Random Bits of Goodness All Fried Up in One Pot

By Friday, it seems like my mind is typically fried from a week filled with this-and-that with two small children. So, I've dedicated my Fridays to a "Friday Stir-Fry" post--one entry with snippets of what is jumping around in my brain by the end of each week. I can't promise pure entertainment or clever transitions, but I can guarantee it will be very random and you'll never know what you might read. Enjoy my end-of-the-week brain scramble!

• It is officially 1-week until my son's 7th birthday party! YIKES! I still have party favors to buy and birthday presents still to get for my son. This summer has flown by and, for the first time, my son's age is making me feel really old! UPDATE: I feel better, I bought all the party favors and whoo-ha and my husband bought another gift for him. YAY!
  
• How do you handle family members who thrive on drama? It has drained me for years, practically turning me into someone who does not react at all in extreme situations. Give me a crises and I will be your calm and collected, all in an effort to NOT be like a few people in my family! And, that's not good either--to be numb like that (unless you are a T.V. news producer, or so I learned early in my career). But, I can't help it when everything gets so exaggerated by the people around me. Like, when a distant family friend dies, it is as if their own sibling or parent died. And, don't give me money issues with these people--the money is always blown up into so much more than it is. It is totally exhausting. I try to react with compassion, but sometimes during dramatic phone calls, I fear they hear the laughed bubbling up in my voice out of the ridiculousness of it all. I just can't imagine living your life letting the smallest thing affect your mood in such an extreme way.
  
• With that said, I can admit to some hypocracy here, as I have my own moments of drama too. And, I can say that I'm tired of hormones. Could I just schedule up a surgery or something to have them removed? I'm in my mid-30s and I know this is only going to get worse with time, so I'd better get a handle on it now, eh?
  
• What is the deal with Paris Hilton? How can she call herself an "iconic blonde" of this generation, comparing herself to Marilyn Monroe or Princess Diana? The girl is on such an ego trip! Are there really that many people who give a flying flip what she says or does?
• Nick Lachey has to have the sexiest lips on MTV. Am I right ladies? The boy may have gotten annoying with the over-exposure from his reality show and then divorce, but homeslice has a great pair of puckers if you asked me!
  
• Studies are now suggesting a vegan lifestyle works optimally for diabetics, as they are able to lose the weight they need and balance blood sugar levels more effectively without eating meat and dairy. This should work for me except for the fact that I only like to eat meat and dairy. Could this be why I am diabetic and unable to lose weight? Hmmm...me thinks I'm on to something! Now, hand me that cheese stick, will you? Oh, and shoot me now please...
  
• A big shout out to my homegirl, Lisa of Jessie's Girl blog fame. She's got two offers on her house and both legs out the door for her move to the mountains. I can't help but think of that old Jefferson's theme song for her--"Movin' on up...to the sky! To a deluxe apartment...in the sky! She's finally got a piece of the pie-hi-high!" I hope the move goes well, kimosabe. Keep me posted!
  
• A big thank you to my pal at Blogacharya too, who considerately got me a gift card to Hobby Lobby--a scrapbookers' haven, for my birthday. Thanks, man! I know it might have taken a lot to take your guy-self into such a place, but you know I will put it to good use!
  
• My neighborhood has been a ghost town this summer, and it really is disappointing. When we first moved in, everyone was so friendly and eager to chat with their neighbors. The past few years, I've given up on calling anyone who lives around me good friends. Sure, there are some nice people, but everyone keeps to themselves so much that you never get past the "how are you" phase or get to know them at all. It's a shame...I guess my smalltown roots are showing here as I'm used to knowing people better than this.
  
• Why, why, WHY, is the new Pirates movie more than three hours long? I mean, really! I know Johnny Depp has some rabid fans, but more than three hours of him imitating Keith Richards is enough to burn a hole in your retina. I will be renting this and skipping the dull parts. Argh, mateys!
  
• For those of you who read my to-do list post, I'm making progress. I'm well into the second quilt square and hoping to finish that in the next two weeks so I can jump to my daughters Xmas stocking. I finished one book and am more than halfway through the second one too! It feels good to regain my focus on something, especially in the late summer when things are really wearing me down!

That's all the ingredients I have for this Friday's Stir-Fry. Check back next Friday to see what's in the wok!