If I Did

Dec 28, 2011 | This Life

Diet Champagne

New Year’s Resolutions:

Most of you know that I prefer to “theme” my year rather than do New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve belabored that point on this blog before and I’m sure I’ll do so again next week when (if)I get a clue about 2012’s theme. But for now, here’s a list of New Year’s Resolutions I could totally get behind. You know, if I did New Year’s Resolutions.

In 2012 I resolve to:

  1. Drink better wine. (as opposed to drinking more wine)
  2. Drink more water.
  3. Complain less about having to pee so much because I’m drinking more water.
  4. Complain less in general. I mean, first world problems anyone?
  5. Eat more chocolate. (do I need to explain that?)
  6. Have more sex. (natch!)
  7. Be more organized . . . and by extension. . .
  8. Do less
  9. Breathe more
  10. Save the cheerleader*

What are your New Year’s Resolutions?

*well, someone should save the world. It probably won’t be me, but then again. . .

Don’t Give Up

Dec 19, 2011 | This Life

Via Ann Shen at Annplified

Rally Cry:

I’m serving notice to my soul. And to IZ’s. Because right now, we need to remember that giving up is not an option.

I haven’t been blogging because I’ve been crazy lady painting and getting out the last orders for Christmas from Mireio and dreading. Maybe it’s self-fullfilling prophecy, but I’ve been waiting for another shoe to drop and it finally did in the form of an email demanding more money. Much more money. Money we never heard about, never agreed to, wasn’t allotted by the insurance, and far beyond our means. Money we asked about over and over and were told, “Oh, no, we’re square.”

Which meant work stopped on our home. I have doors placed, but frames are missing. Wood floors laid, but no trim to hide the poor job done cutting. (I’m told that’s how all wood floors are done.) Lots of unpainted surfaces. Tons of trim just waiting to be cut with no means to do so.

We’ve been patient and forgiving. The marble floors that were marred. The 12″ scar in my brand new tub. The work-arounds, late starts, non starts, bad attitudes, garbage piled on my porch for weeks. (so bad, that a rat found one of the vats of left-over drywall mixture and drowned and then proceeded to rot.)

I’ll admit that I’ve lost my faith in anyone who wears a tool belt. And I’m heartbroken to see the state of my home. Which, should have been done with just enough time to bake a few cookies and decorate a tree. Restore some semblance of normalcy to our lives after 6 months of this state of chaos.

Instead, I’m sitting with that feeling. Beating despair back.

So, I’m serving notice to my soul. And to IZ’s as well. Don’t give up. We don’t know what the future holds. What the remedy will be or if there will even be one.

But giving up is not an option. Until it is. And then we will wait for grace.

Little Gifts

Dec 2, 2011 | This Life

I’ve been giving our son little gifts each day as we countdown Christmas. Just small tokens of my affection. Today, I found the little handmade butterfly he left for me on my sewing machine.

The Christmas Spirit

Dec 1, 2011 | This Life

Tiny vintage floral pick—Santa is hanging out in the packaging area of Mireio reminding me of the Christmas Spirit all year long.

December 1, 2011

It’s brisk and bright—classic late autumn weather to usher in December. A month of season changes and celebrations. An ending to a year.

How did we get to December? This year has been a whirlwind.

We are encamped in our living room—and I’m sitting in our bed (where our sofa should be) writing this and wondering, “Where in the heck am I going to put a Christmas Tree?”  No, seriously, I’m asking. The living room and the contents of my closet are now in the dining room.  To complicate matters new carpets are scheduled to be installed on the main floor right before New Years. So, I’m trying to figure out how I’m supposed to get all this put back together, put up a tree, only to take it right back down again.

I’m going to pitch the idea of a bathroom tree to the boys later today, but you know that’s not going to fly.

(more…)

Anger Management

Nov 18, 2011 | This Life

Someone needs to take some Anger Management courses.

IZ and I talking over our decor scheme over coffee:

Me: “Sigh. You realize our bedroom is the only feminine spot in the house? The entire thing is just so. . . masculine.”

IZ: “That’s not true. Besides, you’re little miss modern. It’s not like you LIKE girly country things.”

Me: “What? Your argument doesn’t hold water. Just because I don’t do calico or chintz doesn’t mean I don’t like feminine things. I adore Hollywood Regency, and that’s like the ultra fem side of modern. We don’t have any chandeliers or leopard print or mirrored furniture anywhere in this house!”

IZ: “Because we can’t afford them.”

Me: “That’s not the point, really. Our house doesn’t look like a girl lives in it. Our house screams MEN live here.”

IZ: “I think our house screams compromise.”

Me: “Uh, more like it screams BUDGET!”

Me: “Actually, our house screams ‘These two idiots were completely enamored by the charm and nostalgia of buying their first home they didn’t think about what an old house costs to fix and are now too house poor to buy real furniture.'”

I think our house might have a yelling problem. What does your house scream about you?