Bummer.

I just found out that the sugar-free caramel syrup I was so excited about at Starbucks is only one of those flavor syrups and not caramel syrup after all. I guess it wouldn't really make a caramel machiatto after all. :( But at least the vanilla can be sugar-free, I guess. And the creme base has a lighter version. Still good news, but not as good as I had thought.

And I apologize for my delay in blogging. Just for whatever reason I have been staying away. I've been trying to nurture my creativity and my energy, and working on those kind of endeavors, I suppose. I've even been cooking! I made a fantastic healthy version of taco meat yesterday, and some delicious chalupa shells, all low in fat and in Weight Watchers points. I will have to post the recipe as soon as I figure out the amounts of everything. I'm one of those people who doesn't measure when they cook, which can be annoying when I try to pass on recipes. I choose to "intuit" when I cook, I guess. But it turns out well, usually. I'm very pleased with the tacos from last night. If I ever had to move farther away from San Antonio and Texas, I think I would feel much more reassured if I can take some of my comfort foods with me, and even better if I can find healthier versions of them. Happy me.

I think I was also trying to avoid posting about my visit. I had a great time, and I got to visit with more of my missed family and friends than I thought I would be able to. But I also became worried about CJ. She was sick while I was home, and it's hard to watch her struggle to find a job and to get her life together. I worry quite a bit about her, even though I think I have enough of my own problems to worry me. I guess that's what it's like to have family, I don't know. She sounded in very good spirits when I talked to her today, though. That's good. She has a lot of positive qualities that I think she can overlook, and that gets her down. And she still has work to do getting her life back from depression. It can feel pretty daunting when the road ahead seems so long. If she can hang in there and find her strength, I think she can have a rewarding life. I hope she will not give up. (CJ: Listen to that Finn Brothers CD some more!)

But I also got to reconnect with my mother for the first time in a long time. For a while I think we had been drifting apart. But we got to talk for quite a while. It was really worth it for me. I enjoyed it. And H and I had a good time just at Starbucks and shopping at Wal-Mart. But it was too short, as usual.

I managed to avoid telling my dad that I was coming, mostly to see if I could surprise him. I thought it would be fun. Turns out, my grandmother was coming to lunch as well, and she didn't know I was coming down, either! So I got to surprise 2 people! My dad seemed very shocked to see me, and my grandmother was so sweet and she hugged me a lot. It was nice. And we had good food. I even had self-control in the face of Tex-Mex, a huge accomplishment for me! I only ate 3 tortilla chips and 1 flour tortilla, and I had two yummy cheese enchiladas topped with chile con carne, some of the tastiest Mexican rice, and refried beans that remind me of homemade. It was an awesome lunch. And we had coffee, too. I made three trips to the same Starbucks in one day! First with CJ in the morning, with Dad and grandma in the afternoon, and with H in the evening.

Sunday I chatted with mom some more, and took CJ to an emergency clinic. It turned out to be very expensive since she doesn't have insurance, and they did tests and ran an IV. She had the stomach flu and needed to be hydrated. I'm sure her immune system was weak from having it once before so recently, but she was (and probably still is) pretty worried about it. I guess I understand. My own health can cause me quite a bit of concern. But she's fine, I'm sure. And then I had to drive home, tired from lack of sleep, and shaking from caffeine overdose. But it was an okay drive. Ben had some car sickness on the way down, so he had a children's dose of Bonine (like Dramamine, but with a more stupid name) and he didn't throw up again.

Well, that's about it. I guess I will wash up and get ready for bed. Sunday is grocery day, and C tries to get some "off" time. So it will be just "me and the E" tomorrow.

Night-night for now, and I'll do my best to blog ya later.

R

My son is a hippy . . .

. . . but hopefully not for long! He needs a haircut pretty bad. The plan is to shower, shave, and put on some warm-weather clothes (finally) and get out to the salon with my boy. We have a bit of money left over from Millie's gift check from last week, so we can finally swing the whole haircut thing . . . We've put it off to long, too, too long.

I made dinner last night. I've been trying to keep up with cooking when I can, since it's much more economical and often more nutritious and healthy. Last night was macaroni and cheese, a food-makeover recipe from the Weight Watchers website. Honestly, it didn't taste very good. One of those recipes that just didn't work out, I guess. I think we'll just toss the leftovers. Not like me, since I hate to throw out food when there are starving people in the world, but this was just . . . blekh! So, all my efforts in the kitchen were in vain, the steam burn on my arm, the spilled cheese on the stove, the cost of the groceries, the time . . . For nothing! Why do I bother? I don't know. I think I'm a pretty handy person in the kitchen. A lot of my recipes come out pretty good, and I can make some of my grandmother's Mexican food . . . But in this case, I blame it entirely on the recipe. Not my fault, I tell ya! I can only do so much to fix a recipe that's faulty! I'm not sure how it ever got on the website, to be honest with you. They must not have tried this one first.

Guess what my son is doing right now? No, guess, really! I'll give you a sec . . . Okay, give up? He is actually pretending to vacuum! Got the vacuum unit out and everything. He's telling me it'll be loud, and he just needs to get to the hall, then he'll be done. Then he checks the carpet setting and pushes it around some more. It looks kinda heavy for him to handle, but he's doing it. Not something I would think a 3-year-old would find interesting, but . . . He surprises me every day. Monday he wanted me to pretend his binoculars were a purse while we shopped for shoes. I tried to tell him boys and men didn't need purses, only ladies. But he wanted it to be a purse sooooo baddd! Whattayagonnado? He spends a lot of time with his mommy.

Well, that's it, I guess. I will probably post some lists and stuff next. CJ will know all this stuff, but just in case there is someone out there who wants to get to know me a bit, this'll be for you. Take care.

Blog ya later,
R