Home Alone! Day 2 1/2

Well, I'm obviously not Totally Alone as you can see by the picture above. Not only did I have an ineffable dinner out with my HOH and two favorite couples from church, but I also met my Relationship Goal for the day, while consuming at least 1,000 calories at one sitting. Looking at the picture above also gives me fodder for replacing my camera since there is obviously a serious defect in the lens that causes people (OK, only me....) to look fat.

I kid you not. Either I'm in Complete Denial about the way I really look, or someone snuck in some water balloons and attached them to each side of my waist last night.

I looked fine when I left my house. I looked slightly less fine when I returned. But, I look Completely Bloated in this picture. It's a conspiracy I tell you!
I knew once I started consistently garnering over 2 comments a day, it would only be a matter of time before someone would try to sabotage the competition. No one likes to see others get ahead anymore! (There's a slight chance I might look fat because of the 1,000 calories in my meal...but I'm pretty sure the reason I look fat has nothing to do with the gorganzola cheesecake appetizer, the shrimp artichoke on penne pasta, or the bread pudding I had for dessert....)

Don't worry, it will take more than just a few Fatty Pictures of Me to make me quit blogging. (However, please don't start messing with my hair...that would be completely unfair.)

And to think I even did a Pilates workout yesterday so my "core" would be firm!

Pilates Schmilates.

I should have known better than to trust any exercise program that has calming, peaceful music playing in the background while the instructor whispers out her gentle directives. I never even broke a sweat - (although I did need several ibuprofen because of pain in areas that had appparently been previously dormant.)

Yesterday was the first Full Day of my temporary empty nest.

Here's a hide-nothing report on how I did in my non-relationship categories (see yesterday's post for category explanations):


House- I worked on my bedroom AND my bathroom, addressing highly problematic areas like how to store my necklaces so they don't get tangled. I posed this question to my local homeschool e-group and got some very creative suggestions (picture of solution coming.)

I also rearranged, and then rearranged the rearrangement in my living room so I could free up a piece of furniture to go in my bedroom. One thing just led to another. It's surprising how the same three pieces of furniture, used in different rooms, can look so much better. (More about this next week when I do the Blog House Tour. I'm getting really excited and I think Lea is going to do it, too!) Turns out I can be very smart, creative, and frugal when the pace slows down enough around here for me to think.

Magazines- I read Zero

Home Comfort (my book for the week)- I read 100 pages...multiplied by Zero.

I'm regretting the decision to read this particular book during my Staycation. And since my copy of Left For Dead came in the mail yesterday (finally!), I may just start reading it instead. This is my book club's choice for August, which only gives me a couple of weeks to get through it - and it's an adventure book (not my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th choice - out of 5).

I'm reading it to prove to my bookish friend Becky that I have diverse literary tastes (which makes me almost mendacious.)

Food- I had to take a friend's daughter to an early morning tennis match (God evidently does not want me to sleep in), so I stopped at Chick Fil A for a chicken breakfast burrito. I drank the Coke right away (Coke is my coffee), but saved the burrito until after exercise. Unfortunately, I forgot about it until late afternoon, when it looked very unappetizing. I ditched it. I also didn't drink much water.
Maybe I should ditch this category - It's too revealing.

I'm doing better today, though. Lea and I went out for breakfast and had southern grits with blackberry compote. Oh. My. Goodness. A better combination of foods has never been created. Honestly, if you live within a day's driving distance of a Broken Egg Cafe, you must go there (right now!) and get some.

Shopping- Sad to say, I spent so much time moving furniture around yesterday, that time got away from me and I completely forgot about shopping. I'll make up for it today by perusing a few shops I've never been in. That's an important goal, here, girls - to broaden one's horizons in MerchandiseVille thus becoming a well-rounded Christian woman. The Proverbs 31 woman was on the hunt for purple - I'd be happy if I can pick up some brown sandals and a new white T.

Exercise/Water- Recapping from above, Pilates instead of exercise; Coke instead of water.

I'll end with a little Home Alone Tip for the Day:

Do something you've been putting off. It usually takes less time and energy than what you've been expending by delaying it. I paid a bill online yesterday that I've been putting off for two months (the constant calls from the Feature Family Films rep didn't hurt either...) and I also mended a pair of pants I've been wanting to wear. Neither of those things took more than 5 minutes - and I felt like Miss Productivity when I finished.

Times a' wasting - Need to run relax :)

Debbie