lie - Radko ornaments are very pricey.  Briefcase has never gone with me to purchase them and I think he might fall over from sticker shock if he did. 

Some things are better left unknown between spouses, don't you agree?

The tradition in our house has been slightly different than the one Briefcase's employee had.  Each year I purchase one new Radko ornament for our family.  In addition, I give each of my kids a new Radko ornament as one of their Christmas gifts.  Often the ornament I give them reflects something about their life in the past year.  When they eventually have their own homes, they can take a box of these beautiful ornaments with them to begin their trees.

The year the World Trade Center fell I selected this ornament as a remembrance for our family:

When one of my son's spent most of his free time golfing one year, he received this golfing Santa as his ornament:

The blown glass is very fragile.  These ornaments aren't for Briefcase's toddler hands.  

A lot of our ornaments reflect the beach lifestyle in one way or another like this sunbathing Santa.

And also this snowman:

  

Some of the ornaments are very whimsical like this moose.

 

Or this dog with a spring for it's middle:

 
 In addition to the many Radko ornaments, I tie ribbon on the tree and add some gold accents.

I also liven it up with a few BIG decorations.  A big tree needs a few sizable things on it to break it up visually. 

OK, are you ready to see the whole tree put together now?  It looks better lit up at night, but (sorry) I took this photo during the day.  

Here you go ... all eleven feet of it!

 

© Twenty Four At Heart

A Rainy Day

It rained all day yesterday.  In fact, it poured.  As you know, we don't get a lot of rainy days in Orange County.  It was a good day for staying home and getting things done.  My arm is protesting mightily, but that's a given this time of year.

We've started (but not finished) decorating the tree.  I keep stopping to take photos.  I'm experimenting with a lot of different lenses and settings.  I like funky photos and I love this one.  Once we get the tree completed I'll try to get a shot of it to share with you. 

© Twenty Four At Heart

The Big White Tent

I realize people who visit Twenty Four At Heart come from many different nationalities and religious backgrounds.  This time of year, I love reading about the different traditions people have.  It's always interesting to learn about how other families celebrate their holidays.

My extended family comes from a wide variety of ethnicities and religious backgrounds.  We make an eclectic group.  Through the years there's been a mixing and melding of traditions.  The same thing is probably true of many families.

Yesterday I put something out on Twitter about purchasing our Christmas tree.  I got a few responses which made me realize how even something like acquiring a Christmas tree can vary a lot depending on where you live.

Years ago, we would go to a live Christmas tree lot and cut down a tree to bring home.  Never mind, the tree lot was in the middle of Orange County businesses ... it made us feel rustic.  The fresh trees were great.  

Well, except for one thing.  It's so sunny where we live the trees would continue to grow after they were cut down.  They'd grow towards our biggest living room window.  The trunk would bend and bend, until eventually the tree would topple over and break all of the ornaments.

I decided we should buy deader trees.

About the same time, we started having a big holiday party each year.  By big, I mean we would have 150+ people drifting in and out of our house some years.  I felt like we needed a really big (!), beautiful (!), perfectly shaped (!) tree for the party.  We have very high vaulted ceilings in our living room and they scream for a tall tree.  We would even buy a second tree to put upstairs in our loft area.  It was magical to have two trees in the house.

It was also a lot of work.

The holiday party tradition died the year I had my car accident.  We stopped having two trees when the party died also.  

It makes me a little sad, if I'm honest.

We have, however, continued to have a big tree in our living room.  We don't go quite as big as we used to, but we get a tree that's about eleven feet tall each year.  It isn't always easy to find big trees in Orange County.  We've gone year after year to the exact same business.

It's simply called:  The Big White Tent.

A family from Oregon brings a huge load of Christmas trees to sell in Orange County each year.  They have smaller trees (as you can see in the picture above) but they specialize in big trees.  The Big White Tent gets set up in various locations depending on where they can rent space.  Each year we get a postcard from them telling us where they'll be.

They always stay close to Money Town.  They're very smart business people. 

Inside the tent are trees - and more trees. 

We always buy a Noble.  I'm not sure why.  I love the way they look and I also love how they fill the house with their intoxicating scent.

There are two other great features of a tree from The Big White Tent.  First, the workers deliver the tree to your home.  They bring it right into the house and twirl it around as many times (!) as you request until it's right where you want with it's best side facing forward.

I might take advantage of the Nice Men's abundance of tree-twirling patience.

There's a second advantage of buying a tree from the Big White Tent.  Your tree arrives in a bullet-proof stand.  By bullet-proof I mean it isn't possible for a beautiful Big White Tent Tree to topple over - no matter how tall it is.  (Well, maybe in a big enough earthquake, but it would have to be a very big one!)

If you celebrate Christmas, where does your tree come from?  If you don't celebrate Christmas, do you have any traditions for preparing to celebrate Hannukkah, Kwanzaa or any other holidays?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Winter in the OC?

Don't laugh, but I'm cold.

It was 59F/15C here yesterday.  I turned my heater on for a little while for the first time this year.  Today seems even colder.  Tomorrow we're expected to get up to two inches of rain.  In ONE day!  You might be used to this wherever you live.  I'm not.

Brrrrrrrr!

I just want to sit in front of the fireplace and doze ... something about the grayness.  The house seems so dark.

I don't think I'm the only one here feeling this way.

 © Twenty Four At Heart

Seriously CBS?

The other night I was sitting in my favorite over-sized leather chair.  I was trying to fight off my turkey coma (caused by eating copious amounts of turkey and trimmings).  I was staring into the depths of my laptop as I guiltily contemplated the many emails I've neglected recently and really must get caught up on.  

In the background, the TV blared and I ignored it.  I'm not much of a TV person, but Briefcase is.  When he's home, the TV is usually on.

My attention was suddenly caught by a man's voice saying (rather loudly) from our TV, "Pap smears save lives."

Startled, I glanced at the TV.  A very handsome Josh Pais stared back at me with Christmas bells jingling in the background.

For a moment, I questioned if I had really just heard what my brain and ears knew I had.

A handsome man surrounded by jingling Christmas bells doesn't normally discuss pap smears.  (Especially on TV while many of us share a relaxing evening with our family/kids surrounding us.)

Don't get me wrong.  I agree, pap smears do save lives.  One of my neighbors died from cervical cancer and I'm very aware of the importance of the test.  I'm in no way disagreeing with the idea of pap smears, their importance, or even the fact that Public Service Announcements on TV about them might help save lives.

(And also?  Don't even get me started on recent women's health issues such as the new mammogram and pap smear guidelines!)

But Josh Pais?  Pap smears and jingle bells?

As my brain was trying to fully wrap itself around what I was seeing and hearing, Josh Pais continued.

"This Christmas impress her.  Give her the gift that even Santa can't deliver."

<Background: ho-ho-ho-ing as the commercial fades out.>

I gasped!

"Did you hear that?" I asked Briefcase as he re-entered the room.

He hadn't.

"CBS thinks you should book a pap smear for me this year as my Christmas gift," I informed him.

I grinned and added, "It's the gift even Santa can't deliver."

Briefcase rolled his eyes.

A sudden vision of Santa poking between my legs came to my mind.  I shook my head violently trying to dispel it.

I'm sure Briefcase was contemplating my reaction if I woke up Christmas morning to find out my big! surprise! gift! under our Christmas tree was an appointment for a pap smear.

In my mind I can hear him saying on Christmas morning, "There's a pap smear in a box for you 24!  I even put a big red bow on your extra special pap smear!"

Then he would beam at me with a smile on his face and I would start stripping off his clothes right then to show my appreciation for his gift.

Do ya think?

Or maybe not?

Here's the PSA.  I knew you'd want to see it in it's entirety.  (It's short, I promise!)

Watch CBS Videos Online

If you're a man ... would this PSA convince you to book an appointment for an important woman in your life?  You might save her life.  Of course, by choosing a pap smear as her gift you might be risking yours!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Cold Turkey?

This was (one of) our desserts for Thanksgiving yesterday:

 

It's a round cake on it's side decorated as a turkey.  Yes, we also had the traditional array of pies available, but the turkey cake stole the show.  What creative cake decorating!

We had a great day with too much food and lots of family time.  Our air conditioner was running all day because temperatures were in the mid 80's here yesterday (about 29.4C).  With the ovens heating up the house also, air conditioning became a must.

Today we've moved on to leftovers.  There's nothing better than a turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving. 

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving also!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Family Time! And Stuffing Too - Don't Forget the Stuffing!

Many of you remember reading about my oldest son a few months ago.  Last August I dropped him off in North Carolina, three thousand miles away from home, to begin his freshman year in college.  I sobbed, I cried ... and then I went off to have cocktails with some of my readers while I was there.

What?

My readers are the best - they made me feel better!  (Yes, they did!)

Others of you may remember even further back when I put my daughter on the wrong train to send her back to college.  It was one of my most stellar (!) mom-moments.

Doesn't it just make you want to stick around for the next few years and see what I'll do to my third child?

Heh ....

Last night my daughter drove home (arriving late) from her college which is here in California.  My eldest son flew in from North Carolina and arrived home even later than my daughter.  

My youngest still lives at home, of course, and he was overjoyed to see his brother and sister again.

No, really he was.  

I'm exhausted from the late night reunions.  I'm also overjoyed to have my family all together for the Thanksgiving weekend this year.

And thankful!

I will be doing a ton of cooking over the next few days.  I will get a few posts up on Twenty Four At Heart over the next few days also, but they will most likely be light and fluffy.  Or short and sweet.  Or ... something like that.  I know you understand.

In the meantime, I'm always curious to hear about other family's Thanksgiving traditions.  I realize many of you are reading from other countries and don't celebrate Thanksgiving.  However, even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving where you live you can still probably answer this question ...

What kind of stuffing/dressing do you like?  What is your family's favorite?

Cornbread?

Sausage?

Plain?

Let me know!  I'm nosy.

P.S.  As many of you have requested, I've turned off word verification in my comments section.  It's now easier and much faster to leave comments.  You're very welcome!

© Twenty Four At Heart

The OC - We've Got More Than Just Beaches

I have been amazingly busy lately.  I feel like I've got so many things to share with you.  Unfortunately the "amazingly busy" part translates into not a lot of writing time.  I'm assuming with Thanksgiving approaching this week, many of you are also busy with cooking and family time.

I've shared a lot of beach pictures with you here on 24 (since I spend a lot of time at the beach).  I've also shared a lot of stories about the insanity of Money Town and all the plastic, affluent, people who live there.  Today I thought I'd show you a side of Orange County that many people don't realize exists.

Wilderness.

Last weekend I desperately needed a break from my "To-Do List" (which is running about four hundred and fifty pages long right now).  I decided to go for a hike in our canyon.  There's a path right behind our house that leads down into the wilderness.

It was a beautiful day.  We actually had clouds ... clouds in the sky are not as common here as you might think.  I couldn't get over the clouds!

The path into the canyon begins as if it's intending to take you somewhere.

Then, after awhile, it just sort of exists.  In fact, it splits into a myriad of trails heading up, down, and sideways throughout the canyon.  We picked one randomly.

This trail went past a little pond.  My kids used to spend time at the pond catching pollywogs and frogs.  Now they're too big for such pursuits.  (Sniff, sniff!)

A mountain lion was spotted in our canyon, fairly close to our house, recently.  It's not an unusual occurrence here.  In fact, it happens all the time.  At one point I kept hearing something near us in the bushes.

"Go away scary thing!" I yelled at the brush.

"It's probably a squirrel," smirked Briefcase.

I want my readers to know it was a Big Scary Something and not a squirrel.  Squirrels do not make loud noises in the brush and they don't walk along with you while hidden in the brush.  (Deer would run away a Big Scary Something would not!)

Of course, the dogs (and my yelling?) eventually scared it away.  The only wildlife I actually saw during our hike was a hummingbird.

We get a lot of hummingbirds here. (Yes, even in November.)

The prickly pear cacti are bearing fruit right now.

Have you ever eaten a prickly pear?  I have.  I wonder who the first person was who realized they're edible under all those cacti thorns?

Someone might have gotten hot and decided to play in mud puddles.

One trail leads to another trail.  We went down, we went up, we went all over the place.  Is it possible to get lost just a few miles behind your own house?  I think it is.

Clouds!  Really, very impressive clouds!

Things are pretty dry right now.  We need rain.  We need all the brown to turn to green.

From the bottom of the canyon I realized the hike back UP and out of the canyon would be a lot more work than the hike down.

I've mentioned the lake behind my house several times in my writing.  We hiked right past it on our way home.  I usually look down at it from my backyard.  It was our last stop before we hiked out of the canyon.  

The hike out?  It felt like we were climbing straight up.  In fact, I think we were!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Don't Eat Bambi - Santa Might Need Her

Yesterday afternoon I decided to have a quiet lunch out on my patio.  It was a beautiful, warm, afternoon.  I took my new camera with me.  I thought I'd read through some of the camera instructions and maybe even shoot a few photos while I was outside.  

I had the feeling I was being watched.  You know that feeling when someone is staring right at you?  I tried to shrug it off.  I've had a stalker harassing me lately so I *might* be a little on edge.

The feeling would not go away.  It started creeping me out.  

I glanced at my retrievers.  They were snoozing nearby and didn't seem the least bit alarmed.

I picked up my camera.  I started playing with it.  

And then suddenly I saw ...

Bambi!  

In fact, the entire Bambi family had come to join me for lunch.

I took a few quick photos while they continued to stare at me.  I was proud of myself for having my camera handy.  

A short while later I put the above picture out on Twitter.  I was shocked by the response.  I sometimes forget the people who follow me on Twitter live all over the world and are not just local.  Immediately people began tweeting to me about wanting to EAT Bambi!  One person even mentioned having two Bambi's in their freezer already.

Me?  I'm a beach girl.  We don't hunt on the beach.  We don't hunt at all.  We get our food in cellophane wrapped containers at the grocery store.  Some of the grocery stores in Orange County even have valet parking.  None of them have gun racks. 

Also?  We have margaritas in our freezers, not deer.

I replied on Twitter, "I live in Orange County.  People don't eat deer here.  We eat edamame and tofu and sushi."  

I also started a Twitter campaign titled, "Santa Needs His Reindeer" in an effort to discourage people from killing and/or eating my deer.

Seriously, it doesn't seem like good karma to be hunting right before the holiday season.  What if there's a shortage of deer at the North Pole or something?  

© Twenty Four At Heart

Introducing My New Baby

I bet you didn't even know I was expecting, did you?

For three and a half years I've hoped for his arrival.  I've ached with loss and stared at other people's "babies" with envy.  I can't put into words what it's like to have pieces of your life stripped away.  To not know if you will ever regain a fraction of your old self or your old life back again.

My new arrival has already brought me such joy.  I've been wanting to introduce you to him. 

This camera is a big challenge for me.  The 7D is definitely not light weight.  I'm still figuring out the best way to manage it with my bum arm.  I use a neck strap.  I use my left arm for holding the brunt of the weight.  My right hand is pretty much only used to click the actual shot.  It's not easy and I can only take one or two photos before needing to rest or readjust my methods.  

I won't lie ... even taking baby steps, I'm putting myself in pain.

It is SO worth it.

Photography is something I've lost ... something I'm fighting very hard to reclaim.  It brings me so much happiness.

I'm improvising.  I'm making adjustments and developing my own special techniques to compensate where I need to.  

I went with a Canon because I've always had Canons in the past.  I went with an EOS because I've shot with them for over 20 years.  I have several Canon lenses from my pre-accident days.  (If Canon would like to donate a few of the lenses on my wish list, I would be more than happy to kiss their ass on 24 for all eternity!)

This camera is so much smarter than I am.  It will take me quite awhile to learn even a portion of what it's capable of.  

Did I mention I love it?  The clarity, the sharpness ... are astounding to me.  When I upload photos onto 24 they lose a little of their sharpness in the process.  Nonetheless, I couldn't wait to share with you a few of my very first photos taken with my new baby.

You saw the sunrise photo I posted on Saturday?

Here's my Chocolate Lab (in sepia).  This was the first photo I took with my new camera.

 

I never tire of taking photos of "my" mountains also.  How could I?  Every time I look at them they look different depending on how the light hits them.  The color of the mountains alone changes hour by hour throughout the day.  The shadows, the clouds, the very presence of the mountains changes continually. 

  What I see now ... and I am only beginning to become accustom to this camera, is amazing detail and sharpness in the photos I take.  The mountain shots were taken from my patio looking across to the other side of my canyon.

Sometimes the mountains look purple, sometimes blue, sometimes green, or brown depending on the time of day and the lighting..

Always, they are beautiful.

All these photos were taken with the 28-135 lens the camera came with.  I took all the mountain pictures in an effort to become familiar with the camera and develop my own, improvised, method for holding it with my bum arm.

Once I felt a little more comfortable with my new baby, I changed the lens out for a 10-22 wide angle and headed down to Laguna Beach.  (I used a polarizing filter also for those of you who are photography freaks out there!)

The cacti by the beach were blooming. 

They were beautiful in their own prickly sort of way.  (Look how blue the sky looks with the polarizing filter on!)

I love using a wide angle.  It gives such an awesome perspective when used creatively.

 

I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with my new toy!  Also, have I mentioned what a major triumph it is for me to be using a real camera again?  I'm thrilled!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Looking East at Dawn

I had to get up before dawn on Friday morning.  I'm not a morning person at all.  It was painful.  However, it didn't take long until I was reminded of the beauty found only in the mornings.  Glancing towards my backyard I gasped ... then I ran to grab my (brand new!) camera.

Sunrise in Orange County ..... as seen from my patio.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Before, During, After

I want you to know I have not touched the color of the photos I'm posting today at all.  They may look like they've been photoshopped but they haven't been.  (Well, I did add some text to one or two of them, but there were no color adjustments whatsoever.)

Ok, then ...

Before:

Yes, that is what my backyard grass was looking like last week.  

Another section of it looked like this:

During:

Next came a zillion worker men.  This part of the process got a little messy:

The entire job (about 1,000 square feet of grass) took a total of four days from start to finish.  Speaking of completion ....

After:

The end results made us question why we didn't do this years ago.  I can't imagine how much we would have saved by now on our (very large) water bills!

No, I did not pick up the pool toys for these photos.  Don't you feel just like a member of the family?

This next area used to hold a swing/fort set when my kids were younger.  Now there's a little garden tucked back in the corner.

Here's one last photo of the completed project.

What a huge improvement, don't you think?  

By the way, artifical turf is installed a bit differently if you have pets.  A few of you left comments or emailed me with questions regarding pet use.  A good turf company will make sure your yard is designed for your needs.  (Or should I say your pet's needs?)

I think it looks so much better.  It will save us a lot of money on water bills (drought-ridden California = big water bills).  The dogs and bazillions of wild rabbits won't be able to kill it either.

There's only one problem ...

Somebody misses having all those rabbits around to chase.

© Twenty Four At Heart

I Might Be a Little Stabby

I was going to be funny today.  Oh yes, I was.

I had lots of funny inside me and I was just waiting to crack myself up.

I love to crack myself up.

Instead, I'm pissed off and downright stabby.  I'm showing amazing restraint (!!) by writing an intentionally vague post about this situation.

Because ... you know ... it's in my nature to use the written word to unleash my emotions at their fullest.

I'm not going to do that today.

(But I want to.)  

I almost titled this post, "Fuck Off!"

I decided to go with a more demure title.  

Aren't you proud of me?

It's a little disappointing when you discover someone you consider a friend is, in fact, not a friend at all.

Hellooooooooooo out there?

Are we not adults?  Don't the childhood games end in childhood?  Don't people learn the basic rules of honesty, integrity and respect as they grow up?  Do forty-somethings really need to play games and throw darts at each other in the dark?  At some point, don't most of us learn to discuss our misunderstandings or hurt feelings instead of playing games with them?

*Ahem*

Suppose, hypothetically speaking, your family had a tough few weeks.  Perhaps one of your kids caught Swine Flu which developed into pneumonia and lasted for weeks.  Perhaps as you cared for him, you caught H1N1 also.  Just as you were starting to get everyone healthy, perhaps, that very same kid suffered the worst possible break to his ankle and needed immediate surgery.

Maybe, just maybe, you'd think your friends would understand things were a little chaotic.

Maybe, when one of those friends asked for a favor, you agreed to help them out anyway.  Maybe you've helped this same friend out before with some pretty big favors.  Maybe you enjoy helping people out when you can.  

Because, after all, you are a good friend.  

Maybe, that *friend* then flaked out on you and did not take you up on the favor you worked very hard to make happen for her/him.  Maybe he/she didn't even bother to call or let you know why he/she flaked out.  

The work you did to make that favor happen when your life was busy and chaotic?  Was wasted and you never received any legitimate explanation as to why.  You also never received an apology of any type from your friend for the futility of your efforts.

(You know, because you did jump through hoops and do all sorts of behind the scenes things to help your friend out.)

By the way, not to throw a pity party ... but some of those efforts to make that favor happen?  Were damn hard to do with one arm.

Just sayin' ....

Then maybe, just perhaps, a few days later that same friend called and wanted the exact same favor she/he never took you up on before.  This time, when he/she called, you were busy and could not return the phone call for a few hours.  (Possibly you were at physical therapy where phone calls are not allowed.  Perhaps, you did not even have your phone in the same room as you.)  

When you were able to return the missed phone call, you re-extended the same favor to that very same friend.  However, the friend was in a huff and initially voiced disappointment you weren't there for them when they needed you.

As in - the very minute they called.

Maybe you were a little confused by this.  Maybe you thought, "What the hell?  I tried to help you out and you flaked on me.  Now, I'm trying again and you're getting angry."  

Maybe you tried to discuss this with your friend.  Maybe the friend calmed down and acted like everything was sincerely wonderful once you were actually having a conversation.  Maybe you hung up the phone thinking there had been a little miscommunication (perhaps even, a downright lack of communication), but everything was now okay.

And then ....

Oh yes, and then ... maybe you were caught in utter surprise and shock when that very same *friend* used a very public forum to rip you to shreds.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Saturday Morning

I snapped this while drinking my morning coffee on our deck.  This photo looks north across the canyon towards Saddleback Mountain.

© Twenty Four At Heart

The Red Cup

Do you remember last week when I wrote a post titled The Unspoken Coffee Cup War?

It was a topic which obviously resonated with a lot of you.  Many of you took the time to leave a comment or send me an email regarding your very own War on the Homefront.  (By the way, your comments and emails were both enlightening and very amusing!)

Briefcase was out of town when I went public with our marital war regarding The Red Cup.  When he called home while on his trip he never mentioned my post at all.  I assumed he was busy working and never saw it.  

A few nights later Briefcase was back home again.  I was busy typing away on a project when I glanced up and saw this in front of me:

 

A three year war has ended?  

© Twenty Four At Heart

I'm Talking Rabbit Sex and Not The Good Kind

I recently got an estimate for installing artificial grass in our backyard.

Artificial grass is pretty damn pricey and Briefcase and I are in the process of arguing over discussing the matter.

Before you moan and groan and ask, "How can you even consider such a thing?" let me tell you I have several good reasons.

First of all, California is in a drought and we are constantly being asked to conserve water.  Grass requires water ... lots and lots of water.  We have a pretty large grass area surrounding our pool.  Therefore, reason #1 is The Green Factor.

Reason #2 is The Dog Factor.  I have two large retrievers.  

 

Dogs like to pee on grass and dog pee kills grass.  It's an ongoing battle to keep the grass alive.

Reason #3 is The Rabbit Factor.  And this, really, is the biggest factor of all.  I live in a canyon.  I'm surrounded by wilderness.  Wilderness means wildlife ... and four hundred bazillion horny, breeding, rabbits are a big part of that wildlife.

You thought this post was going to be about sex-toy rabbits, didn't you?  Well, you were wrong ... I have issues with real-life, horny, rabbits with big ears and cottontails.

Are you starting to feel like you're looking at a National Geographic magazine with all my animal photos today?

Did you know the average bunny completes the sex act in 20 seconds?  (giggle)  I dated a guy just like that once upon a time ... but it didn't last long.

Ha ha!  Get it?

Female bunnies begin having sex at 6 months of age and male bunnies begin at 4 months.  Bunnies make more bunnies ... lots and lots of bunnies during their lifetime.  Every damn one of them comes to eat my grass down to the roots.  They are hungry, horny, little cottontails.

(Someday, I'm going to be locked up in a padded cell based on the weird subjects I've googled in my lifetime!)

My retrievers chase the rabbits out of the yard during the day, but during the evening and early morning hours the rabbits come out in droves to eat the delicious grass.  (My Golden caught one and brought it into the house one day.  You should have heard me scream when I saw long rabbit legs protruding from his mouth as he stood next to me in the kitchen!)  We've put chicken wire along the bottom edge of our wrought iron fencing to no avail.  The rabbits chew holes right through the fencing.

Why don't we leave the dogs outside 24/7?  If we did they'd be killed by coyotes or mountain lions.  

Yes, we have big critters in this here canyon too!  (Also, retrievers are "people dogs" and do best when allowed to be with the rest of their "family.")

A friend suggested getting a cat.  Do cats eat rabbits?  No one in our neighborhood has managed to keep a cat for more than a week.  The coyotes (and big horned owls!) eat the cats for snacks.  Yes, the coyotes also eat rabbits.  Did you know rabbits actually scream when they are being eaten by coyotes?  Well, they do and it's very disturbing.  Of course, I'd scream too if I was being eaten alive by coyotes.

The problem is, the rabbits are multiplying way faster than the coyotes can eat them.

The bigger problem is, the rabbits are determined to eat our grass down to nothing.

I'm thinking artificial grass is the only protection against an army of horny, hungry, (sometimes screaming) rabbits.

Here are my questions for you today.  Do you have any (humane) suggestions for getting rid of the rabbits?  Do you know any particular pros and/or cons of artificial grass?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Birthday Wrap Up

I will be back to regular posting (whatever that is!) tomorrow.  Today is a hodgepodge post in the wake of my 24th birthday celebration yesterday.

First things first ...

Thank you to everyone who participated in yesterday's birthday celebration.  There were two hundred entries in my contest.  I really enjoy giving things away.

#1  The contest winners are as follows:

$100 Amazon Gift Card = Jan

$ 60 Amazon Gift Card = Dogmother

$ 40 Amazon Gift Card = Lorna

$ 40 Amazon Gift Card = Ballerinatoes

Congratulations to all four winners!  Please email me with the email address you would like your gift card sent to and I will get them sent out to you in the next 24 hours.

#2 I had a very nice birthday.  My family surprised me in the morning with this:

That funny looking thing on the seat is a bow.

I was so excited about my new bike!  First of all, it is RED!  Second, it is an Electra Beach Cruiser ... which I've wanted for a few years now.  Third, it has an old lady basket!  I plan to still be cruising the beaches on it when I turn 80 ... and since I'm only 24 now that means I have a lot of bike riding years ahead of me.  The only thing missing is a bell and I plan to buy one this week.  Yes, I will be that old lady on the bike at the beach!  The very thought makes me smile.

Isn't it pretty?  (And it's RED!)

#3  PR had his post-op appointment yesterday with the orthopedic surgeon.  They took X-rays which were very ... sobering ... to look at.  However, the doc said all the bones are now lined up "perfectly" in PR's ankle.  He also said PR should be 100% for baseball season this year (which is his passion).  I can't even tell you the sense of relief the appointment gave me.  It was the best birthday present I ever could have gotten.  

My kid is going to be okay.

#4  I lifted TWO POUNDS at physical therapy yesterday!  Well, if I'm being honest The Torturer moved my arm for me while I laid on a table with two pounds in my hand, but I sorta did it!  I know it sounds incredibly pathetic to all of you, but it has taken me three and a half years to accomplish this!  I felt happy and proud and excited ... even as I swore at The Torturer for the very idea of it.  

I believe I might have said something like, "What's the point of doing this when you are moving my arm for me?"  All the while, inside, I was thinking, "Oh my God, I'm doing it ... albeit with help, but I'm doing it!"

Small steps ... small steps!!

Go me!

#5  I came home to these after physical therapy:

Pretty, aren't they?

#6  I had a nice afternoon.  I got a lot of birthday phone calls, cards, and emails from friends and family.  It made me feel loved.  Sometimes it's nice to know people are thinking of you.

#7  Briefcase, PR and I went out to dinner.  It was PR's first real outing since his surgery.  Right before we left I noticed the full moon rising over my mountains.  It was beautiful.  It seemed like a perfect ending to a wonderful day.

© Twenty Four At Heart

In Honor of Halloween

In honor of Halloween, and all things spooky, I thought I'd share this picture.  It's an X-Ray of a repaired Triplane Ankle Fracture.  That's right, this is what the inside of my son's ankle now looks like.  (Although this isn't his ankle ... we won't see his post-surgery X-rays for a couple weeks.)  The screws connect the three broken bones.  They will most likely stay in his ankle for life unless the metal causes problems and needs to be removed at a later date.

The poor kid was not out socializing on Halloween.  Instead he was home recovering on Vicodin.  It's no wonder, don't ya think?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Monday Will Be a Big Day!

Next Monday is my 24th birthday and I'm planning a celebration for you!

I'm so excited!

I love birthdays and I think I could use need some fun this year.  Things have been too stressful lately. 

** Don't miss out - make sure you stop by on Monday! **

In the meantime, I'm going to be busy taking care of my son over the Halloween weekend.  I imagine we'll be watching a lot of movies together.  The poor kid has had a very rough month.

Of course, I might need to dress up a little to scare the Trick Or Treaters.

 

I'm so attractive! 

Happy Halloween!  I hope you have a fun, safe holiday!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Surgery Update

Wow - the outpouring of support has been amazing.  Thank you so much!  I feel incredibly grateful to have so many friends wishing my family well during this very stressful week.

Thank you!

My son is out of surgery.

Yay! 

I've been incredibly stressed out - can you tell?!

Dr. Schobert (aka: Dr. BigWig - my shoulder doc) is an amazing surgeon and I can't tell you how thankful I am that he was able to take care of PR ... and so quickly, also.

Sometimes it pays to have friends in high places.  

The doctor feels the surgery went well.  PR now has a nice chunk of metal in his ankle holding together the three broken bones.  It may (or may not) have to be removed at a later date.  

The doc filled PR's ankle with lots of numbing drugs which should last him through the afternoon.  (He's asleep right now.)  Tonight will probably be a very different story, but we've got Vicodin on hand and ready.

Now we just pray that he heals correctly, quickly, and without too much pain.

Thank you EVERYONE for being there for us!

© Twenty Four At Heart  

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

** Thank you everyone for your support.  My son is in surgery today for a triplane ankle fracture which is a very serious break.  I will post an update on how the surgery went as soon as I'm able.  In the meantime, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the prayers and positive thoughts you've sent his way!  **

Many of  you have requested I re-post my (very famous) Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe again this year.  I'm happy to do so.  They're easy to make!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1 15oz. can pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

4 cups all purpose flour

2 cups quick cooking oats

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

12 oz. chocolate chips* 

* chips can be semi-sweet, milk chocolate or a combination of both *

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars in a large bowl.  

Beat in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.  

In a separate bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Gradually add dried ingredients to the creamed mixture.

If you would like some plain pumpkin cookies (which, by the way, are excellent with coffee for breakfast!) you can remove some of the dough at this point before adding the chocolate chips in. 

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spoon large tablespoons of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10 -12 minutes.

Cool on baking rack.

These are excellent warm out of the oven.  You can also warm them for a few seconds in the microwave the next day to make the chocolate all melty and yummy again.  

The recipe makes a large quantity!

Enjoy!

© Twenty Four At Heart

Shut Up - I Hate Football

** I know several of you requested a reprint of my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe for Halloween.  I had planned to post it today.  Due to the insanity that was my evening last night, I will be posting it for you tomorrow instead.  I promise! **

I've had a very high stress week.  (Maybe even month if you take into account our Swine filled house!)  Last night I was cooking a really nice dinner ... chicken kiev if you must know, when suddenly it sounded like a herd of elephants had entered the house.  I glanced at the clock.  It was 40 minutes before I expected PR to walk in from football practice.  

A minute later a group of high school players noisily appeared in my kitchen carrying PR.  They seemed to fill the entire room. 

"What's wrong?  What happened?" I asked, alarmed.

They tossed PR on the couch none too gently.  He winced.  I could tell he was fighting back tears.  PR has sat through 25 stitches and not winced one bit.  This did not look good.

"It's XXXX's fault!" one of the football players proudly told me.

I looked at XXXX.

He looked down at the ground sheepishly.

"I tackled him," he said.  I could tell he felt horrible.

Tackling PR in practice is what he is supposed to do.  I know that.

I looked at my son.  I took in his cantaloupe sized purple ankle.  I thanked the players for getting him home and into the house as they left.  

PR informed me, "I was going this way, but when XXXX tackled me, my ankle went that way.  The coach told me I should walk on it, but I can't."

WTF, Mr. Coach??

I propped PR's ankle up on some pillows.  It did not look good.  I put a bag of frozen peas around his ankle.  (Frozen peas conform around an injury better than ice.  Not that I'm an injury expert at this point in my life or anything.)  I got him two Advil to take and I texted The Torturer.  

"How can I tell if PR's ankle is broken or sprained?" I asked.

"You can't.  You need an x-ray," he promptly texted me back.  The Torturer then proceeded to give me some first aid tips for immediate treatment.  Sometimes I actually like that man, but please don't ever tell him.  Really, he'd get a big head if he thought I liked him even a little bit.  

I gave PR a plate of chicken kiev and veggies because food trumps pain with teen boys every time.  He inhaled a full plate of food in less than five minutes.  Then we were on our way to Urgent Care.  Yes, this was our second trip for this football season.  I think it might mean that boys who are 5'8" and only 115 pounds are really not cut out for football (no matter how fast the coach might think they are.)

It was not a fun drive.  PR was really hurting.  This is how mothers age ... watching your kid in pain is guaranteed to give a person wrinkles.

At Urgent Care I helped PR hop into the waiting room.  Unlike the big enormous football players, I'm not able to lift him.  The staff promptly brought him a wheelchair.

As it turns out, the doctor on call had two sons go to the same high school where PR goes.  Both of them also played football there several years ago.  I patiently listened to the doc proudly go on about what a great football program the school has.  He looked at PR's ankle and informed us he was "out for the season."  I already had figured that much out on my own.

Then I waited for PR to be wheeled to and from the x-ray room.  As I waited I cringed at the thought of having to inform the high school baseball coach about PR's injury.  Baseball is PR's main sport.  The baseball coach will not be happy.  Would any of you like to volunteer to inform him PR is out for the next several weeks?  I would really appreciate it.

Eventually the doc returned to show me "an area of concern" on the x-ray.  "A possible fracture, but it's hard to tell because it's near his growth plate," he informed me.  He said he would need a radiologist to confirm it for him, but there was no question PR has, at minimum, a bad sprain. 

I informed him I would prefer to take the x-rays with me for my orthopedic to take a look at in the morning vs. waiting an entire day on the radiologist.

"You won't be able to get in to see an orthopedic that fast," he informed me.

"Yes, I will," I replied.

He looked at me skeptically and asked who my orthopedic is.

I informed him he's Dr. BigWig.

"He's way too busy to see you that soon," he countered.

"He'll see us in the morning," I replied.  I was growing weary of this debate.  

I did not have the desire or energy to explain about my car accident, my six surgeries or the fact that I'm Dr. BigWig's personal career challenge and friend.  Dr. BigWig loves me, is a regular 24 reader, and has pretty much adopted me as a member of his office.  

Dr. BigWig will see my injured son.

"Your son is going to need some physical therapy in a few weeks," the doctor added.

"I've got it covered," I informed him nicely.

(At that very minute, a text message from The Torturer arrived on my phone asking how PR was doing.)

The doc looked at me questioningly.  I know he probably thinks I'm a Very Important Person With Lots of Medical Connections.  I was too stressed out to explain.  And really, it would take an hour to explain, wouldn't it?

The doc splinted PR's ankle and brought him a pair of crutches.  Forty five minutes later we were home.  I was wondering how in the world to get him out of his pads.  Also, how in the hell to get him in the shower when he's splinted and can't put any weight on his foot?  He was a few hours into practice when he got hurt ... the kid needed a shower.  

Me?  I needed a glass few bottles of wine.

Also?  Thank God he's out of football for the rest of the season.  There's only so much a mother can take.

© Twenty Four At Heart

The Unspoken Coffee Cup War

If you've never been married, or if you've been married only a few years, you may find today's post puzzling.  Possibly, you'll find today's post horrifying.  I don't write about my own marriage ever often, but today I'm making an exception.

I've been married for an eternity.  The dynamics of a relationship change a lot over the course of a bazillion years together.  Cohabiting becomes a bit routine.  

Predictable.  

Partners have their roles.  

Expectations exist.

Wars break out.

For three years now, Briefcase and I have been having a silent, but very serious war over a red coffee cup.  To be more specific, it's my red coffee cup.  It's an old Starbucks cup and it's more insulated than any cup they've put on the market since.  It keeps my coffee hot for hours upon hours and I love my red coffee cup.

Please don't even think about suggesting I replace my favorite cup.  I'm emotionally attached to The Red Cup.

The Red Cup has to be handwashed.  It can't be put in the dishwasher.

And therein, begins the war.

Let me back up just a little.  Briefcase has a job which requires a lot of travel.  He's been gone a lot over the years.  I often think his travel is similar to what a military wife faces.  When he's gone, I, of course, do absolutely everything for our house, kids, life.  I am like a widow and a single mom of three rolled into one.

Commence with the violin playing now.

However, when Briefcase is home he's very good about helping out.  He doesn't cook, but if I fix dinner he generally does the evening dishes. 

It's our very own unwritten contract.

I cook dinner.  He washes the dishes after dinner.

Except for one thing ...

He won't wash my red coffee cup.

I use that cup all day.  At the end of the day I set it in our sink to be washed.  When Briefcase travels, I think nothing of it.  I hand wash it each night when I do all the other evening dishes.  It takes less than thirty seconds and then it's ready to be reused in the morning.

If I do the dinner dishes when Briefcase is home, I wash (surprise!)  ALL OF THE DISHES!  Even his!  However, when Briefcase is home, he takes care of the evening dishes the majority of nights.

Except ... he always leaves The Red Cup sitting in the sink unwashed.

Over, and over, and over, again.

War!

With my vast psychological expertise (after all, I did take psych 101 in college), I've decided Briefcase is exhibiting classic passive-aggressive behavior.  I've even explained his passive-aggressive behavior to him.  I'm quite sure he appreciated my insight into his psyche. 

I've approached the whole subject of The Red Cup with different strategies.  I've tried washing it myself.  The problem with that is - it breaks our unwritten contract!  He's supposed to do the dishes when he's home and I cook.  I'm very law abiding and I'm just not comfortable breaking our contract.

I've left The Red Cup in the sink to see how many days Briefcase will wash every dish except for it.  (The answer is ... many, many, more days than I can handle watching it sit in the sink.)  

I've even threatened to wash all the laundry except for his, just like he washes all the dishes except for my cup.  I might need to carry through with my laundry threat soon if things don't change.

I'm not asking for your advice or a solution.  No, I figure sooner or later The War Over The Red Cup will come to an end one way or the other.  (Briefcase is probably going to destroy that cup while I'm sleeping one night!)  The War Over The Red Cup has only been going on for three years now, and as wars go, I suppose it's not long at all.

Instead, I'd like to know what The Red Cup issue is in your house?  What does your spouse or partner do that drives you crazy?

© Twenty Four At Heart

Appraising? Or Judging?

Where to start ... where to start?

Did you know I have a high IQ?  I'm just pointing that out because you would never believe it if I didn't tell you in spite of that amazing fact, I have Idiotic Episodes on a fairly regular basis.  Maybe I should make Idiotic Episodes a new category in the sidebar of 24?

We're in the process of refinancing our house.  We're doing it to take advantage of lower interest rates.  Or better said, we've got two kids in college right now and college costs a shitload of cash. 

Briefcase is in charge of the refi.  It's only fair.  He travels all the time on business.  I'm responsible for absolutely everything else in our lives since he's never home.  It seems only right that he gets to handle The Refi Project.  Also, I don't have any a lot of patience for that sort of thing.  

In addition, I've kind of been a walking disaster lately.  (See yesterday's brazilian waxing post if you question the validity of that statement.)  I'm blaming H1N1 and Tamiflu for every absent minded thing I do.  Seriously, I don't think the drug is out of my system yet and I'm blaming it for Mental Confusion because I can.  (See the Tamiflu listed side effects and you will see Mental Confusion listed!)  It would not be a good idea for me, in my current mentally confused state, to be in charge of refinancing.

(By the way ... yesterday Briefcase asked me exactly how much my little "incident" at the waxing salon cost to repair.  Can you believe it?  He never would have known if he would just stop reading my blog!  Who told that man I have a blog?)

(Also, yesterday The Torturer stood there just shaking his head at me in amazement  in bewilderment  totally dumbfounded as I told him about the "waxing mishap."  He says he "just doesn't know why" I "seem to have so many more mishaps than other people."  Do you think he was insulting me by saying that?  I don't think the man appreciates the humor I've brought to his life at all.  Let me tell you, he would be bored to death without me.  I'm sure of it.)

(Also, yesterday I got an email from my old college boyfriend.  The email said he had just finished reading that very same brazilian waxing post and wanted to know "how much of that story was real?"  Um, ex-boyfriend?  I can't make up shit like that.  I wrote back to him and said, "All of my posts are real, aren't you glad you escaped me?"  He didn't reply, so I take that as a resounding YES!  He's probably laughing his ass off at Briefcase having to pay for shattered hurricane lamps.)

What was I saying before all those parentheses?

Oh yeah, the Refi.

So, an appraiser was supposed to come out to our house this Friday for about 45 minutes to take a look at our house and take photos.  This was a good plan because every Friday a house cleaner comes to our home to do all the things I can no longer do since the car accident.  You know, things that take two working arms like changing sheets and mopping floors and tedious chores I could do but pretend I can't.  Mr. Appraiser was going to come when the house would be clean and sparkly for pictures.

Except, Mr. Appraiser showed up yesterday!  Yesterday was only Wednesday.  Yesterday was not Friday.

Briefcase forgot to tell me there had been a change of plans.

I answered the door, flipped out when Mr. Appraiser explained who he was, and slammed the door shut in his face.  Well, I didn't really slam the door shut, but I sort of did.  Then I reopened it and said, "Just give me a minute, I'll be right back," and shut the door in his face again.

I looked around at the clutter on my coffee room table.  I grabbed magazines and books and newspapers and scooped them in my arms.  I tossed the whole mess in the oven to hide it.  I saw a few dog toys on the floor.  I picked them up and hurriedly tossed them into the pantry.  I went back to the front door and opened it with a smile.

Well, who knew?

Mr. Appraiser was very thorough!  

Mr. Appraiser made notes on the type of oven I have right before he opened the door of it revealing the newspapers and magazines I was about to bake.  Mr. Appraiser wanted to see our "walk-in" pantry also.  He discovered 1) It is not a walk-in pantry and 2) We have dog toys sticking out of cereal boxes.  

Mr. Appraiser liked our pool and the large upstairs deck we built onto the house.  I'm not quite sure what he thought when he went through our bedrooms though.  I was downstairs on the phone as he made his way through them.  It wasn't until later in the evening that I realized my rabbit was sitting out in plain sight on my bedspread.

Do you suppose it increased the value of our bedroom?

© Twenty Four At Heart