Friday: Home for a quick rest. Over to Church Hill to watch some boys play basketball. Food and fun times around a fire pit. Home and to bed.
Saturday: Up early to greet in-laws for home improvement activities. Finished very quickly. Good lunch at Kitchen 64. Fabulously long nap with husband. Ordered pizza from Chanello’s. Watched a movie and worked on a puzzle. To bed late.
Sunday: Woke up with a slight fever and headache. Much lazing about the house. Did some laundry. Skipped church. Leftover pizza for dinner. To bed on time, I hope.
Have a great week!
So, we have a new yard:
Gone are the holes created by our heroine, and here are lovely pieces of sod that will hopefully grow in soon - just in time for us to sell this joint.
You would think that a puppy would love this. Soft! Grass! Rolling around! Running! Not so much. Instead, Zapp spent about 20 minutes sniffing every square inch of the yard, either trying to figure out who had been there recently, or frantically searching for a spot she’d where she’d recently done her thing.
Eventually she found a comfortable spot and did her business. When I called her in, she did her normal flop into playing stance (you know the one - butt in the air, tail wagging, but dumb tongue hanging out her mouth), but was so taken aback by the change in texture of the ground underneath her, she scrambled up onto the porch and slunk inside.
But, I guess being afraid of the yard means she won’t dig it up. Because then I’d have to murder her, and who would you guys read about on Saturdays?
Awhile ago, I solicited questions from all you kiddies. Some left questions in the comments while others emailed them. So every now and then I’ll be answering a few.
RA, being the overachiever that she is, sent me several fascinating and thoughtful questions. Here’s a couple.
Is there a story behind how your parents decided to name you Valerie? Do you like it? Did you always?
My parents thought I was going to be a boy. Apparently they were planning on naming me Kevin if that happened. But, surprise! Not a boy. So instead, my parents went with the name of one of my mom’s favorite actresses from one of her favorite shows: Valerie Harper from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. My mom thought she was pretty and funny, so it seemed like a good fit. And thus we had Valerie Harris.
I’ve never had a problem with my name. There was never another Valerie in my grade, let alone in my class. Plus, there aren’t a lot of things that rhyme with Valerie that could be turned into an insult. The only rhyming nickname I’ve ever gotten was “Low Calorie Valerie,” but that could have been so much worse.
The only drawback? My classmates had a really hard time spelling my name when it came time to Valentine’s Day. I got things like:
Valarie
Vallory
Valary
Vallery
What bygone phrase do you miss the most?
There are several phrases that I could wax sentimental about, but I’m going to have to go with “for crying out loud.” I said it without thinking a few weeks ago and I couldn’t stop laughing. When you think about it, it’s a completely ridiculous phrase but it perfectly shows your level of exasperation. As a writer, I appreciate phrases that have such a strong connotation.
More questions and answers to come later. If you have anything you want to know, leave it in the comments or send me an email.
Ross hates NPR. Hates it. I know. It’s something about the sound bytes when they’re reporting on things like coal mines in West Virginia - they must always read a few lines and then cue a clip of pick axes cling-clanging to “for ambiance.” It doesn’t bother me, but it sends him into a rant. We try to just not talk about it.
But, I love NPR. I think it stems from the fact that my dad loves NPR. When I hear the Lake Wobegon bit on A Prairie Home Companion, I think of riding in the car with my dad as we made the every-other-weekend switch when I was in middle school.
When I leave work, I try listening to music, but it’s just too much stimulus for my introverted brain. I need soothing voices and intelligent conversation, however pretentious it may seem to some people. I know that during that 15-minute ride, NPR will remind that good books do matter and there are things more important out there than the state of my kitchen. And I’ll be honest, the “Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-buuuuuum” of All Things Considered sends a rush of relaxation through my bones that is currently unmatched by any other sound.
So, I guess I’m trying to say that I will gladly take a Nina Totin’ Bag if you care to send one.
Guys. The menu is looking SO GOOD for this week. And less cheap than last week! It’s like a twofer!
Ok, take a look…
And now, Julie’s favorite part! The menu!
Monday: Blueberry French Toast and bacon
Tuesday: Baked potatoes
Wednesday: BLTs
Thursday: Fend for yourself because I have a professional development adventure at the Science Museum
Friday: Lentil burgers
The grand total? $45.33
A considerable improvement over last week, so we’ll take it.
This week’s Deal Of The, uh, Week…
Lentils! For $1.49 a pound! And who the mess would ever need more than a pound of lentils?!?!?
And the budget buster…
A giant bag of frozen blueberries for almost $12. But, we’ll use them forever. Plus, blueberries are a superfood. Do you think superness comes cheap? NO.
Friday: Long day. Dinner at Can-Can with in laws. Home to watch No Country For Old Men. To bed.
Saturday: Up to run errands and do various things around the house. Leftovers for dinner and much puttering before bed.
Sunday: More various things around the house. Church. Home for a bit. Back out again later this evening for quick Easter celebration with friends before hopefully getting to bed early.
It seemed like so much more while it was happening.
Have a great week!
What are you up to, Zapp?
Oh, just blogging.
I know! I know, I’m super late about posting this. But who’s the boss around here, huh? Stop judging. I’ve been doing important things.
So here’s the money shot.
And money shot is oh so appropriate this week. Before I tell you the painful number, here’s the menu:
Monday: Turkey meatloaf and cheesy broccoli
Tuesday: Hot dogs and tater tots
Wednesday: Chicken and rice
Thursday: Steamed broccoli and potato tortilla
Friday: Leftovers
There’s also some other stuff in there because we do, in fact, need to eat lunch sometimes.
The grand total? Somewhere around $50.
I know. But, it’s the setbacks that help us really appreciate the victories.
And now for your Deal Of The Week, presented by guest star, Sister!
Kroger special! 10 jars of salsa for $10. That deserves a w00t I would say.
And on to The Budget Buster…
Turkey. For a million dollars. A million delicious, hormone-free dollars.
(see part the first here)
11. Write a book about having a successful, loving marriage.
12. Be a godparent.
13. Shave my head.
14. Write Harper Lee a letter, thanking her for To Kill a Mockingbird.
15. Have season tickets to some kind of cultural event.
16. Punch someone in the face - I know! It sounds horrible, but I’ve never done it, even though I threaten to do it often.
17. Live in a house with new windows.
18. Spend a week at a monastery.
19. Own 4 dogs at one time.
20. See the Taj Mahal in real life.
Gimme more!
Friday: Home to nap. Did some decluttering in the upstairs backroom. Dinner of leftover stew. To bed early.
Saturday: Up for home improvement stuff. Purchased tile for the upstairs bathroom. Lunch with in-laws. Much destruction of the bathroom. Dinner of leftover pizza. Watched The Queen. To bed.
Sunday: Up early for Loaves & Fishes. Church. Dinner of baked potatoes. Watching part 1 of John Adams. To bed soon.
Have a great week!
