Why...

...I haven't blogged since Tuesday is not because I've been busy.

Work was really slow this week and I went from enjoying how time can be spent well knowing how much of it there is in a day, to having too much of it on my hands and thinking about the stuff that we as adults can tend to worry about even if we don't want to. Having that much time is not good for me.

Of course it doesn't help that today is a dreary, cold day even for Texas. I wish I wasn't so affected by the weather, but I am. Give me bright, sunny, warm or even hot days and I am happier than a pig in s**t. But I guess I will just have to wait for that and try to pretend until then.

I remember a field trip that I was on when I was a kid to a GE facility where they had what I thought was the neatest thing. Every window in this one area had lighting built in it, so that it was as if it was sunny daylight outside even though it was actually dark out. If I were rich I would have that put in every window so that it could be on on these kind of days!

I am off to busy myself with laundry, cleaning and such and praying that next week work will pick up!

Blogging while Idol-ing...

Watching American Idol. It is amazing how many people think they can sing so well and are so surprised when the judges say no. I wonder if it is all staged. And I wonder how they pick who gets to go in front of the judges anyway. Some of these cities have like 12,000 people waiting and I'm sure they can't see all 12,000 of them in a day or two. Guess it doesn't matter, I'm way too old for it anyway. :-)
Doesn't mean I am giving up on singing.

It isn't too rough with no kids here at home when I'm really busy with work but it was a slow day today and it made me think of the girls and also made me wish the youngest was still here. We could have gone for a Sonic Blast this afternoon as I was really in the mood. < Sigh >

I was going to play my guitar because I haven't played in a while but I really wasn't in a good mood too. Probably should have done it anyway because I'm sure it would have lifted my spirits like it always does~! I am so glad I got my first guitar, took the lessons and stuck with it all these years!

T. & O. day....

Yesterday was officially T & O day, just like Saturday was. Toss and Organize.
It sure felt good to get through piles of papers, get rid of junk, keep what isn't and empty my inbox which was stacked as high as it could be and then some.
I did stumble across some more receipts for Wood Stock so I'll be sure and include them when I finish the books for taxes. I'm glad I have been getting so much done, so that I won't feel pressured right before April 15th to do all of it at one time.

I haven't mentioned Shelby, our diabetic sheltie too much lately. She has actually gained 2 pounds since her diagnosis and lowest weight in Sept/Oct. The only thing is that she is getting really spoiled rotten! We've catered to her and babied her so much and now she barks when she wants to be picked up and placed on the couch next to me and when she thinks it is dinner time (even if it is 30 minutes earlier). She will bark non-stop until I feed her (and the rest of them). She has gone from being one of our dogs that you barely notice is there, to being a royal PITA! Guess she is trying to make up for years of being just one of the fur pack. She wants to be the Favorite one now. It is somewhat funny how demanding she is...and we are taking it all in stride not know how much longer she will be around. The vet gave her possibly a year to a year and a half at the time of diagnosis. She seems to be somewhat leveling out with 16 cc's of insulin a day.

Today was grocery shopping day and I saved over $17.00 in manufactured coupons/store coupons. That made me happy!

..Time..

I have to admit since I did not have to work this weekend, I realized how much time there actually is to a weekend...this is something probably many do not notice when they have off every weekend. The hours get wasted away doing this and that...but I managed to get the kitchen floor scrubbed, 2 loads of laundry, living room swept and cleaned out my Peddlers Kitchen cupboard that had other food companies products too...all this before noon yesterday!

The guilt sunk in as I threw out bag after bag of mostly dessert mixes, filling up an entire large kitchen trash bag with food that was not going to be consumed. Most of it was probably at least 2 years old and the 'quality' shelf life (or possibility of getting sick) was not worth risking. Last year I finally got the smarts to date things when I got them so some of those things dated last year I did keep.

The pantry had some things that were even older. Yes I actually had some peanut butter and jelly jars unopened that expired in early 2008! I had 3 jars of Basil that had all been opened at some point. Now why I had 3 containers of Basil I do not know! It isn't like a make many things from scratch. Some of the spices I know I bought when we moved here so could be over 4 years old.

After the guilt wore off from all the food I threw out, it was nice opening the cupboards and pantry and seeing nice, organized, roomy shelves and knowing that if I pull something out, it is not going to make us SICK if we eat it. :)

The only thing wrong with starting a project for me anyway is that is often brings on more work or other projects as a result. As I was clearing shelves and wiping them off, I thought "I really need to get shelf paper on these bare wood shelves", but that is going to have to be a project for another time when I have a weekend off.

After noon, ran a few errands and visited with my folks for over 3 hours. It was a nice visit and I'm sure my mom loved NOT hearing.. "I have to get back to work," after being there 5 minutes like usual.

I was going to play with the dogs for a while when I got home around 4:00pm but it was windy and looked like it might rain, so I just started straightening out my desk a little.

The evening was relaxing with hub and helping my oldest with the financing for getting her car. And I still had all day today to look forward to.

It is working on the books/office/filing day today. Looking forward to what will feel like another long day.

Ramblings...

My oldest had her first experience buying a car for herself. What started out as excitement ended in frustration waiting over 2 hrs to find out about financing! Those places just don't care how long you have to wait! Next time she goes, if she is going to be still looking she needs to tell them she has less than an hour. So that can get them moving faster. I don't know how long they would have kept her just waiting there until they finally said something to her. She happened to call me and I suggested she not wait any longer. Although I am proud of her handling this herself, I do not want her to get 'taken' by any sleazy dealership either! I asked her to call me before she agrees to or signs anything! She didn't even have them down to a final price/warranty info before this financing thing and that bothered me! I don't want her to get roped into some stupid 20% loan either because they think they can pull something over on her. Being a parent and letting go is tough sometimes. She isn't going to get bamboozled though, not if I can help it!

I don't have work this weekend for the first time this year and it feels weird. I have plenty to do of course and it will be a welcomed break. I need to work on straightening out my office and work on the books and taxes. Hub and I saw a movie last weekend so I don't think we're going to go again so soon. Besides I am trying to keep tight reins on the money since the oldest is getting married in 2 months and I don't want to even get started on the whole car insurance thing.

After refusing to buy Domino's pizza for over 4 years, we decided to try it since they boast about having improved their pizza. The verdict? Not bad! I was actually more impressed that I expected. We took advantage of their 2 mediums with 2 toppings for $5.99 each deal. So guess we have our pizza place that we will order from every so often. I will still do the frozen for the most part as that is the frugal way to go.

Sorry these ramblings are going from one thing to the next but I just felt like writing whatever came to my mind and that is how this blog entry went. Going to relax and watch Criminal Minds with hub.

Nice Monday...

It was nice having off today. Well I worked a little bit but had most of the day off and I kept thinking it was Sunday and not Monday. I did spend a few moments thinking about MLK and what he stood for. I also thought about all the victims of Haiti and hope that relief gets there sooner than later. Just looking at the footage of all the devastation and the living conditions those people have to endure, it really does make me grateful and thankful for all that I have and lucky to be living in a country that is modern and not a third world country.

Hub and I treated ourselves to a movie today. We saw The Book of Eli. I liked it. Wouldn't say it was WOW...but it kept my interest and I never mind watching Denzel.
We hadn't seen a movie together in a while so it was a nice date. I'm glad he had the store closed today so we had the opportunity to go do it.

I straightened out my desk space a little today too and worked on the books for Wood Stock. It is another loss for the year but that is no surprise. The economy was not great last year. Not sure if we'll go any longer when the lease is up. The next 5 months will tell. We had a good December but need to be doing better every month. :)

I'm finally somewhat calmer about my oldest's accident and insurance fiasco. When this is all done it will be time to look for someone that provides excellent personal service.

It was feeling like Spring outside this afternoon for a change. That was nice! I wouldn't mind if we got an early spring.

Well enough ramblings for now...

TGIF

Yes I know by this point that T.G.I.F. is so cliche...but I am glad it is Friday night because I do not want to work any more today. It has been a rough couple of days for my oldest and myself dealing with auto insurance crap! She and I both got conflicting information as to what do do. After I got off the phone today with my insurance agent, the one who happily takes my premiums year after year for home and vehicle insurance, he had me convinced we did things the opposite of what we should have. Then my daughter calls the claims rep that she talked to and then my agent that I had gotten off the phone with just 30 minutes earlier, turns out she did everything right~! I swear I hate the fact that I know squat about insurance! Mortgages ? Yes..insurance no~!

Bottom line ..never trust your insurance agent. I am definitely going to look into getting someone else once this is done. I want someone who know what to do and help with it, not just offer to help when a lunatic client lady (me) is practically shouting at him to do something! He still didn't do much as it is. He retracted most of what he said when he talked to my daughter.

Let's just say that by the end of the day I was ready to strangle someone!! Which is why I am glad it is Friday. Shut down my office and just going to relax for the night.

Can't cry over spilled milk...

Instead of being angry that a lot of money has been dumped into my oldest daughter's car...paying over retail value for that year's model due to the extremely low mileage just 4 months ago...the replacement of older parts,plugs, and timing belt, water pump...and just last week two new tires..etc....only to have it totaled last night as a result of someone hitting her...

...I am going to consider that it was meant to be.. that we got that car for her...because although it is unfortunate that it is is no longer drivable, it kept her safe despite being hit...she may have been in a different vehicle...one that may not have kept her safe or may have been going faster which would have been a more direct hit to her drivers side of the car...or worse.

Yes, I am going to grateful that we got 'Billy Jo' as she named it, thank her and God for keeping our loved one safe and call it a day.

Off again...

So the dining room table is clear, the kitchen counter too...and the laundry bins are no longer filled...which can only mean the youngest went back to college today and it shows. It sure was great having her home the last 3 weeks or so.

She was a little out of sorts this morning as she knew she was going to be leaving shortly. It was so sweet that she loves to be home this much but I told her she'll be fine and she knows it too. I am really glad this is only her freshman year so that I know I have 3 more years of her being home on breaks and hopefully summer.

And so the focus is on hubby, the dogs, work and trying to make as much money as possible with a wedding coming up in just 2 months. Getting excited about that too.

This evening we were watching the season premiere of American Idol and my hubby noticed one of the dogs had gotten sick. He wretches and gags whenever he sees it and tries to clean it up. I offered to get it but he said he could. I was sitting here laughing as I heard him trying to 'keep it down'. It is quite amusing to me since I am not the least bit phased by this.

Although it is January I have noticed that daylight is coming sooner and that means Spring is coming. It won't be long before I hear birds chirping in the morning and that reminds me, I better get some seeds to start for my garden this year. It would be nice if we didn't have that many 100 degree days this summer so that my balcony garden might stand half a chance.

Later...

..Brrr...

It is 19 degrees out right now here in Central Texas and it may get down to close to single digits overnight which would be a record around here.

I have to write about what happened this morning as I am laughing about it now but wasn't this morning.

I was sitting here in my little office which I get to inside the garage where I work every day. I have a little space heater in here so it is nice and toasty in my office. I was drinking my coffee and had dug into work for a little while. I heard Molly (one of my dogs) outside barking at Merlin (another of my dogs) playfully.

As I sat here thinking.. "Oh that's nice they are out back playing and getting rid of some of the extra energy"... I said "Wait, if Molly is outside....that means...!!!!!"

...I dashed out of my office through the garage, into the kitchen and sure enough, the back door was WIDE OPEN!!! Talk about money going up the smokestack, mine was going out the back door in volumes!! I don't know how long that door was open but our poor heating systems was trying to get things back up to 68 and fighting a losing battle.

That one I can blame on my hub who didn't shut the back door. That door is one that you have to close until you hear it 'click'.

I don't know how long the freezing air was blowing in, but that was one time I was happy about Molly's bark!

Can you say... the Congo?....

Those who know me, know I moved to TX to get AWAY from the cold East Coast winters! Well it has followed me here and I am sitting here chilled at my desk thinking, "What do I have to do, move to Africa"? Turns out I can stay in the US and move to Death Valley, CA right here in the states if I want to live in a hot spot...but something about the city name...is unsettling to me.

So I guess I should just shut up anyway because at least I'm not one of those unfortunates in Billings, MO who are living with wind chills in the negative 20-30 something. Those folks must really love the cold! The only way I'd live there is if I had a winter home in FLORIDA and spent the time there as soon as it got down to 30 something!!

Stay warm everyone who is in this frozen tundra cold spell!....

Off to have a hot toddy!

Another small rite of passage...

Last week we learned that the state of TX passed a law requiring all incoming college freshmen to get the vaccine for Bacterial Meningitis. Since my youngest and I already had this conversation about that vaccine last summer and opted to pass on it, I thought she would be in the clear, but she found out she cannot return to her dorm without proof of having it.

I am not thrilled about how some vaccines get shoved down our throats. Yes I know it is for everyone's own GOOD but there have not been any cases of Bacterial Meningitis in her college or county for that matter in at least a few years. I don't recall exactly when the last case was but I looked all this stuff up last summer when we were making the decision about the vaccine.

And it is given to college kids due to dorm style living and chances are greater of getting it living in those arrangements. But my daughter is not living in the type of dorm that I lived in at college where the girls used a community bathroom where modesty was impossible unless you wanted to take a shower at 2:00am. No, she lives in a dorm where she shares a suite with one other girl. They each have their own bedroom and share a bathroom. Yes two girls, one bathroom. So...to me it more like living in an apartment. But it doesn't matter how much I protest and think her chances of even being exposed to it are very slim, it is LAW now. Pffft!

So we went to the doctor today so she could get the vaccine. We waited for a while with other folks who had their kids there (we went to her pediatrician probably for the last time). When the nurse called her back I asked her if she wanted me to come with her. She turned around and said she thought she'd be okay. First time she said that, especially since she was getting a 'shot'.

That is the rite of passage I speak of...she doesn't need mom in with the doctor any more. :-) How bittersweet...

Oh I do have to say there was a small toddler who was very friendly and walked around touching and trying to kiss or hug the babies that were in there. At first I thought it was cute, but then while I was waiting for my youngest to be done, I heard one of the women who was with her there say out loud (to this small toddler) that she needed to get checked out because she had a temperature (explaining to her why they were there). Oh sure lady, let the kid possibly infect the other babies she insisted on touching with her sickness! Luckily I won't be going back there anymore because otherwise I would suggest or rather insist they make up a sick room for people to wait with their kids who are sick. I just hope none of those babies end up sick.

On the way back home, we also picked up my youngest's car that needed the timing belt and water pump replaced. Before we left we were told that the transmission is leaking. Great....always something. That will the Spring Break expense...how about me getting a Break! :(

New Year...

I'm back...no I didn't go anywhere, but my laptop which is where I usually blog on in the evening, suddenly lost its wireless capabilities over a week ago and I just got wireless back. Turns out a virus which did get caught by my antivirus disabled my wireless before the quarantine was completed. Okay I didn't know THAT could happen. Oh well....I'm glad I got it back now.

I don't know how people can NOT stay up until midnight on New Years Eve to bring in the New Year. I guess it is such a tradition for me to watch the ball drop...otherwise it may be bad luck. Or if I miss staying up until midnight how will I know it really is a NEW year? I suppose I would know anyway but it just wouldn't feel right if I didn't witness it myself.

I think it is sad how Dick Clark sounds and looks since his stroke. I could barely understand the words coming out of his mouth and though I know that doing New Years Eve has been his thing for years, it is just sad that the stroke he suffered has changed him so. I remember for years on New Years Eve thinking that Dick Clark never ages. That stroke aged him though. I will respectfully sit and watch him as long as he continues to grace the screen, but I will always think of him as how he was when I used to watch American Band stand.

The New Year brings out a feeling of freshness to me..like a clean slate...like this year may be different than last...better, brighter, less stressful...you know what I mean.

I have been writing 2010 a lot both with my work and in writing checks and I suppose I am getting used to it. I wonder how many banks see checks dated January 2, 2009? Do they honor them? Maybe that is something to google some day when I have tons of time...yah right..

At least all the holiday reruns are finally over. For those of us who don't get a lot of entertainment outside of the tv remote, it was getting boring watching and rewatching Dirty Dancing, White Christmas and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. It is so exciting to check the TV guide station and see the word New, next to the episodes again. :-)

I will be back to blog more often now that the holidays are over, especially after next week when my youngest goes back to college. Yes I have grown quite comfortable with her being here again and will have to go through the withdrawal of her being in college all over again. It has been great having here home. We've gotten a few movies in and plan on getting manicures this weekend before she heads back.

Hope everyone is having a good first week of the New Year..