Monday, December 30, 2013

new year's eve eve

My vacation is slipping away and I will be heading into the office on Thursday to start off 2014. But, I still have 3 full days to enjoy this slower pace. It has been wonderful to be home and to hang out with my hubby and our kids. We've played cards, read, cooked, watched movies, and just enjoyed the holiday.

I'm reading "Hild" by Nicola Griffith right now. The library texted me when the book was available. It is a 14 day loan, so I'm trying to finish it for my final book of 2013. Good book, but a slow read.

Not sure what plans we have for New Year's eve and day other than watching football. We need to come up with a menu for our snacks.

But, for now, I'm going to pour another cup of coffee and enjoy a quiet morning.

Cheers!

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas

It is Christmas night and what a wonderful day it has been! Time to watch Dr. Who!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Christmas Eve

It's here! Christmas Eve has arrived. I'm drinking my special Christmas coffee out of a Christmas mug. I put the apple braid in the oven. Now, I must confess, I didn't make the pastry. Hubby purchased it from one of the middle school band students.

The cookie and candy tray was delivered to our neighbors. The presents are wrapped and under the tree.

It is time to celebrate!

Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 23, 2013

50 and 51

So, I am reading furiously in order to reach my goal and maybe even surpass it for 2013. Number 50 was "Married in Haste" by Cathy Maxwell, another free Nook download from several Fridays ago. Number 51 was a novella from Diana Gabaldon set in her Outlander world and featured Lord John Grey.

Had a lovely breakfast yesterday with the library director and her husband. So nice to see both of them and just relax and enjoy a good meal and wonderful conversation.

Up for today is a visit to the dentist for me. Time to have the teeth cleaned. The oldest needs to take her car in for an oil change. The middle one is off to see a doctor if we can get an appointment...her cough is now much worse. Bronchitis, round two, is my thought. The youngest is continuing to heal from his bout of flu. The hubby has his continuing education credits to complete for the year.

And that is it!

Happy Christmas Eve-Eve!


Thursday, December 19, 2013

two days and done

My Christmas vacation starts Friday at 3:30 and I can hardly wait. If we can just get everyone healthy, then we will be all set!

The boy is much better. Tamiflu is a miracle drug. The oldest has a nasty cough and is off to the doctor today. Home remedies are just not cutting it, time for some prescription meds.

The rest of us, knock on wood, are healthy.

The Elves made their first delivery today. The girls asked about it yesterday, but nope, the stockings were empty. Not so this morning....a cute little container of Goldfish await them. It is always fun to organize the slow build of the stocking stuffers.

Off into Thursday I go.....being out yesterday will mean a full email box. Oh Joy! Ha!

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

an at home day

The boy has the FLU! UGHHHHHH. So, I never managed to get him his flu shot this fall. Long story on that one, but suffice it to say, I'm kicking myself about it.

His finals start today. I emailed all of his teachers and his grade level counselor. Heard back from the Latin teacher and his forensics teacher. Bottom line is, he can take incompletes in everything and take all the tests after they return to school in January if he has to. If he can go to school tomorrow, he can take tests during his study hall/lunch.

But, he has to be fever free for 24 hours to go to school Thursday.

Lovely. Just lovely.

So, I'm taking a day of PTO to stay home with  him and keep and eye on his fever, make him food, remind him to drink his gatorade, and provide conversation.

Joy.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

work party

We are having our Thanksmas party today at work. I'm taking in a crab artichoke dip. From the sign up list, it seems that we will have plenty of food to eat. We will also be playing games and just enjoying some time together. It should make the afternoon fly by.

My boss was home sick yesterday and is iffy for today. The creeping crud strikes again. All three of my kids have a bit of a hacking cough. I doled out cough medicines and ibuprofen yesterday and sent the boy to bed early. He starts final exams on Wednesday.

I have a few last minute gifts to procure. It will be a quick trip to Target tonight or tomorrow.

I'm ready to be on vacation. Just four days until a nice long break!


Monday, December 16, 2013

what a weekend

The office party was fun; the after party was fun. Saturday was busy. Yesterday was sad.

First, the son of our town judge died. He was only 33. He had an autoimmune disorder called goodpasture disease. My heart is breaking for his family. So very tragic and senseless.

Second, our speech and debate teacher announced at our Christmas party that he is leaving our school to take a job with our former principal as the assistant superintendent over in another county. His last day is Friday. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. It was a shock to many of us, although he had told some of the parents ahead of time. He has been at our school for 27 years.

I had a hard time falling asleep last night as I thought of the young man who died. As I though of the 27 speech kids, including my son, who have lost such a fabulous teacher and mentor.

We all talk about how life is change. It is transition. It is never the same from day to day. I thought about Fr. Kris' homily yesterday morning about how we place value on the wrong things. How the value of time far exceeds anything else in this world. It is precious. We can't make more of it. We have to treasure it and not wish it away.

I have a heavy heart this morning. My son will be wearing his suit to school today as they are taking a team picture this morning for Mr. Hutson to take with him to Lebanon. He wanted one for his office; a photo of this team.

Godspeed Mr. Hutson and best wishes in your new job. God bless JWH, our town will be less without you in it.


Thursday, December 12, 2013

49

I'm slowly closing in on my 2013 reading goal. I finished a free Nook download last night. It was a collection of short stories based on Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice characters and world. A Darcy Christmas was entertaining, but nothing truly memorable.

I need to finish the Malcolm Gladwell book I'm reading and then find some quick, fun reads to enjoy over the Christmas holidays. I have a few other free downloads on my Nook. I'd love to get some B&N money for Christmas and be able to download away!

Off into Thursday I go. I'm so ready for the weekend and for our girls to be home. The middle kid arrives back in the nest tonight. The older one will arrive tomorrow. I'm sure they will both be in need of some TLC after a rough finals week.

Looking forward to hugs and kisses and long chats at the kitchen table.



Wednesday, December 11, 2013

trivia

Last night, hubby and I met some other couples for a trivia match. One of the local pubs has a trivia game every Tuesday night. While we were there with one group, my friend and her hubby were also there, so it turned out to be a very fun night. And as most of the folks playing are 'old' the match ends at 9:00 and the place is cleared out by 9:10!

Might be something fun for us to do on a more regular basis. The pub has really good food and the trivia questions are not so hard as to be discouraging. Our team finished in 5th place out of 10 slots, pretty respectable.

Today's errand will involve yet another run to Target. I did make it to Costco yesterday and picked up what we needed there.

Our office Christmas party is Friday night. That should be interesting....it always is.

Off into Wednesday we go!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

running errands

I really don't like running errands in the afternoon, but I've grown accustomed to doing so. I was always the early in the morning type person when it came to going to Costco, Target etc.  This time of year, being early or late doesn't make one bit of difference it seems. The stores are packed.

But, we are almost done with our holiday shopping. This pleases me to no end. We have a few things to pick up for the boy and we are finished! Yeah! I have some wrapping to do, but I love doing that. The oldest is getting a ring and we are going to put it in the largest box we can find. That will be fun.

I need to swing by Costco and pick up our holiday cards as well as coffee and dog food. You know, the necessities of life!  I have made my baking list and have to procure the ingredients. I found a new cookie recipe I'm going to try: White chocolate, cranberry, macadamia cookies. Mom, if they turn out well, I will send you the recipe.

Okay, off to read the newspaper. The local muni school situation is heating up as the town next to us just found out that their three namesake schools will be retained by the county and not 'given' to the new muni district. Interesting times.

Monday, December 9, 2013

ready or not

The tree is up! The house is decorated. The front porch is almost decorated. We are on our way. The girls begin final exam week today. They will both be home by Friday.

Ready or not, Christmas is coming!

The icemaggedon storm of the century fizzled out. We had some icy spots and the trees took a pounding in some areas, but overall, it could have been much worse. I'm not walking Duke this morning as the sidewalks have some slick spots and the last thing I need to do is to slip and fall. I  may have to walk in the afternoons so that we can see where we are going and the ice will have melted after a day of above freezing temps.

I'm craving some sunshine. We haven't seen much, if any, of Mr. Sun for the past 5 days. Ugh. While we watched some NFL games yesterday, and saw the teams playing in the snow, I sort of missed the white stuff. I don't miss the lack of sunshine though. Not one bit.

Although it was quite funny to watch an NFL player making snow angels in the end zone.

Ten work days until vacation! Yippee!! Happy Monday.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

what is wrong with this picture

It is 70 outside at 5:00 a.m.

They are telling us to get ready for the ice storm.

What is wrong with this picture?



Happy Thursday.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

dragging

I'm dragging along this morning! Ugh! And we may be treated to an ice storm Thursday-Friday. Joy! This will impact us in several ways, most importantly it might cancel our speech/debate tournament on Saturday. Several teams drive into the area for the event and travel could be quite dicey on Friday. To top that off, a second weather event might hit us Saturday evening, just in time for everyone to drive home.

I don't like ice. I especially don't like winter weather here in the mid-south where they are not equipped to deal with it at all. Well, they do have some trucks that spray the overpasses with the blue stuff that is supposed to stop the ice from forming, but it always rains first and washes it all away. So, it is in many ways, wasted effort.

When the town closes the bypass, you know it is bad. It happens at least once each winter.

The other thing is work. If they close the office, cool. If they don't and you choose not to drive in for safety reasons, you lose a day of PTO. Fine. I have saved 3 days of PTO for just such foolishness.

In other news, we are heading out to dinner with the son of the man who owns the skybox at Bama. He is in town for work. It will be good to see him. He is a hoot and a half and loves to tell stories.

Something to look forward to.  Enjoy Wednesday.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

wowsa

This morning's walk will almost transport us to the English moors. It is that foggy outside. Thick. Pea soup. Kind of cool.

In other wowsa news, the boy learned yesterday that his braces can now be removed! Let the celebration begin! Apples. Popcorn. Carrots. All manner of crunchy, hard to bite into stuff, is now on the menu.

The gift bag we ordered from the KKG alumni at the middle kid's school did a wonderful job and delivered a very cute 'finals week' treat gift to her.

Our new municipal school board was sworn in last night and in their first official meeting they accepted the deal that will secure our schools from the county.

And that is all the wowsa news I have so far, but the day is young.

Oh, still no Christmas decor up in our house. Just didn't happen last night after I got home from the orthodontist. I have high hopes for today!

If I can get anything done before we head to the town square for the tree lighting! Now, that is a wowsa moment of huge proportions. Love. It.

Happy Tuesday!


Monday, December 2, 2013

it's the most wonderful time

Thanksgiving was great! It was so nice to have our girls home and it was extra nice to have my folks with us for Thanksgiving. I think we all had a great time being together and everyone enjoyed the extra long weekend. At the start of the week, we even had a visit from my uncle. Good to see him.

After the girls departed on Sunday, I had planned to start decorating the house for Christmas, but I just couldn't get motivated to do it. So, we sat around all afternoon and I decided to reread "Mockingjay." We had taken the family to see Catching Fire on Saturday afternoon. Great movie!

I didn't get very far in the book. Ended up falling asleep quite early last night. Guess that is okay as the hubby's alarm went off at 4 a.m. He has to go out of town today for work and I have to go in to the office early to make up time in order to take the boy to the orthodontist.

In other news....I'm a winner! I won a very cool tote bag from Lisa's promo contest for "Becoming Brigid." So excited!

Well, my plan for decorating is going to now involve doing a little bit each day. The girls asked that we leave the ornaments off the tree so they can place them when they get home for the holidays. I need to buy some new wide, wire-edged ribbon for bow making and garland wrapping. Looks like Costco is in my future.

Randomness abounds as we start into this new week. Fifteen work days until the longest vacation of my work year.

It is the most wonderful time of the year!




Monday, November 25, 2013

48

Ah, number 48! This novel is very hard to categorize. It could be older YA, a bit sci-fi, a bit urban fantasy, a bit steam punk and more than a bit enjoyable.

"The Bone Season" by Samantha Shannon is the first in a planned series of 7 books. If you don't have patience for authors who take their time world building, don't bother with this one. The story unravels this world, a very complicated one, rather slowly. Paige Mahoney is a special young woman, with very special powers that allow her to dreamwalk inside other people's heads. She can reach the aether. And her skills allow her to work for a criminal overlord in Scion-London. Until she gets caught and hauled off to a city that everyone thinks is dead. Instead it is a penal colony for other folks with special powers and it is run by beings who came to Earth from the aether. And of course, they have their own agenda and a "traitorous" rebel group that wants to stop them from inflicting more damage to the Earth.

This is Shannon's first novel, and as she was only 21 when it was published, I fully expect her writing voice to change a bit as the story progresses. The Bone Season isn't the best book I've read so far this year, but it is far from the worst. If you follow the link, it seems most reviewers gave it a 3 star rating, and I would say that is very fair.

I look forward to reading more of Shannon's stories and I fully expect the few rough spots I sensed in the book will be handled better the next time out.

I also read a collection of short stories from Lisa Shafer and left reviews for her on Goodreads and Amazon. I'm eager to see the world building she does in the full length novel these short stories are inspired by. And who doesn't love the title, "The Chocolate Smuggler's Notebook?"

This is my last post of the week, and yes, it is only Monday. I'm on VACATION at 3:30 today. And I very excited and very happy to enjoy a nice long holiday.

Until December....toodles.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

the girls are coming home

My girls are coming home, but so are all of their friends!! Yeah!! I would love to pack this house with all of those former soccer girls (but once a soccer girl, always a soccer girl?) and just listen to them visit and have a good time being together. Miss them and the energy they bring.

All the Mamas are posting how excited they are to have their kids back home for the holiday. And then in just a few short weeks they are home for Christmas!!

And the Ville is getting ready for the holidays. Our tree lighting happens on the 3rd. So magical and amazing. It never gets old, never.

While this time of the year can be a bit stressful and we seem to put a lot of stuff on ourselves, I'm really pumped to enjoy the holidays this year. I have a lot of time off, which is super nice. All of my kids will be home. Christmas shopping has been almost fun this year. It is all good.

So, Happy Happy and Merry Merry time is coming!!

And it is Thursday.......

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

magazine time

We are in a crunch. The December issue of the magazine was scheduled to go to the printers today. Well, that won't be happening as we just got the final files for the features.

We layout out some pages, our contract graphic designer lays out some pages, and then the company we hired to create the 'look' of the magazine layouts out some pages.

All the pieces/files are now in the office and we have to merge them. I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that our designer will have merged the files for us last night. She sometimes does super nice things like that for us. Merging all those pages is a pain in the A$$. Last time my boss and I royally messed it up and she had to fix it all. So, maybe she will just do it for us on the front end.

Then it is time to proof. Argh. Make sure everything is set to style. Argh. I swear gremlins get in those files once I import the Word docs into InDesign and they mess things up. Spaces show up that weren't there before. Punctuation marks move. The list is endless.

So, that is what I have to look forward to today. And instead of taking a week to get this sucker ready to go, we have 2 days. It really needs to be out the door come Friday morning.

Let's hope we can get March ready earlier and out the door on time. I don't like being late. Not one bit.

Yep. It is Wednesday. Argh.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

the moon

When I let Duke out for the paper, the moon was shining bright and had a halo around it. The clouds were just perfect and the halo was almost orange in color. So pretty. By the time we left for our walk, the moment was gone. The clouds had moved away and the sun was up just enough to make the halo effect impossible to see.

So much in life is about the right moment.

Reminds me a bit of Ferris Bueller and his line in the movie regarding how fast life moves. "Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Happy Tuesday.

Monday, November 18, 2013

47

So....I read quite a bit this weekend! Number 47 was a YA title I downloaded from our library. "The Testing" by Joelle Charbonneau is in many ways a typical dystopian teen book, but the writing was solid, the characters were interesting, and the plot had enough twists and turns to keep me engaged. It is a bit "Hunger Games-ish" as kids are selected for testing by a central government. The ones who pass go on to the university...the rest are never heard from again. The test is more than book smarts, it is also survival skills and interpersonal skills.

Bottom line, I'd read the next in this series. I really grew to like Cia Vale, our heroine, and am quite interested in how her story continues.

Monday. ugh. ugh. ugh.


Sunday, November 17, 2013

46

Number 46 is "A Rescue for a Queen" by Fiona Buckley. This is the 11th title in the Ursula Blanchard novels. Ursula is a spy for her half sister, Elizabeth I. Love this series!

Saturday, November 16, 2013

45

And the 45th book of the year is "After Dead" by Charlaine Harris. As the cover says, this book explains what came next in the world of Sookie Stackhouse. I read it in less than 30 minutes and have to say that the majority of the characters Harris wrote notes about,  I don't remember!!

I was interested in Sookie, Eric, Bill and that was about it.

Onward to book number 46!

Friday, November 15, 2013

44

As of last night, I now have 44 books listed for 2013! Yeah, me!! Only 8 more to go to achieve my goal. Doing a very small happy dance.

A short review on the latest title, another freebie courtesy of Free Nook Book Fridays, next week.

Happy Weekend.....looking forward to mine starting at 3:30 today.

Cheers!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Becoming Brigid

I've not been one to post long book reviews on this blog, but if I was more awake and my brain was truly in gear, I'd be tempted to post a lengthy review of Lisa Shafer's "Becoming Brigid."

Lisa is a self published author and teacher who lives out in Utah. I'm not sure how we 'met' on the internet. I think it was through Nathan Bransford's blog. Nathan was a literary agent, once upon a time, and he posted wonderful information for aspiring authors. I found Lisa's comments on his posts to be insightful and funny. She also shares my dislike for all things that sparkle (Twilight) and an appreciation for good YA novels.

I soon began stopping by her blog and she would visit mine as well. I have followed her journey to publish not only this title, but also her Half Vampire books. But, as much as I love vampires, I have really been waiting to get my hands on Brigid. The concept of this book just struck a note with me and I was very excited when she announced that the book was ready to go.

Lisa, hats off to you on "Becoming Brigid." The characters are awesome. They are personable, so very real, and remind me of kids I know. The dialog, such an important part of building a character, is fantastic. I adore Brigid! Her personality rocks and is authentic and natural. The plot is fun and action packed. The adventures Brigid finds herself on are great. No 'saggy middle' in this book. The action is nonstop. Dougal is great and I can truly see why some of your younger readers have a crush on him. What literature loving teens wouldn't swoon over a Celtic god quoting poetry and play lines to them?

I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but the story is one of discovery and self-awareness. It has a very positive message for young women. Brigid has a backbone, a brain, and an attitude. Yippee!! Plus, not all the boys are jerks. Although there is one who is a major jerk, but what happens to him is so perfect...and you can find out more about that if you read the book!

Four stars!!


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

becoming brigid

I started reading Lisa Shafer's "Becoming Brigid" last night, and if I wouldn't have had laundry to do, dinner to cook, and my hubby to chat with, I probably would have kept on reading. But, I had to set it aside and shut the computer down.

After I finish the book, I will post a review here and on Amazon. Plus, Lisa has asked for a pic of me reading the book. I will try and do that too.

In other news, it is darn cold here this morning and the Duke and I are not walking. I woke up cold. It is really cold outside. I'm walking after work.

I will have to do some stretching and stuff in the living room to get the blood moving this morning as I just can't quite bring myself to go out in the dark and walk when the thermometer isn't reading at least 32.

I'm a wimp.

Happy Wednesday!!




Tuesday, November 12, 2013

brrrrrrr

Well it hit 70 yesterday and today we will see a high of 45? Yikes. I have already located my ear muffs and gloves for our morning walk. I need to find the boy a hat to wear this morning as he came down with an ear infection on Sunday and is now on antibiotics for the next 10 days.

Never a dull moment.

My eye exam yesterday went just fine. She really checked me out as I had let her know I've been seeing more 'floaters' that what I normally see. All is well. Nothing detached, out of place, out of sorts, or wrong. Eye pressure is good. Just getting older; and near sighted eyes with astigmatism have more floaters. Joy. Joy. Joy. The other good news was that I don't need new glasses. This prescription is still spot on. That is worth celebrating as it keeps about $400 in my pocketbook. Whoop!!

I had a lovely lunch with my friend at one of our favorite lunching spots. So good to visit with her and listen to her chat on about her daughter's wedding plans. We need to hang out more often and as soon as football season is over, we will do so on Saturdays.  She is the one friend who stayed with me from the Friends when I went back to work full time.

Off to work I go. Short week ahead. Then a long week. Then an extremely short week as I'm taking two days off before Thanksgiving.

Down to 10 books to go to hit my goal!! I finished that second Aris book last night and up on deck is Lisa's "Becoming Brigid" story. Excited to start it tonight!

Off into Tuesday we go....where is my parka?? At least the temperature drop didn't bring any white stuff with it!



Monday, November 11, 2013

free books

As a Nook owner, I benefit from the Free Nook Book Fridays that B&N offers. It often leads to reading some interesting titles.

A few weeks back, they offered "Aris Returns" by Devin Morgan. Now, the title interested me as the hubby has a cousin who is named Aris. Of course, she is not a 2,000 year old vampire.

The book was decent. I was entertained enough that I was glad I downloaded the sequel at the same time.

So, my book countdown is now at 11.

I also purchased and downloaded a certain YA title I have been very excited to read. "Becoming Brigid" by Lisa Shafer is up next after the Aris books. "BB" will have to read on my laptop as I don't own a Kindle.

Off into Monday we go.  Happy Veterans Day to all the service men and women and their families. Your sacrifice and dedication is much appreciated! Our family and extended family includes many veterans and we are so very proud of them.


Saturday, November 9, 2013

40 down and 12 to go

I set a goal for myself this year to read a book a week. I officially have 40 books logged at this point and need 12 more to reach my goal. Can I do it?

Yes!!

Thursday, November 7, 2013

fall is here

Brrr. I opened the door to a blast of chilly air. The rain seems to have moved out and fall moved in behind it. I'm ready for it to be brisk and on the cool side, but it reminds me that I never cleaned out my flowerbeds and they are in desperate need of some attention.

I won't be working on them this weekend as the boy has his fourth speech/debate competition and I told the hubby that I'd take him to this one. He's gone to the last two and it is now my turn!

I may be judging and I need to read the judging packet, just in case.

So, today is Thursday and I'm looking forward to our three day weekend as we have Monday off. I have an eye appointment and then I'm hoping to go to lunch with a friend.

Off we go....where did I put my gloves????? Walking the dog will requires some warmer apparel now.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

constructive comments

We're in a rut.

There. I've said it. I think the only way to enact change is to first admit that change is needed. We need some changes at work. Going to the national meeting only solidified that thought in my head.

Our association has been very successful over the past 50 years and has grown and filled a need in the research community. But, like every entity, if you stagnate, things start to lose traction. You fail to recognize potential competitors and then fail to develop a plan to re-position yourself in the market. You begin to think that yours is the only show in town. You become complacent in your customer service and as your front line people become entrenched in their ways, service becomes a chore, a bother, a nuisance.

I saw all of this while I was gone to the meeting. I had a long talk about it yesterday with our assistant executive director. A meeting with the exec. director may happen. They lost money last year. The hope this year is to break even.

As my boss told me before we left, "We succeed in spite of ourselves." He's right. But, how long can we sustain that?

It might be time to open the windows and air the place out. I said my piece, and framed it in the concept that we might be missing some opportunities. I think we are. But, in this case, change needs to come from the top down. If the ones in charge don't buy into the idea of trying some new things, the stagnation will continue.

There is truth to the saying that if something isn't broke, don't fix it. But, what if you don't realize that the thing is broken, cracked, or on its last leg? What then?

Is it time for a change? I think so. I do know that I have said my piece and offered ideas and suggestions. It is now time to step back. I had fresh eyes to see everything and how it all works. A new perspective was given.

Do I think the association is going to fail? No, I don't think that at all, but its relevancy and impact may begin to diminish. I've shared my thoughts with the powers that be. That's about all I can do.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

sleeping in

So, what does it say about  me when I'm excited that I managed to sleep until 5:00 a.m. this morning? Wow. Pretty lame, right?

Yesterday by body clock was off by an hour. In fact, all of us in our department hit the wall at 1:45...last week that would have been 2:45 and time to start closing up the shop. That extra hour about killed the three of us.

But, I have high hopes for today as I am more or less back on my correct schedule now.

While the oldest was home on fall break, she managed to sleep in one morning until 11:50. Yep, by the time she rolled out of her room and was ready to speak, it was almost noon. I don't think I was ever able to sleep that long. She also loves to nap. Now, that I can relate to as I too love a nice nap.

It was nice driving to work in the sunshine yesterday, but coming home at 3:30 in the afternoon and the sun is on its way towards setting was not fun.

My circadian rhythms are all messed up!

And it is Tuesday, just like that.

Monday, November 4, 2013

airplane reading

I did do quite a bit of reading while I was away. My internal clock was all messed up due to the time change and then all of those hours spent in the airport allowed some Nook time.

I read "Notorious Nineteen" by Janet Evanovich and "The Age of Miracles" by Karen Thompson Walker. Happy to say I enjoyed both novels.

Evanovich has been writing about Jersey girl, Stephanie Plum, for years now and I was happy to see that last year's entry into the series had an actual mystery to solve and plenty of tension between Stephanie and Ranger. Fun stuff. As one librarian told me years ago, this series is like crack for the brain. Or, it is like eating a whole bag of Doritos by yourself. Guilty pleasure on paper. I tried to restrain  myself from laughing out loud at some of the scenes, especially the ones with Lulu. She is still a hoot and a half.

The Walker novel was a very different book than I expected. It features a middle school protagonist, but is not a YA dystopian novel. It is most definitely geared towards the adult literary fiction market in my opinion. Now, that being said, older YA readers would enjoy it. This is beautifully and hauntingly written in parts. It gets under your skin and makes you think not only about relationships, but also how we managed them as children and how we need to manage them as adults.

I'm now reading "The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic" by Emily Croy Barker. I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I have yet to 'like' any of the characters, but am loathe to put the book down and not finish it. Character like-ability is an interesting thing. A character can be thoroughly rotten and I will find myself still liking them and cheering for them because they are so interesting. But, with this book, I feel a bit detached from all of the characters. Hmm. Will have to see what the next 200 pages brings.

Off into Monday we go! It feels an hour later than it actually is, but the time change thing always messes with me for a week or so. And on the heels of a trip involving a time change, my internal clock is totally messed up.

Enjoy!

Thursday, October 31, 2013

happy halloween y'all

I'm baaaaaaackkkkk.

Charm City is very cool, and I wish I could have actually seen the sights I researched and wrote about. My day was spent inside the convention center and the nights at 'command performance' appearances on three evenings and the other couple I collapsed in my room.

So, no visit to Poe's grave. No visit to the aquarium. No visit to the Inner Harbor.

I did get to eat two very yummy crab cakes, some amazing Italian food in Little Italy, and sample a local microbrew and enjoy my beloved Harp on tap (a real treat).  I also met a ton of people I have emailed with over the past 2.5 years and was invited to the president's penthouse suite for a cocktail party one evening. That was a shindig for her 'closest friends' and I was very pleased to be included as I met a ton of the upcoming leadership in the association.

So, it was a very good trip. It was really hard work for one day and the rest was just work.

I have today off and am back in the office tomorrow.

So, have a great weekend and I should have a few book notes to share come Monday.

See ya later, hon!  (love the Baltimore 'hon' thing...and yes, I heard it more than once.)

Thursday, October 24, 2013

adios

This will be my final post for a while. I don't usually post here on Fridays and with jetting off to the east coast early Saturday for our meeting, I doubt very much I will have time to compose blog posts next week. I'm sure I will have tons of stories to share once I return.

I have my clothes gathered for the meeting. I have my agenda printed off, certificates ready for departing committee members, my schedule of events organized...so, I'm as ready as I can be at this point.

Here's hoping for a smooth connection in Atlanta on Saturday and easy flights on both legs of my trip.

Bring on the crabcakes...and maybe a nice local microbrew or two.

Adios.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

newspaper

This morning there is not one happy story on the front page of our newspaper. The lead story is about the three medical folks who died in the helicopter crash yesterday. So very sad. It makes the cuts Delta is making at the airport and the school merger nonsense pale in comparison.

I saw on my Facebook feed this morning a 'share' of a post from on of the nurses' sons. It an area of our size, the whole six degrees of separation thing works really well. It is more like 3 degrees.

On days like today I am very tempted to read the comics first and find some laughs before I read the rest of the paper.

Why is it that folks are so fixated on sharing the 'bad.' Heck yesterday while I was giving the receptionist her lunch break I had three people stop by to tell my how hard it is to work the national meeting. They made it sound like it was the hardest thing to do in the world. Are you kidding me? Have you people never worked a 12 hour shift in your lives? Really? Worse than a bank on 3rd of a month that falls on a Friday? LOL

Give. Me. A. Break.

Work is WORK. If it was Fun they'd call it FUN.

I fully expect to be tired. I fully expect to have to deal with some grumpy people. I fully expect to have to deal with some grumpy people who don't speak English. Shit happens. You deal and move on.

As I told them all yesterday with a smile, "Well, it is a good thing that Sunday only lasts for one day then." And the next day will come. For some, like the 3 on the front page of today's paper, they don't get a tomorrow.

My thoughts go out to the families of the 3 medical professionals who died yesterday. They were doing jobs they were passionate about. Working with ill kids takes special people, and we have a lot of them in our area with the major hospitals located here that cater exclusively to children.




Tuesday, October 22, 2013

way to go

The boy's speech team chalked up their 100th first place win at this past Saturday's tournament. That is a great thing, but what we are so happy about is that he seems to be truly enjoying being involved with this program. The trophy and the medal he brought home are secondary to that.

He had to wear his suit to school yesterday for club/team picture day. He said he was asked a lot if he was going to a funeral, but he also got a lot of compliments on how nice he looked.

Fun stuff. Three tournaments are scheduled for November, busy month! And then we host our own tournament in December. 

So, Way To Go, CHS Speech and Debate team! 

Monday, October 21, 2013

awesome

We had such a good visit with the middle kid. It was awesome to have her home and to be able to spoil her a bit with some nice meals, a bit of shopping, plus lots of laughs and lots of talks. It was wonderful.

Now it is time for me to get ready to head to Baltimore. All the last minute things we need to do before leaving are on the agenda for the next few days. Then off we go. I finally found a sweater to match the pants I bought for this trip. My work wardrobe is pretty limited and it was well past time to add some new things to it.

The ceiling project is still ongoing. Ugh. My house is pretty gross right now with all the dust and drywall bits.

Cooler temps have moved in and I caved and turned on the furnace yesterday. It was 60 in the house. That is a bit chilly.

Off we go for our walk. Nice to have the chill when we get going.  Enjoy Monday.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

no walk today

It is pouring rain! Ugh. No morning walk. I did a few yoga stretches instead, which puzzled the dog, and didn't really give me that burst of wakefulness I've come to crave at this time of the day.

The middle kid is coming home today!!!!!

So excited to see her and have her home for a long weekend. I'm taking a half day off on Friday so we can go out to lunch and do a bit of shopping.

Guess I will read the paper now, or maybe I will go job in place to get the blood moving.

Happy Wednesday! Hump Day! Rainy Day!

This is me trying to be peppy. It isn't working.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

and the rain moves in

Rainy days ahead, which is just fine, except I don't want the middle kid and her friends to have to drive home in nasty weather tomorrow.

I'm debating on taking some time off on Friday. It would be fun to have an afternoon with the girl. And if I get home by 12ish, she might be awake by then!

The older girl is arriving for her fall break the same day I get home from the convention. So, no need to take time off as I get a day off after coming home to 'recover.'

The ceiling in the great room is coming along. Hubby pulled the sound system speakers and filled those holes. He also fixed the stains on the sheetrock and made sure nothing weird was going on with all of that up in the attic. So, later this week, after things dry really well, the next steps will begin! I may have a room we can sit in sometime next week!

Happy Tuesday. Stay dry, my friends!

Monday, October 14, 2013

construction zone

Two weeks ago my hubby put his foot through our great room ceiling. Long story on that one, but who knew dusting a ceiling fan would end up meaning weeks of living in a construction zone.

It is a good thing he knows how to do stuff like fixing drywall and such. The acoustic popcorn finish that is in every house in our subdivision is now off of my great room ceiling. The process has begun to finish that ceiling with a smooth surface.

And the dominoes will start to fall. Great Room. Foyer. Dining Room. Kitchen. It is all going to happen because I dusted the ceiling fan and he changed a furnace filter.

In other news, I finished "The Heist" by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. Hilarious as usual. Great dialogue, funny characters, and a cute story.

Exciting week ahead for us as the middle kid comes home for Fall Break! Can't wait to have her back in the nest, if only for a few days.

Good Week ahead. Enjoy!

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

too early

It is not even 5:00 a.m. yet, but hubby and I are both awake. He has to drive to a meeting this morning and then drive home to head over to the airport to get his mom. She's arriving today for a visit.

We have meetings at work today about.....the upcoming meeting! I just love meetings about meetings. I'm sure some important things will be discussed, and as I've never attended a national meeting, I'm a bit curious about how everything unfolds.

I'm looking forward to the meeting and to seeing a place I've never been to before, but in many ways I'd be perfectly happy to fast forward through it all and come out the other side.

Think I will read the paper and try and wake up some more before we head out for our walk.

Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

just like that

Just like that, the weather has cooled. The mornings are chilly. The air is crisp and smells clean. The leaves are falling and the summer flowers are fading. Fall is here!

Duke and I walked extra quick yesterday with that chill in the air. I was able to walk again at lunch, just a 15 minute stroll, but so nice to get out of the cubicle and see the sun and breath the fresh air.

It is soup weather! Time for some pot roast! Yum. Yum.

If I didn't love Spring so much, Fall would be my favorite season.

Still reading "The Heist" by Janet Evanovich. Adorable book. I love the way she creates such witty, snappy, fun dialogue. She's one of the best.

Off to gather the flashlight, leash up the hound, and get the blood moving.

Happy Tuesday!!

Monday, October 7, 2013

reading recap

Even though I worked at the Friends of the Library book sale on Thursday, and stopped by to visit again on Friday, I didn't buy anything to read. I did pick up a nice copy of Machiavelli's "The Prince" for the youngest, but didn't find something for myself.

However, I did have some success downloading three books from the library's e-book collection. I finished one of them yesterday. "The Winter Palace" by Eva Stachniak was an interesting novel told by a tongue, or spy, in the Russian imperial court. Varvara is a bookbinder's daughter who comes to the attention of Empress Elizabeth and winds up spying on a variety of people for her and her chancellor. One of those people she spies on is a young German princess named Sophie who will become Catherine the Great. I enjoyed this book, but thought the ending was a bit rushed. It doesn't seem like we get a lot of historical fiction set in Imperialist Russia, so that was a nice change of pace.

Up next is a new one from Janet Evanovich about an FBI agent and the career con-man she is trying to capture. I'm only 30 pages in and have already been laughing out loud.

The other book I found is set in ancient Egypt. I believe it is a mystery.

So that is what I'm reading!  Plus, I need to go and download this lady's latest book. http://www.lisashafer.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-very-first-becoming-brigid-giveaway.html

I've followed along with Lisa's blog as she has written and edited this one and I'm anxious to read all about Pepper! Or should I say, Brigid?

Happy Monday!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

busy afternoon

The boy has an orthodontist appointment, an allergy shot appointment, and I'd like to get my flu shot. Then I have to bring him home before heading to the library for the preview night book sale. He was going to work with me, but an English paper is due Friday and he needs to finish it up.

Busy day, busy night!

But, it is Thursday!! Yeah! The weekend is closer than not.


Wednesday, October 2, 2013

too early

I had a restless night of sleep and am awake much too early today. Yuck. My coworker is off to New Orleans this morning for her first ever English conference. She is presenting a paper tomorrow and was quite nervous about the whole thing. She's going to be just fine! First train ride for her too; what a fun adventure. I'm sure she will come back with stories to tell.

We are wrapping up our national meeting chores. I worked on all of the power point shows yesterday and have three more to finish as well as the scripts that go along with them. It can be infuriating work.

I think the signs and banners are done now and the final program has been sent off to the printers.

We are all getting to the point where we wish it was November 1 and all of this would be behind us.

Glad it is Wednesday!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

my flashlight

We live in a typical neighborhood/subdivision. But, our neighborhood backs up to a heavily wooded area that eventually leads to a river that feeds Old Man River. So, it is not unusual to see deer and other critters in the woods or on our walks.

One of our street lights is out and has been out for a few weeks. It is in a curve of the road and is quite dark in that area at 5:30 a.m. For the past two weeks I have been startled twice by a critter. The first critter was an armadillo. I was close enough to the next street light that I could actually see what it was. Both Duke and I jumped, the dillo jumped, and then scampered off. Talk about getting your blood moving!

Last week, I'm not sure what critter was hanging out by the mailbox down the way as it was much too dark to see. It could have been a cat, a coon, a dillo, who knows! Duke whined and pranced and I started walking faster as whatever it was scurried away across the street. Thank goodness our dog is well mannered and he didn't try and take off after whatever it was. He stayed by my side and was on high alert for the rest of the walk.

So, hubby decided that we needed a flashlight. I have a nice pink one now and am hoping that none of us have any more early morning walk surprises.


Monday, September 30, 2013

rainy monday

It is going to be a rainy Monday. Good thing I made those pumpkin scones yesterday. While we were out to lunch on Friday, we stopped in at The Fresh Market for dessert. They had their pumpkin scone mix on sale. I bought two boxes after my coworkers suggested scones might be a good way to start off Monday.

I think we will need them today!

I'm off to walk the dog. It is just misting now, so that isn't too bad. And the hubby bought me a new flashlight while he was at Home Depot yesterday buying sheetrock. But why he needed to buy sheetrock on Sunday is a story for tomorrow.

Happy Monday!


Thursday, September 26, 2013

dining out

We have a running joke at work. Four of us, my entire department and one PhD from the education department, have lunch together at least once a week. If it has been a crazy week, we sneak out for an extra day. I love to eat outside. I figure it is a double bonus. We get out of the building and we get some 'fresh' air. The air quality is questionable as most of the outdoor eating patios are bordered by parking lots, but we take what we can get.

One of our group always has to check the temperature and the humidity level before we leave to see if we can truly eat outside or if we need to be inside and enjoy the air conditioning. They joke that it could be 100 and 90% humidity and I'd still want to eat outside. They are probably right. I prefer restaurants with outdoor dining. It gives us options!

There are days at work that I can hardly wait to get out of that building! I love it when we can walk on our break if we are staying there for lunch. So, I'm extremely glad that the Fall weather is arriving and we can do that more often than not.

I do enjoy our little circle of friends and we have a good time together whether we are away from the office or stuck inside. But, having lunch out on a patio, like we did yesterday makes everything better!


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

suits

The youngest has acquired his first suit. Just like we had to provide equipment for the girls when they were getting ready to do battle on the pitch, we had to outfit the boy for his first appearance on the stage. On Saturday the forensics team travels to another small town for their first tournament of the season.

It took three tries for the store to get the tailoring right, but the manager made it right in the end and even through in a free bow tie for our trouble.

Of course hubby realized he needed a new suit, or two, while sorting out the boy's suit problems. He was actually a very savvy shopper and got all three suits on clearance. Considering the hubby hadn't bought a suit in over 15 years, I guess he was due for a wardrobe upgrade.

Excited for this first tournament and how this new 'sport/competition' will work for all of us.

And parents are encouraged to learn how to judge! Think I will give that a whirl as well.

Wednesday!! Yeah!!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

relax

Sunday morning I was the first one up in our little A-frame cabin at the hunting lodge. I found some coffee and brewed a pot. I had to drink it black, but I needed that jolt of caffeine, so I was happy just to have the hot beverage and didn't miss the milk too much.

While I sipped I was able to stand and watch the deer coming out of the woods to have breakfast. The gentleman who owns Stonehill feeds the deer herd on his property. He estimates he has about 100 deer and puts out about 120 pounds of feed a day.

The sun was just starting to get above the tree line and the metal roofs were 'smoking' as the sunshine hit the dew. First to wander out was a medium sized buck, he looked to have about 8 points on his rack. Then along came a doe. They stayed for a bit and then moved back into the trees. Next came a larger buck, he had a larger rack. I'd guess about 12 points. He was big! But as majestic as he was, and as bold as he was, the best was yet to come.

A wonderful, mature doe stepped out with one baby and then another. They were very cautious and careful. They moved very deliberately through the clearing, a few yards at a time, freezing in place every so often. Finally the slow pace got the best of one of the babies and he scampered around playing, long legs flying!

Last time I was there, when it was just the hubby and I, I didn't see any deer. I was treated to a special viewing on Sunday to see so many at once.

I think I could stay in that little A frame for a week and just sit and watch the clearing. They have wild turkey too out there and I'd love to see a flock of them.

It was a wonderfully relaxed bit of time for me. Quiet. Cool. Fresh air. Perfect.

Monday, September 23, 2013

what a weekend

It was over a 1,000 mile road trip, but we did it and had a wonderful time visiting with our girls. This is one tired Mom today, so this is going to be it for a post. I need coffee and allergy pills...in that order.

Have a great Monday.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

my friday

Today is my Friday as far as work is concerned. We are all going a bit nuts at work right now. The prep work for the national meeting is winding down in some respects, but it has taken its toll on our sanity. The final program is the last piece to complete and it is a major headache for all involved.

We have a phone interview set up today with a NIH vet about working with disabled employees. Maybe feature story material, but we won't know for sure until we talk to him.

The December magazine is coming together. Yeah.

I watched guilty pleasure TV last night and didn't do any reading. I also did the laundry. Tonight we need to pack for tomorrow and our early morning departure. The Target run was successful and I also picked up the game day tee shirts for the girls. They are cute.

Off I go! Got to get ready to walk the dog and hopefully we will both be more alert so we don't stumble across an armadillo like we did yesterday. Although after that, my heart rate was nicely elevated!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

delivery system

The girls have quite the delivery system in place. Of course, this is with my full cooperation and frankly it is sort of fun.  As we are going to visit both of them this weekend...yes, I'm still dreading all those miles..I asked them if they needed anything from home.

Home, I guess, means Target. Now, neither of them have cars at school and the Target stores in both towns are not within walking distance. I don't even know if a bus runs there, so I am going to do their shopping.

Well, I have quite a Target list to procure now. I was able to 'shop' the linen closet for some things. That was a nice treat.

One thing I can't get at Target is a new Black Diamond Ball dress for the oldest. She has three big tests this week and doesn't have time to go dress shopping live or online. She asked if I would send her links to possible dresses. Sure. Okay. Done. Five dresses selected, links emailed, go for it!

Not quite the same as spending time with them at the mall or at our local Target, but I will take it.

Happy Wednesday!!

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Happy Birthday!!!!!

It is my Mom's birthday today! Happy Birthday, Mom!! Hope you have a lovely day. Love you!!

The abbreviated post yesterday was due to the fact I overslept. Today I'm up way too early, but it is better than running late all morning. Not sure what is going on. I guess I'm getting ready for the time change!

I finished the King Arthur book I commented on a few days back. It was a decent read, but I don't think I will search out the others in the series/trilogy. Now I'm reading some urban fantasy book I downloaded and it is pretty awful. But, I'm going to finish it. Blech.

We are very excited to see our girls this weekend and I have a Target run I need to make to get a few things they are requesting. I also had to go through the younger daughter's closet and dresser....that was a challenge. She had left a few things behind that she now wants. Needle. Haystack. #Waytoomuchstuff.

And that is what is happening in my neck of the woods.

Happy Birthday, one more time, Mom!! xoxo

Monday, September 16, 2013

oops, running late

Overslept! No post today!


Thursday, September 12, 2013

king arthur the jerk

I'm reading a book I downloaded on a free book Friday. It is another retelling of the Arthur story, but this time, he is cast as quite the jerk! I'm reading along and thinking of the Arthurian legends class I took during my sophomore year of college. What a fun semester.

The books I placed on hold at the library aren't available yet. Hmmmm. We do have some things to do this weekend, but it would be nice if those two titles were to be returned.

Speaking of library matters, I will be working the preview night sale for the Friends in October. I may take the youngest with me as he needs service hours.

That is all for this Thursday. A quick week! Next week Thursday will be my Friday as we are all set for our big trip to see both girls in one weekend. Lots of miles and I hope lots of smiles!!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

remembering

It is a very sad thing when an event happens that sears itself into not only your memory, but the memory of a nation.

Countries and their citizens suffer through events like that. Our country has, perhaps because of its relative youth, a few of those events. In modern times:  Pearl Harbor. JFK's assassination. September 11.

We tend to know exactly what we were doing when tragedy strikes.

I was unloading the van after a trip to the grocery store. A simple mundane activity that I've done thousands of times, but that one time I'll never forget.


Tuesday, September 10, 2013

sticky mornings, begone!

Last week it was so pleasant to take the dog for his morning walk. It was cool. The sky was clear. The stars were out in full force. Lovely weather.

This week, not so much. It is sticky, muggy, overcast, and yucky.  We had a pop up shower yesterday just as my colleague and I were heading to Stein Mart to purchase something for her to wear to an academic conference she is attending in October. She has just started her PhD work in early modern literature at the local university. At this conference she will be presenting a paper and needed something spiffy to wear.

We found her an adorable kelly green jacket/blazer with big black buttons and a very cute black and white polka dot shell with a draped neckline to wear. She has some nice black trousers and some great shoes/belt to finish the outfit.  It was fun to shop for her and she got a great deal on the two pieces she bought. I think her bill was about $50. Score!

But, back to the weather.....the only good thing about the rain coming when it did yesterday was that our yard people had just sprayed the fertilizer so it was washed into the grass at the perfect time.

Looking at the forecast, I do see cooler temps ahead. I'm eager for jeans and sweaters to return. I keep seeing all these cute cool weather clothes being pinned on Pinterest and I'm still trying to get a few more wears out of my summer things. I need to do a purging of some of those tops at the end of this season. They've been in the rotation for a few years now and are starting to show their wear.

I  may have to go shopping for me and see what I can find on the clearance rack for next year!

Off we go...it is Tuesday. Yep. All. Day. Long.

Monday, September 9, 2013

reading

I've finished the three books I checked out from the library a few weeks back. I rather enjoyed all three of them, although I have to admit that I skimmed the second one in order to finish it. Just wasn't my cup of tea, but the story wasn't bad.

Susanna Kearsley's "The Firebird" was interesting, but moved quite slowly at times. It was the one I wound up skimming. The novel had two plots in it, the one in the present and then the one in the past that the psychic main characters could watch like a movie. The book just didn't have a lot of action.

The last book was a recent addition to the Ursula Blanchard mystery series. I love this series by Fiona Buckley and have been reading it for years. Ursula is a bastard sister to Elizabeth I and the queen's spy when covert things need to be done. She has an odd assortment of comrades to help her along the way. These books are always fun to read.

I'm finishing up some books I loaded on my Nook and in a moment of weakness I purchased two books for the Nook from the $2.99 and under section online at B&N.

So, that is how I spent my weekend. Lots of reading.

Monday, here you are again. Howdy.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

the lunchroom

We have a fairly large breakroom at the office. The only thing it lacks is a stove, but it does have two microwaves, a full sink, and a full sized side-by-side fridge/freezer. It also has a very large table with seating for twelve.

I seldom eat in there. First, the chairs need to be cleaned. They are upholstered and frankly, gross. Also, I usually do some exercise on my lunch break, if I'm not out running errands, so I eat in my cubicle. Yesterday our boss walked with us, so when we got back, he wanted to eat in the kitchen instead of at our desks. Fine. I was happy to take a few extra minutes away from the abstracts I was setting to style.

While we were there, a rather random conversation came up about dream vacations. One gal said she wants to take her daughter to Greece. I mentioned a trip to England for me and the hubby.

Then a gal from another department said she doesn't have any dreams or goals, she just tries to get through each day.

WOW.

The room fell silent, that awkward "I don't know what to say to that" silence. The Greek vacation gal, began to ramble on again about her dream trip. Then a new crew of folks wandered in, the no dream/goal gal gathered her things and left.

My department talked about it once we were back in our area. Now, this woman is a bit nuts. She is very passive-aggressive and I've had her go a bit crazy on me twice in the two years I've been working there. Once over a frog video and once over who I sat with at lunch.

Yet even though we know she is a bit off, we all felt sad that she would say to a room full of people that she has no dreams or goals.

I've always had dreams, goals, hopes. They've changed over time, been adjusted and modified, but they are still there.

My boss said she could have just said that to have the exact effect she did. He thinks she is that nuts. Who knows, but it was a moment for me to think about my plans for the future and to recommit to them!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

changing course

Over the past couple of months I've been taking one route for Duke's walk. We reverse it on alternating days, but it is a route we both enjoy. Lots of things for him to sniff, and a bit of a woodsy area for me to enjoy.

It is too dark now! The path isn't lit and my night vision sucks, so we have to change our ways.

He was quite confused yesterday when I didn't turn to head up the path and instead crossed the street and headed back down from where we had come from.

We are all creatures of habit. I read somewhere to that begin a new healthy habit you have to stay at it for 8 weeks. Two months. Hmmm.  I would suspect that is true. It may take longer for some. I do know I enjoy walking him for the 15-20 minutes each morning and when I missed a day last week, I felt out of sorts all day. Didn't quite have the energy I usually have.

We are settling into a new routine here at home now as well. The girls have been gone for over a month in the oldest's case and now 3 weeks in the middle kid's case.

A new normal has become a bit more comfortable.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

no rest for the wicked

This was not a restful weekend, but we did TONS of things! The master bath is now repainted. A new valance has been hung. New towels were purchased. It looks pretty spiffy! That room is a pain in the butt to paint with five doorways and enough trim work to drive anyone insane.

But, it is complete now except for touching up some of the trim pieces that need a fresh coat of Swiss White.

Hubby fixed all three toilets, they were making weird noises. He replaced our mailbox. He fixed the front door and garage door deadbolts. And he smoked a Boston butt roast! Looks like we will have pulled pork for dinner tonight!

I did laundry, did a bit of grocery shopping, and even found a few minutes to read a book.

Last night we had a nice cookout/visit with the neighbors and some friends of theirs from church.

So, it is back to work for us today, but it is a short week. Not too bad.



Monday, September 2, 2013

roadtrippin'

We are going to sit down and figure out just when we will make road trips to visit the darling daughters this fall. Football schedules come into play as do Speech/Debate tournament schedules, our meager social life schedule, and my work schedule.

It is amazing to know that the weekends we have available are quite limited. We also have to figure out who will watch the dog as our neighbors travel on Fall Break and are not available for two weekends. We could try and hire a high school kid to stay with him for a long weekend. Hmmm. Things to ponder.

Hubby wants to do a big roadtrip visit and see both girls in one long weekend. We'd leave here on a Thursday after I finish work, head south to the oldest kid's school. Visit with her on Friday (she has a light schedule), then on Saturday mid-morning drive north to the middle kid's school. Stay there Saturday night and visit with her and then head home Sunday after breakfast. Sounds like a lot of time in the car, which is not my favorite thing.

I'm sure we will come up with a plan!

Happy Monday and Enjoy your Labor Day!




Thursday, August 29, 2013

books

I saw a post on my Facebook newsfeed yesterday that Starz and Sony are bringing Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series to television and they've committed to a 16 episode first season. Yeah! Of course I went to IMDB to check out the casting so far, and while they haven't posted who will be playing Claire Fraser, they have posted a photo of the actor playing Jamie. Very exciting. I approve. Here is the link: http://www.dianagabaldon.com/ to the author's page and it has photos and comments about the production.

Speaking of books, added a new one to my "finished" list for 2013. This was written by a team under the name Sam Cabot. Basic premise is that the Vatican has a secret deal with the world's vampires and in fact Mary Magdalene was a vamp responsible for her brother Lazarus' coming back from the dead as well as Jesus' resurrection. The book jacket promised a combination of Dan Brown and (cringe) Stephenie Meyer and it more or less delivered. Cabot is a better writer than Meyer and these vampires don't sparkle.  It was a solid read, it entertained me, but it didn't blow my socks off. I'd read a sequel to see if the plot reveals just where Mary and Jesus are hanging out these days.

I have two other books to read in short order as I picked them from the new rack and only have a week left on one of them. Better get busy this weekend.

In other news, hubby's business trip allowed him to enjoy dinner and then breakfast with the oldest. While I am still totally jealous he got to visit with her, he said she is most definitely in full college student mode and was quite proud of herself and how the semester is starting off. Best thing so far, she is working on the research project now with engines and while she was covered in oil and grease, she didn't break a nail...yet!

She is headed one state over to see her football team smash errrr play...their first game in one of those big Dome stadiums. She and her buddy will be staying with that young lady's family while away for the weekend.

The other one is getting a visitor for the weekend as the summer romance boy is heading up there to see her. Hmmmm. Very interesting.

Hubby has a big order to fill as he is taking the boy shopping for a suit this weekend. Speech & Debate tournament attire requires a suit. Lovely. The tailoring bill will probably match the suit cost.

Off I go...I've rambled enough and seem to have made up for my lack of words yesterday. Yippee, it is Thursday...Friday Eve!!


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

stuff

I don't have any stuff to share this morning! Drawing a major blank. So.....Have a good Wednesday!!

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

starry sky

Dukie has already retrieved the paper. The early morning sky is clear and the stars are shining bright today. Not too humid so far. Fairly cool air right now. Hard to believe that by Friday we will be nearing 100 for our highs.

Those temps will be a bit out of our normal. It has really been a mild summer. Not a scorcher. Yet. I read with interest the Farmer's Almanac prediction for this winter. Guess it might be a colder than normal winter. More snow is predicted too. Last winter was very mild.

And what does all this have to do with anything? Well, I was dreaming about snow boots. We never bought the middle daughter snow boots and she might just need some this year. She has some lovely riding boots that she wears with everything from dresses, to skirts, to jeans, to leggings. But, they are by no means weather proof and she will slip and slide all over the place in them if the weather turns icy/snowy. Hmmm. Need to take a tour of the LL Bean website, Zappos, and such to see what can be found.

Thank goodness we bought her a 3 in 1 North Face last year on sale. Got that part covered!

Tuesday!! Making weekend plans already. Yeah!

Monday, August 26, 2013

looking forward to next Monday

Next Monday is Labor Day! Whoopieeeee!! I'm in need of a three day weekend in a big way. If I had extra PTO, I'd be tempted to make that weekend a four day event and take Friday off.

But, I'm hoarding those days for emergencies, illness, and football. lol

Bid Day is now behind all of us. As one of my soccer mom friends said, "Thank God we don't ever have to do that again." It ranks right up there with waiting for the team roster to be posted after tryouts. Dreadful. The girls from the Ville all did well. Three of them will pledge DZ, one is a Phi Mu, and our darling daughter is now a Kappa Kappa Gamma. Which, coincidentally, is the same house her boss was in back in the 80's. That lady told the hubby that she did everything but put sparkles on the rec she wrote. When she learned that Kappas were the 'winner' of our darling daughter, she was so excited she was almost hyperventilating (according her her husband who had ordered her a Bloody Mary to try and settle her nerves as she was pacing the floor until we got the text telling us the contents of the bid day envelope.) She told hubby that our daughter is just perfect...well, of course she is! lol I can see lots of Kappa stuff being mailed to college for her from this lady.

It is all a hoot and a half. One of the older daughter's former soccer teammates from club season is also a Kappa, so that is a nice connection to have.

The pics I've seen on instagram and twitter show a very happy young lady, so I think it is all good.

Now they can get back to the real reason they are off at college and hit the books, studies, computers etc.

Off into Monday I go. It should be a fast week as I'm intending on loading info into the CMS for the new website. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Happy Monda:. Owls. Keys. And Fleur de Lis!!  Cheers to our Kappa Girl!! xoxo

Thursday, August 22, 2013

new routines, habits, and events

Hubby came home with a good idea last night. We are going to try and establish a movie & a dinner night with the boy. So, once a week, we will take turns picking a movie and picking a 'carry-in' dinner item. No cooking for Mom! Whoop!!

The boy would be happy watching the Science network or Big Bang Theory all night long. The hubby is all about sports, and I of course look for vampires, werewolves, fairies, or historical dramas. So...this will be a grand compromise.

We have yet to pick the night, but we are thinking Wednesday. Seems like that night is a lighter homework night due to so many of the teachers and students go to church on Wednesdays.

The girls had great first days of school. The Harry Potter class was nothing short of FANTASTIC for the middle kid. She loved it. The oldest told me that her courses will kick her butt, but she has tons of great friends in them and everything will be okay as she is ready to kick some butt! lol

Sorority recruitment was on hiatus last night at the middle daughter's school and will resume this evening. The oldest daughter's sorority has their first 'swap' tonight, so she will be guiding the freshman to that event at one of the fraternities.

Yep, it is Thursday already. The week went fast.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

big shoes to fill

The boy has only one teacher who does not know the girls. This is a common situation in our town for many students who have siblings. His geometry teacher has 12 students in his 5th hour class with older siblings who this man taught at some point. By the way, I'm tickled pink that he has this geometry teacher as he is an excellent math teacher and hilarious to boot.

The 'odd man' out is the new Latin teacher. Interesting fellow, a native of the UK, he went to school in Colorado for his undergrad and did one master's degree at Minnesota and one at.....Notre Dame. Yep, so we got to talk about South Bend a bit and the boy had already informed him that was where he was born.

The evening went well. Got to see a lot of friends in the hallways. The teachers are focusing on teaching and trying to keep the merger business/problems away from them. A common question was about PowerSchool. It has typically not been available until after Labor Day, but the common thought is that it might not ever make it back up. Rumors are flying about just what type of online grading portal will be available.

We had fun. The boy has some big shoes to fill as his sisters cut a wide path through that high school and were very well known.

Today is Wednesday! Yeah!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

open house

Tonight is the open house at the high school. We start in home room and then move through his day. They are also having the club fair and a meeting for the new Honors Academy/Emerging Leaders program. Busy night.

We always attend the open house when they are freshman. It had been hit or miss after that with the girls because we always had a soccer match to attend. With the boy, we will most likely make it all four years. We also have his first speech and debate meeting this week. That is on Thursday.

So, with all of these events, I came home from work and did more work! Laundry, cooking, cleaning etc so that when the weekend does arrive, we can do things other than household chores.

I heard from both girls yesterday. The new college girl had 5 houses to visit yesterday, the max she could have. She will get a new list today reflecting up to another 5 houses if no one dropped her. The sophomore was relaxing with her 'recruitment buddy' and enjoying having rush behind them.  Both ladies start classes on Wednesday.

The school year is up and running! I'm trying to run too...but at the moment it is more of a fast walk.

Tuesday, let's go!

Monday, August 19, 2013

quiet times

The house is not as full as it was last week. We had a very good trip east and settling the middle kid into her dorm room went as smoothly as that type of move can go. The local community, both students and residents, were on hand in huge numbers to assist the freshman moving into their new 'homes.' The room was in good shape, the dads did an awesome job of assembling the lofts and the futon, and the moms helped the girls get unpacked and organized in record time.

Their first day of sorority recruitment started that afternoon, so we said goodbye to her and went back to the hotel to get cleaned up. We met two other couples for dinner at a lovely British themed pub and had a good meal and great conversation. I had fish and chips and for dessert hubby and I split a piece of 'sticky cake' that was divine. I also had a Bass ale on draft...that was a real treat.

We got up very early in the morning and drove the 5 hours home. We stopped for breakfast at the exit for my grandfather's home town, and had a fairly relaxing trip being that Sunday morning is probably one of the least busy days on our main interstate.

We shed some tears along the way, and I have to admit when we pulled around the corner to our street and I saw her car sitting by our house, I got weepy.

She is happy. She is where she wants to be and with a great group of friends to support her. I miss her terribly.

I gave our son a huge hug and told him he isn't allowed to leave just yet....he has 4 more years with us! He laughed.

The new normal is going to take some getting used to. I saw a photo on Facebook of some local girls who are now seniors carrying the Senior Girls banner that they take to football games. The tears welled up again.

Not sure why, but sending this one off to school was even harder than the oldest and that wasn't easy.

But, it is the way of things and she is ready to soar!

It is Monday and I'm glad to be going to work today.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

new projects

Just as we begin to really gear up for the National Meeting, a new project has landed on our desks at work. We are getting a new website and we have to migrate all the content from the old one to the new one. And we really should reorganize it where needed. Great. Oh, and it has to be done by October. Great.

Ugh.

Well, the days that are already speeding by will now pass by on light speed. That is both good and bad.

Talked with the oldest last night and she is sounding pretty good, but tired. I think she will be glad when classes start and everyone gets into a routine at the house.

The middle one is still packing. Lots of boxes. Lots and lots of them.

The youngest is doing fine although he needs a new backpack! Those big high school books finally wore out the Jansport he has been lugging around since 4th grade. lol

Okay, off into Wednesday and I'm out of here for the rest of the week. See ya on Monday.


Tuesday, August 13, 2013

cooking mama

Winter food vs summer food. I tend to cook different stuff during different times of the year. The college bound daughter asked for her favorites to be made this week. Of course her favorite meals are all more winter food meals than summer. So, we had pot roast last night and will have chili on Wednesday.

Tonight, it is grilled chicken, a more summer time meal. As I made the mashed potatoes last night I was thinking about how next week will impact the cooking duties. Down to just three of us at home. The food quantities won't change as the boy is starting to consume amazing amounts of food; a teenage boy phenomena that is quite common. But, sitting down to a big meal might not happen as often. The boy is a lot less structured when it comes to dinner time than the girls ever were. He will eat sandwiches and be happy!

So, this cooking mama has her work cut out for her over the next few days. I also anticipate a run to Gus' Fried Chicken for a meal. That is one of her fave's and something that can't be made at home.

One thing about cooking big, lots of leftovers for lunch!

Monday, August 12, 2013

shopping

We shopped. That is what I did this weekend. Oh, and I did finish reading a book I had loaded on my Nook.

That is the extent of it.

The boxes continue to pile up in the dining room and in her bedroom and now in the garage.

Another chick is getting ready to leave the nest.

Hey, Monday, wishing you would have taken a bit longer to get here.

Friday, August 9, 2013

contest time

Fellow blogger and a YA author, Ms. Lisa Shafer, is running a contest for her two half-vampire books. I think the boy might enjoy reading them. So I've entered her contest to win a hard copy of each.

http://www.lisashafer.blogspot.com/

She has a very fun, informative, and entertaining blog. Check it out!


Thursday, August 8, 2013

the soccer girls

The middle daughter has been busy hanging out as much as she can with her buddies this week. The first one departs for school tomorrow and after that the departures will start to happen on almost a daily basis.

It has been an awesome thing to see how supportive, caring, and connected this group of soccer girls has been over the last 3 years. They are a tight-knit group. Their relationships on and off the field have been a joy to watch.

Friendships are an interesting thing. I don't really talk to any of my friends from my high school days. I stay connected on Facebook to a variety of my friends from college, but truly have only stayed close with one friend from back then. She and I are the kind of friends I hope my daughters will have in their lives. Those friendships stand the test of time, distance, kids, husbands, life.

So when she was feeling a bit sad and blue yesterday thinking about the soccer girls splitting up, we talked for a bit about friends and how it all can work when everyone is at different colleges. We spent more time hugging than talking, because the words only go so far. Yes, this is all part of growing up, but saying goodbye is never easy. It isn't easy when you are 18 or when you are 48. We are lucky to live in a time when those long distance friends are only a cell phone or computer screen away.

We've arrived at Thursday. The week is slipping by and a big shopping trip to Target looms in my future. The countdown is on, yet again.

Enjoy the weekend.




Wednesday, August 7, 2013

time to get it in gear

It has been a rather sluggish week. Perhaps it is just the let down of running around last week trying to help the oldest get ready to return to school. Next week will be nuts getting the middle kid ready to head off to school. The youngest seems to be doing just fine in high school, and he was happy to tell me that he loves having a study hall! The homework is already coming fast and furious, so I'm sure having that class period to complete some of his work is most welcome.

We've also had rainy days so far this week. Muggy, humid, warm days with not a lot of sunshine to perk things up.

My boss returns to work tomorrow from his convention. I'm sure there will be lots of stories to tell. He's already  hinted at several good tales he wants to share with us.

I have plenty of things I need to be doing at work and hope that I can knock several projects out today, but first thing is my first conference call with my 'new' committee. Ugh. Not looking forward to that at all.

Thinking off my Grandma today. Hard to believe a year has gone by since she died. I miss her.

Off I go...Wednesday is here.

Monday, August 5, 2013

off he goes

The alarm will ring in 15 minutes and the boy will begin his first day of high school. Wow. Round three starts now.

It isn't like I didn't know this was coming. I did. I've been thinking about it for a while. But, it is still rather stunning that he is starting high school today.

The oldest is all settled into her amazing, gorgeous, beautiful sorority house. The middle kid is now the focus of the procurement and packing process. Her departure is next on the to-do list.

Summer is now over. School bells will ring today.

Off we go.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

registered and ready to roll

The registration process was painless. Went to the varsity gym, showed our proof of residence, checked a form for accuracy and got his updated schedule. Then we were off to get his bus route info. Then we walked the halls and made sure he had a basic idea of where his classrooms are. Talked to a few teachers who know the girls and came on home. Easy peasy.

Then the reality of it all began to hit. He is starting high school! Wow. Ugh. Yikes. He has an ice cream social to attend tonight for the speech and debate team. The teacher in charge of that group and the forensics classes called to invite him. The gentleman also is in charge of the entire TV production "gang" at the school. I hope the boy finds his spot with this group of kids. They are tight knit and are quite successful.

The oldest is in the throes of packing and finishing her crafts. The middle is in the midst of squeezing every last minute of friend time out of each day before they all begin to head away for the first time.

Off we go. I won't be blogging tomorrow as we are heading out very early in the morning.

Enjoy the weekend.


Tuesday, July 30, 2013

and the rain moves in

We've had the most pleasant summer weather. To be able to go out at lunch and walk without melting is a real treat. I enjoyed doing just that yesterday. It is the end of July and we aren't in triple digits. I wonder what that means for our winter? Will it be unseasonably cool, or will it be moderate? Who knows!

But for now, I'm going to enjoy the cool breeze on my morning walk and the opportunity to walk at lunch, as long as it isn't raining.

It might rain today. Then again, it might not. Our weather folks are never very accurate and Old Man River toys with their ability to predict storms at times.

As long as we have clear skies on Thursday for move in day with the oldest, I'm all good with some showers. Just no rain in Ttown...please?!

Off we go. Tuesday is here.

Monday, July 29, 2013

here we are

Here we are. The oldest returns to school on Thursday. We spent a good portion of Saturday purchasing things she will need for school. I have bags and boxes all over the house and one giant piece of rolled carpeting in the kitchen.

Once we have her settled, it is time to focus on gathering all the things the middle kid will need for her off to college moment.

But in the meantime, we have to get the youngest registered for high school tomorrow and one week from today he will be getting ready for his first day.

Summer is over.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

tonight

Tonight is the last concert of this year's season and the younger daughter is going to receive special recognition from her boss during the intermission. I guess orange flowers will be presented and Rocky Top might be played!

So, we will be in attendance this evening. If the weather stays like it has been, it should even be comfortable to be sitting outside in the park for the event.  This morning the temp is down and the humidity right along with it. Thank goodness. Yesterday was a bit sticky, even at 5:00 a.m.

Not much else to report. The work week is winding down and we are already making plans for a very busy Saturday. Big trip to Target and Hobby Lobby is in store for us.

Oh, I did realize that my trip to our convention is beginning on the same day the girls' schools will meet on the football field! Ugh. Kind of wanted to see that game, but I will be jetting off to the east coast instead.

Hey, Thursday, welcome back!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

movie night

Hubby was home early from work and we were able to sit down and watch a movie last night. Didn't want to watch anything to deep or thoughtful, so we wound up seeing "The Bourne Legacy." Decent action film! Didn't hurt it that Jeremy Renner was the main super spy.

I read all of the Bourne books back in high school. Ludlum was and is still one of the best at that genre.

The DVR has several other movies taped at the moment. Up next is "Beasts of the Southern Wilds" and "Moonrise Kingdom."

Not much else to report here other than it is really sinking in that the oldest heads back to school in a little over one week. She has some crafting to do as she needs to make sorority stuff for her Little Sister to be. We decided to make a hobby store run on Saturday so she can get that going. Thank goodness for Pinterest; great place for inspiration!

The other daughter is building her pile of college stuff in her room. The last few things arrived from Target yesterday. So, now we are down to getting the true essentials on her list. I think we are almost done with the decor stuff.

Hey, Tuesday, here you are. Welcome!

Monday, July 22, 2013

good times

We finally had the graduation/off to college party for the middle kid. So much fun! Hubby and I went to Costco early in the day and bought all the stuff and the party began at 4:00. I think the kids left about 10:30 to head out to swim. Had a lot of soccer parents here and our plans for a dinner club once all the girls are away at college are being firmed up. I'm looking forward to the once a month idea.

I believe we have one more party to attend, the first weekend of August, and then it is time to pack all these young ladies up and move them to their respective campuses.

The rest of the weekend was very quiet. We didn't do much of anything yesterday. Nice.

Not sure what is on the calendar for this week. I think it should be fairly free of any major events. We are only 2 weeks away from high school starting. The boy has his schedule and is ready to roll.

And I'm ready to roll off into the new week! Happy Monday.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

knickers in a knot

Our director actually reminded folks to not get their knickers in a knot as we transition into this new department structure. Easier said than done for many of the folks. Had a few interesting conversations yesterday with people more directly impacted by this change than our department. Knickers are knotting. Guess that is the best way to say it.

In the long run, stuff will sort itself out. It always does, one way or another. The complainers will always complain, but they will get use to the new order of things. Everyone else will deal with the changes and move on with only minor grumbling.

Perspective is an amazing thing. We had a phone interview yesterday with a newly elected executive board person. When asked about a big challenge facing the group, she mentioned an upcoming national organizational change and felt that the membership was having a problem with it. Really? My boss and I exchanged puzzled glances. The leadership may be having a problem with this change, but the folks in the trenches, our take is that they could care less. It makes no difference to them.  It is all perspective. She is super focused on this event. The rest of the world, not so much.

So while those she has to deal with may have some knots to work out, the folks who elected her, I think they are leaving that mess to her to solve.

Sometimes you can walk away from the knots. Sometimes you need to sit down and work it out. Sometimes stuff works out on its own with little direct effort.

The trick is knowing what approach to take. I'm trying to keep that in mind when I feel a knot coming on!



Wednesday, July 17, 2013

time to be charmed

The level of energy at work continues to be amped up. Yesterday the director announced what happened on Monday and let everyone know about the new assignments/responsibilities for some of us. Then I spent a good portion of the rest of the day either in meetings or talking about all the details of this new 'alignment.'

One detail announced was that my whole department is going to Baltimore in October. So, it is off to Charm City for the three of us. I might actually get to experience some of the cool stuff I've been tweeting, facebooking, and posting on linkedin.  Nice. I'm going to have plenty to keep me busy during the five days I am there, but I have hope to sneak out and explore a bit.

Like I want to see Poe's grave. Yep. I want to eat a real crab cake. Those are my top two.

In the meantime, there is a TON of work to be done. Digging through someone else's computer files is not an easy task. He wasn't super organized. It is a good reminder for me to make sure my stuff is clean and well kept. We are trying to approach it all in a uniform way in our area. We received the bulk of the committee liaison appointments and have agreed that we need to keep all of our 'stuff' in one central location so that if one of us is out, the others can access the info and get the committee folks what they might need.

So, the rest of the week is going to fly by. If the summer wasn't already speeding by, it has now hit warp speed.

Hey Wednesday, sure I can't squeeze more than 24 hours out of you??

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

shake up

Having a bit of a shake up at work. A director was let go yesterday, his department reassigned to another director, and his committees given to other employees. I received one of his committees, so now I am the staff liaison to the group of folks I worked with during the annual board meeting back in June. I was also told I probably had more knowledge about politics, government, and legislation than the entire committee.

LOLOLOL.

Okay, I will take this "opportunity to excel" and run with it. I don't think the shake up is over. I think more folks will be leaving before year end. Most likely a few of the workers from the department this guy was in charge of will not like the new leadership and will retire, change jobs, or be let go.

Downsizing is happening. It had to. Since NIH is cutting funding to research facilities across the country, it has finally trickled down to impact our association.

Let the games begin.

Monday, July 15, 2013

perking along

Busy weekend. Busy week ahead.

So, while the coffee pot perks, here is what we did and and what is coming up. Saturday's big event was a cookout at a soccer family's home. They are getting ready to move to the Atlanta area. He is a pilot for Delta and the pilot hub has left our town for Hartsfield. So, off they go! Going to miss them a lot.

Yesterday we ran some errands after church and then just relaxed at home.

It was a fairly quiet weekend, but it sure went fast. I think from now until the girls are off to school, time will really fly by us. All we can do is "perk" along and get ready for the next event.

The boy attends Freshmen Frenzy Thursday and Friday of this week at the high school. He has completed one of his essays for English and he's completed a first draft of the other. He realized he had some more Geometry to do, so that is up next.

The oldest's bff is home from NYC. She could only come home for 2 weeks this summer as she is working 2 jobs to pay her rent.

Here's Monday and the work week should be a busy one. Magazine stuff, national meeting stuff, final program stuff. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Off we go.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

indulgence anita style

I splurged yesterday and ordered the latest Laurell K Hamilton book for my Nook. Yep. Cost me about $5.50 after I used up what was left of a gift card I earned by doing a social media vendor tutorial last fall.

So, to anyone reading...I could use more Barnes and Noble's money to fund my reading addiction. lol

The reviews on this latest "Anita" book have been good. Lots of comments saying that readers are so very glad the book has a plot, a mystery to solve, and old school Anita action! Hamilton has been publishing Anita stories for 20 years now.

TWENTY YEARS! I hope that freaked her out as much as it did me when I realized just how long ago it was when I first started reading these stories.

It is Thursday, thank goodness. Today should fly by as I'm going to begin layout for the September issue of the magazine. I worked on preloading social media content all day yesterday. Something that should be quick and easy has become quite a job due to the way we are  now keeping track of just what I am putting up and where it is being put....ha ha. My days of using a simple Excel sheet to track content are coming to an end and I'm now using Filemaker as well. Easy to pull reports from, my dear. Sure. Sure.

Got to run...or rather, walk. The dog is waiting, leash at his side.




Wednesday, July 10, 2013

count me in

Three of us went and voted yesterday. There is only one item on the ballot, the creation of our own municipal school district. We all voted YES!

Turnout has been rather sluggish as folks are weary of this whole thing, it is July, it is blazing hot, and a whole host of other reasons. I'm sure it will pass; every day another dysfunctional policy/change leaks out from the unified district.

In other news, our small town has had TWO armed robberies this summer. This is rather extraordinary for our Ville. The first was three local young adults who robbed a couple walking on the greenbelt. They were caught before they even made the park's parking lot. The latest was two men from the big city who stole a car and robbed a man at the mall. They were also caught within a short while and are now sitting in the clink with a $5 million bond on each of them.

Not sure what is going on with all that crazy, but the local police have been Johnny-on-the-spot in catching these idiots.

So, it is Hump Day!! Yeah!! The week can't end soon enough. Ugh. Too many grouchy people at work. Why is it that after a holiday weekend, the grouch factor goes up by 10?

Off I go!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

it's all downhill from here

Our summer vacations are  now over and it is all downhill from here. We have started the quick slide into July and before I'm ready for it, the oldest will head back to college. The youngest will start high school. Then the middle kid will head off to college.

Waaaaaaaaaa. I want a do-over!

I know that isn't going to happen, but I sort of wish it could. We've had a good summer. Two nice trips to see family and friends. Some days on the beach. A few hours on the lake. It has all been very nice.

Now the mad rush begins to get stuff done for the girls and we are monitoring the boy to make sure his summer work is completed and in good order.

Going to work yesterday after having a week off wasn't easy. Everyone was a big grouchy to be back at the old grind. I'm taking chocolate in for them today! Maybe it will provide an attitude adjustment.

But, it is Tuesday and the week will pass. It will be Friday before we know it.

Off I go!


Thursday, June 27, 2013

taking a break

Today will be the last post for a while. While I could blog via my phone, or I could borrow a computer, I figured I will just save up all the random musings I have while I'm away and post them once I return!

We received the move in date for the oldest. She can return to campus and move into the brand new sorority house the last Saturday in July. WOW. Summer is winding down. YIKES.

I am no where near ready to depart for our trip north. And tonight, instead of working on getting ready, we are going to meet another couple for dinner. They are moving due to a job relocation. These are fellow "former" soccer parents. Their daughter is going off to college with our middle one, so we may still see them at the university, but you never know. And as she and I discussed, any excuse not to cook!

Speaking of cooking, it is hot and sticky outside. I do hope our trip introduces us to some cooler temps for our stay. It would be nice to not experience a sauna on my front porch at 5 a.m.

Well, Happy 4th of July a bit early! Hope the first week of the seventh month treats you well.

Bye for now!