roughing it...

Disclaimer:

Today's blog was uploaded late due to camping. :)

roughing it...

Well…he did it.  He got me into the woods, living out of a tent! 

And here I sit, in a dark tent, in the even darker woods, typing on my laptop, hoping that I will be able to get a strong enough signal on my phone to connect to the internet and post this blog.

And if not…I guess it will be a little late!

I feel like I’m living a Scooby Doo adventure.  We brought the dog (Indiana Jones) who doesn’t exactly look like Scooby Doo, but has proven to be equally afraid of his shadow in the darkened woods.  He is currently snuggled up beside me in the tent, snoring away.  Still…his mere size gives me a false sense of security at the very least. 

Back to the whole living in the woods thing.

I have to admit, it’s been fun…possibly scary too…but definitely fun.  Except for the enormous spiders and mosquitoes.  We picked up a bottle of “green” bug spray on the way, in an attempt to be environmentally responsible, but I’m seriously wishing we’d said to hell with the environment and bought the toxic kind.  I even sprayed the dog from head to toe to avoid any creepy crawlies from getting in his fur.   So now we all smell like eucalyptus oil.

I even peed in a bucket!  But only because I refused to dig a hole and pee into it.  I have to draw a line somewhere, and I chose there.

I only hope I can find a way to sleep tonight with the roots and rocks of the hard ground digging into my back even through the whisper thin lining of the tent. 

Ah…the great outdoors!

Until the next time…I’ll be listening for the pitter patter of bear paws in the night!

glad I'm not the only one

Sometimes, it truly seems like I am the only one.  The only one to dive boldly into the unknown with nothing but a butter knife to defend myself! 

Ok, so I'm not diving into the unknown with a butter knife...but it certainly feels that way sometimes.  So what if my unknown is just a grocery aisle and a boxed waxing kit...it is still danger in the making. 

Today, my husband proved his affection for reckless abandon when he packed us up in the car for an adventure of his own.  We set out just after noon.  Our desination?  A warehouse filled with wood beams and unfinished flooring. 

We were going to begin the planning stages for our rustic retreat! 

The ride was long, but scenic, as we zig zagged along the backroads of Georgia and Tennesee.  We passed several fishing holes, and a llama farm along the way.  I wanted to stop and take pictures, but we were on a schedule.  The lumber yard closed at four.

We stopped to eat once, and once more for gas and drinks before arriving at the warehouse just before three in the afternoon.  We had plenty of time to spare!

We could see the stacks of beams and logs long before we got close enough to figure out where the parking lot was.  I could see the excitement in my husband's eyes as he looked over the large lumber yard in front of us. 

The excitement was short lived.

As we got closer to the entrance it became apparent that no other cars were parked anywhere nearby.  In fact, the entire area was deserted. 

The warehouse was closed.  It didn't appear to be open on the weekend at all. 

But he had checked before we left the house, hadn't he?  He looked up the hours on the internet before setting out...maybe even called to make doubly sure they were open...after all, it was a long drive.

No...he didn't.  In fact, he didn't remember if he had checked to see if they were open on the weekend at all.  He was taking a play out of my book...leaping into the abyss without as much as an umbrella to slow his fall.

Oh well...it was a really nice drive!

And a really nice drive back too.  We stopped off at the shops in Blue Ridge, Georgia on the way home to make a whole day of it.  And as happy accidents go, it was a good one.  We ended up having a pretty nice day, all in all. 

I never did get to stop and take pictures with the llamas...but if you've seen one llama, you seem them all!

Until the next time...a camping we will go!

deja vu all over again!

They say the only reason women will allow themselves to endure the pain of childbirth a second, or possibly a third or forth, time is because of amnesia.  Amnesia is also the reason I willingly bleached my hair blonde several years after swearing to myself that I would never make that mistake again.  It would seem that every few years I come down with a case of that very same amnesia and agree to heavy blonde highlights that I immediately regret. 

Amnesia was again at play as I lingered for hours in the grocery store today...having forgotten a list, I was forced to walk through the aisles making my selections with great care...or reckless abandon...depending on your point of view.

I bought cookies and noodles on sale.  Kool-Aid and carrots...watermelon and cheese.  My choices had no rhyme or reason.  I even found myself cruising the cleaning products, contemplating every scent...every formula...as if I had never purchased bleach cleaners before.  I picked up and put down countless items that I would never normally consider.  I was lost without a guide.  Blindly walking the store like a shopping zombie.

By the time I reached the hygene aisle, I was suffering from product overload.  That is the only excuse that makes sense.  I mean, I literally wrote the book on this topic...how could I possibly make the very mistake I had warned women about for years?

Amnesia!  That's how...and why...I was standing between the exfoliating body wash and the anti-aging skin lightening creams, staring open mouthed at the array of self waxing kits before me.

There were so many.  There were the liquid sugar waxing kits.  The smooth, roll-on, warm-up kind.  The melt in the microwave kits that I had already failed miserably using in the past.  The list went on, and I was mesmerized by the simplicity they promised in their short but sweet tag lines.  I held each one in my hands, reading over the instructions, telling myself it would be fine...I could do this...it said so right on the box! 

I was a toddler enthralled by a purple dinosaur.

I don't know what knocked me out of the spell I was under.  Maybe a passing shopper spoke to me.  Maybe an announcement over the loud speaker caught my attention.  But whatever the reason, I was brought to my senses. The purple haze over my thoughts had lifted. 

I pulled my hand from the waxing kits like I was recoiling from a snake and made a beeline out of the aisle.  I quickly finished my shopping, suddenly wide awake and focused on the task at hand.  As soon as I was safely in the car, I called my husband as if he was my AA sponsor and I was admitting my near miss with a bottle of fifty year old scotch!

He was dumbfounded that I had come so close...in fact, he misunderstood what I was saying and had to ask me to clarify.  "You almost bought what???" He blurted out. "Didn't you write the book on that subject already?" That was what I said!

I barely excaped with my skin intact the last time...I wasn't about to attempt that twice! 

Well...I was actually about to attempt that twice.  Thank goodness I came to my senses...suffering for one's art has its limits, you know.

Until the next time...I'll be re-reading the bikini wax disaster as cautionary tale! (and with summer so close at hand, maybe you should too!)

summer's eve

It is officially summer's eve...as in the evening before Friday...the very same Friday that herald's in the Memorial Day weekend...the first official weekend of summer!  And I couldn't be more excited.

I have great plans for this summer.  Plans for finally continuing the renovations at our house.  Plans for breaking ground on our mountain property.  And plans for getting serious about my writing again. 

I have certainly not given up on writing, but as it tends to do, life got in the way.

But with just a little bit of self control, I think I can bring things back on track again.  I will get to work on that right after the holiday weekend. 

I have great plans for this holiday weekend too.  I'm going to pull out the old family recipe for Strawberry Shortcake, and cook burgers and hotdogs outside on the grill.  The year may have started nearly six months ago, but I'm going to start fresh starting now. 

I have a new outlook on life, and I'm ready to get cracking on that plan. 

Who's with me?

Until the next time...I'll be jumping into summer with both flip flops!

the golden rule

Today I came to difficult realization.  I was going to have to step away from an unsalvageable relationship and move on. 

Moving on is never easy, and I am very sad to be faced with this inevitability. 

Thankfully, I’m not talking about my marriage…rather; I’m referring to the relationship with my veterinarian.

As I wrote last night, although perhaps somewhat obscurely, I had a falling out with my vet recently.  All the respect I had for her evaporated in a single breath as she embarrassed me in front of her staff and several clients in her office last week. 

Her reason for being annoyed, no matter how valid it may have been, does not excuse her blatant rudeness or lack of professionalism.  She should have spoken to me privately if she had reason to say something…not in an open office where people were listening to her every word. 

Life is too short to have stress and unresolved feelings, especially with the people in whom we put our trust.

I imagine she will end up regretting her words—I was one of her first clients, and I referred many  people to her office—but after long and careful thought, I have decided to find a new vet.   I simply came to the conclusion that I would never again be able to feel that same level of comfort I had felt in her office.  I would never again trust that she was giving the very best care to my animals.  Not when I had every reason to suspect animosity toward me. 

It has really made me realize how important it is to show our best face at all times.  We all have that dark side in us—the angry, bitter side that pops out at all the wrong moments—but that part of us needs to be kept at bay.  You just never know when you are on the brink of damaging an important relationship. 

Or perhaps just causing another person undue discomfort. I guess that's where that saying comes from, "do unto others..."

Until the next time…I’ll be searching for a vet!

is bigger always better?

What does it really mean to be the "bigger" person?  And when is it the right time to be the bigger person? 

Let me go back just a little bit...

I had a falling out with someone recently...not a close friend or family member, but rather a person I know professionally...someone whom I had always had the utmost respect for.  I can't honestly lay all the blame at her feet, I played a part in the "falling out" but I feel as if I still behaved with respect, wherein she was disrespectful, taking it upon herself to embarrass me publicly. 

I have spent many hours laboring over the decision I should make.  Can I forgive a public humiliation when I had always gone out of my way to sing her praises to anyone who would listen?  Should I share my side of the story with others as some sort of retribution?  Should I speak with her, even after her biting words cut me, and ask for some sort of apology?  Should I forgive and forget?  What should I do?  

I am still greatly saddened by the loss of this relationship, and I fear that if we can't repair things,  I will need to replace her with someone else in her field...something I do not want to do.

So this is where I have to ask myself...should I just be the bigger person? 

But if I am the bigger person, will that be enough to repair the rift? 

I have no idea...but I suppose I don't have to find the answer today.  I can always let a little bit of time work it's magic.  I really hope we can come to an understanding that will allow us to work together again...the health and welfare of some of my most beloved family members depend on it!

Until the next time...I'll be contemplating my next move!

next time I get to run away

My husband came back from his adventure this evening. 

I wasn't expecting him back so soon...but he apparently found himself missing home more than he thought he would.  It was nice to see him. 

It was nicer to see him happy. 

Happiness is underrated...I think everyone should try it. 

That's why I will be keeping this blog short...I promised not to blog about our lives tonight.  Sometimes you just have to prioritize life...I'm going to do just that.

Until the next time...I'm going to spend a little time with my husband...it's been awhile.

does size really matter?

No, that's not what I'm talking about.   I'm referring to the size of your mattress, thank you very much!

I am sprawled out, taking up as much space in my king size bed as I can possible manage, all by myself.  My husband isn't here tonight, and that topic is off the list for this evening, but he and I did have a conversation via Skype about mattress size and how important it is to a relationship.  I had to pull out a diagram to illustrate the difference between the various sizes, and we came to an agreement that king was, indeed, the best size.

But it made me wonder...do other married couples sleep in smaller beds?  If they do, is it because they crave togetherness, or for a lack of space?  Maybe it's because the sheets are so much more expensive...or the frame has been handed down. 

Although, I'm sure I have many occasions, I can't imagine sleeping in a smaller bed.  After all...with a dog or two tucked into the covers,  there would hardly be room for the both of us if the bed was any smaller. 

Then again...does size really matter when you're sleeping alone?

I'll have to let you know in the morning!

Until the next time...I won't be sharing the pillows tonight!

this is just the beginning...

Well, she did it!  She graduated, and I couldn’t be happier for her.  I know she was proud of herself too…she couldn’t stop smiling as she took the short walk up to the podium to accept her fake diploma (she will get the real one in a few weeks) from the Headmaster of her school.  I attempted to take pictures, but couldn’t keep the camera from shaking. Today was a momentous day for me too…I was, essentially, watching my baby march forward to become an adult. 

And ready or not…it is happening.

I think I will just hold on to those images of her as a baby for one more day…I’m simply not ready to let go yet.

 

Until the next time…I’ll be flipping through baby albums.

when did I become my mother?

I love my mother.  I do.  But I am my own person, and I swore to myself a long time ago that I wouldn't become my mother.  Not that there is anything wrong with her...there isn't...but we are so very different.  Or so I thought.   Unfortunately, swear as I might, it happened just the same.  Apparently, it is an unavoidable eventuality...we all become our parents.

I just didn't think it would happen so soon.

But it did...it happened.  It snuck up on me.  I was sharing my thoughts on something the kids were interested in...a television show on the comedy channel.  As it turns out, I wasn't as "up" on the lingo as I thought I was, and I was promptly told by my son that I was no longer aloud to speak.  Of course, he was joking.  At least I think he was joking.  I really thought I was cooler than that...too cool to be told to stay out of the conversation.  It had happened when I wasn't looking...I had become my, socially behind the times, mother.

The thing is, I was always more "hip" than my mom.  Let's face it, once I started buying my own clothes I was a better dresser...unquestionably a better singer...a better cook even (simply because I cooked more often than she did)...but then again, she was the one who taught me how to bake...and taught me to be self sufficient...and taught me that you don't have to pay for Band-Aids when you have perfectly good toilet paper and Scotch tape available.  Then again...it does forfeit a lot of cool points when you're walking around with toilet paper taped to your forehead...but I can live with that.

I just don't know if I can live with the thought of having lost all of my cool points.  Especially now that my daughter is about to graduate high school...just when I need my cool points the most!

I guess there are worse things than being like your mom.  Especially when it comes to my mom...she's pretty smart.  I can only hope my daughter looks forward to becoming just like her mom...because in the end, it's a pretty nice feeling.

Cool points or not.

Until the next time...I'll be crying at graduation!

a picture is worth a thousand words...

What are "a thousand words" worth these days?

I have developed a new fixation...a fixation with photographs.  It has come on the heels of a project I am working on for Alexa's graduation. I am creating a photo display of her life, from birth until graduation, and it has taken me into the weath of photos I have taken over the course of the past (in her case alone) almost eighteen years. 

But in digging through all the pictures I have yet to organize (of course) I have run across pictures taken before even I was born.  Pictures of my own parents, and their parents before them.  And I have decided to do an entire wall of my living room devoted to old black and white (or sepia) photos from my own family tree.

I started out by framing a few "old time" portraits taken of the kids over the past several years during various vacations.  I now want to suppliment those with authentic "vintage" photos.  I know I could shop the antique malls to find similar photos depicting total strangers, but I think it will be much more fun, and maybe even sentimental, to hang portraits that mean something to my family.  I may even re-tint some modern photos in sepia and slip those in as well.  It should prove to be quite striking and artistic.  I will be sure to add pictures as soon as I have pictures to add. 

I'll start you off with one that is close to my heart.  A photo taken at a family reunion back in 1925.  It is from my father's side of the family and the little boy in the photo is my father's father.  How cool is that?

Until the next time...I'll be digging through pictures and working on the presentation!

what day is it anyway?

I made a declaration earlier tonight.  I stated that it was ten-thirty on a Thursday night and I was buzzed on half a wine cooler.  And it would have been a true statement...if it had been Thursday.

Unfortunately, it was Wednesday...

Clearly, I should have stopped at a quarter of a wine cooler.  But just because I went ahead and finished the whole thing (even if it did take me an hour to sip my way through it) it doesn't make me a drinker. 

Hopefully it will make me a heavy sleeper tonight, though.  I've had a busy day.  And tomorrow doesn't look much better.  I have to go to my daughter's school for her graduation rehearsal in the afternoon, an end of year program in the evening, and I have a million things to do in the hours leading up to rehearsal. 

If anyone needed a drink tonight, it was me!  And I surely tied one on with my single wine cooler.  It's a good thing I know when I've had enough...

And when it's time to hit the sack. 

So goodnight...wish me luck tomorrow.  I'm going to need it!

Until the next time...I'll be waking with the chickens to get my day started!

what happened to spring?

I woke up frozen this morning. 

I suppose that is an exaggeration, but it was pretty cold just the same.  The temperature today was hovering in the upper fifties...in Atlanta, Georgia...in May!  What happened to the warm weather?  Global warming?  Greenhouse gasses?  They were trumped by the coming ice age, apparently.

I was too cold to think, so I let the dogs outside for a while and then tucked myself under the down comforter to sleep a little longer.  I knew I couldn't sleep all day...I had a lot to get done today, and even more that I was hoping to get to...but I wasn't ready to think about all that.  I was just happy that I hadn't packed away the winter bedding quite yet. 

Once I dragged myself out from under the blissfully warm blankets, I got to work on Alexa's graduation announcements.

I am very proud of myself for getting them done, even if they are about a week late getting into the mail.  The good news is, anyone who knows me very well will be completely shocked that I got them out at all!  I'm not exactly known for my "card mailing" prowess.  The Mother's Day card I sent my mom this year was the first one she had gotten in ages.  And I had to warn her it was coming so she didn't faint dead away to get one from me.  On a side note, I've already bought and addressed a Father's Day card to my dad, and it's ready to be mailed...sometime in June...but one can't be too prepared for these things.  I'm trying to turn over a new leaf.  New tricks for an old dog, so to speak.  Hence the graduation announcements.

I created them myself, using fancy stationary and a lovely computer program that does wedding invitations and the like. 

And when I was done with that, I hung a few pictures on the walls in the living room.  Pictures that have been leaning against the walls since we moved in, waiting for me to put hammer to nail and hang them. 

Now that that's done, I suppose I can take a breather.  It's still cold, and I wouldn't mind crawling into bed early tonight...that down comforter is amazing on a cold night.  But first, I need to pick Spencer up from work. 

So much for staying warm!

Until the next time...I'll be cutting firewood and pulling out the winter clothes again!

the perfect storm

I had a doctor's appointment today, and a strange topic came up.  Don't ask why.  Doctor's ask the strangest questions sometimes.  Mine was curious to know if the women in my house cycled at the same time.  And no, he wasn't referring to bicycling.  He was refering to the female cycle, and PMS.  I told him yes, in fact, we did.  And he just laughed...because he too has a house full of women...and he knew how my husband must feel.

Forget about tornadoes...hurricanes...tsunami...they are nothing compared to the perfect storm of a house full of females all PMSing at the same time.

I am in the eye of this same hurricane at this very moment. 

If only I had an umbrella.  Or a plastic bubble.  Someplace safe to hide.  At least until it all blows over...a few days from now.  Just in time for graduation. 

Oh yeah...the days are counting down faster and faster.  On Saturday, my baby will be a high school graduate.  I suppose I should go buy a pair of shoes for the occasion...my flip flops have a bite mark taken out of the heel (thank you, Indy) and as much as I hate to shop for shoes, I'm just going to have to suck it up and take one for the team. 

Do you hear that honey?  I'm not shopping for myself, it's a sacrifice!

A sacrifice that will have to wait until tomorrow...or is that today?  It's almost two-thirty in the morning!

Time to bed, I guess.

Until the next time...I'll be hitting the mall by storm!

more good advice

Another boring weekend at my house.  My husband finished his sixth "on call" weekend in a row, and so I was stuck doing house work or projects in order to keep myself busy.  This should have been a wonderful opportunity to write, but instead, I chose today to vacuum under all the furniture.

But boring isn't always bad.  It gave me time to think...and formulate a plan for the coming week.  Unfortunately, it didn't pose an opportunity to come up with a brilliant blog for this evening.  So instead of pulling something out of the air, I decided to pull something out of the closet...the blog closet that is.  I have decided that a Sunday night is the perfect time for a bit of good advice, so here it is...

Courtesy of last May...

Never give a dog a bath in the back yard.  Even on a sunny day.  They will always find the closest pile of dried red clay to roll in.  This is much harder to wash out than any dirt that was on the dog prior to the bath.  Oh, and red clay stains everything.  Including the dog.  And the inside of the shower.

Never play ball in the yard with a wet dog, especially if there is still a muddy spot anywhere for them to drop the ball into.  They love this and will always bring the muddy ball immediately back to you and drop it in your lap!

Never announce to the world (while in the grocery store, specifically) that your jeans are dirty because the dogs kept putting their dirty balls on you.  People will always misconstrue this statement to mean something entirely different!  I know this from experience. 

Never say, “Maybe” to a teenager.  In their native language, this is translated directly into, “Absolutely! Why didn’t I think of that?”

Never assume that half of a sleeping pill will only make you half as sleepy—or drool half as much.  For some strange reason, cutting it in half makes it twice as dangerous.  You will still feel hung-over in the morning, and you will probably wear your shirt inside out in addition to your underwear. (Trust me on this one!)

Never agree to taste something that someone else has rejected as being “gross”.  This is never a good idea.  Always take their word for it, just in case.  This may mean the kids will get away with not eating something you wanted them to eat, but it may just save you from tasting something that should never be tasted.

Never wash your sheets on a rainy day.  This will almost always ensure that the dogs will jump on your bed with muddy feet.

Never put the cat box over a heating vent.  This should be fairly self explanatory, and yet, somehow escaped scrutiny until far too late!

More good advice…

Always double check your underwear before leaving the house.  This should be done more than once if possible, especially when you have to go to the doctor.  Somehow underwear can flip prior to putting pants on.

Always hide the chocolate in the freezer behind the frozen turkey burgers and green vegetables.  This is the absolute last place the children will look for something good to eat.  It is also a good practice to save the empty turkey burger boxes to fill with frozen delights. 

Always color-code your clothing to match the food you will eat that day.  Law of nature promises that any red sauce will always find the front of any brand new light colored blouse, permanently ruining it.  Red sauce never drips onto a dark colored blouse.  This has been scientifically proven!

Always keep a pack of gum in your purse to chew immediately after eating chocolate of any kind.  This should also be chewed after eating hamburgers and/or french fries.  Most men can immediately detect these foods on your breath and will catch you in the act of cheating on your diet.  Menthol cough drops will also work for this purpose.

Always use customized ring tones for friends and family.  You will be able to tell immediately if this call should be answered (your mother) or ignored (your ex-husband). 

Always buy toilet paper when at the grocery store.  Even if you don’t think you need it.  You always need it.  And you will always forget to buy it when you REALLY need it.  So just get in the habit of getting some every time.  If you don’t, you will be begging your husband to go back to the store at ten-thirty on a Sunday night because you ate way too many baked beans with your blueberry and pomegranate health food juice for dinner!  Not that this has ever happened to me…I’m just saying.

Always remember to set your alarm before going to bed.  Be sure to make sure you have checked the am/pm setting to be sure the alarm will go off in the morning.  Also be sure you have selected the on/off setting to on.  This is especially important on a Sunday night.

Always share the daily blog with all your friends! 

You didn’t think I’d miss a chance to remind everyone did you?

Until the next time...I'll be counting down the final week before my daughter's graduation!

vodka popcicles for everyone!

Have you ever had one of those days? 

The kind of day where you find yourself incredibly busy and yet you have nothing to show for it?  Today was one of those days for me.  I had my weekly project deadline pressing down on me because I procrastinated all the way until Friday morning.  Then I had assorted other projects around the house that needed to be done.  And to top it all off I had errands to run. 

I got most of my projects finished, and yet I still feel like I did nothing all day.  I've been trying to configure my laptop to get the perfect visual display, and I might have to admit to the fact that my eyesight may not be what it was a few years ago. 

I said might...I'm not quite ready to blame anything on my vision just yet.  I still have a few other hypothesis to run through before I make an appointment for an eye exam. After all...there's always the possibility that PMS causes more than just mood swings. I'm beginning to think PMS has a hand in global warming!

It could be true.

Global warming aside, I am certain that PMS has had it's evil hand in my personal enviroment this weekend...vodka popcicles are starting to look better and better to me.

Yeah, vodka doesn't freeze, I get that...but anytime Mike and I are feeling out of sorts, we agree that it's time for a vodka popcicle.  It would satisfy both the kid and the grown up in both of us.  Now if we could only perfect the product.  You might see them in your grocers freezer!

Well....it could happen!

Or maybe I'll just take a few Advils and go to sleep.  After all, it's nearly morning already and I'm still awake. 

You know, the rum slushy is always a valid option.

Until the next time...I'll be trying to figure out how to freeze alcohol!

friday the 13th

I really thought I would make it through today without anything really bad happening. 

I mean, what are the odds that a knife wielding maniac will come out of the woods looking for me?  Not good I would wager.  Still...that is hardly the only bad thing that could happen on a Friday the 13th. 

First of all, this is the second draft of tonight's blog.  The first one was accidentally deleted when I was posting it, and unlike most nights, I failed to save a back up copy. 

Before that, I took the dog to the groomer's expecting a beautifully groomed and pedicured dog with a cute bandana to greet me when I came back to get him.  What I got instead was a soaking wet Mastiff shaking water and loose fur in every direction.  He apparently didn't like the dryers and wouldn't sit under them.  He also didn't want them to cut his nails, and the sweet little dog washing girls didn't feel like arguing with a dog that likely outweighed them by more than fifty pounds.  I can't say I blamed them...but is it customary to get a soaking wet dog back from the groomer?

I don't think so.

I made them towel dry him until he could be brushed enough to shed most of the loose fur.  He didn't get his bandana or his pedicure but at least he was clean. 

Then again, it rained today, so even the clean won't last. 

Does anything really last? 

Don't mind me, I'm just PMSing.  Maybe I just I need a vodka popcicle before bed.  After all...what else could happen with only a few hours til midnight?

Don't answer that!

Until the next time...I'll be hiding under the covers until morning!

just over a week to go

Alexa is graduating high school in just over a week. 

I don't know how we made it here.  It seems like just yesterday that she was a baby, and now she has a driver's license and is about to graduate from high school.  Next thing you know, she'll be getting married and having children of her own...

But not for a very long time...just saying.

I have way too much to do to prepare for her graduation to be doing what I have been doing for the past two days...working on floor plans for the dream cottage.  I have become obsessed and exhausted trying to perfect a 3D graphic on my computer.  I need medication!

Or maybe just a good night's sleep, and a hot bath.  Not necessarily in that order. 

I have lots to say, but I am far too bleary-eyed to say it tonight.

I guess that means it's goodnight...for now.

Until the next time...I'll be laying awake trying to decide what to do first!

plan plan plan

Sometimes you work so hard, you have to say it three times!

I spent a good bit of the day (and several of the wee hours of the morning) working on the footprint for our dream abode in the mountains. 

Mike and I were able to settle on a style (old English stone cottage) but not a floor plan.  My husband, in his infinite wisdom, has declared that we must stay within specific dimensions to maintain some level of affordability with the plan.  I am all about pushing those limits, but he has put his foot down, and I am going to have to live within the guidelines. Surely I have mentioned how much I hate coloring inside the lines.

But on the other hand, it was a challenge, and I'm always up for a challenge. 

The dimensions were are working with are 24x36.  I needed to find away to get a living room big enough to fit my favorite furniture, a kitchen with an island and all the comforts of home, a bedroom large enough for a king size bed, and a fully equipped bathroom.  Not to mention a space for storage and laundry. 

If you think this was easy, you would be wrong. 

In fact, it couldn't be done.  Not using 24x36.  But being the genius that I am, I made a few alterations to the footprint, changed the dimensions to 28x32 (mathematically the same square footage) and voila...we were in business! 

I was able to get everything into the plan with room to spare! 

Now we just have to begin the rest of the process.  Or as Mike says, he needs to "tweak" my design somewhat.  Trust me, I'll be keeping my eye on that.  The last thing I want to find is my balance suddenly all out of whack!

I'm not really worried...I was sure to save several back ups.  And I don't sleep nearly as much as he does. 

Except for tonight...I need to get some sleep.  I was up half the night using my architectural computer program to build a stone house.  It's a lot of work you know...I can't imagine what it will be like to actually move stones!

Until the next time...I'll be dreaming of my little cottage in the woods!

are you sure it's only Tuesday?

I cried for a solid thirty minutes today. 

I don't even know why, really.  No one died.  No one broke up with me.  No one was sick, or angry.  Nothing had broken.  No one spilled milk.  It was just the culmination of a really busy day.  One of those days where you have all your balls in the air and you're trying to juggle them with one arm in a sling!

Mike had the Land Rover in the shop on the other side of town and he had to go to the office with my car.  I had to get Spencer to work, get a ride to pick up the Land Rover, and have lunch with my niece (since she had a car and I didn't.)

I did manage to get it all done, somehow.  Well, thanks...in no small part...to my daughter who drove me to the other side of town to get the Land Rover in rush hour traffic, rather than spend time with her friends on a Tuesday afternoon. 

The rest of my evening was spent mulling over building plans for our dream cottage. 

If only I could get Mike to understand that my OCD is not just something to laugh at.  I need balance.  I cannot visualize the kitchen in the middle of the house.  I want it on the end. 

He just laughs and offers me a sedative. 

I suppose I'll live.  We haven't even finished the plans yet...I'll just wait until he falls asleep move walls around.  He'll never notice!

Until the next time...I'll be picking Spencer up from work before going to bed!