Monday begins my official return to SAHM status...

I've been off during Christmas break, but I would have been anyhow. Just the awesome schedule I have (had). If yesterday's accomplishment's were anything like what I'll get done in the up-coming weeks and months, I can't wait! Granted, the biggest thing I did yesterday was get the ironing caught up, but that basket has been over-flowing for MONTHS!

I might have to keep this list going, as I seem to lose track of paper lists, of all of the chores and projects I want to do:

1. Separate and organize soccer duties, then hand off what doesn't belong to me.
2. Fine tune soccer bylaws, position description, yearly timeline (hopefully put together and actual calendar based on League dates)
3. Scrapbook, of course!
4. Get my CM business organized from the paper-work end of it to the sorting of paper and stickers. Need to have an 'inventory clearance sale' of some sort to get rid of old product that is no longer available through CM.
5. Paint. So many rooms need freshening up, but re-doing T-Bone's room is first on my list.
6. Buy and install some sort of closet organizer for my closet. Getting soccer stuff out of there will be helpful, but there are a lot of clothes that need to go away, and whats left needs to be put away more neatly.
7. Clean the garage. Like, rid the garage door windows of cobwebs. Maybe repaint the garage walls too.
8. Detail both cars - might have to wait til the weather warms up so I can properly wax them.
9. wash exterior of all windows and screens.
10. Find someone to do a stucco ledge under the front window and get rid of the rotting wood plant ledge.
11. And most important of all, go to coffee, lunch and/or movies with family and friends!

Bathroom wonderings...

I'm pretty sure it's not me. I'd bet money that it's Greg, but then we have had a lot of people in this house recently.

Why is it that shit sticks to the toilet bowl, but it doesn't stick to the plunger? Wouldn't it be a good idea to line the toilet bowl with THAT kind of a surface?

Can you guess what house chore needs to be done today?

Post Christmas update...

I'm enjoying 'unemployed' status! The employee holiday party was catered (by Andiamo's) and everything turned out great. I got a $50 gc to Bel Air, as well as one to Sunrise Mall, so the gift exchange part of the day was awesome too!

Greg got a 'Circle of Excellence' award from his company. Well, the company that they WERE, not the one that bought them out. One is nominated for this award by their peers, so it was great for him to get one of them. He's so modest, he just says, "all I do is go to work, and do my job." Let me also add that he's like a NASCAR Ninja changing a flat tire on the way to the company party! He now has new tires on his car!

We went to Scott and Deb's holiday party on 12/17; got all of the shopping and gifts dealt with on 12/18; spent Monday doing chores and readying the place for company (that means clearing the wrapping mess off the guest bed); Tuesday was a trip to the vet for check-ups for Daisy and Jackson, then more house chores - the IL's stopped here on their way home from fetching Jeff and Eve at the airport, arriving around 10:30

Wednesday was g-ma Doug's last 'memorial' that was graveside. That was tough, but what better weather than a wet and rainy day. The vet's office called that afternoon saying they were calling a chemo prescription in for Jackson to see if that could help him. Heavy day.

Then came Thursday.

Jackson wasn't acting himself. I woke up and he wasn't laying on the bed with me or on the dresser looking out the window. He didn't trip me up on my way to the garage to feed Daisy, and then I heard the wretching noise. I called the vet's office to see if I could take him in (my fav vet in the practice was 'on') cuz I had concerns about him being well enough to tolerate the prescribed treatment, and I damn sure didn't want to spend $17 on pills that were dangerous for me to handle if we were risking him dying soon. So, off we went. Dr. was in surgery, so we left Jackson and did our errands and had lunch. Went back to the vets office and after what seemed like forever, had Jackson put to sleep. Travis was with me, but he didn't want to be in the room, nor did he want to come in after Jackson was gone. It was a sad, sad day. I couldn't see bringing him home and risking him dying with Christmas and all the other surrounding events going on. Yeah, it was a matter of convenience for me, but it was also a matter of comfort for Jackson. Dying at home may have been awful for him. I bought Travis some black and white kitty things for Christmas, wrapped them, and put them to him from Jackson, not really thinking he'd have to loose his beloved kitty before Christmas. I got personalized note paper and return address labels, and this super soft stuffed kitty. I let him open those three things when we got home, before we headed to the IL's for dinner (he and I stopped at the grocery between the vet's and home to do holiday dinner shopping - we were so cute with our red, puffy eyes...bleah!). Anyhoo, he has named this stuffed kitty 'Jack'. Jack has gone everywhere with him until today, when we went to the IL's for breakfast and he took his recycle truck that Santa brought. He's anxious to get another cat, and thinks he wants an older cat vs a kitten. He's afraid a kitten might die. We'll see. I have a feeling that a trip to the pound is in my very near future!

Friday was Eve's b-day. We already planned to go to dinner, but before we did that, Jeff took her for a golf-cart ride. He took her to the Yellow Bridge, gave her a dog tag that he had engraved with her name and "will you marry me" spelled backwards. He got down on his knee and properly asked her to marry him! She said 'yes'! She is awesome, and I'm SO looking forward to having her in the family. She's an only child and would love to have a sister, so I told her that a sister-in-law will have to do! I'm already planning their wedding! LOL!

Saturday was a house full of 21 of our family and friends. We had ham, tri-tip, scalloped potatoes, fresh green beans, fruit, caesar salad, and rolls for dinner and pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. Yummm. I think I've gained 10lbs in the past week.

Tomorrow, my sister and I are doing dinner (or lunch) and a movie. We haven't had a 'sister date' in A.G.E.S.!!

For now, I think I'll go to bed...haven't been to bed this early in well, I can't remember how long. I. Am. Exhausted.

I'm not really stupid...

Or so I'd like to think.

I have a connection that does album embossing. She lives about an hour and a half from here if you don't get stuck in traffic. She does a great job, and has been doing albums for me and my customers for several years. We like her work, and when we keep going back to her, all of our fonts on previous albums match the newly embossed ones!

So, last Thursday a customer calls and says that she needs an album embossed and she'll drop it by my house. Oh. Okay! What? The embosser has her own web-site that includes her mailing address! I was at work when my customer called about something work-related (it's a small community...I'm all over the place!) and I was distracted enough that I didn't just tell her to mail the album cover herself. So, she brings it by here yesterday. I e-mailed the embosser, and sho 'nuff she can get it done in time. However, I didn't get home in time to get it properly packaged and ready to mail out today. So it will go tomorrow. I'm just sitting here shaking my head and wondering how I could be so stupid to not only get in the middle of this to begin with, but then didn't stop it when said customer called yesterday to say she'd be at my house in three minutes to drop off the album.

Tomorrow I go to the post office. Sigh...

STAR no longer exsists...

Secretary, Treasurer, And Registrar.

Two years in a row, I held all three positions on our soccer club board. Last year someone new stepped up and said he'd be the registrar. I wasn't prepared to give the position up, and thus, I made him be my assistant. Last night when he again said he'd do it, I spoke up with my concern about him getting it done along with his other committments. He felt confident that he could do it, and would have his wife back him up, and of course I'm just a phone call away. I'm ready to give that position up. At next month's meeting, I'll hand everything off to him...laptop, printer, laminator, file boxes, and binders.

Yesterday morning, as I was walking out of the local comeoffmeshop, I was stopped by a woman that served on our board during our innaugural year. She wants to come back, but couldn't attend the meeting. I asked her if she were nominated as treasurer, would she accept it. She said yes. Voila!! New treasurer! At next month's meeting, I'll hand over the checkbook, excel sheets, and add her to the signature card.

I agreed to stay on as the secretary. It's a pretty easy gig. I'll have to do the monthly meetings, and keep track of our governing documents/policies/procedures. I'll still get to manage the group in that I know at what time of the year stuff needs to happen, so I can give gentle reminders to those whose job it is to git-er-done!

We've got a good group that returned as well as the five new members that joined us. With Paul and I being the only remaining 'original' board members (a group of four of us launched this new club in 2003), I almost feel as if we're the Club patriarch and matriarch! It's our baby, that's for sure! I doubt anyone will ever feel about the Club as he and I do, but I see some people that respect what we have created and will be good stewards of it when we're gone.