Let's Catch Up, Shall We?

I’m lame... Totally lame. It’s been WAY too long since I wrote and the amount of garbage rolling around in my brain is telling me I need to fix that ASAP. So here I am... Trying to get back into my usual routine...

As a way of doing that...

Here is what I have been doing while I haven’t been here...

- We went on one of our off-road camping trips. It was a great time... Except for when J had to bail off the quad and cracked a rib. And the crazy, horrible adventure of two broken bikes in the middle of the dunes and the search to bring them back that left those of us who remained at camp wondering where the missing were and if we would EVER see them again. Also left me as “Faux-Mommy” to our friend’s daughter... He was part of “the missing.” Luckily they made it back, no one hurt except the two bikes, Cass was REALLY happy to see her daddy, and we were all able to resume relaxing.

 

 And I had been having a phenomenal time riding the quad. I kept coming back to rest and get some water and then would run back over and ride off again...

- Discovered the amazing deliciousness of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s Red Velvet Hot Chocolate. Oh my yum.

- Got really confused by Yogurtland’s hours...

 Seems a little repetitive to me... (Kinda hard to see... Says: Sun-Thurs 10:30 am - Midnight; Fri-Sat 10:30 am - 12:00 am)

- Been super-ridiculously-disgustingly busy at work. There was one point where I spent three days putting bows and ribbons on the spouse gift for the payoff dinner for an incentive. Yes, I knew full well that no one would care what they looked like - all they would care about was what was inside the box... But I also knew that everyone would know that I was the one that prepared them, and if they looked like crap, I would have been really bugged by it... Other than that, it has been go, go, go for so long that I forgot what a moment to breathe felt like. It seems like every day I have a new task added to my job... I’m just wondering when it’s gonna stop... There’s has to be a breaking point...

- J got me a Kindle for my birthday (which was back in MAY... we lag a little on getting presents for each other) and I was reading my BUTT off so that I could finish the actual books I was reading so that I could start using my Kindle.

- I did a couple crafty projects that require a little fine-tuning before I am ready to share them.

- We did Thanksgiving with my best friend’s family and had a blast. J made his “signature” mashed potatoes that he had been telling me about for 8 years, but had never made for me... I have nicknamed them “pommes trois gras” or three-fat potatoes... haha (I realize that technically is says three-fat apples, but I figured since they just call french fries “pommes frites” then people would get what I meant...) In these potatoes you will find bacon, cream instead of milk, butter, onions and garlic sautéed in the bacon grease, and then the potatoes themselves are tossed back into the pan with a little bit of bacon grease. So decadent. I don’t even want to know how many calories were in these potatoes...

- We only went to two stores on Black Friday and both late in the day so there was no craziness... My best friend and I went to Kohl’s because she wanted to look around. I ended up buying myself a really pretty emerald ring (my birthstone) because I’d wanted one for quite a while and the sale was just too good to pass up. Now I just need to get it sized so I can wear it. The other store was Best Buy. While there, I developed an angry pout as I kept seeing the new RED Nintendo Wii’s. I was very jealous and spent the time thinking about how stupid my boring white Wii is... Oh well.... J also found a great deal on a tv - we have been needing a new tv for our room for a while. The one we had in there was tiny and it was dying... Plus, by using my Best Buy Rewards Certificates, the price of the tv was looking better and better. So we went for it. It’s normal to have a 40-inch lcd tv mounted on the wall in your bedroom, right? Right.

- We cleaned. Man, oh man, did we clean. It’s been a long time coming - we both just have so much.... JUNK... that we just don’t need cluttering the house. We’ve been meaning to do a real deep clean of the house for a while and just haven’t had time. But we decided that if we didn’t make time, it was never going to happen. We did what we could until we ran out of room in the trash can and we both ran out of steam. I honestly don’t know where it all came from or what I was keeping it for, but I ended up taking 6 big trash bags full of clothes to Goodwill. It was ridiculous. And if J would just clean out the area in front of my closet in the office more so that I can actually comfortably get in it to go through it, I’m pretty sure I’ll have another bag. My mantra has been “I will not be a hoarder; I will not be a hoarder!” J has to finish the garage so that we can move some stuff out there for storage and then we can finish the office and music room. I also want to go through my bookshelves and clear out books that I can get on my Kindle. It’s a lot of work and there’s still plenty more to do, but it’s going to feel so nice to be uncluttered for once...

- J had an ill-timed cough that sent cracked rib to broken rib earlier this week. I heard him cough and then heard him sound like someone stabbed him... He was in a lot of pain, but tried to leave for work anyway. He came back in a minute later saying that he couldn’t steer his work van and had to pull over a couple houses down. I told him that I would call in to work and stay home (such a sacrifice... Seriously, I will do pretty much anything if it means I don’t have to go in to my office....) and take him to the doctor. X-rays and exam and blah blah blah find out that the two-week mark is the dangerous point for healing ribs because 1. The bone is the weakest at that point because of the way it heals and 2. You aren’t in as much pain, so you aren’t being as careful. So we get to re-start the clock on the healing. He is going to be much more careful this time.

So... yeah. That’s a summary of the bigger things that have been going on... I am slightly dreading the next few weeks because they are always CRAZY busy. Last night we had to go get gifts for a gift exchange party. I am hoping that I don’t end up with something REALLY terrible or else I’ll be in a bad mood. I always buy something that I think is funny, but that someone will still not really be too upset about ending up with. Other people don’t seem to think that way... I picked out a really ugly stocking and filled it with Santa’s Coal Bubble Gum, a little toy Santa that poops out candy (because it was so much funnier and disturbing than the reindeer toy that poops out candy...), and a Santa Mr. Potato Head. Shoved all of those into a big gift bag and stuffed it to the top with tissue paper.

-- Side note: Our cable was acting weird last night, which meant we lost the second half of Bones. This also meant that I was left looking at the gift bag with the oddly-creepy Santa on it for too long and ending up giving him word bubbles. One of which says “Hey, baby, I got a ‘yule log’ for ya!” The other side says “Wanna come up to Santa's work shop and see the ‘north pole’?” Yeah... not normal. But I was giggling like crazy the whole time... -- 

 Seriously. It’s funny.

J purchased a Chris Rock compilation DVD from the $10 section at Target... He figured the movies on it are funny, so whoever gets it shouldn’t be too upset, but it’s still a really bizarre, funny gift. Oh, and his will be in a Hanukah (I cannot find a consistent answer on the spelling... So this is how I spell it.) bag. Because he’s Jewish. (I always picture in my head a wave of the hand while saying “Jew.... ish” I can’t help it... haha)

Next weekend we have to go to J’s cousin’s to celebrate Hanukah - this means we need to go find presents for all the little kids that will be there (No one buys presents for the grown-ups anymore - it’s all about the kids). All I care about is the latkes. YUM. Then there is a Ladie’s Holiday Luncheon at work that I am planning on making cupcakes for. I need to find time to make a crap-ton of fudge because that’s what I’m giving people that I like in my office for Christmas... I still need to do Christmas shopping... Ugh. I just keep reminding myself that the 23^rd is the last day that I will have to think about work this year. I am REALLY looking forward to my week off. I desperately need it. And am mad at myself for not taking the 4 vacations days I would have needed to use to make it a full two weeks off... Oh well...

I do love the holidays... I just need more time....... haha Isn't that always how it is?

How are your holiday preparations coming??