Friday OOTD (Is this day over yet?)

Happy Friday everyone!  Not such a great day today, even though the sun is out and it's delightfully warm and pretty outside.

Here's how my day went, in a nutshell:
1. Got to work, checked my checking account balance, and realized that someone had stolen my debit card number and ran up around $800 worth of charges.
2. Ran like a maniac to the bank to file all necessary papers and get a new debit card.
3. Did some work at the office.
4. Got some yummy lunch.
5. Got semi-chewed out from my boss for no apparent reason other then he must have just felt like it.
6. Got my pics of today's OOTD e-mailed to me from Sir M and realized that the dress I'm wearing makes me look more-then-slightly pregnant.  Fail.
7. Not so much looking forward to having dinner with my parents. :(

So here are the pics of my dress from today.  While the pics aren't as flattering as I wish, I do really love this dress.  I made it myself too.  Enjoy the pics, hope your day is wonderful and I'm really really really looking forward to this weekend.  Why?  Grocery shopping and chores aren't all that exciting, but I kinda like doing them. :)

This is my rather lame attempt to me funny this morning

dress: handmade by me, cardigan: kohl's, necklace: old navy, shoes: sketchers

Movie Night (Not as exciting as it could have been) Revisted

I love movie nights.  They don't happen too often at my little house though - we are very very busy most evenings.

At any rate, the movie we will be watching tonight is "Faster".  I'm  thinking it's a relatively new action movie that I found on netflix.  And it features this guy:

oh yummy Dwayne Johnson - picture courtesy of Google

So I'll be drooling over him while Sir M actually watches the movie. :)  Have a great night!

So the movie just ended and I have to say that I was a little disappointed.  While DJ was very sexy (in a mean & bad ass sort of a way) there was a lot of violence.  Ok, ok, I know.  It was an action movie where the dude gets out of prison, after 10 years, and starts snuffing out the other dudes responsible for putting him in prison.  So violence was expected.  But the story line sucked, the ending sucked, and the characters weren't we thought out.  But I did still drool a little over DJ.

Sunshine, Horses & Happiness

So today was very nearly a perfect day... there was an abundance of sunshine, I got to spend some time with my two favorite horses (disclosure: they are the only horses I ever get to have contact with) and Sir M bought me one of my favorite desserts.  Can you guess what it is?

Lime Sherbet - eat. your. heart. out.

So the pictures below are of me and the two horses, Chuck and Tahla.  These two beauties belong to my cousin, but she's out of town for a few weeks so I've been drafted to go and visit them, brush them, and spoil them with apple slices.

And don't judge the outfit here.  It's hard to look glamorous & fashionable while shoveling a few stalls full of horse sh*t.

Tahla

Tahla after several slices of apple

Chuck - he's got a great gallop

Awww... love <3

Hope everyone else had a great Tuesday!  What did you do today?

Easter Sunday OOTD

Happy Easter my lovelies!  I hope that you have had a joyous day - filled with the joy and hope of the newly resurrected Jesus...

At any rate, here is the dress that I wore to Easter mass at church.  And while I am writing this I am filled with awe from watching tonight's airing of 60 Minutes, which is showing an expose of a place called Mount Athos in Greece.... an Orthodox Monastery, in fact there are several monasteries in the area.  It's incredible and I wish I could go and see it.  But sadly, no women are allowed. :(

I hope that you enjoy these pictures - I really love this dress.  I plan on wearing it to work this week too.  Nothing else exciting to write for now.  Frankly, I'm too distracted by this 60 Minutes expose! :)

Dress: Lane Bryant

Belt: Borrowed from another dress

Cardigan: Thrifted

Fresh Water Pearl Necklace: Gift

Shoes: DSW

The Passion of the King

I have a couple of minutes before I have to leave to do my morning watch and morning prayer at church this morning, so I thought I'd try to briefly write about the play I went to last night.

But first, the church:
Holy. Crap.  Let me start by saying that I have grown up as a pretty conservative Christian.  That's not to say that I'm conservative in my thinking/politics, but that the church I belong to generally considered conservative.  And that's for the main church for the denomination that I follow.  The church I specifically go to is pretty open.  At any rate, I digress.

The church the play was at was very, very different from what I am used to.  Not in a bad way, just in a different way. I'm used to pews, an alter, a giant cross, maybe some stained glass, and an organ.  This was stadium seating, a stage, a cafe, a gift shop, no alter, a facilities department and a sound crew.  They have three services a weekend and generally see around 3000 people per weekend.  This just blows my mind. 

Now, the play:
Holy. Crap. Again.  The play was excellent.  Very well written, very well performed.  It started in the modern day, went as far back as the story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his son and straight through to the Resurrection of Christ.  And it took about 3 hours to perform.  There was singing!  There was dancing!

The Crucifixion was done very well - pretty graphic but done well.  And if you think about, the Crucifixion was a pretty violent thing to begin with.

I really enjoyed the play and the church.  I'm glad my friends asked me and Sir M to come. We'd go back any time.  In fact, I'd like to shake myself up some more by participating in a service there some time.  That ought to make my brain sit up and take notice.  And maybe my Spirit too.

Happy (almost) Easter everyone!!  Have a great day.

P.S. Thanks for all the recent comments everyone.  I appreciate the support!

Easter Weekend Is Upon Us

This time of year is always really special to me.  I love Lent (it's my favorite church season) but Easter is so exciting - all of that preparation so that we can *almost* experience the crucifixion and Jesus rising on the 3rd day.  For me this is a time of reflection and general holiness - I spend a lot of time at church.  Quiet time and performing time.  And I love it.  Every. Minute.

So the "Easter" season for me really started on Sunday, which was Palm Sunday.  We got out palm fronds and we did a dramatic reading of the Passion.  I had to play Judas. :(  It was difficult to portray the man that handed Jesus over to the guards and basically set him on the road to the crucifixion.

Today is Maundy Thursday.  The church Sir M & I belong to holds a Palestinian Dinner on this evening.  It's very exciting, and very well attended.  We eat traditional Middle Eastern food from Jesus' time, and perform all of the necessary psalms, readings, and songs.  This year we won't be attending.  Instead, our friends H & N have invited us to their church for a play of the Passion.  This is exciting stuff.  Real live real actors!  And it certainly won't be as violent as Mel's version of "The Passion" which actually made me vomit during the flogging bit.  Haven't seen it?  Watch without food.  Trust me on that.

Tomorrow is Good Friday.  I have the day off from work!  My church will hold a vigil starting tonight and ending tomorrow morning at 7 AM with morning prayer.  I will participate in the vigil at 6 AM tomorrow morning, and then stay for morning prayer.  Then we'll be back at church at 7:00 PM for the Good Friday service.  In place of the Gospel reading tomorrow we will be watching a video.  How 21st century!  In between those two events I have a blood donation.  Goodie.

Saturday evening the church will host an Easter Vigil service.  This is great fun - we have dramatic Bible readings, which are different every year.  This year will include three Bible stories told, in their own words, by three of the parish members.  I'm all a-tingle with excitement! :)

And then there's Easter, on Sunday.  We'll have a packed house at church, Sir M & I will be playing our instruments, the choir will be singing, and there will be much rejoicing.  There will be a million Easter lilies on the alter, I have to remember to take a benedryl.  And I have recently purchased a lovely Easter dress, which I find exciting.  After service we'll head to Sir M's aunts house for dinner.  Then home to moan about eating so much at the previously mentioned dinner.

So that wraps up my weekend.  What will you be doing this weekend?

Redefining Myself

I was thinking in my car today, on the ride home.  Seems I do a lot of 'deep' thinking whilst driving to and from work everyday...

I turned 29 a couple of weeks ago and since then I've realized something - I don't particularly like myself.  Isn't that silly?  I know I can make a list of things I dislike about myself that is as long as I am tall, but how will that make me feel better?  It won't, I'm sure. 

Lately I've been feeling very numb - mad at myself for my bad behavior (notably from the committee meeting I wrote about last week) and disenchanted with the world I live in.  In the mornings I cringe to turn the news on because the headlines always seem the same: "The stock market is down!" "Someone has been shot on the east side of downtown XYZ!" "Gas prices have hit an all time high!" "Weight-loss surgery procedures have increase a million percent from 20 years ago!" and so on... it's depressing. 

And I find it increasingly difficult to live in a nation where we are being told to hate ourselves.  Hate our bodies.  Hate our homes.  Hate our cars.  Buy new things.  Get more credit cards.  Don't like your husband?  Leave him and shack up with someone else.  Having trouble with your kids?  Feel free to medicate them. But don't forgot to push them into every after-school activity you can, so that they can be better prepared for the real world....

*Sigh*  This sounds depressing and yet, at this very moment, I don't feel depressed.  I do feel ready to change.  And I'd like to hit 30 next April and find that I like myself.  So, since I'm trying to focus on the good things about me, here's a little list of the things I like about myself right at this moment. 

1. I'm a fearless eater - I'll try anything once.  Granted, I might draw the line at pig rectum or hissing cockroaches, but then again, I'd probably eat them if you didn't tell me what they were.
2. I'm creative - I love to sew and knit.  And while I haven't created any of my own patterns really, I do try.
3. I'm tenacious - need to find out some information? Ask me. I'll figure it out for you.  I'm like a dog with a bone for research.
4. I'm funny - sometimes I think of quitting my day job and taking my act on the road.
5. I'm good at keeping my house - not that it's always clean, not that we always have a lot of money, but I'm proud of what we have.  And I know that I am capable of taking care of it.

What do you like about yourself?

P.S. It was hard to come up with those 5 items.  For every good thing I thought of, at least 3 bad things popped into my head.  And while I know I have issues (who doesn't) right now I'm putting my foot down and deciding that I'm tired of living this way.  Tired of blaming other people for my unhappiness.  Tired of doing meaningless things when I could be doing meaningful things.

Good Morning Sunshine!

It's a beautiful day here in lower New England.  And I have to leave for work momentarily, but I wanted to do a blog shout-out to Sir M (not that he reads this though...)

I love Sir M because:
* He made my English muffin perfectly this morning
* He heats up my travel mug so my  hot cocoa stays hot
* He never seems to mind when I suddenly become a raging b---- from hell

Well, that's three reasons why I love him today.  They'd probably be different tomorrow.

And now I'm off to work, where I have to wait for our IT guy to come in and take away the virus I managed to infect the computer with, again.

Have a GREAT day!

Your Wish is My Command

It's 2:27 am.  I'm only awake because Mother Nature is being funny with New England weather again - thunderstorms.  And my dogs are going bonkers.

But this one is for you TB - you asked for it, so here are 11 pics of the loot I got during Extreme Shopping with L (which should be an Olympic Sport).  And a bonus pic of the shoes I wore to work on Thursday.  No outfit pics yet because I don't have anywhere nice in my house to take a picture of them on hangers, so it'll have to wait until I actually wear the clothes out somewhere. :)

Birthday present #1 - super cute votive candle holder & 4 candles

The. Container. Store.  Drool :)  So hard to find a drawer organizer when the drawer is only 11 inches wide....

Free! And my fav!

A hanging strip for purses..... and it's pretty :)

I couldn't resist these sweet little goodie bags.

1 of a set of 4 small journals - love the birdies

I needed a new toothbrush holder.  And I got 4 new white bath towels too - all for a gift card, so I didn't really pay anything.  But towels are boring so I didn't take a pic.

Two of my favorite body lotions - 2/$25 at The Body Shop, plus I had a coupon for $5 off....

New ring!  I'm seriously in love with outrageous cocktail rings.

Charming owl necklace - L picked it out.  Love.

Birthday present #2 - Eeyore - my favorite :)

The crazy shoes I wore to work on Thursday (for half the day at least)

Sorry these pics are better quality.  It's hard to take pictures with your phone at 2:00 AM while the doggies are running around like crazies.  Have a great night/morning.

Putting My Feet Up!

Whew!  I'm back from a day of extreme shopping with my bff L.  She's the 2nd best person to shop with... Sir M being the 1st.  We did such an amazing job shopping - bags and bags of wonderful stuff that we brought home! :)  And you know what, I kept it under $200!  That's exciting to me.

Highlights from the shopping trip:

* Pulled Pork sandwich from the "Firefly" B-B-Q place.  Awe-some

* A lovely set of mini-journals from Barnes & Noble

* $10 worth of free stuff from The Body Shop (for my birthday) & my favorite lotions were 2/$25

* Free soap and lotion from Crabtree & Evelyn

* Free candle from Yankee Candle

* Birthday presents from L

* Fondue dinner at "The Melting Pot" - Best. Meal. Ever.

* Tremendous owl pendant necklace from Old Navy

* Finding the perfect Easter dress

This was an amazing day - I love spending time with L.  We always have lots of fun.  I can't think of anything that would have made it better, unless of course I got all the same beautiful things for free. :)

(They Call Me) Mellow Yellow

Good evening my lovelies! :)

I'm feeling pretty good tonight.  Thought I'd post about how my day went.  And maybe throw in some random thoughts/observations about myself:

* 2 large glasses of sangria always make me feel better

* Sir M surprised me with an hour long walk on the dyke tonight, which was especially satisfying to my Spirit tonight

* Vegetarian pizza might possibly the world's most perfect food

* Sir M makes me fresh popcorn whenever I want it

* I managed to infect my computer with a virus at work.  Again.

* I don't feel guilty at all about my exceedingly fatty lunch from this afternoon

* Sir M took measurements tonight so I can happily stroll through the Container Store tomorrow and maybe find some things that will fit in our itsy-bitsy kitchen

* There was an abundance of sunshine today - it made me very happy

* I'm wearing my favorite sweatshirt tonight, while sipping sangria, and watching an Indiana Jones movie (the one where they have to eat chilled monkey brains)

* I spent the morning being highly annoyed regarding the committee meeting from last night, and then I realized that being annoyed didn't solve anything and I was only working myself up over something that wasn't really important

So there you have my day, in a nutshell really.  Not much happened in the way of actual work during working hours - I think the phone rang twice and I didn't have the motivation to start the list of projects I have sitting on my desk.  So instead of actually working, I managed to pay bills and create a couple of posters (still have one to go) which I mentioned in my previous post today.  And I managed to infect my computer with a virus at work.  That was special.  The same virus I had about a month ago.  And I don't understand - I don't do anything different at work that I do at home, and I don't get viruses at home...

Whatever.  It's officially the weekend!  I've got $100 to spend tomorrow with L during X-treme shopping.  I'm watching a good movie.  Sir M has been perfect tonight.  So I'm happy.  It's been a good day. :) :) :)  Enjoy your weekend darlings.  

(I'm So) Over It

Just wanted to post that I'm done being annoyed from yesterday.  Work is nice and quiet today so it allowed me to vent to T (my fellow co-worker who always reminds me 'how it really is'), pay a few bills, and work on a couple of only *slightly* lame posters for my committee.

So I'm feeling better.  Starting to really get excited about X-Treme shopping with L tomorrow. :)

And I am wearing what might actually be considered the worlds' ugliest dress.  If there even is such a thing.  Don't believe me.... let me describe it for you.  You'll laugh, I promise.

1. It's a summer dress.  It's 50 degrees today. :(
2. It's black, mostly.  The top part (bodice) is made from that pre-ruched cotton stuff that people make little girls' dresses out of.  And it's cut all wrong, so the sides of my boobies hang out.  (Yup, I said boobies) So you can also see my black bra and white tank top.
3. The skirt goes to mid-calf, which is a unflattering length for me.  The skirt is black with GIANT purple and green gladiolas on it.  Well, the flowers are purple and the leaves are green.
4. I'm wearing ugly (but very very comfortable) sketchers black (rubber, essentially) flip-flops.
5. I've paired this heinous dress with a light grey cardigan.
6. A seashell necklace from Florida is around my neck.  And my hair looks pretty awful too.

Are you laughing yet?  I'm laughing at myself.  I look terrible and I don't care.  I'm comfortable.  My feet don't hurt.  And no one has told me to my face that this is a terrifically ugly dress.  Not yet anyway. :) 

Ohhh... where did I get it, you ask?  My mommy brought it home from Hawaii because it was too ugly for her to wear.... Yup.  My mommy gave me a dress that she won't wear because it's that awful.

I Have (at least) One Issue

It's almost midnight.  I can't sleep.  And I'm in a very bad mood.  And so worked up about the events of the evening that it's preventing me from sleeping.  It prevented me from enjoying my nightly back rub from Sir M.  And it even caused me to consume a second enormous bowl of smartfood popcorn.

What could be so awful, you say?  A committee meeting. *gasp*

My day didn't start off badly.  Work was fine, if a little boring.  I got home in a happy mood, ate a nice dinner with Sir M and even got to enjoy a solid hour of reading before the above mentioned meeting.  Then we went to the meeting.  And that's where it happened.... where I opened my mouth, sounded like a completely uncaring B---- and generally made a complete and utter fool of myself.

This committee meeting is a small portion of a much larger organization.  I was invited to join a few months ago - God only knows why they picked me.  I haven't been part of this organization for very long - just a couple of years.  I'd say that the vast majority of the other committee members have been in the organization longer then I've been breathing.

I was appointed a position that seemingly had - if not power, then at least some semblance of importance and credibility.  *wrong*  I have the illusion of control. 

Have I mentioned before that I'm a fairly controlling type of a girl.  Straight laced Type A sitting on this side of the computer screen.  I put my ducks in a row and I make sure they stay there.  And I have at least three other plans on how to keep them there should the first plan fail.

So anyway, we had a meeting today.  It was a very long meeting - nearly 3 hours.  And we had a lot of important things to talk about.  We discussed, voted, moved on.  I had lots of questions and opinions.  None of which mattered.  And half the time I couldn't articulate what I wanted to say appropriately.

Then it was my turn to talk about my little portion... oh my goodness.  I didn't realize until today that I have basically joined a club full of good ol' boys.  My opinion really doesn't matter.  And I'm fairly certain that no one cares what I have to say.  Because I'm trying to change the way things have been going.  And no one wants to change anything.  I feel like that guy that spent all his life rolling the stone up the hill just to have it roll right back down (Sisyphus?).

I can't even articulate this post the right way.  So I'm annoyed.  I'm annoyed that I can't articulate myself.  I'm annoyed that I have made this personal when it really isn't.  I'm annoyed that I don't have control.  I'm most especially annoyed that I haven't learned how to keep my mouth shut.

So now I just don't know what to do.... our next meeting will be on May 12.  Should I show up and do my best to stay quiet, just report on the facts that I have and be done with it?  I can't skip the meeting.  I can't quit the organization, which I wouldn't want to do anyways.  Do I offer some kind of apology?  Or do I just shut up and realize that I'm not going to change these people.  Not yet anyway.  But I've got another 2 years and 10  months before my term on the committee is over.  Maybe by that time I'll have earned some respect?  Hopefully I'll have learned to back off and stop shoving my opinions down everyones' throats.

*yawn* Heading back to bed.  I'm going to try and not concentrate on my faults while trying to fall asleep.  As Lady GaGa would say, "I was born this way..."

(Everyone Needs Some) Random Silliness

Greetings! :)  I'm in another silly mood, which might be because the boss has left for lunch and he's going on vacation next week - and that means things will be exceedingly quiet and slow here at work.  So to share my silliness with you (because everyone needs some) I thought I'd write out a list of things that have been crossing my mind today.  Of course, they are just random thoughts and probably not very silly at all....

*Spoilers on mini-vans are silly.  What's the point?  You can't make a mini-van cool.

*I'm obscenely excited about X-treme shopping with my friend L on Saturday.

*I bring lemons and limes to work and cut them up and put them in large glasses of water.  Does anyone else do that.... at work!??!

*America would be a better place if everyone was required to have a nap time

*If gas prices get any higher I might have to start biking to work - and it's a 40 minute drive.

*I wish I could build an addition on my house just to store my clothes and accessories.

*Sometimes I do 'chair aerobics' at work - that means I dance around in my chair while listening to dance remixes on the computer.  At work.

*I also do chair aerobics in my chair.

*If someone put a candid camera in my car they would laugh themselves silly.

*I wish I had a better sense of style.

I hope everyone has a fantabulous day.  It's Wednesday!  I have a concert tonight!  There are two glossy magazines waiting for me to arrive home and look at them (which likely won't happen until Friday)!  There are a million reasons to make me happy today - bet you have a million reasons too! :)

No More Anxious Moments (for today at least)

Greetings blog readers and writers!  I meant to write yesterday but I was so busy.  So I'm taking a few minutes to write during lunch today.

Yesterday Sir M had his second round of a three round interview process with local frozen-food delivery service.  The first part was a basic interview, which happened last week.  The second part was job shadowing with a driver, completed yesterday.  He'll have his third and final round tomorrow, where presumably they'll offer him a job.  Sounds good, right?  That's what we initially thought too.

Sir M left the house yesterday at 8:15 AM to start the job shadow.  He returned home at 9:15 PM that evening.  That's as very long day.  And his first words to me when he got home was "They have to be f-ing crazy!".  *oh dear*  I had Sir M calmly explain everything to me.  Turns out that 13 hours is the average day, 5 days a week.  And the pay scale is changing (to motivate the drivers more).  So the best way to explain it is this: if he took this job he'd have to work 13 hours a day, 5 days a week, see all of this clients everyday, and sell at least $1100 in products (on average) in order to bring home a salary of $32000 a year.  It breaks out to be about $50 a day for working, another $50 a day if you meet all of your clients, and then commission based on what you sell.

We can't afford for him to take that job.

But there is a positive side to this: this was the first time Sir M and I have talked about our future without me getting anxious or freaking out.  Which is great.  Really really great.  So he'll take the third interview tomorrow, calmly tell them 'thanks but no thanks' and he'll continue to look for work.  Because let's be honest here folks: 13 hours a day for $32000 a year is crazy.  And it means that it will take all of the joy out of both of our lives. 

We would rather be short on money and have time for each other then have the money but never see each other.  And you know what?  I'm totally ok with that.  Yes, eventually the unemployment will run out.  Eventually he will have to take some kind of job - even a menial semi-slave labor job so that we can pay the bills.  But we won't starve.  And we'll be ok.  God has provided this far, I imagine He'll continue making sure we get what we need.

So it's a Positive Polly kind of a day, regardless of the weather (rain!) and the fact that the balance in my checkbook is partically in negative numbers.  I'm feeling good.  Sir M is at home cleaning.  Everyone is happy - and I promise it's not a manic high. :)

Have a great day everyone! 

I'm Back - With A Little Help From A Friend

Hello again.  *wave*
I wanted to post quickly about two things: the first, that I'm back.  And I've managed to kick Negative Nancy to the curb.  So while I'll likely never become a Positive Polly, perhaps I can work on being less of a Negative Nancy.  And I plan to work on it for the next 363 days this year - until my next birthday (and beyond, clearly).  So just because today was kind of bad and yesterday was also kind of bad, I refuse to let this bring me down and beat me.

The second - a shout out thank you to Tara B: thanks!!!

What a wonderful comment you left for me on my last post.  It really made me sit up and pay attention.  And I could go on and on about why, but I won't.  But I did want to acknowledge that you pushed me past my funk and ignited in me M's Surefire Way To Get Happier.


I'll list out my get happier steps below.  But TB - that comment really helped.  You said all the things I *needed* to hear.  And reminded me that I can do for myself the things I want to do.  There's nothing keeping me chained inside my house.  And there's nothing that says I have to be social all the time.  And maybe it's about time I sat Sir M down and told him how I want it to be - but I might have to wait until another special occasion comes around.  Or at least until he stops hacking up a lung. :)


M's Surefire Way To Get Happier:
1. Clean something - it always works for me.  So I did three loads of laundry, stripped the bed, hung clothes outside to dry, scrubbed the bathroom and organized the Tupperware cabinet.
2. Go play in the dirt - it was too gorgeous of a day to be inside the whole time so I went outside and started cleaning up my garden and getting really really dirty.
3. Read - I finished a book I bought yesterday
4. Sew something - as soon as I'm done with this post I'm going to sew my new Kindle cover.

A Funk

Well readers, I'm starting my 29th year in a funk.  I don't like it.  I don't know how to get rid of it.  And I don't know where this post is really going, but I've got all these thoughts running around in my head so I thought I'd just try and get them out - kind of journal-style.

Yesterday was my birthday - I turned 29.  I was really excited about my birthday.  I was hoping to get up early, have a nice breakfast, head out to Old Sturbridge Village, maybe get a nice lunch there, come home, cook dinner and read on my new Kindle.  It didn't happen that way.  We got up late, M put his game face on to go out but I don't think he was really feeling up to it.  We didn't even leave the house until 10:30.  I did not get breakfast.  We stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts at 11:45 to get something to eat before we got to OSV.  My Big & Toasty sandwich just wasn't the satisfying birthday food I was hoping for.  Walked around the village for a long time (that was actually pretty fun) and left around 4.  Got home and cooked dinner.  It was OK.  Started reading my Kindle.  And was extremely disappointed that there was no birthday cake in my future. :(  So M went out and got me one.  Yea!  I should be happy.  I am happy.  But I'm mad that I had to *tell* him that I wanted birthday cake on my birthday.

I was excited to see that I got some cards in the mail from people who remembered.  I got one from a friend, one from my in-laws and one from my aunt.  I didn't get one from my parents, nor my two siblings.  Although to be fair, they never remember I have a birthday anyways.  And I'll be seeing a few of my friends within the month so we'll do birthday stuff then.  But it's depressing to me that no one remembers.  I remember birthdays.  I fill my calendar up with them and make sure I mail out cards.

Today I'm going to go and spend the morning watching some sheep get sheared and then enjoy a brunch.  M is supposed to be coming with me.  But he's not.  He's still in bed.  Because he's sick.  Because he's trying to get better.  So how come when he's sick he gets to stay in bed all day?  The house is not going to friggin' clean itself.

Oh. My. God.  I'm in such a bad mood - I hate this funk.  I hate that I expect the world to just *know* what I want without my having to tell anyone.  And I hate that I have to tell M everything that I want - unreasonable as this is going to sound, we've been together for 10 years.  Don't you think he could have figured some things out by now?

Today I also got to thinking about what I do for fun.  The list is so short:
-read
-sew
-knit

Yup, that's about it.  And isn't it mildly alarming that those three activities are singular activities?  I mean, I do other stuff that is fun: dance class, church, shopping.  And those activities certainly involve other people.  But mostly I stay at home and do singular activities.  My other friends go out and really have fun: go dancing, go to movies, go camping.  I can honestly say that I've never gone dancing nor gone camping.

In case you haven't figured out - I'm a glass is half empty kind of a girl.  It's not something I like about myself.  In fact, today I can't find many things I do like about myself.  :(  I'm going to stop now.  I'm depressing myself further.

Pose Like You Mean It (OOTD)

Hello!  Want to know a secret?  Tomorrow is my BIRTHDAY!!  Hooray!! :)  And because of that I'm in a little bit of a silly mood.  On the way home from work today I thought of a few poses for my OOTD.  Check them out below.

When I got home, Sir M gave me my birthday present a day early.  Want to know what it is?  It's a KINDLE!  Hip Hip Hooray! :)  It was the *only* think I asked for so I'm extra super glad that I got it.  Annnnnd tomorrow we are going to Old Sturbridge Village (provided Sir M feels ok - he has a man-cold). So I might have some different kinds of pictures if I blog over the weekend.

Plus, to add to an even better then expected day today: My boss got us all pizza for lunch, the staff gave me a SINGING birthday card (which addressed me as "Her Worshipfullness") and I have tomorrow off from work!

So here are my OOTD pics for today:

Hiding my face:

Details: 

Cardigan - thrifted

Blouse - lane bryant

Pencil skirt - kohl's

Shoes - ?

Watch - relic

That's Sexy Secretary with an attitude!

I have no idea what this is... kinda silly

Half lotus position with Indian Goddess arms?

Maybe my favorite way to wear my hair - I do this almost every day.

Shoes to drive in & Shoes to work (it) in

Break Point (I'm Sorry)

I don't want to do this, especially after my last post about The Appreciation Chair.  But I'm at my breaking point...

Dear Community Band Leader:
There are several things about playing in this band that bother me.  And while I realize that this evening was our dress rehearsal, that our concert is NEXT WEEK, and that you are going to do NOTHING about this, I have to get this off my chest.  And honestly, my husband is tired of hearing me say the same thing week after week.  So here it goes:

     1. Please tell the players that they need to learn to tap their toes INSIDE their shoes.  Because the band is starting to sound like a large herd of deaf elephants.  And didn't we all learn that lesson in middle school?

     2. Please tell the 1st and 2nd chair horn players that it is not their job to play as loud as humanly possible all the time.  In fact, maybe if they toned it back a little bit you might hear the other THREE horn players in the section.  And I know that you're think I'm just a disgruntled 3rd horn, but that's not true.  I kind of like playing 3rd horn.  Sure a solo every now and then would be great, but I've learned to get over wanting the spotlight.

     3. Speaking of solos and spotlight.... it might be nice if players were reminded that if they have a solo they should go home a *practice* it.  Especially because I know I could have played that better, and I haven't ever looked at it before.

     4. I know that piece that features the trumpets will be amazing at the concert - it's flashy and everyone loves it.  But seriously, there is blood pouring out of my ears because of how LOUD the trumpeters are playing.  In fact, I'll be wearing ear plugs during the concert.  And that 1st trumpet player is getting my medical bills.

     5. Rehearsal ends at 9 pm. Try and remember.
    

I don't want to be the B***** person I know I sound like right now.  But I think it would be important for COMMUNITY band members to realize that they play in a GROUP and they are not all acting as SOLOISTS.  And that tutti in Italian means together... not as loud as humanly possible.

Sincerely,
Mysterious M

The Appreciation Chair

Stop me if you've heard this one already:
About a week ago I went to a Women's Group on a lovely Saturday morning.  One of the activities we did was called "The Appreciation Chair".  We all broke into groups (I was in a group of 3) and we each had a turn at sitting in the appreciation chair.  While in the chair it was our job to listen while the other members of the group told us the things they appreciate about us.  Surprisingly enough it was much more difficult to listen to other peoples' appreciation then it was to rattle off the things I appreciate.

But first, in order to write this post I had to look up the *real* definition of appreciation.  Old Mr. Webster says: gratitude; thankful recognition. 

I was thinking about this blog post while driving to work this morning.  And this could go a few different ways: I could list all of the things I appreciate about other people, I could list out all the ways I wish I had those particular traits, OR I could open this up as a forum for what YOU appreciate about OTHER people.  Let's make today a sort of global, if anonymous, Appreciation Day.  Post a comment and tell me what you appreciate about a certain someone in your life.  Could be anyone... spouse, friend, coworker, dog, whatever.

For my part, I'm going to try and include a little bit of Appreciation Day into all of my posts going forward.  Just a sentence or two, likely.  It's a goal.  It might not happen.

And here's an idea for you with little kiddies at home.... or with a wicked creative streak (like myself).  If you want to have some fun with The Appreciation Chair:  get yourself a chair and tart it all up so it looks satisfactorily tacky (or pretty or silly or whatever fits your whimsy) and put it in a special place in your house.  Then periodically shanghai people in your family and put them in it.  Then have an enjoyable minute or two telling them all the lovely things you appreciate about them.  Trust me, it'll make you both happier.

My Appreciation Day Moment:  I appreciate the joyous welcome I get from my two doggies every time I come home.  Doesn't matter if I've been gone 5 minutes or 5 hours.  And it *always* makes me smile.

Rainy Days = Orange OOTD

This song is stuck in my head: "Coming Home" - artist presently unknown (I can't remember)....

I'm coming home... I'm coming home... tell the world I'm coming home... let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday... and my kingdom awaits.... I know they've forgiven my mistakes... I'm coming home... I'm coming home... tell the world I'm coming....home.


Nothing overly exciting happened today.  I was very busy at work, which is always good.  M and I skipped out of the gym (as M has a sore throat and my lungs are recovering from a repeat of my hacking cough from 2 week ago) so I made an amazing dinner of corn-and-crab cake with chipotle mayo and roasted asparagus as the side dish.  And I think I'll spend the rest of my evening doing mundane things: balancing my checkbook, putting laundry away, making my lunch for tomorrow, etc.

So here is my OOTD.  I'm not thrilled with these pics at all - M says it looks like I'm about to beat someone up.  I swear I thought I was smiling! And it's raining, again, so I had to have these taken on my front porch.  Clearly not an ideal setting.  But I really love the dress and cardigan.  And the jacket was my Happy Birthday present to myself!  Let me know what you think!

Jacket: Elle by Kohl's

Dress: Target

Cardigan: Target

Shoes: DSW

Necklace: Gift (happy fishy!)

Sundays At Home

I love the quietness of Sundays.  Even when I'm running around with a million errands to do there is always a quietness about Sundays - a stillness even.  Perhaps it comes from waiting.  The week is holding it's breath for Monday to come.  Maybe it comes from knowing that I've spent a few good hours with a community of people I like - all doing the very same thing: worshipping God.

So I got to thinking today, what do you do on Sundays?

For me, Sundays almost always start with church.  I love my church.  It's old (built in 1833) and mostly plain.  There are huge windows on both sides, and the church itself is made of stone.  And we have a big red door.  I always smile when I am there.  The organ helps us to sing better and send our voices straight up to the angels in Heaven.  The sermons are always good - tender scoldings sometimes, but always full of the hope and grace of God.

After church, M and I sometimes run errands.  Maybe do some grocery shopping.  Then it's home to do any chores that got left behind during the week.  Almost always there is a load of laundry to do.  I pick out all of my outfits for the coming work week, and do any ironing that is needed.  Then I usually start to think about what I'd like to have for lunch during the week (chicken salad tomorrow, I think).

After chores I get some quiet time.  M is usually outside working on one of his projects.  So I get to have some peace and read a book or work on a sewing project.  Today I challenged M to a 3:00 game of Yahtzee.... he beat my butt last night! Around 5 we always leave to have dinner with the in-laws.  Then we're back home around 8.  After that it's just unwinding and getting ready for the week ahead.

A few weeks ago (more or less) I wrote a post about how Saturdays are my favorite day of the week.  And it's true.  Saturdays are carefree and fun.  Easy and breezy.  But Sundays fill a niche for me too: the part where I need to organize and get prepared for what is to come.  And Sundays help to fill my OCD compulsions about having to control my environment.  Sundays are like a preparatory breath before you begin to sing, a hushed silence before the movie begins, and a satisfied smile at the end of a great meal all rolled into one!

I heart Fridays!

It's Friday, thank the good Lord.  No OOTD because it was lame today: jeans that are too big, brown long-sleeve shirt that is too short, semi-ugly pea-green cropped sweatshirt (the only redeeming quality the sweatshirt has is the cool design on the back).  Yup, just rolled outta bed and threw it out.  Hey, give us a break... it snowed last night.  I wasn't going to put any effort in when the weather was just plain mean and nasty.

But... it's FRIDAY!  Hooray!  And as I listen to some amazing Gregorian Chant (courtesy of Pandora Radio) I am thinking about all the things I will be doing this weekend:

1. Running errands which include: bank, getting an oil change and going grocery shopping
2. M is taking me out to dinner tonight and one of my fav places!  So excited!
3. Horse-back riding with my cousin ML Saturday afternoon
4. Church
5. Some serious knitting needs to get done
6. Laundry :(
7. Return two dresses to Kohl's

There are other things I'll likely get done too, like sit and read a book while enjoying a large glass of sangria.  But those listed above are the things that are required doings for this weekend.  Maybe I'll get a pic of me on my friend Chuck, the horse I ride with my cousin.  He's so beautiful... and BIG!  The ground always seems a lot further away when you're on the back of a horse.

And there was a very bright spot in today: M has a job interview with a LOCAL company.  The interview will be on Tuesday.  The HQ for the company is only a few miles down the road from our house.  He applied yesterday and they called him this morning!  Talk about speedy turn around.  Fingers crossed and holding my breath.

If I don't post this weekend let me just say:  Have a FABULOUS weekend everyone! :)  Go out and spread the love!