Shalee’s Diner

Spring has sprung and with it comes new feelings of excitement, joy and boldness to savor the things that truly make me happy.  This time of year tears off the fetters of inhibition and embarrassment, allowing me a few moments of express freedom to enjoy simple things.

Or maybe I just feel really comfortable in my skin.

Which is way better that feeling comfortable out of my skin.  That would be bloody and disgusting.  But hey, to each his own.

Some of those simple things are secret happy thoughts; others you would totally guess.

Wanna know what some of them are?

Too bad. I’m going to tell you anyway.

• Getting in my car at the end of a work day and savoring the entombed heat
• Singing loudly to songs playing on the radio (Note: this has been known to happen at work whilst plugged into my iPhone.  This may not be an asset for me when the upcoming mid-year reviews happen.)
• Sitting in the sun, soaking up the rays  (and not feeling one bit of guilt over it… because you know that my house needs to be dusted or the kitchen really needs either to be blown to smithereens or cleaned.)
• Feeling comfortable enough to be myself with others (Ummm, why no, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re comfortable with the aforementioned “myself”.  Dems the breaks.)
• Hiking in the forests
• Being the center of attention (Shocker!)
• Warm weather
• Listening to the birds talk to each other, preferably not at four in the morning
• Hearing Mr. Right tell me that I”m beautiful and that he’s blessed to have me
• Hearing people comment that I’m so small (That’s a pride one right there, but I’m calling it like I see it.  Inhibition, remember?)
• Making friends genuinely laugh/smile
• *AHEM*
• Playing in the dirt
• Wearing The Girl’s clothes (and getting compliments to boot!)
• Having a man open the door for me
• Saying hi to acquaintances when walking down the sidewalk
• Cupcakes on the spur of the moment
• Treating a friend
• Shorts and tank tops
• Painted toenails
• Signing
• Being called “witty”
• Getting so pulled into a good book that I lose track of time
• Eating food and thoroughly enjoying it (Despite recently overheard comments at work, I actually relish eating!  I savor what I want when I want.  I just don’t eat as much as others all the time.  And nope, that’s not a bad thing.)
• Playing in the rain
• Being useful and helpful
• Surprising myself by being good at something
• Crying/laughing when reading a book
• Turning a head when I think I look decent
• Baking a dessert that makes others oooo and ahhh out loud
• Listening to my music on shuffle mode
• A well-dressed man
• Appreciating a good cup of coffee
• Sharing things that I like with others
• Ignoring a ringing phone because I can
• Culver’s vanilla custard with Butterfingers on top
• Daydreaming
• Canoeing/boating/fishing – as long as I don’t have to  bait the hook
• Connecting with a character in a movie so much that I cry when they hurt or rejoice in their triumphs
• Being dorky and being completely carefree about it
• Reading a scripture that makes me reflective and thoughtful about how it applies to me (Psalms 139 really struck me deeply on Monday.)
• Cologne on a man
• Trying a new recipe (and have it be a success… let’s not talk about the times that made me yell out, “Hey, I’m calling in for Chinese… Who wants what?”)
• Sitting on the back deck, sipping a glass of wine in the dusk of day
• Making new friends
• Helping a neighbor with no expectations of repayment
• Grilling all sorts of good things
• Snuggling
• Skipping down the street
• Going to the farmers’ market
• Popcorn and Milk Duds
• Hearing The Boy  call me “Mommy” without embarrassment
• Hearing The Girl deem me “the cool mom”
• Getting an AMMY at work (It’s our form of an Atta girl/boy or thank you!)
• Getting a massage
• Playing a game with the family/friends
• Getting “real” mail
• Fresh flowers in a vase
• Getting a good night’s sleep

And these are a few of the things that make me unabashedly happy… today.

Tomorrow is a whole new day to fascinate me in a number of different ways.  I can’t wait to see what those things are…  Hopefully y’all will be far enough away not to get caught in my “American Idol” moment when it happens.  I won’t be too embarrassed.

I just can’t say the same thing for you.

My Lands. I sure wish everyone could be me for a day, specifically on my birthday.

You would feel the birthday love.

I had wonderful cards from friends and family and a plethora of facebook shoutouts.

Work was wonderful. I had multiple gifts/flowers/cards from various teams in our department. They really went out of their way to celebrate with me! Even my sweet boss lady participated. She sent a delegate to take care of it, but that’s as good as her doing it herself. J She gave me a bag of favorites – popcorn, Milk Duds and Butterfingers. I’m totally set for movie nights!

I was even given a tiara to wear for the day! It was an apt gesture. I pretty much feel that I am queen for the day, even if it’s only in my head. They were ever so sweet to play to my delusions.

(My boss took one look at it and said, “You are one brave woman.”)  I am!  I’m fearless and full of happy birthday gusto!  Too bad I wore it to the Town Hall and got caught by our new boss trying to sneak out of the event.  Not like I could hide in the crowd too well when that happened. Oh well, it’s one way to make a name for myself…

Mr. Right texted me that he wouldn’t be coming home with me because something had come up at work. Imagine my surprise when I opened the garage to find his car there! He had worked half a day and then zoomed home to clean up, buy flowers and then ready the kids for when I walked in the door. When I walked into the dining room, there they stood, all decked out and singing the traditional song for the day.

Then Mr. Right told me that I had 20 minutes to “get ready”. Ready for what I didn’t know, but I hopped to it! I dolled up because I can’t even recall the last time I put on a party dress.

We pulled up in front of the teppenyaki place in our town, trying it out for the first time. (It was delicious!) The chef was fun and full of life and we sat with another family that also had a birthday girl!

As the dinner progressed, my family handed me a present to be opened. I was blessed with

* a copy of The Help (purchased specifically by The Girl)

* a scrumptious-smelling body wash that smelled of cinnamon and other spices

* a new purse (which makes me feel quite stylish (a feat that is very hard to accomplish!) that was filled with suggestions from The Boy – Dr Pepper, Milk Duds and Butterfingers

* a beautiful cream scarf I’m looking like a real Minnesotan now! (Said purse is in my lap there.)

* a gorgeous string of multi-colored cultured pearls

Afterwards, we headed home to go on a walk and then we played some Hearts. It was a lovely, wonderful time with my family.

I realize that I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams. I get to be married to Mr. Right and I have children who actually like being with me as well as who love me despite all my faults. On top of that, they spoil me like crazy as a way to show that they are ever so happy that I’m alive and with them.

Either that or they want to keep me around for my mac-n-cheese.

Whatever the reason, I’m good with it.

What’s so special about 41?

It fits nicely between 40 and 42.

It’s a prime number, as well as the sum of the first six prime numbers. (2+3+5+7+11+13).

Symphony No. 41 is the last symphony of Mozart.

In The Matrix, Morpheus is aggressively questioned in the 41st floor of the government building.

In the 1959 Alfred Hitchcock film North by Northwest, Cary Grant is attacked by a crop-dusting airplane at Prairie Corners on Highway 41.

George H. W. Bush was the 41st President of the United States.

Montana is the 41st state of the United States.

Hmmm.  There seems to be a lack of that number in literature.  So to that thought, I’ve decided to list 41 books on my reading list.  

Ummm, no, it is not the complete list, and of course, I’m always looking for more to add to it.  (I’m either a great planner or I like the idea of never completing this book project.  I can’t decide.)

Without further ado or delay, here are the books listed in myiPhone, waiting to be called up from our library system so that I might pass the time either pleasantly.  (Oh, I do hope the times spent on the books are worthwhile!  I detest reading all the way to the end and either wishing that I had the ability to have a mind enema or saved myself the trouble of the pain altogetherby poking myself in the eye with a sharp stick.)

Oh, and it’s the new age that I will be toting around for the next365 days.

Sometimes you just want to break out of the same old mold.

* Want a new hairstyle to make you feel zippier

* Buy a new skirt to make yourself feel prettier

* Find a new author who can transport you to another place and time

Me? I want to find new recipes because I need to jumpstart my culinary creativity.

I miss the family raving over my one talent that I really feel appreciated performing.

Yep. I’m vain. And it’s all about me.

Just keeping it real, peeps. Just keeping it real.

I made a pot roast for dinner recently and rather than have the same old, same old from the leftovers (usually roast beef soup), I decided that I had had enough with walking the same old paths in my kitchen. I wanted to explore, doggonit! I wanted something new, something hearty, something that would give me that cooking rush and need for affirmation all the same time.

Boy, I sure do sound pathetic, don’t I? We all have our problems, I guess.

So I plopped a pan on the stove and stared at it.

What can I do with roast beef that I haven’t done before? What titillating, scrumptious, delicious masterpiece could form from the lump of meat sitting in its gravy and broth?

I poured a glass of wine to get my creative juices flowing.

(Y’all know me well enough that I would have poured that glass even if I had been struck by cookery genius-ness, right?)

So after staring at the pan for a bit, I thought about what I wanted to eat. Not the kids. Not Mr. Right. Me.

You know what I wanted? Some good, hearty meat and potatoes kind of meal. Something that sticks to your ribs and makes you feel like you should run five miles afterwards to compensate… or in my case, at least think about that run.

So I peeled and cut some taters, putting them on for boiling. I was going to need some mashed potatoes to work some magic here. I also thought that if I blew this meal, there’s nothing like creamy, buttery spuds whipped into a frenzy that could at least full our hungry stomachs as a backup plan. Not that I would need a backup plan. Ahem.

So I took the roast and shredded it into small pieces. The onions that were cooked with the roast originally were diced into small pieces and added to the pan too. Then I added all the broth and leftover gravy. That was a good starting place at least.

Next I added 2 cups more of beef broth, some garlic powder, salt and pepper and started that meal to simmering.

After tasting it, I decided that it needed a little something, some kind of pazazz. I drank some of my Merlot (for purely inspirational reasons, of course). Then it hit me. I picked up the wine bottle and poured some of the Merlot into the pan.

It tasted yummy before, but now it was downright delectable. Lip-smacking kind of good.

Lastly, I thought I would thicken it up to serve as a gravy over the potatoes. So I added a broth and cornstarch mixture to the simmering food, stirring well to prevent lumps.

No self-respecting Southern woman would allow lumps to reside in a gravy. That aside, I wouldn’t do it either.

So I whipped up the potatoes using whipping cream and butter, salt and pepper to taste. Plating it, I left a big well/indention in the middle of the potatoes, a perfect pit for the gravy. Next I ladled the gravy over that mess of potatoes, letting it flow over the sides. Lastly, I served it with sweet corn (off the cob) and some French bread we had.

The combination of that divine meal is enough to make my mouth water right now typing about it, not to mention clog my arteries.

But that’s why I have the wine, for purely medicinal reasons.

Oh, and it was a HUGE hit with the family. The kids want me to make another roast just so that we could get to this meal again.

Ahhh, the gratification from a word well said. Now that is why is like to cook.

Well, that and the wine.

Where, oh where, has the little time gone?  Where, oh where, can it be?

These days are ever so fleeting! 

The first weekend of April, I had a mini-vacation to myself.  Mr. Right and the kids traveled down to KC for the LTC convention.  (I think the kids did really well in their events!)  Normally I go as well as I love visiting with friends and assisting where I can at LTC – especially in the Signing event, but with saving vacation so that Mr. Right and I can have a 20^th anniversary celebration, I had to forego this trip.  So with them away, I took great measures to keep myself busy.  By that I mean that I watched the entire Season 2 of Downton Abbey.  I love that show!  I can’t wait to have Season 3 available now… Oh, the wait is on until January 2013, or September if you’re blessed to get BBC. 

I read a few books as well: Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson (fabulous reading), 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz (it was okay, but not great), A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley (loved it) and now I’m nearing the end of Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi (relishing the uniqueness of it so far).  It’s been nice to have an opportunity to read full throttle again.

Easter was on my own, so I thought that it would be a perfect time to celebrate it with fellow members of the body who attend a different congregation.  It was a great time to share the joy with other brothers and sisters, seeing how we share the joy of Christ across the board!  Afterwards, my sweet friends invited me to dine with their extended family.  It was a real treat to share their table and to enjoy fabulous company.  I’ve decided that if I’m ever an orphan, I want them to adopt me.  It was fun and real and a lovely way to spend the day.

The Girl is in ecstasy over some developments with Robotics!  Their team made it to Nationals, and I emailed her teacher that we would make sure that she was on the bus to St. Louis when the time came to load up.  Then out of the blue last week, her teacher had been trying to phone her repeatedly (during the day, but she was a good girl and had her phone OFF during school) to tell her that someone who wishes to remain anonymous wanted to sponsor her trip to Nationals.  That’s right – they’re paying her entire way, including the extra side trip to go see the Cardinals on Friday night! She doesn’t have to pay a thing except for food. 

Thank you, God!  That saved us $300 off the bat.  This trip will be SO much more manageable now.  J

I told her that someone must really appreciate her personality and really want her to be there for the team to pay her way there, especially when I already told her teacher that she was going!  She just smiled as it dawned on her that she matters to the team, especially in an adult’s eyes.

This past weekend, Mr. Right and I had an entire Saturday to ourselves.  I didn’t think about the bonus of both kids being old enough to attend youth rallies!  They went to Storm, a teen-led devo time that went from Friday night to Sunday morning.  We dropped the kids off after a perfect night with friends (lots of laughing and eating and my lamenting the fact that cooking for 8 – two of whom are teenage boys – is an art I don’t possess yet!  Good thing we had lots of bread and pie for dessert…) only to come home and crash.  Saturday was a wonderful day where we spent time holding hands, fixing things and eating out.  Sunday we gathered our tired little chicks to us and headed back to get a nap, go for a family bike ride (weather was gorgeous last weekend!) and grill out before the rains started. 

Every couple needs as day off now and then.  It’s rejuvenating as well as a perfect time to act like teenagers again.  :)

Today is one whack crazy day after the sunny, warm day!  It snowed this morning, not enough to stick or anything, but still… It snowed!  Doesn’t the weather know that it’s the middle of April and all we want is rain during the workday and then sunshine after 4 PM and all weekends?  Sheesh. 

Work is still amazing, though I have told my boss that I’m ready to take on new things.  There are times when I’m sitting, twiddling my thumbs (or writing a blog post – see I have no excuses for not blogging lately).  I don’t like those times as much.  I’d rather be doing so that I feel as if I’ve contributed to the whole.  I have some things on my horizon, but I have to wait until our company has converted to a different platform for a process (that way I don’t have to learn the system twice.) It’s a good problem to have.  At least she knows that I’m willing to learn and help wherever needed!

Now, if only I could make that same kind of wanting to work apply to housework…