In honor of Boo turning 40

What I've liked about my 30s

• More financial stability
• Settling into a house
• The ability to fit in with several age groups, young and old
• Feeling more confident in my career
  

What I've disliked about my 30s

• Hairs that pop up in random spots
• Still having some acne
• Retirement is REALLY far away
• Not having as much in savings as I'd like
• Doing less spontaneous fun stuff
• More responsibility at work-spending nights and weekends working or worrying

Entertainment lineup

What I'm watching:
Movies Contraband, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Salt, The Italian Job, Blue Valentine
TV shows Top Chef, The New Girl, Modern Family, Big Bang Theory, Football

What I'm reading:
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, Emperor of all Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

What I'm cooking:
Chocolate chip cookies, OTCC recipes, paninis

What I'm doing:
Starting Pinterest, planning the spring garden, hemming and mending on a borrowed sewing machine, hauling branches to a giant burn pile for next weekend, stretching and basic exercises

Alone Time

Ahhhhh...I've caught up on some needed alone time. Other than two or three short business trips, and my weekend visit to Carey, Chris and I have been joined at the hip this year. And after an 11 day vacation, followed by a few days off around the holidays, I was feeling a little "crowded." When we are home all day, I often get asked two-three times, "What are you doing?" Sometimes I don't have an answer for that, other than "going to the bathroom," etc. So after a few times, my stress level raises a little.

This week I worked from home one day just to get a little quiet time, then today Chris went hunting around 11:00 a.m. and it's almost 9:00 p.m. and he's still out. I enjoyed the day to myself. But tomorrow, I think I'll be ready for together time again.

I did exciting things today such as:

• Went to local gym open house
• Took a long walk outside (it was in the 40s!)
• Baked three OTCC recipes: kale chips, cinnamon rolls and a pasta casserole, plus some pumpkin granola for my yogurt
• Cleaned out all the inside compartments of the washer (fabric softner & bleach...how to they get so dirty?!)
• Gave some plants a haircut
• 2 loads of laundry
• Sewed up Chris's sweater & hemmed a pair of pj pants
• Cleaned kitchen floor (mistakenly before I made the cinnamon rolls)
• Cleaned up the deep fryer (that was in the garage) from last weekend's football party
• Found cat poop & cleaned the carpet around it and fabric cat toy that was hiding it (Ali's constipation issues make this an occasional issue)
• Cleaned a spare bedroom closet

Now, I think it's time to eat a cinnamon roll and watch some tv...there's gotta be something on at 9 p.m. That's when all the nudity and swear words come out, right?

Can you....?

Random questions for you. Can you....
1. Thread a sewing machine without instructions?
2. Bake good chocolate chip cookies without a recipe, if you had to?
3. Paint your toenails and make it look like a salon job?
4. Fairly easily drive up to your state capitol building with no directions?