DH is not a happy camper.

The framer postponed starting to Monday, then decided to mention he planned on working a 1/2 day on Tuesday, and was off on Wednesdday (the holiday). DH was a bit annoyed ("a bit" is an understatement) but in all fairness, with the weather being as darned wet as it's been here in the NE, it can't possibly be the framer's fault his upstate NY job isn't done yet. So I calmly pointed out that while I know he wants the job started ('cause until it's started, he can't work on it or finish it!), we have to remember that if it rains (God forbid!) during our job, the guy scheduled after us is going to have to wait, too! That sort of calmed him down a bit (my job in life, as we all know!). I think he's okay. Plus, I mentioned that since it's going to be such a lovely weekend (if Bill Evans, our weatherman, is right), we can rest a bit together on the dock, have a nice lunch, then go shop for our gas fireplace, order it, look for bathroom fixtures (which, apparently, I have to have before I have a bathroom!), maybe see a movie, go for a walk, etc., etc. [He's like a kid that way - if he's busy and doesn't have time to think about things, he's okay.]

I was supposed to be off today, but with construction delayed, I'm not blowing a vacation day! I came in early, will eat lunch at my desk and leave at around 2:30, then pack up the food and take off, and surprise my DH! He's expecting me at 6-ish, or even later... I miss him a LOT!

I went to my first Scrapaholics meeting last night. It's not what it sounds like! It's just one more way to spend money on this addictive habit! Each month you get a kit and instructions to do a few different techniques. It's okay - I think I'll try it for 3 months or so, to give it a fair shake. I think what I like best is the group, the companionship - the PersonalScrapper.com kit I get mailed monthly is better quality, so far, at least. Last night we met at N's house. N & I went to high school together! When I first joined the scrapping group a couple of years ago (2 years ago July 6, to be exact!), she emailed me and asked me if was who she thought I was! Yeppers! How nice to become friends again 25+ years later!

She lives in Pompton Plains. As always I was early and since I hadn't had dinner, I decided to drive in the opposite direction from her house to find a little local pizzeria or something where I could pick up a little somethin' somethin' before I pigged out on the "Seriously Chocolate Chocolate Crumb Cake" I had brought. (I was supposed to bake the night before but I forgot!)

There is NOTHING on Boulevard Ave. in Pompton Plains. NOTHING from Route 23 to Ryerson Road in Lincoln Park. When I told N, she laughed out loud! Apparently I should have stayed on Newark Pompton Turnpike; then I would have found the center of town. Oh well, now I know, for next time!

Well, I suppose I should actually do some work since I'm getting paid to be here... I will be incommunicado 'til I return to work next week, sometime after the holiday.

HAPPY 4TH!!!

Rain, rain, go away.
Come again another day (NOT!).

I might have started one blog entry like that before...

Rain. Lightning. Thunder. Wind. Scary. Last night DSD called me and asked me to go to B&N with her. Went to pick her up, waited about 10 minutes while she folded her last load of laundry and showed off her new bathing suits, then we went outside, got in the truck, and watched a bolt of lightning streak through the sky. We both laughed (nervously) and she said, "Wanna do this another time?"

Duh! So we will reschedule.

The 2nd lumber delivery has been postponded due to rain. Now it's coming today. DH was exhausted last night, after moving literally hundreds of pieces of lumber and plywood. Today he "only" has to move 50 more 4x8 sheets of plywood and 250 2x4s. The man is a machine! He just doesn't know when to quit.

According to Bill Evans this morning, no rain tomorrow, through Monday. I think I'll email the boss and tell him I'll do vacation tomorrow through the holiday, but that I will come in on any days it rains and postpone the vacation days... He seemed to be receptive to the last-minute nature of this summer's vacation schedule.

I'm going to do Mrs. K's cold vegetable salad for the recipe swap. I'll take a photo of it and make some wallet-sized photos, then add them to the 8x8 page. That will be look rather cool.

I'm starving. Off to get some breakfast...

I couldn't stand it anymore - I missed him too much. So Mom and I drove up to the lake to have dinner with DH. The nice thing is he missed me, too! We missed each other. A lot. He made a point of thanking me for driving up there to eat a sub at QuickChek with him. You're welcome, Hon! Thanks for eating a sub at QuickChek with me!!!

Today is the day - a load of lumber is supposed to be dropped off at the house this morning, either the first or second delivery of the day. I'm going to have to take a picture of this for sure! When I have it, it will be downloaded here for the world to see!

It was so darn hot last night. Mom lost her electricity 'til 5am this morning - apparently a cable melted. It was okay from Four Corners to my house, but the other way, via West Passaic Avenue, no lights, no electric, no AC... Police at every intersection - EXCEPT BYRD AVENUE AND WEST PASSAIC AVENUE. Where there's a traffic light. Where there have been multiple accidents. Where people speed down Byrd Avenue. Where people drive the wrong way on Byrd Avenue (a one way out to W. Passaic) just 'cause they want to. Sometimes I hate the police in that town.

I aimed two fans on me, and once I had some cold water and a WW cookies and cream ice cream bar, my body cooled down enough to fall asleep. It's supposed to be 92 degrees today, but feel like 96 to 100, and HUMID. Very humid. It's already humid. Very humid. 'Nough said.

Emailed my boss yesterday about vacation - he's okay with me taking some 1/2 day Fridays, and understands about taking time off during the construction. I'd like to be there when they demo the existing attic, and when they start building the new floor. This is supposed to be this Friday, so if the framer confirms this, I'll take Friday and Monday off. Should get some good pix.

Okay, the lumber delivery has been delayed 'til tomorrow. Which means that I'm single again tonight! But I miss DH so much that I'm going to take a drive up there tonight to have dinner with him.

It seems that our framer is going to be able to start on Thursday or Friday of this week. I kind of hope it's Friday so I can take the day off and maybe Monday, too, so I can see them begin construction... I've already warned my boss about the possible days off. I have to confirm with him tomorrow.

I'll post some pix when I have them... I'm sure it will be exciting to watch!

Guess what exciting things I did last night? I made Mrs. K's famous cold vegetable salad, started cleaning out the closet in J's room, went through some clothes and started a new donation bag for AmVets, tried on a few outfits I've been saving for when I magically become the same size I used to be twenty years ago - and I fit in them! There are two in particular; they're still a bit snug, but I can get in them and zip them up! YAY!

Tonight, if I get back early enough, I'll try to coordinate some of my scrapping supplies, and begin working on the recipe swap I'm participating in next month. It's due 07/12 so I really have to get cracking!

$11,000 worth of lumber is being dropped in front of our lake house tomorrow. I will remind my husband to take a picture of it, but I think I'd better take a drive up and do it myself... We're waiting to hear from the framer to confirm he can start this week, like he indicated last week. My DH's head will explode if he can't start until next week. We could have waited to have the lumber delivered later...

We picked out a siding for the house, too: sage green. The corners will be in the same green, I think, rather than contrasting white/cream. OH, I have to check about matching scallops...

I made some pasta with shrimp scampi for dinner last night. Yummy! DH doesn't like seafood so this was the perfect opportunity for me to eat something I like without accommodating his likes and dislikes. Maybe I'll make the tilapia this week, too...

DD didn't call DH last night or this morning. He's disappointed, but I have to be so careful how I phrase it to her, so she doesn't feel pushed or pressured... Maybe I'll just not answer when she calls; if she wants to talk to someone, she can reach him...

Today is DH's LAST DAY OF SCHOOL.
For the summer.
For July and August.
Until September.
There's a fine line between love and hate.

Now I know he's going to be REALLY busy with the addition to our house this summer, but he's still NOT WORKING. Not at a "real job." [I'm glad he doesn't read this blog!] Yes, I'm feeling sorry for myself, that I haven't won a bazillion dollars so I don't have to work at all, that I wasn't born independently wealthy and a part of the nouveau riche (believe it or not, I spelled that right without checking first!), that I have to answer to someone else to collect a paycheck (even though I really do like my boss!), etc., etc., etc.

Okay, done with that sob session.

I just found out that I got a 4.57% raise, and a $12000 bonus (before taxes)! YAY!

What will I be doing with my time this summer? DH will be staying at the lake several days a week. Now, I will miss him, yes. I will miss going to sleep with him and waking up with him. I will miss him deciding it's time to do the laundry "now" and doing it for me.

But I will enjoy my time. I will clean what I want to clean when I want to clean it. I will throw away what I want to throw away when I want to throw it away. (Are you seeing a pattern here?!) Me. Myself. I. For a change. Sounds like a plan!!!

I think I'm going to go to an all-day crop on July 14, for at least most of the day. I'll discuss with DH tonight...

Note: I had to add a new favorite blog to my list - Shauna James soon-to-be-Ahern's GlutenFreeGirl - www.GlutenFreeGirl.com. Shauna is an author that my company is publishing this fall. That's how I found her blog. She is a terrific writer, whether she's writing about her passion for food or her passion for The Chef (the love of her life). The recipes are terrific, the photos creative, and I'm hooked! I can't wait to read more!!!

I'm reading a new book: Brad Meltzer's The Book of Fate. I've just finished reading: James Patterson's The 6th Target, Dean Koontz' The Good Guy, Karen Robards' Obsession, Jeffery Deaver's The Sleeping Doll, and Janine Latus' If I Am Missing or Dead. None of these are on my reading list (P), but since I read so much anyway, I'm not too worried. I'm visiting B&N tonight; I reserved a couple of craft-room books to look at/buy. I picked up two books the other day: Heather Graham's The Dead Room and James Grippando's Lying with Strangers. Again, not on my list, but...

FYI, here's my list:
* started The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived - Allan Lazar
Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
* done The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
I Feel Bad About My Neck - Nora Ephron
Knowledge for Generations - Wiley: The Global Publishing Industry - Robert E. Wright
Reading Lolita in Tehran - Azar Nafisi
Genius: A Mosaic of 100 Exemplary Creative Minds - Harold Bloom
Reading Like a Writer - Francine Prose
* done All the Numbers - Judy Larsen
* started The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
* done Death Connection - Charlie Price (I confess - it's a teen title recommended by Walter Meyers at the seminar I attended - Toni bought it and loaned it to me and I added it to my list after I started reading it...)

The idea was that we choose 12 titles we wouldn't necessarily "normally" read during the course of the year - books we'd always intended to read (like some classics or overly-hyped bestsellers - which doesn't always = good books, I know!) or started to read at some point in our lives but never finished (like Stephen King's Insomnia).

I stopped by my LSS (local scrapbook store, for those of you not in the know!) last night and bought a few sheets of paper. I also spent about 1/2 an hour talking to one of the owners (J) and her daughter and 2 grandchildren. I thought J & A were the owners, but apparently her daughter helps out a lot too, with reorganizing the store, putting together their monthly kits, etc.

What I really like about this store is that although they have scrapping stuff, they show other non-scrapbook-related projects all over the store: altered stuff, cards, frames, mini-books/albums, etc., etc. Just browsing you can get a lot of great ideas!

O.T. I called my niece a couple of days ago - we had such a nice conversation! Almost like humans! She didn't snap a response (much), she listened to me (mostly), she interacted with me and (drumroll, please!) she seemed interested in what I had to say. This hasn't happened in quite a while. In fact, this was so unusual I called her mom the next day to see if A had mentioned to her that we'd spoken. (Apparently it was more important to me than to A, since she didn't even mention I'd called... but that's okay!) She's been so difficult and moody and obnoxious in the past few years that I'd all but given up on speaking with her; I've been waiting for her to grow out of this phase.

Which brings me to another pet peeve of mine: the idea that I should accept her moodiness and rudeness and lack of proper behavior "because after all, she's 15. It's just a phase she's going through."

I WAS 15 ONCE. AND I WAS NOT.ALLOWED.TO.BE.RUDE.TO.MY.AUNT.OR.TO.ANY.ADULT.

Okay, I'm done.

I'm baaaack! (Shades of Jack Nicholson...)

The meetings are over. I'm back at my desk, feeling slightly overwhelmed and largely uninspired. I want to do everything I promised I'd do, but my get-up-and-go got-up-and-went. How do I find it again? I suppose I could just dive right into my To Do pile, but that would be the gutsy thing to do, and not too many people would describe me as gutsy. Lazy? Slow? Yeah. Gutsy? No.

My niece T got engaged last week! Yay! We like K. We're happy for T and K. And what a beautiful ring! It's so her! It's styled to look like an antique, and it's similar to a ring her folks got her a couple of years ago. She's very happy. We're very happy. [And please pray for their kitty Pepper who's not feeling too well these days. She was put under yesterday for a procedure and she was pacing around the house all night, along the perimeter walls, not sitting anywhere, just walking as though she was doped up or drunk as a skunk. We want her better soon!]

Our permits are approved and we just have to pay another $544 for them! DH will be boing up there next Monday to pay, unless I talk him into going up early this Friday... Maybe I can leave early... So it looks like construction will begin in early July. By the end of the summer we should have the addition on, the fireplace extended, and the house roofed and sided. From the outside it will look like a done home. We hope. On the inside, another story! We're doing quite a bit of the work ourselves so it will be slow-and-steady, with me helping where I can, and staying out of the way when I need to!

We'll hire a sheetrockers, a plumber and hopefully L the electrician will help DH out with what needs to be done, and then we have to really concentrate on getting heat in the house for the winter.

I'll post pix as they become available, for my sister P who will be following the construction from afar... Hi, P!

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel... two and a half days of sales meetings down, one more meeting to go. It's "Education" which is always a long one. We all have several education accounts and there are a lot of titles...

My boss announced our meetings next June will be in SF. He's already planning a side trip to Napa Valley on the Wednesday afternoon of our few days of meetings. Sounds good to me! I'll be taking a couple of extra days after the business portion of the trip to visit someone I know in the SW. I can't wait!

My other sister sent me portraits of my niece and nephew and I have to show them off here:




Aren't they so handsome and pretty (respectively)?! She is the spitting image of her mom, just change the color of her hair, skin and eyes.

Lunchtime! Gotta run!

Note (post-lunch!): Yummy - had a vegetable sandwich from the Garden of Eden, with a nice basil pesto. I love basil. Mmmm, good!

Making a brief appearance in mid-meeting-mode...

So far sales meetings have gone well. Lots of quick and efficient presentations, fewer unnecessary and boring titles, more interesting discussions and information - and we have our "new" boss WR to credit for this. Our old boss used to do the presentation himself, which personally I think made the marketing managers and publishers and editors think we didn't know what we weren't talking about! This time around, WR said we all have to speak for a minute at the beginning of each session about our key account in that subject category. We look like we know what we're doing! Which we do, but who'd have known it before?

Dinner last night at Amanda's. Yummy! I'd heard it was one of the best restaurants in Hoboken, and it was really, really good. I like the decor - it looks like you're sitting in your dining room (or someone else's, since my dining room doesn't look anything like this beautiful room!) and they lay out the tables with unmatching china for a very casual formal look. Yes, I know I said "casual formal" like they go together! They do. Just think about it. The tables were set formally, but the unmatching china made it look more homey, more casual. Sort of "casual formal." So there!

More later... just found out we're starting at 9:30, not 9:00 today. But I'm hungry! And breakfast is up there! Think I'll go chow down a little earlier, like maybe 9:15...

More when I can...

Please be patient. I will not be blogging for four days.

I have sales meetings (in-house) on Tues., Wed., and Thurs., and I'm sure Fri. will be spent catching up on the obscene amounts of work-related email that I get on a daily basis. Yes, of course, I will be trying to stay on top of things during the minimal breaks we get between meetings, but I'm quite sure that something will distract me and I will not get a chance to do 1/2 of what needs to be done, let alone what I want to get done...

This past weekend was J&K's wedding (hmmm, not mine, although the initials match!). As soon as I download the pix and can access them, I'll post my favorites here. (Count on next week, some time)

The food was wonderful, except for my entree - the chicken was too dry. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying their food, so it was probably just my lucky day... There was fried calamari, shrimp risoto, shrimp in mango salsa, mini lamb chops (don't make me think about where they came from - and no, I didn't eat them), stuffed mushrooms, scallops wrapped in bacon, antipasto, a raw bar, pigs-in-a-blanket (announced as "mini franks" by one uppercrust waiter), caviar, a grill bar (grilled chicken, beef and veggies), margaritas, a martini bar (tasted my first chocolate martini), mini Beef Wellington puffs, apple fritters, pear and brie tarts (mmm, good!), and lots more - AND THIS WAS JUST AT THE COCKTAIL HOUR!

That's enough food-related stuff - EXCEPT...

For dessert, along with the required venetian table, there were mini ice cream cones (DH got me a mango one), chocolate chip cookies and Kahlua and cream shots, and my personal favorite, and what made the entire day worthwhile: Belgian waffles and ice cream. OH. MY. GOD. They were absolutely delicious. It was all I could do to limit myself to one sandwich. I wanted 12. No, 14. No, as many as I could eat before I literally exploded out of my new dress.

Later.

I've been thinking... yea, I know, haven't much used this brain in a while, but it's about time...

New Year's Day is always the day I make resolutions. I make them. Notice I didn't say I keep them.

I think it's time I make a couple more.

1. I will try to be a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend.
2. I will try to live a life that honors God and country.
3. I will try to be a good example.
4. I will try to keep my house cleaner and more organized.
5. I will try to stay on my WW diet a bit more closely. [I can do this. I will do this. (Yes, you've heard this before!)]
6. I will try to use the brain God gave me for the good.
7. I will try to do a better job at work, spend less time on non-work and more time on work.
8. I will try to manage my time better, which will allow me to stick to some of my other resolutions (see numbers 1 through 7).

There are probably more things that I will try to do, but I think I'm off to a good start. "Everyone" says you should start with one, not try to overwhelm yourself by trying to reinvent yourself. But these are all things I can do without completely becoming another person, so I'm going to try.

I could use your support.

OUCH, Part II!!!

DH had a meeting with his ENT doctor last night, to check up on the broken nose which wasn't broken... Okay, it's still not broken, but - TA DA! It's now not so crooked!

I swear, DH almost fainted! The dr walked in, examined him with the Total Recall scope (those of you who have seen the movie know what I'm talking about!), then turned to me (yes, I went in with my 56-year-old husband!) and said, "I always check with moms and wives. His nose is a bit, well, off, isn't it?" And I said yes. And he pointed to the left side of DH's nose and said, "It's pointing a little this way, right?" And I said yes again.

[WARNING: This is a rather graphic description of what happened next. If you have a weak stomach, skip to the next paragraph!] The dr walked to DH's left side, placed both his hands on DH's face with his thumbs on the left side of the nose and his fingers on the far side of DH's face, and pushed. With all his body weight. DH's hands clenched into fists, his tan disappeared for a few seconds and his whole body stiffened like a board. Later, he said he could hear it in his head like celery, or crinkling Saran Wrap [tm]. Bottom line: his nose is much straighter, almost back where it started! It still looks a bit off, but I asked if that could be swelling and the dr said for the most part it probably is. There might be a bit of crookedness left, but nothing like when he walked into the office at 5:45 last night... And great news! This should not have affected DH's sinuses in any way! He said he noticed immediately that he was breathing better and last night, he didn't snore. YAY!

Tonight Mom and I are going to get our nails done. On Monday a bit of green appeared on my right thumb - she'd better get rid of it tonight - I have a dinner on Friday night and a wedding on Saturday night... And no sparkly clear coat, I think the normal pink. I think I might go home (not) sick on Friday at around noon-ish so I can go and get my toes done. Mom needs hers done, too, so that would work...

Today I'm calling/emailing contractors to tell them we've chosed *&* Construction. They will be disappointed, I'm sure, but them's the breaks! You either pony up with a good bid or you don't! I have to tell *&* that they've been chosen, too. (Yes, I will do that first, before I burn my bridges!)

I'm mailing a package to my sister P today for her b'day. This way it will most definitely arrive before 6/22 and I don't have to feel bad that it's not there for her big day. If you're reading this, P, I'm not telling what I got you, but please don't expect the usual gemstones and money... The next few holidays are going to be light since we're spending all our $$$ on this addition. Just warning you in advance...

OUCH!!!

On Friday, DH got hit in the face with a whiffle ball bat. Until yesterday we thought he had a broken nose, but the x-rays show contusions only. It happened at work so he went to the workman's comp immedicenter. Of course, it took 2 hours and they hadn't seen him yet, so he left. Then he wouldn't let me and/or Maria drive him to Trenton. And he refused to borrow a cell phone to tell me he got down there okay, and he refused to take mine... He got down there okay, called from J's phone (HA! He HAD to borrow one anyway...), then I didn't talk to him 'til he got home on Sunday. Thank goodness he got home early, around 1:30-ish. He pulled some weeds then napped on the sofa 'til dinner. Then it was off to bed until the next day!

Last night we went to the Secaucus workman's comp center and that dr said it's not broken. Tonight he's going to see Dr. A, the one who did his nose surgery two years ago. Him I'll believe!! Let's all keep our fingers, toes and eyes crossed!

BEA was fantastic! I saw several former reps, people I haven't seen in years, even years before Sher closed down! It was really nice to be remembered, and remembered fondly. I saw MMC and LT in the Penguin booth (never got back there to see MD - sorry, MD!), DP in the Random House booth, BW in the Island Press booth, the H's at NPR, RJ at Hachette, MAR and NL in the aisle at Perseus, C and SH and MR from The News Group (we had a great lunch!).

I met Kim Peek and his dad at the National Professional Resources booth. Kim is the real "Rainman." He looks exactly the same as he did on that documentary I watched a while ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdeAq7_r63g
He is incredible. I told his father he was a blessing, that I was lucky to have had the opportunity to meet him. His dad said he felt the same way every day.

They don't know exactly why Kim's brain functions as it does. They do know that his agenisis of the corpus callosum is missing - the bundle of nerves that connects the two hemispheres of the brain is not there. Secondary connectors (the anterior commissure) are also missing. He was born with an overly large head (proportionally speaking). His cerebellum was also damaged. He can recite facts and figures that baffle you, just pick them out of his mind. I told him my b'day was December 18, 1960. "It was a Sunday." I'll retire "in 2025, it's a Thursday." I wasn't able to hear him speak; he was doing an autographing later in the morning, but I didn't attend. What a gift it was to be able to meet him, even if only for a moment or two... Just imagine if we all were able to have an 1/8 of his ability to remember things... The world would be a different place...