The Old Switcharoo

Have you ever been to a restaurant or cafe late at night and had a waiter or waitress bring you caffeinated coffee instead of decaf or vice versa because they were too lazy to brew the coffee you actually requested? That happened to me two nights ago at Assou's Bistro in Telford.

I drank three cups of caffeinated coffee thinking it was decaf. I was wired for sound, high as a kite, hopped up and happy...take your pick. It took me two days to get my sleep pattern corrected because I'm 31 and getting more...er...mature.

Our waitress was nice enough. She was Russian, here on a student visa, studying furniture design and she will be returning home a week from today. Perhaps she figured she didn't have anything to lose. Maybe one of the other waitstaff told her to do it and that no one would be the wiser. Whatever the reason, it happened. I still like her.

Caffeine happens to be one of those things for which some people have a high tolerance. I do not share in that sufferance. By the time I reached the bottom of my third cup, I felt like Cornholio (see Beevis and Butthead). Jeff could see I was getting hyped up after my first cup and a half. I insisted I had asked for decaf, but I too had my suspicions.

When I was home and bouncing off the walls I had to acknowledge the truth. I had been a victim of the old switcharoo. Duped by a Russian. Darn commies.

The Best Little Bistro in Telford

I have had two very positive dining experiences at Assou's Bistro in Telford, PA (one for breakfast, and again tonight for dinner and coffee).

A Frenchman took the old Telford train station and converted it into a cute, tastefully decorated bistro with free WiFi, a flat screen TV and excellent hours of operation conducive to student life. They're open Mon. through Thurs. 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Their breakfast menu features Omelettes, Belgian Waffles, Pancakes, French Toast and Eggs with a wide variety of hot and cold beverages. It's pretty impressive (FIVE kinds of juice, cappucino, espresso, various kinds of tea, milk/choc. milk and of course...coffee!).

Their lunch/dinner menu includes a soup of the day, various salads, stromboli, calzones and gourmet pizzas, and what bistro would be complete without...panini sandwiches? They have'm.

Assou's features indoor and outdoor seating (with umbrellas for sunny days) and a brick patio, and it's very clean and the staff is very friendly and courteous. The owner is very good about engaging his patrons, and quick to smile and greet his customers. If you visit Assou's on Saturday morning, stay to go to the Telford Farmer's market within spitting distance of the bistro. Bring your canvas bag to take home all kinds of fresh produce.

When we went to the bistro for breakfast, we stayed to shop at the market afterwards. There were a couple of different tables selling baked goods, a vendor selling hand blown glass art work as well as functional pieces, and various farmers selling their fresh and delicious produce. It was like a mini-European vacation between the bistro and the market! Fabulous! Fabulous!

If you like to take pictures, (like I do) there were so many unique photo opportunities at be found. Come to eat, shop and people watch! You'll love it! I'm going to have to take a picture of it and repost it to this entry.

Two thumbs up for Assou's!

Ed Begley

"Don't tell them what you plan to do. Tell them what you've done." --Ed Begley's Dad.

I was watching the tele this morning, enjoying a cuppa Mudslide coffee by Gloria Jean and I stumbled across a segment on CBS featuring eco-friendly actor Ed Begley (of St. Elsewhere fame). He's living a green existence in Los Angeles, CA. He even has his own cable show featuring his conservative lifestyle with his wife, in their approx. 1500 sq. ft. home.

It's pretty amazing what they are doing to help save the planet and raise eco-awareness to new heights. Ed uses a rain barrel to gather water to nourish his flowers, a solar array on his roof to energize his house, and he powers his toaster by riding a stationary bike. When weather keeps him from walking or riding his bike to get from here to there, he takes public transportation and as a last resort, drives his electric car. This guy really seems to be practicing what he preaches. He doesn't talk, he lives his mantra. His conservative, Republican dad who lived through the Great Depression, taught his liberal Democrat of a son to lead by example...and he does.

Funky Town

I have to admit it. I'm in a bit of a funk. I'm jobless, and I've eaten dessert two nights in a row which isn't helping my weight loss battle. There is something warm and fuzzy about Bryers Oreo Cookie Ice Cream and brownies. I have indulged in comfort food. :) Boohoo wah! me. Don't get me wrong. I'm counting my blessings too, I'm just whining a little bit. So forgive me...or indulge me. Whatever works for you.

I went out for a walk this evening and got bitten on my left ankle by some guerilla bug. I never actually saw what was biting me, just felt the sting/bite and swatted at my ankle. I put an ice pack on it and that helped reduce the swelling, but it still hurts. It freaked me out a little. My mind always goes to a worst case scenario...what if it was a poisonous spider or a venomous killer bee...just kidding about the bee.

Bug bites are like those random, change of life events...most of the time unexpected, always painful, and they usually put a damper on whatever activity you were doing when you were stung/bitten. It's an automatic time out. When's the last time you were 'stung?'

Losing Poundage.....

I'm losing weight, one pound at a time. I weighed myself this morning and I weighed 187 even. I'm down three pounds since losing my job! I think it's because I've been eating better and I've been exercising. Who knew?

I still have a long way to go, but I'm making progress. 22 pounds to go! Give or take.... I think some of it must be water that comes and goes with the day. I'll be more encouraged when I lose more...then I won't feel like it's only fluctuating fluid weight I'm perpetually gaining and losing.

Yearbook Yourself

I'm takin' a page out of Mocha Mamas book. Have at this my friends. Yearbook Yourself.

Keurig Coffee Yum Yum

Last Christmas, my husband Jeff bought me a Keurig Elite coffee maker. It's their basic model. I really enjoy this machine. I can have my one cup of coffee in the morning and when I'm entertaining, everyone can have their own, personal cup of coffee (large or small). People who want decaf or flavored coffee can have it, and I don't have to brew two pots of coffee. Keurig uses K cups, little individual vacuum sealed coffee cups that you put into the maker and then the machine pierces the cup bottom and top and presses water through the cup very quickly to brew each individual cup. I get alot of use out of this machine!

I've found these machines in offices etc. and businesses have them for employees and customers. It's a neato gadget for coffee lovers. I first discovered Keurig a couple of years ago. My friend Katia has a Keurig coffee maker at home and when we'd come over to her and Greg's apt. I would enjoy having coffee out of Katia's wonderful machine! Jeff saw how much I liked it and the rest is history! If you like coffee you would really enjoy this machine.

I recently purchased this handy dandy little K cup carousel to hold my K cups for easier perusal. Isn't it nifty?

LOL!

Meet Pixie

Meet Hobbes....

This is Pixie...

This is how cats say "Hello"

Pixie and Hobbes are already window buddies.

When we had to put Calvin to sleep a little over a year ago, we knew that someday we would find Hobbes a new brother or sister so that he wouldn't be "alone" in the house. On Friday, (the day of the PC party, and a day after Layoff Thursday) we privately adopted Pixie.

Pixie is a five year old, declawed female with a sweet personality and easy going nature around other animals. She's a peach! We welcome her to our home!

Pampered Chef Extravaganza

So on Friday the 15th (THE DAY AFTER LAYOFF THURSDAY) I had my second annual Pampered Chef party. This was my first time as hostess with my consultant and now friend Erin Marks. She made three yummy desserts for my guests. Here's a shot of Erin and my sis-in-law Ruth holding one of the three deliciously devilish desserts we consumed. It's a giant cookie covered in strawberries, mango, cream cheese, coolwhip and drizzled with chocolate.

Close-up of my favorite dessert at the party....

Some of my party peeps....

Master chef...Erin ...showcasing the desserts....that's fruit salsa and chips, and a raspberry white chocolate trifle in addition to the giant cookie dessert thingy.

Friends from my ex-job! :) It was good to hang out with them.

We had a great time. Erin did a fabulous job, and I won a knife and got lots of money in free products. I'm closing the party tomorrow night and putting in my own order. Good times!

Chillin' Out and Looking for Work

I'm watching my cat Hobbes have fun spazzing around the living room and up and down the stairs with a little wad of a paper ball. The Olympic Women's indoor volleyball match between the USA and Italy is on the tele. I'm drinking my morning coffee and blogging...and I'm still in my PJ's. It's 11:15 a.m. on TUESDAY.

Ugh. I just got off the phone with my mom. I think she feels isolated from my dad and sister who are now both thin, and she has extra weight she is carrying and she probably feels looked down upon by them. It makes me angry and sick. She calls me now, and I know she wants to commiserate with me over being the heavy people in the family. But I don't want to hear it, because now a line has been drawn. Cari and dad are the thin people and she and I are the fat ones. She and I have the same legs and butt. Now it's a competition and I'm angry. I'm angry because now I don't even want to talk to my family because my perception of their perception of me has changed. Now I'm the fat, jobless sister, to be pitied and looked down upon.

As we were exercising yesterday, I told my friend Dor that I want to focus on myself for awhile. I want to focus on getting a job, and on losing 25 lbs. Forget trying to get pregnant, I just want to focus on getting a job and getting healthy. I've let myself go and it's time to get myself back.

I should call my mom back. She needs to know I'm not really mad at her. In fact I love her and want her to know that I love her very much. I don't like Dad and Cari being proud of their thinness and looking down on my mom when she's struggling so much, and I don't like mom trying to cling to me like I'm some flotilla of commiserating fatness. I want us both to lose weight.

I am now without excuse. I have oodles of time to exercise and to spend on working out my diet. I don't know how long this period of down time will last, but perhaps all I need is a jump start and time to get things figured out...to make a plan.

Jobless in Telford

Well...I lost my job on Thursday the 14th. That door is closed. I've got some severance and health care through the month of Sept. which is good comfort to me. There was a brief moment in time over the weekend I flirted with the idea of student teaching now instead of the fall, but I decided to wait for a better placement in the spring. I'll concentrate on finishing my course work and on finding a new job to hold me over until I student teach.

On the plus side, I had a great Pampered Chef party Friday night and had fun and fabulous desserts. It was very fun and relaxing to hang out with friends and family. I have some bucks to spend on PC gear to spend as a result of the party's success. That will be fun!

Please keep Jeff and I in your prayers as we try and decide how to proceed from here.

Freaky Friday

If you're married, you've had a fight with your spouse. I've had my own personal lows in marriage, and I've even publicly griped about them in this forum (to my own chagrin), so I preface today's post about marriage with the admission that... I myself, am, (I know, hard to believe)...not perfect.

In that spirit, I want to say, I really enjoy the concept of the movie Freaky Friday. If you haven't seen it, two people from different perspectives (specifically, a mother and daughter), switch bodies and live life for a period of time in the other person's world. They are only swtiched back, once they have learned their lesson.

I think many of us would benefit from walking a mile or twenty in another person's shoes, for example, that of our spouse. I'm not advocating outer body experiences, but do support considering things from your spouse's perspective.

I've learned some things about relationships along the way...here are 10 things I have learned from marriage, BK, Before Kids:


1. Don't complain to your mother or your mother-in-law about your spouse. Your mom will develop a low and one-sided opinion of your spouse, and well...complaining to your in law about her baby boy will get you nowhere.

2. Promote relationships with people of the same sex. Translation..."If you're a guy, have guy friends." Don't develop exclusive relationships with the opposite sex. Stay above reproach. Don't put yourself in a situation where you could be tempted to do something stupid.

3. Remember and celebrate special dates. Birthdays, anniversaries. Important dates in the lives of loved ones...these are moments people came into this world and into our lives and they should be celebrated, to show honor and respect for the people we love.

4. Protect your relationships with God and your spouse/family, and then think about your job. If you're not right with God, don't expect things to be going well at home or at work.

5. Wives respect your husbands. Husbands love your wives. God gave us admonitions to work on the things that don't come naturally to us. Check out Love and Respect at http://www.christianbook.com/

6. Don't let petty fights keep you apart. Life is too short for that stuff to matter in the long run.

7. Think about the words you say before you say them. How will they effect your spouse or your marriage in the long run? Is it better to hold your tongue or chew him/her out? Sometimes it's just better to shut your mouth and let the wind blow than to blow back and knock your spouse flat on his or her butt.

8. Don't go too long without sex. Don't hold out on your spouse, even if your mad. Work things out and then make up. :)

9. Discover your spouse's love language and learn to speak it: Receiving Gifts, Physical Touch, Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, or Acts of Service. Make ongoing investments in your relationship.

10. Remember that your happiness is not dependent on your spouse. Happiness isn't even found exclusively in yourself. It's begins with a healthy relationship with Christ.

Transition

I am enjoying a break...a break between the end of the Summer 1 session and the beginning of the Fall semester. This is a period of transition. I feel like something big is coming.

I'm waiting to find out if I will still have a job in two weeks. Up until one week ago, I thought I'd have a job until after Christmas when I planned on student teaching in January 2009. Now that my employement at Biblical is no longer certain through the next few months, I may be looking for interim full time employment, or at even begging to student teach this Fall instead of waiting for the Spring.

In this period of uncertainty I anticipate that the Lord is going to provide in ways I never thought possible. I am really going to wait on him and not worry. I am going to look for his provision and hope that he will glorify himself in this situation. God is good. I wait on the Lord and his provision. Amen?

Craziness

Well, everything is in the Lord's hands. There has been a deficit in the overall budget at work and there is a good chance I could lose my job within the next couple of weeks. It's not definite, but it's looking like the school is going to be trimming jobs and tightening it's belt.

Our Director of Development resigned on Monday and there will be a two-day board meeting next week when they will try and cut the budget back, and budget cuts mean they'll probably be sharpening the HR axe as well.

Please keep me in prayer, whether that means I try and beg into student teaching this fall or not, we'll see! God is in control!

Two Words: Edward Cullen

I read the final book in the Twilight series this past weekend. I read all four books in one week. Very entertaining. What did you think?