It took awhile, but I’m pretty sure almost my entire family is on Facebook now. A couple of weeks ago, my mom and sisters in law joined, and just last week, my mother-in-law joined. On one hand, I’m glad because now I can post family pics and they can all see them easily without me having to send them to a separate photo album, make them log in, etc. They’re also more apt to keep in touch this way. I get Facebook messages from my oldest SIL at least once a week, and just this past Monday she sent an adorable card in the mail with a picture of the two of us from her most recent visit.  Because they all live so far away, we aren’t very close because we only see each other a couple of times each year. But now, it’s like Facebook is that ever-present reminder that hey, you have a SIL! And cousins! And old high school friends! It’s kind of nice.

It’s still a little weird having all my friends, co-workers and family mixed into one big bucket though. Like when I post something to my updates and my aunt Jean comments, my co-worker comments, and my high school friend comments – all on the same status update. For so long I’ve just had separate social circles, and even though they’re still separate, it’s strange to see them all comment on the same post. I guess it gives me a taste of what it would be like if all of them read this blog , which would take much more effort on their parts but some would, if I would share the address. And that would just be weird. I don’t think I’d like it at all. My mom read my old blog and I hated when she’d bring it up in conversation, like “I read your blog. That wasn’t a very good picture of John Stamos today.” Harmless stuff, but it drove me nuts.

Do all of your family and friends read your blog? Has it been weird for you? Or is it surprisingly cool?

The shiny new credit cards finally came in the mail on Saturday (you know, after my unfortunate misplaced wallet incident last Monday) and they’ve just been burning a hole through  my purse all weekend. Finally today I couldn’t stand it any longer and so after work, I went to DSW to hunt for some new shoes because peep toe pumps are not acceptable fall footwear. Not to mention the last time I had a pedicure I think Bush was still in office.

So off I went and I ended up scoring an adorable pair of black, round toe Kenneth Cole pumps (I would show you a picture but they don’t seem to be offered online.) But what I was really looking for was a pair of dressy brown heels (comfortable, yet cute and appropriate for a suit). I ended up finding a pair of Nine West heels in the clearance section but even on clearance they were still $70 and I remembered DSW was having a clearance sale today so I waited. Only I couldn’t find them online once I got home. So boo to that. But I found a $10 coupon that I forgot to use so maybe I’ll go back and snag them for $60 instead of $70 later this week.

I also tried to find a new wallet but didn’t see anything that I loved, so I decided to wait and only walked out with one pair of shoes when I really expected to walk out with three and a new wallet. When that happens, I don’t feel like I’ve used up all of shopping mojo. But it was late and I was hungry so I came home and realized that hey, online shopping can be almost as fulfilling. I fired up the laptop and before I knew it, I had placed four different orders for Xmas presents, all for the hubby. Most of the time I wait until the last-minute which makes special ordering anything incredibly difficult to purchase because I’ve usually missed all the shipping deadlines. But not this time! I had four things I needed to special order and so, I did. And I am just so proud of myself that I won’t be scanning the gift bins at Kohl’s or JC Penney’s for the generic change caddy or boxed tie or pocket knife/flashlight/transformer action figure all-in-one thingy-ma-bob. Not that those aren’t nice things, but he can always tell that I didn’t put a lot of thought into it and just needed to buy something for him to open. In my defense, he is incredibly tough to shop for. NOTHING excites him. Unless I want to spend thousands of dollars on a surprise vacation and even then his first response would probably be “but I can’t take off work” followed by “you spent HOW much?” So, mama needed to get a little more creative this year.

Chances are, he’ll probably guess three out of the four gifts, or maybe even all four, but that’s okay. I’m just really excited about having great ideas for once and officially starting my Xmas shopping about six weeks in advance. Have you started Xmas shopping yet?

Out of the list of things I wanted to accomplish this weekend, I’d say I did a fairly decent job of tackling the majority of the things on my to-do list:

• Bathroom – made progress; should finish tiling this coming weekend.
• Laundry – still in the dryer, but half way there
• Cooking – post roast was dry, but still edible
• Baking – Muffins are still delish
• Shelf – check
• Driver’s license – check
• Shopping – Negative. I’ll probably go one night this week.
• Deep cleaning and organizing – Also negative though I did tidy up the kitchen and living room a bit.
• Raking leaves – 10 bags done and I was maybe half way there but then yesterday afternoon a ton more dropped from the giant oak tree and looks as if I didn’t do anything. Lesson learned: Wait until ALL the leaves fall from the tree.
• Power washing – nope
• Gym – Ha!
• Visited grandparents and played with the dog – YES! Ended up spending the night at my grandparents’ house Saturday night and was there until Sunday afternoon. I took Champ with me and though I think he’d rather have been home, he still had a good time playing with Tubby. Who is Tubby,  you ask?

This is Tubby:

Flailing his chubby little feet, like a turtle on its back.

I didn’t sleep very well at my grandparents’ house, for whatever reason, and so Sunday I was EXHAUSTED. I ran a few errands, showered, and then curled up on the couch with not one, but two movies. Who cares if it was only 4:30?

First up was Confessions of a Shopaholic. TOTAL chick flick. Despite my recent shopping urges, I’m really not much of a shopper so I couldn’t quite relate but that’s okay. Then I watched The Proposal with Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock. I didn’t think it would be very good but, you guys, it’s funny. I think I’ll watch it again, but this time with my husband because I think he’ll actually like it. (I will spare him the girlishness of Confessions of a Shopaholic though.)

And then I went to bed. At 9:30 pm. Because I’m awesome like that.

So far today I…

Went to the DMV to get my replacement driver’s license. I’m so glad they didn’t make me take another picture. I actually like the picture that was already on there (taken just days after our honeymoon, so I’m skinny(er) and tan.)

Also stopped by the Post Office to pick up holiday stamps. Yes, they’re out and I can’t wait to mail my Xmas cards this year!

Stopped by Home Depot to pick up more patch and level mix for the bathroom. Put on another layer where it’s still uneven and crossing my fingers that I only have to use it one more time.

Did a load of dishes and tidied up the kitchen.

And this:

If you didn’t count, there are 10 bags crammed full of leaves. I spent at least 3 hours blowing and raking and bagging. My back hurts, my hands hurt, and tomorrow, my legs will hurt. And that was just 3/4 of the front and side yard. There’s still at least 5 bags worth out front. I didn’t even attempt the back, though I think I might take the easy way out and just mow over those since they’re not as thick. See?

And Champ says hi.

For the first time in a long time, I will be on my own this weekend. I have the entire weekend all to myself. Well, me and this little giant furball.

I’ve been mentally preparing myself for a weekend alone for quite some time now, and I’ve come up with a long list of things to keep me busy. I know I won’t get to all of them, but with the proper planning, some good music, and a couple of cans of sugar-free Redbull, I might get through half of them.

Some of things on my mental to-do list include:

• Working on the bathroom. I have a concrete slab for a floor right now that needs leveling before we can lay the tile. This will be the most time consuming project.
• Laundry. It never ends.
• Cooking. I want to attempt to make my first pot roast.
• Baking. I’m really digging these Fiber One muffins. I’ve made the apple cinnamon ones before and now want to try the blueberry muffins. (Edited to add: Okay, I couldn’t wait. I went ahead and made them after I wrote this post. They are delicious.)
• Installing a shelf. Now that we have AT&T U-verse, we also have extra receiver boxes and since my living room TV is a mounted flat screen, I had to buy an extra shelf for the extra receiver. (Edited to add: Also tackled this after writing this post. The shelf looks good, but the 18 different cables sticking out of the back of the box adds a good 4 inches to the width of the box so therefore the shelf is too skinny. So I awkwardly stuck the box on top of the hanging flat screen and just put a couple of decorative items on the shelf instead. I doubt this arrangement will last long.)
• New driver’s license. This may also require a stop by the bank to get my social security card out of the safety deposit box.
• Shopping. I don’t necessarily NEED to go shopping, but I could use a new pair of brown boots and a few new work-appropriate clothing items. So much of my stuff is old, faded, and raggy-looking.
• Deep cleaning. I’m talking shampooing the carpet, wiping down the baseboards, scrubbing the tub…major stuff.
• Organizing. I’m still working on printing off all of our vacation pics from our entire relationship. I’m up to Feb. 2007. I also need to re-organize all the papers and files that have been piling up in our office. I can’t even see the office desk anymore.
• Raking leaves. The hubz and I made a tiny dent in this last weekend, but I’m sort of a weirdo in that I actually ENJOY raking leaves and he, well, doesn’t. So we only did it for maybe an hour before we called it a night.
• Power washing. Our brand new power washer ended up breaking a couple of months ago after about the third use and we couldn’t find the receipt to take it back, so we took it to a repair shop and for a whopping $25, the guy fixed it. But we haven’t tested it out or used it since. I probably won’t get to this because I don’t know how to do anything other than press the spray button. The whole putting gas in it, priming it, and starting it up like a lawnmower? That’s boy work. I can do it, but I’m afraid I might blow myself up, or just break the damn thing. Again.
• The gym. (HA!) I haven’t been since the Monday before Halloween. I NEED to get back into a routine with this, but considering all of the other activities I want to do, I don’t know how likely this is to happen.
• I also need to visit my grandparents and see if I can help them with anything around their house. Oh and spend time with my poor neglected dog. I’ve been leaving him outside during the day in hopes that the neighbor kids will come over and play with him after school (they sometimes do that. He’s a big hit with the kids.)

Wow, just looking at that list makes me want to take a nap.

I’m feeling much better today. Thanks for all of your wonderful comments and words of encouragement. Sometimes just KNOWING what the issue is makes a huge difference. For the record, I did talk to my boss today and it went very well. Everyone at work has just been beyond stressed – boss included – and so now that I have dealt with my own issues, I can put more effort into helping others at the office, which is the attitude I’m more accustomed to. I don’t like myself when I’m crabby.

Ever since I lost my wallet, I’ve had this ridiculous urge to shop. I want to buy shoes and clothes and Christmas gifts, but I can’t buy anything because I have zero cash, I cancelled all of my cards and the new ones haven’t arrived yet. I guess in a way, that’s a good thing because we really need to save money. Not only for Christmas, but I’ve already started thinking about a spring vacation to some place warm and tropical. We’ve already been to Hawaii, Bahamas, Miami, Florida Keys, Riviera Maya, and Cabo San Lucas. So I’m thinking maybe Jamaica, Costa Rica, a Caribbean cruise, or Puerto Vallarata. Is it even safe to visit Mexico again? Any suggestions for a fairly inexpensive beach vacation?

I had an epiphany today.

Remember this post? Where I’m all gloom and doom? (It’s okay if you don’t.  I block out bad memories too.) Well, I was thinking about that and how I pretty much feel the exact same as I did then. So after work tonight, I sat in front of my computer and typed out a full-page, single spaced letter to my boss about all of my frustrations. I needed to write it at all out, just to get it organized in my own head so that when I sit down to talk to him, I don’t just blather on like a whiney idiot. I want to have well thought out points and proposed solutions. (e.g. I’m unhappy, here’s why I’m unhappy, and here’s how I think we can fix it.) I’m nothing if not practical.  Once I finished writing, I sat there and stared at my page of words and jumbled thoughts. What the hell did I just write? It was a mess. Even I didn’t know what I was talking about. What a waste of time.

“Why can’t my boss just automatically know all this work I’m doing? I’ve been busting my ass for weeks now, and no one seems to notice but me. What does it take to get a “great job!” around here?” 

And that’s when it hit me. The overwhelming urge to just grab a red pen and write across my letter “I JUST WANT A HUG!” (Okay, maybe not a REAL hug, but bear with me. I have a point.) It’s not the amount of work, the type of work, or anything at all to do with the actual work that’s making me unhappy. I’ve tried to blame my negativity on all of those things these last couple of weeks, but the truth is, I just crave a little positive reinforcement. I want to feel valued. I’ve been working in a silo for at least a month, working  harder than I ever have before, with no one to tell me how I’ve been doing, good or bad. And that’s frustrating.

I’m a little embarrassed that something so seemingly insignificant has the power to impact my entire outlook on a project, but, there it is. And I just realized it. Today. After weeks of bitching and moaning and not really understanding why. And I’m telling you this because it honestly took me WEEKS to figure out that’s what’s wrong. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. But I know exactly what it will take to make me feel better.

So now my next question is, how do I get my boss to tell me I’m awesome without me telling him to tell me I’m awesome? (This is assuming of course that I am actually doing a good job, and hopefully not dropping balls and generally sucking.)

Not being able to find your wallet, but not quite sure where you could have lost it.

I went to the grocery store after work and carried in just my wallet and cell phone. I know I had it then because I paid for the groceries and walked out. But what happened to it from there, I have no idea. About three hours later, I realized it was gone and after calling the grocery store, scouring the house, the car, and even driving back up to the grocery store to take a spin around the parking lot and harass the cart boy…still no wallet.

So I jumped online and checked my accounts. No activity, which is awesome, but then I had to call my bank and two credit card companies. All made it very easy, except Victoria’s Secret who only takes calls during regular business hours, so I just hope whomever found my wallet doesn’t decide to go on a panty shopping spree tomorrow morning before I can call and cancel it.

I didn’t have much cash on me – just $10 and some change – but I did have a $50 Macy’s gift card, a $25 JC Penney’s gift card and a bunch of loyalty cards/rewards cards. Not to mention my driver’s license which is going to be a HUGE pain the ass to replace. Unless someone has done this before and knows of a way to do this without going into the DMV?

I keep hoping I’ll find my wallet somewhere crazy, like in the freezer, or in the cabinet with the canned goods, or maybe with the recycled grocery bags. But no, I already checked all of those places and I feel a little like a senile old woman for honestly not remembering if I picked it up out of the cart, if I threw it back in my purse, if I dropped it in a grocery bag, or if I carried it upstairs and stuck it in my shoe.

So yeah, losing your wallet sucks.

Due to our busy work schedules, weekends at home are sacred between me and the hubs. We spend as much time together as possible, even accompanying each other on mundane errands like going to the grocery store, getting the oil changed, picking up dinner, or dropping off a movie.

Speaking of movies, cuddling up on the couch with a blanket, some popcorn, and a movie is one of our favorite pastimes. And we did a lot of that this weekend, but two of the four movies just plan sucked. So here’s my weekend review of the four movies we saw:

Friday night, we saw the Michael Jackson movie “This Is It”. If you’re not a fan, then you probably shouldn’t see it. I, however, loved it! I’m amazed and how much talent one man can posess – both muscially and rythmically. I would highly recommend seeing this, but only if you’re a big fan of his music (and like to watch a lot of dancing).

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past was next. It just came out on DVD and I’m a big fan of both Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner. But this movie? What were they thinking? It was AWFUL. And not just because it was predictable. I actually like predictable. But the script was terrible. Did the actors even read the script before they signed on to do this? I’m thinking no.

Land of the Lost was the second new release rental and I already expected this to be bad. In fact, the only reason I agreed to get it was because I had already forced my husband to watch the two aforementioned movies and he wanted to see this one. Maybe I’m alone in this, but I don’t really think Will Ferrell is all that funny. I like SOME of his movies, maybe even most of his movies, but I’d rather watch Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Adam Sandler, Jack Black, or even Mike Meyers movies any day. This one was definitely one of his worst.

The final movie of the weekend was an older one – Road to Perdition. I love Tom Hanks, and though we’d both seen this movie when it first came out, we had forgotten it completely, so it was like watching it for the first time all over again. So good. And Jude Law is creepy.

What movies have you watched lately?

Given my lack-luster attitude about Halloween this year, I wasn’t expecting much of a celebration. But on Saturday, that all changed as we spent 3+ hours trying to find the perfect costume. I searched EVERYWHERE for a simple pig snout and wings (so I could be the swine flu) but the pig snout turned to be harder to find than I thought and after several stores, the best thing I could find was an evil pig mask or a clown nose that I could possible paint pink and draw pig-like nostrils on. Lame. So at 4pm, I changed my entire idea and decided to just go as a vampire. 1. Because I already had the fangs and 2. the costume was slightly cheaper than the others ($30 rather than $40 or $50). The hubs had already decided to go as Wolverine, but finding dog tags on a chain proved to be almost as difficult as finding a pig snout.

After we finally decided on costumes, we still had to run by the grocery store for booze, more candy, and ingredients to make chili. We had invited my husband’s work friend and his girlfriend over (neither of whom I had ever met before) so I also wanted to make sure the house was clean before they came over. With only 1.5 hours to cook, get dressed and clean the house, I’d say we did pretty well.

One of the things I LOVE about our neighborhood is the abundance of trick-or-treaters. And on a night like last night – cool, yet dry with a near-full moon – we knew we needed to stock up on the goods. We ended up going through about 7 bags of candy. We have about eight pieces left over and that’s it.

So we hung out with our new friends, passed out candy, and watched snippets of The Great Pumpkin and Hocus Pocus. Oh yeah, and Fredbird stopped by. You know Fredbird. The mascot for the STL Cardinals? Yeah, he came to my house.

Those are my boobs. And the giant black hand is the blow-up Grim Reaper we have in front of our doorway. I love that thing. I didn’t end up taking any photos of the night, but fortunately our neighbors did. And apparently my outfit was a big hit with the boys. Or at least my husband.

It’s hard to see, but it wasn’t a bad costume for $30. And the glass I’m holding is my beloved Family Guy glass. I also discovered a new favorite drink – Three Olives vodka in root beer flavor with diet root beer. Delish.

Around 9, we walked across the street to hang out with the neighbors and their five fire pits. I think there were close to 20 of us, and I’d like to think our new friends had a good time. It’s not often we bring in “outsiders” to the craziness that is the neighborhood bonfires, but we figured they were cool enough to not run away screaming at all the insanity. 

But now it’s November. (GAH! November!) And I’m not looking forward to the next couple of weeks for a number of different reasons, though I am sort of anxious to plan the Thanksgiving Day menu. As much work as hosting is, I just love doing it.