A Place Where Nobody Dared to Go

Just another hoppin Friday night at the Metcalf's- Dan took the kids to Walmart. For milk. I am home making paleo granola. And I'm pretty excited about that. Yes, I am still doing my Paleo diet adventure.
I've already lost track of my days. I think we are on day 44, or somewhere. And except for a few small incidents with cheese, and one tortilla ambush, it is going very well.

And now, some random pictures from Audrey's junior high school musical, closing night last week.

 Audrey is there in the back somewhere. This is a shot of the whole cast after the show was over.

 Catch the name on the jacket.

 Audrey and her good buddy Kaitlyn. Yes, Kaitlyn is as tall as Audrey. Maybe ever a hair taller.

XANADU

Day Number Forty Eight

Today in the mail we got an ad for a new Chinese restaurant that has opened up by us. The restaurant's whole menu was described in great detail on the ad. Deep fried appetizers, ham fried rice, lo mein and more. Audrey begged and begged to go there for dinner tonight. I told er only forty eight more days until I can eat rice again.

For dinner tonight, we tried cauliflower rice. It's made by throwing cauliflower into the food processor until it comes out the general consistency of rice. Then you cook it in a saucepan with some oil and seasonings and it is supposed to take the place of rice.  It wasn't too bad I guess. The kids gave it mixed reviews. Duncan laughed and said it was awful. Will said it was okay.  I didn't like it because it tastes like cauliflower.

We also tried sweet potato chips, which we made ourselves. Well, me and Audrey tried them. They didn't get crispy enough, but they were still pretty tasty. I devoured nearly the whole sweet potato.
We baked them in the oven with coconut oil but next time I might try deep frying them to see if they come out crisper.  I don't know that deep frying is allowed on this diet, but neither is diet coke, and that is one thing I am not giving up for the next seven weeks.

Olivia is after me to go make a video with her dolls and her. I am trying to drum up some enthusiasm.  We just had a screaming, thrashing meltdown over changing her earrings. She HATES to take her earrings out.  She claims she is done messing with them and wants to take them out forever.. I told her she has to wait a while longer. She claims they hurt so bad. I don't really believe that they hurt that bad. She says she is extra sensitive and things like this bother her more than they do most people. That part I do believe. Maybe I should tell her that her earring tantrums just suck all of my video making desires clean out of me.

Denial

Today is the first day of the next forty nine days of my life.  From now until Easter, I'm vowing to eat a Paleo diet- in simple terms that means no dairy or grains, no sugar.   All meat, all fruit, all veggies all the time. Sounds fun right?

Believe me, this is a desperate measure. That old scale in the bathroom has been creeping up unnervingly fast over the past six months, and no matter what I do, I can't seem to slow it down. I do not want to get diabetes, which my doctor tells me I am prone to developing if  I gain weight. Also, I don't want to be fat in Alisa's wedding pictures. So on top of getting back into the groove of running three miles a day, I HAVE to start eating better. And I'm not good at moderation in any form. I'm an all or nothing kind of gal, so I'm going all in for 49 days of no junk.  If I feel better and lose some weight, well, right on.  If I don't feel better and I don't lose weight, then pass the phentermine.

Only today was not a good day to start. I woke up sick to my stomach this morning. I ate a banana and it got worse. So I started gulping down the Pepto Bismol, which helped a little bit, but the only thing that really helps when I feel this way is a coke slurpee.  So I had two of them today.  On the day I'm supposed to start being all healthy, my diet consisted of one banana and two coke slurpees. I'm still counting it as a win though. The sugar was medicinal.

Six Months Minus One

Yesterday marked six months until Alisa and Erwann's wedding. I am slowly getting used to the weight of wedding planning that has been draped around my shoulders, and I am not obsessing about it every single second. Just about every five or six minutes now.

I think we are on track. We have a date. We have a venue. We have a photographer. We are all praying for good weather on August 9. Please feel free to join us in that endeavor. We now need to find an officiant. Preferably one that is inexpensive and speaks French. I'm working on a plan for food, but I keep changing my mind. Invitations are in the capable  hands of Erwann. We need to get the church reserved for the big basketball game the Saturday before. These are the thoughts in my head all the time, along with the everyday thoughts of what to make for dinner and do I have any money in my checking account.

I finally broke down and got a Pinterest account.  I have been purposely avoiding Pinterest for many years because number one, I don't care that much to look at all the stuff I could be doing, and two, who has time? I already waste too much time online.  But I guess I will give up my 2048 game and devote myself to pinning wedding items for the next few months.

Last night, I was supposed to run three miles. Instead, we took the kids to Cherry Berry to celebrate Will's 87% on his math test and Olivia's 100% on her spelling!  Will got a math tutor, which has helped him immensely, and Olivia, well what can I say?  With Olivia I have found that a little of the proper motivation goes a long way in helping her to study and do well in school. So we made a little deal that if she gets 100% on her spelling tests for two weeks in a row, she gets to pick out an Ever After doll to buy. Making deals like that with her has changed her whole attitude. I don't know if it is good parenting to bribe your kids, but it sure has changed the dynamic of homework between the two of us.

Audrey finisher her play with great success. Now she has mock trial coming up. And French club. And tryouts for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And a boy.  Yes, there is a boy in her life, but she doesn't like to talk much about it.  I think it is all good. She is a good girl. She surprised me and made dinner last night while I was at work. So when I came home, everything was all ready to go.  She made tuna casserole, and Dan said it was the best tuna casserole he ever had. If you know Dan's feelings about tuna casserole, you know that is a major compliment.  And it was really good. In fact, I think the kids should cook every  Monday night>

We Interrupt This February to Bring You A January Update

Will's long awaited orchestra trip to San Diego has come and gone. He left on January 27 and came back on February 1. Thanks to a neighbor of mine, who tagged along as a chaperone with her son, I have a few pictures of his trip.  He had a really good time. These pictures are in no particular order. I would need Will's help to get them in order. As it is, I will do my best to put them in context.

Dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in San Diego. He ordered a bacon burger.

 

I think these next few are at the USS Midway

That's Will with Causley, our neighbor and orchestra buddy. It was Causley's mom that sent me the pictures.

Dinner before going to see The King and I.  Will hated the show. He said the music and acting were okay, but the story was so dumb.He said he went in optimistic and came out enraged.

Getting pointers and a critique from a college music professor

Performing at a retirement home.

The San Diego Symphony. John Williams was supposed to be conducting this night, but he got sick. Did you know he is 83? Will said it was still great.

Sea World!

The hotel they stayed in.

Nice trip for the end of January, eh?

While Will was off doing that, Dan and I took an impromptu trip to California to do some wedding planning with Alisa and Erwann. It was fun to be able to spend time with just the two of them.  But I must say that this blog is probably going to become a wedding blog for the next six months.  My head is racing all the time with things I need to do for the big day. Speaking of which, the big day is August 9.  The place is Wasatch Mountain Lodge, at Brighton Ski Resort. That is pretty much all we know so far. Oh, and I bought utensils for the reception. Should be fun!

Well, that pretty much catches us up to February. Audrey's school play is this week. Olivia is getting new glasses. Mitch is busy busy with work and school. Duncan is not busy enough, but he is working, so we will take it one step at a time. We are on the downhill side of the school year. And my stupid tulips are already coming up. Life just keeps happening. It's gonna be August before I know it.