beautiful addiction

I’m too lazy to write eloquently…let’s do this in list form, shall we?

1. I made peppermint bark to take up north when we visit family for Christmas.  Milk chocolate on the bottom…white chocolate w/crushed candy canes on top.  It will hopefully be pretty once I cut it.  Also found out the white chocolate chips I bought don’t really MELT, per se.  They clumped up and got yucky and I had to throw them out and use the baking chocolate “bricks”, which worked wonderfully.
2. I made soft shell tacos for dinner. They were yummy.
3. I’m going to admit something I’m not necessarily proud of.  I’ve found that one of my most peaceful and favorite parts of the day is when I get up early (before alarm clock or before naturally waking up for the day) and take my medicine (this doesn’t happen all the time, mainly on weekends when I get up to get a drink and then go back to bed).  Within 20 minutes, my pain pill kicks in and I am completely at ease and I get the most wonderful hour or two of sleep after that point.  It’s like my whole body and brain relax and I can just…sleep.  Without pain and without agitation and without my mind wandering for hours.  It’s the one point where everything is at peace…myself and the world around me.  It’s sad that’s drug induced…
4. I have high aspirations for our financial stability for next year.  I’ve got a budget set for the first 2 months and I hope I can stick to it.  I want next year to be better than this year was.  My goal is work towards paying off our debt so that we can live off of one income (Dave’s) and have everything that I make be extra to put into savings or whatnot.  We’re a long ways from that, though.
5. I still have to make chocolate covered pretzels to take up north for Christmas.  I don’t think I’ll be doing that tonight…but it’s gotta be done before Wednesday when we leave.  I think Dave’s gonna help, so it shouldn’t take long…we only need enough to fill up a few containers.

1. Dave and I bought a mini 2 foot prelit garland tinsel tree last night and I set it up on our kitchen table. I added pink, red, and white glass bulbs to it and put a little mini tree skirt around the bottom!  It’s adorable.  We also put white Christmas lights around the entire living room and down the hallway so at night the whole apartment looks pretty!
2. I bought the stuff to make chocolate covered pretzels and peppermint bark, just haven’t made it yet. Was going to do it last night, but we got too caught up in decorating.  I need to make a lot of both because I’m giving them to family in cute little tins as part of their Christmas presents.
3. I got all my Christmas shopping done except for 1 item!  And everything is wrapped, and the gift basket for my sisters and the moms are put together and wrapped nicely in red saran wrap wit ribbon!  I’m so relieved to be done with it all.
4. I finished the last book in the Twilight Saga last night (Breaking Dawn) and I’m sad the series is over.  But now I’m starting in on the Laurell K. Hamilton Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series.  And I ordered the Sookie Stackhouse Box Set online the other night for 50% off (the books that the show True Blood on HBO are based on).  I’ll have my fill of vampires at some point, I’m sure.  But until then, I’m fully stocked.
5. I have a job interview tomorrow for a full time medical receptionist position.  She seemed interested in me and I hope it goes well.  The only things that could hurt my chance is the fact I’m in school and the job is 8-5 Monday through Friday (class at 4 on Tuesday and Thursday next semester…although the semester is only 10 weeks long) and the fact I’ll be in Las Vegas to visit family for a week in January and I can’t cancel because we already have our plane tickets purchased.  Here’s hoping she can work around those, because this job seems right up my alley and I think it would even qualify for my 2nd internship this Spring that I will need to graduate.  Wish me luck.
6. I was up late last night, slept in until almost 2pm, got up and ate, watched 2 episodes of CSI: Miami and then slept for another 2 hours.  I think it has something to do with the doctor’s dosing down my steroids (which is good, because they cause weight gain, remember?).  I’m just so tired all the time.  That, and the weather could probably have something to do with it. I saw all of 2 hours of daytime because when I woke up from my nap at 6, it was already dark.  No serotonin increase for me today.  Sunlight does not exist in Michigan in the winter.
7. For those who have asked, my sister is doing good for now.  We’re hoping things only get better and she stays clean.  She’s been doing well, though, on her own and that’s all we can hope for for now.

1. I’m super sleepy. I could totally go to sleep right now except that I have to be in class in 25 minutes. That’s what I get for going to bed after midnight when I had to be up for work at 5am.
2. I made mint chocolate brownies last night…and I haven’t eaten a single one! I felt like baking so I told Dave he had to eat them so I wouldn’t get fat.
3. Work hours have steadily increased to where I’m now getting about 32-34 hours per week (which is good)…but they have me working almost EVERY SINGLE weekend. I don’t mind doing my share, but seriously…am I the weekend girl???
4. Even though my checks are small, I elected to have 10% put into my 401(k).
5. Took my first Cognitive-Behavior Therapy test tonight and got an A (94%). I did this without studying. Sometimes I amaze myself.
6. I’m hooked on Kashi products. Love the cereal. Love the granola bars.
7. Smiling because hubby just sent me a text that says, “I love you soooo much.”
8. Going to see Saw V tomorrow with Dave and Will (and possibly a few more friends). Really excited about this. We re-watched Saw II and III last night to refresh our memories and we’ll be watching Saw IV tomorrow before going to the movie. Which means late movie…which means getting up at 5am Saturday for work is going to suck. Oh well, I only work ’til 11:30.
9. Still eating healthy and staying below my 1,500 calories each day…still haven’t lost ANY weight since the initial 4 pound drop during the first few days. Slightly (majorly) discouraging. I’ve been strict for a week now!
10. Oh! Went to the doctor and complained about how my multi vitamin make me nauseous and dry heave and oh-so-sick in the mornings. She told me to switch to Flintstone’s vitamins. So when I went to buy some, I saw the gummy vitamins instead, and I love gummy ANYTHING, so I bought those. So far, so good.