Just Another Manic Monday

Ever have a morning where you forget to set the alarm clock?  Tiger woke me up this morning after 6.  I'm usually in the shower by 6 and out the door by 7.  Somehow, I managed to stumble out of the house 5 minutes earlier than I usually do, and I even got to work 15 minutes early.  I swear I wasn't speeding!  I did do one thing differently this morning, though.  I put oatmeal in a travel cup and filled it with hot water.  The oatmeal was really runny, and the oats had more than enough time to plump up.  By the time I got to work, I was able to sip my wonderful hot oatmeal out of my travel mug.  It was great!  This was an inspired breakfast idea!  I'm going to do this again! 

Note to self:  STIR the oatmeal before you put the lid on, and shake it well a couple of times on the way in or you will end up with a big, giant ball of solid oat goodness at the bottom of the mug.  It tastes great, but it won't fit through the opening to drink it, no matter what you do. And if you don't have a spoon with you, you will look a little undignified attempting to get at that oat ball... but it's worth it!  

Last week, I had the nastiest of nasty bugs.  Sore throat, high fever, chills, aching joints.  Yes, I had the flu.  It seems to have settled in my ear.  (At least it's not my lungs.)  If it doesn't clear out by tomorrow, I'm going to have to go visit the doctor and have it checked.

I think I've mentioned before that I finally found the Ben and Jerry's Non-Dairy Ice Cream.  One thing I really, really miss about not being able to handle dairy is the fact that I can no longer eat ice cream.  Enter Ben & Jerry.  I've had to search long and hard, but I've found their non-dairy ice cream!  The gluten free gal in me has to diligently scrutinize the ingredients label.  As much as I love the dairy free chocolate brownie ice cream, eating that would give me as many issues as having real ice cream.  So.... read the labels very carefully, and you, too can find the ice cream heaven!  Our store only had Coffee Caramel Fudge.  I stopped by another store, closer into Washington DC last week, and I found all of the flavors.  I picked up some Chunky Monkey.  I didn't see any gluten laden ingredients on the label, and by golly, that stuff was amazing!  Ben & Jerry really nailed the formula!  Thank you guys!

I found an actual working card catalog!  I went to the Historical Society the other day and poked around, just to see what items they have.  I had a ball, looking at old maps, seeing where the old farms were located, and looking at the old newspapers they had on display.  If you have a historical organization where you live, you should definitely go check it out and find out more about the very interesting history of the people who lived before us.  I know we like to think that they were all wonderful, never made mistakes, and were paragons of virtue.  It's an awful lot of fun to hear their stories and realize that they were humans, just like us, and made the same mistakes that we make.  Actually, I found it rather comforting to know that they were just like us, and they managed to survive and thrive!

Since daughter is now home and attending the community college, she has decided to redecorate her room.  I'm thrilled, because for the FIRST TIME since she was able to carry and move things on her own - HER ROOM IS CLEAN.  Let me repeat that - HER ROOM IS CLEAN.  This has been a never ending battle with her for 18 years now.  Everything seems to have migrated to her room over the years.  I remember losing my engagement ring many years ago.  I thought I had lost it while we were camping by Mount Rushmore.  Six months later, I found it on the floor of her room on one of my trash bag forays into her room!  Next to her big bookshelf, she found these cute little wooden wall mounted crates at one of the chain craft stores.  We mounted them to the wall, and she is now storing her paperbacks, as well as her little plastic dinosaurs on here.  I like the touch of whimsy that it adds!  It's all part of the reading nook she set up by the window, with a comfy arm chair and lots of lights - both from a floor lamp and the window.  Luna fights her for that space on a regular basis!  She loves the sunshine!

So, have you ever had your boss tell you - "get this done today before you leave"  and then stand there and talk to you for half an hour?  And you only have an hour left in your work day?  Frustrating, frustrating, frustrating.

I leave you with this picture of the river.  I was stopped, waiting for the train and looked over at the river.  It just seemed so serene.  I don't think the picture accurately captures the serenity of the moment.  I'm glad the train had me stopped and gave me the time to look over at the river.  It set a nice tone for the day.  (And yet, I still managed to make it in 15 minutes early.  HOW did that happen?)  Enjoy your day!