Friday, September 29, 2006
Its unanimous
Well, the overwhelming consensus is to change, so now I just have to figure out HOW I want to change it! :-) Bear with me folks, there may be weird looks ahead.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Thinking about a change...
Im getting tired of the pink here... I sometimes feel as though Im drowning in pepto bismol whenever I read my own blog (yes, I read my own blog... how else would I get ideas how to write my stuff better?! After all, an editor is an editor is an editor... even when they are a writer!). I got this design from Zoot and I LOVE IT... just... maybe I'll go in and change the pink to something else. Or maybe I'll actually try to design my own page... or maybe I'll dig into my change jar (I get all the money I find when doing laundry as my play money) and *gasp* actually PAY A TALENTED PERSON TO DO IT FOR ME! Or, since I have talented people IN THE FAMILY... I could just play the "I suck at html" card and have my SIL or Sis do it. hehe. What do you think? Are we ready for a new template here at the nest?
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Our Pride and Joy
We brought home a tightly wrapped bundle of joy on Thursday and by Friday evening it was humming with pure contentment. In spite of the sleepless hours getting it snugly into its new place in our home, and the scraped knuckles, encounters with enormous bugs, and numerous wonderings if we had made the right decision, within an hour of its humming? So were we.
No, we did not get another kitty, or a puppy, or a baby... we got a DISHWASHER.
A glorious, beautiful, stainless steel contraption that has taken hours of work out of every day of my life... and increased the amount of times Hubband can help with the dishes. He always has helped when he could, but my love of actual cooked meals creates many many dishes and therefore helping is a longish proposition and homework infinitely more important in the scheme of things than scrubbing pots and pans.
So, he took a few hours of his time on Thursday and carved out a place for our new contraption.
He looked at our electrical and plumbing and ran screaming to his algebra homework.
Friday, he spent hours working on wiring, buying and returning numerous plumbing apparati, and finally... tightening the last nut and caulking the last seam of pipe, and starting the very first load.
Life is good.
No, we did not get another kitty, or a puppy, or a baby... we got a DISHWASHER.
A glorious, beautiful, stainless steel contraption that has taken hours of work out of every day of my life... and increased the amount of times Hubband can help with the dishes. He always has helped when he could, but my love of actual cooked meals creates many many dishes and therefore helping is a longish proposition and homework infinitely more important in the scheme of things than scrubbing pots and pans.
So, he took a few hours of his time on Thursday and carved out a place for our new contraption.
He looked at our electrical and plumbing and ran screaming to his algebra homework.
Friday, he spent hours working on wiring, buying and returning numerous plumbing apparati, and finally... tightening the last nut and caulking the last seam of pipe, and starting the very first load.
Life is good.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Celebutards
In the shower this morning I was having a very serious talk with myself. I had discovered a latent annoyance (latent! who am I kidding!) with celebrities who's entire goal of life seems (I say seems because I do not know these people, only the face they present to the world) to be to shop and party and buy all the latest and newest toys. While I know that this is in part why they are famous and why they make so much money, I can't help but wonder why more people with money aren't more responsible about it.
If I were really fabulously wealthy, I would want to give to charities, of course, but one of the greatest dreams I have is to have that money and be able to find someone or some family who is deserving. Not because they have had seven million hardships, but because they try so hard every day to manage things and keep going and still do the special things. A family like so many of my friends have... who dont NEED a large influx of cash, but would have so much fun buying gifts for their family and fixing all the little things that need fixing, and maybe buying a new winter coat for the first time in 8 or 9 years... Wouldn't that be fun? Perhaps the desire is a selfish one, as I wish sometimes that that would happen to us.
I actually dreamed the other night that I won a contest for $20,000 to decorate one room in my house AND ONLY THAT ONE ROOM and I was very upset because that much money? Could almost renovate my entire house and leave a tidbit leftover to get Hubband that mixer he wants (sound, not food). Of course, I'd also love to buy my sisters a trip to a spa, surprise my MIL by getting her out of debt, fly my grandmother to meet her newest Great Great Grandson in CT, etc.
Come on Paris, Lindsay, Nicole, Jessica... wouldn't that be more fun than yet ANOTHER trip to Barney's or Rodeo Drive?
If I were really fabulously wealthy, I would want to give to charities, of course, but one of the greatest dreams I have is to have that money and be able to find someone or some family who is deserving. Not because they have had seven million hardships, but because they try so hard every day to manage things and keep going and still do the special things. A family like so many of my friends have... who dont NEED a large influx of cash, but would have so much fun buying gifts for their family and fixing all the little things that need fixing, and maybe buying a new winter coat for the first time in 8 or 9 years... Wouldn't that be fun? Perhaps the desire is a selfish one, as I wish sometimes that that would happen to us.
I actually dreamed the other night that I won a contest for $20,000 to decorate one room in my house AND ONLY THAT ONE ROOM and I was very upset because that much money? Could almost renovate my entire house and leave a tidbit leftover to get Hubband that mixer he wants (sound, not food). Of course, I'd also love to buy my sisters a trip to a spa, surprise my MIL by getting her out of debt, fly my grandmother to meet her newest Great Great Grandson in CT, etc.
Come on Paris, Lindsay, Nicole, Jessica... wouldn't that be more fun than yet ANOTHER trip to Barney's or Rodeo Drive?
On the flip side...
Yesterday morning I drove Hubband to work and passed the crossing guard who usually works over by the University. He was working at a church who's parking lot is across a very busy street from the actual church buildings. I have noticed this man before, mostly because he gets so much enjoyment out of his job. "Twip twwwweeeeeep tip whooop" goes the whistle as he firmly plants himself in the way of oncoming traffic, brandishing his "stop/slow" sign and whistle like a Celtic warrior with his lance and sword. He is a small, thin, older black man with a bounce in his step. As I picked Hubband up (a mere 20 minute after I dropped him off... they didn't need him at work), we passed the guard again, walking away from the church, still garbed in his bright orange vest, still bouncing, and smoking a cigarette with obvious enjoyment of the sunshine and nicotine.
There is something to be said for job satisfaction.
There is something to be said for job satisfaction.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Cabin Fever
I realized this morning that other than the daily walks around the neighborhood that I have been taking every day I haven't been out of the house since Monday. MONDAY! We have a small house, people, and its no wonder Im contemplating eating everything in sight, turning into a TLC-loving couch potato, and taking random naps and snipes at the cats/hubband. I decided today that this was a problem and demanded that I be taken on a date tonight.
Working from home is always held out to us as the "holy grail" of the working world. "Have your cake!" they say "Eat it too... in your PAJAMAS!". But what they dont tell us is that working from home will limit the work you can do. You will not be able to have a widely varied set of duties because the company can only send you certain types of things. This wont matter for the first year or so until you've worked your way through each one several times. After that? It gets old. Then there is the fact that the only human interaction you get is outside the house or with your husband/kids/pets. Some days I'll have someone knock on my door to sell me something and Im ready to invite them in for tea! cake! cookies! TALK TO ME PLEASE! Finally, working from home means that when your spouse comes home at the end of the day and wants nothing more than to collapse on the couch and watch reruns of SciFi shows with a pile of snacks at the ready... you have been in the house all day, and want nothing more than to leave it!
I will admit that being in a town where we know very few people (all of whom work or are in school OUTSIDE the home) and sharing a car and living off a single salary (for the moment) probably add to the problems. After all, if Hubband has the car I can't very go somewhere outside the neighborhood! And if I take him to school, I still have to worry about finding something free to do and am still alone.
Have any of you ever experienced this? Are you all still like the guy who came to check if our BellSouth telephone service was still the "best deal" for us and spent 10 minutes talking about how lucky I am to work from home? If not, if you're like me... got any suggestions on how to do something inexpensive and outside the house in an hour or less?
Working from home is always held out to us as the "holy grail" of the working world. "Have your cake!" they say "Eat it too... in your PAJAMAS!". But what they dont tell us is that working from home will limit the work you can do. You will not be able to have a widely varied set of duties because the company can only send you certain types of things. This wont matter for the first year or so until you've worked your way through each one several times. After that? It gets old. Then there is the fact that the only human interaction you get is outside the house or with your husband/kids/pets. Some days I'll have someone knock on my door to sell me something and Im ready to invite them in for tea! cake! cookies! TALK TO ME PLEASE! Finally, working from home means that when your spouse comes home at the end of the day and wants nothing more than to collapse on the couch and watch reruns of SciFi shows with a pile of snacks at the ready... you have been in the house all day, and want nothing more than to leave it!
I will admit that being in a town where we know very few people (all of whom work or are in school OUTSIDE the home) and sharing a car and living off a single salary (for the moment) probably add to the problems. After all, if Hubband has the car I can't very go somewhere outside the neighborhood! And if I take him to school, I still have to worry about finding something free to do and am still alone.
Have any of you ever experienced this? Are you all still like the guy who came to check if our BellSouth telephone service was still the "best deal" for us and spent 10 minutes talking about how lucky I am to work from home? If not, if you're like me... got any suggestions on how to do something inexpensive and outside the house in an hour or less?
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Success!
I have now officially created my very first recipe. Now, I dont mean one of those where you just randomly throw things into a pot, I mean taking a true diversion from an existing recipe and changing it SO much that all that remains is about 2 ingredients. I have created....
Brandied Peach and Strawberry Smush
Its basically a quick cobbler, but with canned brandied peaches, fresh strawberries, a small sprinkle of sugar over the fruit, then 3/4 of a french vanilla cake mix, a stick of butter, a little more sugar, and pop in the oven until the fruit juices bubble up through the top. The VERY edges and top of the whole thing get a little crispy, but everything else is this glorious smush. Its the only way I can describe it. I was very pleased, but please note. IS VERY RICH. hehe. I think it would be well served with a little lemon sorbet to give it a bit of tang. Hmmm or I could put some lemon zest in with the fruit.....
Brandied Peach and Strawberry Smush
Its basically a quick cobbler, but with canned brandied peaches, fresh strawberries, a small sprinkle of sugar over the fruit, then 3/4 of a french vanilla cake mix, a stick of butter, a little more sugar, and pop in the oven until the fruit juices bubble up through the top. The VERY edges and top of the whole thing get a little crispy, but everything else is this glorious smush. Its the only way I can describe it. I was very pleased, but please note. IS VERY RICH. hehe. I think it would be well served with a little lemon sorbet to give it a bit of tang. Hmmm or I could put some lemon zest in with the fruit.....
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