Tiredness and New Orleans and Pampered Chef

Well, I did it again.  I always get to the point of sheer exhaustion and frustration before speaking up.  So, had a talk with my boss and got things straightened out, but still.....I'm exhausted.  And when I get exhausted, I get sick.  And so, here I am again.  Hopefully it will go away soon.

Having a blast square dancing, doing a lot of extra dances on the weekends and getting a good reception from other dancers.  We have a great group to work with on Monday nights learning.

And in a little over a month, I will be in New Orleans, tickets bought and everything.  But first, a quick stop in Texas to meet up with my friends.  Have I mentioned I hate Texas?  But I'll get to stop in and see some of my friends and family, and have 2 Pampered Chef parties.  One in Moody at my mom's house, and one in the Dallas area with a friend of mine.  Let me know if you want to join either one, and I'll send you the info.  Should be a lot of fun!  And I CAN'T WAIT to be in New Orleans for 4 days with 2 of my best friends!!!!

Recipes and life changes...yet again....

So, I have a LOT of recipes, and a LOT of cookbooks....Sometimes, I get lost in what to cook next, and then I start working my way through a recipe book.  Literally.  Page by page, recipe by recipe.  Within reason, of course.  There are recipes I know I will not like, and I don't make them. If I can change something in it, and make it workable, I do.  The cookbook I'm working through right now is "Blue Ribbon Recipes" which are recipes from State and County Fairs.  Doing breakfasts right now, and had 2 recently that I loved.  One was  French Apple Breakfast Casserole and the second was Bayou Breakfast Casserole. For the Bayou Casserole, I didn't have salami, so put in some chorizo instead, and only used mozzarella cheese where cheese was called for.
And as for life, I'm making some changes, again.....I'm trying not to get so bothered by things, starting with driving.  On the drive to the farm and back (now 5 days a week), it's all 2 lane country roads.  And there are people that like to drive the whole way going 45 mph.  Seriously.  And I would find myself talking to someone on the phone and all too often be yelling at the people in front of me (because that helps, you know!).  But, there was really no reason to be upset.  Let me rephrase that, it wasn't doing any good to be upset, and it was just stressing me out and ruining my morning/afternoon for no good reason.  So, I'm learning to step back, chill out, and just enjoy the drive.  Rarely do I really need to rush to get to work or home, so it's all ok.  By doing this, I have found it affecting other parts of my life, like shopping, and standing in lines, and waiting forever, and still being nice to my checkout person.  Which makes me more relaxed.
And, at home, I'm trying to simplify things.  And actually get things done when I come home from the farm/hospital (since I only have one day a week off now).  So, working through my life...simplifying, making it better, etc.  It's all good.
And, in other Pampered Chef type news, January's reward bonuses for hosting a party include $100 in additional free product for orders received over $500, so let me know when you want to host your party!

Washington and Horse Show....along with Couch to 5k and Pampered Chef!

So, the horse show has finally come and gone...and after a complete and total meltdown during our lesson on Friday, Morgan and I pulled it together (with the help of our trainer) and managed to make it through the show on Saturday with minor adjustment.  Instead of doing Training Level 1 and 3, we backed off to Intro B and Training 1, seeing as how it was our first show.  We learned a lot, have a lot of great tips to work on, and look forward to our next show (whenever it is), as well as future lessons with our new trainer, who we love.

To get a few other bits of news out of the way, I'm trying to do the Couch to 5k program.  For those not familiar, it takes a couch potato and makes them ready to run a 5k in 9 weeks.  Now, I'm not a total couch potato, but I've also NEVER been a runner, so it's a bit of a challenge for me.  Tomorrow will be the last day of week 1 which involves 60 seconds of jogging followed by 90 seconds of fast walk x 8.

AND, I've begun selling Pampered Chef.  So, once I reach my first selling goal, I'll be able to set up a website, which everyone will be able to order through, no matter what area of the country you are in.  Look forward to more updates on that later.  If you're interested in ordering/hosting a show/becoming a consultant, let me know!

As for Washington, had a great time wandering around.  Spent a couple of days visiting my dad, we went to the Puyallup Fair, played a lot of Cribbage, went for some walks, then rented a car and headed down the ocean.  I love the WA/OR coast.  It's so relaxing.  Spent a day in Portland, went to the zoo, then headed back up towards Seattle via Mt Rainier.  It was cloudy and rainy that day, so couldn't see the mountain itself, but the waterfalls were gorgeous, and I found a rainbow that ended in a lake.  It was a little too cold to take a dive to find the pot of gold, so headed back to Seattle before heading home.  It was a nice little reprieve from the daily grind, and took the edge off my wanderlust for the moment.  The plan is to head to New Orleans in January.  Hopefully with a few friends.  If anyone wants to join me for that trip, let me know and I'll keep you in the planning loop.