Hubby and I had a great time celebrating his big 4-0 last night.  He’s still sleeping off the good times finally up but feeling the effects of the good times– the many, many good times.

Jane at Dear Author has what must be my favorite euphemism ever in the middle of a review today - “magical groin wand”.  Oh my.  I have to find a way to work that into everyday conversation at least once.  You’ve been warned.

Dishes done, laundry underway.  Must mean time to work.

4o years old.  You don’t look a day older than yesterday.  It’s your day, from start to finish, and your plan-hating-self is going nuts that everyone wants to know “what do you want to do”.  Mexican for lunch, and the rest of the day is still up in the air.  I’m sure you’ll let us know as soon as you’re ready to, and not a minute before.

You’ve made it easy for me to shop by telling me exactly what you want. 

~~~

If you’re following the Twitter crowd and use Firefox, check out TwitterFox.  Brings something already fun to a whole new level.  I’m loving it!

11 Hours, 4 minutes, 20 seconds and it will just be me, the dog, and the kitten for a peaceful day and a half.

Things that I should do while the family is away, since 8 houseguests will arrive at pretty much the same time they get home :

• Finish the bathroom paint job
• Clean the guest room, bathrooms, and pretty much every other room in the house.
• List all the stuff I pulled out of my daughter’s room (the only room that got cleaned) today on Freecycle
• .
• Shop for Princess’ birthday party, which is now only 5 days away.

What I actually think I’ll get done while they’re gone -

• Flawed.  The book, not my plan.

Updates as they happen.

I’m over at Beyond The Veil today, blogging about my Summer.  Which you probably guessed, from the title, has been Interrupted.  Come say hi!

This year seems to have evolved as The Year of Weeks with Not Enough Time.
This was another one. Last night was the first night out of the past seven that I got more than five hours straight sleep. I hope tonight is the second.

Hubby is taking the kids, and his niece, to Universal Studios Monday / Tuesday. And I’d rather stay home by myself so I can have time to Get Things Done. And I’m actually looking forward to it. Have you left yet? Can I pack for you? Do you have to come back Tuesday? Don’t hurry on my account.

They do have to come home Tuesday though. For starters, I’ll be missing them horribly about thirty minutes after they leave. Ok, an hour, tops. Second, big sis and her half dozen chicklets will be driving 12 hours to get here on Tuesday and staying through the 4th. So hubby has to bring the kids home for all that quality cousin time.

And before they get here, I need to finish the Great American Novella, start the Great American Fantasy, complete two bathroom remodel projects, clear off the patio and clean the guest room, oh and buy presents for the Princesses sixth birthday party.

It isn’t that I procrastinate. It’s that I just have a lot I haven’t done yet!

For the second night in a row I’m gritting my teeth through my least favorite Barbie movie - Twelve Dancing Princesses.

Most of the Barbie movies are at least bearable. I like that they have made the female characters mostly self sufficient. No “rescued by the prince” device; the princess is usually quite capable of rescuing herself, thank you very much.

I had to sit through this one several times (probably because only about 10% of my attention is on it - max!) before I realized why this one bothered me so much.

It’s not the slightly whimpy hero, although he is way beyond “weak”. Not even the evil villainess, who does make me want to slap her. It’s the father. The king of is an absolute idiot.

Not only does he invite the wench into his castle, not only does he attempt to “fix” the “flaws” in his daughters, but at the end he turns his kingdom over to the very person who has been poisoning him for the last hour. A very long, very painful hour at that.

I think it’s time for some Whedon therapy. Joss knows better than to make anyone sit through such an inane plot device. Isn’t anyone doing Whedon-quality movies for the 8 and under set these days?

1 - From a Yahell loop today :
“I would like to change to receive messages in my email to just things I am interested in, not all items, too many emails received.”

2 - Screamed at the top of her voice by the Princess, when we gave her brother the cash from depositing his birthday checks :
“Why did you have to do that right in front of me? Now I’m so jealous!!”

3 - Getting a $145.00 bill from my son’s middle school for unspecified “lost books”, calling the school and being told it was for books he already returned, and being told that there was nothing that the person at the school could do about it, the books just must be lost, and when would I be sending them a check. Oh this one was good, good times. Still waiting for a call back from that gentleman’s boss.

Made it home. A beautiful to see, nasty to drive through storm bringing flashing lightning and purple skies greeted me just before I crossed into the city, and made the last 45 minutes in the car more of a challenge than I needed. We came to the bridge just as rescue vehicles were coming behind me with lights blaring, and I was lucky enough to make it across two lanes of traffic for a detour across the river - the “Needs Fuel” light had come on 30 miles before, and running out of gas on the bridge never looks like fun.

So anyway. Home. Which smells funky, but that’s probably because Hubby didn’t vacuum in my absence. Which means nearly a weeks worth of dog and kitten hair await me tomorrow. Along with much laundry, and a pool not cleaned in that same nearly-a-week period.

I’m weeding through my email box tonight, but if it isn’t urgent, it will wait until tomorrow. Eight hours sleep and a shower will have me ready to climb mountains. Or at least the mountain in my inbox.

It’s hot in Alabama in June. Who knew?

It is also National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. Sis has an ice cream machine (that hasn’t been used since 1994). I think hot June days are the perfect time to break that baby out of the cobwebs, don’t you?

The Birmingham News had this recipe today for Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pie. I’m going to have to give it a try when I get home.

Original Oyster Restaurant Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pie

The Original Oyster House in Mobile and Gulf Shores, Alabama has been in business since 1983 and is not affiliated with any other Original Oyster House restaurant in the United States.

8 ounces cream cheese
1 (8 ounces) tub Cool Whip
1 cup peanut butter
8 ounces powdered sugar
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1 Oreo Pie Shell

Mix cream cheese, peanut butter and powder sugar together. Add cool whip and blend well. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into pie shell. Should be mounded, high in the middle.

NOTE: Keep refrigerated, serve with a dollop of whip cream.

Yield one pie