Ruining Fresh Fruit

Friday I covered a meeting in Montgomery gladly, just for the chance to stop at Peach Park on the way home. (Chilton County, Alabama, for those of you who don't know how to find heaven in a woven fruit basket.) One gallon of blueberries, one rectangular basket of peaches, and a little box of plums. And, of course, my lunch of peach-caramel ice cream! Took peaches to office, where it was like Christmas come early. Took rest home and Saturday made a peach and blueberry cobbler with a pie crust top. Disappointing. A little too tart, and the top overcooked.

So tonight I made blueberry cobbler with the rest of the blueberries. Found recipe online that swore it was the best ever .... right. Given last effort was too tart, used all the sugar, but now this one is almost cloying sweet. Lockjaw sweet. Used a crescent roll crust, which was okay but a but underdone on the bottom while it got to the outer edge of brown on the outside. Of course to some, underdone dough is a plus, but not me. I was looking for fabulous and got, well, a waste of good blueberries. The guys did eat half of the gallon already, and I froze a measly pint.

I still have a layer of peaches and some plums. The plums are too ripe to cook, but we'll see about the rest of the peaches. One more cobbler recipe to go, and it REALLY looks yummy!

Happy New Year!

It's the 15th of January, 2008, and I'm proud to say that I am still managing to exercise! Yay me! Doing pitiful on the "getting to bed on time" resolution, but first things first. My goal for January is to work out 4x a week, two interval workouts and two strength workouts. I'm using the Momentum System with their heartrate monitor and I feel pretty good.

Still way too busy but I'm probably on my last WB course, this time as Scoutmaster. What a thrill, a chance to work with so many wonderful people. Thursday night we'll kick off with Staff Orientation. Of course, queen of procrastination, I'm still pondering the agenda and presentations. And dang, I just remembered I meant to print my table toppers tonight. Oh well.

I did get my hair cut and highlighted so I look less scary!

Running our second Banner census tonight - probably right now. Fingers firmly crossed!

Got a new laptop for Christmas, but the @@!$%^& UAB Bookstore does not have Office in stock. My choices are to spend a fortune or wait for the $6.95 disk from the Bookstore. "When do you expect to have it in?" "I don't know" ---> said with the most distain possible.

What am I reading?
Portrait of a Killer by Patricia Cornwell

What was for dinner?
Chicken pot pie supplied by Greg (I had hair appt)

What was for lunch?
butternut squash, apple and piece of a simply wonderful piece of cinnamon bread from Edgars.

Biggest stress?
Anything connected with the course! OK, not really, the Orientation session, recruitment, and the rest of the Troop Guides.

August!

It makes no sense to say "August starts today!" and "Summer's almost over!" but both are true. School starts a week from tomorrow, E is registered and photographed and paid-for to begin Hoover HS. HIGH SCHOOL! How quickly it all speeds by.

Of course I have too much to do. The printer still won't talk to the computer at home, which makes life so much more tedious. I told Greg that once upon I time I thought we needed a housekeeper. Now, we need a fulltime IT person.

Have invited four of my TG's for SR-821. So much fun to ask a question that excites people soooo much! Now if I could get the rest to answer their phones...

Last night tried out my Urban Rebounder video that I got off E-bay. (To replace the videotape that arrived broken.) I felt so smug having enjoyed bouncing around while watching the Tour de France. This was a lot more like exercise. I guess my first goal will be to master the how-to video!!! Sheesh. I do want to get more fit before the next WB course starts.

Last night was reading on developing compentencies in our children. I need to be more purposeful in this area. Only four more years til DS heads off to college! At least he can do laundry and cook enough not to starve. But there's still a ways to go.

What's Up?

Listening to: "Running from an Angel," Hootie & the Blowfish
Reading: Snow Crash, Neil Stephenson
What was lunch: South Beach turkey & bacon wrap
What's for dinner: Pork tenderloin in the crockpot

And here they are...

There they go!

Evan and friends heading off to SeaBase, a BSA High Adventure Camp in the Florida Keys. They left at 7:40am this morning, and should be arriving in Key West in 30 minutes or so. Fun!

MoThErHoOd

I love being a mother.

I hate being a mother.

I love being a mother.

I hate being a mother.

Okay, I really do love the alien who invaded the body of my sweet little son. He's still cute, still a good friend and a good person. He'll get the deodorant thing down eventually. I just never know what to do when he goes over the line. I want to scream at him like a banshee. I want to cry. When do I ever feel like I have this motherhood thing down?

Last night we had a good discussion about what he wants for himself, and I think I need to provide a bit more structure for him. He still is not able to build and maintain a productive routine for himself, nor is he able to control his junk intake (food, television, internet) unless he is being held accountable. To his benefit, he recognizes the downside of his actions, and really wants to be more fit, more responsible and more mature. He just still needs the help.

It was pretty obvious that the episode I made him watch of Honey, We're Killing the Kids! really resonated with him.

Snapshot time!

Currently listening to: Do I Make You Proud, by Taylor Hicks

What I'm reading: Shem Creek by Dorothea Benton Frank, as well as The Art of Mentoring

What was for lunch: Beef fajitas at The Commons. First visit, very nice facility! Jane tried the vegan choices, some of which looked yummy.

What's for dinner: If I ever went to the grocery store, I could answer this question.

Last TV watched: Some episode or another of Dirty Jobs.

Stress of the Day: Getting the computer and the printer to recognize one another, and getting the SeaBase tshirts finished.

School's Out, Taylor Wins

Wow, as of 11am today, I am the mother of a high school student.

Hoover's own Taylor Hicks won American Idol last night. SOUL PATROL! He seems like such a warm and gracious young man. I was teary-eyed all during last night's show. Finally I realized why. I look at Taylor, and see my son and the other Scouts we have worked with over the years. This boy went to Simmons Middle School. He graduated from Hoover High School. He went on to Auburn. Will our boys be able to achieve THEIR dreams, like Tay did last night? Will they be willing to put in the work, the sacrifice, to make it?

Details, details, DETAILS

I'm awash in tiny details - has this cup arrived, what point should the Powerpoint be, does that projector work or not? Ready or not, I'm leaving for a conference in Orlando Saturday and the day after I get back our Wood Badge staff gathers to get ready for Weekend 1 of SR-764. This week is a whirlwind!

What I'm reading: London Bridges by John Patterson, AND MY TO DO LISTS!

What was for lunch: South Beach Chicken Caesar Wrap

What's for supper: Salmon fillets, if I remember to get Evan to take them out of the freezer

Currently listening to: "Could I Be You," on Matchbox 20's More Than You Think You Are

Last tv watched: American Idol. Go Taylor!!

Biggest worry today: plated belt buckles