Meal Planning 101

Meet my friend Julie.  I work with her and I eat lunch with her almost every day.  She makes lunch time entertaining…not because she is funny but because I NEVER know what she is going to unpack to eat.  Normally, I eat a salad, sandwich or soup.  Nothing too exciting.  But…Julie, she eats the most interesting food.  She brings leftovers from any meal…no matter who the meal belongs to. 

In the picture above you will find leftovers from many different meals.  This picture was taken on Friday at lunch.  I couldn’t stop laughing because her arrangement of food.  I had to get my camera to mark this event. Here is the story behind all her food….

On Monday, we had salads from Costco…but Julie had brought a bologna sandwich-which she saved until Tuesday to eat.  She did not eat all of her Costco salad.  On Tuesday she ate part of her Costco salad and half of her bologna sandwich.  Tuesday evening, she made hamburgers and fries.  So, for lunch on Wednesday, she brought leftovers but she chose to eat a polish dog from JDawgs.  Thursday her lunch consisted of the other half of the bologna sandwich, some of the Doritos left over from Sunday and some of the Costco Salad.

That brings us to Friday…which is pictured above.  She had something from every day of the week.  She makes me laugh.  I refer to her as the “Frugal One” but she assures me that it is “Provident Living”.

~Michelle

I was just…thinking!

I am a thinker.  I love to think.  I am always thinking about something, someone, someplace….I am always thinking…trying to find answers to anything and everything.  I just love to think.  The past little while, I have had a lot of things on my mind.  It seems like I am ALWAYS thinking.  It is so difficult to turn my brain off at night…it just doesn’t happen.  I just love to think.

Well, last Tuesday morning, I was thinking about some important things (I will admit…sometimes I do not think of important things…some of it is kinda strange thinking…but nonetheless…I love to think) while I getting ready for the day.  I have somewhat natural curly hair and every morning I have to use my flat iron to make those curls disappear.

NOTE:  My flat iron heats to 450 degrees.  I love it.  It can make the most curliest hair turn straight in the matter of seconds. 

So…I was deep in thought when I grabbed my 450 degree flat iron.  I grabbed some hair and started to straighten it…still thinking very deeply.  I continued to think…and think….and think…and think.  All of a sudden, I felt this burning sensation.  I dropped my flat iron and looked in the mirror.  GAH!!!  I was not straightening my hair…I was melting my ear.   I was so wrapped up in my thinking that I did not know that I had grabbed my ear instead of my hair.  OUCH!!! A second degree burn.   This has been not a fun week. I am so grateful for hair that covers my ears.  Oh, so grateful!   My ear is healing but not at the rate that I would like it.  I guess…I should be just grateful that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.  Hmmm….where was my mind?  It was just…thinking! 

….hmmm….I probably need to be more careful! 

~Michelle!

I am a fan…but not today!

Dear Clorox Bleach,

I am usually a fan of you.  I love how you make everything clean and fresh.  I use you almost every single day.  But…tonight, I am not a fan!  You have made my sunshiny mood turn into a gloomy one. I am grateful for how clean you made everything look but….please stay away from my clothes.  Why did you jump from the counter and attack my hoodie. My hoodie did not cause you harm.  Plus, it was my favorite hoodie. It is the one that I wear when I just want comfort…plain comfort. I am not sure how to forgive you but I know within time, I will. For right now, you can not come out from under the sink. You have to stay there until I am good and ready to use you again.

Signed,

Michelle

 

She is definitely a little ray of sunshine!

Tonight, I walked past my parent’s computer and noticed the picture that was on their screen.  It is of Miss Brylie when she was in Primary Children’s Hospital.  As I looked at the picture, I thought a lot about that day in the hospital when we walked up and down the halls hand in hand.  We would be walking and I would look down at her and with her gorgeous brown eyes…she would be staring at me.  I remember the hours of pleading with our Heavenly Father in her behalf.  I think often of the many miracles that took place that day in the life of this sweet little ray of sunshine.  It has been a little over a year since her major surgery and there is so much change in her. This little ray of sunshine is truly a blessing to everyone that comes in contact with her.  It doesn’t matter where you are or what she is doing….when she sees you, she comes running, hugs and kisses you and then, says “hi”.  She is precious beyond words.  I am so glad that she is my little buddy.  She has been such a blessing in my life.  Aw…Brylie, I love you so much!!  I am so grateful for the many hugs and kisses. 

I just love her beyond words!

~Michelle

Pucker Up!

I love lemons.  Ok…let me rephrase that…I love to put lemons in my diet coke.  I love to use lemon as a flavor in foods but I would never think to eat a lemon like I would an orange.  I just think that it insane.  Thinking about it makes my cheeks start to pucker. How could this be normal?  

Tonight, while making dinner at Mom and Dad’s, I turned around and watched my sister-in-law, Jess, peel a lemon and pop it into her mouth.  I thought that I was seeing things until she did it again.  She eats lemons just like a “normal” person would eat an orange.  Her cheeks don’t even pucker.  Just thinking about it makes my cheeks pucker and I get chills that run up and down my back.  It is just not normal.  Seriously…lemons?  They are better left in my diet coke and not peeled like an orange. 

~Michelle

They keep multiplying! :)

It has been a week since the celebration of my birthday… 

Aw…what a fun-filled day.  I had lots of family and friends who made my day simply delightful.  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!  It feels simply awesome to have wonderful people in my life.  I am truly blessed!!

I arrived at work and this is what was awaiting me…

Aw…a desk filled with balloons, confetti, presents, confetti, candy, confetti, cereal, confetti, streamers, confetti, poppers, confetti, candles, confetti, diet coke, and more confetti.  There were shimmery stars and hearts everywhere!  Millions and millions little pieces of CONFETTI.  Oh, I love confetti.  What a fun-filled day!!! 

Anyway back to what I started with…It has been a week since the celebration of my birthday.  During this past week…I have vacuumed.  I have cleaned my desk.  I have vacuumed again and again.  I have cleaned my desk again and again.  But…those little shimmery stars and hearts keep popping up everywhere. 

Last night, I even stayed late until our janitors came and had them vacuum with their high-powered industrial vacuum.  I thought we had found every piece of confetti possible.  YES!!!  I conquered!!

Ok…I was excited until now…I just looked up and  saw… another piece of confetti…not only one but two more.  I feel like they are multiplying.  Where do they keep coming from?  These little pieces of confetti keep coming out of every file, folder, corner…you name it…I am finding little tiny shimmering stars and hearts.  It is starting to drive me crazy!!  Where are they hiding?  They are multiplying!

Yes, these little pieces of confetti are driving me crazy but…they are making me giggle too!  I think it is because I cannot figure out where they keep coming from…or is it reminding me of what an awesome day I had. 

Dear little pieces of confetti,

Will you please occupy someone else's desk and BRIGHTEN their life like you have brightened mine?

Signed, Michelle

P.S.  If not…I cannot apologize what I might do if I go crazy!!

 

~Michelle