Tuesday, May 29, 2007

There Is No Prescription for Procrastination

Deck frustration...or maybe it's more like husband frustration is slowly creeping up on my otherwise sunny mood these days. Now that PK can step outside our sliding glass door without falling to his doom, he seems to have stalled out. Meanwhile, we have no railings and no stairs and NO PROGRESS! I can't blame him for being tired of the whole thing, but I am seeing the symptoms of the stretch-a-project-out-for months-or-years-so-nothing-ever-is-truly-DONE virus and I am not very happy. Unfortunately, this illness is extremely contagious and leads to prematurely moving on to other projects only to find that the virus has spread to them as well. The result is a perpetually incomplete home improvement nightmare and a very cranky wife. So far, all of my attempts at motivation have been fruitless. I fear my only recourse is to schedule the final inspection so that PK has a deadline that must be reached. Deadlines are frequently ignored in my home though, so I'm not very hopeful. Perhaps it is too late for Project Deck and I should focus on saving Project Refinished Floors or Project Black Top Driveway....now that I think about it Project Lawn Care has been neglected in favor of "deck-related" activities (the quotes mean that I am not buying this excuse). No cure has yet been found for a hubby's unwillingness to complete any home improvement project, but a margarita does wonders for the wives coping with the symptoms. I, however, will have to resort to drinking while sitting in a lawn chair on the front step, since I have no deck on which to lounge.

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Thursday, May 24, 2007

Pepperoni or Sausage?

Check out this really cool photo a friend of mine took in his yard in Minneapolis.





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Monday, May 21, 2007

Today's Favorite Quote

We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess.
-Mark Twain


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Tuesday, May 15, 2007

No crafts, no photos, no link...just a boring blog update

Well, I've started my new position at work yesterday. It's a little like being in a foreign country and not knowing what's going on around you. With all the foreign languages I've worked with over the past 6 years, I'm still having a lot of trouble with Marketing dialect. I guess that will come with time. The job has been a little boring so far. Like every time you start a new job, no one has assigned me work yet. The bright side is that I have time to update y'all on my blog! PK did manage to get himself a sizable raise this week and, as he so kindly pointed out, he makes more than me, once again.....not that it's a competition or anything.

We began building our deck this weekend with the help of all PK's family. I'll spare you the long list of injuries incurred. Rest assured that our insurance premiums did rise dramatically as there were no trips to the emergency room. That makes the weekend a success in my opinion. The deck is not complete, however, and there's still plenty of time for stitches and x-rays to become a necessity. We did manage to complete about 3/4 of the work (saving the most difficult 1/4 for PK do manage on his own...obviously, I was not involved in the planning). Anyway, while the men worked the women went shopping (we also prepared meals, so the rumors of our laziness are greatly exaggerated.....ok, we ordered pizza and headed to the mall, but I really, really needed new clothes for the new job, right?).

Since PK's family was visiting, got to spend a lot of time with my new little niece. She's 4 months old now and is such a good baby. She is smiling and happy a majority of the time and I'm pretty certain I'm her favorite aunt (that's short a as in "ant". All the other sisters-in-law are "onts"). Also due to the family visit and the deck marathon, PK "forgot" to acknowledge Mother's Day (I did make sure he hugged his own mother and CT and I prepared a gift for her). Anyway, I was a little irritated by his lack of appreciation for the mother of his child. He kept saying "You got a deck". I'm sorry, but that's not a really a fair defense. We would have gotten the deck anyway. Not that I wanted a gift or anything....just a card would have been thoughtful. It took him several hours before he finally even said "Happy Mother's Day" and only then because I reminded him. For his part, CT presented me with a lovely hand-painted pot with a cute little flower along with a very sweet card he made himself at school (I should have taken a photo to post, but I haven't yet). Luckily, he didn't learn his chivalry from his father. PK has managed to redeem himself. This morning in my car, I found a beautiful lucky bamboo plant for my new desk. It was a very sweet peace offering, so he's out of the proverbial dog house for now.

Tonight we meet with the beginning band instructors because CT has decided to play the trumpet in the school band next year. I'm a little worried about his commitment level. He tends to give up on things that do not come easily to him. To be honest, he talent also leads me to believe that this is a short-lived activity. He was just awful at the recorder and constantly received bad grades in music because of his "squeaking". He didn't feel motivated to practice very much either. After several motherly lectures on the importance of responsibility and the amount of practice time required for this endeavor, CT still insists that the trumpet is for him. I'm never one to stand in the way of the arts, so we've agreed to at least meet with the band instructors.

Well, as you can see I've had very little times for crafty pursuits, but I do need to get started this weekend on swaps needed for the Stampin' Up! convention in July. I'll have to squeeze it in between staining the remaining deck pieces.

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Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Today's Favorite Quote

I'm moving, but don't worry! Someone once told me we're all on the same planet, so I'll be okay!
- Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata
Animal Crossing: Wild World


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Friday, May 04, 2007

Fuming

They're re-tarring the roof at my office this week. The fumes are seeping through the ventilation and making us all high...not exactly a sound business practice. It wouldn't be so bad except that we also happen to be staining the pieces of our new deck at home so my whole house has an eerily similar scent. I'm pretty sure I'm losing brain cells by the second. As you all know I have precious few to spare.

I've been so busy with deck, new job preparations, Mother's Day planning that I haven't gotten to do any stamping, scrapping or knitting at all. I'm kinda going into crafter's withdrawal. I did get a big box of brand new stamping supplies yesterday and I'm anxious to try some new techniques out. But I don't really see that happening anytime soon with my schedule the way it is these days. I need to re-knit the baby sweater I've been working on too. I noticed that when I joined the second ball of yarn that it was a slightly different dye lot and is a noticeably different texture. I'm going to have to get some new yarn....hopefully that matches.

Well, you've witnessed the loss of another few hundred brain cells. By tomorrow, I'll barely be able sit upright and drool on the keyboard!

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Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Blog Drought

So, I've been neglecting my blog a little bit. I have so much going on right now that I'm emotionally drained at the end of every day. I just don't have anything else to give. I feel like my brain is running around in circles trying to remember everything, do everything and be everything. Too bad my body can't keep up with my brain's fitness program! Anyway, lately I've just been so worn out that I don't have the energy for sarcasm and dry wit. Thus, the blog suffers.

Things on KellyFaith's mind that makes her tired and boring:
  • New deck - purchased with tax refunds and being built by PK (with a little help from the rest of the family).
  • Constantly scheduling time to work on the deck, inspections, helpers, etc. Desperately trying to stay on schedule to the complete irritation of PK. I just don't want this to be another project that lasts months or even years (Note: remind me tell the bathroom story)
  • Already planning a deck-warming party....but better plan the less-glamorous Deck-Build-A-Thon planned for all of our friends and family planned for Mother's Day weekend.
  • School's almost out and the last day of daycare is imminent. I have CT's entire summer full of amps and vacations, but still nothing for the first 2 weeks after school is out. There seems to be nothing available. We may have to fall back on the emergency daycare, but are limited to only 13 days per year.
  • I have been interviewing and have finally gotten a new position at work....big promotion. I'm ecstatic about the success, but doubting my abilities. Going from a position where I am generally considered the expert to a position where I'm starting all over is a little stressful.
  • The new job has a lot more responsibility and more hours...am I up tot he challenge?
  • The new boss's boss has a mean grudge against denim and capris and the whole notion of casual Friday. I have nothing to wear. I've been shopping non-stop since I found out about the position and I still have nothing to wear (says the lady with an overflowing closet). But really, I have nothing to wear.
  • Dress shoes worn with work clothes hurt....a lot. Four new pairs of shoes and every one of them is a torture device of epic proportion.
  • They don't make pants for fat, petite girls with no waist.
  • My co-workers seem happy for me, but are they really? Which ones of them also applied for the new position?
  • I hate keeping secrets. I'm so relieved to finally be able to tell my boss and co-workers about this job. 8 interviews in 2 weeks is really hard to cover for.
  • DPG (Dominant Personality Guy) acted weird through the whole interview. He asked me if I planned to apply and when I told him yes he encouraged me and asked for daily updates on the interview process. Yet, rumor has it, he also applied. Why would he goat me into telling him all about the painful interview process and never mention that he was going through the same process? Maybe the rumors aren't true. I think it's pretty sneaky if they are. Doesn't really matter, I suppose.