xoxoxo
:o)
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Found a great read.
If you haven't read the Pioneer Woman, you should. It's fantastic.
www.pioneerwoman.com.
www.pioneerwoman.com.
This looked like fun. Blog tag
This is a brand new blog, so I'm not really that connected yet, but this looked like way too much fun to pass up. So I'm going to do it...
Blog Tag Instructions
1. Pick the 6th Folder, then select the the 6th picture in that folder.
2. Post that picture on your blog and the story that goes along with the picture.
3. Tag 6 other people that you know or don’t know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them.
Here is my 6th picture in my 6th folder:
This is a shot inside of the Shillelagh bar in Detroit taken on May 26th 2008 before a Red Wing's playoff game. These brick walls are covered in years of graffiti and illuminated by very industrial lighting. I took a few pictures thinking some of them might come out neat. I wish I had a better camera! Some day...
This is not the 6th, but I liked it better:
Blog Tag Instructions
1. Pick the 6th Folder, then select the the 6th picture in that folder.
2. Post that picture on your blog and the story that goes along with the picture.
3. Tag 6 other people that you know or don’t know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them.
Here is my 6th picture in my 6th folder:
This is a shot inside of the Shillelagh bar in Detroit taken on May 26th 2008 before a Red Wing's playoff game. These brick walls are covered in years of graffiti and illuminated by very industrial lighting. I took a few pictures thinking some of them might come out neat. I wish I had a better camera! Some day...
This is not the 6th, but I liked it better:
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A day off with newborn toes
Today I took the day off. From job searching, from routine tasks, from everything. I rolled out of bed. I went to breakfast with Erica at the little dive near our house that makes great over-easy eggs and the best hashbrowns. Then, I fixed my hair and make-up, and went to walk around the mall and find an inexpensive baby gift. (This friend is so special that I'd like to take a time machine back to when we were a two-income household and have no limit on her new-baby-gift, but the financial situation warrants restraint.)
I found an entire rack of wonderful infant clothes marked down to $4.99. I chose a little pink three-piece outfit. It rang up $3.17 out the door. Regular price was $28.00.
The day would have been nearly perfect at this point if I had not been able to find one single item in the entire baby department made in the United States. Not. One. Item.
On the way out of the mall, Erica called to say she'd gotten her job. It's an amazing deal, and I'm so proud of her I could explode. I can't wait to take the train and visit her.
For the rest of the day, I held a 4 week old baby girl. The world seems so much more peaceful, and worries seem so much smaller when you can get hold onto a real life miracle for awhile.
I found an entire rack of wonderful infant clothes marked down to $4.99. I chose a little pink three-piece outfit. It rang up $3.17 out the door. Regular price was $28.00.
The day would have been nearly perfect at this point if I had not been able to find one single item in the entire baby department made in the United States. Not. One. Item.
On the way out of the mall, Erica called to say she'd gotten her job. It's an amazing deal, and I'm so proud of her I could explode. I can't wait to take the train and visit her.
For the rest of the day, I held a 4 week old baby girl. The world seems so much more peaceful, and worries seem so much smaller when you can get hold onto a real life miracle for awhile.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The one with a disappearing appendix and two interviews
This morning I was not only greeted with texted birthday sentiments, but also news that my sister had been taken in for emergency surgery. So of course the plans for the day were flexed a bit as would be expected. She is okay, and there is even a chance they'll release her tonight. I had a chance to run out and get her a balloon and some flowers (yikes! get-well gifts of that nature cost so much more near Valentine's Day... but I think she liked them.) Her appendix had decided to quit working and possibly begin to "leak." The fear was that it would rupture, or per chance had already done so. If the thing had already ruptured, she would not be able to get to the version of the surgery where they make three small holes and pull it out. The old school version has to be used if there is a rupture, and that involves a more hefty incision. But thankfully, the abridged version of the appendix extraction worked.
I had to leave the hospital by 1 pm for an interview. For a job today that I was shocked and horrified to find paid far less than 1/4 my old base annual salary before bonus, car, etc. etc. I have not earned that little since my junior year in high school. The weekly paychecks would literally be less than unemployment, which is not easy to live on while job searching anyhow. (But because we're lucky enough to have one of us still working, and I cashed out essentially every investment we had when I lost my job given the state of the economy, we can still eat and have the lights on. We're grateful for the littlest things these days...)
My other sister had a much better day than the one mentioned above. She had a job interview today too, for an amazing opportunity with a company in Chicago. She should hear from them by tomorrow either way.
And now, I'm off to birthday dinner with my family.
I had to leave the hospital by 1 pm for an interview. For a job today that I was shocked and horrified to find paid far less than 1/4 my old base annual salary before bonus, car, etc. etc. I have not earned that little since my junior year in high school. The weekly paychecks would literally be less than unemployment, which is not easy to live on while job searching anyhow. (But because we're lucky enough to have one of us still working, and I cashed out essentially every investment we had when I lost my job given the state of the economy, we can still eat and have the lights on. We're grateful for the littlest things these days...)
My other sister had a much better day than the one mentioned above. She had a job interview today too, for an amazing opportunity with a company in Chicago. She should hear from them by tomorrow either way.
And now, I'm off to birthday dinner with my family.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The never ending journey, and funeral flip flops
I love our house. It's the perfect size. Not too big, not too small. It's big enough for any sort of family gathering we'd want to hose, but not so big that it's too difficult to keep up. It's big enough to raise a family in, but not so big that there won't be sharing rooms and fighting over toys.
The difficulty is the amount of details that are still left undone. It was a foreclosure home when we bought it. We expected tons of time, money, and elbow grease spent on this place. Lots of the things left to do such as staining and cutting more trim, possibly tiling over the formica countertop, and using chemicals to clean up the baseboards (from paint messes the last owners left, mostly,) are all better to do with warmer weather so that the windows can be open and some of the work can be done outside in the fresh air.
I remember my last bout with staining. I had huge cardboard boxes cut up into strips across the yard, covered in oak quarter round. It was quite a job. That was for only one room... Our great room and hallway do not have any trim around the edge of the new laminate yet.
Some days it's overwhelming. Those are usually the days I don't get anything done. Then the days that follow are a bit more frustrating than the days that preceded based on how much is still left to do.
But, on a good note, lots of organizing has commenced. I have a deadline of February 27th to get all the clothes and linens bagged for goodwill, and all closets and drawers cleaned out and perfect. I'm a good way there already. I'm going to take pictures of each room at the point when it's finally finished. Our bedroom will be first - all that is left there is to buy the nightstands and adjust the closet doors (if not replace them... They are horrid...)
If I had the time and money, I'd have changed all doors, closet doors, and baseboards in the whole house, as well as the tile that runs from the foyer through the walkway and then spreads out through the kitchen, dining room, pantry, and laundry room. I hate it. The worst part of it is it's very smooth tile, and it's more dangerous than I realized. Any amount of moisture on there and it's a slip and slide. (I've had a few injuries from this - one very serious that took a good year to heal. I can't share in detail in case you are squeamish... I will tell you I had a very broken toe. The rest of the injury you can imagine from that.) I ended up going to my grandmother's funeral in black glittery flip flops, because it's all that would work with my horrible bandaged toe. That was the most painful injury I've ever had.
The difficulty is the amount of details that are still left undone. It was a foreclosure home when we bought it. We expected tons of time, money, and elbow grease spent on this place. Lots of the things left to do such as staining and cutting more trim, possibly tiling over the formica countertop, and using chemicals to clean up the baseboards (from paint messes the last owners left, mostly,) are all better to do with warmer weather so that the windows can be open and some of the work can be done outside in the fresh air.
I remember my last bout with staining. I had huge cardboard boxes cut up into strips across the yard, covered in oak quarter round. It was quite a job. That was for only one room... Our great room and hallway do not have any trim around the edge of the new laminate yet.
Some days it's overwhelming. Those are usually the days I don't get anything done. Then the days that follow are a bit more frustrating than the days that preceded based on how much is still left to do.
But, on a good note, lots of organizing has commenced. I have a deadline of February 27th to get all the clothes and linens bagged for goodwill, and all closets and drawers cleaned out and perfect. I'm a good way there already. I'm going to take pictures of each room at the point when it's finally finished. Our bedroom will be first - all that is left there is to buy the nightstands and adjust the closet doors (if not replace them... They are horrid...)
If I had the time and money, I'd have changed all doors, closet doors, and baseboards in the whole house, as well as the tile that runs from the foyer through the walkway and then spreads out through the kitchen, dining room, pantry, and laundry room. I hate it. The worst part of it is it's very smooth tile, and it's more dangerous than I realized. Any amount of moisture on there and it's a slip and slide. (I've had a few injuries from this - one very serious that took a good year to heal. I can't share in detail in case you are squeamish... I will tell you I had a very broken toe. The rest of the injury you can imagine from that.) I ended up going to my grandmother's funeral in black glittery flip flops, because it's all that would work with my horrible bandaged toe. That was the most painful injury I've ever had.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Memory Lane Monday
This is a new idea I have. I've heard of "Meme Monday," but that's not really my style. So every Monday, I'm going to take a walk down memory lane and write about someone who has been part of my life. These will not be in any order. Not in importance, not chronologically, not logically. It will be based on someone who happened to cross my mind in the days preceeding. Some of them will still be around, some not. But the best part is, some of it will be funny, you can bet.
And now I give you the first Memory Lane Monday. The topic is the old friend from yesteryear I recently had the pleasure of finding a blog for, and finding she has built herself an amazing life with three babies, a husband, and great taste in music. (yes, I left her page open for awhile in the background to hear her song list...)
Suzy lived down the street from me as we grew up. We walked to school together many times before the school on the corner was closed, torn down, and replaced with new houses. Somewhere, I have a picture of us on the first day of school one year. (I wish I knew where that was - she'd laugh...)
We swam in her pool, played in her treehouse, and slept overnight in her parents' pop-up camper parked in the driveway. Her house had a real flag pole. (I always thought this was the coolest thing.)
She taught me a family recipe. They are called "meltwiches." You take one piece of bread, followed by the spread of your choice (I liked mustard), covered by a slice of lunch meat with the corners cut so it doesn't curl when heated, and finished with a slice of cheese. A few seconds in the microwave, and you have yourself a meltwich. I turn 33 the day after tomorrow, and I still do this.
Once we took an enormous bowl of popcorn, coloring books, and crayons to the racquetball court where her mother played racquetball. We had a great time, and even got to borrow a ball and a couple racquets ourselves to horse around with. We weren't very good at it. That seemed to make it even more fun.
Once, she had a birthday party in the summer. I ran barefoot through the yard and stepped in dog poop. In front of everyone. Her mom hosed my foot off. She actually apologized for it, which at the time I remember I was amazed by. I thought to myself, "heck, I was the stupid one who landed in the poo and created a mess, I should apologize...." I just thought everyone had a dog, and everyone had poo bombs to dodge in the yard at any given time. It was just part of life. That was the same party where everyone worked together to create a whirlpool in the round above ground pool, and the same party where I dove and hit my nose on the bottom. Thankfully nobody noticed.
She had a beautiful golden retriever. I think his name was Sparky, but I can't remember for sure. I had a cocker spaniel.
We played house in her basement. Sometimes boys would play the mother or the teacher, and girls would play the father or the policeman. I remember clearly the first time I realized this was the gameplan, and I questioned it. My friend gave me a thorough explanation that when it's PRETEND, it doesn't matter if you are a girl or a boy. This may have been my first lesson in tolerance and open-mindedness. I think I was 8 and she was 7.
We rode bikes and watched movies. Her mother read chapters from The Boxcar Children out loud at bedtime. I remember thinking it was so cool that her mom still read out loud even though everyone was old enough to read independently. It was fun. The chapters never lasted long enough, and I remember not caring if I hadn't heard the chapter before, and wishing she'd continue through the whole book. (BTW, Suzy just blogged about a story she reads to her children, which reminded me of hearing The Boxcar Children chapters as a child, and that whole train of thought is what lead to Memory Lane Mondays.)
Her mom made great cookies too. I think my mom's were my favorite, but her mom's were a super close second for sure.
Suzy had the prettiest "church dresses." My family went to church too, but we didn't dress up the same way. Her family was the first I knew to join hands around the table for grace before dinner. I decided one day at her house that I'd do it that way if I had children. I haven't had any, so I can't tell you for sure if we'll follow that custom.
And the funniest part for last. Well, funny for anyone reading. (Not funny for me....) My first truly horrifying moment of sheer embarassment happened at Suzy's house. Our houses were the same layout. There is a door that separates the kitchen (and the rest of the house) from a half bath, side door, garage door, and basement stairs. I was spending the night. We were camping in the living room, complete with sleeping bags. After getting hollered at several times to GO TO SLEEP, we nodded off. I woke up and had to use the bathroom. In effort (honestly) to not wake anyone up, I headed toward the half bath past the kitchen. It's the furthest from the bedrooms, and therefore the most polite thing to do if people are asleep. I often did the same thing in my own house. What I didn't know, was that door I mentioned was attached to the alarm system...
As soon as I turned the handle, the alarm rang. Now, given that I had the same door in my own house, and I was young, I didn't realize that I had caused the noise. I really believed that house alarms only connected to outside doors and windows, not doors in the middle of your floorplan. I believed this to be impossible. My first thought, and I remember this like it was yesterday, was that someone must be coming through one of the windows!
I ran back to our indoor campsite, but Suzy was already heading into her parents bedroom. I heard her, clear as a bell, say "It was Jaime. She didn't know she couldn't go that way." I froze. Panic ran through my veins. I did this? How? Were the police and fire trucks coming? Did I have to go home now? Then, only a fraction of a second has passed since the initial turning of the door handle, and Suzy's very angry father takes a run through the house to shut off the alarm. He looked exhausted and irritated. I thought for sure if I cried, I'd be sent home immediately. I fought the tears, and amidst the panic and fear and now growing embarassment, I started to giggle. Suzy gave me a stern look and told me it wasn't funny. I knew it wasn't funny. And yet, I giggled anyway. I think if I'd been their rightful child, I'd have been in serious trouble with the giggling. I felt horrible. And, I still had to pee. I was afraid to go at that point, and just went back to sleep and held it until morning.
I always wondered if her parents really disliked me after that incident. Shortly after, I wondered if I should write them an apology note. (A humorous aside - that idea was from a SOAP OPERA.) I never did. If they remember that day, I probably should apologize. But if they don't remember, I'd hate to remind them....
And now I give you the first Memory Lane Monday. The topic is the old friend from yesteryear I recently had the pleasure of finding a blog for, and finding she has built herself an amazing life with three babies, a husband, and great taste in music. (yes, I left her page open for awhile in the background to hear her song list...)
Suzy lived down the street from me as we grew up. We walked to school together many times before the school on the corner was closed, torn down, and replaced with new houses. Somewhere, I have a picture of us on the first day of school one year. (I wish I knew where that was - she'd laugh...)
We swam in her pool, played in her treehouse, and slept overnight in her parents' pop-up camper parked in the driveway. Her house had a real flag pole. (I always thought this was the coolest thing.)
She taught me a family recipe. They are called "meltwiches." You take one piece of bread, followed by the spread of your choice (I liked mustard), covered by a slice of lunch meat with the corners cut so it doesn't curl when heated, and finished with a slice of cheese. A few seconds in the microwave, and you have yourself a meltwich. I turn 33 the day after tomorrow, and I still do this.
Once we took an enormous bowl of popcorn, coloring books, and crayons to the racquetball court where her mother played racquetball. We had a great time, and even got to borrow a ball and a couple racquets ourselves to horse around with. We weren't very good at it. That seemed to make it even more fun.
Once, she had a birthday party in the summer. I ran barefoot through the yard and stepped in dog poop. In front of everyone. Her mom hosed my foot off. She actually apologized for it, which at the time I remember I was amazed by. I thought to myself, "heck, I was the stupid one who landed in the poo and created a mess, I should apologize...." I just thought everyone had a dog, and everyone had poo bombs to dodge in the yard at any given time. It was just part of life. That was the same party where everyone worked together to create a whirlpool in the round above ground pool, and the same party where I dove and hit my nose on the bottom. Thankfully nobody noticed.
She had a beautiful golden retriever. I think his name was Sparky, but I can't remember for sure. I had a cocker spaniel.
We played house in her basement. Sometimes boys would play the mother or the teacher, and girls would play the father or the policeman. I remember clearly the first time I realized this was the gameplan, and I questioned it. My friend gave me a thorough explanation that when it's PRETEND, it doesn't matter if you are a girl or a boy. This may have been my first lesson in tolerance and open-mindedness. I think I was 8 and she was 7.
We rode bikes and watched movies. Her mother read chapters from The Boxcar Children out loud at bedtime. I remember thinking it was so cool that her mom still read out loud even though everyone was old enough to read independently. It was fun. The chapters never lasted long enough, and I remember not caring if I hadn't heard the chapter before, and wishing she'd continue through the whole book. (BTW, Suzy just blogged about a story she reads to her children, which reminded me of hearing The Boxcar Children chapters as a child, and that whole train of thought is what lead to Memory Lane Mondays.)
Her mom made great cookies too. I think my mom's were my favorite, but her mom's were a super close second for sure.
Suzy had the prettiest "church dresses." My family went to church too, but we didn't dress up the same way. Her family was the first I knew to join hands around the table for grace before dinner. I decided one day at her house that I'd do it that way if I had children. I haven't had any, so I can't tell you for sure if we'll follow that custom.
And the funniest part for last. Well, funny for anyone reading. (Not funny for me....) My first truly horrifying moment of sheer embarassment happened at Suzy's house. Our houses were the same layout. There is a door that separates the kitchen (and the rest of the house) from a half bath, side door, garage door, and basement stairs. I was spending the night. We were camping in the living room, complete with sleeping bags. After getting hollered at several times to GO TO SLEEP, we nodded off. I woke up and had to use the bathroom. In effort (honestly) to not wake anyone up, I headed toward the half bath past the kitchen. It's the furthest from the bedrooms, and therefore the most polite thing to do if people are asleep. I often did the same thing in my own house. What I didn't know, was that door I mentioned was attached to the alarm system...
As soon as I turned the handle, the alarm rang. Now, given that I had the same door in my own house, and I was young, I didn't realize that I had caused the noise. I really believed that house alarms only connected to outside doors and windows, not doors in the middle of your floorplan. I believed this to be impossible. My first thought, and I remember this like it was yesterday, was that someone must be coming through one of the windows!
I ran back to our indoor campsite, but Suzy was already heading into her parents bedroom. I heard her, clear as a bell, say "It was Jaime. She didn't know she couldn't go that way." I froze. Panic ran through my veins. I did this? How? Were the police and fire trucks coming? Did I have to go home now? Then, only a fraction of a second has passed since the initial turning of the door handle, and Suzy's very angry father takes a run through the house to shut off the alarm. He looked exhausted and irritated. I thought for sure if I cried, I'd be sent home immediately. I fought the tears, and amidst the panic and fear and now growing embarassment, I started to giggle. Suzy gave me a stern look and told me it wasn't funny. I knew it wasn't funny. And yet, I giggled anyway. I think if I'd been their rightful child, I'd have been in serious trouble with the giggling. I felt horrible. And, I still had to pee. I was afraid to go at that point, and just went back to sleep and held it until morning.
I always wondered if her parents really disliked me after that incident. Shortly after, I wondered if I should write them an apology note. (A humorous aside - that idea was from a SOAP OPERA.) I never did. If they remember that day, I probably should apologize. But if they don't remember, I'd hate to remind them....
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