Ho Ho Ho

Dreary day, of course we have lots of  wet, but that just brings  fog since when it has been really cold here, and the sun  shines, and then  the clouds and moisture come, of course the warm air comes too so we get rain and fog not snow.    I'm sure the people in the mid-west would be glad for my rain/fog.    I would be glad for their snow.   I am not glad to hear that the roads will probably be icy in the morning though :(

Still working on that old holiday spirit.   I'd wanted to get a tree yesterday, but that didn't happen and I wanted to study more for my test, but that didn't happen either.   I studied a lot, there is  still so much more.   Why is it that you have to memorize all sorts of useless stuff for a test that if you ever needed to  use again, would be readily available to look up in a matter of seconds?    I understand  memorization is important, but I also understand that I'm old, there is a lot that I know, and a lot that I don't know but I know how to figure it out.    That's how I got my last job.   When asked about all the stuff I didn't know, my pat answer was "I'll figure it out".    And I have.   Bah!

okay, now I'm off to study for a bit more then go to the cell phone store because my phone is really unhappy.    First it started deleting contacts randomly.   They just disappeared out of my list.   However, if someone called, their name popped right up, so what's up with that?    Now the touch screen doesn't work.    Since that is where I dial out, check messages, sent text messages, I'm without. 

Neglect

I've neglected many things in the past couple of weeks.   I've had finals on my mind   The stress has not been so much I'll do poorly, because at this point I think that is a given - yep, let this class totally defeat me and relishing in the agony of it, and have been focusing on just getting through with it.   I attend every class, I do the work assigned, I've done the extra, extra credit, I'm just plain done. 

I've neglected the house, not too bad though because over the years I've gotten into a few routines, so while we are a little dishevlished, we aren't totally trashed.   Except DS's room but that's his problem, I don't clean his room anymore since he's all grown up. 

I've given serious thought to getting a roomba for the house.   On the one hand, it would help tremendously with dust and cat hair.  On the other hand, do I really want to spend the money?    I'd really like a drum carder (which is more than the roomba) but somehow it doesn't feel as hard to shuck out money for fiber arts as it does cleaning.   On the other hand, if I had the roomba going, I'd have more time for fiber arts.    Decisions, decisions.

So today, I've got to get to the market since tomorrow is suppose to be cold and rain . . . all day.   I have a yard to clean up, that isn't even my own, but I've got to clean up anyway.   Cookies to make.  Pies to make.  A final to study for.   A christmas tree to buy, put up and decorate.  Laundry to do.  And a house to clean up because the boy comes home next Sunday night.

Work is really getting in my way this week.

One Million Dollars

Incredible.  I work for a government agency.  I have a budget.    I love my budget.  It is 8 million dollars.   yep.    I keep an eagle eye on what the staff spents, and everyone wants to spend my budget before they spend their own money.    And to be fair, my budget covers things like building HVAC systems, repairs, maintenance, etc.

My boss was looking at my spread sheet for my budget where I keep track of every invoice I approve for payment and compared that to the "official" books from accounting.   I have spent one million more dollars than they are reporting.  That means that the invoices I have been sending to accounting aren't getting processed for payment.   WTF?????????

But as I pointed out to him, we know we're right and at least the books aren't showing that accounting has spent more money that we say we have - that would be a nightmare to try and figure out.

Wednesdays.

Sunday - Apparently Not a Day of Rest

So this morning DD and I went to the Smithsonian to do our last Biology project.   That had to be the most  boring thing I have ever done.  An hour and a half in one exhibit.

BUT the crochet coral reef exhibit was in the same building.

Saturday Dinner

It is a known fact that while I like to cook, sometimes, my meals are sporatically good and when I experiment (which is often) they are sometimes not fit for a dog.   I usually see something new that sounds good and either follow it to the letter, eveyone loves it, I lose the recipie so then improvise and it is never the same, or I improvise from the get-go. 

Since we're improving our  diets at home, I love soup and it is cold outside and I  saw a recipie on line yesterday, today seemed like a perfect day to try a new dish.    I knew there was meatloaf  in the refrigerator just in case.

I soaked black beans last night in chicken broth, added a little water before I went to bed and this morning they seemed good and wet.   Then I heated a soup pot and browned 1 large chopped onion, two grated  carrots and a couple stalks of celery in olive oil.   I added two heaping spoonfulls of minced garlic, some red pepper flakes, chili powder and fried for a few minutes.   Added the beans, the another box  of beef broth and  one can of diced tomatoes.  

Then I decided it should go into the crock pot.   I cooked it on low for 7 hours, and about  5, added a can of corn and a cup of  small pasta shells that I boiled on the stove for a few minutes first. and turned the crock onto high for about an hour.

I put some soup in the bowls, topped with a little shaved parmesan cheese.

Oh. My.

My picky eaters are on thirds.    I was hoping that there would be enough for my lunch this week.   Guess not.

SCORE!

Slowly

Things are very slowly getting back to normal - or as close to "normal" as they ever are around here.   Some kind of bug came to visit the day after Thanksgiving and it has been a long and unwelcome visitor in this house.

While I was thinking about that I was thinking about this last year and the changes.   It all started when I quit a job I simply could not tolerate  anymore.   It took me a long time to realize I couldn't do it anymore and even longer to screw up the nerve to actually turn in my notice.     Getting screamed at in the middle of a busy sidewalk actually helped cement my decision to do it  on the spot.    But I digress.

Then I was semi-employed working for myself.   Then I temped for awhile.   I went back to school.   That comes and goes with the "going well" part of life.   Then because my husband decided to retire, I decided it was imperative that I go back to work.  I lost weight and gained it back.   My boy came home from Iraq and live has moved right along  quite swimmingly.

In the last 365 days the sun has come up a bit brighter every day, the little things in life don't send me right over the edge anymore, and I'm actually happy every morning.   Well, not this week, but that's cuz of the "houseguest" we've not completely evicted yet. 

Christmas is in a few weeks.   Nope, not ready yet except in my head, but will remedy that some this weekend.   Army boy will be home for a week, this semester will be done in a week - oye, and Stanley will be able to go out side again soon.

Three Things on Thursday

What three things am I thinking about today?

1.  We went to a funeral this morning the wife of one of DH's oldest friends passed away the day after Thanksgiving.  She was 58 years old.   Nita lit up a room whenever she went into it.   She was loud, funny and down to earth.   You knew where you stood with her and she never met a stranger who didn't become a friend.   Today as I was listening to the service and eulogy, it occurred to me that her family was truly blessed to have her for a wife, mom, sister, sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandma.   All she ever wanted to be was a grandma.   I remember her talking about it when her kids weren't even teenagers yet.  

2.   How I really need to care more about what it is I'm doing and stop procrastnating, and be glad I'm alive and functional.

3.  It might snow this weekend :)    I know, some of you have more snow than you know what to do with or even want.   I'd like an inch or so thank you very much.