Bender Ball Warning

I posted several months ago about my Bender Ball find. I now have a warning for you. If you set your Bender Ball on your night stand, it does not work (meaning...if you don't use it, it doesn't work). I am trying to get back into using it regularly. I have it out of the way so Max doesn't destroy it. I have been successful as he has not had a chance to touch it, but I forget about it and end up not using it like I should. My goal is to use it 3 times each week. I've used it once this week so far. I hope to get it back into my schedule.

Stamp Storage

I found this shoe organizer at Costco (for only $24) and thought it would be perfect for my stamp and craft supplies. I just finished putting it together tonight so I haven't organized anything in it yet.

Creator of my own demise

Do you have any character trait or personality trait that is a thorn in your side? I have at least one…probably more. I can be extremely shy and uncomfortable around people. I am terrified of speaking in front of a group of people…even people I know well if it is a large group. I will avoid this at just about any cost. As a kid, I can't tell you how many times I embarrassed myself in front of a group of people because I could not recite what I had rehearsed perfectly only moments before to myself. I was a Brownie and then Girl Scout in elementary school. I would BEG my parents to take anything I was selling to school with them (as they were both teachers) so that I would not have to approach anyone trying to sell something. I couldn't even sell Girl Scout cookies which pretty much sell themselves. When I was in high school, my mother saw my shyness in light of her own and wanted to see if I could move beyond that. So for a summer (I’m not really sure how long this went on) I met with a Christian counselor or psychologist who officed at a local hospital. I don’t remember much about the whole ordeal, but he would give me “exercises” to work on. I remember one week the exercise was simply to start a conversation with a stranger. That’s about all I remember – and I have no idea if I did the exercises he gave me or not. It would be entirely believable for me to have lied to him rather than actually do what he suggested I do (but I don't remember what I actually did). I’m not sure what results came about because of my sessions with him. I was comfortable around my small group of friends I hung out with in high school and had fun with them, but I didn’t branch out much. Then I went off to college. I guess I knew that I had to relax a bit because I only knew a handful of people when I got to school. After college, I moved to Dallas. I really didn’t know anyone there so I tried to quickly get involved in a singles group at church. Thankfully, I met several nice people – one of which is still a very good friend today. I would have to admit that I chose the church I joined based on the friendliness of the people in the singles group. I visited a couple of churches where no one in the singles group even talked to me. I have realized recently that I have always found a friend or two and then held on for dear life to them rather than continuing to build relationships with other people. It is weird to have a realization such as this now that I am 30. Maybe I just didn’t consider it earlier in my life. So what’s a shy person to do? M says that I need to challenge myself to invite girls to do things one-on-one and just get myself out of my comfort zone. I will tell you right now that while I think he is right, that thought really scares me sometimes. I am truly a weirdo and have created this sometimes lonely world I live in.

2/26 New Recipes

I made the following for dinner last night. They were both pretty good, but I would add a little more flavor to the steak next time. I also might serve it with some rice. You can find the recipes online by clicking the names below.

Roasted Flank Steak with Olive Oil-Herb Rub
Cooking Light April 2007 p. 236

Green Bean and Radish Salad
Adapted from Saveur

2/25 New Recipe

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs
Cooking Light March 2007

This was pretty tasty. We had this with roasted garlic potatoes and okra with Rotel.

Guess who is six months old today!

Max is 6 months old today. We weighed him after church and he is now a little over 68 pounds. I almost couldn't hold him long enough to get his weight. He's a heavy boy. M found yesterday that Max is ticklish. If you tickle the pads of his feet gently, he pulls them away. It was pretty funny. This is a picture of the football we bought him this weekend. It took him a while to figure out how to pick it up because of the shape and how large it is. He has already taken the laces off and part of the "pig skin". He is into destroying his toys apparently.



We had a low-key weekend. Friday night our neighbors came over for pizza and a movie. We watched the first Indiana Jones movie. Saturday we went to breakfast at the Cracker Barrel and then ventured over to the Costco that opened last Wednesday. It was a mad house! Thankfully, M had gotten our memberships at his office a week or so ago. So we just walked right up and picked up our cards. We walked around and only bought a few things. We'll have to go back for more later. The rest of the day we hung around the house and took Max for a long walk where we saw two coyotes. I had never seen any in our neighborhood before. Last night, I made three pans of bubble bread to take to Sunday school this morning since we signed up for snacks. I opened a total of 6 cans of biscuits. If I ever have a heart attack, I think it will be while I'm opening a can of biscuits. Even though I expect the loud pop, it startles me every time. After church, I took a nap while M took Max for a long walk. I can't remember the last time I took a nap, and I used to take naps all the time. It was a nice weekend, but I'm not ready for it to be over so soon.

2/20 New Recipe

Asian Steak Salad with Cucumber and Napa Cabbage
Everyday Food Jan/Feb 2008 p. 97

If I made this again, I would definitely change the marinade and dressing. There was too much vinegar taste and not enough of the other flavors. M really enjoyed the meat though.