Happy Halloween Weekend!

Nobody really dressed up at work today. So I’m glad I didn’t go all out with face paint and an elaborate costume. I’m in a simple A-line black skirt that comes below my knees, heels, a white blouse and a cardigan. And pearls.

I am a housewife. Because that’s what I want to be when I grow up.

To celebrate a full weekend of Halloween, we will be watching a scary movie tonight for pizza/movie night (yes we’re having pizza because I don’t feel like cooking. Ha. TODD doesn’t feel like cooking. And I don’t feel like cleaning up). Then tomorrow we’re going to our neighbor’s annual Halloween party and Sunday will be trick-r-treaters and maybe another scary movie.

And then, holy crap, we’re into November and the holidays and decorating AND CHRISTMAS!! AND VACATION TIME!!

I’m giddy.
Can’t you tell?

Sears is Cool

Sears has revamped (or rezombed) their website just in time for Halloween.

Very nice, marketing team.

Very nice.

It Appears That Sir Pukesalot May Be Malicious

I was awakened bright and early this morning (6:30 to be exact) by Kayleigh’s alarm clock. She had forgotten to turn it off before she left for her overnight yesterday.

As soon as opened the bedroom door to go turn it off, Tom blew in like he does every morning. It was too much effort to shoo him out, so I just turned off Kayleigh’s radio, fed the kitties, and crawled back in bed with Todd. Tom walked around for a while, trying to find the perfect way to lay on me, but he’s not used to Todd being there. Todd didn’t want to cuddle with him, so Tom kept walking around, trying to get comfortable.

After a few minutes of this, Tom got fed up, jumped off the bed and left the room. Well, okay fine, be that way. There was plenty of room for him to lay on my side, but he just couldn’t work it with Todd there.

A few minutes later, we heard Tom’s tag jingle as he walked back in the bedroom. I figured he was going to try this cuddle thing again.

Wrong.

He walked all the way around to my side of the bed, crouched on the floor and puked.

Really? Right there? I believe his point was made. He was not happy that Todd was in that bed. Morning time is TOM TIME.

So I got up, went and got the paper towels, cleaned up the mess, walked back in the kitchen to throw the paper towels away, patted Tom on the head and said “You can still cuddle with us” then crawled back in bed and snuggled up with Todd.

Not 30 seconds later, I heard Tom at it again, this time at the foot of the bed.

You’re kidding, right? Like I didn’t get the point the first time? It’s a damn good thing you’re cute, Tom.

Back out to the kitchen to get the paper towels, back to clean up the mess and give Tom a lecture, and back into bed. This time, leaving the paper towels on my dresser, so I wouldn’t have to get up again.

Well, by this time I was wide awake, as was Todd. So we made the most of our early day and walked down to Easy Street for breakfast.

I could be angry with Tom, but he had such a rough start in life that I can’t bring myself to scold him. I’m just choosing to put a positive spin on this and say, “Hey! I was up at 6:30am on a Saturday! And I’m not even angry about it!”

Gotta find the silver lining, right?

I'm Sick

{cough}

So I finally got around to posting the updated photos of the cottage on Mighty Tidy. Since there's nothing of interest to read here, why don't you pop over there?

{achoo!}

Weekend Update

The Downings had a lovely weekend up here in the Pacific Northwest.

Friday night is now just Friday Movie Night. No pizza. Our bank accounts and our waists can no longer handle pizza every Friday night. So instead, it was rice and beans and cornbread. And the movie was TRON. Which I choose, and which I didn’t really care for, but thought I needed to see because TRON Legacy is coming out and I know Todd wants to see that one.

Aren’t I a good wife?

On Saturday, I headed down to Covington for Nichole’s birthday lunch and surprise party. I was very proud of Nichole for choosing a teppanyaki style Japanese restaurant. She doesn’t even like Japanese food! But she wanted to do something different, so all of us sat around a big Japanese griddle and watched a chef in a tall hat whip up our lunch. I treated myself to the scallops and shrimp. And a mai tai. Yum. And Nichole drank a whole blue drink, all by herself! She’s getting’ crazy in her old age.

Actually, as I write this, I may need to take mom and dad somewhere like this when (yes, WHEN) they come visit.  I think dad has been there; I vaguely remember a story of him putting chop sticks in his mouth so he'd look like a walrus...hmm.  I think they'd like the food - they have steak and chicken.

Where was I?
Oh.  I got home around 5:30pm from the party and after resting up from the long drive, headed off to the grocery store with Todd.

Remember when I was a party animal and Saturday night meant dancing and drinking and playing pool and flirting with strangers?

Yeah. Those days are over.

Now I grocery shop, and go to bed at 10pm. I say, woohoo.

Sunday began with a head massage by Tom.

What? She likes this. Really.

Did I mention Tom has claws? He never breaks the skin, but boy howdy, it’ll wake you up.

The Seahawks kicked off at 10am, so for the next few hours, it was cuddle time on the couch with Todd and Tom, with coffee and breakfast and cheering my team as they finally KICKED SOME ASS! Good job, ‘Hawks!

Steve arrived for the fourth quarter, so there was some social time, as well.

Then, Todd and I got cleaned up and walked down to a local coffee shop, where we heard that Stephanie was grading papers. After saying hi, Todd and I left her to work and walked on down to Metropolitan Market. We oogled the kitchen wares, then got smoothies and chilled in the café, then perused the market to compare prices and see if we wanted to maybe grocery shop there. They didn’t seem that much more expensive than Safeway, but the experience would definitely be more fulfilling. Metropolitan Market is just a beautiful store. With lots of foofy cheeses.

After getting some wine and a loaf of bread for dinner, we walked back home, admiring the houses in our neighborhood and critiquing the dormers. I’m a big dormer admirer now. We’ll probably end up with two dormers in our master suite, facing west over the front of the house, so I’m trying to get an idea of what I like and what I don’t. I don’t like shed dormers – the flat kind. I like pointy dormers. Which has me learning about roof pitches, too.

Actually, I may be obsessing about roof pitches. So much so, that when driving to work today, I followed a pickup truck with a very tall bed cover, and said to myself “That cover has quite a pitch!”

Anywho.

Todd and I walked home (and passed Marty Riemer and his family – RIEMER!) then cleaned the house then sat down to homemade beef stew (FANTASTIC) and Back to the Future. Because I hadn’t seen it in ages, and that movie takes very little concentration. Sometimes I like movies that I don’t really have to commit to.

And after the movie, bedtime. But Hitch was on (one of my very favorite movies) so we watched that as we were winding down. It was a nice end to the weekend.

And this week is already jam packed!!

Two different contractors are coming out to evaluate our project, plus there’s kickboxing, plus counseling, plus a walk and din din with Val. I can’t believe it’s almost November!

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Today is my parents’ 37th anniversary.

Or is it 38th? I think they’re just happy that I remember the day. And how can I forget? October 13th. They were actually married on a Friday. In their blue jeans, in front of a Justice of the Peace. Then they had a helluva reception.

You know what I love about my parents? They still love each other so much. Yes, they bicker and yes, I have to listen to them gripe about the other one on the phone occasionally, but when you’re with them, you see them still kiss goodnight before they go to bed and say “I love you”. I see dad strut around in his boxer shorts and slippers just to make mom laugh until she chokes. I see mom pet my dad’s head when he’s tired or doesn’t feel well.

They still visibly love each other.

But they’re also still very strong, independent people. Mom takes off for her sister’s for a night and dad doesn’t go. He doesn’t like sleeping in strange houses. They love being together, but they’re also okay being apart.

My parents are a shining example of what I want my marriage to be like. They’ve always been great role models for how it works – yes, you fight and you maybe don’t like some of the things the other one does, but all that stuff is piddly. It’s the support that matters. Mom supporting dad when he was changing jobs every year or having a hard time making ends meet, and dad supporting mom when she had back surgery, neck surgery and lung surgery. It’s the love and support. And they show it to each other every single day.

Happy anniversary to my two favorite people ever.  Thank you for everything.

1979.  I think. Daddy loved my pool.

Mom could never get the laundry folded.

At the Armadillo, kikkerdancing. After Dad lost all of his hair.

Just an average day for ma and pa.

 

1986 maybe?  Smoochies.  And sideburns.

Reason 46 Why I Hate Texas

There was a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal in the break room today. I guess someone was offering it up to the rest of the office, but had a hard time even looking at the box.

Because ya know what I think of every time I see Cinnamon Toast Crunch?

We were living in Angleton and were very new to Texas and Texas bugs. Clueless, you could say even. My mom used to buy Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruit Loops and Cheerios. Those were the staple cereals. Maybe Raisin Brand every now and then if it was on sale.

Anyway, I loved the Cinnamon Toast Crunch. What kid wouldn’t?! Butt loads of sugar at 8 in the morning? FANTASTIC! My love of sugary cereals, however, was soon squashed.

I got up one morning, made a mad dash for the pantry and poured myself a big ol’ bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. And what else came out of the box?

Ants. Thousands and thousands and thousands of ants.
Sugar ants or fire ants – it don’t matter.

ANTS. EVERYWHERE.

I pretty sure I screamed like a girl and put the fear of gawd into whichever parent was nearby. I remember my eyes being so wide they hurt. Why is the cereal squirming?!

Soon after that horrifying incident, mom discovered those plastic cereal bins, with the flip lid. We never, ever had boxes of cereal in our pantry again. Never. Everything was put into plastic bins. Even today, at Pisswilly Ranch. No cereal boxes. None.

We have cereal boxes in our house.
But I don’t eat cereal anymore so I’m safe.

3 Day Weekend Update

The weekend actually started Thursday, with a sever bout of the I-don’t-wannas. I laid in bed until 8am, knowing full well I needed to get up and go to work, but that wasn’t motivation enough. Coffee wasn’t enough, it being my Friday wasn’t enough. I had no gumption.

Not good. Not good at all.

I finally made it to work, but after five hours, took a bit of sick time and went back home, and back to bed. Where I slept until 5pm, and I woke up only because we had dinner plans with Todd’s stepmom.

After dinner, back home, back to bed.

Thankfully, I took Friday off to go to the Seattle Home Show. That was motivation to get up Friday morning, but not as early as I had hoped. At least I got out of bed.

After stopping at Bakery Nouveau for coffee and a twice baked croissant (because you do what you gotta do to be happy sometimes….despite the calories) we headed to Qwest Field to check out contractors, tilers, roofers, designers, awesome hot tubs, little cottages, and everything else your heart desires when it comes to building a master suite.

This improved my mood considerably.

After spending five hours at the Home Show, Todd and I came back home to nap and then host Hans and Ron for the evening. We did the traditional Friday pizza and movie night thing. Very low key.

Saturday, Todd and I spent the day cleaning because 1) the house really needed it and 2) Kim-n-Tim (sans Milo) were coming over for dinner. Tim surveyed the front yard for landscaping ideas (our yard is in desperate need of maintenance) then Todd made his cheesy pasta and fruity salad. We finished off with homemade pumpkin pie (Tim is also an awesome baker) and relaxing chatter until about 10pm.

And Sunday was a mindless-oh-my-gawd-we-have-nothing-to-do-how-can-this-be?! day. Todd made breakfast, then we threw some laundry in. Then Miles came over, then Lydia came over, then Todd and I left. Because that’s too many teenagers.

We toodled around Westwood Village, bought a new clock, then drove down to Alki to get coffee and sit on the beach and people watch. It was odd to not have anything we had to do, to just sit in one spot and be. It made me antsy.

After finishing our coffee (and watching a seagull poop from the sky, right next to us) we decided we should head back.

And upon arriving at home, we found our three neighbors beside us, outside, putting up their Halloween decorations while all their kids ran around between the yards. It was a wonderful, autumn day in our neighborhood. Eventually, after chatting with everyone, Todd and I decided we needed to keep up and put out our decorations. Our neighbor’s daughter came over and helped put spider webs on the bushes, and Todd put the orange lights around the holly bush (very dangerous).

And then the sun started to set and it got chilly, so one by one, everyone went inside to start their dinners. It’s afternoons like that I feel completely happy and at peace.

Todd whipped up some chicken goop (chicken over rice with mushroom gravy, broccoli and mushrooms) and after cleaning the kitchen, we curled up on the bed to organize all of handouts from the Home Show. I cleared out my Holy-Crap-I’m-Actually-Getting-Married wedding binder and it is now our Holy-Crap-We’re-Doing-Construction binder. We have many tabs.  General contractors, architects, framers, roofers, plumbers, electricians, carpentry, fixtures and flooring. There’s also a section for Pertinent Articles and Concepts/Pics. I may also need a spreadsheet for contact info. We’ll see.

And this week's calendar is already jam packed. Business meetings, kickboxing classes, Bob Schneider show, and birthday parties.

Whew! Who needs a nap?

I need a nap.
I always need a nap.

Gotta talk to my therapist about that…..

What Do You Buy When You Have TOO Much Money?

Why, a throne of course. 
With music.

Only $12,000.

But what a conversation piece!

I Knew I Was On To Something!

From CNN:

Sleep More, Lose Weight, Study Says

Ah ha!!

So if I can get 10 hours of sleep every night, then I should hit my goal weight of 98lbs in no time!!

Kidding.  Kind of.

I think the actual logic behind it is it's probably just let time you're awake to eat. 
Right?

Anniversaries and Other Crap

The only pic I have of us with our new key.

October 1st is becoming a very important day in my life.

One year ago today, Todd and I moved into our new house, and I became a homeowner. My name is on a lot of paperwork with very big numbers. I can’t think about it too much. It makes me nauseous.

And two years ago today, I started my job as a buyer.

**********

TMI? No such thing.

What the hell is up with skin tags? I’ve never had a problem with these things, but in the last year, they’re popping up everywhere! Especially where my bra has rubbed me for the past 24 years (shut up, I was an early bloomer).

Oh.
Wait.

In my googling, I see that they are “most common in people who are overweight.”

Fantastic.

ANNNNYwaaaay……

**********

There is a distinct change in the air. Autumn has definitely arrived. The sun seems a little lower all the time, the air is a little crisper. The leaves are changing.

And the spiders. MY GAWD the spiders.

[Here's where I would insert the pictures of the spiders, if I had actually gotten off my lazy (loaded word) ass and taken them.  Just image big, bulbous, hairy ones.  Everywhere.]

**********

Thank you all for your inspirational and encouraging comments as I spiral into my midlife crisis. It’s so heartwarming to know that 1) I have regular readers and 2) those regular readers actually like me enough to take the time to write some kind words for me. You guys rawk.

And you will be happy to know that I am attending my first NAPO meeting next week with my buddy Trixie (not her real name…I hope).

What is NAPO, you ask?

The National Association of Professional Organizers.

Go, me.