Here's to you, Sweetheart!

Happy Anniversary!

By the way...

We are closing on the house tomorrow! Whoohoo!

Not sure if I'd always want to know....

Your Superpower Should Be Mind Reading

You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive. You understand people better than they would like to be understood. Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details. You figure out what's going on before anyone knows that anything is going on! Why you would be a good superhero: You don't care what people think, and you'd do whatever needed to be done Your biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now

What Should Your Superpower Be?

Meme

I have never been tagged before, and now thanks to Out of the Binjo Ditch I have a bit of work to do on the blog where I never blog.


Here are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog. (done)

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. (okie dokie)

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. (as if I know 7 people who blog...hahaha)

4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. (finish laughter from #3)

5. Present an image of martial discord from whatever period or situation you'd like. (as you wish.)

And now, 7 Facts about me:

1. I'm married to the "award-winning" author of Out of the Binjo Ditch.

2. I used to have a kleenex collection (clean ones!) when I was 4-5. I would fold them up and keep then in the top middle drawer of my dresser. Of course, now I never have them when I need them.

3. I just found out today that I had the highest grade in my poetry 101 writing class from college--only took me 12 years to notice the note.

4. I have had a variety of piercings, but no tattoos.

5. When I was little I wanted to be a priest, live on a boat and have a million children.

6. My favorite series of books was The Chronicles of Narnia.

7. My poor plants out on the patio are suffering a terrible death, as I keep forgetting to water them. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.

In the spirit of the meme, please read the fine print: If you are reading this, then consider yourself tagged.

Image of "Martial" Discord: (from Kung Fu Panda)
I couldn't help myself on this one...

Well, that explains it...

Your True Love Is a Cancer

Why you'll love a Cancer: Cancer's loyal and sincere heart makes your own sensitive heart melt. Caring and devoted, a Cancer will take the lead in pursuing you - and not give up! Why a Cancer will love you: You're laid back enough to deal with Cancer's little mood swings and freak-outs. A fellow homebody, you know how make Cancer comfortable and at home with you.

What Sign Is Your True Love?

TV Party

Thought I would share this with you, since it's stuck in my head.



I did run across a very disturbing remix of Dead or Alive's You Spin Me Round 2003. If you find yourself over on the site, tell me if those are not the scariest lips you have ever seen....

Date Night

Last night, DH and I had our first date night in goodness knows how long. I think the last time the two of us went out without the kids in tow was in 2006's Christmas dinner for my last job. (We didn't get to go together this year due to babysitter issues.) Anyway, it was quite nice. We did the easy movie and a dinner thing since (1) the play DH was going to take me to only had individual seats-the last pair sold while DH was on the phone with the theatre, and (2) we wanted to stay close to home due to expected inclement weather (we were in a tornado watch area).

We dropped Stinky, Apple-S and Pumpkin Pie at the YMCA for their "Parents' Night Out" and went to see Juno. DH was surprised that he actually kinda liked it. I loved it, of course. Not much action, just a lot of witty dialog.

Since it was pouring rain when we left the theater, we rain across the plaza to Cafe Adobe for a late dinner. One swirled margarita and I was happy.

Anyway, a long time ago I blogged about a necklace that I had started that had started but was taking forever to finish. Well, I finally sat down and finished. I'm not happy with it and will likely take it apart and re-do. I see the error in it, and it drives me batty. Plus, I'm not happy about the transition between the front and the back.

DH just returned from taking Pumpkin to get new tennis shoes, since she ripped a hole in her this week. Looks like the went to "the heeb" as well, and got a bit of food to last a few days...and some peppercorns. And it's about time to switch out loads of laundry before I load up the tax software and get to work. Whoo-hooo. Another Pleasant Valley Sunday.

Happy Valentine's Day

Here are three of my favorite valentines. The other doesn't usually like his picture taken.

I noticed that it's been quite a while since posting. I've thought about it, but haven't gotten around to it. Imagine.

December flew by in a hurry. And work was harried as I helped track down outstanding commissions, and helped bring in a $40+check. Not that it went to me, but oh well. I got the pleasure of calling Canada, eh, and harrassing the land up North during the holidays.

January slowed down just a bit at work, only to catch up to me. I had a bout of strep and landed in bed for a couple of days with tonsils the size of golf balls and just about as white and dimply. Unpleasant, to say the least. This month was Stinky's turn. Poor DH had to miss another of my company's parties since we couldn't send Stinky to the sitter's and infect her kids, too. I think I may have reinfected myself, too, as I had a fever for about three days and my tonsils blew up like puffer fish again. You could almost see them coming out under my chin. (Yum.) But the fever has broken and they are starting to shrink, and I couldn't take time off from work again since I missed two days in Jan and one last week with Stinky (DH and I split the two days that Stinkly was out from school). I made sure to wash my hands a lot and avoid touching anything that wasn't mine as much as possible....

The pictures above were taken at Hermann park, while the kids and DH along with Photog and his wife fed the ducks.

Oh well. Hopefully I'll catch up on the laundry this weekend while I do the taxes. DH is not allowed to do them anymore. [Taxes, that is. He's welcome to the laundry now that I have trained him to sort clothes and hang dry the shrinkables (only took 5 years).] I don't think I've ever heard as much cursing in my life other than this one really long string that worked its way up the air vents from the basement where my dad was building his train landscape. I think he hammered his hand instead of the nail.

Anyway, I have been doing the taxes for the last 4 or 5 years. I seem to have a bit more patience dealing with the software and e-filing. It's finding all the documents that's the pain. Someday (as I am constantly muttering) I will organize my house. HA!

I hope you had happy heart day!

Honey, this is for you.

William shatner in Lucy in the sky with diamonds

Couldn't resist this one...

Over my allotment of posts for the month, but here it goes....

What a full weekend. Work let out earlier for some than others (like me, but what's new...).

Started putting everything together Wed afternoon, chopping the veggies, baking the sweet potato casserole (non-marshmallow version), cooking the cranberries in sugar water (homemade cranberry sauce is that easy), and tossing together the stuffing from scratch (although I did use bakery bread to make fresh bread crumbs over the weekend, if that still counts). Thursday morning, around 8:30-ish I stuffed the bird's backside and let hubby fill in the neck area since I was having some trouble keeping the flap open and jamming the breading into the cavity. Then we placed it in the V-rack, greased up it's skin and loaded the bottom of the pan with veggies and broth and the roasting began. After 8 trips to the oven to baste and refill the pan with broth (and later water) to keep the veggies moist, the bird was ready. I just had to heat up the rolls, green bean casserole (which I nuked ahead of time to melt everything), bake the remaining stuffing, nuke the peas, and make the gravy (hence the roasted veggies in the bottom of the pan-you press them through a strainer and use the extracted juices in the gravy along with the drippings). Hubby was in charge of the garlic smashed potatoes, which I only had to coach slightly.

We had dinner on the table by 2:30. Stinky Magee requested that we each go around the table and say what we were all thankful for after we said grace. He is grateful for his teachers, Apple Pie was thankful your welcome, and Pumpkin was thankful for the food, DH and I were thankful for our families.

We stuffed our bellies then I threw together the apple pie (an actual pie, not the child listed above) for later in the evening. We lazed around for most of the afternoon and evening, after the dishes were washed.

Friday was uneventful as well, as the weather turned this weekend: cold and wet. So we were all stuck inside and refused to fight the crowds in the malls or the traffic with all of the nearby road construction. We ate leftovers for a couple of meals, and watched movie (OK, I watched Days of Our Lives, too, but who's counting that, since I have not seen it in a couple of years and had to catch up on all the mad-cap goings-on). Stinky-M and Pumpkin broke the wishbone together and the entire top broke off. I have never seen that before. They both ended up with the short sticks. So, either they will both get their wishes or neither. I prefer the former notion.

Saturday was DH's and my anniversary. The day started off nicely, with Stinky-M bringing me a card that he and his brother and sister signed, then I came downstairs to coffee brewing. After sipping a cup I went upstairs to check on Pumpkin who decided to watch Madagascar, and through the amazing wonders of movie previews, watched an ad for Over the Hedge and learned that she could burp the ABC's. Yes, my beautiful, angelic 5 y.o. DD is now running around burping the alphabet (thank you, Steve Carell). What more could a doting mother ask for.

Since it was our anniversary, we thought we would live it up by going out to eat. We mulled long and hard. OK, we drove up 290 and decided that IHOP was appropriate to take a 3 y.o. who had not had a nap. And it wasn't crowded, since it was only 5:30. After a surprisingly pleasant meal (well behaved non-rested children for once!), we stopped by Target to grab a couple of long-sleeved shirts for the DD and a new jacket for oldest-DH (since he lost the one I bought last month). By the time we got home, it was close to bedtime, so I bathed the two youngest while Stinky-M worked on one of his puzzle books and DH played around on the computer. Then we tucked them all in bed, nuked some popcorn and watched an episode of Band of Brothers (how romantic).

Today was rather mellow (or at least to the standards of parents who are used to the temperaments of 3 children. The kiddoes watched Sleeping Beauty and Madagascar. I drank some coffee, showered and made myself presentable to get a burger, since DH did not want turkey for lunch again. So we loaded up the car and went to Becks Prime. Then we returned home and lazed around some more, between loads of laundry. The kids are finally in bed and DH is ironing shirts for next week. Thank goodness for his military training because I am terrible at ironing. That is where I have no patience. And yes, the government did teach him how to properly iron, because making your uniform stand up by itself is step one in defending our country.

Tomorrow, we head back to work and school. Rats. It's been a nice break for the last few days.

Happy Anniversary

We've made it six years, DH. Here's to all the years to come.

I love you!

Happy Turkey Day!

You Are The Stuffing

You're complicated and complex, yet all your pieces fit together. People miss you if you're gone - but they're not sure why.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

I get the impression...

You Are Impressionism

You think the world is quite beautiful, especially if you look at it in new and interesting ways. You tend to focus on color and movement in art. For you, seeing the big picture is much more important than recording every little detail. You can find inspiration anywhere... especially from nature.

What Art Movement Are You?

November's long post

Well, the first week and three days at the new job have past. I'm still alive, still trying to figure out what in the world I'm doing. A bit disappointed at the lack of training on simple things, like how to use the phone, no updated phone list, etc. Nothing like picking up a call and (1) not knowing if the person works there, (2) what extension he/she is at, and (3) how to get the caller off my line and either to the other party or in their voicemail. I felt bad that I only had 4 days to train my replacement at my last job, and here I was kinda dropped in a desk and told to fend for myself.

Oh well, I'm getting the hang of it, even if I feel a bit harried and hurried. Not quite up to speed on their systems and not quite used to answering to seven people at the same time, but I can only do what I can do.

Other than that everything is OK.

Halloween came and went trick-or-treating as a Mad Scientist (Stinky), the Little Mermaid (Pumpkin) and "Buzz-Like-Year" (Apple-S). We still have not carved the pumpkin. Stinky, Pumpkin and Apple did draw all over it with a Sharpie, so there are two faces, a cat, and some random letters and numbers and dots. Quite a bit more creative than anything DH or I could have done with a knife. And we haven't had to deal with the guts yet. Perhaps this weekend we'll dig in and I'll roast up some seeds.

I still haven't finished my last pearl necklace. Poor thing is sitting in the glass bowl and staring at me from under the pile of other items that have landed on it in the interim. Maybe later this week I'll pull it out and work another inch or two. Part of the problem is that I saw a mistake that I made about 1.5 inches ago. Part of me wants to take the whole thing apart and start over (yikes!) since I know the error is there (which with this type of stitch isn't exactly a piece of cake). Part of me thinks I'm the only one who sees the extra loop, so what's the big deal. They're arguing, so the project just sits. You'd think I'd pick up something else while my brain duels it out, but I haven't yet, although I have several ideas bouncing around in my head.

Seems this is turning into a list of things i haven't done, so...

I did do about about eight loads of laundry over the weekend and went grocery shopping. I'm sure that is thrilling news. I did put gas in the car and attempted to find a quicker way to and from work (hahaha). I watched TV and looked for one of the four books that I am reading (and will eventually finish).

We drove northbound and visited Debbie and Nuje and their family and went to park and chased the kids and played Frisbee. Then fed the ruggers and sent them upstairs to watch The Incredibles while we bowled on the Wii. I won 2 out of 4 rounds, which is pretty good considering I have never played before. (Honey, maybe we should start saving up for Christmas...after all YOU got the X-Box that the kids broke and the DS to keep Stinky occupied while you all were fishing...what do I have to play with?)

The big news, though most of you already know, is that hubby passed the bar with flying colors! Yeah! Three years of sacrificing. Here's to a nice pay-off, or at least enough money to put the kids through college and have a comfortable retirement with lots of travel, and maybe cable-TV and a DSL or wireless Internet connection.... And a vacation (kids attendance is optional). OK, and a house with a guest room for our always-welcome families to stay and an office for DS and a hobby room for me (rooms for the kids are also optional--we can always make them "outdoor" children, which is a joke only my mom will get, but to me it's hilarious).

First Day Jitters

Well, tomorrow is the first day of the new job. I'm a bit nervous, as I have to get to know a new set of co-workers and bosses and filing systems and a different coffee maker. Wish me luck!

(Just waiting for my nails to dry so I can lay in bed and stare at the ceiling and not sleep.)

Conundrum

OK, here's the situation:

I was unable to sleep one evening and randomly submitted my resume to another company that was looking for an admin assistant position, and requested a salary requirement in the cover letter. I threw a number down, considerably higher than my current base salary and still higher than what I make with my quarterly and annual bonuses, thinking that I would never hear back.

Well, a week later I received a call from their Director of Operations who was very impressed with my resume and wanted to speak with me about the position. I managed to return his after a few misses, as it was difficult to find a quiet space to call and I had worked through my lunches and late. Well, he talked about the company and about the job and said that they were prepared to offer me what I was asking because I had experience in the area and I knew what "redlining" was and how to do it.

Anyway, I mentioned a couple of my concerns and the hours that I wanted to work, which are slightly different from their hours, because of daycare schedules. He said he would talk to the partners that I would be supporting and he didn't think it would be a problem. This job would basically entail supporting four Partners and the Director I spoke with with the basic, plus reviewing leases and proposals, etc.

My concerns are do I want to take a step backwards in title for more money. The office I would be working in is larger, so down the line there may be something better. But that's not guaranteed. The company I work with is growing, as well, but only has 8 (soon to be 9-10) people. I have my choice to support my current boss and continue to run the office or go more towards the marketing side and support our leasing rep and soon-to-be project manager. This would mean that I would get to do all the fun stuff that I like about my job (doing the creative bit). I think, if I had my druthers, I would work with the leasing rep on the marketing and run the office and let the new admin work support Joe and the project manager.

I don't know. I have my list of questions for the lunch meeting tomorrow, but need someone to start soon, and this is a bad time to leave my office. Our leasing rep's wife will be having the triplets within the next few weeks, and my boss will be out traveling for several upcoming meetings. Our associate property manager is on maternity leave, so we have a temp filling in with some of the support work and phones, while our customer service coordinator does the assoc. pm's job. The temp is leaving at the end of next week because she landed a permanent job elsewhere (child-welfare protection as a case worker).

I would hate to seem like I am taking advantage of the situation should my boss decide to give me a raise to keep me, but I also don't want to leave the team in a lurch, since I like them for the most part. Plus, my job is fairly interesting. Yikes. Then again, I have not officially been offered the job, even though the Director did seem quite interested in hiring me.

And we do need the extra money to pay off all of our debt (the horrors of having to use the cc to make it through the month) and start saving for a house and college funds for the kids.

So, what are your thoughts?

UPDATE:
I was offered the job officially today at a little lower than I was expecting, but not too much. DH has been hashing over the pros and cons and I still have not come to a conclusion. Now to talk to the boss tomorrow. Ack.

A Moment of Silence, Please

Marcel Marceau has died at the age of 86. He was an inspiration to many, including Micheal Jackson, who reportedly borrowed Marceau's "walking against the wind" routine and created the Moonwalk.

What to do

Well I have already posted for the day, or month. On our way back from dinner (reminder of why we have not gone out to eat in public in some time, outside of the lack of dinero), we were thinking of what to watch together after the kids go to bed. This reminded me of another fascinating part of the summer's felicities: Fame.

A long time back, I had found a deal on DVD's (buy 2 on sale, get 1 free). Well, two ended up as gifts (the first season of Scrubs and the first season of Radio City). The free one was the first season of Fame, and I subjected my long-suffering husband to a weekend of Leroy, Julie, Coco, Doris, Bruno, Ms. Grant, Ms. Sherwood, Mr. Shirofsky and the rest of the crew. It was a warm, fuzzy reminder of childhood, kinda like Little House on the Prairie.

I wonder if more seasons are available... Or maybe I should look into Little House? Honey, how would you like a weekend of Half-pint, Ma, Pa and Mary?

Incommunicado

For some reason I have not made the time to post here. I find myself closing doors that should be at least left cracked, not returning phone calls, not chit-chatting around the water cooler. Maybe it's a regrouping, regathering of the spiritual troops. Taking a breather from life. Vacation helped a little, but not much. I find myself very impatient and frustrated by the same old crap from the same old people. Not being supportive when I know I should be, wanting to give a kind word or a pat on the back, but feeling feeling "out of sorts" instead. I know this, too, will pass. Another period of the blah's.

As always, there are blessings to count. DH has a contract job for the next 10-12 weeks. Stinky Magee is enjoying school (except for Language Arts...not the teacher, just the work). Pumpkin Pie has had a harder time adjusting, as she is the socialite, the drama queen, and cannot hold her tongue, but some days she does manage to stay on "green." Apple-S has enjoyed his time home with Dad, going to the park or to the Y. He's still not keen on using the potty, especially #2, but hopefully, before he starts dating, he will be consistent. (Right now, he his hands and half of his face are teal from the marker he was using to write the alphabet.)

And now that Fall has begun, it's time for the "What I Did While on Summer Vacation" essay....

This summer our family went to the Swiss Alps and French Riviera and blew glass with the Venetians.

Or not.

Like most people, it revolved around work and the kids. One bright spot was the week we spent up at my folks, mostly just hanging out on the back porch and watching for deer in the evening. We went to Rural King and looked at farm equipment and bought cracked corn out of barrel to feed the ducks at the park. We shared ice cream cones outside the old-fashioned Dairy Queen and left behind little puddles of vanilla. One afternoon was spent in IL in Amish country, seeking some little shop the DH wanted to investigate, watching the horses and buggies, and trying to guess which of the homesteads were Amish (based on paint color and propane tanks). We did stop to pan for diamonds in Arkansas, but only found a bit of quartz and various colored stones.

The year is flying by, hard to believe that it is nearly the end of September. Less than three months until Stinky's b-day, then Christmas. MIL will be stopping by (hopefully) for a visit during the holidays.

Now to finish up the books that I have started this week and finish work on a couple of necklaces that are still in progress, one with freshwater pearls and Japanese seed beads, the other with SS chain, garnets and onyx. The latter will be a two-strand necklace, of which the first is done and I have worn, but I think I need to shorten. I plan to make it so that you can wear them together or apart. The former is a double-spiral that takes forever to stitch, as I have only finished about 2 1/2 inches, and plan to get about 8 or 9 inches done before I use up the pearls. I'll finish with about 3 1/2 inches of double spiraled seed beads on each side and SS cones to cover the ends, if I can find some decent ones that I like. Can't decide if I want to do a pretty clasp or a lobster claw with an extended chain. I, obviously, have time to decide.