Boo to being sick

Christmas was ok this year, but being sick put a damper on it, for sure.  I've been fighting a cold which changed my ever-present minor sinus infection into a full-blown wicked, evil one.  Antibiotics seem to be barely working so I've been hovering in pain on the fringes of all the events going on around me.  How was Christmas day, you might ask?  I wouldn't really know, because I was in a decongestant fog for most of the day.  I have this week off, so I'm annoyed at being sick.  I feel like I should be having fun and doing lots of things, when the reality is that I don't want to get off the couch.  So much for a holiday from work.

Being sick has not, however, stopped me from eating insane amounts of candy and chocolate-covered cherries.  I don't own a scale, so I'm not even sure if I have gained any weight.  Ha!  Not owning a scale is awesome!  No guilt here! :)

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Anyway, I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas and are looking forward to New Years! 

Busy busy busy

I have not posted in ages.  Life got super busy.

So, happy early Christmas to everyone :)  Hope you're all enjoying the season, getting bonuses and Christmas dinners from the boss, etc.

Once, my office was told that we didn't deserve a Christmas party.  They had been having money problems due to their inability to stop travelling and keeping up with the Jones' and not bothering to leave some money in the business accounts for the payment of bills.  Which somehow got twisted around and became my coworker and I's fault.  "You sell only when you're in the mood" was what I heard.  So, being told that we didn't deserve a party was an insult.

My coworker ranted one day to me after this all happened.  The boss' son overheard and told his dear daddy, who then decided to have a Christmas lunch for one and all.  Everyone from all the stores was invited..  for sandwiches...  which put everyone in a grump.
I dreaded the sandwich day, and when it arrived, it was funny.  First of all, we had been told that we could close up for an hour to actually have a break.  While we were waiting for the last customer to leave, I was asked to make a sign for the door stating that we were closed due to a holiday lunch and would reopen at 1:30pm.
Wait..  1:30??  But it was 1:17 at this point, so I asked again if 1:30 was what he wanted.  Yes, he insisted that 15 mins was more than enough time to enjoy our sammiches.
We then had a very awkward time standing around our tiny little kitchen and making inane smalltalk..  all the while noting that not one of the bosses bothered to say thank you, or we appreciate you, or anything of the sort.

Nothing puts you more in a holiday mood than that.

Fixed - One Big Toe

So my husband lived, after all.  He was brave, but ended up being put under in the end.  So he woke up funny and nonsensical.  The troupe of nurses were all doting on him, which meant he had a lot of cookies to munch on, as well as tea made the way he likes it:  2 sugar, 1 cream..  not milk.  Spoiled, eh?

He's been hobbling around on crutches, generally making a nuisance of himself.  Suddenly I'M the one that's supposed to fetch things?!  Who's going to get me a glass of water when I've forgotten it and have already gotten comfy in bed??  Me.  That's who. 

I'm not used to having a husband who can't dote on me.  I think I'm the one who's been spoiled.  This whole thing has been an eye opener for me!  I have had it GOOD!  What a sweetie he is :)  Ok, I'm rambling..

With his new friend that he made while I was getting the car

The Dreaded Day

Tomorrow is the day to be dreaded as far as my husband is concerned.  We leave bright and early in the morning to go to the hospital for his surgery.  It's day surgery, but it's nerve-wracking all the same.  And I'm taking a wild guess that he's going to be in some serious pain tomorrow so I feel bad for him. 
He damaged the bone in his big toe a few years ago while playing soccer and it's been going downhill ever since.  So he finally manned up and decided to see a specialist, who sent him to another specialist, who then sent him to a very good surgeon.  Who then told him he may lose his toe.  Then he smiled and asked when would he like the surgery?  I take it that every surgeon looks forward to an interesting surgery.

I hope all goes well!  I'm bringing some books because I have a feeling it'll be a long day.

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Autumn

I have a love-hate relationship with autumn.  I love the chilly nights where you can curl up under a warm comforter, the leaves that crackle underfoot, the crispness of the air.  I do not love, however, the impending doom that is known as winter.  I get cold very easily, and once I'm cold, I'm done for.  I can take that chill and make it last 24 hours easily. So while fall is fun, it makes me dread winter in a bad way.

The best fall ever would be the one that ended with spring starting ;)

Happy Hallowe'en

I've come to realize in the last few days that a lot of people don't know where Hallowe'en came from.  So here are some "FUN" FACTS for one and all:


1.  Hallowe'en is believed to have first orginated from the Celtic harvest festival Samhain, in Ireland. 
2.  Samhain represented the end of the season of light, and the beginning of the season of darkness.
3.  It was believed that the border between our world and the spririt world was at it's thinnest, resulting in visitations from spirits of both persuasions.  The harmful ones were warded off with carved Jack-o-lantern turnips and costumes that mimicked them.
4.  Bonfires are still considered a part of Hallowe'en in some places.
5.  Going door to door asking for candy is thought to have come from the practice of "souling" on November first, where poor people would beg for food in return for prayers for the dead (on All Saints Day).


Hallowe'en is a holiday that I always looked forward to as a kid.  I knew the family rules..  no witch, ghost, or devil costumes, but I was more interested in other things, anyway.
My mother was especially good at making costumes for us.  One year she made my sister into a blue jay, giant bird feet included.  She could hardly walk in it, but it won her first prize in her class.
Another time I had an interesting costume.. 
Here's a picture:

I'm the one on the bottom left in red and white.  I'm also facing backwards for some reason, so it's difficult to tell.  Can you guess?  No?  I was a tube of Colgate!  Why?  I have no idea!  I don't recall asking for this costume, but looking back it was pretty neat..  and also difficult to walk in due to the wire clothes hanger in the bottom of it.  I don't think I won a prize for this one, either.  That's my mother in the back.  She's the mime in black and white.

Even as an adult, I love dressing up on Hallowe'en.  It's still fun to dress up and be whatever you want to be for one evening.  And the candy helps.  This year is a wash because of it being on a Sunday night, but there's always next year!

Spooky!

Funny story about my husband's lab coat in this picture.  We got ready at my parent's house and he wanted to splash fake blood on the jacket (he was going to be a zombie doctor).  I told him that the only good place to do that would be in the shower or outside.  Since it was dark and cold outside, he chose the bathroom.  We were in a hurry so we ran out the door with the jacket still damp.  A little while later my mother called and said thanks for almost giving her a heart attack when she went to take a shower..  I can always count on him to forget little things like not leaving the bathroom looking like a crime scene!

My doggies

I'm an animal person.  I've always been one.  This is probably because my parents always gave me pets when I was younger.  I've had almost every rodent there is, a variety of birds, cats, and dogs.  (I have not owned any reptiles, however..  maybe because they don't seem very cuddly).

I currently have 2 rats and 2 dogs.  Unfortunately, my dogs live with my parents and sister.  Since they are family pets, I couldn't exactly take them with me when I got married.  Soooo, I have visiting rights.  My hubby and I sometimes come by on a Saturday to pick them up.  They love car rides, so they are very excited when I ask them if they want to come.  Then we'll take them to the petstore, the dog park, or a friend's house.  They aren't too fond of the last one, unfortunately.  My friends have a 4 1/2 month old chocolate lab who was very fond of biting and barking in the beginning, which my middle-aged dogs didn't find too amusing.  My Jack Russell, Gus, has now developed a dislike of all chocolate labs as a result, which makes him kind of racist (oops!)

My Poodle-Chihuahua mix, Charlie, is the older of the two.  He's the mastermind of the operation.  Gus is Pinky and Charlie is definitely the Brain.  If there is some scheming underway, it's always Charlie who is doing it.  He's highly intelligent, and can think out plans from A to Z.  He's never cold because he covers himself with his blankets, only comes if there's something in it for him, and manipulates everyone around him (especially Gus).  But he's a softie, so he gets off with it.

 Charlie Barley

Gus, on the other hand, is a little slow.  We took him to the vet when we got him, and asked her point blank if he was okay.  She told us that there was a chance that he suffered from a lack of oxygen during birth, but not to worry, because he makes up for it in enthusiasm and love.  That pretty much sums him up..  Slow-witted, Enthusiastic, and Loving.  We got him because of Charlie's fear of life in general, hoping that Gus' rambunctiousness would rub off.  And it has!  With the unfortunate side effect of Gus becoming slightly Chihuahua during the transition.

 Gus "I'm gonna be BAD"

They're loads of fun.  Everyone should have at least one dog to spoil :)

 Scheming & Plotting