It’s been a really good Saturday. And those are rarely good for me because oftentimes I never do everything I have on my list of things to do before the weekend is over. Although today I didn’t have said list, it was still a good day. And maybe that’s why it was so good.

It’s almost midnight. I’m curled up under the covers watching a Clive Owen movie while typing away on my laptop. Izzie is snoring loudly from Jabari’s side of the bed. And actually, she shouldn’t be sleeping in our bed because she’s grounded (she’s been really bad this past week), but, well, it’s cold and it’s the weekend. I’ll let it go just this once.

Jabari is in Houston for the weekend so it’s been just us girls since yesterday. It’s been nice to have the place all to myself again, but I do miss him.

I’ve tackled my second sewing project this weekend: simple table napkins and a cute little apron. The napkins turned out great, I purchased more fabric to make another set. And the apron turned out, well, ok. I don’t know if I liked my fabric of choice. I probably would have liked it better if I used some kind of twill or canvas for the apron part, and then the patterned fabric for the front pockets. I’ll have to post pictures of it tomorrow.

After making a quick trip to Hobby Lobby, I grabbed lunch at Raising Cane’s. It’s funny—I tried that place several years ago when I discovered their location in Lewisville, but the meal was so disappointing. The breading on the chicken tenders was soggy and fell off the chicken. The chicken itself was flavorful and the dipping sauce was… weird. It had a may, ketchup, curry, nutmeg type flavor. I was so used to Chick Fil A and their honey mustard and crispy waffle fries that Cane’s was just so unimpressive.

Then they opened a location down the street from where I live. I was on my way home from shopping one evening when I figured I would stop by. It seems as though they’ve improved something because the chicken tenders were much better. The dipping sauce is still weird, but it’s starting to grow on me. I’m still not sure if I like it more than Bubba’s on Hillcrest, but when I get tired of Chicken Express (and I sometimes do), it’s nice to have another option.

Wow, did I really just write two paragraphs on the intricacies of fried chicken tenders?

I have a lot of things on the horizon though. A new month is about to start which means another month of working towards my goals. Oh, did I mention I’ve been working out using EA Sports Active? It’s a lot of fun despite the lunges, jump lunges, and jump squats I’ve had to do since starting this workout. The great news is I’ve already lost 3 lbs since starting over a week ago! Baby steps, of course. Baby steps.

(Not really, because it’s pretty disgusting, but I figured it would be an appropriate title for today’s entry–ha!)

So yeah, today I had my first root canal. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been prone to cavities and all kinds of dental work. Today one of those cavities finally caught up with me. Over a year ago, I had to have an old filling replaced because it was already passed its prime. When my dentist removed the old filling, he discovered even more tooth decay beneath it. The larger, new filling ended up reaching the tooth nerve which meant it was only a matter of time before the nerve would die and then I would need a root canal.

After putting it off and putting it off, I finally scheduled my appointment for the root canal after my dental hygienist twisted my arm before I left my last cleaning appointment. I decided then I would schedule it at the earliest possible hour just so I could get it over with and have the rest of the day to either nurse my poor mouth and/or sleep. In fact, the sun wasn’t even up this morning by the time I was already in my car on my way to my dentist’s office.

The root canal treatment itself wasn’t as bad as most people make it out to be. In fact, if you can tolerate a filling (or several) then you can probably tolerate a root canal. Honestly it was just like a much more intense filling. Except that one part during the procedure when he took that pointy file and started scraping out the nerve insides. Oh yeah, it was graphic.

Luckily though, he said it was a standard root canal–no surprises. Needless to say, despite how non-scary it was, I would try to avoid it if not for my own comfort, then at least for my own wallet. It was NOT cheap.

I’m wondering how many people are actually going Black Friday shopping this year.

Today we got a little bit of a preview of that craziness when we went out to Allen Premium Outlets. For some reason, Allen has always been a million miles away to me, but it turns out it was just a 20 minute drive from where we live. Jabari surprisingly wanted to do some shopping (which is EXTREMELY rare because he hates it) and heard there was a Sketchers outlet store in Allen.

The drive there wasn’t so bad, it was when we drove into the shopping center to park was when we hit traffic. I think it took somewhere around 10 or 15 minutes just to get in mostly because we were fighting a lot of pedestrian traffic. But when we did get in, parking wasn’t so bad if you didn’t mind parking in the middle of the shopping center.

When we got out of the car and found a map to figure out where we were and where we needed to go, we found out that where we needed to go was all the way on the other side of where we were (as our luck would have it). Thankfully we wore our walking shoes.

Jabari and I ended up going different ways and decided we would meet up later since we both had our cell phones. I stopped by the Lane Bryant sore and found a LOT of stuff was 40% off. I ended up buying a grey corduroy blazer and an olive green cami for like $40. I refrained from buying anything else because I had one more stop I wanted to make at The Cosmetics Company Outlet which happened to be just 3 or 4 stores down.

I’ve heard a lot of rumors about The Cosmetics Company Outlet, that it’s a great place to get high-end department store cosmetics at a discounted price. This is true. I found MAC Mineralize Skin Finishes for like $19.50 compared to the regular price of $27. They carried brands like Bobbi Brown, Clinique, and Estee Lauder–a lot of the products were either overstock or discontinues. I didn’t buy very much, just 3 MAC Pigments for $13.75 each (although I think one was $15.75 because it was a glitter): Copperbeam (which is a beautiful rich copper color), Reflects – Red Black (a dark wine color with glitter), and Melon (a shimmery melon color). I think I walked away with a decent stash though. I don’t know if I’ll come back during the holidays (I imagine it just gets really packed and crazy around that time) but I’m pretty sure I’ll come back again.

The only other shopping I plan on doing this week is the grocery store, then Michael’s and Bed Bath & Beyond on Friday. Anyone else doing major Black Friday shopping?

I think this is the first Nablopomo where I’ve written several posts along the lines of, “Oops, I don’t have anything meaningful to post, so I’m just going to say hi!”

I’m not really sure why though. Nothing has really changed although I do have a couple projects on my plate right now so perhaps that’s it. Tomorrow I’m going to spend all day catching up on my December Daily album and then I’m going to finish up filming my Christmas Card Series. Until then, g’night!

Mom and Dad Before the Reception, originally uploaded by krisalis903.

Today was my mom’s retirement reception at Baylor. It’s funny how much of my childhood revolved around that hospital considering both my parents, as well as extended family, work there.

I left work early this afternoon so I could meet my parents at their house and then just ride with them to the reception. I hardly ever travel along I-30 at least as a passenger, but I have distinct memories of doing just that as a child when my parents “traded off” in the middle of the day. My dad would take me to the lab just as my mom would be leaving and then I’d just go home with her.

I loved days when I got to go with my dad to Baylor. It was always a special excursion for me mostly because when I did, they would take me around the lab and all their coworkers would dote over me and tell me how cute I was

So this afternoon, sitting as a passenger with my mom and dad in front this time, I took that same journey down I-30 toward Baylor. The landscape has changed a lot, but some of the buildings along the highway remain the same–some just have different paint jobs or owners.

The reception was a lovely affair (click here for pictures). It was held on the 17th floor of the Roberts Building at Baylor’s main campus. It had a beautiful view of the city (and of the new cancer center being built one block over). They served a mile-high cheese and nut tray, fruit tray, chicken fingers, jalapeno poppers, cake and punch. Easily around 50 people were there to send mom their well wishes.

They presented her with a certificate, a little token, as well as a signed picture frame from everyone in the lab. Mom gave a little speech thanking everyone for their friendship and support. I was touched, but not surprised, by how many people were there to celebrate with my mom.

And it was funny how so many of them knew who her children were. Denise, one of my mom’s coworkers who had known her since my mom was pregnant with me, told me stories of how I would keep mom up late at night. Like one night I wouldn’t go to sleep and all I wanted to do was to be pushed around in my stroller. So like any good mom would, she buckled me in and walked me around the dining room and the hallways in the middle of the night until I fell asleep. And how years later when I was 16 and my nephew Joshua was born, mom told Denise how she was worried I was jealous of Joshua because he and I were constantly bickering (uh, YEAH. THAT KID TOOK MY SPOT NEXT TO MY MOM AT THE DINNER TABLE). “They spoiled you so bad,” Denise said. I laughed.

In the end, I got to see another side of my parents, specifically my mom, through the eyes of her peers. It was a side I’d never seen before, one that wasn’t just a mom telling me to pick up my dirty laundry or eat my vegetables. It was a woman who enjoyed her job and the people she worked with, and who showed it by being the most valuable asset to her coworkers and her organization.

Congratulations, Mom, on making it 33 years. You’ve carved a path for others to follow. Now it’s time to carve a path for yourself!

Right now I’m in the middle of a couple projects. Unfortunately, weekday evenings don’t leave me much time to do anything because I get home from work so late that all I really have brain power for is dinner and vegetating in front of the TV for an hour or so. But I gotta do the NaBloPoMo thing so you’ll have to put up with my rambling in between

On the other hand I did get to film a card tutorial. Right now I’m in the middle of editing it so hopefully I’ll have it up by tomorrow night.

Tomorrow I’m working only until noon and then I’m off the rest of the day so I can attend my mom’s retirement party at Baylor. 30-something years of employment there, can you believe it?

I’m supposed to finish 5 more pages for my December Daily album but it’s Monday which means Ghost Whisperer reruns are on all evening on the Syfy channel. It’s funny how hooked I am to that show since I’m normally not into dramas like that.

I’m thinking of doing a virtual craft room cleanup sale here on my blog (Kristina just cleaned up her stash which is where I got the idea–MAN, imagine being the winner and receiving all of that product!). I’m looking at all my stuff here and I’m pretty certain I can let go of a few things. Although I think I would actually setup mine as a blog sale. If you’re interested, post a comment and I’ll get everything ready

It’s hard to believe next week is already Thanksgiving. Jabari will be heading down to Houston to visit his parents. I’ll be spending the evening out in Fate, TX. For the first time this year my family is renting a my aunt’s neighborhood club house for our Thanksgiving. I guess it’s much better that way since it’ll be big enough to fit our oversized family.

Before you know it, it’ll be Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, I think Jabari is actually going to spend Christmas here in Dallas. At first I thought he would go back to Houston again, but he announced he’d actually be here and even signed up to participate in my family’s annual Secret Santa event. This kinda got me thinking of family traditions. My family has their own. Even I’m developing my own traditions around the holidays. For example, the last couple years, I’ve gotten out of bed super early on Black Friday so I can shop Michael’s and Bed Bath & Beyond. Last year I included Wal-Mart and scored that awesome Cricut Expression deal, but I doubt I’m going to weather that storm this year. Afterwards I usually pick up breakfast and take it back home with my loot which often consists of gifts, gift wrap, scrapbooking stuff for me, and a few Christmas ornaments for the tree. Then I spend the morning decorating the tree while listening to Christmas music (I usually buy a new album to add to my collection) which is then of course followed by a really long nap

Do you have any traditions? What are yours?

After 41 Years of Marriage, My Parents Finally Decided It’s Ok to Kiss on the Lips, originally uploaded by krisalis903.

One of the things that stood out from the photos of my parents wedding day was how my dad didn’t kiss my mom on the lips, but instead kissed her on the cheek.

So last night I guess my dad figured it was about time that he give her a real kiss. After all, she turned 74 yesterday so she’s earned it.

Pac-Man!, originally uploaded by krisalis903.

Ok, so I admit. I’m writing this post an hour late. But for good reason: I spent the evening over at my parents house for my mom’s 74th birthday and the Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight. What a great fight. And look at how many turned up to watch it. I’m not even sure who all was in the other room watching it on the other TV.

It’s hard to believe how quickly this year is going by. It’s already the second week of November! In two weeks it’ll be Thanksgiving. A few weeks after that, Christmas will be here.

Sometimes I wonder if I say the same things over again. For example, that previous paragraph? It makes me feel like I have a case of deja vu and I think, have I written that before? Perhaps I’ve just had it floating around in my head for so long that it just feels like I’ve said it before.

I’ve been making some decent progress on my December Daily album. I have about 4 pages creates already, 21 more to go. I’ve even started a topic calendar to act as an idea generator for when I get stumped on a topic one day. My goal is to finish 5 pages by tomorrow, which seems highly likely (though I do have a book club meeting tomorrow night) and then 5 more pages by Sunday.

I’m finding it a little challenging putting together pages for photos I haven’t even taken yet. Even more challenging is fighting the urge to really embellish some of the pages. I mean, if I don’t have the topic of a page yet, how can I even embellish it now?

But anyway, I’m keeping faith and looking forward to when December gets here.

Ok, the cloc