I'm BACK!

After forgoing my blog for a Facebook group, I've decided that I'd rather be here.  I may not get as many readers here but I don't really care.  I like the flexibility of a blog.

In the time since I last wrote, DD#1 decided to change majors... and moved back home.  DD#2 graduated high school and... decided to not go away for her freshman year of college.  So, yes, both of my college-age kids are back home.  :\  DD#3 joined her middle school's Science Olympiad team... and they went to Nationals (came in 23rd) this month.  And DD#4 may be ADHD... just like everyone else in our family.  (No big shock there.)  DH is still the same goofy, happy guy he's always been.

And me, well, I rejoined Weight Watchers and lost 50 lbs. in less than 10 months... and kept it off for almost a year.  *fingers crossed*

Actually I can't afford to gain the weight back.  I gave away all my old clothes and I've spent WAY too much money on my new, cute wardrobe.

Anyway, I'm back and am still cooking, cleaning, and trying to keep my sanity.  Well, whatever little bit of sanity I ever had but still, I'm not really ready to give it up.  lol

Look for lots of food posts.  Since I'm on Weight Watchers, I've become obsessed with finding healthier alternatives to my beloved fatty, highly caloric foods.

Oh well, gotta get some sleep.

M

I'm Back (and Didn't Require Bail Money to Survive This Weekend!)

Well, now that things have slowed down a bit, I thought I'd take a minute to update everything.  Saturday morning, DD#1 graduated high school (along with 652 other students.)  She's had a rough go the past 5 years (she has had to deal with a fellow student stalking and harassing her since 7th grade) but she finished and did it with a good GPA, to boot!  We're so proud!

And because DD#1 was graduating, it meant my ex-husband and his parents were in town to celebrate with us.  Normally my ex makes me want to get all stabby but he somewhat behaved himself (other than the "we're not screaming, we're just disagreeing with each other in loud voices" incident at the Japanese restaurant Friday night, which resulted in DD#1 walking out of the restaurant - LOOONNNNGGGG story that I just don't have the energy to discuss.)  For the first time in years, I was around him and not wanting to do something that would require DH or a good friend to provide bail money.  This was also the first time in the 14+ years DH & I have been together that DH's incredibly awesome brother got to meet my ex-husband.  I'm still not sure how they never met before.

As usual, I had a lovely time with his parents.  I really do like them.  The amount of love and concern they show DD's #1 & 2 is amazing (and the fact they love DD's #3 & #4 really speaks volumes about them.)

All in all, it was a very good weekend.  Here's hoping that, when we do this again in a year for DD#2, we have a similar experience.  *fingers crossed*

And... that was basically the gist of my entire weekend (Friday - Sunday.)  Just dealing with the conflicting emotions of being proud of DD#1 for graduating, being happy that she's going on to bigger and better things, being excited that her life is really starting to take flight, being sad that she won't be around every day, and being stunned wondering where all the time went, as she turns 18 on Thursday.  I swear she was just 5 years old and rolling her eyes at me when I attempted to kiss her goodbye on the first day of kindergarten.  Where did it all go?  I guess all I can do is sit back and hope we raised her well enough to be become a productive member of society.  Based on the poised and confident young woman I saw walk across the stage to accept her diploma, I think we did okay.

Now it's just time to sit back and rest up, for Thursday's going to be big.  DD#1 turns 18, it's the last day of school for DD's #2 - 4, DD#2 has a doctor's appointment later in the day (hopefully we get some answers about the mysterious reddish/purple blotches on her leg), and I get to make a red velvet cake.  Naturally, I'm taking a half day, so I can attempt to do everything.  Although if it does get hectic, I can always run over to White Flower Cake Shoppe in Beachwood and grab some red velvet cupcakes (seriously, if you're ever in Northeast Ohio and you want to try the best cakes ever, White Flower is a MUST SEE!)

Oh, one last thing... is it possible for my house to stay clean longer than a day or two?  The house was cleaned to "visitor" level on Friday and was completely trashed by Saturday evening, thanks to all the party stuff that came home from the park where we had the party.  Maybe if I stopped playing Candy Crush and reading Fark.com, I might have the energy to clean up more.... NAH.  lol

Gotta run.  Words With Friends is calling.  : )

Hellloooo there!

Hello!  A little about me...

I'm Mary.  I live in Northeast Ohio (by choice) with my incredibly patient husband and 4 daughters who incredibly try my patience.  I'm also one of the biggest cheerleaders for the city of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, in general.  Maybe it's because I'm not originally from here but I do appreciate and love my adopted hometown.

I work for a world-renowned nonprofit organization which I will not name in this blog... ever.  Sorry, but I don't want my blog tied in any way, shape, or form to my employment - I really like that "getting a paycheck" thingy.  I will share that I work in Finance and there are weeks where I feel like I need Peter's occupational hypnotherapist from "Office Space" to get through the week.  (Wait, do they really exist?)

I have an unhealthy obsession with Facebook and if I could find a way to get paid for playing on Pinterest, I totally would.  I don't really watch much TV, just "Sherlock" (the BBC version, not that crappy American thing with a female Dr. Watson - WTF?), "Mad Men", "Boardwalk Empire", "Doctor Who", "Warehouse 13", "Vikings" (is that still on?), and "Game of Thrones".  Occasionally I'll watch part of an episode of "Saturday Night Live" but I loathe reality TV and that's all that seems to be on nowadays.

I have a twisted sense of humor (the night I met my husband, we bonded over Monty Python) and I tend to regularly put my foot in my mouth.  I'm a fan of Kevin Smith so that should give you real insight into my humor right there.  If a movie has Alan Rickman or Sean Connery in it, I can just about guarantee I've seen it multiple times.  I regularly quote lines from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", "Empire Records", "Love, Actually", "Dazed and Confused", "Office Space", "Idiocracy" and every Brat Pack movie ever made.  "Dodgeball" may be the funniest movie of the last 10 years (no, I don't care if you agree with me or not.)

I come from a huge family (I'm the youngest of 8) but only speak to 2 of my siblings regularly, and both my parents and my husband's parents are deceased.  As such, I've created a lovely patchwork "surrogate family" of extended family, friends, and ex in-laws.  (Much less stressful that way.)  In fact, I'm one of the few people I know who's friends with their ex-husband's parents!

I have been battling major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, ADHD, etc. for more years than I care to admit.  Later this month, I will hit my 7 year "sober-versary" and I'm really proud of that.  (Yes, I'll probably share my story with you all but just not tonight.)

I spend more time at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's than any place outside of work and home.  And West Side Market is probably my favorite thing about living in Northeast Ohio.  If you live near Cleveland (or find yourself here one weekend), WSM truly is a "must see" place.  The month they were closed earlier this year because of the fire was the longest month of my adult life.  I cut down our meat consumption and used up my "stash" from the freezer, to avoid buying anything from the grocery store.  Seriously, their butchers and the quality are that good.  

And I'm a frustrated domestic goddess.  One part that I truly miss about being a stay-at-home housewife and mother (other than extra time with the husband and kiddies) is being able to spend my day cooking, organizing, and crafting.  Yeah, I'm one of those people who actually make all their own holiday cards every year and deliver baked goodies to the neighbors every winter.  I make and "can" my own jams, spaghetti sauces, vegetables, etc.  I'm hoping we'll have enough organic fruits and veggies from our garden this year to "put up" enough jars to get us through winter.  I'm trying to bring my family to a completely organic, non-GMO diet but how strictly I follow that directly correlates to our weekly grocery budget.  (If money's tight, I'm not going to forgo apples and grapes because they're not organic.)  I use reusable grocery bags and produce bags.  I even make my own pre-bagged salad mixes and store them in smaller reusable produce bags (Target sells these bags for $1 a piece - still much cheaper than spending $3 for a prepackaged salad mix at the grocery store and it's better for the environment.)

Why am I starting this blog, you say?  Well, my life is truly stranger than fiction and I need some place to record it.  Oh, and I like to share recipes, housekeeping tips, and crafting ideas.  Might as well file them all into one space, right?  And, naturally, I encourage you to try them out or share your own ideas... or just laugh at my mistakes.

Sláinte!

Mary