What's in a name?

Maybe I should have heeded the warning.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

What do you do when you discover this morning's coffee in the microwave at 3:47 in the afternoon?

You re-heat it, again, and add a little 'a this...

And a little 'a that...

And enjoy as you realize, yet again, that thankfully you ARE becoming your mother after all.  :)

Collaborative Painting with The Jennifer Smith Gallery

This is my contribution to the collaborative mural that was created at The Jennifer Smith Gallery's booth at today's Parents Palooza event.  I may or may not have been 20+ years older than any other contributer, but I don't think that matters when you can't tell the difference between my painting and theirs. ;)

Thoughts on life as a "Stay at Home"

What's on my to-do list?  The most exciting things for today include 

1) working on the upper left corner of this puzzle...

2) soaking my kitchen trashcan in bleach-water and then scrubbing it clean...  

3) and reading back through my Perspectives books.  My goal is to be caught up with weeks one and two by the end of the weekend.  When I took Perspectives four years ago, I had no one to discuss the articles with, but I now have several friends taking the class, so I want to take advantage of this opportunity.  Plus... I have a little bit of extra time these days.  :)

Strengths Finder 2.0

I've heard about this book for the past several years, but thanks to a friend of Cafe 1040, I've now been presented with the perfect opportunity/excuse to purchase it!  :)

At the end of April, this kind gentleman will bless our International Staff with a group analysis of our strengths and how we can best work together.  In preparation we each are to take the Strengths Finder test which I did today. 

After all of the warnings to put what you truly are not to select what you wish you were, I nervously opened the website to begin my test.  I HOPE I did it right!  Haha, how on earth could I have done it wrong, right?  (Somehow the more they warn me to go with my gut and the first answer that comes to mind, the more I second-guess myself.  Ah!  Such stress these self-report tests are to me!)

Thankfully, I realize that there are bigger issues in the world, so I jumped in and took the test.  It only made me skip ONE question, which was an incredible success for me seeing as how they only allow 20 seconds for each answer... and really, I think the one that I took too long on was when a phone call distracted me.  After successfully completing 99% of the questions, I was informed that the following are my Top Five Themes:

1. Learner
2. Belief
3. Competition
4. Intellection
5. Strategic

I'll post the explanations for each separately, but assuming I didn't unintentionally give false answers, these probably explain alot about me.  :)

Pre-Neti Pot

Alright friends... I've had sinus contents for the past 6 weeks+ and I'm ready to be able to sleep well again.  I'm done with my eyes being an outlet for my sinuses and I'm done with my throat being a drainage pipe, so I'm finally gonna' try the Neti.

I was at least 17 before I really got okay with blowing my nose, so this is a fairly big deal for me, but so far 99% of my advisors have said they swear by the Neti Pot, so here goes nothin'!

So I like to plan

Actually, I like to plan so much that sometimes I enjoy the fact that I've coordinated my schedule more than enjoy the events that I've got scheduled. And, YES! Of course I've already purchased and begun filling in my 2010 planner. You better believe it is color coordinated with my new work journal. (I also love buying journals... not really the writing in them part. I just like office supplies in general, but this journal was justified since my boss told me to buy it!)

This weekend I had zero plans which was perfect for this introvert who has a FULL week planned out. First, I'm hosting a dinner party on Monday night. Then Wednesday I'll be joining a couple for dinner at their new house. Thursday is Italian Wine Tasting at the High Museum of Art. And Friday night is dinner and a night out with my Spain friends in honor of Robin's visit this weekend!

I just love going over and over "the plan" in my mind, and I can't wait to make sure all the particulars are recorded on the appropriate day in my planner. :)