The Saturday Challenge

Sometimes I hate Saturday mornings and this is one of those mornings, for sure.  Two things: this is most definitely First World Problems and I'm dealing with my frustration by sitting here, whining. So, well done me.

It was a busy week, one that I would swear had an extra day in it.  It ended with my nephew showing up early at our house yesterday to work on our roof.  This made me leave work early (hooray) but not be able to go to the grocery store and wallyworld so that I didn't have to go into town today. (boo) The older I've gotten the more structure is important to me and it can get super frustrating when it's disrupted. 

Kevin works today so he was out of the house at 5:30 this morning.  A mature, reasonable adult would think "I have a ton to do today. I'm going to stay up and work on that."  That didn't happen.  Instead, Lucy and I returned to bed, with Grey's Anatomy set to play-all, and went back to sleep.

Bless Kevin's heart that he helps me be a grown-up.  When he works on Saturdays, he will phone or text about 8:45 to "check in."  What is really is is he saying "Get up or you're going to regret your choices"  Not in the controlling spouse way but in the "I don't want to hear you whining about how busy town was because you slept all day".   Somehow Lucy has also figured out that timeline and will want outside about that time.  They've conspired, I just know it.

I was in town at a reasonable hour  today, which was earlier than usual because there is a festival happening right now that leaves the Valley in gridlock, both in the cities and the freeway.  I was done before that nonsense began, including going to the wallyworld.

Once I got home though is when the frustration began.  Because yesterday didn't go as planned, laundry was piled up, which rarely happens.  I had five bags of groceries to put away, and all my Saturday housecleaning chores.  And a new microwave to install.  The sun is FINALLY out and it's NOT RAINING so I want to work in the garden.  But until the other chores are a least glanced at, I need to focus. 

(Yes, I finally checked off microwave off my list.  Because Kevin randomly gave ours to my niece who just got into her own apartment.  Thanks, pal?)

I have to employ a few tactics on days like this to thwart the ADD.
I have to do the grid system in order to complete a task. For instance, cleaning the kitchen: I put dishes away first and reload the dishwasher.  That's one appliance and one area now clean.  Then I can clean the sink.  Then I can clean the countertops.  This sounds childish but I can go from emptying the dishwasher to washing the cars while the rest of the kitchen still lays in ruin.  This sounds like not a big deal but I can snowball in the blink of an eye.

I also use the timer system, using the clothes washer.  ADD likes to race time.  I set a load going and that "gave" me 51 minutes to finish the kitchen and clean the bathrooms.  I don't know why this works, but it does.

Also along the lines of the grid system is the Escape Room.  I can't leave the room until the tasks in that room are finished.  Otherwise, say I take the grocery bags out to the truck because that's part of cleaning the kitchen. No, because my mind will decide that the cars need washing, even though as mentioned before, there are no less than three chores/projects already going inside the house.

Cleaning the bathroom I will always forget the glass cleaner.  So I'll make a list before I leave the room to get it: Glass cleaner, broom, trash. A way to keep focused on what I'm doing and what is the next step. Kind of like the classic Sesame Street: a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter. Huh, that's where I probably learned that.  Way to go, Sesame Street! (OMG, google "Sesame Street going shopping" EPIC wormhole. You're welcome)  Anyway, even though I keep bathroom specific cleaners in the said bathroom, I never remember to get an extra glass cleaner or to grab it on the first try.  Meanwhile, despite nonsensical chanting, I'll notice the glass topped end tables need a quick swipe before I finish the bathroom and suddenly I'm two episodes deep into Grey's Anatomy and the bathroom still has all the lights on, the radio playing, sometimes even the shower running.

It's just one of those mornings where everything needs addressing and it feels like it's never going to get done. *stomping of feet and throwing of head*  This is why I live in structure and organization.

Meanwhile, look at the pretty new microwave:

(This unpublished post is almost exactly one-year-old.  One of the distractions from the challenge turns out to be a fail also.  *high five*)

"Just To Look Around"

In this weekend's episode of HGTV...

Remember way back when two weekends ago when we bought the fireplace and it had the wrong finish?  Well, our solution to that was a brand new pellet stove.

Kevin has wanted a pellet stove since we moved in but I was hesitant.  It's a small house and brand-new so I wasn't super excited about it.  Then about a year later Kevin's parents moved up with us and we inherited a heirloom china hutch with heirloom china.  It went in the only place we could put a pellet stove so: all done. *brushing of hands*

The topic came up from time to time and I just would gesture to the giant china hutch. (corner styled, over 7 feet all, four feet wide, full of heirloom china)  Kevin one time lost his mind and suggested it could go in my office.   So, again: all done.

Finally, we...I...came to the realization that the furnace is going to be aging out soonish. Coincidentally, Kevin had been researching buying used pellet stoves.  We came to the agreement that we would not spend a bazillion dollars on a new one and if we found a used one on the lesser side, we would do it.

First we headed north, thinking that would be our best bet. Two stores and one lunch later, we decided to head into the other, south, county "just to look around".  Icy and snowy roads will not thwart this ill-conceived decision.

We went to one store and they only had fancy stoves that were way too big for our house. Oh, that's also part of the problem: we have a tiny house so finding a stove that won't require us to have the windows open in February is a challenge.

Even though we had already been to the store in the other town, we went to the store again "just in case."  If you're wondering: "Just to look around" and "just in case" is how we have ended up with dogs and vehicles that we didn't intend.  That's why the quotation marks and yes, maybe a little sarcasm.

This store did have pellet stoves that were the size we needed and they were on supery-dupery sale.  50% off.  Actually, there was only ONE left that was what we needed.  Now we've wandered into "We're stupid not to do this." territory.

We bought it and the kit but still had to return to the other store to pick up another piece.  Then we finally headed home and it's 3:00 in the afternoon. We started at 10:00.  We still have to buy pellets and the accoutrements for keeping it maintained.

It took three men and a dog  to unload the damn thing.  (Lucy was in supervisory capacity, in case you were wondering)  While they were doing the unloading and carrying, I was hurriedly and not a little panicky, emptying the giant china cupboard.

Pause:
The mom-in-law was worried that the china hutch wouldn't stay in the family.  It was hand built by my father-in-law and I totally understand.  But we don't have space to store it.  So a quick survey of nearby family members was conducted.   Kevin thought to ask the Nephew and to my surprise, he said YES!!!  Otherwise, it was going to get shipped out-of-state to cousins.

Now we're loading the giant cupboard into the back of the truck and going back into town.  Again, it's in the teens and snow on the ground so it was a DO IT NOW situation. Now Difficulty Level Increased: it was getting dark.  We unloaded it at the Nephew's, had a little visit, then realized that we had forgotten about dinner.  I would like to say that this is unusual for us but that would be a lie.

By the time we returned home, it was 8:00 and we were both just done.  But I had heirloom dishes that had to be dealt with.  It turns out that Kevin's mom would like to have some of them at her house. (sigh...on many levels)  It is a very tiny house (ours is 1100 square feet, theirs is 400)  and I'm skeptical but I boxed up some stuff.

I got into Jedi Mind Meld and chose some dishes for her.  Then I took stuff that I knew wasn't super valuable/important and put them in cupboards where I keep vases, etc.  I put a set of china that Kevin likes, that I don't, into our china hutch and now I'm stuck with a bunch of stuff that I have to find homes for.

Mickey Mouse cookie jar plays a song when you open it.  Hurricane lamps and candle holders are 100+ years old. Gnome is actually mine, he was relocated while painting. 

Oh, the fireplace?  It's totally going into our bedroom even though it doesn't quite fit so it's fate is yet to be decided. But it does match that furniture; especially if the dresser that has been on back-order for over two weeks ever arrives.

Lucy being Vanna...no, not really. She just came in and wanted treats.
Ignore the schmutz on the table.  So much stuff going on and I missed it. I could retake the photo but then Lucy wouldn't be in it and we can't have that.

Now the painting.  I'm never going to be done painting!  The wall where the giant cupboard lived desperately needs painting and a smart person would have done it prior to the installation of the stove but as you've surmised: we don't plan ahead. Like, ever.  And it's on a wall with a vaulted ceiling so I have to employ Kevin and his long legs.

However, because I continually make good choices, I did spend my last snow day painting one of the living room walls.  After much debate and me handing the paint color cards to Kevin and saying "What color do you hate?", we chose...wait for it...you'll probably guess...mocha.

I had about one fourth of the wall done and was so, so, so regretting my choices.  Like, nearly a panic attack regretting my choices.  But I persevered because changing my mind at that point wasn't an option. People will notice a half-painted brown wall.

In the end, I like it.  Kevin likes it.  Now I'm obsessing if I want to do any of the other walls that color. I fear it will be too much but I'm still pondering.

The hutch is the one built for me by my father-in-law. It is nearly half the size of the banished one.

One more thing: we were supposed to have a refrigerator delivered but the over one foot of snow on the ground delayed that one week.  I'm equally disappointed and relieved.  I don't know that I can take much more.

But I can.  Skip ahead a few more days with me.

When we were looking for a different dining table, because fireplace, I had spotted a bed frame that I liked.  It was in the north county and it snowed right after I found it so I didn't act on it.  Also, I didn't want to add another project to the already ongoing projects.

Except I did.  Two weeks later and the ad was still there.  I emailed them and it was still available. As luck would have it, Kevin was getting a haircut on Saturday and it was nearby.  The fates have spoken.  Like the table and the stove, it was $75 and we would be stupid to pass it up.

Now we spent Saturday evening (after visiting Kevin's mom in the hospital because OF COURSE) taking our bedroom apart.  I've mentioned before our bed was an old waterbed frame from the 80's.  I didn't mind it so much but it was super dated. And BIG.  And dark.  It's in our backyard, waiting it's fate in the burn pile.  (Yes, it does make me a little sad. Thanks for asking)

Now I'm wondering if I could paint the wall behind the bed the same mocha color.  Strangely, in the craigslist ad photos the wall color is very similar.  It is a Queen Anne Victorian iron bed.  The home we bought it from was a million dollar home so we can assume it wasn't a wallyworld, cheap bed frame. They were downsizing so that's why it was so cheap.

Fireplace will probably move to the left wall but isn't it lovely?

And, the dresser still hasn't arrived. Rumor has it that I can go pick it up tomorrow.  The refrigerator is scheduled to be here on Thursday but our driveway is nearly impassable so I'm not holding my breath.

Today is President's Day so I'm home.  I had a list of errands and tasks that I was going to do.  I woke up this morning in our cool new bed and thought "Nope. Nope to all of that."  Writing this bloggity is the most productive thing I've done all day.

And Kevin has asked me to stay off of Craigslist and OfferUp.  Fair enough.

Happy Valentine's Day

A Musical Journey

Quite a while ago, Swistle wondered what kind of music the elderly would like to listen to.  Like, if you're in your 70's, what do you listen to?  How does your music taste change or not change as you age?

My mind has been puzzling with this query since she asked it.  I really started thinking about it after the very big birthday in December.  And right now when I have a *snow day* and I have MTV Classic playing "I Want My 80's"  I'm in a reminiscing time warp right now. Perfect for this pondering.

Here's what I've surmised and there are a few takes:

I think a person tends to stick with the decade of time that was the most formative.  So, in my case: it's the late 80's.  In Kevin's case, it's the late 70's/early 80's because: age difference.  My guess would be for most folks it would be generally in your late teens.

My dad listened to 40's music and sometimes earlier music.  He graduated high school in 1952 so that math kind of plays out.  Kevin's mom lights up when Elvis plays and his dad will sing any old Country song like he's at the Grand Old Opry.

Here's what's fun though:  Reactions to the songs are different now.  There are songs I used to like that now I think "I could live the Rest of My Life without hearing this song again."   There are songs that I hated back then that I like now.  (Bust A Move, which happens to be playing right now)  I can see how Madonna changed music as a whole now but I just found her kind of annoying back in the day.  

When I was little, my brother returned from a tour in the Army.  He brought home one of those giant stereo systems that were becoming a thing back then.  It had noise cancelling headphones and I would lay in front of that system for hours wearing them.  (hello traumatic childhood coping mechanism)

REO Speedwagon was just becoming huge and I loved that album. I would play it over and over.
Take It On the Run was super popular when Kevin was in his formative music time.  The lyrics to that song were super pertinent to him because his then-wife was like that song.  I just loved the song because I did, but for him it was a whole other meaning.

Songs tend to lose their power over time, I think.  It's like a scar or a bruise. There are a handful of songs that I would launch across a room or car to skip and now I'm more meh about them.  Oh, I still have one or two that will gut me but mostly the teen-aged angst associated with songs are gone.

One more thing, slightly to the left of the topic:

I grew up when the debate for parent advisory labels was a big debate.  At the time I didn't care because I didn't have parenting that labels would affect at all. Friends of mine wouldn't be able to buy certain things because of a label though but I would have just bought it for them so it was a non-issue to me.  

I will say that I didn't like any sort of curbing of free speech, even at that young of age. However, now I can see how parents must have thought we were all going to hell in a heavy metal handbasket.  Also, it makes me wonder because the music has gone so far past what folks were worried about Back Then.  Did the labels work? or make it worse?  If I were a parent, would I monitor my kids music? (I don't think I would but it's only a guess)

Everything changes, music often reflects that. Rap/Hip-Hop didn't exist until I was in my late teens. Heavy metal didn't exist for my parents. Rock and Roll didn't exist for my grandparents.

Finally, tastes change.  I grew up in Rednecklandia so it was all Bocephus and country music then. I hated it.  HATED. IT. It just represented everything that I wanted to get away from. Fast forward too many years and country is mostly what I listen to now.  It has to be acknowledged, though, that country music now is more like pop music of the 80's and not all twangy my dog died, my girlfriend stole my truck and my house blew away.    

So after all that, I posit that a person might tend to listen to music from then they were young. Nostalgically perhaps.  Comfort, maybe.  But music is fluid and reflective throughout time so of course, tastes will change.

Unless you were my dad.

(and the title is an unintended pun...)

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie - HGTV Edition

On this episode of HGTV...

For few months now I've been...we've been...rehabbing this house a bit.  It's thirteen years old so it  is due for a makeover.  It is a teenager, after all.

We redid the floors in 2014 and swore we would never do that again.  OMG such a huge job to empty the entire house then reload the entire house, in one day because we set easily achievable goals. (and/or we live in the Pacific Northwest where you don't leave stuff outside overnight unless you like your property damp)

Sidebar:  When I was painting, Kevin was a little worried for the carpet and rightfully so because I have the attention span of a small child.  "Do you want to do the carpets again?", he asked.
"No because that suuuuuccckkkeeddd."
He knows how to motivate me.

Now I've painted both bathrooms, the kitchen, 90% of the mudroom, and the entryway.  Truth be told, I should be painting right now but I just don't have it in me, yet.

It's that old adage of "If you paint, then you'll need new floors, then drapes..."  Paint one wall and the one next to it is yelling at you that it needs painting too because OMG Look.

We put in new mirrors in the bathrooms, courtesy of BFF K and Kevin for my birthday/Christmas. which meant I had to paint in the bathrooms AGAIN because removing the old huge mirrors uncovered unpainted walls.  Sigh.  But it's beautiful now so worth it.

I had chosen easy install adhesive tile for the bathroom, prior to the mirror thing.  Wouldn't you know it but the tile didn't match anymore once the mirrors were up and the walls painted.  It's a good thing because Kevin was about as excited about grout as he was with me painting anywhere near the carpet.

I searched the amazon and found cheap adhesive faux tile and it is perfect. Kevin was skeptical that it would look cheesy but once he got it in, he was good with it.  So, master bathroom is complete.
But that faux tile doesn't match the common folk bathroom because, really, why would it?

I've yet to solve that puzzle because I keep dithering over whether or not I want to go mainstream or funky.  Kevin's taste is more conservative but in the end, is just happy if I'm happy so the pressure is on me.  I'm totally going to wuss out and do mainstream but it's fun to think about.

Photo from Amazon. This is the grownup choice

Photo from Amazon. This is the fun choice

So, yesterday.  I don't even remember why this was a thing yesterday but replacing our giant dining table came up in conversation.  Kevin said to look on OfferUp.  Yeah, that was a super dangerous idea. I found one in about five minutes for $25, marked down from original $100.

Now, to be fair, Kevin was already going somewhere today for truck parts.  But now we had to get up early (for me) to pick up this table.  We left, had breakfast in the town that the table was, woke up the owners of the table, then headed another 20 minutes south for Kevin's thing.  Then it began snowing. I love snow but not when we have furniture in the back of the truck.

Wait, I skipped a part.  I remember why the dining table was a thing!!  We bought a fireplace.  Because we shouldn't be in charge of our own lives.  It was on clearance and it replaces the heater style one we bought in a panic after being out of power for three days that Lucy loves and we don't.

Kevin assembled/installed the fireplace last night.  At first, we thought we had to move the dining table to make room but then we figured out something else.  And we already committed to getting the table. So here we are with a new-to-us oak table.

And we bought the wrong finish fireplace but we are Living with Our Choices.

I realized this morning, that painting the living room is next on the docket because that will solve the wrong color fireplace thing.  This requires choosing an actual color so here we are: me writing about it  instead of doing it.  President's Day is coming up, I will set that as a goal-ish.

Gratuitous puppy photo.Or: New table featuring walls that need painting 

Goodbye Superhero

http://alaska.guardianflight.com/

We lost a friend on Wednesday.  If ever there was a real-life superhero, it was Stacie. 

We met her when she was a barista in high school. She ended up being the manager, because, of course she did.  She made the best coffee ever (sorry other barista friends)  and started the tradition of giving Kevin a pink straw in his drink that is still happening years later.

She decided to be a RN, working full-time and on an accelerated schedule.  She never did things slowly. It's like she knew she didn't have time.  She accomplished that goal but it wasn't enough: she became an ER Nurse then Trauma Nurse then achieved her ultimate goal: Med Flight Nurse in Alaska.

We experienced her as a nurse with Kevin's mom right before she left for Alaska and it was clear that it was absolutely what she was meant to be.  She had to fight in her life, nothing seemed to come easy, and it just made her stronger.  Thus the perfect person for taking care of those fighting.

To quote her fiance: She died doing what she absolutely loved. 

She is on the insta as FlightNurseStacie.  Check out what a badass she is.  We say her name so she isn't forgotten. 

Godspeed Stacie and your tiny baby girl. 

A Rant, then Recultivate

Friends IRL may have noticed that I have taken a little break from social media.  Mostly from the facebook because it's depressing to learn and continually experience that friends and family are racists and willfully ignorant.

I define willfully ignorant as someone who blindly accepts facts as truth, no matter the source.  i.e. "my coworker said"  "I read it on Twitter" or Fox "news".
Take some responsibility and confirm something is true before spreading it around.  It takes less than a minute to google something.

And the racist thing, well, that just sucks because there isn't a cure for that other than intolerance.  Which is difficult to do when it's family members or friends you thought you knew.

There are many worst parts for the past few years but for me the worst part is discovering which friends/family have these beliefs.  It's disappointing and exhausting and leaves me feeling powerless.

Because all I want to do is hit comment and point out that it is a lie or state how disappointed I am.  But that is a can of worms that I do not want.  Instead I will like the snot out of posts that I do agree with, knowing that they'll possibly pop up on others feeds. It's passive aggressive but it makes me feel a little better.

And sometimes I will post something and know that there may be blowback.  My plan in that case is to not feed that monster and ignore any comments.  Luckily, I've not had that happen in quite a while.

There used to be decorum but that is a social skill that has passed, it seems.  Because of my beliefs, I have been referred to as a libtard, been "pwned", and all kinds of things.  To add to the frustration, most of these folks would never say it to my face but giddily do it on social media.  I've never hidden nor shouted my beliefs but it's not difficult to know who I am so it's difficult not to take it personally.  (side-eye at close family members)

Like I've said before, this isn't a simple disagreement about the death penalty or abortion.  These are disagreements over fundamentals like every one is equal and free and taking care of the poor and the weak, and basically: don't be an asshole.
These are things that in my 50 years of life I would have never guessed would be a thing.

ANYWAY...

Instead I post puppy photos and family photos.  I repost memes.  I don't deep dive like I used to.  The only downfall of this is that I have missed stuff occasionally.  Then I think: we didn't use to have facebook and it was okay, we all survived.

My former sister-in-law lamented that there was nothing good on the facebook anymore so I suggested to recultivate her feed.  I recommended some pages for her to follow so she sees positivity instead of the utter shitshow that is our government and social media right now.

Here is the list:

 Word Porn, Love What Matters, Purple Clover, Goodwill Librarian. For Reading Addicts, The Idealist, PostSecret, Cup of Jane, Uplift Connect, Bookish Buzz, Humans of Tumblr, Humans of New York, Ann Moore (no relation at all) Calvin and Hobbes, Snoopy , The Bloggess!!! 

I also follow dog pages like Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund, Dog Feelings and Dog Rates.  My f-s-i-l is a cat person so they weren't on the original list.

Follow authors or performers that you like.  I only do that if they post content other than upcoming performances/appearances though.  That one can be tricky.

Follow your state/province. For example, I follow Washington State History Museum, local town(s) history, and Only in Washington.  I'm a nerd so I realize this might not be interesting to everyone.

Of course, I follow car stuff.  Follow your hobby.

My twitter feed is different because I use it differently.  However, I do follow writers, comedians, pundits, and friends.  I try to retweet the funny, the poignant, the important on that platform.  (Firegirl03)

My point, other than the rant, is that social media is what you make it.  It can be super negative or super positive.  And VERIFY for eff sakes before reposting.  #morepuppyphotos

Pretty Paper

(This was supposed to post before the New Year but didn't.                                                       So apologies for the out-of-sync posts that you probably didn't notice but I did)

Two unrelated wrapping stories:

I made the mistake of asking where the Christmas wrapping was at my mother's house. First, she looked at me slightly aghast that I didn't know, which really is a shock taken that I haven't lived there for thirty years. For all of my childhood, it was stored in a Montgomery Ward wardrobe box under their bed.  I also assumed that she would have some out because it was Christmas.

She said in the laundry room, next to the freezer.  Then proceeded to show me because she's my mother. To be more specific, it was in the closet portion of the built-in wardrobe, that was once my brothers room, and now converted into the aforementioned laundry room. Simple.

And the door only opens about five inches because: literally next to the freezer.

I reached in and grabbed the first roll my fingers landed on.  It was brittle but still new Christmas paper that I suspect was as old as I was.  It was taped down instead of cellaphane. It was not glossy like paper is now.  There was a little time whiplash upon seeing it.

Now I'm obsessed with what else is in that closet.  It will be one of those archaeological digs that will occur when it's time to close that house so it will be a while before I find out.

Then, there's Kevin's parents.  Every year for ten years I say "Do NOT buy Christmas wrapping. I have plenty of YOURS here at the house."  Every.Year.

Every.Year. they buy paper and I store it.  I even band it together to keep it separate even though it's obvious which is there's because she buys odd wrapping  that I would never buy.

This year I said "The wrapping paper is behind the door of Lucy's room"  Take what you need because there's plenty.  That sounds simple, yes?

Oh, it wasn't.

About halfway through opening presents I noticed that some of my really nice birthday wrapping paper was on the presents.  I was a little confused but let it go.  Then one of the boy littles said to his brother "Bro, that looks like girl paper."

It was metallic purple and pink paper.  Couldn't be less Christmas-y paper if it tried.

SOMEHOW, my father-in-law came into the office, ignored the rolls of paper behind the door, and got into Monica's closet, which requires moving a rocking chair.  He then unearthed, on the top shelf, our box of regular wrapping paper.

AND THEN DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING WAS STRANGE about baby shower, wedding shower, children's birthdays wrapping paper.

OR, did they think to themselves "Gosh, Surely is stingy with wrapping paper."

OR  "This seems odd, maybe we have the wrong paper"

OR "Let's call Surely, who lives twenty-five feet away, and double-check.

So, now everyone's presents are going to be wrapped in Christmas paper. I don't care if your birthday is in August, you're getting freaking SNOWMAN paper because it's all I have now.

TEAL Santa paper, who buys that?  NOT ME

It's Been One Week...

Today is January 2 and I've accomplished very little.  (it's not now but it was when I started)

There hasn't been a consistent schedule in this house since December 19th and I can *feel* it.  Even Kevin complained a little yesterday about feeling a little off.  We are a Need Structure pair.

There is a To - Do list on my phone for these last three weekdays of Winter Break.  Some of them are easy, like set a doctor appointment, and some are difficult, like paint the laundry room.  I've accomplished not one single thing and it's after 1:00 p.m.

This kind of procrastination isn't unusual for me.  Although, I am taking today as more of a mental health day than a lazy day.  And I completely understand that I will be frustrated with myself tomorrow or Friday for squandering this time.  But this is the first day that I've been alone in four days and I can feel it.

I will gladly admit that our Christmas Tree is still up and decorated.  Kevin would like to have it down the day after Christmas but I usually wait until closer to the New Year.  This is the latest it has been up, for sure.

It's still smells really good, it's not dropping needles, and it still makes me happy to look at it.  I told Kevin that I'm going to add a day each time he asks if it's still up.  He just asked so I get to wait until tomorrow.  Because I am a mature adult.

January 3rd...Today is Niece and Nephew's 10th anniversary and yesterday was Nephew's 34th birthday.  We are not talking about how big those numbers are and the correlation with a birthday I had last month.  Nope, we are not.

I relented and took down the tree.  What's funny to me, although he probably wouldn't admit it, is that Kevin didn't ask about the tree yesterday.  Technically, I won.

Every year for elebenty years, I forget what a process that is.  And sad.  It actually makes me sad.  Like Phoebe on Friends, I apologized to the tree and thanked it for being such a beautiful tree.  Yes, I'm crazy and probably been home a little too long.

So, that took most of the afternoon.  Because it's not just removing ornaments and you're done.  It's vacuuming and dusting and putting furniture back and Monica's closet to contend with.

Pro tip for the post holidays blues:  small white string lights.  I've left a few sets out with regular house stuff to ward off the darkness, both physical and metaphysical.

Now it is January 4th...  I did not have the aforementioned frustration with myself but I will say that I need a nap.

I stacked all my errands for today.  Groceries, Goodwill, car wash, donating magazines, post office, stuff.  Then of course Kevin invited me to lunch and needed something picked up.  I'm not complaining that my husband wanted to go to lunch, I'm complaining that it is a half an hour south of where I was and opposite of home.

But I'm home now and all I have left on my list is painting the laundry room.  It's 3:15 so I'm going to go with a hard No on that one.  Plus it's Friday, one doesn't start painting on a Friday. That is silly talk right there.

If you got the Bare Naked Ladies reference from the title, *fist bump*

Annual New Year's Meme!

It’s tradition! The New Years Meme!

1. What did you do in 2018 that you’d never done before?

 Meditate!  Definitely recommended and something I hope to sustain

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?



I didn’t really set any last year so that’s a Yes!

3. My resolutions for 2019:

        Continuing to paint the interior of the house

        Consider getting a new refrigerator & stove

        Write more.  This is a rerun, and will always be

4. Did anyone close to you give birth?



Nope, no new babies this year. 

5. Did anyone close to you die?



Yes, and it was awful.  I believe things come in three’s and the

third hasn’t occurred yet.

6. What countries did you visit?



"Oh Canada, our home and native land.."

(This is not my favorite question...Let's try: What trips did you take?  We’ve had some epic roadtrips )

7. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?

A new government

8. What dates from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

February: we stayed the night at Semiahmoo and it was perfection.

July: Our first race this year and it was just Kevin and I.  It was the most fun we have had in years.

December: my birthday was another road trip that I loved

9. What was your biggest achievement of the year?



        Successfully completing and disentangling myself from the  

freelance situation

10. What was your biggest failure?

        Not remaining hopeful. This year has been so dark and society

seems to keep digging below the bottom

11. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Not this year!  I'm on a three-year spree!  Go, me!

12. What was the best thing you bought?

        My new bike!  We bought bikes to ride when we’re racing and I

love it, even though I’m a little ridiculous on it.

13. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Anyone who has made it through this no good, awful, terrible, very bad year.  And the Blue Wave

14. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?



He Who Shan't Be Named and the people who support him.

15. Where did most of your money go?

        Racecar, mochas, books, bills

16. What did you get really excited about?

Good thing: going racing.                                                        Bad thing: governmental indictments & investigations.

17. What song will always remind you of 2018?

        In Case You Didn’t Know – Brett Young

        Almost 30 years in and there are still love songs.

18. Compared to this time last year, are you:


~ happier or sadder? Moderately happier

~ thinner or fatter? Same-ish

~ richer or poorer? Better than last year

19. What do you wish you’d done more of?



Read...I look at my bookshelf and want to read everything right now.

20. What do you wish you’d done less of?



        Despair at the current state of affairs

21. How did you spend Christmas?



Eve - at my parents with an excited five-year-old who still ovesthe joy of Tag! with Unca Kevin

Day - Next door, immersed in children's excitement and food

22. Did you fall in love in 2018?

Every day.

23. What was your favorite TV program?



       New: The Bold Type & Grownish, Old: The West Wing

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?



"No. I'm not a hater. It's a waste of time" is my standard answer but this year He Who Shan't Be Named is SO on the list.

25. What was the best book you read?

         Looking at my bookshelves...umm, well.  There wasn't really a                     favorite this year

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?


        The Greatest Showman soundtrack

27. What did you want and get?

          Time with Kevin

28. What did you want and not get?

           I'm pleased to say that I can't think of anything other than the                    obvious: puppy, books, mocha, chocolate

29. What was your favorite film of this year?

100 Foot Journey and The Greatest Showman

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 50!

We went on a road trip to Friday Harbor, which isn’t something normal humans do in December and it was glorious.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

A functioning government and not the constant feeling of needing to flee to Canada

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018?

I'm going to quote an old coworker "I'd like to get as close as possible to wearing pajamas to work yet still look appropriately dressed."

33. What kept you sane?



 Kevin. Lucy. Mochas. Television.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Lin Manuel Miranda (see: Good Morning/Good Night)

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

the whole gawdamned gawdawful thing.

36. Who did you miss?

My former co-workers.

37. Who was the best new person you met?

        I don't know that I met anyone new, really...

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018:

        Expect the Unexpected

Today

Defrocking The House 2018

It's about halfway through December 26th and I'm defrocking the house already. (TBH: now it's the 27th)

I'm on winter break for the next two weeks so I've plenty of time to do this.  Why I feel compelled to do this So Much today is a mystery.  I mean, it's not like we had an unhappy Christmas and I just want to be done now.  It was actually a pretty mellow Christmas, for once.

My plan for today was: nothing. Kevin had to work so the only thing planned was to watch Doctor Who all day.  BBC has a marathon going right now so it's been playing here since Christmas Eve evening, if Kevin isn't around.  (He just can't even.  He glances at the television and says "Because of course the Titanic is flying through space" and shakes his head)

Right now everything is piled in my office, which I just cleaned and organized on Christmas Eve morning so the organization lasted almost two whole days. The tree is going to be an hours long task and I'm just not interested.  It's still pretty, smells good and makes me happy

I think part of this urge is that this house LOOKS decorated at Christmas.  I just haven't found a balance of decorating for the holidays with this house.  It tends toward looking/feeling cluttered, in my brain.  I'm certain that it's not, in reals.

Many of the decorations have been changed or replaced since we moved in, in an attempt to appease this house. I've mentioned it before that this house shrugs off decorations like it's wearing an itchy wool sweater.  While the old house had plenty of surface to decorate and because it was an old house, it just preened in Christmas decorations.

I guess the best way to describe the settled upon decoration style for this house is like the real simple magazine. Lots of decorative candles, bulb ornaments, white lights, and beaded garland. A few years ago, Michael's had decorations that looked like they were from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas and I loved them. They are glitter heavy and bright green and red.



It must just boil down to the  cluttered feeling and needing to control my space.  It's been not a great year and I suspect that 2019 is not going to be much of an improvement.  Kevin is just relieved, because he is definitely the Once It's Done, Be Done guy.  I used to hold out until after New Year's Day.

I did better this year with my ornament obsession. Not being able to shop on my birthday is honestly the only reason. And we bought the perfect tree this year so I was able to use all the ornaments.  Although, I was lacking in green ones  so I bought a set, okay-three sets- at Goodwill.  It's all about balance.



I have some snowmen decorations that I put out for January, just so the house doesn't look barren and sad.  Because reasons, I took them into work for that same purpose and now I have nothing.  Instead, I made a quick trip to the dollar store and bought some extra white, short-strand Christmas lights and some new candles.  It's still a little cheery for the dark days of January and February.

Also what happens every year is the intention to organize everything while putting it away.  Then I get tired and frustrated and don't do it.  This year, I am determined.  My winter break stretches into January instead of being solely in December so I've got the time.  Label maker and bubble wrap will be employed.  I will pack the closet according to need. For instance: Christmas cards easily accessed so I can ignore them until days before Christmas, as is tradition.

Merry Christmas

Whatever you celebrate, may it be with all your favorite people, things and eats.

Faith and family is what you choose it to be.

Making A List

Kevin really is one of the smartest people I know.  Subterfuge is not his thing though.  I mean, take shopping for his wife as an example.  

He requested a list for Christmas so I made him one with five items on it.  None of them difficult and not requiring going to a special store.  My only request is that he doesn't go with his brother because it's super fun discovering that my sister-in-law received the exact same present as me.

Item #1: a man's watch.  He had forgotten his so I put it on my wrist to remember to give it to him.  I realized that I liked the weight and the looseness of it.  I don't like tight things on my wrists at all. (criminal in a former life, I'm guessing)

He didn't want to because he didn't want his wife to look like a truck driver.  LOL, what?  I understand that it's an unusual request.  He did ask if I wanted a watch like that or just liked wearing HIS watch and it's probably a little bit of both.  About a minute into the discussion I  realized something:  

"Wait, Kevin? Let me understand: you wanted a list of things to buy me for Christmas and now you're debating said list?"  He laughed and said yes.

Item #2:  After painting our bathroom, I want to do some remodeling.  BFF K gave me a mirror for my birthday. I can put in the common folk bathroom, or buy another one and put it in the master bathroom, or buy two more and have everything match.

This intrigued Kevin and he wanted all the mirrors to match because the OCD is strong in him.  Okay, I win.

Item #3: pretty light covers for the master bath light and our bedroom.  This started a "There isn't a light like that in the bathroom" debate, closely followed by a "We looked at the junk shop and couldn't find one that fit."  Because.We.Didn't.Measure.  I win, again.

Items #4 & 5: new cozy flannel sheets and a cozy new blanket for our bed.    

I knew he wasn't going to get either of those ones so it was kind of a throw-away request.

He went, was gone about an hour, and one phone call later, he returned.  Every year he leaves the present in the shop, wraps it there and depending on what it is, takes it next door or puts it under our tree.

I was very specific: the wrapping paper is behind the door in the office.  Scissors and tape are in the middle drawer of the desk.  I went into my office this morning and the door to Monica's Closet was open.  Why?  We don't know and we're not going to ask.

AND, I have a pile of about twenty paper bows on my desk that are crushed and mangled.  I left them there last night with the intention of googling what to do with them today.  Notice the bow when you look at the photo below.

When I entered the living room, I noticed the brown wrapping paper first.  It matches nothing else that is wrapped and is on top of other presents.  THEN I noticed the giant present LEANING ON THE TREE.  

Bless his heart, he will never work for the CIA.

Dust in the Wind

The lovely Pacific Northwest had a "Weather Event" yesterday.  There was an expected windstorm that did lots and lots of damage throughout Western Washington and the coast.

While I was driving to work, I noticed once I got to the farmland that the wind was strongly blowing, pushing my heavy truck around.  Once I arrived at work, the lights kept blinking on and off.  We were all kind of nervously making jokes about getting to go home, all the while hoping the building wasn't damaged while we were in it.

Not long afterward, the power indeed went out.  The main office is windowless so it was pitch black.  This is the situation where you discover who are the helpers and the panickers.  One of my coworkers is a panicker.  I calmly grabbed my phone, started the flashlight app, and helped her find her phone and way.

Someone asked her where her emergency flashlight was.  She opened a desk drawer and brought out a torch (a Bic candle-lighter)  I was all "Umm, no..." gently taking it from her "That is a super bad idea."

I returned to my office, which is separate from the rest of them and made arrangements to go home.  But when I checked in later, they were huddled around a table with a flashlight in the middle and were talking about what they could do for lunch.

The interwebs was apocalyptic with photos and updates of downed trees, power outages, and then the only freeway we have closed.  I was a little concerned and befuddled that they were so whatever about it.  I guess that maybe they thought it would...wait for it...blow over.

I just wanted to get home safely, make sure we had electricity and everything was fine.  So, I left.  One and a half hours later, I was home. It usually takes twenty minutes. All the traffic lights were out, the freeway was closed, and it was gridlock everywhere.  Once I could get to a back road, I was great.  It was just getting to it.

We had power when I arrived home.  It looked like our road was the only one in the whole neighborhood  that did, strangely.  I can't see our backdoor from where I park and I was busy looking at the trees, wondering if there was anything I could do.  Then I rounded the corner of the house and Sonofabiscuiteatingdog.

Our roof was damaged.  There were twenty roof shingles scattered on the ground and in the garden.

I put my stuff down, walked back up behind our house to look at the roof (there is a gravel road that runs behind our house) And sure enough, a section was missing and there were eight shingles still laying haphazardly on the roof.

Unfortunately, I can't see the front of the house to see what's happened on that part of the roof.  I couldn't tell if it was better or worse.  So, here I am in a windstorm, making excellent choices, and getting a 10 foot ladder in the middle of a windstorm.

I set it in the middle of our lawn, planted it well, and slowly inched my way up three steps.  All the while, muttering "I am the dumbest person alive right now."   But my courage wore out and I couldn't get high enough to see enough of anything.

It took Kevin nearly two hours to get home.  And of course, it started to rain as soon as he was on the roof.  Luckily it stopped about halfway through the repair job.  And with that, the wind died down too.

Along with thousands of other people, I had to call the insurance company to start a claim.  It was surprisingly easy and I hope that bodes well for the process.  And if it doesn't, I tend to enjoy a good fight.  We're glad to be relatively small in this situation.

Oh, beautiful PNW, sometimes you make it difficult to love you.

Happiness in an Envelope

It's my annual struggle: Christmas cards.

I love Christmas cards.  I love getting them, I love choosing them in the store, I love the idea of them.  I think it's a lost and important art.  A moment for two people to connect and remember each other.

One month ago I brought out the Christmas basket that holds all of our cards.  It has an assortment of cards, super random envelopes, glitter, and mailing labels.  Oh, and a green and red pen.   Every tool needed (except stamps) that a person needs to complete this joyous chore.  This year I even bought stamps ahead of time.

It's the 17th today and I'm just starting.  Every single year this happens.  Every single year I have the best of intentions.  I had the goal of having this task completed over the Thanksgiving weekend and now we're a week from Christmas.

I have no excuse.  A little bit of the Can't Want To.  A little bit of I left them in my office and "out of sight, out of mind." Otherwise I can only blame the Hallmark Christmas movies that are on constantly right now.

Last year I had the epiphany that it was because I have too many cards to choose from.  I have church cards, Santa cards, pretty cards, kid cards.  I try to cover all the bases.  What I should have is a huge stack of the exact same card.  If I just would do that, this task would be over in about thirty minutes.

But what fun would that be?  I like finding the Santa card for the families who have kids.  The doggy cards for our friends with dogs.  I like honoring someone with a church card because I know it's special to them, even if I'm a little meh.

I see the photo cards and I love them.  Each year I think "I should do those."   Photos of Kevin and I together are few, I'm the one usually taking the photos.  I don't want to be the childless couple who sends out a photo of their dog, even though Lucy is pretty cute.  Maybe some year I will do one and I'll probably love it and wonder why I ever did it any differently.

This year and last year, actually, I have an extra challenge: Christmas cards for Kevin's staff.  Yep, I've become the typical boss's wife.  I try not to make all the cards the same because I know they will probably see each other's cards.  I worked on what to write and decided with a simple "Thank you for all you do" and our signature.

Here is a Christmas mystery I have every single year:  where do all the envelopes go?  Every year I run short of a size of envelopes.  Yet I have a stack of too small envelopes.  How does this happen?  It's not like I make a ton of mistakes.  My guess is that I've too many times bought extra envelopes and each time buying the wrong size.  Because: I am clever.   I also have the tendency to hoard birthday card envelopes.  And yes, you're right: those are much too big for Christmas cards.  Yet, I continue to do it.

So, then it's prioritizing.  I usually start with my BFF first (your card reminded me of your house!) and then family, and then friends.  I should start with our Canadian friends because it takes weeks to get the cards to them, even though most of them are less than an hour away.  One year I'll accomplish that but this is not that year.

Family and friends who are smart asses get glitter or confetti in their cards. This has had consequences over the years as I have glitter all over my desk, or in my car.  One year the bag of confetti broke open and I didn't know it.  A lovely confetti trail went from one end of the old house to the other.  Sometimes Karma is instant.

Years ago I wrote a loving post about our address book.  This is another delay that I encounter: time has to be spent looking through the address book and remembering.  Each year someone is crossed off the list (usually sad reasons) but maybe sometimes people are added too.

And in another classic example: here I am writing about a task instead of completing it.

So, if you ever want a Christmas card, hit me up.  It will probably be late or last minute but look at all the thought I put into it! 

It's Not His Job

Couple friends of ours have hit a rough patch.  They have two young children  and at that horrible time when neither of the kids are in school yet. Also, her Pinterest perception of what motherhood should look like is wrong.

(I will preface this with I really like her, I really do.  She's almost twenty years younger than me so my perspective has experience behind it that she doesn't yet possess.)

And then there's Jesus.   

She'll talk about praying to understand why life is so hard, or for strength, or whatever, quite a bit.  Then she'll mention not finding the help/solace that she's looking for.

I just want to grab her by the shirt and say "JESUS isn't going to FIX THIS" while gesturing wildly. This is not broken, this is difficult. This is what life looks like. Her life is exactly the life that every stay-at-home mom with young kids has.  I  want to dial my nephew and niece with the six kids, three pets, and two jobs then hand her the phone: "Talk to them about your problems.  I think they'll find your problems Adorable." 

She has this perception that if she prays hard enough that suddenly her kids won't act their age, or that her husband won't have to work 8+ hours plus commute so she can be home, or that the puppy will stop doing puppy things.  Also, Jesus didn't make any of these choices so yelling at him about it seems misguided.

I'm not demeaning that it's difficult, I'm demeaning the approach that he's going to suddenly notice her and make it better.  She's a SAHM with little financial worries and a good support system. I know this is surface level and thou shalt not judge and all that but it's not like she's the opposite of all that. 

None of our kids are religious so we haven't really bumped into this situation.  Also, It's a confident guess that her upbringing was vastly different than what our kids experienced.

It's just astounding to me when someone has a skewed perspective of their life then gets frustrated that Jesus doesn't fix it.  a) it's not his job 2) it's not broken: it's life and c) let's look around at others lives and find some perspective. 

This is the part that I find ironic.  Wouldn't life be just a little bit easier if you're not waking the kids up on Sunday and dragging them to church for most of the day?  Or to bible study during the evenings?  They are younger than six, I think their tiny souls will be alright.

This is one of those situations where I find religion frustrating. She believes that if she just prays enough and is dedicated to the church enough that life will get easier or she will suddenly gain insight.  Umm, no. that's not how any of this works.

I always imagined praying was meant for the big stuff.  I imagine God/Jesus/whatever thinking "Really?  This?  This is what you're asking for?"  Let's keep prayer in reserve for the dying parent, the sick kid, the gratitude when things are good; not just because kids are messy and loud.  The rest of the work is on us mere humans.

If you're a believer, you don't get to know why things happen.  He considers it none of your business, he has a plan.  Stop interfering, stop asking.  Just suck it up, buttercup.

I Can't Want To

I'm learning something new at work and usually I'm all in with this situation. 

Today though, man, I just can't. 

So far, I've more frequently than necessary checked email and social media.  I've completed other tasks of my job.  I've decorated for the holidays.

I'm not normally like this.  I usually like learning new things.  But I've had this project since right before I went on vacation and it keeps getting bumped (unintentionally and intentionally) to the bottom of the pile.

I started today with the intention of completing it.  I have thirty-five minutes left of my day and here we are:  Off task.  And sure, I'll be pouty and resentful when that folder is staring me in the face tomorrow.

Now I'm being all self-analytical.  "Why? why don't you want to do this?"

To be fair: I haven't been fully trained in this task.  I know about half of what I need to know.  I'm referring back to training that I had years and years ago: "If there is a field asking for info, fill it."  Which is helpful, but the documents don't match the screen; which prompts a lot of "I know I just saw it. *flipping pages* sonofa...Oh, here it is."

Oh, and some of these forms are in Spanish.  I get extra Challenge Points for that.

AND, I can't refer to the University of Google and YouTube because it's a specialized database.  Nothing in my bag of tricks is making this work.

If I really think about it: I don't like things that I'm not immediately successful with.  Not to be all Miss Smarty Pants, but stuff like this usually comes super easy to me.  So when it doesn't, tantrums ensue.  And I make mature decisions like "Hey, I'll write about this and then at least I accomplished that."