Today I spent my 'work' morning driving around doing errands which is FABULOUS because it gets me out of the office and being bored (as I am now). I pulled into a parking space outside of the building department and found 20 bux on the ground!! WOOOT!!
When I got back to work from running the errands (12:35) and realized I had an appt. to donate blood on my lunch hour at 12:45. I made it by 12:50, did my part, and now I'm back at work ticking the time away.
Labor day weekend plans include, a 3 year olds bday party tomorrow, a photo shoot sunday for a dedication, and nothing monday that I know of. I really don't feel like doing anything that involves a commitment, but oh well. At least I'm not at work, right?
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Right, so Kool-aid is apparently removable??
I am guessing I have impecable timing in the worst of ways. As you may or may not have read in previous posts the reason we lost 66% of our security deposit because there were 3 or 4 kool aid stains. Well guess what! I JUST found out today that if you take a super hot/wet wash cloth, lay it over the stain and then iron the stain (even old stains) it will come out. You may have to do it multiple times, but supposedly it works. So I guess that was a $750 lesson. Yay.
An update on the kids' school....Raegan is still happy as a clam to go every day (she'd go Saturday and Sunday if we let her). I was told that yesterday (day 4 of school) Logan promptly got out of the car himself and RAN to the door to get inside and see his teacher!! He really enjoys it now and boy am I relieved! I knew he'd grow to love it, but it's so nice to see it actually happening. That made me smile....heck in the worst of the worst moods my little pumpkins can ALWAYS find a way to at least make me grin. They are pretty awesome little people :)
Well, in light of our cabin cancelation we've decided to do Disney...again! It's ok with us though, we love it there. We're thinking of spicing it up some though and maybe going to Universal too, or a water park. We'll see. We're determined to take it easy though and take our time. As often as we go there's really no sense in us rushing to get on rides, now is there? If anything we'll spend more time at the 'other' parks to see things they haven't. It'll be fun, and it's only 39 days away. It sounds like a little patch of heaven. We have to figure out what to do with Pixie Pixie Pumpkin Pie, but otherwise we're set to go! Oh and someone will need to scoop the kitty litter and make sure fatty has sufficient food/water. That's the easy pet...
I guess that's enough rambling. I can't wait until it's magically Friday afternoon. I'm sick of this week at work.
An update on the kids' school....Raegan is still happy as a clam to go every day (she'd go Saturday and Sunday if we let her). I was told that yesterday (day 4 of school) Logan promptly got out of the car himself and RAN to the door to get inside and see his teacher!! He really enjoys it now and boy am I relieved! I knew he'd grow to love it, but it's so nice to see it actually happening. That made me smile....heck in the worst of the worst moods my little pumpkins can ALWAYS find a way to at least make me grin. They are pretty awesome little people :)
Well, in light of our cabin cancelation we've decided to do Disney...again! It's ok with us though, we love it there. We're thinking of spicing it up some though and maybe going to Universal too, or a water park. We'll see. We're determined to take it easy though and take our time. As often as we go there's really no sense in us rushing to get on rides, now is there? If anything we'll spend more time at the 'other' parks to see things they haven't. It'll be fun, and it's only 39 days away. It sounds like a little patch of heaven. We have to figure out what to do with Pixie Pixie Pumpkin Pie, but otherwise we're set to go! Oh and someone will need to scoop the kitty litter and make sure fatty has sufficient food/water. That's the easy pet...
I guess that's enough rambling. I can't wait until it's magically Friday afternoon. I'm sick of this week at work.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Vacation plans, T-Rex arms, and Fatty McFat
So, with our Portofino bull crap, we've decided that the most responsible route we can take at this time in regards to the vacation to the cabin in the mountains, is unfortunately to cancel it. We can't pull together the funds fast enough to be content there without being stressed about it. So, we're now trying to figure out what we're going to do in the meantime for our vacation. We will of coarse have to do something locally, but oh well. The important thing is that we'll be off of work and away from all the stupid-ness of day to day life. I'm guessing it's going to be camping or Disney related, but we have yet to decide and the search is on. We don't have much to spend so we need to decide based on that! We do plan to do our cabin in the woods vacation next fall though, so at least we have time to plan for it and something to look forward to!
I went to the gym last (as usual on Mon-Thur) and it was 'arms' night. For some reason my arms took more of a beating last night than usual and they are a bit achy today making them feel heavy to operate, hence the T-Rex arms...everything from the elbow up is what aches the most so imagine operating phones, etc. with just your forearms moving LOL. Now picture me, T-Rex-ified. Not fun, but hopefully worthwhile.
Speaking of the gym, what the hell? This is my 4th week going and I've gained 5 lbs and a whole lot fat is sticking out. It's gross. My pants are WAY too tight to be even remotely comfortable. I was warned that toning my muscles would push the fat forward, but DAMN, the fat needs to start melting off because I am seriously uncomfortable! Ugh. I see why people quit the gym.
I went to the gym last (as usual on Mon-Thur) and it was 'arms' night. For some reason my arms took more of a beating last night than usual and they are a bit achy today making them feel heavy to operate, hence the T-Rex arms...everything from the elbow up is what aches the most so imagine operating phones, etc. with just your forearms moving LOL. Now picture me, T-Rex-ified. Not fun, but hopefully worthwhile.
Speaking of the gym, what the hell? This is my 4th week going and I've gained 5 lbs and a whole lot fat is sticking out. It's gross. My pants are WAY too tight to be even remotely comfortable. I was warned that toning my muscles would push the fat forward, but DAMN, the fat needs to start melting off because I am seriously uncomfortable! Ugh. I see why people quit the gym.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Housewarming, some family, and another 1st day.
Saturday's "housewarming" party went very well. We had some friends and family present, lots of food, and a really great time. Thank you to those who gave 'gifts' it wasn't required, but none-the-less appreciated. It was nice to see our friends in family enjoying our home as much as we do!
Included in the party were my 2 Aunts, Debbie and Bit (Darlene), my cousins Andrew & Jackie (and their 3 beagle pooches), and our friends: Jamie & Jeremy, Paul & Terri, and Debbie & Henry. It was nice to see them all. The kids just ADORE their aunts and cousins and got so excited to see them all. We got to spend a little more time with them Sunday, the kids swam at my moms with Andrew & Jackie, and my aunts, parents, and myself sat down to watch a movie together before they had to leave and head back for Tampa. I'm so happy they made the trip over!!! LOVE YOU GUYS!
On a more depressing note, my best friend Mary's dad passed away early last week. The funeral was Saturday morning. My dad and I attended and it was one of the most sad things I've been part of in a very long time. While I didn't know Linn very well, it hurt my heart to see Mary and her mom, Nancy so sad. What a terrible, terrible thing to have happened to such a wonderful family. My heart goes out to them, may he rest in peace.
The kids went back to school today. I guess it was kind of a 2nd first day for them since after their real first day, school was canceled the rest of the week. It went well, Logan did really well being left this time. I think his real first day was enough to establish a bridge of trust with his teacher. That's all he needed. She asked that we work with him holding a crayon correctly as 'homework' but otherwise, they are both doing well with it. Raegan is in her own little heaven. I think they're both going to enjoy their schooling at 'Little Beginners.' Their drawings and first day things were really cute too :) I'll try and get some photos of their work to share with everyone.
Today we found out that despite our best efforts, we'll only be refunded 1/3 of our security on the other house. We are absolutely THRILLED to be finally completely done with that house. It was no less than a thorn in our sides. So, although we didn't get back nearly what we thought we deserved, every little bit helps. It's a relief to be done with it though.
Plans for tonight: Start the spaghetti sauce when I get home (has some chicken chunks in it) and get dinner started. Work for a few minutes with Logan and his crayon/pencil holding. Play with them, maybe build a train track or play Candy Land...or we can play with the ball/bat outside. Have dinner. Bath time. Story time. Bed time! After they head to bed and fall asleep it's off to the gym for mommy! Somewhere in all that I'll squeeze in 1 or 2 loads of laundry as well to keep it as current as possible.
Well, I better get back to work now!
Included in the party were my 2 Aunts, Debbie and Bit (Darlene), my cousins Andrew & Jackie (and their 3 beagle pooches), and our friends: Jamie & Jeremy, Paul & Terri, and Debbie & Henry. It was nice to see them all. The kids just ADORE their aunts and cousins and got so excited to see them all. We got to spend a little more time with them Sunday, the kids swam at my moms with Andrew & Jackie, and my aunts, parents, and myself sat down to watch a movie together before they had to leave and head back for Tampa. I'm so happy they made the trip over!!! LOVE YOU GUYS!
On a more depressing note, my best friend Mary's dad passed away early last week. The funeral was Saturday morning. My dad and I attended and it was one of the most sad things I've been part of in a very long time. While I didn't know Linn very well, it hurt my heart to see Mary and her mom, Nancy so sad. What a terrible, terrible thing to have happened to such a wonderful family. My heart goes out to them, may he rest in peace.
The kids went back to school today. I guess it was kind of a 2nd first day for them since after their real first day, school was canceled the rest of the week. It went well, Logan did really well being left this time. I think his real first day was enough to establish a bridge of trust with his teacher. That's all he needed. She asked that we work with him holding a crayon correctly as 'homework' but otherwise, they are both doing well with it. Raegan is in her own little heaven. I think they're both going to enjoy their schooling at 'Little Beginners.' Their drawings and first day things were really cute too :) I'll try and get some photos of their work to share with everyone.
Today we found out that despite our best efforts, we'll only be refunded 1/3 of our security on the other house. We are absolutely THRILLED to be finally completely done with that house. It was no less than a thorn in our sides. So, although we didn't get back nearly what we thought we deserved, every little bit helps. It's a relief to be done with it though.
Plans for tonight: Start the spaghetti sauce when I get home (has some chicken chunks in it) and get dinner started. Work for a few minutes with Logan and his crayon/pencil holding. Play with them, maybe build a train track or play Candy Land...or we can play with the ball/bat outside. Have dinner. Bath time. Story time. Bed time! After they head to bed and fall asleep it's off to the gym for mommy! Somewhere in all that I'll squeeze in 1 or 2 loads of laundry as well to keep it as current as possible.
Well, I better get back to work now!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Friday, unhappiness, excitedness, school and pizza
Yay for Friday! I always love when Fridays arrive. It means that for the next two days I get to spend my time doing whatever I want, playing with my kids, hanging with my hubby. It always seems so unfair to me that I dedicate the majority of my life to a company that gives me little (other than a paycheck) in return. What do I gain from it? Learning how to act invisible to avoid a boss that thinks he's the king of the world. Invisibility would be a nice function to have elsewhere, but alas, I cannot hide from all problems.
Unhappiness...it's such a tricky topic really. It's very clear to me that some in my life are quite unhappy right now. My best friends father passed this week...it's so sad :( Another friend is in fear of losing her job, her plans aren't falling together as they should. My husband's job is driving him insane and some of that general ickiness certainly trickles into the house, and the kids and I feel his anger (while filtered, his general unhappiness is pretty well written in his face). My boss, not so happy because the 'jobs' aren't pouring in. That's never good for any of us...especially those of us who need to remain employed. Sounds like a big fat happy world out there, doesn't it? Money. Don't get me started on that one...it's never a source of happiness.
So, through some general unhappiness..comes a ray of sunshine and excitedness for a vacation we're planning to take in early October. Just the 4 of us, a trip to the mountains of North Carolina and a stay in a cabin in the woods, topped off with a little Jeep trip, and then a short train ride through the mountains to *hopefully* see some leaves kissed by autumn. I'll be bringing my camera, don't worry! Also, I got a random message on a photography message board from someone who lives in my area. She said she loved my work and wants to know if I'm accepting clients :) Yay, that was exciting! Of coarse, I don't have my business license so I can't technically take on clients that pay...so that's not so exciting.
The kids start school again on this coming Monday. Raegan is excited...it'll be a bad day for Logan again I'm sure. I was so upset with Fay for coming in the first week. He did 'ok' on the first day when I dropped him off, but I don't know how well he'll do on a 2nd '1st' day. If he can get a few consecutive days of happiness, he'll be fine. I just hate that sad look on his face :(
Pizza. Friday night is our traditional family pizza night at a little local shop called 'Rae's". I look forward to it, but we'll probably have to skip it for a month or so. Big shock, we have residual money issues from the damn rental house from hell. I have such animosity towards the people that own it. We were such good tenants, never complained, called ONE time in 2 years, and took care of the place above and beyond expectation...only to be told that the few koolaid stains in the carpet are going to cost nearly the entire security deposit. What a wasted effort it was to bother getting that house in order to be shot in the foot for our efforts. I'm so bitter over the whole deal and my gut just churns to think of the months of fall-out we have to clean up because they were jerks about the situation. Whatever. So anyways, the pizza...my dad bought a boatload of pizza crusts from a 'crash and dent' store that we froze and I'm going to search online today to see how to make them work. From what I understand they are the formed pizza crusts that say Sams Club would use to make their store-brand pizza. Can't be hard, but from frozen I'm not sure of the steps needed.
Well, back to the grind. I'm ticking the minutes away that I sit at this desk being underpaid and I would guess that runs parallel to under-appreciated. At least it's a paycheck...gone before it hits the bank, but money none-the-less. Yay.
Wow, just a little ray of sunshine, aren't I?
Unhappiness...it's such a tricky topic really. It's very clear to me that some in my life are quite unhappy right now. My best friends father passed this week...it's so sad :( Another friend is in fear of losing her job, her plans aren't falling together as they should. My husband's job is driving him insane and some of that general ickiness certainly trickles into the house, and the kids and I feel his anger (while filtered, his general unhappiness is pretty well written in his face). My boss, not so happy because the 'jobs' aren't pouring in. That's never good for any of us...especially those of us who need to remain employed. Sounds like a big fat happy world out there, doesn't it? Money. Don't get me started on that one...it's never a source of happiness.
So, through some general unhappiness..comes a ray of sunshine and excitedness for a vacation we're planning to take in early October. Just the 4 of us, a trip to the mountains of North Carolina and a stay in a cabin in the woods, topped off with a little Jeep trip, and then a short train ride through the mountains to *hopefully* see some leaves kissed by autumn. I'll be bringing my camera, don't worry! Also, I got a random message on a photography message board from someone who lives in my area. She said she loved my work and wants to know if I'm accepting clients :) Yay, that was exciting! Of coarse, I don't have my business license so I can't technically take on clients that pay...so that's not so exciting.
The kids start school again on this coming Monday. Raegan is excited...it'll be a bad day for Logan again I'm sure. I was so upset with Fay for coming in the first week. He did 'ok' on the first day when I dropped him off, but I don't know how well he'll do on a 2nd '1st' day. If he can get a few consecutive days of happiness, he'll be fine. I just hate that sad look on his face :(
Pizza. Friday night is our traditional family pizza night at a little local shop called 'Rae's". I look forward to it, but we'll probably have to skip it for a month or so. Big shock, we have residual money issues from the damn rental house from hell. I have such animosity towards the people that own it. We were such good tenants, never complained, called ONE time in 2 years, and took care of the place above and beyond expectation...only to be told that the few koolaid stains in the carpet are going to cost nearly the entire security deposit. What a wasted effort it was to bother getting that house in order to be shot in the foot for our efforts. I'm so bitter over the whole deal and my gut just churns to think of the months of fall-out we have to clean up because they were jerks about the situation. Whatever. So anyways, the pizza...my dad bought a boatload of pizza crusts from a 'crash and dent' store that we froze and I'm going to search online today to see how to make them work. From what I understand they are the formed pizza crusts that say Sams Club would use to make their store-brand pizza. Can't be hard, but from frozen I'm not sure of the steps needed.
Well, back to the grind. I'm ticking the minutes away that I sit at this desk being underpaid and I would guess that runs parallel to under-appreciated. At least it's a paycheck...gone before it hits the bank, but money none-the-less. Yay.
Wow, just a little ray of sunshine, aren't I?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
A little catching up to do...
So, like most of these ‘blog’ entries I have to preface it with, “Wow, it’s sure been a long time since I’ve posted anything!” I guess I should just resign myself to the fact that I’m no good at keeping up with this sort of thing, but it’s nice to have around to occasionally update friends and family.
Let me try and sum things up as quickly and painlessly as possible:
- January: Early in the month we returned from our Christmas holiday in Chicago and stopped on the way home at Disney for I believe it was 4 nights. The kids had fun, but they were so ready to just go home. I think 2 week vacations are a bit much for them to handle.
- February – Chuck and I went to Disney World as a ‘Valentines’ getaway. My mom kept the kids for a long weekend. We actually made it to all 4 parks in one day. We were so tired, but it was so fun!
- March – Chuck’s birthday!! We had a little party at our house, he got some new ‘boots’, jeans, and a couple of shirts. Yep, I said boots! Also Easter, was nice, the kids got a few fun things and had a great time hunting for the eggs.
- April – We decided we’d like to buy a house since the market is perfect for it! We closed on the house at the end of April (a little quicker than we had anticipated resulting in us having to pay out our lease at the rental…they were total jerks about it and it’s been really tough on us!).
- May – We wanted to ‘take our time’ moving in but we were totally anxious to be out of the rental. So we moved just about everything over to the new house in the first 2 weeks there. What was left behind was stuff that needed to be stored or goodwill. The kids birthday party was at the new house as well and they had a TON of fun. We had a giant water slide for them, some friends, cake, and pizza. It was nice and they got a bunch of nice things! Grandma & Frank (from Chicago) came down for the party as well and the kids had a bunch of fun with them. We painted almost the entire house (the kids’ bathroom has yet to be done) and planted a few trees/plants. There is still a bunch to be done, but we have plenty of time! Mother’s Day was AWESOME! I got a cute little puppy (Pixie) and a whole new kitchen set-up (plates, utensils, glasses, pots/pans, etc). Very awesome!!
- June – Andrew and Jackie’s wedding!! We saw a bunch of family and had a great time. I was lucky enough to be their choice as photographer. What a learning experience that was! All of the squatting (about 9 hours worth) made my legs hurt so badly that I struggled walking for a FULL week!! Yikes. The photos came out pretty well, of coarse I saw room for improvement, but they seemed to like them. Father’s day! The kids made Daddy cards and I got him one. It was unfortunately the first month of double house payments and spending a bunch on Daddy was sadly not an option. We’ll make up for it though when we can.
- July – Well, there was the 4th of July spent in Tampa this year re-roofing Pawpaw’s house! What a joy that was…not! A lot of hard work and the occasional set back (like say falling through the roof). It was nice to see the family again, but it was pretty tense for everyone. Mostly the guys did the roofing and the girls took care of feeding them and watching the kidlets. It worked out and the roof is lookin’ good!
- August – Finally I’ve made it to the current month!! As always, never a dull moment. This is our first month without a 2nd house payment and we’re still trying like hell to catch up only to find out they want to hold most of our security deposit because a few koolaid stains on the carpet (in my opinion normal wear and tear over a 2-year period of renting it). Not a good thing. We’ve decided to carry on with a house warming party regardless and have invited local family and friends…just a little casual gathering with some hotdogs J The kids’ first day of school (pre-kindergarden) was on the 18th and was quickly shut down on the 19th and for the remainder of the week because of Tropical Storm Faye. It’s been raining here for 2 full days and we’ve started the 3rd. Not fun. It’s like living in a cave and people’s moods are steadily heading downward. Chuck and I have joined the gym this month and I’ve been pretty good about getting myself up there. He goes straight from work and while I started out doing that I quickly realized that I was ending up with not enough time to spend with the kids. So when they go to bed at 8 I hurry up to the gym because they close at 10. Makes for a long day….but hopefully worthwhile (although I’m not loving any results I’m seeing so far…week 3!).
Let me try and sum things up as quickly and painlessly as possible:
- January: Early in the month we returned from our Christmas holiday in Chicago and stopped on the way home at Disney for I believe it was 4 nights. The kids had fun, but they were so ready to just go home. I think 2 week vacations are a bit much for them to handle.
- February – Chuck and I went to Disney World as a ‘Valentines’ getaway. My mom kept the kids for a long weekend. We actually made it to all 4 parks in one day. We were so tired, but it was so fun!
- March – Chuck’s birthday!! We had a little party at our house, he got some new ‘boots’, jeans, and a couple of shirts. Yep, I said boots! Also Easter, was nice, the kids got a few fun things and had a great time hunting for the eggs.
- April – We decided we’d like to buy a house since the market is perfect for it! We closed on the house at the end of April (a little quicker than we had anticipated resulting in us having to pay out our lease at the rental…they were total jerks about it and it’s been really tough on us!).
- May – We wanted to ‘take our time’ moving in but we were totally anxious to be out of the rental. So we moved just about everything over to the new house in the first 2 weeks there. What was left behind was stuff that needed to be stored or goodwill. The kids birthday party was at the new house as well and they had a TON of fun. We had a giant water slide for them, some friends, cake, and pizza. It was nice and they got a bunch of nice things! Grandma & Frank (from Chicago) came down for the party as well and the kids had a bunch of fun with them. We painted almost the entire house (the kids’ bathroom has yet to be done) and planted a few trees/plants. There is still a bunch to be done, but we have plenty of time! Mother’s Day was AWESOME! I got a cute little puppy (Pixie) and a whole new kitchen set-up (plates, utensils, glasses, pots/pans, etc). Very awesome!!
- June – Andrew and Jackie’s wedding!! We saw a bunch of family and had a great time. I was lucky enough to be their choice as photographer. What a learning experience that was! All of the squatting (about 9 hours worth) made my legs hurt so badly that I struggled walking for a FULL week!! Yikes. The photos came out pretty well, of coarse I saw room for improvement, but they seemed to like them. Father’s day! The kids made Daddy cards and I got him one. It was unfortunately the first month of double house payments and spending a bunch on Daddy was sadly not an option. We’ll make up for it though when we can.
- July – Well, there was the 4th of July spent in Tampa this year re-roofing Pawpaw’s house! What a joy that was…not! A lot of hard work and the occasional set back (like say falling through the roof). It was nice to see the family again, but it was pretty tense for everyone. Mostly the guys did the roofing and the girls took care of feeding them and watching the kidlets. It worked out and the roof is lookin’ good!
- August – Finally I’ve made it to the current month!! As always, never a dull moment. This is our first month without a 2nd house payment and we’re still trying like hell to catch up only to find out they want to hold most of our security deposit because a few koolaid stains on the carpet (in my opinion normal wear and tear over a 2-year period of renting it). Not a good thing. We’ve decided to carry on with a house warming party regardless and have invited local family and friends…just a little casual gathering with some hotdogs J The kids’ first day of school (pre-kindergarden) was on the 18th and was quickly shut down on the 19th and for the remainder of the week because of Tropical Storm Faye. It’s been raining here for 2 full days and we’ve started the 3rd. Not fun. It’s like living in a cave and people’s moods are steadily heading downward. Chuck and I have joined the gym this month and I’ve been pretty good about getting myself up there. He goes straight from work and while I started out doing that I quickly realized that I was ending up with not enough time to spend with the kids. So when they go to bed at 8 I hurry up to the gym because they close at 10. Makes for a long day….but hopefully worthwhile (although I’m not loving any results I’m seeing so far…week 3!).
Well, for now that about sums us up. If you made it through all of that you are the woman/man! Again I’ll try and keep up better in the future, but I can’t make any promises. Here are a few shots of the kids…1st day of school and then playing in the rain resulting from Faye (Pixie had to get in on the rain fun too!).
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