Lighting the night, fighting cancer and enjoying a little healthy competition

Grandpa and me, Christmas Day, 1978.
Also known as the day I came home from the hospital.

My grandpa smoked a pipe. And he was good at building things out of wood. He took me fishing at the park one time. I kind of remember going to a state fair…I think. And if we tried to sit in “his” chair, he’d sit on us.

When I think of my grandpa, those are the things that come to mind. I wish I had more memories; I wish I’d had more time to get to know him.

I'm not sure what we were doing here . . . but we were having fun!

Unfortunately, my dad’s dad died 15 years ago. Cancer was the culprit. In particular, a blood cancer, the exact kind of disease fought by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – my former employer and charity of choice.

Tomorrow I’ll join my grandma, my parents, my aunts and uncles, and my cousins in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk. We’ll carry illuminated balloons, push strollers and wagons, and chat as we walk the two-mile route.

For several years now, we’ve worked together to raise money for research and patient services. And this year is no different.

Except . . . this year, I haven’t done any fundraising.

I got a message from my cousin Steve on Facebook yesterday, informing me that my former co-workers at the Society said hello – and shamed me for not raising any money to fight cancer.

Steve has raised hundreds of dollars.

I’m sure you can understand why my competitive side has started kicking in . . .

• Will you help me beat my cousin?
  
• Or, if you’re a more sentimental sort, honor my Grandpa?
  
• Or, if you’re practical yet giving, support the fight against cancer?

A donation to my Light the Night team will do all of those things and more.

Any amount donated truly does help. During the three years I worked for the Society, I learned that the five-year survival rate for someone diagnosed with leukemia is now more than 50% - it used to be just 14%. And while the survival rate for Hodgkin’s disease used to be just 40%, it’s now more than 85%!

Research – the very kind funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – made these things possible.

This progress is incredible, but there’s still so much work to be done. Because while those stats are encouraging, the fact remains that every ten minutes, someone dies from a blood cancer.

Every 10 minutes.

Will you help me fund the research that will end these deadly diseases once and for all? Will you help me provide services – like support groups, financial aid and educational programs – for those fighting cancer?

(Will you help me redeem myself with my family and friends by helping me meet my fundraising goal?)

It’s super easy to donate: just visit my fundraising page and click away.

(I’m linking to Things I Love Thursday this week – because I love online fundraising!)

Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

When I was a senior in high school, our drama department chose to put on The Wizard of Oz for our spring musical. I knew my friend Nikki would get the part of Dorothy (and yes, I was jealous), so I decided that I should be the Scarecrow.

Determined to get the part, I tracked down sheet music so I could practice at home and even came up with a few dance moves to accompany my singing. The range was high for my alto voice, but I gave it the old college try. Or, the old high school senior try.

But it wasn’t enough. When parts were assigned, I found myself playing Glinda the Good Witch.

Hey - it might have been a small part, but I got into it!

I’d like to tell you that I got over that, but as I’m writing about it a dozen years later, that may not be true. Have I told you yet about Glinda’s costume?

It was pink. And poofy. And, if I remember correctly, glittery and shiny.

And did I mention that my lovely crown was too big?

But being a part of a musical or a play is always fun. That year was especially so, as some of my best friends had parts as well and my brother was the accompanist. I was also in drama class that year, so I got to help build the set, too. We had a blast.

Despite the costumes.

Smitty was the Cowardly Lion, and as usual, she stole the show!

Today marks the 70th anniversary of this great classic. And according to Chatting at the Sky (Oh, come on! You know I get my info from blogs.), The Wizard of Oz will be played in more than 400 theaters today in honor of that anniversary. You can check here to see a list of participating theaters.

Which character from The Wizard of Oz is your favorite?

Don't feel obligated to pick Glinda. Although . . . I could arrange for a house to drop on you. What? Glinda couldn’t do that? Okay, well, I’ll wave my glittery wand at you; you know it takes forever to get that stuff out of your hair.

Cleaning when the clock is ticking…

I’m having a Tastefully Simple party tonight.

It’s been on the calendar for about a month. Invitations went out a couple weeks ago. And yet, I left cleaning until the very last moment possible.

I don’t know what it is about procrastination. Is it stressful? Sure. Is it unnecessary? Absolutely. Do I do it all the darned time? Um, yeah.

So today I’m wondering how you get your house company-ready in a hurry. How do you make sure your home is presentable when people are coming over soon – perhaps already in their cars?

The Top 10 Things That Must Be Done When Cleaning My House in a Hurry

1. Turn on the attic fan. (Obviously, this only works if I don’t have the heater or A/C on. But it works best when a neighbor is grilling or I’m drying a load of laundry. Don’t ask me to explain. I just know that the clean laundry smell magically makes it way into my house when we turn on the attic fan.)
2. Assuming the stars have not aligned and provided natural home fragrance, light some candles.
3. Put away things that have places – toys, dishes, dirty clothes. (Please note: I am not saying, nor would I ever say that dirty clothes don’t immediately go into hampers at my house. Nope. Not me.)
4. Pick up extra junk that’s laying around the house. Drop it into a laundry basket and stick it in the garage. Wonder why everything can’t just have a place in this tiny, storage-deficient house.
5. Get out the Clorox wipes and go to town. Clean the table, the kitchen counters, the bathroom floor, the bathroom sink, and anything else that might be sticky or dusty. Yes, this may include dining room chairs, living room side tables and door knobs.
6. Get out the lint roller and go to town. (Especially important during the winter. When people wear coats. And you want to put them on your bed. Where the cats sleep.) Wonder why I have cats.
7. Fold up blankets and arrange on couches to cover scratches. Wonder about the cats again.
8. Look around for obvious messes – Cheerios in the couch, cat hair under the couch, milk spills, cobwebs in the corners, smudges on the white trim. Deal with them.
9. Vacuum if I have time. Yes, using a Dustbuster qualifies.
10. Stop at least 10 minutes before expected arrival time. Stop sweating. Reapply deodorant and lipstick. Get a drink. Answer the door. (Wonder why some people still think it’s acceptable to arrive early?)

So, let me have it. What’s your last-minute cleaning routine? (Readers who routinely deep clean their houses and actually do have a place for everything need not apply. Thank you.)

Gotta run. There are candles to light and blankets to toss artfully arrange on the couches.

This post is linked to OhAmanda’s Top Ten Tuesday, and the lovely candle photo is by FotoDawg.

With no apologies to Sheryl Crow.

After I picked Annalyn up on Friday afternoon, we drove to the library to pick up a few things I’d reserved. My stack was pretty varied: season one of Veronica Mars, two mysteries and a book about disciplining your child.

I’d like to say that the discipline book was apropos of nothing (not because I like that song, because I actually can’t stand it, but for some reason that phrase has been running through my head all weekend). But in fact, it was quite appropriate. Because as soon as I set Annalyn down on the floor, she started toddling away from me.

This may be what they meant when they said, “Oh, just wait. You don’t want her to start walking!”

Anyway. Despite the short conversation we’d had in the car about how I wanted her to behave nicely and stay with Mommy and do you understand and yes, Mommy, the little darling wouldn’t stop wandering off.

No problem. I grabbed my books and then grabbed her.

Of course, that’s when she started shrieking and hollering. In the library. Did I mention that we were in the library?

I really wanted to hold that book about discipline in front of her face as we did the Toddler Walk of Shame out the door.

The situation was defused quickly, though. And we headed home.

On Saturday afternoon, we pretty much did it all over again. In the Carter’s outlet store this time, shopping for the very child who threw a fit, yelling, “Help! Help me!” for all to hear.

Nope. I’m not kidding.

What? Did you think I’d read the discipline book before watching season one of Veronica Mars?

The rest of the weekend, I must say, was great. Annalyn was super sweet on Sunday, while Mark watched the Chiefs lose with a friend from work. Then we met up at a family barbecue, enjoyed some hot dogs while Annalyn mooched watermelon from my dad, her Papa. (We call him Grandpa every time, but she’s only agreed to call him Papa instead of Bompa. We’re working on it.)

How was your weekend?

What’s the point?

Last Friday was The Big Day. The day I joined Weight Watchers . . . for the sixth time.

I know.

I’d like to say that this time it’s going to work, that this time will be different, that I’m tired of worrying about my weight and my health, and I’m ready to make a change.

But I’ve said that before.

So I think I’ll stick with this instead: I’m going to do my best today.

In case you don’t know how Weight Watchers works, the basic plan helps you manage your diet by giving you a set number of points you can eat each day. Your number of points is determined by age, gender, typical day’s activity and starting weight.

That means the heavier you are, the more points you get. Yay.

But back to Friday. My co-worker and I went to a meeting over our lunch break, where we signed up and weighed in. It’s a necessary evil, that scale.

The meeting was inspiring, if only because it put me back in the lose weight mindset. I get off track easily – yes, I realize this is shocking information – and I need the weekly reminder meetings provide.

I also won’t turn down the free samples of Weight Watchers snacks. And that is unfortunate, because those pizza pretzel thins were disgusting.

Not even worth the two points. Good thing I only ate one before pitching them in the trash. (I know, I know – wasting food is bad. But you know what’s worse? Eating a bag of pizza pretzel thins, thinking they’re going to get better and knowing they’re going to leave one nasty aftertaste.)

The best moment of our first meeting? When our leader, trying to prompt us, asked, “What’s a good appetizer to order at a restaurant?” That girl sitting across the room who answered, “Mozzarella sticks!” – I want to be her friend.

I suppose I should tell you how I did in my first week back on plan (or, OP, as we like to say). The bad news is that the weekend kicked my butt. I fixed my chocolate éclair dessert for my day o’ scrapping – and then finished it off myself. (NO, not all in one day. Thank you.) I didn’t even end up counting points on Saturday and Sunday.

But I did make some good decisions! I walked with my friend Brittany (and Annalyn, who likes to call Brittany “Bernie”) on Monday and Wednesday. I ordered soup and salad at On the Border and the TenderGrill Chicken Sandwich at Burger King (no mayo, even!). And when I “needed” to pig out one night after Annalyn went to bed, I ate chips and salsa (That’s a veggie! Really!) and a cheese sandwich (on whole wheat bread with low-fat cheese). Sure, I overindulged, but it only cost me 12 points.

Believe me, even if that sounds like a lot, it could have – and has been, many times – way worse.

So, I’m making progress. Wednesday was the first day that I actually stuck to my points allowance, but I’ll get better. I’m looking up every little thing, even when I think I remember the nutritional value. That’s a good thing, because even though I actually do remember most things (like I said, I’ve done this five times before), it’s good to be reminded that honey mustard is not fat-free. Or point-free.

But it is tasty . . .

Overall, my first week has gone pretty well. I’ll weigh in over lunch today, but even if I haven’t lost a pound (oh, please say I’ve lost a pound!), I know I’m back on track.

And that feels good.

My goal for this next week is to write down everything I eat; that habit really keeps me accountable and mindful of my choices.

What’s your goal for this week?

We interrupt this broadcast for an announcement…

I’ve created a schedule for my fall TV viewing.

Not because I have a problem. Not because I watch way too much television. No way, Jose! I did this for you. Only for you, dear readers, would I research the premiere dates and place them into a spreadsheet. I would never do this for my own entertainment.

Right.

Okay, to be honest, I was really tempted to pick up a pen and write down when I plan to watch what show. But I know – I know how crazy that is. So I refrained.

But then I started thinking that maybe you all want to know what I’m planning to watch this fall. I don’t know why. But it’s possible.

And I really don’t want to let you down. So I have created a schedule. You can see it in all its row and column glory here. Or you can read all about my plans in this post. No clicking. No spreadsheets. Just words. About TV.

It’s important, what we have here, isn’t it?

I’m going to start with Monday. Mainly because I don’t watch TV on Sunday. Not live, anyway. (Please note: This is not because I’m all sorts of holy. This is because I don’t watch any shows that air on Sundays. Feel free now to sing the praises of Brothers & Sisters. I know. I hear it’s great. I just don’t watch it.)

On Mondays, I will watch How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory and Castle. Until NBC finally comes to its senses and Chuck returns. Then I will also watch Chuck. HIMYM is a must, as is Chuck (do I have to explain that?). BBT is only if I have time, while Castle is one that I’ll record if I don’t have time.

Sidebar: If you’re just now tuning in (get it – the TV humor?), you should note that I watch my television programs old school. As in, on a low-def TV. Sometimes with a VCR. It pains my husband to no end that we don’t have a fancy-schmancy TV. Such is life. Or something.

Back to our regular programming now. (No, I will not stop with the punny-pun-puns. I can’t. I can’t stop.)

On Tuesdays, I have quite the dilemma. And I blame the networks.

See, those networks, they just can’t get enough of a good thing. And they know – oh, they know that I can’t either. So FOX decided to bring So You Think You Can Dance into the fall schedule, and CBS decided to make a franchise out of NCIS.

I can’t really protest. I mean, what am I going to do – not watch?

My plan is to tape NCIS: The Original and NCIS: Los Angeles and watch them later. That way, I can watch SYTYCD live.

Wednesdays are pretty straightforward. Glee is the only show I’ll definitely watch. Depending on my own schedule (yes, Virginia, there is life outside of TV), I might watch the SYTYCD results show. Or I might not. Also, I’ve read good things about ABC’s new show, Modern Family, so I’ll probably check that out online.

Don’t even ask me when. I have no idea.

Thursdays are complicated, and for this, I blame the church. I’m kidding! I kid; I’m a kidder. But seriously, I have choir practice on Thursday nights, so I have to be real strategic-like about my TV viewing. Throwing another wrench into this mess is the fact that I’m just not sure I can handle another season of Grey’s Anatomy.

So, my plan is now to tape Bones and watch it after choir. I’ll watch The Office and Community (a new show starring Chevy Chase and Joel McHale from E’s The Soup. Seriously.) online. Sometime. Later.

And I just don’t know about Grey’s. I just don’t.

Fridays are a VCR night. I originally planned to watch two hours of (recorded) NCIS here, but then I realized two things. First, I’ll need to tape Psych (and White Collar, when it takes over that time slot). Second, Smitty comes over to hang out on a lot of Fridays. And while I do blame her mother for my love of NCIS, Smitty may not actually want to spend her Friday watching my favorite Navy procedural.

I don’t know what I’m going to do about NCIS. It is a problem.

And that’s it. Although saying “that’s it” seems to imply that “it” isn’t a lot. And I think we can all agree that is A Lot.

So – what shows are you watching this fall?

If you need help deciding, you can check out a full schedule at TVGuide.com, and you can watch previews for all your options on YouTube.

And to state the obvious, this post illustrates my love of the television and will, therefore, be linked to Things I Love Thursday.

And if he still doesn’t answer, I simply say . . .

It’s no secret around these parts that Dirty Dancing is one of my absolute favorite movies. But I’m not alone.

Just take a look around the internet today for proof of that.

I remember one particular viewing of the movie, back when all the cool kids had VCRs. Also known as, when I was in college. A bunch of us girls, including Chelleybutton and Triplesalchow, had piled into one of our dorm rooms and crowded around the TV to watch Dirty Dancing.

As the movie drew to a close, with Johnny and Baby dancing their hearts out in the final scene, one of our guy friends happened to stop by. He could not understand for one minute why each one of us was staring at the television, heads angled to the side, eyes fuzzy and smiles dreamy.

He could not understand how we could be so in love with a movie.

But we were! And, though I can’t speak for all those girls, I can say that I still am.

I realize everyone and their sister is quoting Patrick Swayze movies today. But since Chelleybutton has so kindly requested it, I’ll share my favorite Dirty Dancing quotes. Most will come as no surprise, since I use them so often that at least four of them have ended up in this blog. But here they are:

• I carried a watermelon. [I carried a watermelon?]
• I won't tell your mother about this. Right now, I'm going to bed. And take that stuff off your face before your mother sees you.
• No, the way he saved her. I mean, I could never do anything like that. That was somethin'. I mean, the reason people treat me like I'm nothin' is because I'm nothin'.
• Me? I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you.
• I've never known anyone like you, you look at the world and you think you can make it better.
• Fight harder, huh? I don't see you fighting so hard, Baby. I don't see you running up to daddy telling him I'm your guy.
• I feel pretty. Or what do the simple folk do. Or I feel pretty. What do you think daddy?
• Nobody puts Baby in a corner.
• When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong.
• I think she gets this from me.

And last, but not least, the monologue when Baby faces her father after revealing her, ahem, relationship with Johnny. My friend Kimi performed this during drama class in high school, and since then, I’ve always remembered these emotional words:

I'm sorry I lied to you. But you lied too. You told me everyone was alike and deserved a fair break. But you meant everyone who is like you. You told me you wanted me to change the world, to make it better. But you meant by becoming a lawyer or an economist...and marrying someone from Harvard.

I'm not proud of myself. But I'm in this family too. You can't keep giving me the silent treatment.

There are a lot of things about me that aren't what you thought. But if you love me, you have to love all the things about me.

And I love you.

I'm sorry I let you down. I'm so sorry, Daddy. But you let me down too.

From Ghost to Dirty Dancing, from Road House to Saturday Night Live and even that strange dance movie you starred in with your wife, you never let me down, Mr. Swayze.

(Please, don’t mention Red Dawn. We just won’t go there today.)

What’s your go-to meal?

Last week, Kelly planned to hold a carnival focusing on your go-to meal. What meal do you fall back on in a pinch, or what is the easiest or favorite or best meal you make?

She ended up postponing the carnival for this week (it’s part of her series, Show Us Your Life, and anyone can join), but it got me thinking.

Not a lot of thinking. I mean, it’s not like I sat down with my cookbooks and recipe binder, my monthly meal plan and permanent grocery list. No, that would not have been me. (That would require I have an organized binder, meal plan or grocery list. Ha!) But I did think for a minute – What is my go-to meal?

I decided that my cheesy chicken recipe worked well for this category. After all, I do make it a lot (although not lately . . . hmmm . . . perhaps I’ll make this tonight!), and it’s pretty easy and typically a crowd-pleaser.

Done and done.

But then last Thursday, as I wracked my brain to figure out what I could make for my dad (who was coming over for dinner and to watch Annalyn), I realized that my go-to meal is even simpler than cheesy chicken.

And its name is pizza.

I make homemade pizza at least every two weeks and sometimes, more often. It’s just so easy! And tasty. And flexible. Here’s how I do it:

Ingredients:

1 can pizza dough
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup (or so?) spaghetti sauce
2-3 cups shredded mozzarella

I’m serious. That’s it. Now, you can add anything you want. I usually add some green peppers and onion. (I sauté the onion with the ground beef as it’s browning, but I drop the peppers on top without cooking first.) I also add shredded Parmesan to the mozzarella, if I happen to have it on hand.

Sometimes I get really crazy and mix it up, using chicken instead of beef (make sure you cook it first). Then I add red onion and sliced mushrooms (from a can, because I’m ambitious like that). And before you start thinking I’m some sort of gourmet cook here, I should tell you that the chicken combo was Smitty’s idea and influence.

Now, one more thing before I end this post that has certainly been all kinds of helpful: read the directions on your pizza dough carefully.

I typically buy the generic brand pizza dough, which does not require you to cook it before adding sauce and toppings. It’s press into the pan, top with toppings (sauce, meat, veggies, cheese – that’s my order or choice), pop in the oven, cook and eat.

But as I found one Friday night when Smitty and I made my go-to meal, other brands require you to bake the dough first. I know that, because Smitty said so and I disagreed, then we checked the directions on the can. Pillsbury had been on sale that week, and I was wrong that night.

I don’t like being wrong. But look – look how it helped me help you. Now you’ll never go astray when making easy-peasy pizza!

And when I say “easy-peasy,” don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting you add peas to this pizza. But here’s the beauty of it: you can if you want to!

It would just be gross. That’s all I’m saying.

So, that’s my go-to meal of choice. What’s yours?

Wha’ happened?

Where does the weekend go?

Last Thursday was what the kids call a no good, awful, terrible, very bad day. Or however that goes. And so Friday found me in a bad mood, too.

Funny how starting your day with a crying hangover can do that to a person.

So despite signing up for Weight Watchers over my lunch break, I was all for some comfort food when Smitty came over for dinner that night.

I have to say we didn’t do as much damage as we may have possibly done in the past. But I’m not saying it was pretty, either.

I’m not sure if it was the Chinese food (mmmm…crab rangoon…mmmm), the chocolate chip cookies or the company – I’m KIDDING. Of course it was the company. And the crab rangoon. – but Friday evening was just what I needed.

And Saturday didn’t hurt, either. While Mark and Annalyn went to my parents’ house to help fix siding and play (guess who got to do what), I spent the day scrapbooking with some friends.

There’s something about those friends – I just love them. Maybe it’s because they read my blog. (Except Kris. Everyone say hello to Kris, who I believe is joining us today.) Or maybe it’s just because they get me. They’re my type of people. I might even be tempted to call them my peeps.

Tempted, I said. Let’s not go crazy.

As usual, we talked about everything under the sun, from husbands to kids to jobs to the scrapbooks we were working on to movies to TV. You know – the important stuff.

Actually, my favorite line of the whole day came from a discussion about the ever-important television and, in particular, my favorite new show, Glee. (By the way, you can see my review of Glee’s first episode at Blissfully Domestic.)

Heather and I were discussing how part of what makes us love the show is our background in high school choirs. And Melanie said: “Wait, what? You mean your school had a singing and dancing group??”

Oh, I laughed. Of course, with those girls, I laughed all day anyway. We had a good time.

Sunday morning brought a bad back for Mark (as you may have guessed, he was at my parents to work, not to play), choir – and spending time with my choir friends – for me, and a fine display of bipolar emotions from Annalyn.

How that girl can go from crying her head off like it’s the end of the world to the best, happiest, cutest mood I’ve ever seen is a mystery.

Because you know she does not get that from me.

(Perhaps I should take this moment to tell you my second favorite line from Saturday. Heather said – and I’m not even sure what brought this on – “Mary, you do have a flair for the dramatic.”)

Who – me?

Anyway. Annalyn also practically licked a bowl of ice cream that she shared with her father and completely peed through the bloomers she wore under her dress. I bought some store brand salsa at Price Chopper that was a huge hit at tonight’s no-study Bible study. Mark helped a friend fix his lawn mower, and now he’s gone to pick up our pizza (for tomorrow I start counting points. For real.).

All in all, a good couple of days. So where did your weekend go?

(And super smart extra credit bonus points to anyone who can tell me what hilarious movie the title of this post is from.)

Saturday Review: Flashdance

What a feeling! That’s what I should have been saying after finally watching Flashdance, one of the most famous dance movies of all, right?

Um, not quite.

For all my professed love of dance movies great and . . . not so great, I haven’t actually seen some of the earlier films in this oft-neglected (and mocked) genre.

[Yes, I do realize that we’re using the term “genre” loosely here. Just deal.]

Of course, given my lack of classic movie understanding and, Goonies fans some would say, appreciation, this may not be so surprising.

Either way, I finally got around to watching Jennifer Beals in the 1983 movie about a young girl trying to make it in the city and in the dance world. In other words, pretty young thing welds by day and dances, ahem, exotically by night.

So what did I think? Well, as it turns out, my response wasn’t much different (although not quite as harsh) as the critics of the day. The reviews were, as they say on Metacritic.com, generally unfavorable. In short, the plot is ridiculous and hole-y (not to be confused with holy, which it is most definitely not), the actors are fine but don’t get much to work with, and the dance scenes are comparable to MTV videos, circa 1983.

And there’s the fact that Jennifer Beals had more than one dance double working for her. That fact kinda bummed me out.

But, the plot is really no sillier than that of today’s movies. And the soundtrack did include “Gloria,” “What a Feeling,” and “Maniac,” so it has that going for it.

All in all? I didn’t mind it. And now I can say that I’ve seen it. But if given the choice, I’m still going to pick Dirty Dancing (or, okay, Step Up or Save the Last Dance) any day.

Have you seen Flashdance?