to color or not to color....

A friend of mine recently wrote me and asked me to write a blog about my ever changing hair. If you look at all the pictures I am sure you can understand why. the pictures above are just a sample of the hairstyles I have had in the past 5-6 years there are about 10 more variations of color and style but that would lock up the blog. Most of the time I get comments like "I love your hair, but I could never pull that off" or "I could never wear that style" I think hair is like clothing you just have to OWN it. Don't wear something you aren't comfortable in because it will show in how you act, I think it's the same for hair.

First, it is not an obsession. I agree with the proverb "Variety is the spice of life" without it life would get boring and dull. I am the type of person who gets bored with anything that is the same for too long. for example DH drinks Pepsi, all day every day, Pepsi. Pepsi, Pepsi. I can't do that. I get bored. I will drink all kinds of soda, I don't necessarily have a favorite I enjoy variety. When we go to a restaurant he orders the same meal every time, he says he knows what he likes and why mess with it and risk getting something he won't enjoy. I on the other hand try something new most of the time, or rotate a few favorites. I may have a meal I like but if I don't try the other dishes I may be missing a meal I LOVE.

OK, now back to my hair. I live in a small town in Oklahoma. I am not from here, I merely live here now. Everyone here has the same hair to some degree. The typical straight, parted, Britney or Lindsay hairdo. Older women here have the same set curled style. I like being different and do not want to look like everyone else. I know that is important in high school but it's just as important to me NOT to fit in the mold.

If I have an itch I scratch it, and for me a lot of times my itch is my hair. It is the easiest thing to change, weight takes a lot of time and effort, style or clothes takes quite a bit of money, and I love my man and family I would never change that. So I change my hair. It's that simple and that complicated.

Pulling my hair out.

I posted a little while ago that I was unhappy with the way the school system here was handling registration for my high school kid. He went back to school last Wed, and his schedule was all messed up. I mean not even close. Out of the 7 classes he asked for they got 2 of them right. When I went down to the school to straighten it out, they told me to go away. They told me that the counselors would not talk to me or anyone else until Monday. That they have a lot of schedules to fix and the new ones would be handed out on Monday (today). I have a lot of choice words for these boneheads, but I will try to keep this clean. The thing is, that DS has friends in the classes he should be in and they are doing work and getting homework assignments. So now he gets to start the year out behind. When he gets home today I will check his new schedule, but I really don't expect it to be any better. I plan on going down there tomorrow morning and not leaving until everything is correct.

I remember high school, it wasn't that long ago. I went to a school that is about 3 times bigger than this high school, and I never had this problem. I knew what my schedule was before school started and if there was a problem we had it fixed before the first day of school. What are these people doing? There are computer programs that do a better job, for crying out loud BUY ONE!!

Menu Plan Monday.

Here is my next shot at menu planning for this week. Last week I think I used 4 of the 7 plans, so I will print it out this week and post it on my fridge, to see if I utilize it more. This is my first full week back at school and DS is in school too. I have a couple of evening classes, so that is going to cut back on my time to cook. However this is my plan for the week. If you are looking to start planning your families menus check out orgjunkie's blog where she hosts Menu Plan Mondays here
(my first try at linking, lets see if it works)

Monday - Roast, potatoes, carrots

Tuesday - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans

Wednesday - leftover night/feed yourself ( I have classes til 10pm)

Thursday - Fettuccine Alfredo

Friday - Breakfast Burritos

Saturday - Pizza

Sunday - make-up night/leftover night ( whatever meal I missed in the week, if I didn't miss any then leftovers/ clean out the fridge night take inventory to plan next week's meals)

I didn't include any recipes, because there isn't anything on here that requires one..... If anyone wants one for something, I will gladly send it to you.

menu plan...

My menu plan this week didn't go so well. I think since I am recovering from surgery, there are days that I don't want to cook and I have forgotten to get meats out of the freezer, etc. I am going to make another menu for this week (being the first whole week of school) and we will see if I can still to it.

menu planning monday

This is the first week of school here, now it is only a half week and I doubt anyone will actually DO anything, but it's still the first few days of getting up early and schlepping your way to class. So I figure this week I will make an easier, quicker, friendlier menu ( I only plan dinners, everyone in my house is old enough to help themselves to breakfast and lunch)

Monday - Ally's cheese chicken, rice, broccoli

Tuesday - meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans

Wed (DS first day of school, DH's birthday) - DH picks his dinner.....

Thurs (my first day of school) - Chicken Tacos

Friday - Roast, potatoes, carrots

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - Homemade Pizza

CVS'ing

OK, I admit I am an avid reader of a couple of other blogs that cover how to shop at CVS and basically get a lot of stuff for free or really reduced. At first it seemed too good to be true, but now that I have done it a few times in the past month or so I am getting the hang of it, and sure enough, I am getting stuff for next to nothing. Now, I will also admit that sometimes it is things I don't really need or even want, but I am a sucker and I can't walk away from anything that is "free" SO, I was going to post my trip this week, but my DH threw away my receipts because i had left them on the table and he decided to pick up. I guess I will have to wait til next week to post my terrific deals, but here is an approximation of what I did this week.
I bought
4 Extra gum (8 packs)
1 bags of Gummi savers, 1
bag Jolly Rancher candy,
BIC Soliel razor refill,
2 CVS brand hand sanitizers,

coupons I used :
$3/15 cvs
$2 off CVS skincare
$2 off BIC refills
2-$2 off Wrigley extra gum

I spent $2.38 OOP and got $5 ECB back.

next week I will be more diligent and make sure to post before DH gets ahold of the receipts. I will also take pictures before my family gets ahold of the candy.

back from the lake

We didn't stay at the lake because our boat is not working properly. All the kids (husband included) got bored without the boat and decided there was no reason to stay, so we all came home today. I am ok with it because it is less work for me and I get to sleep in my own bed tonight, yay! I even think I am going to go to bed early, I am just plain ol worn out.

Why make it harder than it has to be?

I don't understand why some people/companies make things so difficult that aren't really difficult. For instance, what got me on the rant today is when we went to DS's school for "registration". We had already picked his classes this year at the end of last year (he is a Sophomore in high school) so I thought maybe registration day would be getting his schedule and making changes if something was wrong or if we wanted something different than what we originally signed up for. NOPE. All we did was sit and fill out all the paperwork. You know, address, next of kin, reduced lunches, is he riding the bus, medical info, etc etc. They aren't even handing out schedules for another couple weeks. So, maybe it's just me, but why can't they mail out the paperwork and then I can sit and fill them out at my convenience? how about post them online so I can print them and fill them out? Why did I have to drag my broken back all the way down to the school to do that? AND, even if you want me down at the school on a certain day to fill out the paperwork because it isn't in the school budget to mail them... then have the schedules ready so I don't have to go back in two weeks! Yeesh. OK, I am done venting about that one for now.

Tuesday

I meant to post yesterday, and get my weekly menu and all that done, but I had a dentist appointment in the morning then we are planning on going camping today until Thurs. Now all of this was planned before the a/c quit working last night and since it is supposed to be hotter than the blue blazes today I think getting the a/c back up and running might be the most important thing. Then again if it isn't working we may NEED to go live in the trailer at the lake. SO, here is my menu plan, contingent on the fact that we are camping....

Monday - homemade pizza

Tuesday - hot dogs, pasta salad, chips, fruit

Wednesday - Hamburgers, garlic potatoes, corn on the cob

Thursday - Chicken, leftover sides (pasta salad, garlic potatoes etc)

Friday - fast food night

Saturday - Roast, potatoes, corn

Sunday - clean out the fridge night.

oh my

well, the back surgery went well but now I am left with a lot of nerve pain in my left leg. I am talking PAIN, not discomfort. I guess I can be thankful that it is only in one leg (my left) but I am in pain all the time, and I am tired of popping pain pills all day every day to keep out of pain. SO, I am not going to take any pills today and see if I can deal with the pain without them. I know I will have a rough day, but at least I will have a true sense of how much pain I am really in. I will let you know tomorrow how that all went when I make my menu for the week and try to prepare for the days ahead.

what is wrong with my computer?

I hate it when the computer isn't working properly... you go through the normal steps, is it a glitch, is it a virus? something worse? I am trying to troubleshoot but let me tell you it isn't that easy, I am frustrated and on the verge of loosing my temper, so I thought I would come here and vent. AAARRRGGGHHHH

What do I want from this?

I think I am going to focus this blog on tips for saving money and what I feel might be a good time saver. I have been reading some blogs on women who talk about being frugal or saving, but they suggest things like cooking parties and crazy stuff like that. I think organizing a party sounds like MORE work not less, but I do like some other tips I am finding like CVS, once a month cooking (OAMC) etc... So maybe when I find what works for me I can pass that on to others. Those of us who are a bit more undomesticated and don't spend our weekends crafting and garage sale-ing....

Looking into this blogging thing.

I have decided to take a little more interest in this blogging thing and I am going to do a little research into how I can make this blog more personalized and my own. If anyone happens to read this and wants to put in some tips or help for me, please feel free.....

Dark Knight (movie review, no spoilers)

we went to see Batman Dark Knight today while we were in the city, because our movie theater here in town BLOWS and we never go for movies that are going to be big on special effects or visuals. So, we took the opportunity while we were in the neighborhood to see a movie that we have been excited about. Now I must admit that I was afraid that Heath Ledger was being over hyped since this was his last movie. But, after watching the movie I must say he was GENIUS one of the best performances of the year and probably one of the best villains I have seen in a long long time. I will venture to guess he will be recognized come Oscar time. The movie overall was a fun ride, a blast, not a dull minute, and if you liked #1 you will love #2. Worth every penny of the ticket, and I recommend this movie.

Caleb is home!

well, I guess this is the beginning of the end... of summer!! We went to pick up my son today from the airport as he returned home from his trip. We register him for school tomorrow, and then school starts in a week and a half. Guess the fun is over. Time to start menu planning and clipping coupons and saving again. It is amazing how my grocery budget changes from being alone to adding just 1 teenager, then when my old man is home, yeesh.... At least I can be grateful that my men like my cooking.

What a month...

Is July almost over already? Really? wow, where did the time go? Well, i guess most of it was spent in a drug induced stupor. In case that worries you, I want to let you know that I had back surgery on July 15th, so I am on pain medication and other doctor prescribed treatments. I don't even take all the pain meds they give me but I still just want to lay around and sleep. I think that rest is an important part of the bodies way of healing itself. BUT, now it is time to get off my butt and get to work. My step-son comes home Thurs from his trip to see his mom in Arizona, and then my husband is going to be home Thurs night/Fri morning from off the road, so here we go again.... Time to get my house straightened out and get the fridge stocked. Hopefully I can do the shopping without spending too much money. I will let you know how my hunt for deals goes. Maybe I can share some frugal tips with someone who needs them. Also next week I am going to start the menu planning again too.... we shall see.

Wow what a week. I have been so busy, yet I am sure I could get more done if I was better at time management. oh well, something else I need to work on. next Tuesday i am having back surgery so I might not post for few days there after. I don't think sitting in front of the computer is going to be the best thing for me for a while. I will get back on whenever I can though. I am looking forward to hopefully getting this post to work for me sometime soon and start getting something done with it.

Goals for july...

OK, well I got a rough idea of what I want to get accomplished in July, then when I started to make a time table of when to have things done by I realized that I am having back surgery in the middle of the month, and I don't know how much I will be able to actively do after I have that done. So I decided to narrow things down to what I want to have done before I go into surgery, then while I am laid up in bed I can work on my next list and time table for once I am mobile again. here goes nothing!

get APU for truck
Work on refi the house
get Taxes done ( I know I am SO FAR behind)
Organize my office

Now this last one is going to take the most work and I think I will post mini goals to get this done because it is too big of a task to take on all at once. So while I am in the DR office tomorrow I will make my list of mini goals to get the office and all my paperwork organized and together! Ok, so there you have it, my list of what to have done by July 15th.

Today is the Day!

I am in need of organization, but I know deep down that what I really really need is motivation. I have watched enough TV shows and read enough articles on organization, that I know what I need to do. However, I am the biggest procrastinator I know of. I don't see myself as lazy. I just don't want to do certain chores or errands, they aren't fun, and I love to put them off. Well, after a long look at my life, I know I need to change some of my ways. SO, I am starting today to making my life overall more organized and I will use my time better throughout the day....

I am writing this on here because I know that this will at the very least help me keep track of my progress, or lack thereof) At the most I will get a reader or two who may send me little messages of encouragement and/or helpful hints. So, my first task for today is to make a list of all I want to accomplish in the next month and a timeline to go by. I will post it on here when I get it made up. I also am going to implement a new rule every two weeks that I am going to have to abide by, (such as writing down appointments ON my calender when I make them, or making that menu every singe week) something.... I will be back later tonight to post my goals for the month of June and my timeline.

WOW it's July ALREADY?

Where on Earth did June go? man o man. Well I haven't been keeping up on anything, I think I need a few classes in time managment. It's Saturday and I am wiped out, think I am going to bed early tonight. I have to get my hands on a Sunday paper tomorrow because I heard P&G is going to release a coupon book that is worth $106 off thier products. There aren't usually any coupons on holiday weekends, but this should be worth searching out a paper. Might have to get up early, but at least that means I will be able to get more done if I have more hours in the day. Well, i will be back tomorrow when it's time to post the weekley menu.

Friday Night

When did camping become so much work? When you are a kid you can just go out there and have fun. As an adult (and especially the mom) all you do is work. I felt like all I did was cook and clean, then when I was just about done cleaning up all the kids would show back up, saying they are hungry again. Not quite what I remember as a parent or even when we were just a couple without the kids. Also I think that it requires more work the more people you have. When it's just our little family we are fine, but then you add in grandma, grandpa, etc. it gets complicated and less fun. ( maybe that is just because it was my mother-in-law who seems to overthink everything, and tends to NEED a schedule instead of going with the flow) Either way, it wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be and I ended up exhausted. I think I am headed to bed early tonight.

Menu Plan Monday

Thanks to Organizing Junkie I am trying out planning my week. I am not the most organized person ( I may be the least ) But here goes this weeks menu,

Monday Tues and Wed we are camping at the lake so we will be eating our fare share of hotdogs and hamburgers

Thurs: Pork Roast and roasted potatoes

Fri: Cheese Chicken with Rice

Sat: Roast

Sun: leftover night...

Lets see how this week goes then I will try this again. Obviously I am going camping the beginning of the week, so I won't be posting again for a little while.