« March 2011 | Main | May 2011 »
I can't be certain, but I don't think I liked these pants. Notice the fake and confused smile.
Christmas 1983, Great Great's house in Waco off of Bosque. In the top photo left to right, my aunt JJ, my great-grandmother Great Great, and my aunt BB.
But thanks to whoever went to Cozumel and brought me back that t-shirt!
This is so good, I should charge you a quarter.
Brilliant Idea No. 1
Yesterday, I went on my neighborhood library’s website to reserve The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I was # 9 on the list. Boo. Then I had an epiphany. I could read the large print version of the book! I added my name to that list where I was only #2! Then I got the email today that my book was ready. I picked it up and spent my lunch break reading it.
I mean, brilliant. Plus, it boosts my self-esteem because I’m reading 14 pages per minute instead of my usual 1 page per minute. : )
[Sidebar: It’s not amoral to read the large print book and thus “take” it from some little old grandma who can’t see regular print, is it? Like parking in a handicap space?]
Brilliant Idea No. 2
When I sunbathe, I want to read books. But I don’t like to read books while I sunbathe because logistically, it’s not comfortable. You either have to prop yourself up on your elbows or lay on the front edge of your chair or sit up or block your legs…I know. It’s one of my crosses to bear. So instead of reading, I’ve been listening to music on my shuffle. Then I thought, “Wait a minute – best of both worlds – the playaway!” It’s basically the book on tape concept but on an mp3 player that you get from the library. (You supply your own headphones because otherwise, eww.) I thought it would be particularly good for books that you want to reread but don’t actually want to read again, like A Tale of Two Cities or anything Brontë, or anything classic for that matter, like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, which is what I got.
I am definitely getting my money’s worth out of this library card!!
I had a different post planned for tonight, but sometimes...there's a tornado siren.
(We're all fine. The storm over us wasn't as bad as expected. There are rumors of a few tornados touching down and hail up to the size of tennis balls in our area though.)
Dave and I were leaving the mall tonight when the sirens sounded. It's a little unsettling when the sirens stay on and stay on and stay on. Ususally they go off after a couple of minutes.
On our way home, I tried to focus on coming up with a plan, mainly to keep Dave from getting too stressed out. I suggested that Dave park his car in the garage and leave my Jeep in the driveway (you know, since we also have the Land Rover in the garage that isn't going anywhere this side of whew...our nonexistent children leaving for college). Dave moved the cars around while I took the dog out, put new batteries in the flashlight, set out the matches, and stored water.
I heard my car horn honked once. I thought it was Dave setting the alarm, so I kept preparing for the storm. A minute later, it honked again. I went to the garage to see if everything was okay with Dave. I had to open the Jeep hatch to let Dave out of the car.
Dave has always wanted a three-car garage. : )
So one of my friends and I entertain each other via email while we're at our respective jobs. I thought this conversation was worth sharing. We started with emailing and then switched over to texting (which is not subject to Big Brother).
[her first email] subject: I might get fired...
I’m watching Bones on Netflix from my iPod. While pretending to work on financial Statements…
[my reply email] The funniest thing is that you emailed me that from your work* account.
[her reply email] Oh crap! I’m stopping now. Watching the show…not emailing you.
[my reply email] lol
[her text] I didn't really quit watching. That was just in case someone really does read my emails.
[her reply email] If you are checking up on my email account…I was just kidding earlier about watching a TV show at work. I repeat JUST KIDDING!! : )
[my reply email] LOL!!! The subject of the email might tip off your IT department, too…
You are hilarious, joking around about NOT working. You’re the hardest worker I know! People here STILL talk about how much it sucked to lose you! What a bizarre sense of humor you have. Anyone who knows you would never believe that you were slacking off, especially considering your love of financial statements!
[her reply text] Haha. Nice one on the hard worker crap! I think they will be fooled! Suckers!
[my new email] subject: diligently working
So what episode are you on?
*Parts of the above dialogue were edited to protect the guilty, including the name of my friend and her employer. So, I can't tell you who she is, but I can't be blamed if you recognizer her. ; )
Have a great weekend.
And don't forget that Tax Day is Monday.
(Keep in mind that this is written after a 13 hour work day with less than a week ‘til the tax deadline. Translation: I’m a little out of sorts.)
When I started college, I didn’t know I wanted to major in accounting. I just knew I wanted to be a businesswoman. A fancy, important businesswoman. I told my roommate: “I want to work in an office! And wear heels and hose! (Yes! I actually wanted to wear hose!) And send faxes and be on the phone while I’m typing an email and signing something all at the same time!”
And now I’m thinking…maybe something with a pool.
Like a cabana boy. How hard can that be? You’d only have two work stresses. 1. Rude customers (who’d you’d just gossip about to your coworkers anyway) and 2. tanlines. Plus, there’s always exciting things happening at fancy pools like murders or mob deals or an undercover agent from some covert branch of the government that you’ve never even heard of. I see it all the time on CSI: Miami.
The only hiccup is that we don’t have pools like that in Central Texas.
So whatdya say, Dave? You can teach in Miami, right?
The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, Florida
Happy birthday, Dave. I'm so lucky that I get to share it with you. Love you.
And to everyone else, happy Friday. Eat a piece of cake for Dave. : )
Oh yeah.
#17 get a library card and use it
#18 read 12 books
So far, I've read The Hunger Games Trilogy, Lauren Conrad's four books, and half of a Philippa Gregory novel.
#27 sew something
I started working on this for my first sewing project but was thwarted when I remembered I needed to wash all of my fabric before I got going. : /
#28 indulge in something
I'm counting the Lauren Conrad books as an indulgence because 1. it's a guilty pleasure, and not like watching the new 90210 that you'll admit if someone else brings it up, but a closet guilty pleasure that you never admit; and 2. I read her three fiction books in less than 24 hours, including 8 hours of sleeping (but I didn't take breaks for anything else, like eating or yard work). I'm not sure if that speaks to the quality of the writing or the intermediate-school-reading-level, but there it is.
Plus...
Birthday confetti cupcakes with whipped chocolate icing and pink sprinkles. : ) And no, I didn't eat the whole batch. I had some help.
This morning, as I was finishing the second Lauren Conrad novel, Dave interrupted to ask if I wanted to do yard work (apparently after being married for almost six years, he still doesn't know me that well). I said no. He countered with, "But the front flower bed is on your 29 list!" To which I replied, "Yeah, some time this year, not today!"
Why does it always seem like Sunday evenings fly by?
It sucks that even when you leave work at 8:00 p.m., you've only racked up eleven hours even though it feels like twenty.
One of my favorite-songs-right-now is Taylor Swift's Ours. (It's on the Target Exclusive Speak Now album.) Here's the chorus:
Don't you worry your pretty little mind
People throw rocks at things that shine
And life makes love look hard
The stakes are high
The water's rough
But this love is ours
It reminds me of how I get defensive when I feel like people are judging our marriage. And in the interest of scrapbooking real life and not just the pretty bits, I thought I'd do a page that stated somewhat passive-aggressively that our marriage is just ours and no one else's to judge.
But a funny thing happened. I wanted to take a photo of Dave and me, had the perfect idea in mind, but then Dave's allergies kicked in with the cold front, and I knew he was feeling too puny for a photo shoot. So I started looking for other photos that I had of us. I came across our wedding photos. <sigh> And the longer I stared (and cooed) at us, the less I wanted a negative overtone for such swoon-y photos. And I really didn't care any more what other people say about us.
Supplies: Patterned paper, tags, chipboard alphas: American Crafts. Flower: Prima. Flower brads: Dear Lizzy + American Crafts. Alpha stickers: October Afternoon. Buttons: Tres Jolie. Border punch: Fiskars. Heart punch: Martha Stewart. Ghost hearts: Heidi Swapp.
I kept the title, ditched the song lyrics (I originally had them on the bottom left of the page), and hid the journaling on a tag behind the photos. The journaling is basically what I said above about being defensive. I still wanted it on the page since it's still valid and is how I feel, I just didn't want it to be the focus.
I lifted the layout from Elizabeth Kartchner. : )
I'll have an update on the 29 list tomorrow...
