Meatloaf!!

I freakin' love meatloaf!!!  What a perfect meal to completely satisfy your hunger after a long day and leave you yummy leftovers to look forward to the following lunch hour!

Here's this recipe:

1lb Ground Turkey
1lb Pork Sausage (HOT!)
1 cup mushrooms
1 slice bread (you choose, I use nine grain whole wheat) chopped small
1 medium size onion
Minced garlic (as much as you want, this time I used 2 cloves, sometimes I put in 6 or 10!)
1 egg
1 splash of red wine
Salt & Pepper
Ketchup (you decide, we put 2-4 Tbs in and then drizzle some on the top)
3 splashes of worcestershire sauce

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.  Watch for it to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Let it rest for 3-5 minutes, drain the grease and eat up!

So freakin easy and the pork is the only "bad" thing so eat up for a couple of days!  Enjoy!

Here's another we did similarly but larger and I put my initials in with ketchup (Dork Award):

J&T

Happy 25th Anniversary to my Sister and Brother-in-law!!

It's kind of hard to believe that these two have been married for 25 years!  I want to congratulate them and also take a moment to ponder relationships in general.

T&J are two of my very favorite people!  Their relationship is far from perfect but that's what I love about it.  It reminds me that every couple has their ups and downs, imperfections and even arguments after so long.  There are no perfect couples.  That's reassuring and grounds me in the reality of things.  They are perfect for each other though.  They finish each others sentences, they collaborate on so many things and yet divide the chores in a way that works too.   

I have always been protective of my Sister, in fact probably too much so.  I have to laugh thinking back 26 years or so how difficult it was for me to accept T into her life.  I was suspicious and relentless about it.  Once before they were married, a misunderstanding had me pounding on his door in the middle of the night ready to bash his head in.  I remember breaking a chair and some records before he finally got me to listen to his explanation.  Sorry T, my bad!  ; )

On their wedding day they didn't look anything like this picture above.  They have each grown so much in mental, emotional, spiritual and even physical ways.
Today I celebrate relationships!!  God gives us a partner to learn from, grow with and also to learn to be separate from.  J&T's relationship has touched many many lives and will touch many more.  I'm grateful for them!

Congratulations you guys, enjoy your special day!

BOOBIES!!!!

Alright, now I have your attention!  Today I'm going in for my annual mammogram.  No, it's not fun and no I don't enjoy it but it's a must do!  Your monthly self breast exam is also a must do!  In January I will celebrate my 14th year being free of cervical cancer.  My cancer was discovered during a routine annual exam at the OB/GYN.  I have a friend who found colon cancer getting a colonoscopy just because he turned 50. 

THIS IS IMPORTANT PEOPLE!  Whoever you are, whatever you do, please do your screenings! 

This reminder comes at a good time while the Movember fund raiser is coming to a close.  That campaign not only raises money but also awareness to Men's cancers.  I think that's great!  Way to go Guys!

It's not just about the Boobies and the Balls, it's about health!  I could live without my breasts.  I hope not to but my life is worth more to me than any sum of parts. 

If you are not up to date with your routine exams, I issue you a challenge:  Get up to date by year end.  That gives you a month.  Hopefully you will be healthy but if not, hopefully you catch it early. 

Be safe and take care of your body, it's the only one you will have this time around.

First Day

This is the first work day of my unemployed journey.  I'm sitting in our home office in my brand new office chair.  That's a good start! 

I'm going to take some time this month to investigate several different avenues for a future.  It's an exciting time for me.  I'm also going to do some things just for me.  I know, selfish right?  Sometimes you have to be. 

It feels like I should get dressed and head to the office.  That will take some getting used to.  My plan is to get dressed every morning and begin working in my home office at a normal hour. 

I got signed up for unemployment and this is my waiting week.  I'm going to call and see if I can start to use the Work Source resources during the wait.  I think I can but we'll see.  I'm not even sure what they offer but again, it's an opportunity to think outside the box.  That's all I want right now.

I had a wonderful quiet weekend and I feel ready for the day.  A vendor that I have worked with the past 19 years is taking me to lunch today to celebrate our time together.  It is a very fancy restaurant so I'm very excited! 

I hope you enjoy your day!

Black Friday 101

Some people black Friday and some people don't.  It's an investment that not everyone is cut out for.  I'm middle of the road in that I would never camp out or fight with anyone over the door buster savings item.  I do however use the opportunity to trade some of my time for a lesser amount of money.  In fact, it's the hunt that I enjoy.  I shop for myself and I Christmas shop all on a mapped out project. It brings me joy, maybe I can pass on a veterans advice!

The first thing I do is venture down to the corner store on Thanksgiving and pick up the daily paper pregnant with fliers and ads.  It's so fun just to look through and sorting is easy.  Three piles: first round yes, price checking pile and rejects.  You break it down from there.  I know you could go online and perhaps I will but currently, I love this break from standing on my feet in the kitchen on the big day. 

I was going to go at 4am just to slip in behind the others and have guaranteed full stock, but avoid the main items that garner all the attention.  The alarm got turned off because I have been on overload lately which I feel zero guilt for.  I hit the stores just after 9am.  Timing is everything!  The discounts have clocks ticking so first off to Bed Bath and Beyond for the 10am deadline on 20% off my whole order (this stop was for me).  I then cut over to the store at the mall and scooped up all 4 items I was after and out in 30 minutes. 

Now off to the fabric store, I only had until noon to get the $10.99 fabric for $2.  This is KEY!  Pull your number then shop listening carefully to the announcements.  I pulled my ticket, shopped for 10 minutes and waited another 30 minutes before they called my number.  They announced that if you were in line past noon you would need a signature on your coupon.  Done, don't have to tell me twice.  After the cutting table, I waited another 30 minutes in the check out line.  There I met more fabulous people that thoroughly entertained me. 

After that, I went to two more stores and waltzed in grabbed my items and walked out.  Easy breezy.  That was good too. 

18.7 miles and 5 hours later, I saved a bunch of money.  In the past I have double teamed with my daughter and that is a super fun experience.  A lot of people go in pairs so one stays in line, that sure helps with time.  I didn't mind and now I'm ready to dig out my Christmas ornaments and celebrate! 

Thanksgiving Thoughts

I'm so blessed and it's not hard to find a list of things that I'm thankful for.  I know it's cliche' but I can't think of a better way to celebrate the day:

• Mark who's the best friend I've ever had.
• Lafe who always makes me laugh and think.
• Kesa who teaches me and acts as my mirror.
• My birth family who remind me where I came from.
• My friends who accept me exactly as I am.
• My cats who cuddle me a little closer when I'm sad or sick.
• My beautiful home on a nice slice of Bothell.
• My spiritual community that sees right through any BS I might be hiding in.

There are so many other things I'm thankful for.  I have to go now because we're smoking our very first turkey today and roasting one in the oven as well.  A ton of work to be done.  The thing I enjoy doing more than anything else on the planet is to cook side by side with my wonderful husband.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

LAST DAY!!

My last day was weird but wonderful.  About 25 or 30 people showed up at the local bar to celebrate the night before.  It was touching beyond belief!  My husband and kids came, that meant the world to me.  You know how it goes, everyone is bringing you shots of this or that and you toast and drink.  Yikes, I was hung over yesterday!  It was worth it though.  I didn't cry until my friend Ali cried and then I couldn't turn the water works off. 

I met with HR to sign final paperwork and then I was free to go whenever I was ready.  My Boss, who is quite shaken by my departure had to escort me to the door.  He was very supportive and encouraged me to do it any way I chose.  I cleaned my desk and took my stuff to the car.  I walked around and signed off with some workmates.  When I left the loading dock my good friend Terry walked me back to the stairwell.  She cried and once again, on came my water works.  I went to the bathroom and tried endlessly to stop crying when I realized that it was not going to happen.  I went to my desk as quietly as I could and shut down my computer.  I stood up and said "Ok Guys, I'm outta here".  Every single person on the whole floor stood in my honor.  My closest friends walked out to the aisle way to hug me on my way out.  One friend hinted in my ear that it was pre-planned.  Wow, that was something else!  I'm so blessed and honored.  So I cried, who cares!

An ironic side note from the day, Lafe got a new job the day I ended mine.  We both agree that the planetary shifts are powerful and wonderful.   

This experience seems to have taken forever and dragged on and on.  Now it's over.  That chapter of my life is closed.