Friday Fragments, Focus, Fill-Ins, and Favorites

Welcome to the Good Friday 2009 edition of FF4. That's how I'm abbreviating it.

I am post-dating this on Thursday night and I have to tell you: I am exhausted tonight, Kittens. I mean, totally wiped out. I think part of it is that it's that time of the month (sorry, menfolk) and a part of it is that things have been ultra busy at work lately. Fortunately, I have next week off, so I can catch up on sleep.

Anyhoo, Happy Easter and Passover to all of my bloggy friends out there. Let's kick off our celebrations with some Friday Fragments, brought to you by the good people at Half Past Kissin' Time.


I'm thinking about investing in a slow cooker. I had one years ago, but sold it at a tag sale because I never used it. Now I want one again. Is it the fact that I'm older or the fact that I'm getting lazier about making dinner for myself?

Lately I haven't been hungry for dinner. I've lost a little weight in the process, which, being petite and plus-sized, is a good thing. I still eat a small dinner, just to keep up my metabolism, but I don't have huge platters at night anymore.

It's been raining a lot here. A LOT. And still, no buds on the trees in my condo complex. There are buds everywhere else, but not where I live. There are crocuses and flowers, but no buds on the trees. I WANNA SEE BUDS!!!

April showers not only bring May flowers, but 75 percent of the planet's earthworm population out on the sidewalk.

I have one grey hair. Just one. I think I'm the only person who sees it. It hardly ever grows longer than an inch and is very wiry and out of control. I dread the day when my entire head of hair turns white.

I had an eye exam last week. Everything's fine, and I'm still able to see without glasses or contacts. Mama Cat, however, told me she's got the beginnings of cataracts, and she'll eventually need surgery. That's what prompted me to go.

I am addicted to the myFarm game on Facebook. I've got quite a little farm going. I'm doing rather well with my plants, which is surprising, considering I'm not a gardener in real life.

The UCONN women won the national title! Yahoo! And they had a perfect 39-0 season to boot!I shouldn't have stayed up to watch the game, but I did! That has only contributed to my fatigue!
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And now, we'll switch gears over to our Friday Focus, brought to you by the good people at Thrifty and Chic Mom.


Last week I focused on finishing Three Cups of Tea and starting A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. I have about 90 pages left of Three Cups of Tea. There are two reasons for this: one, I'm feeling the pull of the blog lately. I've had the need to write lately; it's been my creative outlet. Secondly, as I mentioned, I've been exhausted. I've been going to bed early, around 9:30 or 10, and I've been falling asleep shortly thereafter.

I did, however, get a good chunk of reading Three Cups of Tea done, and hope to have a review on it after Easter and Passover.

This week, I'm going to focus on finishing both of the aforementioned books, as well as finish some of the library books I took out a few weeks ago. Don't worry, I renewed! They're not overdue!
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Now we'll switch gears again over to Friday Fill-Ins, brought to you by the good people at...Friday Fill-Ins!

1. Anonymous...boy, this person sure has written a lot of poems.

2. April 15th is a day that is fast approaching. For procrastinators, it's D-Day.

3. Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, and then I shall fart in your general direction.

4. Taking long walks outside is what I look forward to most about Spring.

5. Who needs therapy when you can watch British and Canadian TV ads that feature Cadbury Creme Eggs bashing themselves?










6. Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs MUST go into the Easter Basket!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to chilling out with Mama and Papa Cat, tomorrow my plans include enjoying a gals' spa day with Mama Cat and Sister Kitten and Sunday, I want to enjoy a lovely Easter dinner with the whole fam!
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Now we'll honor one of our favorite bloggers, the lovely Miss Janna Bee, hostess of Friday Favorites.
If you're a regular here, and at Janna's, you know we've been sparring about the NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship. Our teams were both in the Final Four, and sadly, they both lost. :( Still, she was an awesome sparring partner! You, Janna, are one of my Friday Favorites!

And let's honor the other Michigan bloggers out there, Blueviolet and Vickie, both for having awesome blogs and being awesome friends!

Now we must honor the--COUGH--can I say this--COUGH--National Champions, the--COUGH, COUGH, COUGH--(Kitten says this in a very small voice)--North Carolina Tar Heels. Specifically, though, and more importantly, two very passionate Tar Heel fans who also happen to be friends of the Bookkitten--CDB of Fingers and Paws and Mimi Lenox. CDB was one of the ones who corrected me on the name Cheerwine. (Recall that I made a comment about "Cherrywine" earlier this week). I must say that I have never seen a bottle of Cheerwine in person, only in segments on Food Network. Remember, Kittens, I'm a Yankee. They don't sell this stuff up north.

Both CDB and Mimi are two of the best writers I know. Please check out their blogs! And while you're at Mimi's, make sure to pick up a peace globe. (Which reminds me, I haven't done that yet!)

What else has been a favorite this week? Well, let us now praise the almighty coffee bean. It's been a long, busy week. I've needed the java to get me going!

Another favorite? Hot cocoa. I picked up some hot cocoa mix at the grocery store last week. It's been such a nice treat to have on the rainy days. A book, hot cocoa, and a kitty in my lap...what could be better?

Finally, on a more personal, serious note...several weeks ago I blogged about my depression coming back. I wanted to let you know that things are much, much better now. Depression is an uphill journey, and it's not an easy one. I was very grateful to have recognized the symptoms and taken the steps to put myself back on a steady path.

You all have been really supportive of me. Many of you E-mailed me off-blog to ask how I was doing. I can't tell you how much that meant to me. I haven't met any of you in person, but I consider you all good friends. For that, I thank you.

If you celebrate the holidays, enjoy them! If not, have a great weekend!