As a professional homemaker/domestic engineer, my job is to make sure the house runs as efficiently, effectively and as neatly as possible. Add in some breakfasts, lunches, dinners and errands and you have my job responsibilities in a nutshell. My quest is to find the best deals, the best products and the best ways of doing things to make my job easier, our budget/finances fatter (or, at least very comfortable) and our house nicer and more organized.
Therefore, part of my daily routine is to do "research" online. I visit many boards and forums of other stay at home "professionals" and domestic engineers to see what they do and what they recommend. I ran across something the other day that definitely has me intrigued. Maybe a new friend on the horizon?
Her name is Alice. It is actually http://www.alice.com/. It is a website where you can shop for very common household products, they will ship for free, let you know of coupons and special deals AND it is (supposedly) less money than what you would pay at the store. This definitely peaked my interest and has me researching this new friendship even further.
As I was browsing through the website, sure enough, they have brands that I definitely use. And, at first glance, it does seem to be at a lower price point than what I would find at Walmart. And, as I had heard, there were coupons offered and, yes, the shipping is FREE. There is everything from bathroom cleaning supplies to laundry detergent to diapers and a lot more.
But, before I roll my virtual cart down Alice's aisles, I want to really look into it more. My plan is to look through their inventory and write down the products and prices of the things I know I would buy. Then, the next time I head to the grocery (which will be Wednesday morning this week instead of Thursday - I am heading to Louisville on Thursday!!), I will compare the prices of the Alice items with the prices of Walmart. I am interested to see the difference.
Weekend Recap:
Friday: Friday was the day of my lovely Glucose Screening Test. For more details on that fun adventure, tune into the Appleseed blog. After that, we headed to lunch and then home. T went out to pick up Tay from school while I stayed home and prepared their dinner early. I had a hair and brow appointment starting at 5:30 so I wanted to be sure that they had a meal waiting for them when they were ready.
My hair turned out pretty decent. It is darker than usual (which I like) and I have thicker bangs (which I asked for). The best part was getting the wooly mammoths over my eye lids tamed! I felt like a million bucks (which is about how much I paid) when I walked out of there!
Saturday: We really had a laid back day. T, Tay and I watched a couple of movies and hung around the house. T and I started to get ancy around 3 or so and just felt like we needed to get out for a while. We all headed to Target where T bought some much needed new shorts for himself, I bought a long sleeve maternity top and Tay picked out a couple of cute outfits.
We decided to have an impromptu dinner for Steph and Jim. They came over and hung out with Tay for the evening. Tay put on a fashion show with her new outfits. She always LOVES when we have company. More attention for her!
I made a chicken and rice casserole that turned out eh. I don't think I cooked it in the right casserole dish because the rice really dried out and hardened on the sides. But the chicken turned out ok. So, when I saw the condition of the rice, I hurried to put a packet of microwaveable rice (butter and herb) in the microwave to help supplement the rice under the chicken. Along with that crazy dish, we had steamed broccoli and carrots as well as a green leaf salad. I think the salad was my favorite part.
Sunday: Today was a pretty low key day as well. I did my usual Circle K run first thing to get my 32 oz tea and a paper. I came home, did my daily morning chores while Tay watched cartoons and T played around on the Mac. After my chores, I made cinnamon rolls for T and I (Tay is allergic to cinnamon) and made Tay a blueberry bagel with cream cheese. I read the paper and clipped coupons while Sprouts played on TV.
After I was done with the paper, Tay and I broke out the watercolor paints so she could create. I promised her Saturday that we would do it today and I told her I will never break a promise with her. So we rolled out some art paper on the kitchen table and she went to work on several masterpieces. T even painted a very lovely desert sunset scene. I was the water changer and paper roller upper.
We all got showered and cleaned up after that followed by a modge podge lunch of leftovers. Then we just hung out, watched cartoons and read books until we had to take her back to meet her Mom. She wasn't looking forward to leaving - as usual - but we made it out the door and was only about 10 or so minutes late getting there.
After we dropped her off, we headed to AutoZone so that T could find a brush to wash "blue" with. He didn't find one there (but did buy an interior duster and some Sour Patch Kids for me) so we headed to Walmart where we had success. Now we are home.
T is outside washing the cars with pride. I am catching up on blog time, about to call my Dad for our weekly call and working on some crochet. T is off tomorrow so we are planning on spending the day hanging out together after I get my chores done. I am hoping for an early morning walk, chores and then maybe a little Christmas shopping early. Who knows what we will get into?
Final note, back to the topic, if anyone has any experience with Alice, please let me know. I am very curious as to how it works and how WELL it works!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
PSA: PetMeds
Two of my three furry babies have to take daily medication for different reasons. Jackson, my cocker spaniel, has, what is affectionately called "cocker ears." They are very prone to infection and, now that he is older, it must be maintained DAILY so that he doesn't smell like road kill and so that he can live life without stopping to scratch his goopy ears every other minute. Therefore, part of my daily morning routine is to wash out his ears with ear wash and tissue followed by an oral antibiotic.
Jasmine, my 14'ish year old cat, has a thyroid condition - can't remember if it is hyper or hypo thyroidism. She takes medication every day to regulate her thyroid.
For many years, I have ordered and obtained these meds directly from the vet office. But, about a month ago, I decided to give PetMeds a shot. It was AWESOME and will be my choice for meds from here on.
Not only are they a bit less expensive than my vet, their service is incredible and there are ALWAYS coupons in the paper for discounted prices on your next order. They have everything under the sun. For prescription meds, you just supply them with the name of your vet (a lot of the vets are already in their system) and prescription approval is done behind the scenes. You don't have to wrangle it at all. Your order arrives in a very timely manner via USPS and they even provide a bone for your pup or a treat for your cat. It is a great service that saves me time and money. And it is very convenient because it is all done online.
I just thought I'd share my experience in case anyone else has pets that need daily meds. Even if it is vitamins, heartworm meds, etc. This is a great service that I just had to boast about.
1-800-PetMeds
http://www.1800petmeds.com/
JACK APPROVED
Jasmine, my 14'ish year old cat, has a thyroid condition - can't remember if it is hyper or hypo thyroidism. She takes medication every day to regulate her thyroid.
For many years, I have ordered and obtained these meds directly from the vet office. But, about a month ago, I decided to give PetMeds a shot. It was AWESOME and will be my choice for meds from here on.
Not only are they a bit less expensive than my vet, their service is incredible and there are ALWAYS coupons in the paper for discounted prices on your next order. They have everything under the sun. For prescription meds, you just supply them with the name of your vet (a lot of the vets are already in their system) and prescription approval is done behind the scenes. You don't have to wrangle it at all. Your order arrives in a very timely manner via USPS and they even provide a bone for your pup or a treat for your cat. It is a great service that saves me time and money. And it is very convenient because it is all done online.
I just thought I'd share my experience in case anyone else has pets that need daily meds. Even if it is vitamins, heartworm meds, etc. This is a great service that I just had to boast about.
1-800-PetMeds
http://www.1800petmeds.com/
JACK APPROVED
Monday, September 21, 2009
Weekend Recap
What is that 'they' always say? "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy?" If that's the case, I suppose the opposite is true, "If Mama IS happy, everyone is happy."
This weekend was a really nice family weekend. I was in very good spirits and, because of that, my patience, acceptance and attitude was at their peaks! And it showed. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and we really enjoyed our time together.
Friday started with the usual chores followed by a lunch date with a dear friend, Amber. It was so nice to finally catch up with her - it felt like it had been forever! And I spontaneously got to meet her beau! That was fun. She went with me to Target after lunch so that I could get a new fall door mat (and, as is the Target way, I ended up getting a couple of other things). We parted ways after Target with the promise that we would get together for lunch at least twice a month! I'm so glad. I really enjoy hanging out with her. Not that we don't text each other a lot but hanging out is always good!
While I was out doing my running, T was picking up Tay from school. She had a half day and needed to be picked up at 11:30 (seems less than a half of a day but whatever). They grabbed some lunch on the way home and we all ended up back at the house together around 3:30. Just in time for a couple of awesome Craig's List sales! I sold our two end tables that went with our previous furniture and two ottomans that were originally in my apartment but was then sitting in the crap room before it became Cashew's room. They are really nice ottomans that my Mom and I found on clearance at Target. All in all, within an hour, we made $90! We have a couple of other items on "the list" just waiting for a good home.
Dinner was easy - leftover chowder for T and I and chicken nuggets and mac and cheese for Tay. We ended the evening with our traditional movie night - Madagascar 2 (for the umpteenth time, but it is cute). Tay fell asleep on the couch towards the end of the movie so we tucked her in and I wasn't too far behind her!
Saturday I got up and got my chores done before the rest of the house was stirring. T got up early and took "Blue", which is now the name of the Lexus, up to the tire place to have the tires rotated and balanced. Tay woke up late and lounged until T came home. We all got cleaned up and headed to Madera Canyon which is South-Southeast of Tucson. I almost lost my happy mojo while we were stuck in stopped traffic on I-10 right as we entered the freeway. Ahh, the wonderful Tucson road construction projects that seem to make no sense other than to cause even more road rage than already exists out here. They were merging three lanes into the one center lane. We were stopped for quite a while and I was really getting ancy, angry and frustrated. But, once we got moving, I felt the pissiness wear off and the sun was shining again...somewhat.
The real sun WAS shining until we got closer to the canyon. We saw some cool lightening strikes and it did drizzle on our picnic a bit. But we didn't care. The temperature in the canyon was closer to the mid 80s and it felt amazing! We had the stereotypical KFC picnic (which was kinda gross...at least mine was) and then went hiking. My big belly and Jackson's older age kept us lagging in the back of the pack. At one point, he and I sat on a big rock while T and Tay climbed a pretty large hill. I was pretty crampy from the climb that far and Jack's tongue was grazing the path so I knew a break was needed for both of us.
As we were walking back to the car, there was a man and maybe his son walking through the creek bed (there was no water...go figure!) looking for rattlesnakes. They asked us if we had seen any and we said no and I added that we weren't planning on it either!! Then I thought about that big rock I had been sitting on...yikes! I didn't even think about snakes!
On our drive out of the canyon, we stopped at the lodge gift shop. T and Tay went in to do some shopping while Jack and I sat at a small table outside of the entrance. The canyon is known for their abundance of bird families. This area was absolutely full of hummingbirds!! So I sat and watched them fly overhead and feed from the multiple feeders the lodge had placed around the grounds.
T and Tay walked out with three bottled waters and a turtle necklace for Tay. The lady who owns the lodge offered Tay a turkey feather which she accepted. We did see turkeys as we were driving in which seems so odd in Tucson for some reason. I joked that they were running for the hills since Thanksgiving was coming up. Tay didn't get it and I didn't want to explain...
On the drive home, our two "kids" in the backseat were sound asleep. Jackson had his paw on the door arm rest with his head on his paw. It was so sweet. And Tay was a bobble head in her booster seat. I was pretty much in a daze all the way home...I may have drifted off for a couple of minutes...the hike was great exercise but really took it out of me. Well, took it out of all of us!
Tay talking to us about school
Listening intently!
So is Jackson...no wait, he is waiting for chicken to drop
Our lunch table in the canyon
Our family
Close buds
On the big hike - Cashew's first!
Madera Canyon - creek bed with no water
The kids leading the way
Strike a pose by the cool tree with white bark
Daddy and his little girl
Contemplating her next move
Tree bridge
Cool plant
Good family time
There is a really funny video sequence that I will try and figure out how to post on here. It is of Tay running down a hill. The first time, success. The second, not so much!
Yesterday I did my usual Circle K run for a paper and a tea. Tay was already up but she watched cartoons while I was gone and Daddy was still asleep. When I got back, I did my daily morning routine, read the paper and cut coupons. We started her Christmas list (she wants everything) and then we worked on a project together. We had three jars of coins - from pockets, wallets and who knows what else - so we rolled the coins. This was an educational project. I was working with her on knowing her money, the denominations, and how many of each coin equaled the amount that goes in the roll. She did really well. I was pretty impressed! All in all, we rolled over $175 worth of coins and there are still more to roll. We ran out of quarter rolls so I will need to get some more of those.
After our project, we had lunch and then raced upstairs to get showered before the Steelers/Bears game. Although the game turned out to be a disappointment (but it was a close game), we had a good time watching it together. I have brainwashed this poor child and I couldn't be more proud!! Her attention span got her through the first quarter and maybe five minutes of the second quarter before she went to color. But she told me to let me know if Steelers scored so that she could swing the towel! I swear it brought tears to my eyes that she wanted to swing her towel! During half time, we had some picture fun. Me with my new jersey (Polamalu jersey who is out with a sprained knee). I ordered this jersey in a women's large. I should have looked for the wooly mammoth size large because I had to wear a black tank underneath it...I don't know how many future games I will be able to wear it until after December. But I will continue to try!
Swing that towel Tay!! Swing it proud!
Tay's close up on the ol Cashew pod
The pod showing her colors!
Don't mess with the tough Steeler girls!!
T had to leave today for DC to pitch to a client tomorrow so I am just getting my usual stuff done. This morning I did the usual kitchen wipe down in addition to deeper kitchen cleaning - appliances, mopping, etc. I watered the plants, swept the sidewalk, swept the kitchen, mopped the kitchen, started laundry, dusted and vacuumed downstairs. Next I am going to have some lunch, dust and vacuum upstairs and finish laundry. That should do it for today. My new product that I LOVE - Swifter dusting polish. It ROCKS! I was always a Pledge girl until I tried it.
Until next time....
This weekend was a really nice family weekend. I was in very good spirits and, because of that, my patience, acceptance and attitude was at their peaks! And it showed. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and we really enjoyed our time together.
Friday started with the usual chores followed by a lunch date with a dear friend, Amber. It was so nice to finally catch up with her - it felt like it had been forever! And I spontaneously got to meet her beau! That was fun. She went with me to Target after lunch so that I could get a new fall door mat (and, as is the Target way, I ended up getting a couple of other things). We parted ways after Target with the promise that we would get together for lunch at least twice a month! I'm so glad. I really enjoy hanging out with her. Not that we don't text each other a lot but hanging out is always good!
While I was out doing my running, T was picking up Tay from school. She had a half day and needed to be picked up at 11:30 (seems less than a half of a day but whatever). They grabbed some lunch on the way home and we all ended up back at the house together around 3:30. Just in time for a couple of awesome Craig's List sales! I sold our two end tables that went with our previous furniture and two ottomans that were originally in my apartment but was then sitting in the crap room before it became Cashew's room. They are really nice ottomans that my Mom and I found on clearance at Target. All in all, within an hour, we made $90! We have a couple of other items on "the list" just waiting for a good home.
Dinner was easy - leftover chowder for T and I and chicken nuggets and mac and cheese for Tay. We ended the evening with our traditional movie night - Madagascar 2 (for the umpteenth time, but it is cute). Tay fell asleep on the couch towards the end of the movie so we tucked her in and I wasn't too far behind her!
Saturday I got up and got my chores done before the rest of the house was stirring. T got up early and took "Blue", which is now the name of the Lexus, up to the tire place to have the tires rotated and balanced. Tay woke up late and lounged until T came home. We all got cleaned up and headed to Madera Canyon which is South-Southeast of Tucson. I almost lost my happy mojo while we were stuck in stopped traffic on I-10 right as we entered the freeway. Ahh, the wonderful Tucson road construction projects that seem to make no sense other than to cause even more road rage than already exists out here. They were merging three lanes into the one center lane. We were stopped for quite a while and I was really getting ancy, angry and frustrated. But, once we got moving, I felt the pissiness wear off and the sun was shining again...somewhat.
The real sun WAS shining until we got closer to the canyon. We saw some cool lightening strikes and it did drizzle on our picnic a bit. But we didn't care. The temperature in the canyon was closer to the mid 80s and it felt amazing! We had the stereotypical KFC picnic (which was kinda gross...at least mine was) and then went hiking. My big belly and Jackson's older age kept us lagging in the back of the pack. At one point, he and I sat on a big rock while T and Tay climbed a pretty large hill. I was pretty crampy from the climb that far and Jack's tongue was grazing the path so I knew a break was needed for both of us.
As we were walking back to the car, there was a man and maybe his son walking through the creek bed (there was no water...go figure!) looking for rattlesnakes. They asked us if we had seen any and we said no and I added that we weren't planning on it either!! Then I thought about that big rock I had been sitting on...yikes! I didn't even think about snakes!
On our drive out of the canyon, we stopped at the lodge gift shop. T and Tay went in to do some shopping while Jack and I sat at a small table outside of the entrance. The canyon is known for their abundance of bird families. This area was absolutely full of hummingbirds!! So I sat and watched them fly overhead and feed from the multiple feeders the lodge had placed around the grounds.
T and Tay walked out with three bottled waters and a turtle necklace for Tay. The lady who owns the lodge offered Tay a turkey feather which she accepted. We did see turkeys as we were driving in which seems so odd in Tucson for some reason. I joked that they were running for the hills since Thanksgiving was coming up. Tay didn't get it and I didn't want to explain...
On the drive home, our two "kids" in the backseat were sound asleep. Jackson had his paw on the door arm rest with his head on his paw. It was so sweet. And Tay was a bobble head in her booster seat. I was pretty much in a daze all the way home...I may have drifted off for a couple of minutes...the hike was great exercise but really took it out of me. Well, took it out of all of us!
Tay talking to us about school
Listening intently!
So is Jackson...no wait, he is waiting for chicken to drop
Our lunch table in the canyon
Our family
Close buds
On the big hike - Cashew's first!
Madera Canyon - creek bed with no water
The kids leading the way
Strike a pose by the cool tree with white bark
Daddy and his little girl
Contemplating her next move
Tree bridge
Cool plant
Good family time
There is a really funny video sequence that I will try and figure out how to post on here. It is of Tay running down a hill. The first time, success. The second, not so much!
Yesterday I did my usual Circle K run for a paper and a tea. Tay was already up but she watched cartoons while I was gone and Daddy was still asleep. When I got back, I did my daily morning routine, read the paper and cut coupons. We started her Christmas list (she wants everything) and then we worked on a project together. We had three jars of coins - from pockets, wallets and who knows what else - so we rolled the coins. This was an educational project. I was working with her on knowing her money, the denominations, and how many of each coin equaled the amount that goes in the roll. She did really well. I was pretty impressed! All in all, we rolled over $175 worth of coins and there are still more to roll. We ran out of quarter rolls so I will need to get some more of those.
After our project, we had lunch and then raced upstairs to get showered before the Steelers/Bears game. Although the game turned out to be a disappointment (but it was a close game), we had a good time watching it together. I have brainwashed this poor child and I couldn't be more proud!! Her attention span got her through the first quarter and maybe five minutes of the second quarter before she went to color. But she told me to let me know if Steelers scored so that she could swing the towel! I swear it brought tears to my eyes that she wanted to swing her towel! During half time, we had some picture fun. Me with my new jersey (Polamalu jersey who is out with a sprained knee). I ordered this jersey in a women's large. I should have looked for the wooly mammoth size large because I had to wear a black tank underneath it...I don't know how many future games I will be able to wear it until after December. But I will continue to try!
Swing that towel Tay!! Swing it proud!
Tay's close up on the ol Cashew pod
The pod showing her colors!
Don't mess with the tough Steeler girls!!
T had to leave today for DC to pitch to a client tomorrow so I am just getting my usual stuff done. This morning I did the usual kitchen wipe down in addition to deeper kitchen cleaning - appliances, mopping, etc. I watered the plants, swept the sidewalk, swept the kitchen, mopped the kitchen, started laundry, dusted and vacuumed downstairs. Next I am going to have some lunch, dust and vacuum upstairs and finish laundry. That should do it for today. My new product that I LOVE - Swifter dusting polish. It ROCKS! I was always a Pledge girl until I tried it.
Until next time....
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Systems, Procrastination and Falling
It feels good to have a system in place. The Outlook calendar method really seems to be working for me and makes me feel like I have a true "adult" agenda each day. You know, like grown ups do at work! I was able to complete everything on my list plus a few things that weren't....and there was one big item that I didn't get to...
First, let's talk systems. I have worked out a couple of systems that has really helped me keep the house maintained. I think the biggest is the 8 AM - 9 AM timeslot with the kitchen. Every morning I empty the dishwasher, put away the dried handwashed dishes (pots, pans, etc.), wipe down all counters and everything sitting on the counter, wipe down the appliances, wipe down the bathroom that is right off the kitchen (which is the one we use the most while watching TV and the one guests use when over visiting), wipe down the washer/dryer, sweep the floors and clean out the coffee pot for T. After that process, I water the plants out front and then check the laundry hamper. That leads to the laundry system...
My new approach with laundry. As soon as our hamper upstairs in the closet is full - not overflowing, just full - I take the hamper down to the laundry room and sort the clothes into the hamper (darks, lights and towels). Once the downstairs hampers are full - not overflowing - I do a load. One hamper full actually equals a super load. Perfect! This keeps the laundry down to a minimum and seems to keep everything looking nice.
Procrastination: I still haven't organized Tay's room. I was planning on doing that today after my grocery trip. But I was distracted. It sure wasn't due to the weather but I became ancy to get my fall decor out. Once I started on that, it became its own monster and took me an hour or so. While I was working on that project, I was doing a load of laundry because one of the hampers was full. What a system!!
Here is a look at some of my fall decor. I think I have more hiding in spider ridden bins in the garage but will need T's help getting them down. Playing the pregnant card there (although it has more to do with spiders).
To the right of the front door. I bought these beautiful Mums at the Walmart grocery store today - $7/each and I think they look very pretty. I got the hay stacks at Michael's for $6.99/each. We will be going to the pumpkin patch Oct 11. I will be placing our pumpkins on the hay stacks after they are carved.
Take a look at my table scape (as Sandra Lee would say)...this pic is dark because of the back door behind it...
Here it is from an angle
The end table in the living room...a jar of candy corn, a fantastic smelling candle (smells like fall) and a BHG mag with a fall theme (not sat there on purpose...I just haven't looked at it yet)
Big wicker pumpkin on the kitchen table
Over the sink...the flowers in the vase are real. I need to add one more gourd to balance it all out. I will be picking that up tomorrow.
The bathroom flowers of the week - remember my tip that fresh flowers brighten up the house. It is a "staple" on my grocery list every week. These looked very fall festive so they are our flowers of the week...
Close up...
And, leaving you with a cute pic of my boys. Kizzy loves sitting with Daddy while he works. Right before this pic, they were both looking at the computer screen!
Tomorrow's agenda - usual routine in the morning followed by lunch with one of my great friends! We are going to Sweet Tomatoes - they are a salad place with a HUGE salad bar. I am very excited. I will be hitting Fry's or Sunflowers to pick up some veggies and fruit on the way home. Then dinner and movie night with Tay. I can't believe it will be Friday already!
Tonight I am going to make a chicken corn chowder with the leftover crockpot chicken. While that's cooking, I am going to do another once over with the vacuum. T is out in the garage cleaning. He is very determined to get the truckster in the garage and...well, you know how it is when he gets his mind on something!
Lastly, no Halloween party this year. I will spare you the details but we are going to pass. We will have a family chili costume dinner and that will be that. It was becoming too stressful and I don't need that right now...and definitely won't need it at the end of October! So we are going to skip this year...but I will still get to wear my costume!
Have a great night!!
First, let's talk systems. I have worked out a couple of systems that has really helped me keep the house maintained. I think the biggest is the 8 AM - 9 AM timeslot with the kitchen. Every morning I empty the dishwasher, put away the dried handwashed dishes (pots, pans, etc.), wipe down all counters and everything sitting on the counter, wipe down the appliances, wipe down the bathroom that is right off the kitchen (which is the one we use the most while watching TV and the one guests use when over visiting), wipe down the washer/dryer, sweep the floors and clean out the coffee pot for T. After that process, I water the plants out front and then check the laundry hamper. That leads to the laundry system...
My new approach with laundry. As soon as our hamper upstairs in the closet is full - not overflowing, just full - I take the hamper down to the laundry room and sort the clothes into the hamper (darks, lights and towels). Once the downstairs hampers are full - not overflowing - I do a load. One hamper full actually equals a super load. Perfect! This keeps the laundry down to a minimum and seems to keep everything looking nice.
Procrastination: I still haven't organized Tay's room. I was planning on doing that today after my grocery trip. But I was distracted. It sure wasn't due to the weather but I became ancy to get my fall decor out. Once I started on that, it became its own monster and took me an hour or so. While I was working on that project, I was doing a load of laundry because one of the hampers was full. What a system!!
Here is a look at some of my fall decor. I think I have more hiding in spider ridden bins in the garage but will need T's help getting them down. Playing the pregnant card there (although it has more to do with spiders).
To the right of the front door. I bought these beautiful Mums at the Walmart grocery store today - $7/each and I think they look very pretty. I got the hay stacks at Michael's for $6.99/each. We will be going to the pumpkin patch Oct 11. I will be placing our pumpkins on the hay stacks after they are carved.
Take a look at my table scape (as Sandra Lee would say)...this pic is dark because of the back door behind it...
Here it is from an angle
The end table in the living room...a jar of candy corn, a fantastic smelling candle (smells like fall) and a BHG mag with a fall theme (not sat there on purpose...I just haven't looked at it yet)
Big wicker pumpkin on the kitchen table
Over the sink...the flowers in the vase are real. I need to add one more gourd to balance it all out. I will be picking that up tomorrow.
The bathroom flowers of the week - remember my tip that fresh flowers brighten up the house. It is a "staple" on my grocery list every week. These looked very fall festive so they are our flowers of the week...
Close up...
And, leaving you with a cute pic of my boys. Kizzy loves sitting with Daddy while he works. Right before this pic, they were both looking at the computer screen!
Tomorrow's agenda - usual routine in the morning followed by lunch with one of my great friends! We are going to Sweet Tomatoes - they are a salad place with a HUGE salad bar. I am very excited. I will be hitting Fry's or Sunflowers to pick up some veggies and fruit on the way home. Then dinner and movie night with Tay. I can't believe it will be Friday already!
Tonight I am going to make a chicken corn chowder with the leftover crockpot chicken. While that's cooking, I am going to do another once over with the vacuum. T is out in the garage cleaning. He is very determined to get the truckster in the garage and...well, you know how it is when he gets his mind on something!
Lastly, no Halloween party this year. I will spare you the details but we are going to pass. We will have a family chili costume dinner and that will be that. It was becoming too stressful and I don't need that right now...and definitely won't need it at the end of October! So we are going to skip this year...but I will still get to wear my costume!
Have a great night!!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
My day at work...
Despite my best laid plans and a very detailed calendar, I was unable to get to my afternoon project today - organize and deep clean Tay's room. First off, I woke up late after getting almost no sleep last night. Therefore, my personal time was cut in half which only allowed time for breakfast. However, I did check emails and did some other computer things which crept into my 8 AM - 9 AM timeslot.
By 8:30, I was wiping down the kitchen and putting away dishes. I swept the floor and wiped down the downstairs bathroom and the washer and dryer. I had to break away from my cleaning to get some chicken and veggies in the crockpot for T. I will be meeting my buddy tonight for dinner and wanted to be sure he had something to eat. Talk about spoiled, huh??
After getting the crockpot going, I watered the front plants and packed up my cleaning caddy for the bathrooms upstairs. By the time I got started on the bathrooms, I was about an hour behind schedule. Bathrooms SUCK! There is just no way around it. And it is getting harder and harder to lean over the tub with this huge gut hanging out the front of me. Not to mention sticking my rubber gloved hand in the toilets to scrub the nasty out with a pumice stone. Bleh! After all that (including wiping down all four sinks - there are two in each bath upstairs, mirrors, vanities, toilet rims), I had to sweep and "mop" the floors. The thing about bathroom floors, in my experience, is that a mop just doesn't cut it! There are too many nooks and crannies to get into that a mop wouldn't be able to effectively. So I crawled on my hands and knees around the bathroom floor with a Mr Clean soaked rag. Good times when you have a heavy bundle in the gut area!!
After cleaning both bathrooms upstairs, it was close to 12:30 so I had to take the garbage to the can, clean up my hands and get busy with lunch. I had a turkey BLT and made T a regular BLT. I put a little salsa in a bowl and had some chips and salsa with lunch...but not before I spilled the salsa multiple times on the kitchen table. Bad words were said.
After all that, I decided that Tay's room would have to wait. I am almost thinking that her room will be a full day project, not an afternoon. My plan is to do it tomorrow after my grocery trip. If I can get to the grocery by 9 or 10, I will have a good portion of the day remaining to tackle that disaster! So I have shifted my calendar a bit. But it will get done this week.
In place of my original afternoon project, I took pics and placed some of our household items on craigslist. At least I did something productive with my afternoon!
T and I have discussed the biggest pain in my rear at the moment - the Halloween party. We have narrowed it down to two options - not doing one at all or doing just a kid halloween/carnival party. We will probably decide on the latter especially since our daggone costumes arrived today! And, geez, I don't think they are all too appropriate for a kids party (there isn't anything sexual about them, just questionable for some people I would think) but it is what it is. So I will make the decision in the next week as to whether or not we will go this kid party route or just skip it all together. I am going to talk to one of my kid-less friends tonight to see what she thinks as well. Decision to come.
I am off to get ready for my dinner out! I am so excited to see Amy. I need some real friend time!! She is one of those people you can say anything to and she doesn't get offended, bothered or hurt feelings. It is so awesome to be able to be that open with someone. And I have been needing a girlfriend like that to talk to lately!! Should be a nice (therapeutic) night!
Oh, wanted to give a quick shout out to Donda! Thank you for talking me off the ledge the other day. Your words of wisdom, reality and advice really helped me a lot!! I am so glad we have become close! I wish I still lived in Louisville so we could sit on the front porch and chat more!
Have a great evening all!
By 8:30, I was wiping down the kitchen and putting away dishes. I swept the floor and wiped down the downstairs bathroom and the washer and dryer. I had to break away from my cleaning to get some chicken and veggies in the crockpot for T. I will be meeting my buddy tonight for dinner and wanted to be sure he had something to eat. Talk about spoiled, huh??
After getting the crockpot going, I watered the front plants and packed up my cleaning caddy for the bathrooms upstairs. By the time I got started on the bathrooms, I was about an hour behind schedule. Bathrooms SUCK! There is just no way around it. And it is getting harder and harder to lean over the tub with this huge gut hanging out the front of me. Not to mention sticking my rubber gloved hand in the toilets to scrub the nasty out with a pumice stone. Bleh! After all that (including wiping down all four sinks - there are two in each bath upstairs, mirrors, vanities, toilet rims), I had to sweep and "mop" the floors. The thing about bathroom floors, in my experience, is that a mop just doesn't cut it! There are too many nooks and crannies to get into that a mop wouldn't be able to effectively. So I crawled on my hands and knees around the bathroom floor with a Mr Clean soaked rag. Good times when you have a heavy bundle in the gut area!!
After cleaning both bathrooms upstairs, it was close to 12:30 so I had to take the garbage to the can, clean up my hands and get busy with lunch. I had a turkey BLT and made T a regular BLT. I put a little salsa in a bowl and had some chips and salsa with lunch...but not before I spilled the salsa multiple times on the kitchen table. Bad words were said.
After all that, I decided that Tay's room would have to wait. I am almost thinking that her room will be a full day project, not an afternoon. My plan is to do it tomorrow after my grocery trip. If I can get to the grocery by 9 or 10, I will have a good portion of the day remaining to tackle that disaster! So I have shifted my calendar a bit. But it will get done this week.
In place of my original afternoon project, I took pics and placed some of our household items on craigslist. At least I did something productive with my afternoon!
T and I have discussed the biggest pain in my rear at the moment - the Halloween party. We have narrowed it down to two options - not doing one at all or doing just a kid halloween/carnival party. We will probably decide on the latter especially since our daggone costumes arrived today! And, geez, I don't think they are all too appropriate for a kids party (there isn't anything sexual about them, just questionable for some people I would think) but it is what it is. So I will make the decision in the next week as to whether or not we will go this kid party route or just skip it all together. I am going to talk to one of my kid-less friends tonight to see what she thinks as well. Decision to come.
I am off to get ready for my dinner out! I am so excited to see Amy. I need some real friend time!! She is one of those people you can say anything to and she doesn't get offended, bothered or hurt feelings. It is so awesome to be able to be that open with someone. And I have been needing a girlfriend like that to talk to lately!! Should be a nice (therapeutic) night!
Oh, wanted to give a quick shout out to Donda! Thank you for talking me off the ledge the other day. Your words of wisdom, reality and advice really helped me a lot!! I am so glad we have become close! I wish I still lived in Louisville so we could sit on the front porch and chat more!
Have a great evening all!
Kids, Adults, Pets Halloween Party...I Need Your Help!
Every year I have a Halloween party. This actually started when I was still living in Louisville and has followed me out here. I really enjoy having parties and it is always fun to see what costumes people come up with.
This Year's Challenge
I have always had adults only parties. Not that there is any crazy nudity or anything of the sort, but there usually is plenty of adult bevs flowing, a game of beer pong happening and just good ol' adult time without a lot of distractions (other than the frequent potty breaks from the frequent bar visits).
This year, I will be inviting kids. This will be a first and something that I just better get used to since I won't have anything to do with mine next year (all babysitters are usually here). This really has me perplexed and I need some help from my awesome friends!
How Do You...
> Keep it fun with adult entertainment (no, not strippers) for the grown-ups who prefer adult parties over kid parties?
> Decide what time to have the party?
> Decide the menu? A kids menu and an adult menu? Keep in mind it is usually finger foods.
> Separate the kids from the adults who may not want to deal with kids at a party?
> Motivate friends to come who may be deterred by the "kid" aspect?
> Manage the kids while still hosting the adults?
> How do you keep sane when you cannot have a drink to take the edge off and you have lots of kids running around the house?
> Should I include an itinerary in the invitation showing when kid activities will take place and then when beer pong tournament will begin so that adults can see that there WILL be adult things going on throughout the night?
Original Ideas
> Set up an "area" for the kids. I am thinking in our living room where the Mac computer usually sits. I can move the computer and set up a table with paper covering so that they can do crafts and crap.
> My MIL suggested bobbing for apples which we can do outside IF it is still light (which goes back to what time to start) and if no one is worried about kids swapping saliva around flu season.
> Beer pong and other adult entertainment in garage with electric fans set up to keep it cooled off.
> Fire in the fire pit at a certain time for S'Mores.
> Patio area around chiminea designated for cigar/cigarette smoking
> Costume contest for adults (as usual) and for the kids
> Take away goodie bags for the kids
> Pin the stem on the pumpkin (I'm kinda kidding about that unless I run out of other things for them to do)
Now it is your turn. Do you have any ideas that could help this party be a success? I don't want people not to come because there are kids here and I don't want the party to turn out to be a kid party with adults having to follow them around everywhere. I want to find a happy medium so that everyone comes and has fun. This is really weighing on my brain so any help would be much appreciated!!
This Year's Challenge
I have always had adults only parties. Not that there is any crazy nudity or anything of the sort, but there usually is plenty of adult bevs flowing, a game of beer pong happening and just good ol' adult time without a lot of distractions (other than the frequent potty breaks from the frequent bar visits).
This year, I will be inviting kids. This will be a first and something that I just better get used to since I won't have anything to do with mine next year (all babysitters are usually here). This really has me perplexed and I need some help from my awesome friends!
How Do You...
> Keep it fun with adult entertainment (no, not strippers) for the grown-ups who prefer adult parties over kid parties?
> Decide what time to have the party?
> Decide the menu? A kids menu and an adult menu? Keep in mind it is usually finger foods.
> Separate the kids from the adults who may not want to deal with kids at a party?
> Motivate friends to come who may be deterred by the "kid" aspect?
> Manage the kids while still hosting the adults?
> How do you keep sane when you cannot have a drink to take the edge off and you have lots of kids running around the house?
> Should I include an itinerary in the invitation showing when kid activities will take place and then when beer pong tournament will begin so that adults can see that there WILL be adult things going on throughout the night?
Original Ideas
> Set up an "area" for the kids. I am thinking in our living room where the Mac computer usually sits. I can move the computer and set up a table with paper covering so that they can do crafts and crap.
> My MIL suggested bobbing for apples which we can do outside IF it is still light (which goes back to what time to start) and if no one is worried about kids swapping saliva around flu season.
> Beer pong and other adult entertainment in garage with electric fans set up to keep it cooled off.
> Fire in the fire pit at a certain time for S'Mores.
> Patio area around chiminea designated for cigar/cigarette smoking
> Costume contest for adults (as usual) and for the kids
> Take away goodie bags for the kids
> Pin the stem on the pumpkin (I'm kinda kidding about that unless I run out of other things for them to do)
Now it is your turn. Do you have any ideas that could help this party be a success? I don't want people not to come because there are kids here and I don't want the party to turn out to be a kid party with adults having to follow them around everywhere. I want to find a happy medium so that everyone comes and has fun. This is really weighing on my brain so any help would be much appreciated!!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Finding Structure
Over the past couple of months, I have been struggling with this whole "stay at home" concept. I definitely appreciate the opportunity that I have and that T has given me but I have always had a job my entire life...a career. I have always been very career driven and measured success off of meeting or exceeding my career goals. Being a "stay at home" reduces, if not eliminates, any success factors. Anyone can clean and anyone can cook. At least that's the way I see it.
Everyone I mention this to, including my Mom who paid for my hefty college education, continue to tell me to hang tight. I will be more than busy with new responsibilities come the first of the year. I guess that's where patience - which I don't have too much of - comes into play.
In order to formulate some sort of structure into my day, I have decided to truly treat my new "stay at home" job as a true job outside of the home. Giving myself timelines and deadlines, to do lists and success measures (afternoon projects to accomplish), etc. How am I doing this?
I am utilizing my Outlook calendar on the computer and plugging in my daily chores, the hours of which to do them, afternoon projects which are anything from organizing Tay's room (which is tomorrow) to Christmas presents to cleaning the blinds. I am inputting everything including personal time, email/computer time, lunch and dinner. I also include any lunches with friends, doctor appointments, etc. so that I am sure to work my "work" around my play.
Every Sunday I will put together my calendar and print it out. It will hang on my bulletin board in the office. Each day I will take down the sheet for that day and follow it verbatim. My success measures will be accomplishing everything on that page for that day. This is the best I can do to take me one step closer to the real world.
This week's schedule:
Today:
7-8 AM: Personal time, emails, breakfast
8 - 9 AM: Clean kitchen, sweep, mop, water front plants
9 - 11 AM: Dust upstairs, downstairs, ceiling fans, vacuum, laundry (which was already done yesterday)
11 AM - 3 PM: Lunch with friends, run errands
3 PM - 6 PM: Emails, blog, personal time (I need to run the vacuum upstairs because T had a ton of conference calls today)
6 PM - 8 PM: Dinner
Wednesday:
7 - 8 AM: Personal time, emails, breakfast
8 - 9 AM: Clean kitchen, sweep, water front plants
9 - 11 AM: Bathrooms, tubs, scour toilets, sweep, mop, etc
11 A - 1 P: Lunch/shower
1 P - 4 P: Organize Tay's room
5 P - ??: Meet Amy at The Loop (YAY)
Thursday:
7 - 8 A: Personal time, emails, breakfast
8 - 9 A: Clean kitchen, sweep, water front plants
9 - 1 P: Shower, create grocery list, grocery, bring lunch back
1 P - 5 P: Afternoon project - Christmas gifts
5 P - 8 P: Dinner
Friday:
7 - 8 A: Personal time, emails, breakfast
8 - 9 A: Clean kitchen, sweep, water front plants
9 A - 11 A: Shower, dust/vacuum
12 P - 2 P: Lunch with Amber
2 P - ??: Personal time, dinner, Tay
Anyway, that's the plan.
On a stranger note, we had some visitors over the weekend. A swarm of bees decided that our Mesquite tree was a perfect place to rest along their migration trail. It was so cool! They weren't hanging on a comb...they were hanging on each other! We called the exterminator guy that we always use and he said to let them be (or bee...haha) to see if they move on. He said that they migrate and sometimes just need a resting place while on their journey. He said that, if they weren't gone by Monday, to get a beekeeper person out to handle them. Sure enough, Sunday they took off. They stayed at our lovely resort for the weekend and then headed on their way. We really wish we could have seen them either land all together or take off all together. Here is a pic:
If you have any other ideas on how to measure success when you are a "stay at home", I would love to hear them. Or any tips, advice or feedback you may have.
Everyone I mention this to, including my Mom who paid for my hefty college education, continue to tell me to hang tight. I will be more than busy with new responsibilities come the first of the year. I guess that's where patience - which I don't have too much of - comes into play.
In order to formulate some sort of structure into my day, I have decided to truly treat my new "stay at home" job as a true job outside of the home. Giving myself timelines and deadlines, to do lists and success measures (afternoon projects to accomplish), etc. How am I doing this?
I am utilizing my Outlook calendar on the computer and plugging in my daily chores, the hours of which to do them, afternoon projects which are anything from organizing Tay's room (which is tomorrow) to Christmas presents to cleaning the blinds. I am inputting everything including personal time, email/computer time, lunch and dinner. I also include any lunches with friends, doctor appointments, etc. so that I am sure to work my "work" around my play.
Every Sunday I will put together my calendar and print it out. It will hang on my bulletin board in the office. Each day I will take down the sheet for that day and follow it verbatim. My success measures will be accomplishing everything on that page for that day. This is the best I can do to take me one step closer to the real world.
This week's schedule:
Today:
7-8 AM: Personal time, emails, breakfast
8 - 9 AM: Clean kitchen, sweep, mop, water front plants
9 - 11 AM: Dust upstairs, downstairs, ceiling fans, vacuum, laundry (which was already done yesterday)
11 AM - 3 PM: Lunch with friends, run errands
3 PM - 6 PM: Emails, blog, personal time (I need to run the vacuum upstairs because T had a ton of conference calls today)
6 PM - 8 PM: Dinner
Wednesday:
7 - 8 AM: Personal time, emails, breakfast
8 - 9 AM: Clean kitchen, sweep, water front plants
9 - 11 AM: Bathrooms, tubs, scour toilets, sweep, mop, etc
11 A - 1 P: Lunch/shower
1 P - 4 P: Organize Tay's room
5 P - ??: Meet Amy at The Loop (YAY)
Thursday:
7 - 8 A: Personal time, emails, breakfast
8 - 9 A: Clean kitchen, sweep, water front plants
9 - 1 P: Shower, create grocery list, grocery, bring lunch back
1 P - 5 P: Afternoon project - Christmas gifts
5 P - 8 P: Dinner
Friday:
7 - 8 A: Personal time, emails, breakfast
8 - 9 A: Clean kitchen, sweep, water front plants
9 A - 11 A: Shower, dust/vacuum
12 P - 2 P: Lunch with Amber
2 P - ??: Personal time, dinner, Tay
Anyway, that's the plan.
On a stranger note, we had some visitors over the weekend. A swarm of bees decided that our Mesquite tree was a perfect place to rest along their migration trail. It was so cool! They weren't hanging on a comb...they were hanging on each other! We called the exterminator guy that we always use and he said to let them be (or bee...haha) to see if they move on. He said that they migrate and sometimes just need a resting place while on their journey. He said that, if they weren't gone by Monday, to get a beekeeper person out to handle them. Sure enough, Sunday they took off. They stayed at our lovely resort for the weekend and then headed on their way. We really wish we could have seen them either land all together or take off all together. Here is a pic:
If you have any other ideas on how to measure success when you are a "stay at home", I would love to hear them. Or any tips, advice or feedback you may have.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
In memoriam of the red car...
It's just a car. A hunk of metal. A form of transportation. To some, that's how they see their car and other's cars as well. No fault of theirs and everyone sees things differently. This is a moment to reflect on my car. A car that meant more to me than just a means of transportation. A car that has so many memories, I couldn't possibly list them all here. A car that was my dream car since my mid-20's and one that I paid on...and paid off...on my own. Red car, this one is for you.
In my early 20s I found my dream car. It was the Mitsubishi Eclipse. At the time, it was a much older body style. My good friend Mark, who I worked with at the time at GE, had a daily calendar (the ones where you rip off a page each day) with a car theme. One day my Eclipse came up. He tore it off and gave it to me. Like I said, it was an older model but was the current model of that year. I took that page of his calendar and taped it to the monitor of my very first personal desktop computer at my first house. That was my goal. I wanted that car.
Through the years, the body style continued to change. In 2001, the body style was beautiful and it was offered as a convertible as well. That became my ultimate dream car and my goal. I searched and searched - including online when eBay was still pretty new - for my car. I found two online that peaked my interest and almost opened my checkbook until my stepdad talked some sense into me. You really should SEE the car before purchasing and, who is going to drive or fly me from Kentucky to Texas to pick it up??
I looked at dealerships across town for my car. I couldn't really purchase new but would be completely happy with used. Then it happened. I was heading to the gym while it was still dark out (before the sun even came up). My gym happened to be located directly across the street from one of the largest dealerships in Louisville. And there she was. She sat on a grassy mound under a street light - almost as if there was a halo around her. I almost slammed into the car in front of me as I gazed lovingly and longingly at MY car. I knew I would have her.
I called the sales rep that we dealt with at that dealership before the sun was even over the horizon. I left a message and told him not to allow that car to go ANYWHERE until I had a chance to take a look at it. After looking at it, driving it and, after a great report back from a non-biased mechanic, she was mine. I am guessing it was around September of 2002. I was 30 years old and a proud owner of a car that I had coveted since my mid-20's.
In October, at the age of 30, I contracted chicken pox. I was so upset because the weather was so incredibly nice. It was perfect weather for me to try out my car with the top down. But I was quarantined to the house until I wasn't contagious. That was about a week (at least). Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I picked up my stepmom and we drove to Otter Creek with the top down. Although the wind made my pox itch even more, I was in hog heaven with my beautiful car.
Some of my favorite "stand out" memories of my car:
> Lisa and I with our boas flying in the breeze with the top down on a warm fall day! We were shopping for the BEST Christmas party Axxis ever had!
> Driving her to North Carolina, then South Carolina (to Charleston - my birthplace) and then to Palm Coast, Florida with Bruce. Top down most of the time - I think I got most of my tan on the drive! Sitting under the overpass while stuck in traffic so we wouldn't burn!
> Same trip - red car put her toes in the sand on Daytona beach. A little smoke and a little drink action while cruising and people watching
> Using the backseat as a pick up truck bed while toting around AV equipment, lighting gels, etc.
> Top down with heater on when the days were cool but I couldn't resist
> Top down with the air on - this happened more in AZ
> She really stretched her legs on the drive across the country
> The many trips home from happy hour - she took care of me
> A trip to Atlanta and Gatlinburg where there was a steep mountain with snow
> My brand new top that T gave me for Xmas last year - beautiful black top that he installed. She looked radiant.
There are so many memories. Too many for a blog entry. She will always be like family - not a hunk of metal. Seven years and now she is sitting at an auction wondering where her next home will be. It kills me to think that she could possibly be sold for parts or could be abused by a stupid teenager. But it's just a car, right? No. It is a sign that my life will never be the same...
2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT Spyder Convertible 5-speed
My "red car": September 2002 - September 2009
In my early 20s I found my dream car. It was the Mitsubishi Eclipse. At the time, it was a much older body style. My good friend Mark, who I worked with at the time at GE, had a daily calendar (the ones where you rip off a page each day) with a car theme. One day my Eclipse came up. He tore it off and gave it to me. Like I said, it was an older model but was the current model of that year. I took that page of his calendar and taped it to the monitor of my very first personal desktop computer at my first house. That was my goal. I wanted that car.
Through the years, the body style continued to change. In 2001, the body style was beautiful and it was offered as a convertible as well. That became my ultimate dream car and my goal. I searched and searched - including online when eBay was still pretty new - for my car. I found two online that peaked my interest and almost opened my checkbook until my stepdad talked some sense into me. You really should SEE the car before purchasing and, who is going to drive or fly me from Kentucky to Texas to pick it up??
I looked at dealerships across town for my car. I couldn't really purchase new but would be completely happy with used. Then it happened. I was heading to the gym while it was still dark out (before the sun even came up). My gym happened to be located directly across the street from one of the largest dealerships in Louisville. And there she was. She sat on a grassy mound under a street light - almost as if there was a halo around her. I almost slammed into the car in front of me as I gazed lovingly and longingly at MY car. I knew I would have her.
I called the sales rep that we dealt with at that dealership before the sun was even over the horizon. I left a message and told him not to allow that car to go ANYWHERE until I had a chance to take a look at it. After looking at it, driving it and, after a great report back from a non-biased mechanic, she was mine. I am guessing it was around September of 2002. I was 30 years old and a proud owner of a car that I had coveted since my mid-20's.
In October, at the age of 30, I contracted chicken pox. I was so upset because the weather was so incredibly nice. It was perfect weather for me to try out my car with the top down. But I was quarantined to the house until I wasn't contagious. That was about a week (at least). Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I picked up my stepmom and we drove to Otter Creek with the top down. Although the wind made my pox itch even more, I was in hog heaven with my beautiful car.
Some of my favorite "stand out" memories of my car:
> Lisa and I with our boas flying in the breeze with the top down on a warm fall day! We were shopping for the BEST Christmas party Axxis ever had!
> Driving her to North Carolina, then South Carolina (to Charleston - my birthplace) and then to Palm Coast, Florida with Bruce. Top down most of the time - I think I got most of my tan on the drive! Sitting under the overpass while stuck in traffic so we wouldn't burn!
> Same trip - red car put her toes in the sand on Daytona beach. A little smoke and a little drink action while cruising and people watching
> Using the backseat as a pick up truck bed while toting around AV equipment, lighting gels, etc.
> Top down with heater on when the days were cool but I couldn't resist
> Top down with the air on - this happened more in AZ
> She really stretched her legs on the drive across the country
> The many trips home from happy hour - she took care of me
> A trip to Atlanta and Gatlinburg where there was a steep mountain with snow
> My brand new top that T gave me for Xmas last year - beautiful black top that he installed. She looked radiant.
There are so many memories. Too many for a blog entry. She will always be like family - not a hunk of metal. Seven years and now she is sitting at an auction wondering where her next home will be. It kills me to think that she could possibly be sold for parts or could be abused by a stupid teenager. But it's just a car, right? No. It is a sign that my life will never be the same...
2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT Spyder Convertible 5-speed
My "red car": September 2002 - September 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Rewind...
This Labor Day weekend sure has me slacking on my chores. I was able to get quite a bit done yesterday while T finished the shed in the side yard (pics to come soon). I was able to get most of the laundry done, the linens washed for the bed, vacuumed, cleaned the kitchen as well as put together a new hamper for the laundry room. I felt like I actually DID accomplish something. But I am thrown off of my usual schedule since T and I have been spending so much free time together. Not that I am complaining! And it will continue today as we head out into town (only people who live way out in the middle of nowhere say that) and do some interesting shopping.
Our shopping trip today consists of checking out stores and shops we have never been to. There are a bunch of trade/second hand NICE shops in one shopping center that we want to check out as well as Annibel's Attic which is mostly antiques (of which I am not a big fan) but also just unusual items you can't find in a regular store. Then we are heading to one of the malls that is having a huge Labor Day sidewalk sale. I am sure I will buy things I really don't need!!
Later today I am planning on putting together a calendar. I am planning on doing this every month so that I am sure to get all of my chores done even if I have a busy social day. It will also help me schedule in bigger home projects I want to accomplish as well as getting Xmas gifts made/bought. This is very important because I find that I spend more time on the computer or doing other things rather than concentrating on what I need to get done. So I am going to schedule everything!
This is going to be a busy week that may end up flying by - which is fine by me. Today is our shopping adventure. Tomorrow I am visiting Jill and her babies in the morning and then meeting Erin, a photographer and sister of one of my best friends, for lunch. She is going to do maternity pictures for us in November so we are planning on brainstorming some ideas, locations, etc. Wednesday I will be catching up on chores and then we are meeting with Lauren, Ryan and Londyn for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Thursday is my next doctor appointment and then lunch with T. Friday we pick up Tay and the weekend is here again. Saturday is my father-in-law's wife's 50th birthday party which I am going to help with throughout the day. Sunday we take Tay back and then head to Lauren and Ryan's for my mother-in-law's birthday. It is a FULL week, to say the least. But, like I said, keep the time moving please!!
My MIL Steph just gave us a copy of the pics she took at Tay's first week of school party. Here are some to share:
My little niece and I - this was actually at Lauren and Ryan's house...not the party
Now the party...my handsome husband, Tay and Londyn
Add Lauren
Londyn content in Uncle T's arms
The cupcakes Tay and I made - TCD are the iniitals for her school
Mmmm, I think they turned out good!
I had to try one...
We put white butcher paper on the table so everyone could draw during dinner
T swaddling his furry baby!
T swaddling his BIG baby!!
Tay just had to be baby'd since Londyn was...
Geez!!
A multi colored burrito sack
"What is THAT Mommy??"
Uncle T and L seeing who can stick out their tongues the farthest
Happy Labor Day everyone!
Our shopping trip today consists of checking out stores and shops we have never been to. There are a bunch of trade/second hand NICE shops in one shopping center that we want to check out as well as Annibel's Attic which is mostly antiques (of which I am not a big fan) but also just unusual items you can't find in a regular store. Then we are heading to one of the malls that is having a huge Labor Day sidewalk sale. I am sure I will buy things I really don't need!!
Later today I am planning on putting together a calendar. I am planning on doing this every month so that I am sure to get all of my chores done even if I have a busy social day. It will also help me schedule in bigger home projects I want to accomplish as well as getting Xmas gifts made/bought. This is very important because I find that I spend more time on the computer or doing other things rather than concentrating on what I need to get done. So I am going to schedule everything!
This is going to be a busy week that may end up flying by - which is fine by me. Today is our shopping adventure. Tomorrow I am visiting Jill and her babies in the morning and then meeting Erin, a photographer and sister of one of my best friends, for lunch. She is going to do maternity pictures for us in November so we are planning on brainstorming some ideas, locations, etc. Wednesday I will be catching up on chores and then we are meeting with Lauren, Ryan and Londyn for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Thursday is my next doctor appointment and then lunch with T. Friday we pick up Tay and the weekend is here again. Saturday is my father-in-law's wife's 50th birthday party which I am going to help with throughout the day. Sunday we take Tay back and then head to Lauren and Ryan's for my mother-in-law's birthday. It is a FULL week, to say the least. But, like I said, keep the time moving please!!
My MIL Steph just gave us a copy of the pics she took at Tay's first week of school party. Here are some to share:
My little niece and I - this was actually at Lauren and Ryan's house...not the party
Now the party...my handsome husband, Tay and Londyn
Add Lauren
Londyn content in Uncle T's arms
The cupcakes Tay and I made - TCD are the iniitals for her school
Mmmm, I think they turned out good!
I had to try one...
We put white butcher paper on the table so everyone could draw during dinner
T swaddling his furry baby!
T swaddling his BIG baby!!
Tay just had to be baby'd since Londyn was...
Geez!!
A multi colored burrito sack
"What is THAT Mommy??"
Uncle T and L seeing who can stick out their tongues the farthest
Happy Labor Day everyone!
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