My Random Musings | Peaches Prattlings

{September 26, 2013} Size 12 isn’t what it use to be!

Apparently today’s 12 isn’t the same as 1950’s 12. Or today’s medium isn’t the same as 1950’s medium.

I have recently gotten into wearing dresses, not a lot, but I’m working on building my collection. Not all styles suit or flatter me, shirt dresses aren’t the best, but when you add a belt, sometimes that helps, maybe a sweater [cardigan] a whole new look. I even wore one for an interview, worked out quite well, didn’t get the job, but I looked appropriate!

So, along with getting into wearing and wanting to wear dresses, I really like the 50’s style dress, sun dress, short sleeve. Fitted on top, short sleeve, wide strap, long sleeve, cinched at the waist and flared skirt, with pockets, there is something about it! I’ve found a few at goodwill, consignment shops. I even found one that looks like Lucille Ball in the Vegemite episode! Dark blue, white polka dots, buttons all the way from the collar to the bottom, belted with white collar and cuffs on the sleeves. It was a size too large, but with a cute white sweater, perfect! I wore it with the best red peep toe shoes [the ladies are feeling me right about now, it’s ok guys!]

So, today I had some time to kill between training sessions and I went to a Goodwill store called Deja Blue, it was nice. http://www.goodwilldenver.org/dejablue/ . They had a good selection, it was a boutique, instead of the “normal” goodwill stores and there were things that were half off the very low prices! I got a blue dress with, I think very light and tiny polka dots, is there a theme? It’s a shirt dress from Banana Republic, I think I paid $8 for, not too shabby.

Their sizes were small in what I was looking at and didn’t have a lot of the dresses I was looking for, and when I told them what I wanted, they told me about a store not far away called Buffalo Exchange, http://www.buffaloexchange.com/, they had a lot more dresses in the style I wanted, but apparently medium today meant TEENY TINY back in the 50s, I could barely get the dresses over my head and if it did, the girls did not comply!

The girl that was helping me did say that sizes were a lot smaller back then. What’s the controversy about Marilyn Monroe? She was a 12 [or was it 14] and she was a goddess, stylized and idolized. I’m a 12/medium, what happened?

Also had trouble finding dresses with pockets, where are the pockets? I might have to cut the seams and add some pockets for myself, assuming I can find the dresses I am looking for!

There are a lot of vintage store in the Denver area, I’ll keep looking, you never know what you’ll find, but I am determined. Also need some peep toe shoes or perfect vintage ballet flats and some white canvas skips, how perfect would that be?

Here are some samples of what I like, pay attention to the dress, not the girl in the dress.

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/hepcat-dress-in-clover

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/soda-fountain-dress-in-cola

http://www.ebay.com/itm/50s-Style-Black-White-POLKA-Dot-PLUS-SIZE-Peasant-Top-On-Off-Shoulder-Dress-/121124694432

{September 25, 2013} Sloppy joes, yum!

The other day I was jonesing for some sloppy joes, I don’t know if it was a commercial or just a feeling, but that’s what I wanted.

Tonight…guess what we had for dinner! I know, you’re asking how a vegetarian is going to eat sloppy joes. Well, I’ll tell ya! We got two packages of meat, one “real” for DCM and one bag of frozen veggie crumbles from Morning Star,
https://www.morningstarfarms.com/products/meal-starters.

Then you get the sloppy joes seasoning packets, tomato paste and hamburger buns. Two separate pots (when DCM moved out here he bought a set of pots and pans because neither of us thought to give him my set to get settled into his apartment, but…bright side, now we have a met set and a don’t put meat in that set please, very smart!)

After adding all the ingredients, bringing them to a boil, simmer for ten minutes, spoon onto a hamburger bun, heating optional, add a slice of American cheese (this is a personal preference), add a side dish if you wish, we had Mac-n-cheese.

Grab a roll of paper towels, (possibly a hose for after) sit down and enjoy!

And for those of you who are just as goofy as we and CKM are, you may have already been singing this and if you haven’t been, enjoy:

{September 24, 2013} So, three litter boxes it is…GRRRR

Well, I hope this is it, please send good vibes and cross your fingers!

I haven’t wanted to be one of those bloggers [ha ha, I’m a blogger] who devotes too many posts to my animals [one day I’ll tell you about the menagerie I have had through the years, some of you will be surprised, others, not so much!]. I am down to only two cats, and as we know, I don’t live alone, so I can’t be the crazy cat lady! Now, when I was still in Atlanta, in my house and had three cats, I still wasn’t the crazy cat lady, but I knew if I brought another one in the house I would be, so there!

I started off with one cat years ago, with one litter box, then I got another cat, still only one litter box. The first cat was no longer with us and I got 2 cats, with three cats, I now had 2 litter boxes. I know, you should have one more box than cats, that’s a lot of litter boxes, I was good with two. One ran away, down to two.

Last summer, a friend needed a home for a cat, I agreed to take her on. This cat needed to be alone, more details another time. Well, this cat decided to use several locations in the house other than the litter box, so I got a third one, thought it helped? Not so much. She was not long for my family, she’s now much happier with someone else.

When we moved to Colorado, we came with two cats. We are in a two bedroom apartment, luckily to have a laundry room, wahoo! A place for the litter box, yes, litter box, singular. Someone…not saying who [and not anyone walking on two legs] was using the floor of the laundry room as a litter box. So, I gave in and got another box, apparently, this did not help! The younger of the two, we are trying to figure out if something is wrong, as DCM has seen her sitting on the edge of the litter box peeing OUTSIDE the box, did she miss on purpose? I don’t know, but I am tired of yelling, rubbing noses in it, bleach, paper towels and cleaner!

It’s a laundry room people…enough room for a washer, dryer and one or two people standing in it, not exactly the largest room in the place. I gave up finally and picked up a third litter box and we’re in day three of three litter boxes and there have been no special treats anywhere [well, that I have found] fingers crossed.

So…three litter boxes it is, as I said, GRRR and if I need more…anyone want a cat? [keep your fingers crossed for us!]

{September 13, 2013} Today, I fulfilled a fantasy!

Why you cheeky monkeys! I told you, this is a family blog! My dad reads m blog, hi Daddy!

So, today, I fulfilled a fantasy…I’m a simple girl, this is a a simple fantasy…I got on a plane with nothing more than a purse, yes, I said a purse, that’s another story for another day.

Let me ‘splain, no there is too much, let me sum up. (I hope you got the reference, I know my movie buff friends did , but for those of you who didn’t get it, it’s from The Princess Bride, ahh…you know, “Hello, my name is Indigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die, I could go on!)

I travel a bit, not as much as some, more than others, well, that’s what i have been told anyway! A lot of times I am traveling for work and when I’m not, I’m usually working remotely, so, what do I take with me? My laptop…who in the world of computers, software, sales, etc. doesn’t take their laptop with them?

So, I normally have my laptop bag with me and it’s heavy. I also take what was original a canvas lunch bag and put a few things in it so I can put my knapsack in the overhead, and put the lunch bag under the seat in front of me. It usually has my iPad, book, phone, maybe a cross stitch I’m working on. Well, the idea of going through security with nothing more than maybe a little bag, even just a book and/or my iPad, not having to take everything out and put it on the conveyor and maybe getting through quickly and without sweating carrying the backpack to the gate has been something I have thought about for a long time, but not something I could ever do.

I am going to Atlanta for the weekend for a race, go figure, and best of all, to see my friends, I’m going to be there barely 48 hours, don’t need my laptop have my iPad! I need something to blog on! (Yes I could use my phone, but much easier on a big screen).

Don’t laugh, but I checked a bag, here’s the sad part, there is a duffle inside my huge duffle. There are about 5 items of clothes for the weekend in there and in the inner duffle…my mud run kit, extra clothes sneakers, towel, bags, crazy.

Bottom line is…my fine friends, today I did it! Yeah me! Fantasy fulfilled!

Wait, how sad is my existence when one of my fantasies is to take a flight with nothing more than just a bag/purse? Ah who cares? It’s my fantasy!

(I hope you’re totally laughing at the end of this, because I am and I know you can hear my voice in your heads! Muwahaha)

{September 12, 2013} We’re ok!

We may be floating down the road soon, but we are ok!

Thank you to everyone for checking on us! The rain has been going on for almost a week and is not slated to stop for a few more days.

There were several areas that had 2-3 feet of water in a matter of 30 minutes today. I was listening to NPR on my way to work and they reported on the amount of rain as its coming down and coming down, slowing down and stopping traffic, that it’s really bad in Boulder, streets are flooded, lights are out, they evacuated the university!

I messaged DCM to check to see if the office was open, he decided to chance it and half way to work, he got an email that the office was closed, the electrical room, which is on the bottom level of the parking deck was under FIVE FEET of water! And that was at 7:45 am! The email also mentioned that Noah was at the office with transportation!

As of 3:00, the office would be closed until further notice, should be alright by next week, fingers crossed! The picture below shows you where the packing deck is, where DCM parks, well, normally where he parks!

It’s interesting how different areas are being affected so differently. I was in Denver today and it was raining, but not too heavily, traffic was better getting into Denver today than it was yesterday. Coming home, the road were fine heading out of Denver, didn’t run into any standing water like they were mentioning on the road signs and it didn’t rain much. It also held off for about an hour while we were ale to get to the grocery store and it’s been raining steadily ever since. Kind of weird to get rained on IN the parking deck!

There have been evacuations and people trying to get to higher ground and sadly, to date, there are two people who have lost their lives due to the floods and my heart and thoughts go out to their families. Thankfully, more people than not, are heading warnings and staying home.

Now, while I am thankful for the National Weather Service warnings, I’m not sure I need an update every ten minutes, even though it feels like every 30 seconds! We were watching a movie, it was continually interrupted and as JS said, it feels like our cell phones have been hijacked by The National Weather Service via Verizon, I have gotten multiple warnings every few minutes.

I just want to reassure everyone that we, personally, are fine, we are weathering the storm, as they say and we are doing our best to stay, literally high and dry.

Hopefully our flights will be able to take off tomorrow!

{September 11, 2013} Blogging and total honesty

Yeah, about that…

I have to tell you, there are so many times I’ve thought about writing a post about something, maybe something that happened to me during the day that I want to tell you about, maybe to tell you or maybe to get something off my chest.

Unfortunately, even though I want to tell you, say it out loud so it’s out of my head and on paper, so to speak, I can’t say exactly what I’m feeling on some subjects because I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings and who wants to do that? Intentionally.

So here I sit with lots to say and no one to say them too, I know it seems a little weird to me, you may be comfortable and say what’s really on my mind. (Might shock you even!)

So then, all I’ll say at this time is goodnight and I meant to say it to everyone!

{September 10, 2013} Paws are done!

It was a very long day that ended quite pleasantly.

It started off very early, out the door by 7, to ensure I got there by 8, which I did (I’ll tell you about where I am going in another post) and there was SNOW on the ground! What? Well, it turns out there was a monstrous hail storm yesterday, in some places dropping three feet of snow!

I practiced, did a teach back (explain later) and it went well. Then it was off to physical therapy, I gave myself almost 40 minutes to get there and I needed it! At PT, there was an intern, S, she is in high school and doing a rotation of internships to see if PT might be a direction she wants to go. She got to experience my issues and watch my fabulous therapist work stuff out, I feel so bad for her when I react so strongly, but it just means she’s doing a good job, right? S was looking up my symptoms on the Mayo Clinic website, ugh! At least we laugh a lot!

After PT, I had just enough time to get to Tuesday Morning, buy some pretty containers to take hummus and my home made baba ganoush with me to Girls Night Out! I ran home, well, drove, transferred the wonderful dips to the new containers, ran back out the door, jumped in the car and drove to Boulder to meet the girls for some papering!

I stopped at Sprouts to pick up pita chips and then my gps decided to take me on a tour of Boulder. I finally found the nail salon and went it, everyone had already started on the pampering and the food and drink, I had to catch up!

So, the title of my post, Paws are done, for those of you not in the know, guys, that refers to paws and claws, manicure and pedicure or mani/pedi for short. So, now you know, if someone says they got their paws and claws done, pampered and happy!

It felt so great to sit in the massage chairs, feet in the hot bath getting prepped, having some good food and drink, JS had gone on a girls weekend to Sonoma so she brought the wine, of course! And just relaxing and catching up. While we were sitting there, we started talking about next months GNO and the next month and the next month! We had multiple things for each month! I think. We’re planned out through March, or could be!

I suggested a 5k, either straight run or obstacle, I had to explain that I would never suggest one of the hard core ones, you know that involve electricity, ice baths, stuff like that! There are so many options, I do have a taker for a mud run in October, I’m going to see if I can get a few more of the girls interested, but…

It was decided for next month, we are doing the Hot Chocolate 5k! I know, I did this one in January with CKM, but everyone is so excited and who couldn’t use an extra sweatshirt! I think this is going to be so much fun!

So, it’s been a long day, but my toes look fabulous in deep purple, it felt great to get pampered and spend time with new friends, can’t wait to see some of my besties this weekend when I am in Atlanta.

I just hope this fabulous pedi will see me rough the zombie run on Saturday!

{September 9, 2013} Are personal lives really necessary?

In a TV show, such as cop dramas! Made ya look though, didn’t I?

Here is the thing… Soap operas…drama and personal story lines, that’s all there is; comedies or sitcoms…most times a continuing story line of family or friends, with individual situations happening, you get involved with their lives, much like a soap opera, but funny. Hospital dramas…lets be honest, it’s a soap opera with doctors, a new case or medical mystery, but usually there’s interpersonal drama, we get sucked in. People like these, hey, I got hooked on ER for the first two seasons, I loved House for a while, how could you not.

What I don’t get is crime dramas, like Law & Order, why do those cops have to have huge story lines outside of the case of the week? Why can’t they just solve the crime that day, maybe it runs to the next week, and be done with it, how much back or outside story do we really need? And if you think about it, you only know the personal story of one or two of the main characters and then that’s it, you don’t know what anyone else does when they go home.

Sometimes, a persons personal life is important to the story line, but a lot of time it just gets in the way and drags things down and then when something happens to their family, you’re very upset because you’ve got a vested interest in these characters. Let them go about their day, do their jobs and that’s it, maybe they go out for a bite to eat or a drink after work, but they are back at it in the morning, catch the bad guy and do it all over again.

I know that seeing into their lives can give us insight to their personalities, what makes them tick, but you can also see it in the way they act in different situations. Does it really enhance the story line? And then…end of season, the cliffhanger and we have to wait ’til fall? Or if it’s a summer series, I have to wait until next summer? Pook!

This may be a pointless rant, but it’s something that I’ve though about before and complained about out loud, to no one in particular, not really expecting a response, but…just food for thought.

{September 6, 2013} Are you ready for some football?

Isn’t that the tag line?

So, apparently football season started tonight and guess where? My new hometown of Denver, Colorado! The Denver Broncos hosted the Baltimore Ravens at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, that’s a mouthful!

TOP 10 nhà cái bóng đá hợp pháp – có đa dạng kèo nhà cái

I “loin sometin” new every day…I did not know this, shocker, that the two teams who played in the Super Bowl will play the very first game of the new season and the losing team will host the champions, so tonight, the Ravens were in Denver and Denver was looking for some payback and I’d say they got it…the final score…49 to 27, ouch! I’d say the Broncos are off to a good start.

Although, there was a huge weather delay for the game, there was some rain threatening and lightening happening, the game started about 45 minutes late, that has to be so frustrating for everyone involved in the game, I don’t mean the fans, they’re just happy to be there, the players, anxious to warm up and get started, the coaches, their play books and strategies lined up, the referees ready to get on the field, the cheerleaders, ready to rile up the crowd, the color guard, waiting I the wings, the person waiting to sing the national anthem, vocal chords warmed up, maybe getting nervous.

For those of you that know me, you know I don’t know much about football and I won’t say I don’t like it, but it’s not something I care deeply about. Now, I know DCM has done a sharp intake of breath, as he always does when I say that because he is a HUGE, and I mean HUGE Atlanta Falcons fan. I’ve take him to two games, that was awesome, to watch him as he watched the game, I don’t know who was more excited! (Maybe me, but that was after he got me a Falcons jersey!) and if they are playing, I will sit with him while he watched,

My dad enjoys it and my sister remembers watching with him in Sundays, I don’t remember that, it may have happened, I just don’t remember, sorry daddy. This was carried into adulthood, my sister enjoys watching the Patriots play in her home state of Massachusetts and you should see the Pats jerseys I got for the girls! I know not to call their house during a game! And it was bad when the Giants were playing the Pats in the Superbowl..I may not be a huge fan of the game, but I know who I like! Go Giants!

I have been to a few professional games and I really enjoyed it, it’s more being there, the energy from the crowds, the sites, sounds, smells, food. I love going to the stadium, I get my guilty pleasure; pretzel and a coca cola, what could be better?

I am hoping to get the opportunity to go to a Broncos game! I will cheer with enthusiasm, with my pretzel and coca cola in hand! And maybe a Broncos jersey on my back!

My friend JT, takes me to a Falcons game every year, his seats are amazing, third row off the field, on the side where the Falcons come out of the tunnel and when they do, you can feel the flames when they shoot up! I may not always be able to follow the game, but I can tell when a player is running their heart out and about to make a touchdown and even if I didn’t know what was going on, I could follow the actions of the crowd. Even though I moved, hopefully there’s a game Thanksgiving weekend, maybe I’ll get to go…wink wink.

Even though I knew I wasn’t going to watch the entire game, I watched the opening and there were some very cool things that happened. To begin with, there was a sea of orange, it was incredible and those fans are diehard and were going to wait out the delays no matter what, there were clear ponchos and garbage bags and other makeshift ponchos, those people weren’t moving!

Keith Urban gave a pre-game concert, Ryan Seacrest got the fans ready, as the king of the countdowns would do! Danielle Bradbury, the winner of last seasons “The Voice” sang the national anthem, she was wonderful. I like that DCM stands when the national anthem is sung, doesn’t matter where.

Then there was the coolest countdown to the start of the season, it was 32 legends. They were shown with their number and counted the number off, I even knew a few! Phil Simms, Joe Namath, Dion Sanders, this really was way cool!
http://nflcommunications.com/2013/09/04/32-nfl-legends-countdown-to-kickoff-on-nbc-in-primetime/

After the excitement and festivities, when they finally got started, I watched the coin toss, the kickoff and about three minutes of the game, I saw enough.

I hope you enjoy this years football season and your team is victorious!

{September 4, 2013} L’Shana Tova

Happy New Year!

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, the first of the High Holy Days, it happens in the fall, it’s a two day celebration, beginning in the evening, erev, at sundown,and following through to sundown the next day. This is a time of celebration, the beginning of a new year, a time of reflection and self examination.

There are a few wonderful symbols and traditions that make this holiday special. One is the blowing of the shofar, a rams horn; it represents waking people from their slumber, to alert them to the coming judgement, we’ll talk about Yom Kippur in another post.

It is an honor to be chosen to blow the shofar as it is not an easy thing to do, it takes years of practice to truly perfect it, but there is nothing like seeing and hearing little kids who give it a go! Here is a link for a brilliant cantor, blowing the shofar.

Another tradition is having sweet foods, like apples with honey, for a sweet year. You saw by the title of this post, L’Shana Tova, meaning have a good year, in Yiddish, it’s ah gut yohr, which means a good year.

You might greet someone with Shana Tova, and a response, my favorite, is to wish someone a happy, healthy and sweet year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah

So, my dear sweet friends and family, I say to you, L’Shana Tova, I wish you a good, healthy, happy and sweet year.

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