I had stripped the bed last weekend and was preparing to put fresh sheets back on. Sam is always really good about helping me make the bed. Sometimes he even makes it himself. You may think this is no big deal but believe me, it's a huge deal. I'm very anal-retentive when it comes to my bed. I like the sheets and blankets pulled tight and I have become quite spoiled by the quality of my sheets as well.
I work with a guy who has a business on the side where he sells leftover stuff from Home Shopping Network. I was able to get 2 sets of 1000TC sheets for a song. They were so inexpensive that I can't even post the price here. They retail for $450 per set and I can say I didn't even pay a fraction of that. Anyways, they are sooo luxurious. Sam loves them as much as I do.
Even though I have other sheets, and nice ones at that. 2 sets of 800TC and one set of 550TC, we have been alternating between the 2 1000TC sheets. We are sooo spoiled. But last weekend I brought out the lesser sheets. I didn't say anything I was just thinking I really should use the others now and then too. We got the fitted sheet put on and we were wrangling with the top sheet when Sam stopped dead in his tracks. He looked at the top of the sheet and flipped it over to look at it then he said "heyyyy...these aren't 1000 count". I burst out laughing. It was funny and amazing at the same time. He knows the difference in sheets. I don't know if he's trained or spoiled. Either way he appreciates the finer things and that is a good thing.
I gave myself a New Year's gift. I started a new savings plan!!
I made a resolution a few weeks ago that I was going to get a better track with my finances. I'm going to try to be wiser about spending and saving my money. The first thing I did was resolved to not spend so much this year. I tend to justify my spending because I am usually doing things to upgrade my home, but the fact of the matter is my home is fine like it is. I don't have to do much this year. I do have one drainage problem to fix and a little landscaping around the pool. But that is it. There is no need to do anything wild and crazy this year.
This year will be the beginning stage of building my financial independence. To do this I opened an account at ING. It's a small step. I'm only doing $25 per pay period to start. I have been so bad about saving money. I do well contributing to my 401K but when it comes to day to day saving? I suck. A friend told me about the company. There are no minimums and the regular savings account yields 4.12%. Once I get it built up I can move the funds into trading accounts. I'm hoping the automatic deduction from my check into the account at an institution that I don't drive by and can just stop in and withdraw from will help me to stay on track with saving. I would encourage everyone to "pay themselves first". It's not easy but Rome wasn't built in a day. A few dollars every pay period will add up nicely and the sure bet of 4.12% is nice for now.
Happy New Year to y'all. Hope it is a prosperous one!!
Showing posts with label Holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holiday. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Christmas 2007 (11/22/07-12/26/07)
From this:
To this:
in a couple of hours.
When are we going to take down Christmas?
I don't care, maybe we can tackle it on Sat.
Sounds good. pause.............
How about if you go and get a couple of totes and we'll fill 2 totes each night until the weekend and then we'll just have the tree to worry about?
Sam sighed and with a "sure dear" made off for the basement. He brought up 2 empty totes. I started taking down the real Christmassy things and left the snowmen on the shelves. As I finished filling the first tote and started on the second he took it and brought it down stairs to be stored. When he came back up he brought 2 more totes. And so it went. About 45 min later and even the snowman carefully wrapped and tucked away, we were both looking at the tree. I finally said "let's just take it down and be done with it all tonight." He was good with that. We had the darnest time getting the tree apart and stuffed into the stoarage bag. When they say "fits all 7.5 ft trees" they aren't necessarily lying, they just don't tell you how hard you have to work to make that happen. We probably could have won the top prize on Funniest Home Videos, but it is done. Christmas is packed up for another year. Sam even labeled and organized the totes in the storage shelves. He is amazing.
We'll still be busy on Sat though. You probably noticed how bare the shelves are? I'll get my everyday stuff put back up.
In the middle of all the Christmas festivities I still kept up with my Ebay obsession. I don't buy, I was just surfing and wishing and hoping. I decided on a wim to check out a product I had purchased a couple of years ago and wanted again but just never had the extra $30. Wouldn't you know it was on Ebay!! NIB no less. That's "New In Box" for those non-Ebayers. It was listed at $.99. I have bought stuff before but always as a "Buy it Now". I had never actually bid on anything. I read up on how to do it and I submitted my bid. 14 hours later I was a WINNER!! That $30 product was mine for $14.95. $9.00 for the product and $5.95 for shipping. Wow...that was fun, let's try it again. So I did and won again. This time I got the body wash that I like for about a third of the retail price. (and that included the shipping) Boy this could be very addicting. I've even started keeping my bank account web page on a split screen when I surf Ebay to remind me that I can only window shop.
To this:
in a couple of hours.When are we going to take down Christmas?
I don't care, maybe we can tackle it on Sat.
Sounds good. pause.............
How about if you go and get a couple of totes and we'll fill 2 totes each night until the weekend and then we'll just have the tree to worry about?
Sam sighed and with a "sure dear" made off for the basement. He brought up 2 empty totes. I started taking down the real Christmassy things and left the snowmen on the shelves. As I finished filling the first tote and started on the second he took it and brought it down stairs to be stored. When he came back up he brought 2 more totes. And so it went. About 45 min later and even the snowman carefully wrapped and tucked away, we were both looking at the tree. I finally said "let's just take it down and be done with it all tonight." He was good with that. We had the darnest time getting the tree apart and stuffed into the stoarage bag. When they say "fits all 7.5 ft trees" they aren't necessarily lying, they just don't tell you how hard you have to work to make that happen. We probably could have won the top prize on Funniest Home Videos, but it is done. Christmas is packed up for another year. Sam even labeled and organized the totes in the storage shelves. He is amazing.
We'll still be busy on Sat though. You probably noticed how bare the shelves are? I'll get my everyday stuff put back up.
In the middle of all the Christmas festivities I still kept up with my Ebay obsession. I don't buy, I was just surfing and wishing and hoping. I decided on a wim to check out a product I had purchased a couple of years ago and wanted again but just never had the extra $30. Wouldn't you know it was on Ebay!! NIB no less. That's "New In Box" for those non-Ebayers. It was listed at $.99. I have bought stuff before but always as a "Buy it Now". I had never actually bid on anything. I read up on how to do it and I submitted my bid. 14 hours later I was a WINNER!! That $30 product was mine for $14.95. $9.00 for the product and $5.95 for shipping. Wow...that was fun, let's try it again. So I did and won again. This time I got the body wash that I like for about a third of the retail price. (and that included the shipping) Boy this could be very addicting. I've even started keeping my bank account web page on a split screen when I surf Ebay to remind me that I can only window shop.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas night
Just a few highlights:
Redneck Christmas
I asked my dad if he drank all of those beers that morning. He said no it took him a few days.
Shelby had to be in on every conversation. She was such a good girl. She made her rounds making everyone feel welcome.
My cousin Debbie loved her so much that she tried to sneak her out the door in her bag.
She sat for a few minutes like that. She is crazy.
This is her newest cousin DJ Jasper Jazzy Razzamatazz Spazz or just plain Jazz for short. Yes he is as adorable and cuddly as he looks. What a sweet little baby he is. He and Shelby had fun chasing each other and rassling together.
Shelby finally had more Christmas than she could take. She crawled into her bed and collapsed into a coma. I tried picking her up and she was like a bag of bones. She was so tired that she just laid limp on me. Hopefully she will sleep through the night and not be up playing at her usual time of 1:30ish.
I've had enough Christmas too. Next year I'm dragging out all the empty totes at 5pm and anyone still hanging around can help put Christmas away until the next year.
Hope your day was fun.
Redneck Christmas
I asked my dad if he drank all of those beers that morning. He said no it took him a few days.
Shelby had to be in on every conversation. She was such a good girl. She made her rounds making everyone feel welcome.
My cousin Debbie loved her so much that she tried to sneak her out the door in her bag.
She sat for a few minutes like that. She is crazy.
This is her newest cousin DJ Jasper Jazzy Razzamatazz Spazz or just plain Jazz for short. Yes he is as adorable and cuddly as he looks. What a sweet little baby he is. He and Shelby had fun chasing each other and rassling together.
Shelby finally had more Christmas than she could take. She crawled into her bed and collapsed into a coma. I tried picking her up and she was like a bag of bones. She was so tired that she just laid limp on me. Hopefully she will sleep through the night and not be up playing at her usual time of 1:30ish.
I've had enough Christmas too. Next year I'm dragging out all the empty totes at 5pm and anyone still hanging around can help put Christmas away until the next year.
Hope your day was fun.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Merry Christmas Eve
Christmas comes early at Boo's house. We celebrated on Sat with my Mom and Bro and the in-laws. Shelby got a new stuffed penguin from her Grammy and as you can see she really likes it. She took it over to her bed for safe keeping and a little exploration.
She is very possessive and wasn't willing to share with Baby Kit. It really wasn't a big deal. Baby Kit wasn't interested in the toy, she was more interested in making sure Shelby was kept busy so she would be terrorizing her.
We had a good time and good food and good gifts. We've all had a bumpy year so it was good to all be together under good circumstances.
Yesterday the kids and I went to my father's for a redneck Christmas. We got together in the garage because it was the only place big enough for all the festivities. My father decorated the tree himself. It was a Charlie Brown tree with a strand of white lites and about 100 Budweiser bottle caps as ornaments. He took the label off a Budweiser bottle, put it on top of the tree upside down then he put the label back on so it was right side up. I'll have pics tonight to download and I will post them. It was actually pretty cool. I knew my father had talents but I had no idea he was into holiday decorating.
I have another busy day ahead. I have to stop in at Walmart one last time before Christmas. That should be a blast.
Sam and I are having Xmas with his family this evening. It will be a casual evening with finger foods and holiday snacks. Shelby will get to meet her newest cousin Jasper and her favorite cousin Zoe.
Even though it has been a busy weekend I have had a chance to get caught up on some sleep. The weather has broke and it is sunny and close to 40. Sam shoveled over 2 feet of snow from the roof on Sat and thanks to rain overnight the roof is now completely clear. My driveway that was too slippery for the average car on Sat is now clear as well. This is very good considering I will have about 30 people coming here tomorrow afternoon. I have a beef stew in the crock pot and laundry going in the washer. The dishwasher is empty and the rugs have been vacuumed. A quick swoosh of the toilet bowls and I'm ready for another round of visitors. I'm hoping to post more pics tonight especially the ones of my father's tree but if I don't make it back around today I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope Santa is very generous with each and every one of you.
She is very possessive and wasn't willing to share with Baby Kit. It really wasn't a big deal. Baby Kit wasn't interested in the toy, she was more interested in making sure Shelby was kept busy so she would be terrorizing her.
We had a good time and good food and good gifts. We've all had a bumpy year so it was good to all be together under good circumstances.
Yesterday the kids and I went to my father's for a redneck Christmas. We got together in the garage because it was the only place big enough for all the festivities. My father decorated the tree himself. It was a Charlie Brown tree with a strand of white lites and about 100 Budweiser bottle caps as ornaments. He took the label off a Budweiser bottle, put it on top of the tree upside down then he put the label back on so it was right side up. I'll have pics tonight to download and I will post them. It was actually pretty cool. I knew my father had talents but I had no idea he was into holiday decorating.
I have another busy day ahead. I have to stop in at Walmart one last time before Christmas. That should be a blast.
Sam and I are having Xmas with his family this evening. It will be a casual evening with finger foods and holiday snacks. Shelby will get to meet her newest cousin Jasper and her favorite cousin Zoe.
Even though it has been a busy weekend I have had a chance to get caught up on some sleep. The weather has broke and it is sunny and close to 40. Sam shoveled over 2 feet of snow from the roof on Sat and thanks to rain overnight the roof is now completely clear. My driveway that was too slippery for the average car on Sat is now clear as well. This is very good considering I will have about 30 people coming here tomorrow afternoon. I have a beef stew in the crock pot and laundry going in the washer. The dishwasher is empty and the rugs have been vacuumed. A quick swoosh of the toilet bowls and I'm ready for another round of visitors. I'm hoping to post more pics tonight especially the ones of my father's tree but if I don't make it back around today I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope Santa is very generous with each and every one of you.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Just can't win
I am the epitomy of bad holiday decisions. Over indulging, waiting until the last min for shopping, not sleeping, planning/scheduling too many things.
Right now it's 3:11am and I'm awake. I thought that I may as well finish ordering prints from Walmart to be picked up when I shop later today. I have been trying to upload about 20 pics since 2am. Yeah I've been up for an hour. Shelby had a spastic half hour and was quite entertaining despite the late hour. She has settled in, snuggling with her daddy. The pics still keep getting "stuck" so I cancel and try again. Finally after more than an hour I go into the actual Walmart website and can you believe it? The website is down for scheduled maintainence. Fuck! I just can't win.
All of that made me tired. I'm rolling over and going to sleep. Good Night.
Right now it's 3:11am and I'm awake. I thought that I may as well finish ordering prints from Walmart to be picked up when I shop later today. I have been trying to upload about 20 pics since 2am. Yeah I've been up for an hour. Shelby had a spastic half hour and was quite entertaining despite the late hour. She has settled in, snuggling with her daddy. The pics still keep getting "stuck" so I cancel and try again. Finally after more than an hour I go into the actual Walmart website and can you believe it? The website is down for scheduled maintainence. Fuck! I just can't win.
All of that made me tired. I'm rolling over and going to sleep. Good Night.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Stop trying to diagnose me
"You are always sleeping. I think you need to take more Iron" (If he thinks I'm cranky now, I would be way worse if I started taking iron supplements and got all "bound up".)
This was a conversation a few days ago. Since that time it has come up a couple of more times. The truth of the matter is, I AM always TIRED but I'm not always sleeping. That is actually the problem, I don't get enough sleep.
We got into a discussion of how much I sleep and how much he sleeps and what we do in between sleeping. His job is more physically demanding so he should be more tired. Ummmmm......No. All I do is sit in an office all day, how tiring can that be? Ummmm....don't make me kick your ass right here.
I am exhausted. I do talk about sleeping alot. Wanting to. Needing to. Planning to. Dreaming of. Maybe it seems to him like I am actually sleeping with all this talk of sleep but I can assure you (and him) that I am awake.
I am awake right now.
I was awake at 5am.
I was awake at 2am to let the dog out.
I was awake at midnight letting the cat in.
I'll be awake at 2pm working on spreadsheets when I really want to nap.
I will be awake at 5pm driving home and fighting with idiot drivers in the snowy streets.
I'll be awake at 7pm when I am in JCPenney, the Mall, Walmart and Lowes finishing up Xmas shopping.
I'll be awake at 10pm when I am putting away a "handful of groceries".
I'll be awake at midnight when I am wrapping the remaining gifts. He'll be awake too, tapping his fingers on the bedpost wondering when I'll be giving up and finally coming to bed.
We'll fall asleep around 1:30 just in time for me to be woken up by Shelby for her nightly pee/poop romp. (he never hears her scratching at the door)
I'll drop back into bed around 2am and wake up at 5am. My body can't seem to differentiate between the week and the weekend. Well it can in that I wake up alot easier on the weekend.
I'll fall back asleep around 7:30am then wake up again around 9ish at which time he will be awake too.
I'll be sluggish. I'll be laying around. I'll be begging for 5 more min in the sack. In my defense my bed is awesome.
I'll get in the shower around 10am and I'll be fine for a few hours but then the yawning will start. I'll mention that I'm tired. I'll say that I need a nap. My mind will incessantly think about sleep. Once it gets dark I'm doubly tired.
I can see why he thinks I sleep all the time. I do TALK about sleep alot which probably gives the impression that I am actually sleeping when I'm really just WANTING to sleep.
It gets dark so early now that I have a hard time staying awake after 6pm. (pathetic I know). I probably have SAD (seasonal affective disorder).
He says he is worried about me. Wants me to go to a Dr. I assured him there is nothing wrong with me that isn't wrong with millions of other people.
1) lack of sunshine
2) stress at work
3) holiday stress
4) pets keeping me up half the night
5) trying to get everything done everyday
It's a common affliction and I really think that the main thing that will help is SLEEP. Sleep when I need it not when it fits others timelines. Sometimes I need an afternoon nap. I may say that I only need 15 min but if I am snoring and am in the REM stage of sleep, it's ok to let me sleep another 6 hours. I have never once gotten mad because I asked to be woken up at a certain time and then wasn't woken at that time. The only time I ever get upset about not getting woke up at a certain time is if I have to be at work. Other than that it can be assumed that it is ok to just let this sleeping dog sleep.
This was a conversation a few days ago. Since that time it has come up a couple of more times. The truth of the matter is, I AM always TIRED but I'm not always sleeping. That is actually the problem, I don't get enough sleep.
We got into a discussion of how much I sleep and how much he sleeps and what we do in between sleeping. His job is more physically demanding so he should be more tired. Ummmmm......No. All I do is sit in an office all day, how tiring can that be? Ummmm....don't make me kick your ass right here.
I am exhausted. I do talk about sleeping alot. Wanting to. Needing to. Planning to. Dreaming of. Maybe it seems to him like I am actually sleeping with all this talk of sleep but I can assure you (and him) that I am awake.
I am awake right now.
I was awake at 5am.
I was awake at 2am to let the dog out.
I was awake at midnight letting the cat in.
I'll be awake at 2pm working on spreadsheets when I really want to nap.
I will be awake at 5pm driving home and fighting with idiot drivers in the snowy streets.
I'll be awake at 7pm when I am in JCPenney, the Mall, Walmart and Lowes finishing up Xmas shopping.
I'll be awake at 10pm when I am putting away a "handful of groceries".
I'll be awake at midnight when I am wrapping the remaining gifts. He'll be awake too, tapping his fingers on the bedpost wondering when I'll be giving up and finally coming to bed.
We'll fall asleep around 1:30 just in time for me to be woken up by Shelby for her nightly pee/poop romp. (he never hears her scratching at the door)
I'll drop back into bed around 2am and wake up at 5am. My body can't seem to differentiate between the week and the weekend. Well it can in that I wake up alot easier on the weekend.
I'll fall back asleep around 7:30am then wake up again around 9ish at which time he will be awake too.
I'll be sluggish. I'll be laying around. I'll be begging for 5 more min in the sack. In my defense my bed is awesome.
I'll get in the shower around 10am and I'll be fine for a few hours but then the yawning will start. I'll mention that I'm tired. I'll say that I need a nap. My mind will incessantly think about sleep. Once it gets dark I'm doubly tired.
I can see why he thinks I sleep all the time. I do TALK about sleep alot which probably gives the impression that I am actually sleeping when I'm really just WANTING to sleep.
It gets dark so early now that I have a hard time staying awake after 6pm. (pathetic I know). I probably have SAD (seasonal affective disorder).
He says he is worried about me. Wants me to go to a Dr. I assured him there is nothing wrong with me that isn't wrong with millions of other people.
1) lack of sunshine
2) stress at work
3) holiday stress
4) pets keeping me up half the night
5) trying to get everything done everyday
It's a common affliction and I really think that the main thing that will help is SLEEP. Sleep when I need it not when it fits others timelines. Sometimes I need an afternoon nap. I may say that I only need 15 min but if I am snoring and am in the REM stage of sleep, it's ok to let me sleep another 6 hours. I have never once gotten mad because I asked to be woken up at a certain time and then wasn't woken at that time. The only time I ever get upset about not getting woke up at a certain time is if I have to be at work. Other than that it can be assumed that it is ok to just let this sleeping dog sleep.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Gorging and Purging
I think I need a high colonic or a coffee enema or maybe I should just shove my fingers down my throat. OMG.....I have eaten sooo much in the last few days. It's just plain wrong.
We had 2 gatherings for work yesterday. Yup, I did say 2. One at lunch then another for dinner around 5. Celebrating holidays and taking some much needed downtime before we head into the storm of tax season was wonderful but my waistline is really exploding. I have another gathering on Sat and again on Sun and again on Mon and last but not least let's not forget about the festivities of the actual Xmas day. Since I will not be able to forgo all the eats that will be placed before me on those days I will be fasting/starving for today and tomorrow.
(last years lot)
On a more positive note, I wrapped all the gifts that I have purchased so far. This is a huge feat for me. Usually I am wrapping the gifts for any given gathering on the morning of that gathering. Most of my gifts are not wrapped more than about 2 hours. I'm used to that but definitely like the feeling of being ahead of the game even if it is only by a little bit. I still have shopping to do. Hopefully that will be done Saturday morning. I am holding out for the door buster deals at JCPenney.
Why am I touting JCPenney??
They have been fabuloso this year. On Sat I bought $278 worth of items and only paid $114 for them. Then on a Sun I ordered 3 items that would have totalled $170 and I only paid $99 and that included the taxes. Shipping was free too! Woot! Then on top of that I placed the order around 6:30pm on Sunday and I received an email at 9pm saying the order had been shipped. It was on the Fed Ex truck on Tuesday. That is just phenomenal!! And now the gifts are neatly bagged and wrapped under the tree.
Life is good. If only I could reduce this waistline.
We had 2 gatherings for work yesterday. Yup, I did say 2. One at lunch then another for dinner around 5. Celebrating holidays and taking some much needed downtime before we head into the storm of tax season was wonderful but my waistline is really exploding. I have another gathering on Sat and again on Sun and again on Mon and last but not least let's not forget about the festivities of the actual Xmas day. Since I will not be able to forgo all the eats that will be placed before me on those days I will be fasting/starving for today and tomorrow.
(last years lot)On a more positive note, I wrapped all the gifts that I have purchased so far. This is a huge feat for me. Usually I am wrapping the gifts for any given gathering on the morning of that gathering. Most of my gifts are not wrapped more than about 2 hours. I'm used to that but definitely like the feeling of being ahead of the game even if it is only by a little bit. I still have shopping to do. Hopefully that will be done Saturday morning. I am holding out for the door buster deals at JCPenney.
Why am I touting JCPenney??
They have been fabuloso this year. On Sat I bought $278 worth of items and only paid $114 for them. Then on a Sun I ordered 3 items that would have totalled $170 and I only paid $99 and that included the taxes. Shipping was free too! Woot! Then on top of that I placed the order around 6:30pm on Sunday and I received an email at 9pm saying the order had been shipped. It was on the Fed Ex truck on Tuesday. That is just phenomenal!! And now the gifts are neatly bagged and wrapped under the tree.
Life is good. If only I could reduce this waistline.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
A little more Thanksgiving
Busy schedules delayed Thanksgiving with Sam's family. We got together today and you know what? It doesn't matter what day you get together on, if the food and company is good that's all that matters. Sam fired up his turkey fryer and the bird came out perfect
I have been watching alot of Food Network lately and have been inspired. Check out this pumpkin that I cooked.
It was a perfect serving bowl for the stuffing that I made. It turned out even better than I had imagined.
It was a nice center piece for the table which was very festive.
While the turkey cooked, we bowled a couple of strings on the Wii. Sam and I definitely want to get our own Wii. It was great fun.
Shelby joined in the festivities as well. She played and fought with her cousins, Zoe and Goose. Turns out that it doesn't matter if she is the smallest dog in the house, she can be quite a scrappy little thing. They only had a couple of scuffles and are still best buddies.
I love this pic, check out her eyelashes. She is such a doll.
I have been watching alot of Food Network lately and have been inspired. Check out this pumpkin that I cooked.
It was a perfect serving bowl for the stuffing that I made. It turned out even better than I had imagined.
It was a nice center piece for the table which was very festive.
While the turkey cooked, we bowled a couple of strings on the Wii. Sam and I definitely want to get our own Wii. It was great fun.
Shelby joined in the festivities as well. She played and fought with her cousins, Zoe and Goose. Turns out that it doesn't matter if she is the smallest dog in the house, she can be quite a scrappy little thing. They only had a couple of scuffles and are still best buddies.
I love this pic, check out her eyelashes. She is such a doll.
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