ten on tuesday (the what's a woman gotta do to get some noxzema around here? edition)

1. My sister is all hooked up with the world wide web at her house. She can now read my blog anytime she wants. Well, as long as the ol' dial-up connection allows her to do so. Such is life in rural Ohio. Let's all give a shout out to Jen-nay (say it like Forest Gump)!!!

2. While much of my native homeland of Ohio and the rest of the east coast is covered in snow and bracing for more, over here in the 'Couv my neighbor's crocuses are up. I saw them on Sunday coming home from church. Hello, spring! I'm so glad you're here. Until it rains again for weeks on end. Starting tomorrow. And we all end up with another round of Vitamin D deficiencies.

3. Winter Olympics - only three days away! And how cool is it that I'm in the same time zone? They're in the other 'Couv. As in Canada. It's amazing how many people think the Games are going to be here in Washington. It's sort of like that one person I know real well that didn't realize that Canada went all the way across the top of the United States. Hmmm. . . maybe we should've paid attention better in geography class. I'm not mentioning any names, but you know who you are.

4. Conversations with children today at school. . . "M., have you been in the restroom this whole time?" "Sorry. I had a really big poopy." (I don't think she knows what TMI means.) Later at lunch. . . "Mrs. B., I don't want to eat the mushrooms in my pasketti." "Then just leave them in the container and you can dump them out later." No, I want you to eat them." (Seriously? After you've been over there slurping and sucking in noodles like a wild banchi this whole time? I don't think so!!!)

5. My little plan to convince Phil to turn down any requests for Super Bowl parties on Sunday so I could stay home in my comfy pants and scrapbook the whole time worked. Of course, it probably helped that we weren't invited anywhere. We had a lovely little pizza from Papa Murphy's which blew the 'ol diet plan and I got a bunch of stuff done. It was fabulous.

6. I have been to two different Walmarts a total of five times and not once have they had Noxzema. The time before that when I was able to buy it, they were out of the big jar so I had to settle for the smaller jar. I am so close to calling 1-800-Walmart it's not even funny. Today I finally ran out so I thought I'd just get some at the grocery store. Pay a little more, make my face happy. Because it really does feel happy when that tingly menthol/eucalyptus sensation starts working. And it's been feeling happy every morning since I was in the 9th grade and my PE/Health teacher Mrs. Hicks got in a truckload of Noxzema that we were allowed to take as much of as we wanted. (To say I stockpiled after I first tried it out and fell in love is an understatement.) Anyway, I'm not sure what the deal is with this fine Proctor & Gamble product, but I went from the medium jar to "let me pack you in my carry on and the TSA people won't even realize you're in there small jar." At least I'll have a cute little travel sized container. Noxzema - the Original Deep Cleansing Cream, thank you for my youthful appearance. I owe it all to you. And yes, it must be Original, not moisturizing. That formula doesn't have the same effect.

7. Something else I haven't been able to find anywhere. . . my favorite Valentine's candy - Gobstopper Hearts. Sadness.

8. I've purchased Phil's non-workout related Valentine's Day gift. It's hidden somewhere in the garage. Or so I want him to be led to believe.

9. In the month of January, I spent 696 minutes working out. That's about 600 more minutes than I worked out in December. Yeah! Go me!!!

10. I simply must dig in my basket of stationery and find all the Valentine's Day cards I bought for my nieces and nephews last year and never sent. I know, it's pitiful.