Miss Mary Anne Sunshine

Dear So-And-So . . .

2010-02-26T15:58:00.004-05:00

Dear 2010 -
We've had a rough start. Can we call a truce and hope for better days?
Thanks.
Mary Anne

Dear Guy in the lunchroom at work -
This is NOT the place for private phone conversation, even if it is in a foreign language that I cannot identify. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to come back to heat up my leftovers after you've finished, so stop giving me the evil eye.
Get a room,
Sunshine

Go see Kat for more So-and-So fun, and don't forget to wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

It's getting better all the time

2010-02-24T19:16:00.002-05:00

I'm in a much better place this week.

No one has reported any new illnesses to me in almost 7 days.
No one has died.
I'm getting busy at work again (actually a good thing, makes the days go faster and keeps me from thinking my head is on the block). I found out on Monday afternoon that I'm actually getting a bit of a bonus, which I certainly wasn't counting on. It will be in my pay on Friday!
Because I found out on Monday about my bonus, on Tuesday morning I ordered myself a really cute camera bag that I've had in my Amazon wish list for a while. I came home today, and it was here, and it is as cute as I hoped!
And, The Mailman did laundry today on his day off. He didn't fold any of it, but I'm working on baby steps here.

I'm trying not to get ahead of myself, but I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, Spring is almost here, literally and figuratively.

Random Tuesday Thoughts - Laissez les bons tems rouler!

2010-02-16T18:16:00.004-05:00

Happy Mardi Gras, everyone!! Click on the Purple thingy and go see Keeley for some more Fat Tuesday fun. I'm not sure what you have to do to get beads, though . . .

I was in New Orleans for two weeks over Mardi Gras in 1996. On business. Yup, Mardi Gras at a really great hotel on Canal Street a half block from Bourbon Street on the company dime. Nice.
Will I ever go back to Mardi Gras in New Orleans? NOPE! (I'd love to go to New Orleans again, but I'm all set with Mardi Gras, thanks.)
If The Girl ever tells me that she's going to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, will I tie her up in the basement until Ash Wednesday? You betcha!

I have to admit, I'm quite disappointed that I didn't win the Red Mittens from Captain Dumbass. I hope that Jenn enjoys them . . . in Florida . . .
Don't worry about me, I'll just pull my hand into my sleeve to clean the six inches of snow off my car so that I can drive home from work.

When I didn't win the Red Mittens, I decided I would splurge and buy some Red Mittens. Only problem with that plan is that, apparently, I can't buy Red Mittens, they're sold out online and I'm not within easy driving distance of Canada to get to one of the stores conveniently located across the country. **sigh** I guess I'll check e-Bay when I get home from work. If I make it home from work today, with all the snow we're getting and the frozen hands I'll have from cleaning off my car. I want me some Red Mittens!

How is it that I can wonder how I've put on so much weight AND go to someplace that looks like this inside on the same day? I'm in complete denial about my less than stellar eating habits.

And how pathetic am I that I just broke into the Valentine's Day goodie bag my friend at work gave me for The Girl? I only stole one little Nestle Crunch heart, though. I'm blaming it on PMS.

Have a great week everyone, and please, give hugs to the ones you love because you just never know . . . We miss you Papa S.

We lost one of the Good Guys yesterday.

2010-02-14T08:12:00.003-05:00

Fifteen years ago, when my sister became engaged, if someone had told me how much a part of MY life her fiance's parents would be, I would have thought they were crazy. Sure, these were people that I would get to know, would see at functions for my sister her husband and eventually her kids, but they would be on the edge of my life. How wrong I was. These people took us all into their family. When the grandkids did come, they became Grammy and Papa to them, The Girl included. When we had celebrations for The Girl for her Christening and First Communion, they were included, without a moment's thought. When I was expecting The Girl, Papa remembered from being at our little, old Cape that we had steam radiators. He made us beautiful covers for them, so that when she started crawling we wouldn't have to worry. (When we moved out, I was heartbroken to leave them, but they would have done us no good at our new house, even if we had radiators. They were custom fitted, "leveled" to our tilted old floors. At the closing, the new owners commented on them, and thanked us for leaving them. I told them that they had been specially made for us and I knew I was leaving them in good hands.) We helped Grammy pull off Papa's surprise 70th birthday party, setting everything up at their house while they were at a family dinner celebration, and we truly surprised him, which was truly a feat to be proud of.

Papa died unexpectedly yesterday morning, a seemingly healthy 71 years old. He went in his sleep and apparently didn't suffer, although they don't know the ultimate cause. He had a heart attack 20 years ago or so, but since then has taken excellent care of himself and has showed no signs of slowing down. To say that this was and is a shock is a huge understatement.

I spent the day yesterday with my sister's kids, trying to keep up a strong front because they hadn't yet been told. My sister held it together and realized that she couldn't tell them and then leave them, and she and my brother in law needed to go and be with Grammy. I was there to supposedly get them to basketball games and such while they thought that Papa was sick and in the hospital. I was really there to answer the phone as word got out and shield them until they could hear this horrible news from their parents.

I was so proud of The Girl yesterday, for being strong and being such a good friend to her cousin, K. The Girl is two years older, but they are great friends and I'm so glad that they have each other. I found them in the playroom yesterday afternoon, K sobbing, The Girl holding her, looking so grown up, with tears coming down her face, rubbing K's back. I'm worried about my nephew, T, who is 13. He has been stone faced since finding out, and I wonder if he'll get to a point where he just can't hold it in anymore. Being 13 is so hard.

Papa, you will be sorely missed, and this will be a very difficult week as we try to say goodbye to you. The Mailman, The Girl and I are lucky and honored to have been part of your "Family." I know that there will be many tears this week, but I also know that there will be many, many laughs, and I'm sure a few good semi-dirty jokes in your honor. We love you.

Dear So-And-So . . .

2010-02-12T10:29:00.004-05:00

Dear Doofus Cat -
Why, oh why must you lick my bedside lamp at all hours of the night? Do you know how loud cat tongue on lamp is when the rest of the world is quiet? Do you really need to lick the lamp so much that it falls over?
Please, please, please stop so I can get a decent nights sleep.
Thanks,
Mom

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Dear folder full of 2009 tax documents -
STOP taunting me! I'll get to you eventually.
Wondering where all my money went,
Mary Anne

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Dear New Avi-Motion Fitness Shoes -
Why did I doubt you? Please forgive me. You sure are working something, 'cause my BUTT is feeling it. I promise I will wear you when I can if you promise to keep working on my butt.
Ow, and thanks,
Mary Anne

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Dear Snow Storm that didn't come -
THANKS!!
Just glad I didn't have to get out the snowblower.
Me

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Click on the dohickey at the top and go see Kat for more dear so and so. I heard she's cooking bacon, I can almost smell it from here. Mmmmmmm, bacon . . . .

"Snow" day?

2010-02-10T09:59:00.002-05:00

Hmmmm. The Girl has a "snow day" today, and it just started snowing at around 9:30am. Seems wrong to me. I know, I know, the weather will be bad later in the day, when they would all be going home, but I feel like there should be actual, well, SNOW when there is a snow day.
I'm sure I'll be eating my words (just not the yellow snow) later.

Random Tuesday Stuff

2010-02-09T19:50:00.002-05:00

Do the Random thing and click on the purple thingy to go see Keeley, 'kay? She's awesome.

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted. It isn't that I haven't had random thoughts on any given Tuesday, I guess I just haven't put fingers to keyboard when they hit.

We haven't had much in the way of "big" snow here yet. Is it wrong that I want a big storm? I guess what I really want is a big storm on a Saturday night so that none of us needs to worry about getting anywhere. The Mailman needs to keep up with that whole "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" thing.

The Mailman actually WALKS his mail route. No little square truck for him! The neighborhoods that he delivers in are in an older, hilly part of the city (not where we live), so the mail is delivered into the slots on or by the doors of most of the houses, some of which have 20-30 steps leading up to them. You'd think he'd be in good shape, wouldn't you? Not so much (but I can't imagine how bad it would be if he had a desk job!). He told me that he's going to go on a diet, and the thing that kills me is that he'll just cut out some junk and will drop 10-15 pounds. Grrrrrrrr.

When I saw the news last night, they were predicting that we'd be getting a foot or so of snow on Wednesday into Thursday. This morning, they're saying 5-8 inches of snow. Who knows what they'll be saying tonight or what we'll actually get. I think they overpredict early so that they can sit back and laugh at all of the people running around like nuts buying bread and milk like they'll never see the light of day again.

I bought myself some new "fitness" sneakers last week, the Avia version of the Sketchers Shape-ups. I tried both on, and the Avia seemed to fit better (and is plain white, not some crazy combination of colors like the Sketches). I figured I'd give them a try, what can it hurt? My BUTT, that's what it can hurt!! I wore them a few hours the first day, and I could really feel it the next morning. I'm not saying that these will be the answer to all my *ahem* issues, but they are sure working something.

The Girl fights me every time I tell her to take a shower, yet once she gets in there, she starts singing and then we need to keep yelling up to her to finish up and get out. She was completely amazed the other day when I told her that we had to pay for water. Oh, to be ten . . .

I'm trying to convince The Mailman that we should hire a cleaner to come every two weeks. So far he's not buying into it, but I'm working him. You see, I hate house cleaning, I'm a terrible housekeeper and I don't want to spend my time that I'm not a work dusting baseboards and scrubbing toilets. I know it isn't essential, but I really think it will do a lot for my state of mind. Plus, I have a hard enough time keeping up with laundry. (On a side note, I have no idea how people with a bunch of kids keep up with the laundry - it is just the three of us, and sometimes I feel like I'm being buried alive. I have three siblings and my grandmother lived with us, and I don't remember having this much laundry when I was a kid.)

Do people actually LIKE green tea? Am I the only one that think it sort of tastes like sock water? I drink a lot to tea at work because it is freezing in my office, so I figured I'd try some green tea, since it is supposed to have good stuff in it. My physical therapist recommended one with blueberries, which isn't too bad, and I bought one with pomegranate which is okay, but they are still pretty blah.

Wow, I've been gone for a while

2010-01-09T09:38:00.002-05:00

I knew I'd been gone for a while, but I didn't realize just how long that while had been.
I figured I'd take some time while The Girl was on school vacation and I had a few days off, but my laziness got the best of me. I've been doing stuff, just not THIS stuff.
I'll be back . . .

May Your Days Be Merry & Bright!

2009-12-24T08:11:00.003-05:00

Wishing you all a joyful holiday season and a peaceful 2010 and beyond!

Sunday Snow

2009-12-20T08:56:00.003-05:00

It snowed last night, it is still snowing this morning.
I love when Mother Nature hands us a storm when it is most convenient. We've got no place we've got to be until much later today, so we can enjoy just hanging in for a while.
There's a pumpkin bread in the oven, and I think I'll have another cup of coffee.

Spin Cycle - Christmas morning brunch

2009-12-17T19:25:00.004-05:00

I do my darndest to NOT leave my house on Christmas Day. When The Girl was little, we started inviting the grandparents over for brunch on Christmas morning and it has evolved into our tradition. I think if I made anything else I'd be in big trouble with The Girl, and that's okay, because these are both recipies that require that they be made ahead. I usually have Christmas Eve off, so it isn't an issue, but this year I'll be "working from home." I think I'll be able to fit it in (wink, wink).

Overnight French Toast
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
12 slices Pepperidge Farm white toasting bread (very thick)
5 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 cups milk

Melt butter with brown sugar & cinnamon. Pour into a 9x13 baking pan. Place 6 slices of bread din pan; put remaining 6 slices on top of those.
Mix eggs with mil and pour over bread, covering completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 350 uncovered for 45-50 minutes. Flip bread over onto plates and cut diagonal. (It makes its own syrup!)

Egg, Cheese Bake
9 eggs
3 cups mil
1 tsp dry mustard
9 slices buttered bread (Pepperidge Farm firm bread)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

2 cups Corn Flakes
1/2 cup butter, melted

Spray 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Cut buttered bread into cubes and spread into pan. Mix eggs, milk, mustard, cheese, salt and dpepper. Pour over bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove 1 1/2 hours before baking. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes until eggs are set in the middle. (As it puffs, stick a knife in center.) Combine corn flakes and melted butter. Sprinkle over eggs. Bake for additional 15 minutes.

You can also add sausages, crumbled bacon or tomato.

Note - to save myself from cracking all those eggs, I usually buy some sort of "milk carton" eggs. I've made it both ways and there doesn't seem to be much difference.

So, now you know what I'll be doing at around 11:00am Eastern Time on Christmas morning - stuffing my face with overnight breakfast treats!

Go see Jen over at Sprite's Keeper, she's got all sorts of yummyness going on over at her place!

Wordless Wednesday - My quilting assistants

2009-12-16T09:34:00.004-05:00

Spin Cycle - Two EASY Holiday Treats

2009-12-12T07:47:00.004-05:00

I love to bake and have made some pretty elaborate stuff in the past (have also had some pretty elaborate disasters, but that is a post for another day), but these two very simple treats always get rave reviews.

Pretzel Treats
"Snyder's Snaps" square pretzels
Hershey's Kisses
M&M Candies

Preheat oven to 170. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread the pretzels in a flat single layer on the paper. Unwrap the Kisses and place on Kiss on each pretzel (an excellent job for kids to help with!). Place in oven until Kisses soften, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately push one M&M into each Kiss to mostly flatten the Kiss. Cool in the refrigerator until the Kisses re-harden.

Since the fine folks at M&M's (the one candy to have when you're having more than one) make them in colors for many holidays, these can be made for all occasions. I have had these made with Rolo candies instead of Kisses, too, but I prefer the original with the Kisses.

The Mailman groans when he sees me making these. "You're not making those AGAIN?" but there are places that we go that I'll be yelled at if I show up without them.

Peppermint Bark
30 starlight peppermint candies (or any peppermint candies)
2 1/2 boxed Andes mints
1 1/2 bags white chocolate chips

Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper. Unwrap peppermint candies and put into two Ziploc bags. Using a hammer or mallet, crish the candies. Melt Andes mints in the microwave and spread on the wax paper. Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave and add the crushed peppermints (you can reserve some to sprinkle on top, too). Spread over the Andes mints. Cool in the refrigerator for one hour. Cut or break into bite-size pieces.

The nice Andes mint people also make Andes chips that are sometimes sold with the chocolate chips in the supermarket, and this makes life a whole lot easier. They aren't always available, though. I bought a new (new to me anyway) Nestle's product "Dark Chocolate and Mint Morsels" a few days ago, but haven't tried them yet. I sometimes use candy canes instead of starlight mints - they just seem easier to break up.

Want some more holiday goodies? Just reading about them doesn't add inches to the hips, does it? Go see Sprite's Keeper, she's also the keeper of the Spin Cycle list.

Spin Cycle - My Christmas Wish

2009-12-10T21:13:00.003-05:00

For more Wishful Spinning, head on over to see Sprite's Keeper.

I have been thinking about this all week, wondering if I would write it. I was thinking of it this morning when I woke up at 3:13. I was thinking of it again when I saw the clock at 4:13. I did fall back to sleep, but I don’t know when. My wish . . .

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My wish list is pretty short and pretty simple, however it seems pretty impossible.

I wish my oldest brother would get over whatever it was that made him walk away from his parents and siblings 15 years ago. I wish that our family could be whole again.

Honest to God, I have no idea what pushed him (them) over the edge. The only things I can imagine that would be bad enough to make me walk away from my family are unthinkable. I am the youngest of four, and this brother is the oldest, older than me by seven-plus years. He and his wife and their two children were living with my parents, trying to save money to buy a house. It was a bad idea from the start. The relationship had been volatile for years. They had lived with them before and it hadn’t gone well, but my parents felt that they couldn’t say no. When I questioned my dad about it, he told me that he had to say yes, even with misgivings, because what if one of the other kids needed help some day? How could they say yes to one of us if they had said no to them? I said “easy” and he laughed and said he wished that was the case.

It is a huge understatement to say that my mother and my sister-in-law are two very different people. It is a big house, but still tight quarters given the people involved, and things happened. My sister-in-law re-arranged stuff in my mother’s kitchen. My brother spent money that my parents didn’t think he should be spending when they were living rent free in their house to save money. My sister-in-law has a temper, my mother holds things in. My father is strong willed and opinionated, but certainly not mean spirited. Things were said, things were not said. It was pretty bad. Then my parents went away for a week of vacation. When they came home, my brother and his family were gone. The rooms that they had occupied were empty, and they were not gentle to the house on their way out.

Everyone was stunned. And that is when it got really bad. It got back to me that my sister-in-law had told people that my parents had kicked them out. I heard that they were sleeping on the floor of my sister-in-law’s mother’s one bedroom apartment. I found out that they found a house soon after. I don’t know if it was in the works when they snuck out of my parents’ house, but I have always assumed so. I had always been Switzerland in previous messes and had always been able to maintain contact when one side wasn’t talking to the other, but my brother basically told me it was him or my parents, I couldn’t have both. I got no answers as to why.

I tried for a while to keep in touch. I sent Christmas presents to the kids and they were returned. I ran into my brother at one point and had a civil conversation with him and thought, “maybe now enough time has passed.” I was wrong. He told me not to come to my niece’s, my godchild’s, First Communion, that I wasn’t welcome. That was when I stopped trying. I couldn’t set myself up to be hurt by them anymore.

Yet, I continue to hurt. I think about them all the time. Every. Single. Day. My niece was five when she was in my wedding 17 years ago, my nephew seven. That is the girl and boy I remember. I wouldn’t even know the woman that she is today at 22, the man of 24. I wonder what they think of us. I wonder what they’ve been told. My daughter is ten, and she doesn’t even know they exist. I keep saying that I need to have a conversation with her about them, but I don’t know how. On some level, she knows about my brother, because there are pictures of the four of us as children in my parent’s house, but no one really talks about them in front of the kids. How do I bring it up to her? How will I answer the questions that I know she will have? I have too many questions myself.

My brother has nieces and nephew’s he has never met. His children have cousins that they don’t know. Our grandmother passed away seven years ago. She lived with us for many years when we were kids, was a huge part of our lives, and she never got to see her great-grandchildren again before she died. My sister’s husband never knew my brother and his family. He has met them briefly once or twice. He knows the story, but didn’t live it. The Mailman lived it with me, and still gets to see me cry on the kid’s birthdays or when something has made me think about them more than usual. He hugs me and says nothing. There is nothing to say. He misses them, too. He and my brother were friends, played golf, had a few beers, liked the same music. My niece is the first baby he ever held, the first kid he ever knew well “from the beginning.” My other brother and his wife and kids were on the periphery of the whole thing. They live a ways away and didn’t live it day to day, so they were hurt, but not as profoundly as those of us that still live in the same town with family that has walked away from us. Yes, they still live in the town where we all grew up, as do my sister and I. My parents have lived in the same house for over 40 years.

So, my wish for this Christmas season, as my brother approaches his 50^th birthday in February, is the same as it has been for too many Christmases now, to have my family whole again. Our parents are getting older. Mom won’t really talk about it, which is typical of her. Dad will talk about it too much given the opportunity; over analyze every sighting or mention of them. I know that things will never be the same, too much time has passed, too much has happened, but I believe that it isn’t too late for there to be some kind of relationship. I’ll send a Christmas card again this year, as I have done on and off for the past 15 years, and hope that maybe, just maybe, this will be the year that I get one back. I won’t be surprised if there isn’t one.

Sniffle, sniffle, cough

2009-12-08T14:09:00.003-05:00

Lots of randomness going on over at The Un Mom's place.

I'm working from home again this Tuesday, this time because The Girl is sick. She not terribly sick, but did have a slight fever this morning, and I think they told us that we have to keep 1/4 mile from school if she's had a fever in the past 12 days or something ridiculous like that. Okay, she really has to be "fever free without medication" for 24 hours before she can go back, which means she's home tomorrow, too. *sigh* I'm grateful that I can work from home. I wish I could get her to do something other than watch TV.

I had a list of things I was going to get at Target today on my lunch hour . . . so much for that idea. Maybe I'll go tonight on my way home from getting my hair cut, if I'm still awake enough.

The Christmas Tree is finally decorated!! The Girl finished yesterday. The tree went up on the day after Thanksgiving, and I was getting used to having it there with just the lights. Now lets see how long it takes The Mailman to bring the Rubbermaid bins back down to the basement . . .

The bottom 18 inches of the Christmas Tree are pretty much bare, because Nut Job cat was taking all the ornaments off. He's way worse this year than he was last year when he was 5 months old.

The Mailman has been given the assignment of buying gifts for his parents for Christmas and for his brother's son for his birthday (on the 20th) and Christmas. The kid is going to be seven, so you'd think that would be easy, but he's a bit of a horror and doesn't like anything. I struggle with these gifts every year, so I handed them off to him, since I take care of everyone else. We'll see how it goes. I hope it isn't one of those "If I do a really bad job she won't make me do it again" things . . .

Cheesy Mexican Bake

2009-12-04T10:05:00.006-05:00

So I finally made this Enchilada Casserole from the recipe from Jan's Sushi Bar. I love it! The Mailman was sort of "meh" on it, The Girl didn't even try it. I'll keep the recipe, though, because it was pretty easy and something that isn't the same boring things we eat all the time. I didn't have leftovers, so I bought Perdue cooked chicken and I cut the recipe basically in half and cooked it in a 8x8 casserole dish, since it was just for the two of us. YUM!

Anywho, it inspired me to post one of my favorite casserole like things that we've been making for years. I also cut this in half sometimes, since it is just me and The Mailman that eat it, but I've made it big too, when we've had friends over to watch football. It is always a hit. We just call it "Cheesy Bake" around here . . .

Cheesy Mexican Bake
1 1/2 bl. ground beef
1 1/2 cup jarred salsa
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 can Green Giant corn
2 cups pizza cheese or some sort of shredded Mexican blend
2 tubes crescent rolls

Brown beef and drain fat.
Add salsa, chili powder and corn. Simmer until liquid is gone.
Unroll and place one tube of crescent rolls in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.
Spread beef mixture on top and then add half of the cheese.
Unroll the other tube of crescent rolls on top, top with the rest of the cheese.
Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.
Serve with extra salsa, sour cream, etc.

When I pulled out the recipe to type it here, I flipped it over and remembered that it came from a BJ's advertisement years ago. You just never know where that next "family favorite" is going to come from.

Dear So-And-So . . .

2009-12-04T07:37:00.003-05:00

Dear Fed-Ex Man -
You have restored my faith in the holiday spirit! You showed up here on Wednesday when The Mailman was home and knocked on the door without a package in your hands. The Mailman opened the door and you whispered "Are the kids at home?" The Mailman said, "Nooo?" You said "Good! Wait right there!" and hustled back to your truck. Back you came with a rather large package the was clearly a gift for a child. No plain brown box for this one! You told The Mailman that you were hoping that someone would be home and had been thinking about what to do if we weren't there.
Thank you, thank you! And Merry Christmas!
Hugs!
Mary Anne

Click and visit Kat for more so-and-so stuff. I hear it is okay to use the bathroom now . . .

Random Tuesday from home

2009-12-01T11:53:00.000-05:00

Why am I working at home you ask? Excellent question! The painter is here to . . . wait for it . . . FINISH the bathroom project!! How happy am I? VERY. Having a shiny new shower that I was advised not to use until the new plaster and wood was painted has been like torture. The only bonus has been listening to The Girl when she's showering in the downstairs bathroom. She talks, she sings - it can be quite entertaining.

Usually when I work from home, I put my work laptop on the kitchen table. Today, because the sewing machine is on the kitchen table, I have my work laptop on the desk where my home Mac is. I keep using the wrong mouse and/or keyboard. I might have to move the sewing machine and move my laptop to the kitchen table. This is getting annoying.

December? Are you kidding me? I'm so not ready for it to be December.

The UPS guy is going to hate me. I'm doing most of my Christmas shopping online. I have no patience for shopping in stores anymore.

Hey, Keeley? We've got a mouse, too. We seem to get one or two this time every year. I found his telltale leavings by the cat food. The Mailman set a trap, but so far, the little bastard has eluded us. I'm waiting for the middle of the night cat scramble to wake me up. Always a good time.

Have a happy Tuesday everyone. Go see Keeley for more randomness. Don't worry, its safe. She only traps little things and zombies.

I Really Am Really Thankful

2009-11-25T09:38:00.000-05:00

I've been in a funk, can't get out of my own way. I feel lousy physically, I feel not myself mentally. (Yeah, I'm going to the doctor. I'm going to get my thyroid levels checked today, since I've had that issue for a long time. I don't think they're off, but I need to rule it out.) I have no patience for anything, including my family. I'm snippy, tired and bitchy.

All in all, I've been feeling pretty sorry for myself.
Enough of that. Today, I'm thinking of all the good in my life.
I have a great husband who I love dearly, who loves me even when I'm feeling lousy and being a bitch.
I have a wonderful daughter who is the center of my world. I love her more than I can say, and she loves me back (she's not a teenager yet!) and that makes me feel ten feet tall.
The Mailman, The Girl and I have no major medical issues.
The Mailman and I both have jobs, right now with no looming threats of losing them.
I have a terrific family, and am lucky enough to have many of them live close by.
I have a comfortable home, more than we need, with many more things than we need in it. (Okay, we've got squirrels, too, and I'm NOT thankful for them!)
I have friends that are like family, that I love and who keep me sane.

And the rest, well, the rest is just gravy.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Another Pleasant Valley (Random) Tuesday

2009-11-17T19:22:00.001-05:00

I think it has been a couple of days since I mentioned it (coincidentally days that I was NOT in the office? Don't think so . . .), but it is really annoying to read blogs, think of a nice/witty/caustic/charming comment and then realize "Shit, I can't comment on blogs from work anymore." I tell myself that I'll go back when I get home, but by the time I get to it, all of my nice/witty/caustic/charming comments have left my head and all I can think of is "Shit, I think I forgot to switch the wash."
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Two, yup, two Boston radio stations are 24/7 holiday music now. They each started some time last week. Last year, one of them started on November 1st, way to early, so this year they split the difference, I guess. The Girl is ecstatic, The Mailman not so much. Me, I'm sort of "meh" at this point. I'll pop over during commercials and inane chatter on the other stations, but it still seems a bit early to me. They used to start Thanksgiving week, which sort of made sense.
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Marshmallow Fluff has to be one of the BEST INVENTIONS EVER. My condolences to those of you that have never experienced Fluff (I know it isn't available everywhere). Other marshmallow cremes just don't compare.
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I feel like I'm being set up to fail at work. My colleague and I have been given a project that is going to suck and most likely suck the life out of me. I've told my boss that I'm uncomfortable with the scope, that there are parts of this that we don't have the technical expertise to deal with and he assures me that I'll get the help I need. I just have a really bad feeling . . . It won't be really kicking off until after the holidays, so I'm going to try not to think about it too much.
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The Halloween candy is almost gone, just in time for the Thanksgiving baking to begin. I bought an outrageously expensive cake pan from Williams-Sonoma after Captain Dumbass posted a picture of it in his guest blog. Of course, for its maiden voyage on Thanksgiving, I also bought the even more outrageously expensive cake and filling mix as well. I believe that in making the two I will use 3-4 sticks of butter. Just contact the cardiac unit now and let them know to expect my entire family next Thursday evening.
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I'm feeling a bit under the weather this evening, hope I'm not ~~turning into a zombie~~ getting the flu. The Girl and I are going to hunker down and watch "Merry Madagascar."
Have a pleasant Tuesday evening, go see The UnMom for more random stuff.

25 years of Orange and Blue

2009-11-13T10:39:00.000-05:00

In 1985, just after high school graduation, The Mailman got together with his brother and some friends and they formed a baseball team. Yup, this is baseball, not softball. They picked a name, they picked colors, orange and blue. Our town has a league which I guess is pretty unique. Anyone out of high school can play. It is almost exclusively players from within the town, with rules as to the number of "out of towners" any one team can have. If you are "from" the town, you don't have to still live in town to be considered an "in towner." There are six teams, they hire umpires, work with the town to get fields, get insurance, etc. It is a lot of fun for the guys who play, and is pretty competitive. Ten or so years ago they instituted a draft, because a few of the teams were getting all of the better players (I'm torn on this one, think that you should be able to play with your friends . . . ) and the they even switched to wooden bats (I'm against this, because it costs way too much money, which seems to come out of my family pocket).
Fast forward to 2009. The 25th season of this team. Three of the original players from 1985 remain - The Mailman, his brother, "E," and the friend who hosted the party where the team was formed, "Rippa." The ages of the players this summer ranged from 18 to 44. They played well, but lost in the final game of the playoffs.
This Saturday is a celebration of the 25th season the the Orange and Blue. There will be much beer consumed and many stories told. It has been a huge part of my life and of our life as a couple. There are times when I hate it, because it is all consuming for The Mailman for the two or so months that they play. When The Girl was a baby and little enough to still need to be "watched" it was always an issue. I was supposed to be at work until 5:30, games start at 6:00, it was a logistical nightmare. We haven't ever taken a mid summer vacation. Ever. Our week in Maine at the end of August is chopped up by The Mailman needing to go back for playoff games. When I get aggravated, though, I have to remind myself of the good things. My sister met my brother in law at a party in our back yard. He was a member of the team, someone I had known for years and I don't think I ever would have thought to put them together. They've been married 14 years and have two great kids. I have made some great friends with players and their girlfriends, some of whom have become wives. These are "kids" that are younger than I am that I never would have crossed paths with had it not been for this team. My dearest friend Sara is one of these people. Sara and her husband, who still plays, are now "family" and we're anxiously awaiting the birth of their first child after the first of the year.
At the core of this team is an "Orange Family" and I can't even imagine what my life would have been like if there hadn't been that party on Line Road in 1985. I'll continue to bitch about it, because it is a hassle sometimes and The Mailman more than pays his way financially to keep the team afloat (and keep them in 30 packs), but I know in my heart that this is my team, too. And I know that when the day comes that The Mailman has to hang up his cleats, that I will miss it. But I know that there will always be room for us along the fence behind the third base bench. Especially if there is a cooler in the back of The Mailman's truck.

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For more free spinning fun, whirl on over to Sprite's Keeper.

So it ends and so it begins

2009-11-12T11:30:00.000-05:00

We're jumping right from Autumn to Christmas around here.

We spent yesterday raking leave AGAIN. I really, really don't like oak trees. And as a bonus, this is one of the crazy acorn years (except for the front yard, the oak tree in front of the house barely dropped any acorns this year). So, add to the leaves several MILLION acorn caps and the few hundred acorns that I pulled up from taking root in the yard and we're probably to 60+ bags this season. And that's with the yard vacuum mulching up most of the leaves. I mocked The Mailman when he told me he wanted to buy a yard vacuum several years ago. I apologized again yesterday.

After we tortured The Girl for a few hours by making her do yard work with us, she declared that she was exhausted and needed a break and wanted to know if she could watch a movie. Her pick was "A Muppet Christmas Carol." So begins the Christmas season around here. She declared that she'll be watching "White Christmas" this weekend and moving through the rest of the Christmas movie collection over the next few weeks. I tried to explain to her that when I was a kid (yup, way back then), we had to wait for the one showing each year of "Rudolph," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "The Grinch" and all the rest. We had no VCR. If you missed it, you were out of luck until next year. She thought that was very sad. (This rant about the old days brought to you by Dolly Madison snack cakes.)

I bought "White Christmas" for myself a few years ago, and The Girl and I watched it together one day and she loved it, which I love about her. Don't get me wrong, she's all about the Rankin Bass classics, and The Grinch and Charlie Brown, too, but she says "White Christmas" is her favorite. I think maybe I'll keep an eye out for a copy of "Holiday Inn" and maybe get her a non-Muppet version of "A Christmas Carol." I don't think she's quite ready for Bill Murray's "Scrooged," though.

RTT on my Friday!

2009-11-10T14:36:00.000-05:00

Today is my Friday! I am oh so happy! I decided to take off Thursday after the Wednesday Veteran's Day holiday and I am not supposed to work on Fridays (although I do at least once a month, usually more) so I have five days off!! Yay ME!!

I'm writing this RTT post from work in an e-mail to myself at home to post later because my employer has decided to block all things bloggy. It doesn't matter that I work through my lunch hour, it doesn't matter that I work on my days off, it doesn't matter that I haven't had a raise in lord knows how long . . . they have to just suck every last bit of joy out of the day. They haven't figured out to block Google reader yet, though, so I can read some stuff (but can't see the prettiness or leave any comments) . . . shhhhhhhh, don't tell them! I'll take what I can get at this point.

I'm trying to improve my eating habits, lose a few pounds and fit into some of my clothes . . . I've been eating some Progresso Light soups for lunch some days and just had a very impressive carrot explosion in the office microwave. Yes, I cleaned up after myself and apparently after a lot of other people too. Gross.

Just got an e-mail from the "Reporting Department" asking me to run a report for them, because I (not a member of any reporting department) apparently have access to reporting tools that they don't have. HUH?

The Girl has just started reading the Little House on the Prairie books, correction, MY Little House on the Prairie books. She found the set at my mom's house, with my name in "early cursive" on the box. I must have read each of those books a half dozen times at least, and I think it is really great that she's not only reading the books, but reading MY books.

The Mailman and I have a fun event coming up this Saturday that we've been really looking forward to (more on that as we get closer to the weekend), but I was greatly disappointed that I can't go to "Star Wars: In Concert."
From Boston.com:

"Fans of the classic science fiction trilogy, which was given its legendary and stirring score by former Boston Pops conductor John Williams, can enjoy scenes from their favorite space-age bash on a three-story HD screen and accompanied by the sounds of a full symphony orchestra and choir. The event will be narrated by C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels, and props and memorabilia from the films will be on display."

Sounds pretty good to this geeky girl.

And, in a note unrelated to watching what I eat and fitting into my clothes . . . Do calories consumed at a place like this count if they're donating 25% of all purchases to the PTO at The Girl's school? Yeah, I didn't think so either. Guess what we're having for dinner? What? It is for a good cause!

I bet you're wondering, given my comment above about bloggy blocking, how this is getting posted in the middle of the afternoon . . . Well, when the boss takes a half day and everyone else in the department is either sick or on vacation and 99.99% of my work communication is done either by e-mail or phone, then heck yeah, I'm doing that from home!

Happy Tuesday, see Keeley for more fun, 'kay? The zombies haven't gotten her yet . . .

I like every minute of the day . . .

2009-11-08T16:26:00.001-05:00

So, Roger Daltrey was fantastic. His voice was a little, I think he said "crumbly," but it was great none the less. He even sang my very favorite Who song ever, one that I never thought I'd hear live, "Blue Red and Grey" from The Who By Numbers. Oh, never mind that Pete Townshend originally sang it on the album. According to Roger, Pete would never do it live because, according to him, playing a ukulele on stage in a rock show was "fucking ridiculous," or something like that.

The Mailman gambled a little bit, and we ended up leaving with more cash than we arrived with, so all in all an excellent evening! Even with a little bit of winnings, I'm going to do the fiscally responsible thing and NOT go to the show in Boston tonight, which, last time I checked was still not sold out. Unless someone wants to twist my arm . . .

And Roger, in case you're reading this, you look FANTASTIC.

Not from the show we saw, but same tour . . .

Yesterday's accomplishment

2009-11-07T12:11:00.000-05:00

Our town picks up leaves twice in the fall; the bags have to be at the curb by 7:00am on Saturday. This makes no sense to me. Wouldn't it be more logical to have them picked up on Sunday or Monday, to give people the weekend? Oh well. The Mailman and I happened to have Friday off, so we put out 38 bags. The back yard is covered again this morning. They pick up again in two weeks, and of course, The Mailman won't be off THAT Friday.

This morning's entertainment:

It was COLD at the soccer field this morning at 9:00! The Girl's team had their first loss, 1-0.

The Mailman and I are off to see Roger Daltry at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in CT tonight. Should be fun. I didn't check the schedule, but I hope it is early in the tour, so he's still got some voice.

I can't believe it took them so long...

2009-11-04T22:47:00.000-05:00

It is official, work has completely sucked the joy out of my weekdays. Blogger has been blocked.

Let's Get Ready To RANDOM!

2009-11-03T14:14:00.000-05:00

With a title like that, you'd think I'd have more than I do, but not so much.

All of the good candy is over at Keeley's.

Halloween was fun. I just wish The Girl had some friends around the neighborhood to go out with. She didn't seem to mind going out with her Dad, I just feel like she's missing out. I guess it is more my issue than hers. I feel like she's always been "out of the loop" with playdates and stuff because The Mailman and I both work full time.

Our pumpkins, and my ghostly vampire:

I'm not sure why, but the end of Daylight Savings seems to have really kicked me in the ass this year. I'm all out of sorts still. The Girl seems to be having a time of it, too. She was up way too early this morning, and this kid (like her mom) needs to get enough sleep.

I'm working from home today, because I was going to be the only one from my department that was going to be in the office in our location. My boss ended up being in the office. Oh well. He did give me the option, so why do I still feel guilty? Maybe because I'm sitting here and not over there on my work laptop?

I've finally come to the realization that I need to do something productive about my eating and exercise habits. For the past few months, WAY too much of one, WAY too little of the other. I'm sure you can guess which is which. I've been feeling lousy, my knee has been killing me and I'm just being blob-like. I really think that shedding some weight will do a lot to help all of those things. Now to just do it . . .We've got a lake in the middle of town that is about 3.2 miles to walk around. I dropped The Girl at school this morning and walked the lake, which I haven't done in months. It felt good, it was a beautiful morning (and I didn't think anyone would be looking for me at work - oops). Too bad it is now dark whenever I'm home and I can't do it more regularly. I'll have to hit the elliptical at the gym at work.

Dear So-And-So . . .

2009-10-30T14:02:00.000-04:00

Dear People in the XYZ Department -
Thanks SO much for making me wait all day for a file from from you that, oh yeah, doesn't really need to be completed today. Today? Yeah, supposed to be my day off. I'm so glad that I spent it waiting to run your file that you're now going to give me on Monday. Oh, and this issue, the one that we're trying to fix? This is the same issue that I gave you the heads up about 14 MONTHS ago, right? And now we've got to get all of your "ducks in a row" so this year end isn't as F'd up as last year end? Yeah, I thought so.
Sorry, just not happy right now.
Mary Anne

Dear Men Fixing My Bathroom -
THANK YOU for finishing yesterday. I'm so happy to have a working toilet and running water. A couple of things I might have had you do a tad bit differently, but that's the risk I take by leaving you at the house while I go make the money to pay you. I'm just going to let it go . . . And nothing personal, but I'm pretty darn happy not to have you in my house today.
Hugs and kisses!
Mary Anne

Dear Andy the Painter -
Yay! You can come by tomorrow!! I know, I said all along that I was going to paint myself, but really, did anyone believe me? I know The Mailman didn't, but he's being a good sport about it and not rubbing it in too much. Now, lets hope that you can do the work next week and we can really move in to the new bathroom and get all of the bathroom stuff out of my bedroom.
Thank you, thank you, thank you (and I know you're not just doing it because your my sisters friend!)
Mary Anne

Go see Kat for some more so and so fun and games.

Spinning Halloween

2009-10-29T16:21:00.000-04:00

I loved Halloween as a kid. I remember going out with friends in the neighborhood - the dads would take the kids out and the moms would stay home giving out the candy. There were a few neighbors that would give the dads their own treats (in frosty cans), and we'd travel the block and beyond in a big pack, each with a pillow case for our loot, crunching through leaves.
My mom sewed a lot when I was little, so she made me some great costumes - Raggedy Ann, with red yarn wig, and a bright yellow and green clown with a big white collar with ric-rac around the edges are a few that stand out in my mind. One year when I was nine or ten, my dad decided that I should be a die, as in one half of a pair of dice. He got a big cardboard box and cut it down to a cube, painted it white and painted on the dots. I remember it being really cold that year, and I was the only one that didn't mind wearing my big, puffy jacket!
In Jr. High, I stumbled across my grandfathers tuxedo (with tails AND collapsible top hat!) in the attic, and that was my costume for a number of years. It is probably still hanging in the back of the closet in what was my room at my parent's house.
After The Mailman and I got married, we bought a house on a busy street in town and went for years without having a single trick or treater ring the bell. I dutifully bought candy every year, "just in case." And then The Mailman and I ate all the candy. The Girl is a September baby, and was just a month old when we took her out for her first Halloween, dressed as a flower. She was adorable and slept through the whole thing. We took her to see all the grandparents and The Mailman stocked up on Resse's cups "for her."
We moved to our current house a few years later, and it is at the end of a pretty long dead end street so I figured we'd have a boatload of trick or treaters, but we really don't get too many. The street doesn't have a lot of kids, but it is starting to change over as some of the older folks move out or pass away and the younger people are moving in. Unfortunately, there aren't too many kids The Girl's age, but we keep hoping. Her one friend across the street goes to her aunt's house in a nearby town to trick or treat, where they apparently give out "the good candy." So, we'll still go to visit the grandparents, and The Mailman and I will split the duties taking The Girl out. So far, she's okay with the plan. We'll see what happens next year!
The Mailman and The Girl will be carving the pumpkins tonight or tomorrow, so I'll post pictures when they do. It is funny, because I always carved a pumkin before The Girl was born, and The Mailman really didn't show any interest (Halloween isn't really his "thing," excpet for the Resse's cups). A few years ago, though, once she was old enough to be part of the process, he took over the carving duties. They sit side by side at the table, and I'm only there to clean up the muck.

Check out some more Halloween Spins over at Jenn's haunted house. It isn't too scary, I promise!

And remember, as a wise man named Linus once said, "You've heard of the fury of a woman scorned, haven't you? Well, that's nothing compared to the fury of a woman who has been cheated out of trick-or-treats."

RTT - from Halloween to Christmas in 500 words or less

2009-10-27T12:06:00.002-04:00

Fingers crossed! When I go home tonight, I should have a working toilet, sink and shower. (Amendment to this… the plumber, who is also a friend of the family, just called me at work. The sealed box with the faucet in it… missing multiple parts. I just walked him through all of the paperwork on my desk at home to find the Home Depot receipt so that he can go and exchange it for me, assuming they have another one with all the parts. ** sigh **)
- - - - -
I went out last night to put out the trash and it smelled like Fall. I love how I can smell the different seasons, and I think the smell of Fall and the smell of coming snow are my favorites.
- - - - -
I bought Halloween candy the other day and hid it. The Girl knows it is in the house, but has yet to locate it. Heh, heh, heh. (and I’ve only eaten two pieces…)
- - - - -
I drove home last night in the mostly dark and then remembered that we move the clocks back this weekend. I’ll be getting up in the dark and driving home in the dark and can see no daylight from my office. I better start taking some vitamin D.
- - - - -
So the questions of “What does The Girl want for Christmas?” have started furiously arriving from grandparents, aunts and uncles. I have NO IDEA what we’re getting her for Christmas, so, sorry, I have nothing to offer you. She’s past most of the “toy” stuff (and I just don’t want to bring any more crap into the house). She wants a cell phone and a laptop. Nope and nope. She’s been taking keyboard lessons on a rather crappy borrowed keyboard, so I guess we’ll go that route. I didn’t want to make the investment if she wasn’t going to follow through, but she says she wants to keep going, even though I have to tell her multiple times every day to “PRACTICE!” Maybe a nicer keyboard will help, and it will be a pretty big box under the tree.
Oh, and my brother sent me a link for a Galileospope, saying that a guy he knows through work is a pretty serious amateur astronomer who says that this is a great deal on a pretty good piece of equipment, so I ordered it.

If you want some more Random, click on the purple and go see Keeley. She's got the key to the good stuff.

I'm in a funk

2009-10-26T08:45:00.002-04:00

I'm in a funk and I'm not sure what my problem is. I guess I'm feeling slightly under the weather (allergies, I think, compounded by construction dust) and I'm totally unmotivated to do much of anything. My house is a mess, my laundry is half done, there are several inches of leaves covering the back yard. I've been doing what I need to, but not a whole lot more.
Maybe my shiny new bathroom (which I hope, pray, will be done this week) will make me feel better.

RTT - still waiting to want to kiss him full on the lips

2009-10-20T12:54:00.007-04:00

I can't get this old commercial out of my head, from about 10 years ago, I think. I don't even remember what it was for, but it had a contractor in it, and it basically said "You hire me, I come in and rip out your walls, your floors, you ceiling, everything, then I disappear for two weeks, leaving you with nothing. Then I come back without explanation, put it all together, better than ever, and you're so happy you kiss me full on the lips." Okay, I don't quite have the two weeks going, but I did have MIA plasterers for three days, and nobody can do anything else until the plasteres are done. I just want want my bathroom back, we should have been done this week ... it is only a little bathroom, people, how long does it take?

We went to our friend's daughter's wedding over the weekend. It was very nice, but I proved to myself that I am, in fact, not as young as I used to be. I got up Sunday morning, feeling a bit, how should I say this ... under the weather. The Mailman sent me back to bed after a while, he couldn't take looking at me curled in a ball on the couch. We had rain and snow (yup, actual snow, WAY too early for that) all day, so it was a good day to spend in jammie pants under the covers. The cats were happy because I didn't move much all day. Remind me of how I felt the next time I want to drink cosomopolitans, okay?

After much debate, I got The Girl the H1N1 vaccine this morning. I went to her doctor, who I trust very much, talked it out with him, he calmed my fears and I ended up convinced that it was the right thing to do. We've already had several confirmed H1N1 cases in her school, with a bunch more kids out sick. She's had the seasonal vaccine in the past with no issues, and will get that again when she goes for a checkup in a few weeks. This parenting thing is hard.

That's all I've got. Go see Keeley, over there by the purple button. There are probably some people over there that aren't still trying to recover from Saturday night. And let's hope Keeley's wrong about the "zombie virus" thing...

"Action Shots" of My Cats on the Couch

2009-10-17T13:27:00.006-04:00

In response to Melanie's posting of action shots of her dog on the beach, I give you "action shots" of my cats on the couch! Okay, not quite as nice as Melanie's pictures of Montana, but it is all I've got.

I would love to join Doofus and Nut Job, because it is rather cold here today and it would be a good day to just sit on the couch under a cat all day, but no can do. We're going to a wedding tonight, so I've got to get clothes ready and pack up The Girl and get her to Grandma's for a sleepover.

This is the first wedding that we're going to that we're friends of the PARENTS. How old am I that my friends' kids are going to start getting married?

ACK! Is it Tuesday already?

2009-10-13T10:31:00.003-04:00

I love the Monday holidays, I really do, but it sure does mess me up for the whole week. I know, it doesn't take much.

I just took a swig of my coffee, which was almost gone, and got a mouthful of coffee grounds, which I will now be picking out of my mouth for the next hour. Does that count as unprofessional office behavior?

The Mailman, The Girl and I went toilet shopping over the weekend, as part of the Great Emergency Bathroom Renovation. Nothing says "Big Friday Night" like toilet shopping. The toilet we bought is advertised as being able to flush a bucket of golf balls. I'm sending The Mailman back today to buy another one for the downstairs bathroom, since we now have a plumber in residence to install it, and you just never know when you might need to flush two buckets of golf balls. I'm thinking this might be a good way to get rid of some crappy (ha!) Happy Meal toys that just so happen to be about golf ball sized.

Swing by Keeley's place for more random stuff. She might still be recovering from her turkey coma, but she's got a friend house sitting and they've got the keys.

Dear So-And-So

2009-10-09T15:48:00.002-04:00

Dear Three Guys Destroying My Bathroom -
Do you know that it freaks me out when I hear you say "Okay, I think we need the sledgehammer"? I know I'm paying you to destroy the bathroom before you fix the bathroom, but a sledgehammer? Really?
Wow, that's really loud, Mary Anne

Dear Same Three Guys Destroying my Bathroom -
Are you just trying to make me feel bad about myself? The stairs and the floors in the hallways are cleaner now than they were before you started. I may just hire you to clean every so often once the bathroom is done.
It isn't supposed to work this way (not that I'm complaining), Mary Anne

Got something to say? Go tell Kat. She cares, she really does.

Spin Cycle - I'm a crafty starter, not so much finisher

2009-10-08T11:13:00.000-04:00

So, here I was all ready to jump into the Spin Cycle with my room full of unfinished projects, and what to my wondering eyes should appear at the Sushi Bar, but Jan's entry on the very same topic. Oh well, I guess I'll jump in anyway. I'm sure there's plenty of room for all of us non-finishers.

Our house has an extra bedroom on the first floor. I claimed this as my Craft Room. It is also know as the Crap Room. It is where unfinished projects go to die . . . Unfortunately, it is also where all the crap goes when we don't feel like looking at it in the rest of the house anymore.

The Mailman recently straightened up the Crap part of the Craft Room, so currently we have:
On the table -

partially finished scrapbook from Disney trip in 2005.
partially started scrapbook from Florida/Disney trip in 2007.
mostly taken apart old PC and its HUGE monitor (The Mailman's project, he hopes to bring it back to life. It died a horrible death in January of 2008 and was replaced with my beloved iMac)
lots and lots of envelopes with pictures of who knows what in them

On shelves #1 -

boxes of old photos, photo albums
plastic container with stamping supplies
more envelopes of pictures
The Girl's barely started baby album (which I really, truly do regret not doing)
various and sundry pieces of old photo and/or video equipment
another box with pictures in it

On shelves #2 -

many, many craft project kits that The Girl has received over the years. Many of them have been started, never finished (I guess it is hereditary, eh?)
various other crafting supplies belonging to The Girl
packages of scrapbooking paper
sewing supplies, fabric, etc.
a mystery box on the bottom shelf that I'm not going to open today . . .
two bags with yarn and a Knifty Knitter (love that thing! I did actually finish a bunch of scarves at one point, trying to keep myself busy - not eating - while watching TV)
some Christmas stuff on the top shelf.

I'm not even going to go into the contents of the floor or the other surfaces in the room . . . it is just too depressing.

I have had some completions.
The Mailman and I had very nice needlepoint stockings by the time we got married.
The Girl's stocking? The one I started when I was pregnant? The Girl was either five or six when I finished. I do have to say, though, it is beautiful!
The window toppers in the family room? Yup, I made those.
Various pairs of shorts made out of obnoxiously patterned fabric for The Mailman for Jimmy Buffett concerts? Check!
Pillow cases for kids? Yup, made a bunch of those over the years.
Last year's Christmas cards met with rave reviews, but they took FOREVER to make and I don't know if I've got that in me again this year.

So I'm not a total non-finisher. I do enjoy being crafty, but I work, I try to keep the house and family running and I guess I'm just tired.

I always think of my Mom as a finisher. I'm the youngest of four, I'm five and a half years younger than my closest sibling. My Mom isn't so much into the "crafty," but man, can that woman sew! She sewed for me when I was young. The Girl now has some beautiful dolls that my Mom made for me. She's been making beautiful things for The Girl her whole life and for The Girl's cousins, too. Smocked dresses, christening gowns, sundresses, jumpers, and two years ago for The Girl, the most perfect First Communion dress and a First Communion dress for her American Girl doll. When I think back, I remember my Mom sewing when I was young, when she was a stay at home mom. She went to work when I was just about The Girls age because my oldest sibling was going to be heading to college. She mostly stopped sewing then, I guess, and really didn't pick it up again until she had grandchildren, or more specifically, granddaughters. I guess she was tired, too.

I've recently started sewing again myself. I got a project into my head for my friend's baby that is due in February (actually, I've had this project in my head for this friend's baby since before there was a baby). I've started on this project, and I'm really happy with the progress. I've got a deadline, so I'm confident that I'll finish (I can't guarantee that the finish won't be on the night before the baby shower, though!) The Girl wants to learn, too, so I gave her a project a few weeks ago, and she did a great job. We'll move up to a pillowcase for her next.

While working on my project two weekends ago, my low-end sewing machine gave up it's last proper stitch, so I found myself what I think is a pretty good deal on a nice, shiny, new sewing machine on Amazon. It came last week, and now I'm feeling extra motivated. It is going to rain on Saturday, so it might turn into a good project weekend. I got The Girl some flannel fabric with cupcakes on it, so I'm sure there will at least be a pillowcase made. Wish us luck!

For more crafty spins, whirl on over to see Sprite's Keeper.

My bathroom is getting me back

2009-10-07T09:40:00.001-04:00

We've lived in our house for seven years, and I have always hated our upstairs bathroom. I haven't even tried to disguise my hatred from the bathroom and it is now paying me back . . .

When we moved in, the tub was disgusting. In an effort to "pretty it up," the previous owner* had attempted a DIY refinishing, which peeled off in big chunks. The Girl was just about 3 at the time, so disgusting peely tub was a big bad. Because we had just bought the house and money was a bit tight (to say the least!), we went the path of least resistance and got a tub liner put in. It wasn't cheap, but it wasn't anywhere near what it would cost for full renovation. We figured we'd wait a couple of years and then do the bathroom over.

Fast forward seven years to me scrubbing the tub and realizing that there is water, lots of water, between the tub liner and the old tub. Hmmmm, that can't be good. Call the tub liner people. Our warranty has (not surprisingly) expired, but they can come out and take a look and drain the water for $130. Okay, they come, they drain, they say, "it could be this" or "it could be that" and "we recaulked so you should be okay for a while." I'm happy with my ugly bathroom again. Until I realize a couple of days later that the water is back. And that the water is leaking through the floor to the ceiling of the downstairs bathroom. ACK!

I issue a cease and desist order to The Girl and The Mailman relative to use of the upstairs shower. Thankfully, we have another shower, so we begin the slow deliberation process - do we attempt a fix or do we just rip out the old bathroom and start fresh. I vote for total re-do. The Mailman votes for fix attempt. I tell Mailman that fix attempt will involve removal of tub tiles and walls (a good number of tiles are cracked and may be our issue) and that any "fix" may end up being an issue with the tile floor, the other walls, etc. We're doing a total re-do. We call a couple of guys and a friend of a friend that is a plumber

So, starting tomorrow, the Sunshine household will be in more than its usual amount of disarray. Now I've got to get rid of seven years of accumulated bathroom crap from the shelves and under the sink. *sigh*

On a side note, Doofus cat is quite happy. He has a deep love of boxes and cardboard. Right now, there is a large box in the living room with our new vanity in it. He is king of the mountain!Did I mention that he's a Tub of Goo? Yeah, I think I did.

* The previous owner bought our house at foreclosure, never lived in it and "re-did" a lot of it himself. He was NOT a craftsman, but on the surface, things looked fine. A lot of what he'd done very badly we have had to fix. He also caused us to have the closing from HELL. Two days, me crying in the lawyers office (without tissues, because who brings tissues to a real estate closing?), all of my worldly possessions on a truck with nowhere to go, our other house already sold and people living in it . . . He is not popular around here.

RTT - Because of the Moon

2009-10-06T11:19:00.004-04:00

We have two cats, Doofus and Nut Job (names have been changed to protect their anonymity, except that we actually call them these name, too). Doofus is almost seven and is, well, fat and a doofus. His other nickname is Tub of Goo. Nut Job is one and a half and is, well, crazy. The full moon this weekend? Yeah, he was running around like the Nut Job that he is all night. To anyone that says the full moon doesn't affect animal behaviour, I extend an invitation to take Nut Job for a couple of nights some full moon.

Not sure what I was thinking, but Doofus is mostly white and Nut Job is all black. Now every piece of clothing that I have, no matter what the color, is obviously covered in cat fur. Before Nut Job, I could at least get away with the whites.

Moving On to Moving On
I went to a "Moving On" meeting at The Girl's school last night. Yes, they finally scheduled something that the working moms could attend! They were talking fundraisers, and someone finally said, "Why don't we figure out what the cost would be and consider just asking the parents for the donation instead of all of the fundraisers?" Alleluia! If this means that I don't need to sell/buy any more overpriced wrapping paper or candles, I am all for it! Of course, because none of the students will be excluded from the "Moving On" events, there will, as always, be those who chose not to make the donations and whose slack will need to be picked up by the rest of us . . . I'm not talking about those who CAN'T make the donations, I'm talking about those who WON'T make the donations. (I'm sure some of those who CAN'T will often scrape together the money somehow.) Totally irks me.

For some good randomness, go see Keeley:

Friday Foto Finish 10/2/2009

2009-10-02T11:03:00.004-04:00

I've been working on a super secret sewing project for my friend's baby that's due in February, (as the queen of the unfinished project, I need to start things EARLY) and The Girl decided that she wanted to learn to sew.
Below, I give you THE BIRTHDAY BANNER, made (mostly) by The Girl and used to decorate the kitchen for her 10th Birthday celebration.

Perfect project for her first attempt, from THIS cool book by Amanda Soule, who also has this blog.

Go see Candid Carrie for more photo phun.

Random Tuesday Quickie

2009-09-29T14:39:00.004-04:00

I just got back from The Girl's 4th grade field trip. Wonder of wonders, I was actually picked in the random drawing for chaperones. The Girl was happy, because it is also her birthday. I was happy for several reasons . . . I got to spend the day with The Girl on her birthday, I only worked a half day and the half day I am working is at home, so I can catch up on some laundry.

Oooooh, I just remembered, there are leftover cupcakes from Sunday's party in the fridge downstairs. Be right back . . .

Okay, that's better, where was I?

Oh yeah, the field trip. Boy, can 40 4th graders on a bus be LOUD. The chocolate cupcake was for medicinal purposes, you know, for my headache.

Okay, I'm done. Told you it would be quick (I'm working ya know).
Click on the button and go see Keeley for more Random Stuff.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

2009-09-29T06:49:00.003-04:00

You are TEN today. I honestly can't believe it.
Your dad and I are so lucky. You are a great kid - fun and smart and kind and loving.
I love you more than you can know.
Happy Birthday!

Monday Morning Blah

2009-09-28T08:46:00.004-04:00

Sleepy this morning (for the record, I've always had morning issues )...

We celebrated The Girl's birthday yesterday with some family and a few friends. It was pretty tame, with football on TV and the kids not quite killing themselves or each other in the basement, but I'm still exhausted. I always end up with too much food and I run around like a nut and never sit down and enjoy my own parties. I need to fix that.

I finally watched the House premier while folding laundry last night. I'm a Hugh Laurie fan, and he was great in this episode. I think it is going to be an interesting season.

Remebering Tom

2009-09-26T10:57:00.005-04:00

We went to a fundraiser last night to benefit my cousin Tom's family. Tom was killed in a skiing accident this past spring. He was 52 and the father of five, ranging from college to third grade.
Tom was 10 years older than I am, and his family lived in Connecticut when we were growing up, so I wasn't really close to him when we were kids, but as we got older, we got to know each other more. He moved to the Boston area and was always coming to family events. He had a big laugh, a big spirit and a huge heart. Judging from the tremendous turnout at this event last night, a lot of other people felt the same way about him as I do. His kids and his wife will always miss him, but I hope that they can take some comfort in how much he was loved by so many.
I gave The Girl and The Mailman extra hugs when we got home last night.

RTT - Can somebody wake me when it is time to go home?

2009-09-22T08:58:00.005-04:00

The Mailman and I went to the U2 concert last night. Good show, not great, though. It did cement in my mind the fact that I'm done with stadium shows. I love live music, but stadium shows, just not worth it to me anymore. On the up side, we got some good advice about parking, so we were out of the lot in about 15 minutes (after hearing 2 plus hour horor stories from the night before). Too bad we'll never be able to use that advice again because I'm never going to a concert there again.

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We got our U2 tickets on a pre-sale, with the "secret code" months ago. Granted, we cheaped out and went for the lowest priced tickets, but I would like to have thought that might get us something a little better than the not quite top corner of the stadium. Umm, not so much, and when chatting with the couple in front of us, they mentioned that they bought their tickets a couple of weeks ago. I should have done my spin last week on how much I hate ticket companies.

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My friend sent me an e-mail the other day after I had done something typically dorky. She said "You are such a goober." My immediate thought was "At least I'm not a raisinette." I don't know what that means, but I think it proves that I am, in fact, a goober. My second thought was (everybody sing!) "I'm a goofy goober, Rock! You're a goofy goober, Rock! We're all goofy goobers, Rock! Goofy, goofy, goober, goober, ROCK!" That only proves that I'm the mother of a ten year old.

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Right now, I'm not as tired as I thought I'd be. Come by my desk and poke me at about 3:00 though, because I'm sure I'll be dozing by then.

I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight

2009-09-21T10:00:00.002-04:00

The mailman and I are going to the U2 concert tonight. Tailgating with friends before.
Gotta get into my late 80's / early 90's self . . .
Gotta try not to let the traffic in and out of the stadium get to me, and not to worry too much about work tomorrow and how tired I'm going to be. I will show up, but no one can make me be productive . . .

Spinning my hate

2009-09-19T10:52:00.004-04:00

Okay, so technically, I think I'm late for this spin cycle, but it has been one of those weeks, 'kay?

The Girl is in fouth grade this year, which is the end of elementary school in our town. At The Girl's school, every year, there is a fourth grade "Moving On" ceremony at the end of the year. So, during the first week of school we get a paper home looking for volunteers for organizing said ceremony. "Volunteers Make a Difference!" "We can't do this without volunteers!!" So, I put my name on the piece of paper and send it back in to school. I get an e-mail that the first few meetings will be at 9:00AM on Thursdays . . .
So, apparently, the only help that is wanted is the help of the clique of stay at home moms that have their mitts into everything and complain that they have to do it all?!
Consider me really, really irked.
I don't HATE these people, I HATE that they just don't get it. I hate that they don't have any comprehension that there are those of us out here that don't have the luxury of being stay at home moms. We HAVE TO go to work. We WANT to help. We WANT to be involved. Don't make it so G D difficult for us to be involved and don't complain that you have to do it all.

That is all . . .

Check out more weekly spins at Sprite's Keeper!

Get your randomness on

2009-09-15T09:06:00.002-04:00

In an effort to save money and the environment, the building that I work in no longer puts liners in our office/cubicle trash cans, and they only collect the trash from them twice a week. We are no longer supposed to put anything food related in the trash in our offices, we're supposed to put that kind of trash in the approved bins in the pantry areas, which are emptied daily. Now, we have paper recycle bins in our offices/cubicles, so I'm not really sure what my trash can is for anymore. I've taken to bringing in plastic bags from the grocery store to put in my trash can so that I can put my coffee cup / tea bag / banana peel / apple core / yogurt container / whatever in it and "bus my own table" at the end of the day. It's either that or walk halfway across the floor with my garbage four or five times a day. I know I need the exercise, but it just ain't going to happen that way.

The grocery bags win. So much for the environment.

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President Obama apparently called Kanye West a "jackass" yesterday. Can't say I can recall hearing a President quoted using the word "jackass" before . . . Can't say I disagree . . .

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The Girl BEGGED me last night to let her sign up for violin lessons at school. She made lots of promises about practicing and commitment and I finally relented. The Mailman was out watching the Patriots game when this all took place. He's gonna kill me . . .

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The Girl and I heard on the radio this morning on the way to school that Patrick Swayze had died at 57. She said to me "57 is awfully young to die." Yup.

Liar, liar, pants on fire

2009-09-14T09:09:00.004-04:00

I got a little bit more sleep the past two nights. I gave The Mailman "snore spray" and I think it might have actually helped. I didn't see the clock in the four o'clock hour on Sunday morning. I saw all of the other hours, but, hey, one slept through is a bonus these days.

Anyhow, an issue came up this weekend with one of The Girl's friends and I'm not sure how to deal with it. The friend called Saturday, late morning, and when I was handing the phone to The Girl I told her it was okay if she wanted to invite her over for a bit. It was raining, soccer had been cancelled, I didn't feel like doing much of anything, but we did have some afternoon errands to run. Her friend it turns out was home with her grandmother (parents both at work, grandmother lives with them), so she's not allowed to go out, but The Girl can go over there. This has happened before, never been an issue, so I said okay, but only for a bit. The phone rings about the time that The Girl is supposed to come home and she asks if she can stay there while I go out and run errands, and proceeds to put the friend on the phone. Friend proceeds to tell me that her dad is home and that it is okay, etc. Well, one of the errands is buying The Girl new shoes, so doing the errand without her isn't an option. I tell her that I'll need her with me, but that she can have another 45 minutes. (I did mention that I didn't feel like doing much of anything . . . ) I eventually have to go to the friends house down the street to fetch The Girl 90 minutes later. I'm mad about her being late, and mad about having to come out in the rain to get her. I see the grandmother when I get to the house, but not the dad. This isn't too out of the ordinary, we were just at the front door, so we say thanks and I drag The Girl home with a lecture about being late. When we're out shoe shopping, something The Girl says makes me ask her "Was Friend's dad really home?" She stops talking and shakes her head, "no." My brain starts buzzing with fury, but I don't want to make a scene in the rainy parking lot, so I don't say anything. The Girl says to me "I didn't want to lie to you, that's why Friend took the phone. And I'm really, really sorry."
We got home, had a conversation about how what she did was just as bad as if she had lied to me herself, etc. She lost some priveleges for the rest of the weekend. She gets it, and I really do think that she was sorry.
I guess my biggest issue is that this is NOT like her. We never had problems like this with The Girl until this Friend came into the picture. This girl is used to getting what she wants, and she does whatever she wants to get it. I need to figure out how to get across to The Girl that she doesn't need to just go along if something doesn't seem right to her and that she needs to make up her own mind and that she needs to be true to herself and our family values, but how do I do this without seeming like I'm badmouthing the friend (which, believe me, I am doing loudly in my head)? Do I say something to the friend's parents?

The Mailman wants me to let it go for now. We've had our conversation with The Girl, she had consequences from what happend and has been told that there will be worse consequences if it ever happens again, but my head is having a hard time letting it go . . .

Sleep . . . I need sleep . . .

2009-09-12T10:01:00.004-04:00

The Mailman snores. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Recently, it has been A LOT. Seems to be worse when he puts on a few pounds, and we were recently on a vacation where I heard the words "second dinner" pretty much every night. 'Nuf said. Anyway, between his snoring and the cat licking the lampshade (I have no idea what THAT is all about), I don't get much uninterrupted sleep in. I've started taking melatonin again, which I thinks help me fall back to sleep faster after I have ~~kicked~~ nudged him or swatted at the cat, but still, I'm so very, very tired...

The Girl was supposed to have her first soccer game today, but it is pouring, has been all night, so the fields are a mess and all games have been canceled. I see a movie for the girl and a nap for me in our future.

Dear So-And-So

2009-09-10T11:02:00.007-04:00

Dear Women That Work on My Floor,

Really? Peeing all over the seat? This is an office, a professional place of business, not a bar or a truck stop or Fenway Park or a port-a-potty. If you don't want to sit on the seat, use the little paper seat cover thingy. And do you not notice that you have PEED ALL OVER THE SEAT when you turn around to flush? It makes me shudder to think about the state of the men's room.

Un-Freakin' believable.

Totally flabbergasted,
MA

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Dear American Idol,

I wasn't sure it was possible for a *Reality* show to "jump the shark" but I'm thinking that Ellen as a judge might qualify. Don't get me wrong, I like Ellen, really enjoy her talk show on the rare occasions that I can catch it, but American Idol I just don't get. Ellen and Cara? Can Simon get out of his contract now? I bet he's checking.

We'll see . . .
MA

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Dear Local Town Paper,

I know you have a monopoly on town news, and if I want to know what the School Department or the Board of Selectman are up to I don't have a lot of options, but I might have to reconsider now that you're raising your home delivery rate to 80 cents a day, four dollars a week. That doesn't include a tip for the nice neighborhood boy (and his mom) that deliver you to my door. It takes me, on average, all of 2.5 minutes to read you every day, including the comics and Dear Abby, your grammar and spelling are atrocious, and last week we got two Tuesdays, 9/1 AND 9/2 . . .
Yes, I know you know I'm bluffing.
MA

Will everything become clear now?

2009-09-08T19:03:00.003-04:00

42. The ultimate answer to life the universe and everything.
Don't believe me? Just ask Deep Thought. And make sure you know where your towel is.

Random Tuesday

2009-09-08T14:02:00.004-04:00

Yup, it is Tuesday. Feels like Monday after the long weekend, but I'm sure that everyone has heard that already today.

I read this on Boston.com today, and it made me sad thinking about the possibililty of a generation of kids growing up without books. We love books in our house. We have too many books in our house. The Mailman goes to the library at least once a week. I can see myself someday using a Kindle or some such, but I just don't see it in the same way as curling up with a blanket and a book.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I told The Mailman that I want an iPhone. Not holding my breath.

Why do I have to fill out the same paperwork for The Girl's elementary school every year, when NOTHING has changed? There has to be a better way. One of the forms is a computer printout with all of the information on it that I have to sign to say it is correct, but then I need to fill out five other forms with the same info. WHY?!?!? I get that the teacher needs a copy, the office needs a copy, blah, blah, blah, but why can't they use the info that they have IN THE COMPUTER? Yeesh.

Thanks, Keely... I love RTT!

Unofficial End of Summer. Bummer.

2009-09-07T19:47:00.004-04:00

The end of Labor Day weekend. Is it really the end of summer? I hope we can sneak in a few more of these warm days and cool nights. Back to school and work tomorrow. Sigh. The Mailman took tomorrow off, though. His day off this week is Wednesday, so why would he go to work on Tuesday?

So, The Girl went to a birthday party yesterday, for her friend from down the street. Friend is a year younger than The Girl, but they get along pretty well, and it is nice for her to have someone in the neighborhood. Anyway, I bring her over to the party, and some of the parents of the other kids are there, and they all know each other, and no one knows me, and no one talks to me. Okay, I admit, I am VERY shy and let myself get intimidated in these situations. I try to make eye contact and smile, but don't seem to get any reaction, so I give up. I know I need to get over this, I just don't know how. Hell, I'm (almost) 42 years old. Is it too late? I ended up coming home and trying, again, to teach myself Photoshop. (I need to find a class, but that's a subject for another day.)

2009-09-05T15:11:00.002-04:00

Okay, first post . . . What to say, what to say.
I've been thinking about trying this blogging thing for a while. I'm turning 42 in a few days, so I figured what the heck, just jump on in.

I guess a little bit about me might be the best place to start.
I'm four days away from turning 42, married for 16 years to my high school sweetheart. We'll call him The Mailman. We have a wonderful, almost 10 year old daughter, The Girl. Well, she's wonderful most of the time, but does have the capacity to make me completely nuts.

I work full time in the financial services industry. Snore. Not really what I want to do when I grow up, but I still don't know what I would do if I was given a choice (other than being one of the "idle rich," I suppose). I needed a job out of college and am still at the same company. They've changed the sign over my head a number of times (this IS the financial services world), but I haven't left.

I like to try to be "crafty" but find that I don't have too much time for it. I am the queen of the unfinished project. I like to take pictures, and am trying to learn more about that. A few months ago I purchased a "big girl" camera, and hope to someday know how to use it to take more than snapshots. I'll have to see if I can get up the guts to post pictures here at some point . . .

I hate housework. I love Jimmy Buffett. I love Harry Potter and Indiana Jones. I guess some people would call me a geek, though I'm not really sure that's the right word. Right now, I'm listening to Carrie Underwood.

I guess that's it for today. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the long weekend with The Mailman and The Girl.

Enjoy!