Weekends <-- Love them

Picture me in a super cute outfit and adorable shoes (because what I'm really wearing is an utter disgrace), reaching out to each of you and giving you a HUGE hug. Thanks for all of the sweet comments on my last post. I'm not sure if it was your comments, the sunny weather, or perhaps the gummy vitamins I took that night before bed, but I woke up the next morning and Mr. Bluebird was back on my shoulder where he rightfully belonged.

Add to that a wonderful weekend spent with family and friends and I'm walking on sunshine. (Let's see how many song references I can make in one post. Song count thus far: 2) My parents came down for the weekend so mom could enjoy her Christmas gift from us: an eyebrow tutorial at the Nordstrom spa. Yes, you read that right. We had a wonderful time and our eyebrows could not be prouder. Dad and Michael could not be more skeptical. Eh, what can you do.

We also went to a baby shower for Lindsey and soon-to-be daughter Eleanor, and saw all sorts of adorable baby girl apparel. I always think I want a boy and then I see the ruffles, the swimsuits, and the light pink baby Uggs... and my voice jumps up three octaves as I squeal and become Team Girl to the max. It was great to catch up with so many girls Michael met in high school--they were all so sweet and welcoming to us when we were movin' on up (song count: 3) to Dallas. AND! I turned about four shades of red because I found out about several new readers to the ol' blog. So hello to each of you, I will try my hardest not to let you down.

Last night Michael and I put on our imaginary aprons and cooked TWO meals to add to our growing list. One "meal" was actually a cake, but it took so much time (and butter) that we decided it deserved its own space. Dad was sweet enough to take some pictures of the chefs in action working with Mr. Salmon. Mom tried to help but I finally told her, "You can't touch this" (song count: 4... and I'm done--this is ridiculous) so she backed off. Wonderful evening, and after an official vote we all agreed both meals were "Better."

Dad asked for us to get in the picture together and I didn't really know what to do.
So I acted uber excited about Michael's culinary skillz.

Excited to start a new week with a better attitude! Alright, I'm off to eat 500-calories-per-slice cake. And yes, that sound you hear is my waistline begging for mercy.

Don't Bother Reading This. No Really--Don't.

Gah, I'm so frustrated right now.

It's been entirely too long since I've written a meaningful post. And I wish I could say today was the big day but it's just not. I'm tired. I'm cranky. I'm just not that into the blog right now.

Let me back up. My new job? I love it. I really do. However--it takes 150% of my energy. When I leave each day, I am physically and mentally exhausted. The drive home is a blur and as soon as I walk in the door I just want to put on my pajamas and hop into bed. I am about to say something that I know will make many of you vehemently shake your heads and disagree, but please understand I'm only referring to MYSELF and not anyone else. I don't believe you (ok, I) can be exceptional at both work life and personal life. You have to choose one. I'm not saying you can't be good or even very good--but you can't be great at both. Right now I have to focus 93% of my efforts towards work, which means I come home and poor Michael is stuck with the leftovers. I remember getting so frustrated when I lived in the sorority house because girls (including myself) would use up all of their happiness with boyfriends/classes/etc. When they would get back to the house, the rest of us were greeted with a negative Nancy (or Debbie Downer--your choice) and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Nobody likes the leftovers and I'm afraid Michael's been stuck with mine for about 3 weeks.

I was mulling over my dilemma this afternoon at work. And it made me feel crappy. As I approached a co-worker's desk, she exclaimed, "Wow--I love your sweater!" Just as I felt my spirits start to lift she continued by saying, "I just love huge, cozy grandpa sweaters." I blinked a few times, shook my head in agreement (what can you do?) and looked down at my newly named grandpa sweater. Only problem? Not really supposed to be a grandpa sweater. Sigh. Such is life.

So I'm going to end this before I make this the most depressing post ever. I plan on writing about my fabulous weekend in Tulsa (waiting for some pictures) so please don't think that my life sucks right now. It doesn't. I just need to find that perfect balance so no one (especially my husband) has to deal with my leftovers. I'd rather throw them in the garbage where they belong.

Take A Deep Breath...

....and exhale. Enjoy your weekend.

For Better or For Worse

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I don't really do resolutions. However! Michael and I decided on a joint resolution and I'm really excited about it (our last joint resolution ended with him quitting after 3 days--here's hoping for better results this time around).

I don't cook. I bake. And rarely do I do that. Both of us actually enjoy cooking but we fall into ruts where it's just easier to cook the same darn thing all of the time. And by cook I mean "heat up" or "add one ingredient." I love you Shells & Cheese but for Pete's (and Meredith's and Michael's) sake it is time to retire you.

As I was looking in our empty cupboards the other day I had an idea. What if our resolution was to cook two new recipes each week? (I realize there are seven days in a week but baby steps people!) 104 new recipes in 2010. I shared the idea with Michael and he was up for the challenge so we pulled out our cookbooks and started tagging recipes that sounded delicious. This resolution only has two requirements: we cook two new recipes each week (no repeats) and we do it together. And if we have a busy week and only get to one, we'll just cook three the following week.

We're calling it "For Better or For Worse" and to keep us accountable I'm going to keep track of it on here (take a looksie right over there -->). After each dish, we'll rate it as either (wait for it...) "Better" or "Worse." I don't plan on writing blog posts about our project unless a recipe is ridiculously good or I have a funny story to share.

So there you have it! The Haynes' family resolution! As you can see we made our first meal tonight, which was Spaghetti Carbonara. Conclusion: Worse.

Hey, you can't win them all.

Raise Your Hand If You Like Pictures! (And No Need To Read This Post If You Don't!)

Here are some Christmas pictures. I know it's already 2010 but it's been a busy week! And before you say, "Holy cow Meredith, that's a lot of pictures," please keep in mind I had to choose from over 300. Yes, 300. Ridiculous right?? Welcome to our family.

I am a bit behind in blog reading, which is why many of you haven't heard from me since last year (HAAAARDY HAR) but I plan to devote the next 40 hours (or so) to blog reading/commenting. You have been warned.

(In absolutely no particular order....)

Evan in his "lounge-wear" (special thanks to Julie for the name...)

Posed

Not posed

We decided to take a family picture. 6 adults, 1 little boy, and 1 cat is ROUGH. First, a few outtakes. Keywords: Justin & Michelle

Keywords: Meredith & Thumbs

Keyword: Evan (Thumbs is looking pretty rough but that is her mom's fault)

FINALLY! (Thumbs didn't make the final cut but at that point none of us cared. Maybe next year!)

Evan loved Thumbs. Thumbs loves no one. Every time Evan came close to Thumbs I had to put my hand over Thumbs' face so she didn't see Evan. The Haynes' family future is looking a bit bleak.

My sweet Aunt Carolyn and Evan!

Christmas morning...

Every single one of these girls has a blog. I should link to all of them but man, I'm tired. (So great to see all of you!!!)

The end. :)