Thursday, May 31, 2007

Favorite Things Swap

Check it out over at Kelly's blog. I've signed up, have you?

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The Hubster

I am so completely happy that I married this boy. Even if he does beat me at Risk 99.9% of the time.

Weekend Roundup

Friday amounted to:
-Cleaning the kitchen drains
-Emptying and cleaning fridge
-Cleaning microwave
-Emptying and cleaning trash can
-Sweeping and mopping floor
-Planning weekly menu
-Grocery shopping
-Chipotle, a return to barbacoa

Saturday was full of:
-Visiting vet's office for flea medicine and changing cat's last name
-Eating donuts I picked up on the way home
-Scrubbing the bathtub and shower doors
-Scrubbing sink and toilet
-Wiping down counter and mirror
-Sweeping and mopping floor
-Trip to Target for gifts
-Talking to sis, tentatively planning Galveston trip
-We were thinking Arby's
-Cleaning and organizing both our closets
-Organizing Goodwill pile

Sunday found us:
-Dropping off Goodwill donations
-Visiting Target, again
-Watching Pirates of the Caribbean 2, mostly on fast forward
-Meeting In-laws at the Movie Tavern for little bro-in-law's birthday
-Missing original movie time, eating at Olive Garden to pass time before next showing
-Watching Pirates of The Caribbean 3, while enjoying a pitcher of Shiner Bock
-Noting to self to never return to dirtiest Movie Tavern location ever
-Heading to In-Laws for cake and presents
-Getting home and hitting the hay

Monday was spent:
-Sleeping in
-Doing 8 loads of laundry
-Pawning old furniture off on friends
-Munching on chips & dip
-Attempting to watch movie, but thwarted by Netflix's crap copy
-Hanging pictures in bedroom
-Watching an exorbitant amount of peculiar television.
-Playing, and losing, Risk
-Crashing into bed to enjoy my recurring insomnia, finally falling asleep sometime after midnight

Friday, May 25, 2007

Progress Report

This list makes it look like less work than it is. Well, not for everything, but the kitchen list is definitely the Reader's Digest version of the amount of effort exerted today. Over a gallon of boiling water for each drain, and almost an entire box of baking soda for the drains and cleaning the fridge. I also cleaned up the front of the fridge, retired some of the older photos on there. I put up some newer ones, but I limited the amount of junk I'm displaying. Tomorrow- hopefully a trip to the goodwill drop off is in our future, after tidying the closets.

Bedroom:
-Wash sheets and blanket
-Vacuum mattress topper and mattress
-Put up clean laundry & drying rack
-Tidy closet & bedside area
-Dust bedroom
-Vacuum floor & walls

Living room:
-Wash sofa blanket
-Vacuum sofa and chair
-Tidy and clean coffee table
-Lint-roll curtains
-Dust TV stand, bookcases, and desk
-Vacuum floor & walls

Dining room:
-Clean off table and wipe down
-Clean off piano
-Vacuum floor and walls

Kitchen:
-Do any dishes needed
-Wipe down cabinet fronts and counter tops
-Empty fridge and wipe down surfaces
-Clean sink and drains
-Clean microwave
-Empty and clean trash can
-Sweep and mop floor

Bathroom:
-Scrub bathtub, tile, and shower doors
-Clean toilet
-Scrub sink
-Clean counter top and mirror
-Sweep and mop
-Wash floor mat

Start your engines

So, this week has been horrible. Monday there was the kitten incident. Tuesday saw the dashed hopes of Joey on Dancing With The Stars. Wednesday I had cramps from hell. And yesterday, the worst day of all. I overslept, leaving me no time for a shower. I got up to my office door after Josh dropped me off, only to realize that I had not only forgotten my keys, but also my cell phone. And since I get to work before most people on my floor, and anyone else in my office, this was a bad situation. I ended up sitting on the floor for about an hour, periodically going down to the lobby to see if the management office is open yet. Luckily during the last trip down I ran into the maintenance manager, who was able to let me into our office. So, they day was pretty much shot after that. I got a bit of work done, but I was ready to go home from the get go. When I did get home I had a nice, long, hot shower- determined to wash away the terrible week. And now it's my four day weekend, with a fresh start. I'm finishing up my coffee and toast and then the cleaning begins.


And, it's Chipotle Friday- what better way to start my weekend vacation?

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

The Last Dance

Confession time- I am the biggest Dancing With The Stars fan. And it's not the celebrity or reality aspect to it, I'm actually a ballroom dancing nerd. When American Ballroom Challenge was airing at the same time I was in heaven. DWTS becomes a real obsession for me. I've watched from Season 1, Episode 1 forward- missing just one week while we were on our honeymoon. And I've been a bit spoiled because the last 2 seasons my pick has won. This time was different though. I could tell going into the show last night that Apolo was going to win, but it didn't take any less sting out of Joey's loss. Joey Fatone was definitely my favorite. In last night's episode they said he received more standing ovations than any star, which speaks for just how entertaining his performances were. The end of the show is a double-edge sword for me. It kind of takes over my schedule when it's on, so I look forward to a bit more freedom once it's over. But at the same time it's hard to say goodbye to your favorite show, and play the waiting game for the next season. Plus it's not like I have a lot of other ballroom dancing options to watch when it's not on air, ha. In tribute to Joey I wanted to post one of his best dances, but I love them all! So, I just went with his freestyle since it was danced to the appropriate Donna Summer classic- "Last Dance". But, if you are nerdy like me, you should check out youtube for his tango and his paso doble.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Cure for Insomnia?

Probably not, but you never know. I just ordered the West Elm headboard that I'd been keeping my eye on lately. Aside from needing new bedside tables, it's the last big piece of furniture I was looking to replace. I got a lovely note from West Elm advising me that they were having a bedroom sale, and it turned out they were kind enough to mark my desired object down $40. It will be a while before it arrives, but I need to get a new bed frame and some risers, so that's not really a bad thing. I'm definitely still feeling a bit down about yesterday's events, but this has helped to raise my spirits.























I've got all sorts of ideas swirling in my head about how to spend the lovely 4 day weekend ahead of me. I'm imagining Baked Ruffles with fat-free ranch dip, some good movies, and working on my cleaning list. And of course some quality time with the hubster.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Blue Monday

Well, today has been a bit of a roller coaster. I didn't sleep well last night, but I cheered up a bit at work when I realized I had a 4 day weekend coming up. I got a good chunk of work done, but the lack of sleep was really weighing me down. I left half an hour early. When we pulled into the parking lot I saw a kitten resting on one of the parking bumpers. Josh and I had seen a kitten that morning leaving, and truth be told I had thought about it several times that day- perhaps hoping that it would be too adorable to resist. This was a different kitten though. I went in and told Josh, and we decided to see if we could play with it. But when we got close it was obvious it was really sick. One eye was crusted shut, and it could hardly move. Flies were buzzing around and it was the color of a ghost. We weren't sure what to do, but we knew we couldn't just leave it. I called our regular vet, who was just about to close and they told me about a clinic not far from here. We put him on a towel in Marvin's cage and tried to get over there before closing. When we got there it was worse than we thought. We had to make the decision to put the little stranger down. The doctor said he would definitely die if nothing was done, and almost certainly die even if they did all the things he would require. He was overcome with fleas, had a chlamydia infection in his eye, probably had worms. He would have needed a blood transfusion, which a kitten his size would be very unlikely to survive. I started tearing up as soon as the nurse had mentioned it in the lobby. They tried to make me feel better by saying we did the right and responsible thing by trying to help him, and that he would be better off passing this way than all alone outside. By the time we walked out the door I was bawling. I know it's kind of silly, it's not my family pet. But it's so sad to look at this tiny little creature and know that it has to die.

So, I didn't feel much like cooking after all that. I'll shift my weekly menu around. We had some Jack In The Box, which isn't great, but I'm not afraid to admit I'm a bit of a stress eater. Our new TV stand came, but I don't know if we have the time, or the strength to put it together.

Weekend Roundup

On Friday I managed to:
-Clean house, and by house I mean bedroom
-Eat Chipotle, awesome
-Hang out with our friend Grey
-Bake cookies
-Watch What Not To Wear and dvr'd episodes of How Clean Is Your House?
-Sleep in my nice clean bed

Saturday was filled with:
-Drink coffee, while watching my morning shows on PBS
-Grocery shop
-See Josh off to Rock School rehearsal
-Complete Small Time Cooks entry
-Eat leftover Chipotle, still awesome
-Shower and get ready for Misty to pick me up
-Go with Misty to pick up Holly, and head back to Misty's house
-Let Holly do my make-up and get ready
-Go to Calhoun show at Firewater
-Hit Denny's for after-show grub
-Get home in time to go to sleep with Josh

Sunday entailed:
-Sleeping in
-Eating Sonic, yum chicken sandwich and cherry coke
-Run to Target for new hair straightener, shine serum, sunglasses, jeans for Josh, and beer for dinner date
-Go to dinner at Rob & LeAnn's, with mexican beer and limes in tow
-Enjoy chips & guacamole, rice, beans, and soy beef enchiladas- muy deliciouso
-Homemade flan for dessert while watching Pan's Labyrinth
-Get home and crash into bed, unfortunately not sleep well

Our new entertainment center should be arriving today. I think this week is going to be a hectic one. Blech. Especially blech, since I still have a ton of things to do on my cleaning list.

Friday, May 18, 2007

To-Done

My normal work week is M-Th 6:30 AM to 5:30 PM. That's 11 hour days, which isn't as bad as it sounds, especially since it means I have Fridays off. I try to use my Fridays for house cleaning, so then Josh and I have the weekend to spend time together and have fun. Last week I was out sick on Monday, so I was going to make it up on Friday. Then the cat got sick Thursday night, and I ended up staying home with him on Friday, keeping an eye on him and calling vets. His regular vet was out of town, that's why it's plural. I'm a good cat mommy, I swear. :) Anyway, I was gonna work all 5 days this week, to make up the day I didn't make up. I woke up this morning and there was just no doing it. You know you have a good husband when you nudge him at 5:45 in the morning to ask him if he minds if you stay home from work to clean house, and he says no. So, I lost out on a little bit of money, but I gotta a good chunk of work done. I'd rather clean house than go to work any day.

Bedroom:
-Wash sheets and blanket
-Vacuum mattress topper and mattress
-Put up clean laundry & drying rack
-Tidy closet & bedside area
-Dust bedroom
-Vacuum floor & walls

Living room:
-Wash sofa blanket
-Vacuum sofa and chair
-Tidy and clean coffee table
-Lint-roll curtains
-Dust TV stand, bookcases, and desk
-Vacuum floor & walls

Dining room:
-Clean off table and wipe down
-Clean off piano
-Vacuum floor and walls

Kitchen:
-Do any dishes needed
-Wipe down cabinet fronts and counter tops
-Empty fridge and wipe down surfaces
-Clean sink and drains
-Microwave sponge
-Empty and clean trash can
-Sweep and mop floor

Bathroom:
-Scrub bathtub, tile, and shower doors
-Clean toilet
-Scrub sink
-Clean counter top and mirror
-Sweep and mop
-Wash floor mat

Other:
-Make next week's menu plan & grocery list
-Grocery shopping

In other news, it's Chipotle Friday! And even Marvin is excited about it....

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Household To-Do List

Things I'd like to get accomplished this weekend, knowing full well that hardly any of them will actually get done:

Bedroom:
-Wash sheets and blanket
-Vacuum mattress topper and mattress
-Put up clean laundry & drying rack
-Tidy closet & bedside area
-Dust bedroom
-Vacuum floor & walls

Living room:
-Wash sofa blanket
-Vacuum sofa and chair
-Tidy and clean coffee table
-Lint-roll curtains
-Dust TV stand, bookcases, and desk
-Vacuum floor & walls

Dining room:
-Clean of table and wipe down
-Clean off piano
-Vacuum floor and walls

Kitchen:
-Do any dishes needed
-Wipe down cabinet fronts and counter tops
-Empty fridge and wipe down surfaces
-Clean sink and drains
-Microwave sponge
-Empty and clean trash can
-Sweep and mop floor

Bathroom:
-Scrub bathtub, tile, and shower doors
-Clean toilet
-Scrub sink
-Clean counter top and mirror
-Sweep and mop
-Wash floor mat

Other:
-Make next week's menu plan & grocery list
-Grocery shopping
-Eat Chipotle (don't worry, this one will definitely be accomplished)

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Fun In The Sun

We've decided that we'll finally go to Concert In The Garden this year at the Botanic Gardens. I've wanted to go for years, but we've never gotten around to it. We're planning on the first weekend, to hopefully avoid the hottest of the hot Texas summer. I love jazz, so I'm excited that we've chosen to go on the big band tribute night. If only we hadn't missed the tribute to Gershwin last year, sigh, but Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman will be great. And every concert ends with fireworks! My cousin Angie lives not far from the gardens and you can see the fireworks from her front porch all summer long- oh, I wish we had that kind of luck. Josh is in charge of handling tickets and parking, and I'm in charge of planning and preparing the picnic supplies, which of course includes food. I can't wait to put together a yummy menu for our fun evening under the sun, stars, and fireworks! This may be the perfect opportunity to make a little something out of my cute Winnie The Pooh cookbook.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Mission: Organization Impossible

Things accomplished Friday:
-Take cat to vet, for apparently no reason
-Hit Forever 21 for belt, jeans, and cute swing jacket
-Target for 500 G external hard drive, mom's day gifts, and some tic-tacs
-Visit The Container Store for our new desk components, get the elfa install spiel
-Grab some Chipotle and devour at home on living room floor while watching dvr'd shows
-Fall asleep on couch while watching Most Haunted

Saturday's activities:
-Visit salon for our hair cuts. I have bangs now!
-Different Target for underthings, graduation card, and hair accessories
-Eat delicious turkey sandwich at Subway
-Go to Ikea to get rest of organization tools, bookshelf, and grill pan
-Get ready and head out to friend's graduation party
-Drink and have a good time visiting with everyone
-Go to after-party party for additional hanging out and drinking

And Sunday's accomplishments:
-Sleep in, since didn't get home till 4 in the morning
-Decide which projects to tackle
-Eat Sonic, mmmmm Vanilla Coke
-Go by In-Laws' to drop off mother's day gifts and borrow drill and level for day's projects
-Install elfa desk & shelves
-Call mom to wish her happy mother's day and tell her I will bring her gift to work today
-Eat Jason's Deli, yummy muffaletta and baked potato
-Build bookcase from Ikea, put LP's on shelf
-Shower and dry hair
-Collapse into bed and fall asleep watching The Shadow

Now, all of that is great, but what it doesn't mention is how I got absolutely no laundry done, no grocery shopping done, and no normal house cleaning done. I have to work 5 days this week, instead of 4, so there is going to be little time to get to these tasks. Gonna go grocery shopping after work today, and hopefully fit in some laundry each night this week.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Beginnings

I decided to start this second blog to have a place to share tidbits of my daily life, and to talk about our life as a married couple. I want a place to talk about everyday things, music and movies I love, and the people I enjoy being around. I'll post about the things we waste our time doing, and probably a lot of our wedding pics too to be honest. That's right, I'm one of those annoying girls who still loves to look at her wedding pictures 7 months later.

I got the name for this new blog from a Neil Young song, Harvest Moon (duh). Neil Young was a big part of our marriage, although I am sure he is unaware of it. Josh proposed using my favorite Neil Young song. We used his song Silver & Gold for the parents' and bridesmaids' processional in our ceremony, and then we used Harvest Moon for our last dance. It is completely impossible for there to have been a more appropriate song. We did actually get married on the Harvest Moon, but more than that the words and the sentiment in them fit us, and that moment, to a T.



Come a little bit closer
Hear what I have to say
Just like children sleepin'
We could dream this night away.

But there's a full moon risin'
Let's go dancin' in the light
We know where the music's playin'
Let's go out and feel the night.

Because I'm still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because I'm still in love with you
On this harvest moon.

When we were strangers
I watched you from afar
When we were lovers
I loved you with all my heart.

But now it's gettin' late
And the moon is climbin' high
I want to celebrate
See it shinin' in your eye.

Because I'm still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because I'm still in love with you
On this harvest moon.