It's my Thursday, but it Doesn't Feel Like it

I'm working away, tidying up loose ends and getting things ready for my two week departure. It feels like a Wednesday, just like any other. I keep waiting for the thrill of "work is over" to hit me, but it hasn't. Maybe I'll feel it when I awaken Friday morning.

I'm nibbling on too many treats. I'm going to be working my butt off come year's beginning. I guess that's the price you pay for all the goodies at Christmas time.

Weekend Statistics

The weekend got off to a great start. The girls and I enjoyed a quiet, snowy Saturday (the picture to the right is picturesque and visually similar to what we saw, but this is not in Utah). I attempted to shovel, but the snow fell as fast as I shoveled. Fun! When hubby came home, we ate too much and watched movies again. Sunday, I got the girls up (in plenty of time) got everyone dressed and headed out for church. Before hitting the very snowy, slushy, icy highway, I stopped at the post office and shipped my best friend's Christmas gift.

As I traveled the highway I thought after only a few minutes, I need to get off of here. I even called my mother to tell her that I may not make it. Well, first instincts weren't enough. I kept going, trying to make it to church. I got all the way into Salt Lake when, all of a sudden, I felt the wheel give and I went into a spin. The next thing I knew, we were careening across the highway. We slammed into the concrete guard wall and finally stopped. The babe was completely freaking out, while I (surprisingly) remained ultra calm. I called my mother to tell her what happened. Then, I called the police to notify them of the accident. Finally, I called the insurance company to report the crash. An hour later, highway patrol was guiding me off the highway to have me fill out a report. Hubby had arrived by then and I began to feel the stress of the event hit me and then leave almost as fast. Thank God for his ability to do that for me.

When we got home, he took good care of me. The girls seemed fine and, after breakfast, had a nice long nap. I wrapped a few Christmas gifts while they slept. The babe has become very inquisitive about our newly locked closet in the spare bedroom. She keeps wondering how gifts are magically coming out with me, all wrapped and ready for Christmas. I should tell her I have an elf living under the bed and see what she says to that!

So, I became one of the weekend stats.They talked about all the crashes that occurred, due to this weekend's big storm. There were approximately 221 in Salt Lake County alone. Dang it! Way to be a statistic!

Getting lost, Shopping on Thursday and Leftovers

I did as I said and went to Bath and Body works for my mother-in-law last night. Before that, however, I spent the evening driving around aimlessly...looking for my daughter. Here's the background:

I take my daughter and her little friend across the street to school most mornings, and her mother picks them up. I say "most" because sometimes children are ill or what have you and don't attend school. I should also say that mother-across-the-street and I have different ideas about education; I think it is most important and unless you are incredibly ill, your butt should be in school. She feels that if you have a slight headache, didn't get enough sleep or just plain don't want to go, you shouldn't have to. That being said, we aren't surprised when we get a phone call that Babe's little friend "isn't going to school this morning".

The other issue I have is that mother-across-the-street calls some afternoons with the most ridiculous excuses as to why she can't pick up the girls. One day, she actually called to say she couldn't find her purse. I didn't actually talk to her that day, but my cell phone had her name displayed when I got out of the shower. The Babe was home, but I called back anyway as a courtesy:

"Hey, mother-across-the-street. I saw that you called. I wasn't near my phone and just saw your number here."

"Oh, yeah. It's okay now. Never mind."

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I was just going to ask you if you could pick up the girls because I couldn't find my purse but, I found it." SMDH...

Anyway, yesterday she calls my cell five minutes before I'm supposed to leave the office. She says that she's taking her daughter to the eye doctor and wonders if she should take the Babe with her, or drop her off at her daughter's grandmother's house. She's taking her son there as well. I tell her it doesn't matter to me, whatever is easiest for her; however, if she takes her to grandma's house, I'll need directions because I've never been there before. Sure, she says. She proceeds to give me the house number than says,

"It's really easy to get there. You can just map quest it."

What the hell?! I'm getting ready to leave work and am in the process of shutting everything down. Can't she just say..."Go here, take a right when you get to this street, take a left." Is that so hard?! This was a case where technology was not on my side. I think even texting me directions would have been too difficult. Yeesh! So, I prevent the computer from shutting down and enter all the stuff into MapQuest. My girlfriend was at my desk at the time, so I was trying to talk to her and get the directions squared away, while my boss asked me about things too. Yep. I left work late.

Don't you know I drove to the daycare, picked up Indy, headed over to the area where grandma lives and got lost? I drove past her house at least once, but the street sign was missing. I'm very good with directions, so when a half-hour had passed and I still couldn't find her, I was pissed. I called mother-across-the-street at about the time I made another pass on the street with no street sign. Just as I was telling her I couldn't find it and could she guide me, I looked up and there it was; right on the street with not street sign. Nice. Now, we're fifteen minutes before gymnastics starts.

Grandma was very gracious and at least has some sense. She was going to get my number from the babe and call me herself, just as the babe was telling her she had gymnastics class. Once in her house, we exchanged information. This will not happen again.

So, I've got the babe and we head for home. She changes and grabs a snack, while I put away all my crap. Hubby calls and says he wants to go with us and is just down the street. I get the girls in the car and we wait in the driveway for him. Once he arrives, it's off to gymnastics class, then to Sam's Club to pick up the Babe's prescription of Flovent. While we wait, we meander around and eat samples. We now know that Indy digs beef jerky (she'd never had it before today). We also sampled seafood salad and Chex mix. The "poppers" guy was cooking, so we didn't get any of those. Prescription filled, we placed money in the Salvation Army tin and went to get gas. Um, $1.39 a gallon? Not since before my oldest child was born (eight years ago).

Off to the mall and madness. Shoppers were still everywhere, but not nearly as bad as they were on Saturday. The Bath and Body works was smattered with folks and happy sales people pounced on me when I walked through the door. I had to give it to the second gal who approached me. She worked there latest sales for everything they were worth. Normally, I don't give in but, it's freaking Bath and Body works! I spent $36.00 on $68.00 worth of stuff! Mother-in-law (and I) should be very, very happy.

Hubby had come in with me and I thought he was going to make some purchases too, then he opted to leave while I shopped. When I came out of the store, he was gone. I looked inside the closest stores and couldn't find him or Indy. Then, I slowly walked down the hall to the other end of the mall, peeping in stores to see if I could find them. I called his cell phone and considered having him paged. Finally, I sat at the bench outside of the store and hoped he would find me. Ten minutes later, my phone rings displaying a number I don't recognize.

"Hey, where are you?"

Ugh! I was so hot! Why not just tell me where you're going instead of disappearing into the mall of madness? We get to the car and argue/discuss it a bit. The conversation disappeared after that.

The rest of the evening was spent talking to the babe while she ate her Ramen noodles and I ate my leftovers (which were just as good the second time around). Hubby ironed and got things ready for work. When I got into bed, I read a magazine while he ate cereal and read a newspaper ad. We didn't say much, but by this time, I was well over it. When I turned off the light to sleep, he turned on his computer. I woke up around 11:oopm to gunfire (coming from his computer, of course). He was still up watching trailers. What the hell? Go to sleep, man!

The next time I woke up, it was to him groping me in his sleep. I guess arguments don't kill the fire...just the conversation. Happy Friday!

My Little Man has No Neck

Hubby has been working away from his regular work-site in an office setting for the past week. It's been "a learning experience" he says, but he also complains of boredom. I understand, honey. Anyway, he wore business casual the first day, his uniform that last two days, and business today and by business I mean he pulled out a dress-shirt and tie (yummy). The pants, unimportant. The shirt? An eggplant, long sleeve button-up with a starch-pressed collar. He pulled out the tie he wanted to wear last night. I had to help him tie it to prep for today (he's not a regular tie wearer, as you may have guessed). A half-Windsor knot, anyone?

We agreed to have lunch together today and I truly believe he was more excited about it than I was. It was so cute! He called to see where I was five minutes before our designated meet time. I was just around the corner, at this point. I scooped him up and we headed for a restaurant we hadn't tried before. When we got there, he took off his leather jacket and I saw him in all his splendor. I got one handsome man living with me, dang it! He doesn't accept compliments well because he doesn't really believe people when they tell him how awesome he is (silly man). He gave me a pitiful thank you, when I told him how dashing he looked then preceded to tell me that he was having wardrobe trouble this morning and that I was lucky to see him looking as decent as he was. It seems he hasn't worn the shirt for a while (no surprise here). When he got finished working out at the gym this morning, showered, then tried to dress in the business duds, he couldn't button the top button of his shirt.

"I was pretty much strangling myself," he said.

He ended up asking for help from one of his coworkers who had to perform the daring task. It's lucky that button didn't pop off and take out an eye! Despite all the trouble, I'm still reeling over how good he looked. He looks even better in a suit (another rare event).

Lunch was lovely at this quaint Chinese restaurant. Orange chicken with steamed brown rice, and egg roll and seafood chowder. I definitely had leftovers and will probably sup on those this evening for dinner. I really don't want to cook. The kids can have hot dogs (I'm such a concerned mother...wink, wink). We talked about work, current events and our own lives. It was the nicest lunch we've had in a long time. I told him he was my favorite person to dine with...

"Accept for your boyfriends, right?"

Snicker, snicker. Hubby's got jokes. He corrected himself and called them boy-toys. Still a negative, hubby.

Tonight's gymnastics night and I still need to go to the store and buy Bath and Body Works stuff for my mother in law (they don't have one where she lives). That should be an adventure. When we went to the mall on Saturday and entered that store, I quickly grabbed the Babe's hand and headed back out. The lines stretched all the way back to the entrance. Too nuts for me! Tonight should be a bit better, right? We'll see.

It's time to wrap all those presents I've been stashing away in my room since October. That's the plan for Saturday. I'll have to do Hubby's only, since he likes wrapping the children's gifts together. It's a race against time! How many presents can I wrap during their nap time? The babe sleeps an hour max, these days. Too bad I can't send her outside to play (see our forecast for the weekend).

Is there a way to extend weekends?!

They seem to be getting shorter and shorter. This weekend seemed to blink out of existence! What will happen when I get my Christmas time off? Will that be gone in a millisecond, too? Hubby was home and we decided to have family time, rather than go to the adult party we were invited to. It was so worth it! We ate (too much), played and watched lots of holiday movies, and a few we hadn't seen because of kid/home/work responsibilities. We talked about how good things are and how open we've become with each other. He mentions things in terms of "when we were apart" which always sends a shudder down my spine. Was it just a month and a half ago?

A Christmas favorite was in the player last night; Home Alone. Still a classic and a first-time watch for my two-year old who kept telling me about the "owies" the burglars had. It was pretty cute. The other night, we watched Toy Story (another first for Indy). Now, she keeps asking about "the cowboy" and "the toys". I wonder if she's of the belief that her toys come to life, now? I used to think that was the case before the movie ever came out.

I'm playing the Sims again. Ugh! That game is the devil! I'm better at stopping and saving, but I'm still playing it a lot more than I should. I try to find time when the kids and hubby aren't around so that I'm not accused of using family time for "game" time. (I used to fuss at hubby about being on the computer when I wanted to spend time with him.) I can't have him accusing me of doing the same. Anyway, I played this weekend and will probably play during the Christmas break when the kids are sleeping. It's so addictive! My neighbor said she was addicted to the PC version. I can't imagine ever getting off the computer if I had it. There are so many upgrades!

It's baking season and all I've baked are packaged cookies from my daughter's fundraiser this year. Where are the cakes? Where are the pies? I've got to get cracking! Oh, and there's still a small treasury of Halloween candy (so sad). Hubby purchased packages upon packages of Ghiradelli and now I'm afraid I'm going to grow to the size of a small barge! What's a girl to do?

Still Fighting...

I didn't sleep well at all last night. The night before, I felt like things were finally improving. I don't know if our being out and about in the cold last night set me back or what. All I know is that I started work an hour later and my head is killing me from coughing so much. I don't know if I can deal with another week of this, but I also don't want to go to the doctor just for codeine cough medicine. I'm switching up the drugs to see if it makes a difference. We'll see.

The weekend looks pretty promising. Hubby is off for the next few days, so I'm happy he'll be around. The other day, he did what he says he'll never do again (he ends up doing it almost every year); he climbed up on the roof and hung up Christmas lights. They are lovely! Blue icicle lights from the roof this year, white and blue lights on our trees, a fiber optic tree outside next to our garage and a Charlie Brown/Snoopy door ornament. He did good this year. I'll post pictures when I can.

Our newest dog got a new toy last night. We could hear her growling and playing with it for hours. I hope it lasts. Hubby says we should have bought two or three more like it, since she seems to chew up everything we buy her (ropes, tires, squeakies, etc...). So far, there are lots of teeth marks and I haven't found any little bits all over the floor.

Only two more weeks of work after today. Woohoo! Hope my cold is gone by Christmas.

Recovering Cough Addict

Yep! That's me in a nutshell. In my Monday school essay of, "How Did You Spend Your Thanksgiving," I would begin with, "First, I took a dose of Vicks Formula 44." The cold crept in on Tuesday and I got to work, only to find that one of my coworkers had one too...well, truthfully, his looked more like a sinus infection. Anyway, he was miserable and on Zicam while I was miserable and on nothing. By Tuesday night, the Vicks was in full effect and I was in sedation-land. I spent Wednesday fussing at my kids for getting on my nerves and getting into everything. Truth be told, I have much more fun with nothing to do than they do. I did make the waffles and despite my sickness, they were terrific!

Thursday, hubby was home and helped with kid management a bit before he went to the gym. When he came back, it was pretty much time to go and I was feeling crappy. The meal was divine (as was expected): Turkey, cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes, squash, brown rice, macaroni and cheese, turkey gravy, collard greens and apple tarts with caramel for dessert. Yum! My girlfriend and her hubby made their appearance. She seemed very happy with the spread (I hope it wasn't an act). :)

We cleaned up (hubby on wash and it was beautiful), then settled in for a movie. Hubby was ready to go a lot earlier than I expected (but, to be fair, my sister was acting extra "special" and he could only take so much). We left at around seven and went to bed almost immediately. Friday, I found things for the girls to do, which gave me time to rest. Saturday, it was more of the same. I knew my vacation was coming to a close and felt bad that I'd spent most of it hacking and regurgitating through most of it. I wonder if my coworker was in the same boat? Guess I'll find out later today.

Tomorrow begins the interviews. We will be bringing someone in who will supervise us. It's weird to me because I've worked for my boss for nearly eight years. Now, someone else will be hired to supervise and guess who'll most likely train him/her? I'm not sure how I feel about that. Truth be told, I could have applied for the position...but I did not want to give up my telecommuting option. That's been too good and I can't stop now. I'm praying that whomever we hire is a kindred spirit and will work out for us...all of us. My sick coworker thinks that they'll be moving my boss into some sort of non-managerial spot. I wonder if this is true? Hubby says that if this does happen, he hopes it's somewhere that's needed a not a position that they'll phase out in months because of "management changes". That would be very sad.

Vacation Begins

I'm off for the rest of the week! Woohoo! I don't really have any special plans, except for the ones I've mentioned in previous posts. A little news, though. I did contribute to the 70million Twilight received over the weekend. I took my eldest on Sunday (a little mommy-daughter bonding time). She loved it! When I asked her what her favorite part was, she said (and I kid you not),

"It's a little inappropriate, mom."

"Inappropriate?"

"The kissing."

"Oh! Well, that's not really inappropriate, honey. It's okay if you liked the kissing."

Too cute! I asked her if her teacher enjoyed the series and she said that her teacher didn't like the books. I was surprised. Seems like everyone Mormon lady I come into contact with is either in the midst of one of the novels or is in the midst of rereads. I will now begin the second book for the babe, since she is now completely enthralled with the characters.

I was thinking I'd make waffles for breakfast in the morning. Doesn't that sound good? I haven't made them in a while, primarily because cleaning the waffle iron is a bitch. But, you gotta do these things every now and again, right? (wink, wink)

I wish hubby were off. This is really his three day break, but he scheduled OT so, no hubby tomorrow. I'll get him Thanksgiving day, though, and that makes me happy. I'm a little worried about him. One of his best friends is having marital troubles. The friend has been calling a lot and I'm glad hubby is there for him, but I wonder if the friend just doesn't need to get away for a while. He's in the midst of starting his own business, but wifey is not as supportive as she once was. In these economic times, the stress level is high for both of them. I can only hope that their faith and prayers (ours too) see them through this.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Meme for Holiday Week

I've seen it on about five blogs, so here's mine:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible or Quran
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (been on the shores...does that count?)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

How about you?

Thanksgiving Traditions

So, hubby owns the Audi and he's very happy. The payment is pretty much nothing, so he can still pay off the old car and/or get it fixed up and sold (I'm hoping the latter). The girls like the car too, but I'm wondering if their song will change once summer is here again; leather interior...sticky, sticky. I've yet to ride in it myself, but am looking forward to a smoother ride than that Galant, crap.

A friend of mine is coming with me to my mother's for Thanksgiving. I extended an invitation last year, when she told me about her then boyfriend (now husband) and his family's tradition of eating fish-heads. Ugh! Eyes and everything! She declined, but regretted it soon after. This year, she asked if the invitation still stood. When I told her it did and asked if she was coming, she resounded with a, "Hell yes!" My mother is a southern-style, Thanksgiving type chef. It's a meal to end all meals and I'm hoping my friend will be pleased (she's preggers and some food just isn't agreeing with her these days).

Traditionally, my mother prepares an exquisite meal, even breaking out the fancy dinner ware for the event. We usually eat, talk then relax in her living room with a movie. Most times, she misses the movie to try and clean the dishes. Of course, I assist and my sister helps too. Hubby used to help, until he started finding his way to the couch too soon after the feast. These past few years, he's passed out just in time for dish washing. That will not be the case this year. He's been fore warned of the wrath that will come down from his loving wife if he sticks me with the dishes alone again.

My mother also picks Thanksgiving day to kick off the Christmas festivities; she watches Home Alone or Christmas Vacation. Myself? We decorate the house and tree on black Friday while simultaneously watching either Meet Me in St. Louis or White Christmas. We save Scrooged and A Christmas Story for Christmas eve. Aside from the movies and decorating, Christmas songs become acceptable again. Yes. I know many a radio station is already planning Christmas tunes and has since the start of November, but that's just too damn early for us. We've just been avoiding them when we can. About a month of Silver Bells and The Christmas Song is all I can take (although, don't get me wrong...I love Christmas music).

I've talked to more and more people who, like me, hide out on Black Friday. I think it's the safest thing to do, myself and question the sanity of those who meticulously plan then run around from store to store on a combat mission. I think they're just asking for trouble. Personally, I think it's much more fun to watch the newscasters talking about the madness that occurred, than actually being there. Is it necessary for someone to bite someone else for the last Tickle Me Elmo Extreme? I don't think so.

I was trying to think of new traditions to include for Turkey-day and I think I have an idea: I'll have the girls help make breakfast that morning or the following Friday morning. It will probably give them such a kick to eat the food they helped prepare. We've done cookies and such, but never an entire meal.

Oh! The babe ended up making the turkey-hand out of construction paper last Saturday. She had such a good time. I also printed several Thanksgiving coloring pages for her and she got a kick out of that, too. I'll have to remember that anything art related is going to make her happy. Maybe I'll check out a book on comic drawing or something for this weekend.

I think the travelers have started leaving already. We were out taking the babe to dance class tonight and the traffic was insane! I told hubby that I thought it was those folks who want to get a jump on their traveling or camping plans. I guessed that their last day was today and that the roads will be saturated with RVs and SUVs tomorrow. Thank goodness I don't have to drive into work. If that's really what's happening, I want to stay out of their way. Happy travels to Grandma's house!

This is what my hubby owns; a 2004, Mitsubishi Galant. It is, simply, a crappy car. I've thought so since he purchased it. When he purchased the car used, it didn't have problems, it was visually appealing (inside and out) and functioned exactly how I expect a car to function. With all of this, I still thought it was crappy (he had the choice between this and a Honda Accord...after owning a Diamante, I knew the Accord would be better all around). But, men. You can't tell them anything. I'm sure "style" was a huge factor in his choice (whether he wants to admit it or not).

Over time, weird noises had begun to imminent from this machine. After a routine oil change, the service light "magically" illuminated and wouldn't go off. Check after check by the mechanics came up empty...until, yesterday. Basically, his catalytic-converter has issues and there is "engine noise". He's logged over 100,000 miles on the car and still owes quite the pretty penny (he was in a Silverado at one point and the payment for that got wrapped up into this car...nice). Heading home, the car completely stopped and he had to have it towed back to the mechanics. It seems the recently added timing belt has worn away...lovely.

He made phone call after phone call yesterday; our credit union, the dealer who sold me my car, various owners selling their used vehicles, etc... His car, quite simply, is done (do I tell him, "I told you so," now?). He was so depressed, the only thing he'd had to eat was a protein shake (poor guy). With his research into these other cars, he's actually researching...not just going on what other people have said and how it looks (although, the car he's looking at is pretty fabulous). The good news is that Consumer Reports rates it well, which is okay by me. The babe road in it for the test-drive and loved it. Is this our newest car? We'll see.

My Hobby

I have a hobby, but I don't always think of it as a hobby and I've decided I need to put more emphasis into it. I say this and then life will inevitably rear it's nutty head and the hobby will be placed on the back burner again. What's my hobby? Why, photography, of course. I take pictures of everything! Right now, I'm more digital than I'd like to be. It's great for our current modes of communication, but the quality isn't what I prefer.

I spent a decent amount of money on a gently used Nikon camera a few years ago, that has been rendered pretty useless. The flash foot is defective, so I can't attach a good, high-powered flash (thus, get the kind of pictures I'd like to develop and display). I get into a mode where I desperately search for a new camera and look out for good deals, then I loose my momentum. I've got to stay motivated because I see my skills improving with every, organized shot I make (organized as opposed to the candid shots I take of my kidlets on most days). This fall has been more spectacular than it's been in a long time. I see things that I think, "Oh, that would make such a pretty picture." I try to take the shot as I see it with my Olympia digital camera, and the results are no where near what my eye has beheld. It's very frustrating.

I'd been wondering what to tell my hubby when he asks me (as he does every year) what I want for Christmas. I was going to give him my standard "video list" and just be satisfied with whatever he found, but now I'm thinking it's time to ask for the camera. I'll be checking out sites and figuring out what an amateur like me would be happy with for a little while. The motivation to search is the hard part because I think about how many other things I need to be doing for other people. Hubby and I have this in common; it's hard to focus on ourselves for too long.

Speaking of Christmas, I'm starting to feel it...you know, that wonderful, warm holiday feeling that starts to spread. Sort of like what happens when you drink a spirit; it warms you from your head to your toes. Last year, it was mid December before my brain finally caught up to the fact that the holidays were upon me. I think I might have the girls do some sort of holiday craft this weekend. Lord knows they need something else to do besides ask me a million questions about random stuff. I'd rather they ask me about something fun. What should we make, I wonder? Something without too many small pieces, so that my little one doesn't inadvertently stick one in her mouth (or gets caught in my vacuum). Something that isn't incredibly messy, but still allows them to get their creative juices flowing. Any ideas?

I said, "No".

Hubby asked this weekend about training me again. As soon as he asked, a sick feeling came over me. It's hard to describe but, I just couldn't face up to it. It wasn't horrible the last time, I just didn't lose anything. I hated all the work I was putting into it, only to get a little toner (hell, I can do that myself). I also hated feeling like I was so restricted from the foods I love. When I was losing weight before, I had a regime with the ability to splurge...even daily, if I chose to. So, I declined and he was totally bummed (although he didn't say so initially). I just want to do this myself when I'm ready, and for the most part, I'm ready. I've done okay today and will do the best I can each day. When I slip up, there's always tomorrow. Perhaps when I'm closer to my goal (whenever that is), I'll request his help for plateau breaking.

I've been re-watching the Matrix movies. Some of the dialogue was and still is extra cheesy. The action and concepts? Still, spectacular! I don't think anything has come close to duplicating it, yet. Nearly ten years ago since the first movie's release (can you believe it?!), our special effects are ten times what they were then and yet, we're still in the land of remakes. What gives? Why do I have to be subjected to re-dos of classics. They're classics, for goodness sakes. Leave 'em alone!

My oldest, the Babe, is developing her boobies. Oh, God! When did that happen? She mentioned a training bra in the store, yesterday. When her dad teased her about it, she said, "Mind your own business, daddy. This is woman talk." Well, I thought she was just blowing off steam, and didn't think too much about it. Then, last night as she was hugging me for bed, I brushed her chest lightly and noticed a bump. I made a mental note to see for myself this morning.

I can't believe I did that, but it was certainly necessary. As she got ready in the bathroom today, I had her turn around. Sure enough, little buds are on the rise. She's 8, for goodness sakes! Oh, man. It's a good thing that, Are you there, God? It's Me, Margaret. is on my roster for her to read within the next two months (She started on Iggie's House this morning). I didn't start my period until two years after my breasts appeared (a whole C-cup at ten, thank you very much). It can't hurt for her to be aware of this, now.

I suppose I know how I missed it. She's been getting ready on her own in the mornings for a bit, but I still help out with the occasional baths (she typically takes showers). I guess a lot can happen in a short period of time. She's been wearing deodorant since she was six. Now, I'm wondering if a razor isn't needed under the arms. I guess I better check all that out, too.

How about a training bra as a Christmas gift? Do you think that will score me points? Hopefully, she won't need one before then.

When Molesting Your Husband is the Only Thing on Your Mind

I don't know what's got into me! He's been working hard and working-out hard. He's extra sore and when he gets up from sitting for a while, he sort of reminds you of the grandpas who only walk a few steps a week. Yet and still, I'm all over him. He's not complaining, of course. Maybe it's all the damn candy in the house or the cold weather that's settling over Utah. Whatever it is, it has me seeking him out like crack to a crackhead. I gotta have him!

Last night's tryst was fabulous, but I was aching for more this morning. When I woke up, of course he wasn't there. Damn personal training clients cutting into my nookie time. What the hell?! I guess there's tonight. I cooked dinner for tonight's dinner, last night; spaghetti with a choice of marinara meat sauce or garlic and herb sauce (with chicken). So, no fussing over dinner preparation to cut into more time. Oh, the kids. I guess we'll find something for them do. You know, it gets harder and harder to be expressive the older they get. At least the babe isn't busting into our room asking what we're doing anymore. It's only a matter of time before the youngest has her turn.

In other news, I'm nearly done with Christmas shopping. I haven't purchased anything for my mother yet, I'm watching auctions for my sister's gifts and hubby (who is always tricky), is still on my shopping list. Aside from a bit of clothing purchases for the kids, everyone else is done. Hooray! Hubby must be getting into the spirit because he wanted to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving last night (which we did). Both of us love the part where Snoopy's literally throwing the plates at the kids at the table. We always crack up.

"Toast, a pretzel stick, popcorn...what kind of Thanksgiving feast is this?!" Peppermint Patty

History is Made

Congratulations Mr. President-Elect!

This is Halloween...Pumpkins Scream in the Dead of Night...

(It's been my ring tone and I can't get that song out of my head, now!)

So, another Halloween has come and gone. There's enough candy in our house now to make the witch's cottage in Hansel and Gretel. We weren't able to give our own candy out for trick or treaters (and my hubby always buys a ton) so, now it's stuck in our house. I will be taking it to work for the next few months, for sure. Otherwise, we'd all have teeth that look like Indian corn for Thanksgiving. Nice.

Halloween day was spent at my office, trick or treating from cubie to cubie. My kids ended up with an extra bag because their own bags were filled to the brim. Pictures were taken and compliments exchanged. They had a blast! We came home, ate lunch and napped for a bit. I started watching a movie (texting a friend in the process), when she decided to call. An hour and a half later (and still on the phone), I put the girls in the tub.

Halloween night, (and still on the phone), my hubby's coworker's wife calls and invites us over for dinner and trick or treating. Now dressed in a costume from 2002, we venture over and enjoy soup in soup bowls shaped like pumpkins, pumpkin cookies and toasted pumpkin seeds. We also had hot wassail with rum...yum! The kids went around the neighborhood with hubby. They didn't get nearly the haul they would have gotten in our own neighborhood or what they received at my office. Of course, it still added to the pounds and pounds at home.

The evening wore on with more drinking and laughter. We left around 11:00 with two, very tired but happy children. Hubby was still swimming from his vodka cocktail in the 32 ounce cup. I had to strip him down and put him to bed. At one point, in his drunken stupor, he had turned on the oven to cook something. Good thing I saw him do it.

Saturday, another day of pounding and nailing. Men-folk were over to put shingles on the new deck roof. Good thing they did before the rains came (Sunday) or the plywood would have been totally done for. I was feeling great about the work until hubby had to buy more supplies (around $700 worth). Ugh! Home repairs and upgrades. If you don't have a home now, but plan to buy, just be aware of what you're getting into. It never ends!

Sunday after church, I came home and made loads of pancakes and bacon for my kids (who were too thrilled about having more sugar). I completed the brunch with a little lef-over Indian lunch from Friday (Chicken Saag and Naan) and some refried beans. Hubby came home later with Wendy's, then we topped off the evening with Totino's pizzas for dinner. I'm pretty much dieting for the rest of the month until Thanksgiving, after that food-fest (not to mention all of the candy I nibbled on through the day). Phew! I'll be sucking down water and eating fiber to try and feel like me again. I suppose hubby's doing the same thing.

What do you think?

My "reclaimed" friend who found me a couple of weeks ago, mentioned in email that the guy I saw in high school is still unmarried and childless. I adored this guy, back in the day and had his focus been different, I probably would have hung on for the long haul. I think it's interesting that he's not attached (not surprising, though).

So, here's a question: for single people dating, is there a certain age where you question things if the potential mate has never been married? My mother has said that there is for her. For her age, though, she's only letting in the divorced or widowed. I guess I would too. If you're over 60 and you've never been married, I think I would be asking, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Halloween Parties and Too Much Food

Early Friday evening, we took the kids to the community party at the local junior high. Hubby wasn't going to come. He said, "If I'm taking them trick or treating, then you can take them to the party. I can only take so many times out with lots of kids." However, when I was about to walk out the door, he decided to come along. I was very happy about this. The girls finally got to see (and wear) their costumes. My youngest kept trumpeting like an elephant and every time I looked for her, she was standing in a mirror admiring her trunk. Her sister was thrilled with her ensemble as well. We took a few pictures before we left, then I put the camera away. I regret not having taken it with me.

At the school, there were air-filled bouncers, games, a picture booth, a cake-walk and loads of treats. The Babe found a friend from school almost as soon as we walked in the door. Then, off she went. Hubby, Indy and I walked around visiting the booths and hubby took Indy through the cake walk. She also got her fill of sugar-cookies shaped like pumpkins. Hubby and I were in tears laughing when one kid in a horror mask turned around. Indy gave a shriek and said something like, "Scary! Go away!" Kids are brutally honest, aren't they?

After the party, we got the kids home and fed. Hubby and I got dressed in our own costumes. Hubby looked fabulous in his pimp gear, complete with light-blue, polyester pants, jewel encrusted patent leather shoes, purple velvet hat, cane and bling for days! My make-up took longer than anything else I had to do. Here's a breakdown:

• Cleansed and moisturized face
• Applied oil-free foundation
• Applied powder
• Filled in brows with brow pencil. Then, brushed.
• Blended sparkly, duster gold shadow to mask area (around eyes, outer eyes & nearly to cheeks)
• Applied blue, Maybelline shadow to crescent of lid
• Applied purple, L.A. Colors shadow to mid-level lid
• Applied old gold mac pigment as highlighter to lid directly below brow
• Lined upper and lower lids with black, liquid eyeliner
• Applied "Pixie Dust" lashes to upper lids only (I'll do the lower ones on Friday)
• Placed acrylic jewels to center forehead and around eyes with lash glue
• Added light blush to cheeks
• Rubbed on glitter gloss and a touch of Ruby Berry lipstick. Phew! Finally done.

Then, we took them to my mother's for an over-nighter. Once we got back in town, we were hungry, so we stopped and picked up a snack at Wendy's. After the snack, we headed over to the house party. The house was decorated well, but there wasn't a lot of furniture. I couldn't tell if they were just getting settled or had moved furniture out for the party. It was a large home with three levels. We were on the second level, primarily (going into the garage for "Jungle Juice" every so often).

I stayed with hubby for the most part, but then journeyed with the other ladies for Jager shots (oh, why!). I've never had Jager and I just knew I was in for it. Surprisingly, it didn't have the effect I thought it would. I was buzzed and very happy, but no where near as drunk as they were. I'm usually a light weight, as I've said. Hubby said it has to do with the make up of the liquor. Who, knows.

We drank, we ate we danced until nearly two in the morning. About the time people were getting too "loose", we made our exit. We stopped for a late, late dinner and brought it home to eat and discuss the antics of those at the party. It was a nice night. Five hours later, we awakened and got ready to pick up the kids.

Saturday was spent a bit at my mother's, talking to her about all manner of things. Then, we got on the topic of dogs and she mentioned seeing one in the classifieds that might be perfect for us. Hubby called and after several calls and tries, we found our way to their home. The dog was beautiful! A fawn colored great Dane only one year old. A perfect pal and trainee for our old gentleman at home (he's 8, now). We wanted to acclimate another pet before he checked out. Not that he's ailing, but he's old and a friend is always nice.

Later in the day, hubby picked her up and brought her home. She's wonderful! She doesn't chew, doesn't go in the garbage, obeys commands and is oh, so affectionate. She's under weight, but we'll be able to fix that with no trouble. She's a lazy girl like our old gentleman, so she's quite mellow. We love her! We think she's a good fit for us.

Sunday, I missed church and opted to stay home with hubby. We lounged around, ate a huge breakfast and took naps for the better part of the morning. By afternoon, we met my mother and sister at the park again for a walk with the dogs. I don't know how we did it, but we managed to get both large dogs in my car! They had fun on our nearly two mile hike and we fed the horses apples again (I left the sugar cubes, but won't do that again...they were missing them). The weekend was terrific until...hubby and I got into it Sunday night. He slept on the couch. Today, he's running errands. I've asked him to talk to me, but he's avoiding. He can't avoid all day. We have to work through our issues when they happen. We still have lots of work to do. Have a good week!

Can't Keep Up!

I can't believe how busy I've been these last few days (must be the busy karma sleigh ride I'm on from the weekend). My coworker (the new one) is busy on a project, which leaves me with the remainder of the job duties. I just can't seem to catch up. My email is at a stop for the moment, so I thought I'd at least indicate that I was still alive and well. Hubby has moved most of his stuff back in, today was picture day for my daughter (last night, I did her hair - crochet braids as usual -but I cut in bangs this morning. She's awfully cute), and we're planning on attending a Halloween party tomorrow.

Honestly, I can't remember the last time I went to a party with my hubby. We had my sorority ball earlier in the year, but that's very different. The object of this party is to dress-up and get as drunk as possible. I will not be getting drunk because I plan on being stunning (well, at least super cute). I don't know anybody that looks stunning while slurring their words and spilling tequila all over themselves.

So, more to come later. I hope to have carving pictures here at some point. We have four pumpkins straight from the patch that need gutting soon. Then, I can toast the seeds. That was so tasty last year!

New Deck Cover and Furniture

This was a truly, very busy weekend. Saturday, I woke up with hubby at around 7ish to his making a call on his cell phone. His friend was nearly at our house to help build the deck cover. He jumped out of bed (as did I) and dressed faster than I've ever seen him dress, brushed his teeth and met his buddy outside, just as he was pulling up. They worked on that deck from sun up to sun down (literally). It's amazing! I can't believe the deck looks bigger (and it was already huge). The only thing left to do is to shingle the top and treat the wood for the weather.

When friend-builder left our home at around 7ish, my sister arrived to take care of my kids. I took hubby out for a nice dinner, a lovely cocktail and pleasant conversation. After the day he'd had, he needed it. We went for Mexican...chowing down the tortillas entirely too fast and laughing it up after our margaritas went straight to our heads. I waited a bit before I got in the car to drive. One cocktail and my head was swimming (I seriously can't hold my liquor...light weight all the way).

Sunday, we went to church as usual. When I got home, I put my girls down for a nap then preceded to sweep all the saw dust off the deck then put all of the deck furniture back on all by myself. By this time, hubby called to tell me he'd found bedroom furniture for the babe (after six years, her crappy particle board furniture was falling to the ground). He said the guy would be delivering, just as he (hubby) was getting home from work. This meant mom and the babe had to hustle to get her room cleaned and cleared out before he got home. I went in like a hurricane! Pretty much every answer to her, "Mom, what should I do with this," question was, "Throw it away." I wasn't messing around! There were things that frightened me in that room. How could one little girl be that much of a pack rat?!

By the time hubby got home, all we had left was to disassemble her bed and vacuum. I managed to get everything else out and disassembled in record time. The guy arrived about ten minutes after hubby and he stuck around to help assemble and put everything in. The furniture belonged to his daughter (now 18) who inherited it from her great aunt. From my guess, it's probably from the sixties, but in really good condition and it's all wood. This stuff ain't fallin' apart any time soon (how about any time in the next twenty or so years).

After all this, we drove south towards my mother's home and took our dogs walking on the new trail by her house. It was a lovely walk and we fed the horses we saw apples and sugar cubes (my girls got a big kick out of that). My mom said, based on her pedometer, we managed a two mile walk. It really didn't seem like that much, so I must be in better shape than I thought.

After the walk, hubby treated us to KFC for dinner. I'm pretty sure the grease is what had my stomach spinning at 2:00am this morning. I didn't have to go to the bathroom until 3:30, but I did manage to get in a half hour's worth of work before the chicken grease showed up again. Nice. I told my boss (by voice mail of course, since he's not there even now) that I was going to take a half day and get my stomach back under control. I should have known better; all that activity, then dumping a quart of grease on my insides, does not a happy girl make.

Oh, and least I forget...hubby is moving back in. Certainly this, a happy girl makes.

Out of the Blue

When I came to work on Tuesday, I had a message from someone I went to high school with. I haven't talked to her in years! I was thinking about her a few weeks ago, though and ironically, she's had another baby. Is that why I was thinking about her? I usually act on those impulses, but I didn't have a number or a way of reaching her. Funny (strange) that she should contact me.

History

So, this friend (I'll call her Kay) and I met sort of by accident. I was friendly with a friend of hers (Ann) who had a class with me. Ann and I were on the phone, when she conferenced-in Kay to ask her a question (this was when three-way was just emerging and was so popular). Well, she had someone on the phone with her and she conferenced him in (four people total, now). We all started chatting and stuff but soon, I had to get off the phone. Later, Kay told me that she asked Ann if she could get my number from her to call me sometime.

So, the friendship began. We were thick as thieves in some respects, and perfect strangers in others. I considered her to be my wild friend, in that she always seemed to have a boyfriend (or two, or three) and a guy waiting in the wings. I lived vicariously through her because I never had that sort of attention from the boys (as I've stated before, they were afraid of me). We also had our notebook. It was exchanged during classes, courtsey of an empty locker located between our two lockers (consiquently, borrowed clothing found its way into this locker, too). I'd write a note, then she'd write one. I still have these notebooks full of the things that make life so important in high school. They're actually quite comical (I'll need to dig them out soon).

After high school, we stayed in touch and I'd visit when I could. When I moved, we would call or email each other but we didn't stay in consistent communication with each other. That's her m.o.; her consistency was/is her inconsistency. I know when I fall out of touch with her, it will inevitably come back. Seems it has, now.

How Does it Feel?

When I first talked with her, it was like old times. We fell back into our familiar friendship with the only difference being the addition of children. She sent me pictures and I sent her some. It was good and it brought back lots of memories. The other thing it did, which I wasn't expecting at all, was awaken this feeling of loose ends. I have loose ends in my life. People that I never really said goodbye to or "finished up" with. We were just left "hanging" for lack of a better word. What can I do about this? Not a whole lot, but I don't think it's that unfortunate. Perhaps I'm done with these people and that's simply the way it is. Will they resurface? I've had two people do that in the past, but not the two I was expecting. Which leads me to believe that others feel the way I do. So, I may get some more "out of the blue" calls. Maybe this is only the beginning.

Ah, Romance!

Tuesday was looking like it was going to be just another boring Tuesday. Hubby had to go in for training, so he was really not looking forward to the day (it would mean being in town 3 hours longer than normal). When his lunch break came, he called and told me he was running some quick errands. I suggested he take me to lunch (as I always do, on the few times he can get away during the day) and he let me know that their breaks were no longer the length they used to be. Bummer. So, I went to the break room to heat my oh-so-fabulous Lean Gourmet meal and talk politics with co workers when a friend came in.

"Hey. You need to go back to your desk right away."

"Huh?!"

"Yes. Now. Come on, let's go."

"Um. Okay."

"Just trust me. I wouldn't ask you if it weren't important. Now, would I lie to you?"

"Uh, I guess not."

Hurriedly, we started walking back towards my desk when I looked over cubie-land and saw my darling hubby standing by my desk. I was elated. I came over, hugged him and introduced him to my coworkers. It's been ages since he's been to the office! He used to come fairly frequently and take me to lunch or just stop by and say hi. This particular time, there were flowers. Lovely! My boring Tuesday became super special in seconds.

As I walked him out to his car, there were lots of "I love yous" and "I miss yous" exchanged. He let me know he was thinking of me, which meant the world. I spent the rest of the day beaming and floating in the scent cloud the flowers provided. Truly a wonderful day.

When I got home, hubby called to tell me he would be coming over. He asked if he had any workout clothes left at the house, so he could just work out in town then come back to the house. He was planning on staying over. After picking up the babe, we sat up and watched The Happening, while nibbling Kahlua cake I'd made for the neighbors. Another night-cap of passion followed and more talk of his coming home (which I'm hoping is closer to happening). We still have yet to have our "talk" (due to both of us being uber stressed last Saturday), but we both agree it still needs to happen. I remind him, though, that much has come out during this time that we've both actively made changes around.

I completely understand his fear; we've come so far to have it back-fire. We're really so very happy, right now.

My Sunday Morning

Um, yeah. I'll have more to post later but...I can't even tell you how weird this was...waking up to this on October 12th.

From La Bella Noire...Wow! Another award!!

When you receive the prize you must write a post showing it, together with the name of who has given it to you, and link them back.

Choose a minimum of 7 blogs (or more) that you find brilliant in their content or design.

Show their names and links and leave them a comment informing they were prized with ‘Honest Weblog’. (I’m lazy today, but I will try to get around to commenting)

Show a picture of those who awarded you and those you give the prize (optional).

List [if you can and or dare] at least ten honest things about yourself. And then, pass it on.

My seven (um, five...there are only a handful of blogs I read these days. Too busy):

Radio Ventriloquist
Miss Construed
Maintain Sane
Fried Chicken and Manduros
Soshallitbe

Ten honest things about me:

1 ) I love, love, love horror movies and honestly would love the opportunity to work on set or help with a screenplay. Too many repeaters around right now. It's time for originality.

2 ) Disco is not dead. It reigns supreme in my car (singing at the top of my lungs).

3 ) I love to cook, but don't have the time I'd like to spend doing it as well as I think I can. Around Christmas, I'm the baking queen.

4 ) I'm not a fan of the great outdoors. Hubby's always trying to camp and stuff, but I believe in showers and mattresses.

5 ) Was totally addicted to the Travel Channel before we ditched satellite.

6 ) I'm afraid of my talent. I've been told over and over again that I can sing, but I never believe it.

7 ) I think, "Lady in the street but a freak in the bed," was coined about me. You just never know about some people.

8 ) I love, love, love to travel and want to do lots of it once I'm retired. I just hope I can afford it then (our economy...does it have a snowball's chance?!).

9 ) I was never in fights in school, but the friends I kept had all been in their share. I guess they were sort of my body guards.

10 ) When I was an extra on a popular t.v. show, I hoped it would lead to more offers. It did, but I haven't done any more spots. I really, really want to.

Weather Alert!

Hubby stayed the night to keep me warm. He's still here, snoring beside me. I'm glad he's here to keep me warm because my weatherbug just screamed this at me:

ALERT 1 - Winter Storm Warning

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM MDT SUNDAY
Issue Time: 5:16AM MDT, Saturday Oct 11, 2008
Valid Until: 4:00PM MDT, Saturday Oct 11, 2008
Back to summary

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM MDT SUNDAY
UNTIL 4:00PM MDT
Urgent - Winter Weather Message National Weather Service Salt Lake City UT 516 AM MDT Sat Oct 11 2008



Cache Valley/Utah Portion-Northern Wasatch Front- Salt Lake And Tooele Valleys-

... Winter Storm Warning In Effect From 11 AM This Morning To 6 PM MDT Sunday...

The National Weather Service In Salt Lake City Has Issued A Winter Storm Warning For Heavy Snow... Which Is In Effect From 11 AM This Morning To 6 PM MDT Sunday. The Winter Storm Watch Is No Longer In Effect.

This Warning Is For The Cache Valley And The Northern And Central Wasatch Front Including Logan... Ogden And Salt Lake City.

Snowfall Totals Of 2 To 6 Inches... With Higher Amounts East Of The Great Salt Lake And On The Benches... Are Expected By Sunday Afternoon. Although Snow Amounts May Not Be Exceptionally Heavy In All Areas... The Wet Snow Falling On Trees That Have Yet To Lose Their Leaves May Result In Tree Damage And Localized Power Outages.

Rain And Snow Will Spread Into The Western Valleys This Morning Then Change Over To Snow By Late Morning Or Early Afternoon. The Snow Will Continue... Possibly Heavy At Times..Into The Day On Sunday. The Greatest Accumulation Should Be East Of The Great Salt Lake Where Lake Effect Snow May Develop. The Snow Should Diminish By Late In The Day On Sunday.

A Winter Storm Warning Means Heavy Snow Is Expected Or Occurring. Travel Difficulties Can Be Expected As Roads May Be Slick. Slow Down And Use Caution While Driving. For Winter Road Conditions From The Utah Department Of Transportation Visit... Http://Www.Udot.Utah.Gov Or Dial 511

Um, Autumn?!

So, does this look like fall weather? It's looking a little chilled to me for the weekend. So much for the corn maze. I was going to do it last weekend, but it rained the entire time (I did manage a steamy cup of Stephen's Cocoa, Tasha and it was divine! I sat in my window seat, staring out at the cool downpour, while I read and sipped.) At the time, I thought, "Well, I give it a go next weekend" but, no dice. I suppose cleaning out the Babe's room will be the bulk of our activities, now.

The room is an issue. The furniture is falling apart and she's an 8 year old pack-rat. I can't stand it anymore! I'm going in like the terminator and wiping shyt out. Seriously! She's got DVD shelves on the floor, using them as a make-shift desk. What the hell?! Markers, crayons, paper and other miscellany are shoved under her mattress. How did they get there? It's time to regulate. Remember that song? Regulators? Mount up!

Then, perhaps a repeat of last weekend; a good book and cocoa. I put new seed in the bird feeder, so there will probably be lots of birds to ogle while we sip. Hubby says we're having a family date on Saturday, since going anywhere is sort of out of the question. I just hope we're in a goo frame of mind to enjoy it. The talk is slated for that day (originally, I'd thought Wednesday, but I got my dates confused).

Gotta work on a project. Later!

UPDATE (it's about 8:40pm): It's been a hard evening. I left work with a project looming over my head (which I was initially told had no time frame...then bossy says he needs it for a meeting tomorrow. Yikes! I came home and started working on it out of sheer panic). Normally, I would have cuddled with hubby and pushed away the darkness of the outside world, but I couldn't. He came over and it was nice to have him around. We grocery shopped with Indy, while the Babe was at gymnastics. We went home, put everything away and then he started packing up to leave. I was heartbroken. Still am. We just got off the phone and we're to make lists for tomorrow's meeting. We're going to try to keep it "light-hearted" so that we don't stress each other out. I'm all for that. My weatherbug says it's 48 degrees. Yeesh! That's almost winter weather. The wind is whipping around like crazy outside. I'm glad I put the flannel sheets on last night.

Because I've been a Little Gloomy-gus, lately...

I decided to lift from GC's site and do a more light-hearted post:

The Name Game

1.Your rock star name (first pet, current car):
Muff Puff Cruiser

2.Your gangsta name (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe):
Cherry Mule

3.Your Native American name (favorite color, favorite animal):
Purple Elephant

4.Your soap opera name (your middle name, city where you were born):
Lorraine Atlanta

5.Your Star Wars name (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name):
Stoman

6.Superhero name (2nd favorite color, favorite drink):
Black Mai Tai

7.NASCAR name (the first names of your grandfathers):
Willie Johnny

8.Dancer name (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy):
K.L. Chocolate Covered Cherry

9.TV weather anchor name (your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter):
Williams Waco

10.Spy name (your favorite season/holiday, flower):
Autumn Orchid

11.Cartoon name (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now):
Pineapple Shorts

12.Hippie name (what you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree):
Oatmeal Palm

13.Movie star name (first pet, first street where you lived):
Muff Puff Kurt

Missing You

Sunday afternoon morphed into Sunday evening quickly. Hubby gathered his things and departed, leaving me wondering if I was going to be able to sleep as well as I'd slept the night before. He's been vacillating over the idea of whether we're really working on issues, or spending so much time missing each other that we can't even see them anymore. I suppose it's true, but it's definitely hard to think clearly when you miss someone so much.

He called on the drive back and we talked for about half an hour. It was akin to our days as budding lovers. I could almost feel the same aura (if that's what you call it) around us as we talked. When I hung up, it was hard to sleep but somehow I drifted away. The phone brought me back with a start. I was sweating buckets under the extra blanket I'd thrown over the bed to duplicate hubby's heat (not the same at all...sincerely!). When I answered, I knew I sounded like I'd been running but I was still sort of asleep. Hubby was coming back. He got all the way there, then turned around. My heart lept into my throat. I couldn't believe how happy I felt. He was back and next to me, just as I was beginning to doze off again. Another night of extraordinary passion. What a way to cap off the weekend!

Monday, he was gone running errands and I worked up until around 12:30pm. Then, he was home and we ate lunch together and started a movie. Lunch over, I had a conference call to jump on then a few more items to clear up before ending the work day. He stuck around the entire time. The babe arrived home from school and started on her typing homework/drill. Hubby and I snuck off for another tryst in the spare bedroom downstairs. He reminded me that he wasn't expecting anything from me. I explained that I was taking all I could get while he was around. No shame.

Hubby's plans were to leave at 6:00, but we ended up shopping for holiday decor for the house then picking up dinner at McDonald's (so wonderful for my figure, I gotta tell you). It'd would have been okay if I'd gotten in my second workout but, oh well. The babe also received a very belated birthday gift by mail (a lovely winter coat from my father). At least it's something she can use and use a lot.

By 8:45, I was trying to convince hubby to stay. He didn't have clothes, but mentioned that it would have been so easy to "cave in" if they'd been here. The day had been restful, relaxing and fun. We are truly enjoying each other. On the phone (on his way back), he wondered when we would really dig into the troubles that began the separation in the first place.

"Let's do it," I said. The faster we can move through and make a plan for the future, the faster he can come back home. At least, that's my way of viewing things. So, the day of reckoning is supposedly Wednesday evening. We'll be discussing and documenting, so that we have reference for what we're going to do when things rear their ugly heads.

"I don't want to go back to the way things were, not when things are so good right now. If we did, I don't think either one of us could take it," hubby said. My hubby is wise and he constantly reminds me of how weak I can be. Not intentionally, of course...for my hubby sees me as being stronger than he is. I don't believe this is true at all.

Misunderstandings All Around

So, it turns out my hubby wasn't at work on Saturday. I went forward with my "no communication" plan and it sort of blew up in my face. Turns out he didn't say he was calling me back for sure. He only said that he might. He ended up out and about with his phone off, so didn't know I had called until the next day. We got into a huge argument that could have turned ugly, but instead brought us closer. A better understanding of why it's so important that we communicate clearly to each other. He ended up watching the kids while I went to Salt Lake. Then, when I returned, we cuddled on the couch and watched movies. I picked up some take-out and we ate better than we've eaten all week. He kept dozing because he was sleeping better than he'd slept all week (same here).

I put the kids to bed and got ready to take a shower, when he suddenly poked his head in and asked if he could join me. Well, of course! He washed my hair (which, I can honestly say, I would pay him to do if he didn't just do it willingly) and made out a bit under the hot, steamy spray. It was magic. We met again in the living room and drank chardonnay and talked. We talked and talked and talked till it was nearly midnight. Of course, he spent the night and absence has definitely made the heart grow fonder.

I had to remind him, though, that my email was littered with frustration and that when he saw it, he may become irritated all over again. I described fairly well what I'd said and he felt like it just wasn't worth the frustration for either of us, so he would most likely delete it when he saw it. He apologized again for not having his phone on and for also being upset with me for not having mine on. "I can't very well get mad at you about something I did myself," he said.

Summary: We're missing each other terribly. It was probably the best weekend in a long time, and we really didn't do much. we agreed that the "talking" thing was so important and should continue. He loves me as much as I love him and we do want this to work. It rained all day Saturday and this morning, but by noon, the sun was out and the air was crisp and clean. It was absolutely beautiful this afternoon. I love the fall! We also decorated our stoop in Halloweeny stuff. (I took the picture above just after the rain. The way the clouds nearly touch the ground here, clearly speaks to our elevation.)

Left in the Lurch

I was having a pretty good night until my hubby didn't call me back (like he said he would). I went over to drop off my daughter for a sleepover last night, ended up having a few glasses of wine with the friend's mother. When her dad got home, we all sat and chatted for long time. It was fun but I wanted my hubby there to chat with too. It could have been nice, the two couples, even though we aren't "together" right now. I thought, "a step in the right direction", but he decided not to answer his phone...all night.

By midnight, I was done and went to bed. I really wasn't tired, I had just come to the realization that he didn't want to talk to me. He's probably had enough my emotional outbursts (if that's what they are) and would rather just not deal with me for a while. It's fine. I won't try to call and I'll calm down (if not cease altogether) communications from my end. I certainly don't want to seem like "stalker wife" or "hassle-me girl". I did ask him through email that he make arrangements to take the kids at least two days per week. GC said it in a comment earlier and I really got to thinking about it, "He separated from me not our children." I know that he doesn't have a bed set yet for the room, but the oldest would be thrilled to sleepover in a sleeping bag. Indy has had a port-a-crib since the beginning. They could easily sleep over on Tuesday and Thursday nights and he could drop them off on his way to work in the mornings. It may mean changing his workout schedules or whatever, but that's what you do for your children, right?

It's too early to be so all-over-the-place in my head and I can feel a head ache coming on. I'm going to refocus my thoughts and try to do things for the kids and house today. I'm thinking of getting some new curtains for the kitchen. The ones that we have are drab and boring and I do so love the fall. We sort of have a fall-like color scheme in our house anyway. The babe will be at her friend's until late this morning, so I can shop with Indy.

So, I won't be a slave to my cell phone. Once the girls are with me, that joker is going off. Emergency? I'll turn it back on to call the tow-guy. Other than that...