New Tracks

September 20 Theme: Road

This one was actually taken by my husband. We used to snowmobile together and it was great fun. Then I went back to finish school and we had Sugarplum and she's too young for it to be a family sport. This is the logging road leading out of the parking lot by the meadow that is transformed into a sparkling sugary white playground every winter.

Coo-puns

I've always thought the word coupon was a funny sounding word. I was watching a Ron White show and he pronounced it "Coo-puns" so I always hear it that way in my head now.

***

Every year, coming into fall, I get all kinds of ideas about how I'm going to be better organized in the coming year and I start practicing around now.

A couple years ago, it was buying Quicken to manage my checkbook better. Last year it was a new Franklin Covey organizer set which lasted until about January 12th.

Then about halfway through the year I get re-inspired and find some new tool for the second half of the year. I love tools. I love re-organizing myself. I work with financial information in spreadsheets and I have spreadsheets to balance other spreadsheets. I love making things ordering and concise. I just have a hard time keeping them that way.

***

This year's organization endeavor is into the world of coupons and saving money. Gas prices are up over $4 a gallon and we're getting a double whammy at the grocery stores because of it. We're not in any danger of losing our house or anything, but we're definitely feeling the pinch. So today, I took that Franklin Covey binder and bought some supplies for it to turn it into a coupon binder. I don't end up using those planning sheets very well so I may as well make the leather binder useful.

I also scored a great deal on a new tote bag to drag my personal household paperwork that I do at lunch time to work for $45 marked down from $99. Score! I signed up at an online coupon site, printed a bunch of online coupons and even still had Wednesday's junk mail on the table and cut some coupons out of that too. Here's hoping the grocery dollars stretch a little farther this weekend.

Two Words

Apparently Sugarplum has decided that there are two words that best describe me:

Sour and Curdled

Witness this morning's conversation in the car:

SP: Mommy, are you old?

Me: NO! I'm not old!

SP: (With the high pitch of insistence that only a 3 year old can reach) YES YOU ARE!

Me: You really think so? Is Daddy old?

SP: No

Me: Is Oma old?

SP: No. You are old like the milk in my ba-ba (sippy cup)

Maybe I've not been doing a very good job leaving my work at work these days. I've found myself often frustrated and feeling sour toward the condescending harpy I have to work with. Yesterday I actually counted the days on the calendar left until her upcoming 3 month vacation. 47 including today. It. Can't. Come. Soon. Enough.

Blue Monday

Wow, my last post was August 24th. I guess that means I have completely fallen off the blogging band-wagon but I would like to get back on. The trouble lately, is that I feel like I really don't have much of anything to say. So I'll complain instead - aren't you glad you stopped by?

Today is a gloomy and grey Monday. It's the kind of morning that makes me want to crawl back in bed with a good book. Except that, the Sugarplum needs to eat on occasion so I'm here at work instead.

I'm feeling decidedly underwhelmed by all the election nonsense floating around. I'm starting to lose sight of what the "issues" are since the mudslinging has begun. I also hear that the McCain/Palin Campaign is pulling ahead, which frankly just scares me. I abortion issue is my number one issue and any candidate who is behind overturning Roe v. Wade automatically loses my vote. I also worry about the ability of Sarah Palin to effectively govern with a 4 month old special needs child at home. I realize she's the Gov. and has been for a couple years, but isn't Washington a whole new ball game? How will she find that balance? I suppose her personal life is none of my business, but as a working-outside-the-home mom, it's hard enough for me to keep the balance in my 40 hour a week job, let alone a 24-hour-a-day job.

I work with a condescending, micro-managing, harpy wench who has stepped up her level of condescneding harpiness lately.. and it's driving me bananas. At least I don't have to report directly to her... and she drives my boss nuts too which is the only thing that keeps me sane when I have to deal with her on a more frequent basis.

If you've stuck around to reading this long, now I'll give you some of the positive stuff:

My husband has gone back to flight training so he can learn how to teach other aspiring pilots to fly. It won't be able to serve as a complete career change, but will eventually bring in some extra dough and give him a chance to do something he really loves a lot more often than he gets to now... and who couldn't use some extra dough?

I have been feeling a little more domestic lately - I've been planning and cooking meals at home a lot more often which is a challenge with a spouse who is a fairly picky eater. Nevertheless, I feel like some of my cooking skills are improving and that makes me feel good. Occasionally I even come up with something new to try which sometimes work and sometimes doesn't. I'm terrible with sauces and don't have the patience I should but I'm working on it.

Sugarplum has started a dance class that is lots of fun to watch. She gets to wear a leotard and tights and I get to put her hair up in a bun, it really looks more like a donut hole than a bun, but is cute nonetheless. She's having fun and getting some activity that is led by another adult besides me and has other kids to be around. Special thanks to Sandy for great advice about what to look for in the dance studio.

I have also started taking a Body Flow class at the Y. It's a combination of Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates. It doesn't get me breathing really heavily but is proving to be a great work out. My muscles are tired at the end and I go home feeling like I've done something good and healthy for my body. I just need to learn to stay away from the Oreo's and milk when I get home.

That's been my life in a nutshell for the last month... for now, I'll just keep on keepin' on

Plum Shot

Sugarplum is 3... and she's begun taking shots at me. The other night we had this conversation in the car getting ready to go to dinner with Oma.

SP: "Where's your mother?"

Me: "Getting her purse."

SP: "This is your mother's house?"

Me: "Yes.. Oma is my mother, just like I'm your mother."

SP: "Oh... you're old."

Thanks Kid.

Struck Down

I've always said that pantyhose are the Devil's play things. Apparently God does not agree.

My brother got married on Saturday. It was a beautiful day and I absolutely adore my new sister-in-law.

This also gave me occasion to go out and buy a new dress because I had absolutely nothing to wear. I found one on-line and when it arrived I showed it off to my husband. He asked "are you going to wear pantyhose?"

"NO!"

"Why not?"

"Because the wedding is in August and the reception is outside and I'm wearing sandals. And they make me itch and scratch for 20 minutes when I take them off"

"Oh"

So Saturday comes and we're happily getting ready to leave and I put on my dress and sandals and make-up and perfume and jewelry and NO pantyhose.

We get to the church where I am in charge of receiving the flowers and getting them handed off or attached to the appropriate members of the wedding party and family.

We have a lovely ceremony and everyone takes off to the reception while the wedding party takes pictures and I help clean up the church chapel for another wedding coming in that afternoon.

You can see where this is going right?

So I'm running around in my dress and sandals and no pantyhose. Which for a lot of women is no big deal. Me? Well lets just say I don't have the thinnest of thighs. So mine, yeah, they rub together and cause friction. Not enough to start any campfires, but enough.

OH. MAH. GOT.

Never again will I go out in a dress without pantyhose. I have seen the light. God has struck me down in my pantyhose-avoiding ways. By the end of the night, my thighs were red, bruised and swollen just from running around all day.

BUT, it was a beautiful day, with a fabulous couple who I adore and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Time Warp

Forgive me blogosphere, for I have sinned. It has been 32 days since my last post.

We've been busy! At the end of June Sugarplum had her second post-operative check-up with her cardiologist. He gave her a clean bill of health and said she was all clear to go on a family vacation/reunion we had tentatively planned.

The last weekend in June brought us to Disneyland and California Adventure in Anaheim. She had SOOOO much fun. She went on a good number of kiddie rides and even a couple big kid rides and did really well. She even got through the 6 hour car ride remarkably well with no potty accidents. WOO HOO!!

The following week was spent in San Diego with my husband's family culminating in a family reunion at Gramma's house for the 4th of July. It was a great vacation and we all can't wait to go again.

We came home to a pool which turned green again in that first week we were home but at least there were no conspicuous business cards from the code enforcement officer in our front gate so I guess the neighbor took a break from her chore-tracking activities.

I took water samples to the pool supply store and my husband and I *almost converted to a salt system. Through a couple tests and adjustments in chemical levels, our pool is no longer green and we've managed to get rid of the algae. Unfortunately, playing mad scientist with pool chemicals is not always the best strategy for fighting algae. Who knew?

*I actually bought a salt system but had to return it because our washer decided to die last weekend, so I needed a couple new appliances instead. I'd rather be able to do laundry than swim in saline so I am now the proud owner of a Kenmore Elite Oasis washer and dryer set. No, it's not front loading because I don't want to have to keep the door open in order for it to not mold.

I'm now back at work and back to real life. It's a bummer because I felt like I was just starting to get into a stay-home-mom groove but alas, I'd like to keep paying my mortgage bill.

Thanks to everyone who has sent their warm wishes and good thoughts for Sugarplum's speedy and healthy recovery.