Thursday, May 31, 2007

Helga's Identity Revealed!

Yesterday's post seemed to cause A LOT of CONFUSION!! I thought for sure my BFF Julie would have figured it out. But she did NOT! Instead she CHEATED - she emailed me yesterday asking who Helga was and of course, I told her. Now she just spilled the beans to all of you! Way to go JULIE! JK!!! I was planning to reveal Helga's identity sometime.......

So yes, Helga is my nickname for my hubby. He is (usually) a GREAT help around the house and he even wanted to prove it to you!

As you can see, Helga has been slacking. There's dirty dishes all over the counters!

But don't worry, I took care of those this morning after he left for his other job, his paying job (with housekeeping being his other job, his nonpaying job).


Thanks Helga for all you do!

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Helga's Back!

Eleven years ago, Helga came into my life. I was THRILLED!! For seven years, Helga worked only part-time which was totally fine with me. Any help I can get in running the house, I'm happy to have. However, I have to admit, Helga's NOT perfect. Helga believes in the out-of-sight, out-of-mind philosophy rather than the put-it-where-it-belongs philosophy. So over the years, Helga and I have had our ups and downs and to this date, we are still working on those same issues. Helga has free reign over the housework EXCEPT for the laundry. Helga is NOT allowed to do the laundry.

When I went back to school four years ago, Helga started working full-time. I was EXTREMELY thrilled!! Although I LOVE a clean and tidy house, I just didn't have the time for it anymore with all the school work, college club activities, and raising two active children and a husband. The housework got pushed to the wayside so Helga starting working longer hours so I wouldn't go CRAZY with a dirty and untidy house! Helga's been a life-saver but do remember what I previously stated, Helga and I had our ups and downs on which was the best philosophy to ATTACK the housework! Sometimes Helga seemed to do more harm than good but I was still glad to have Helga around.

After I graduated two weeks ago, Helga disappeared. I guess Helga thought that being I was NO longer BUSY with school activities, I now had time to tackle ALL the housework. I think Helga should have talked this over with me first before just disappearing. Helga seemed to think I didn't need to be laying around the house doing nothing! How dare Helga say that! I was doing something - watching TV and "working" on my computer is HARD work! (Plus I spent a week getting ready for my garage sale and attending field trips, Helga's help would have been GRACIOUSLY appreciated!) So needless to say, the house had become untidy and a little dirty!

Well, this last past weekend, Helga finally resurfaced! I was EXTREMELY THRILLED!! Yeah, Helga's BACK!!! I hope Helga's back for good! Helga and I both worked hard this past weekend on tidying up the house and there's still more work to be done. Hopefully Helga will continue helping me - finish up the remaining housework and then maintain the housework!

PLEASE HELGA, DON'T LEAVE ME!!!

Monday, May 28, 2007

Last Week

Last Monday Tanner's class had a Coffeehouse Poetry Reading. For the past few weeks, the kids have been writing different types of poems. Each child had to pick one to read to the audience plus they did some group ones. FYI - The PARENTS got into "trouble" because we clapped after the first child. Well, in a coffeehouse you're supposed to snap your fingers not clap your hands. It gets too noisy! Well, who knew?! It would have been nice if the teacher or OUR CHILDREN shared this bit of information with the us! :) Anyways.......

Wednesday evening Hayley had dance rehearsal for their Friday recital. Well, during the recital ALL dancers, gymnasts, and cheerleaders must stay backstage for the entire recital. So if they want to see the other performances, they must watch the rehearsals - which meant Hayley wanted to stay for the ENTIRE rehearsal. And being the good mom that I am, we did! She rehearsed from 5:15 to 6:00 and then we stayed until 9:00 so she could see all the other performances even though I'm going to see them all Friday night!

The last day of school was Friday and they got out at 12:30. The kids are REALLY excited to be DONE! We have one week of free time before our summer activities start. Then our summer gets CRAZY for awhile. Although I'm sure Hayley's softball team will be meeting this week as their first and second games are next week. At least I hope they practice or it could be a really AMUSING game!

Hayley's dance recital went really well. However, when Hayley's group was performing their routine, the people running the music STOPPED it in the middle of the routine. It's somewhat understandable as there's a break in the music, the girls stop dancing, and the audience always starts clapping but it's NOT DONE! They are only halfway done! That is why they do rehearsals, so the sound people know the music, well, of course, so the girls can practice, too. The guys didn't screw it up then so why that night?! Because they weren't paying attention! So the music stopped completely and the girls just stood there, like now what! After about 10 painstakingly LONG seconds they finally restarted the music and the girls were able to move on. I felt so sorry for them but they recovered very well, considering! GOOD JOB, GIRLS!

(ABOVE - Hayley is the on the far left, middle row, standing)
(BELOW - Hayley is second from the left, standing above a girl, facing the audience)


(All the dance groups performed a group finale in summer apparel with summer props.)

(Hayley is third from the left, in purple.)

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Job Offer......But I'm Not Taking It

So I received a job offer this morning. But don't get too excited because I'm NOT going to take it, or at least I'm 95% sure I'm not going to take it. It was from the company that I interviewed with about a month ago that was considering allowing the employee to work from home, which I was VERY excited about even if it wasn't my dream job. However, they are not offering me that position. Go figure! They are offering me a part-time summer temp position working in the sales office as an assistant. And they are willing to pay me almost $2/hr LESS than I was making when I quit my job to go back to school. How tempting! But I think I'll pass. However, I have until Tuesday to make my decision. I don't think I'll loose any sleep over this one! Also, they really want it to be full-time but are willing to let it be part-time (minimum of 30 hours/week) as I had expressed my interest of possibly working part-time for awhile. HELLO - I'll take the full-time job if it means working from home!! Oh, and they are willing to let me decide how many days, which days, and hours I want to work but I think I'll still pass. And they didn't even know if it would last through August so maybe it'd only be a month or two.

My dream job is out there somewhere.............OH, where are you job? Come and find me!

Monday, May 21, 2007

Anniversary Date

So last night we celebrated our anniversary by going out for supper. Grandpa & Grandma picked the kids up at 4:45 to go see Shrek 3 and then took them out for supper at Burger King. I felt REALLY old going out for our anniversary meal at 5 pm on a Sunday!! I'm far too young to be celebrating like that!! Dean kept saying we are old so it's ok to celebrate like that. I said, it may be ok for you because you are OLD so you can say that, but I'm YOUNG! I can get away with saying this because he's six years older than me! :)
I kept telling the kids that dad and I were going out on a date and Dean kept saying no we aren't. We're just going out to eat. When you're married, doesn't that count as a date?! So when we got to the restaurant I said to Dean, are you still going to say we're not on a date? And he said, yep, because according to Tanner, a date is when a boy and girl go out to eat and kiss. So I made Dean kiss me across the WIDE table. NOW we were officially on a date!

Anyways, we decided to eat at Minerva's. We started our evening out with our beverages - Dean, a Morgan Coke and me, a raspberry mojito. (Note to self - NEVER, ever have another raspberry mojito for the rest of my life.......unless, I finally decide I like drinking Nyquil by the glassful!) I should have went with the glass of wine which I had anticipated having but then changed my mind. (Note to self - I've found that generally my initial decision is the best decision.) Then we moved onto our appetizer, which was Crab and Artichoke Dip. (Note to self - NEVER ever order crab and artichoke dip again.......unless, I finally decide I like crab.) I like artichoke dip. I don't like crab. But the waitress told me it didn't taste very "crabby" and she said it was one of her favorites. And Dean really wanted it. (Note to self - NEVER trust the waitress' tastes.) Plus I burnt the HECK out of the roof of my mouth. It is still really tender! Now onto our main course. We both chose steaks. Mine was a BIG 9 oz ribeye (way too much for me, especially if I'm having an appetizer, dessert, and glass of Nyquil). It was actually done to perfection, medium well! Yes! I had garlic mashed potatoes as my side dish. They were YUMMY! I LOVE my potatoes!! Last but not least, dessert. I was having a hard time deciding on which one to choose. Finally I asked the waitress about the Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee Cheesecake. She said it was her favorite. So I decided to go with it because I LOVE cheesecake and LOVE vanilla bean stuff - ice cream, cheesecake, etc, and even wear the lotion from Bath N Body! (Note to self - NEVER ever trust the waitress' tastes. Obviously I didn't learn my lesson after the appetizer.) Dean's chocolate Galaxy Pie was much better but he wasn't willing to share more than a bite!

So needless to say, I was VERY full after the meal. And although it may seem like there were many disappointments (ok, there was) it was still a GREAT night.

As we left Dean said, wow, I didn't know it was possible to spend $90 on a meal here in town. Well, we're proof. It is! And boy, $90 is A LOT when you don't like your beverage, appetizer, and dessert!! But this is nothing compared to our meal last year for our anniversary......at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.......that meal was $210.

Nice Picture, Dean!

I take really good pictures of the two of us - most of the time. The first one I cut off the top of Dean's head. The second one was great, that's the one posted at the beginning. I wanted to take a third one just because and Dean had decided he had enough and this is what I got. He thought it was funny..........until I told him I was going to post it on my blog! Well, I'm a woman of my word so Dean, this is for you! Ha ha ha!!! :)

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Garage Sale

So the garage sale is over! Thank goodness! However, it didn't go as well as I had anticipated. We opened two hours early and had lots of people the first five hours. The last two hours were EXTREMELY slow! I still have lots of boys and girls clothes left! Anyone interested??? We got rid of all our "big" stuff so that was definitely exciting. There were a total of six families participating in my garage sale and we made a total of $377, which I said earlier, I sometimes make that much myself. Well, not this year. I only made $165 but that's $165 more than I had on Thursday!

Grandma & Grandpa have company this weekend so they've decided that tomorrow would be better for us to go out for our anniversary supper being they will be watching the kids so today is just a lazy day - well, besides packing up my garage full of stuff and doing laundry. Other than that, I'm going to be lazy!!

Next week I'm going to do much of nothing - enjoy my last few days before the crazy, hectic summer begins with the kids and all their activities. However, this year it shouldn't be too bad as Hayley is only doing softball, tennis, and golf while, Tanner is only doing tennis and golf. Oh, and they are both doing swimming lessons but that isn't until August.

Btw ~ my hubby redeemed himself for forgetting our anniversary. At lunch he brought home a bouquet of pretty purple flowers! I LOVE flowers! And purple is my favorite color!

Friday, May 18, 2007

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Wow! I can't believe we've been married 11 years!!! It feels like much longer - just kidding, honey! :) Where has the time gone??? Well, we really don't have any plans to celebrate. Last year we went to Vegas for our anniversary and this year we're having a garage sale. I think there's something wrong with this picture! Tomorrow grandma and grandpa are going to watch the kids while we go out for supper.





By the way, I called my husband at work to wish him a Happy Anniversary. His response? Oh, yeah - Happy Anniversary! My response? Gee, thanks honey! Nothing like knowing how to make me feel special!!

Well, I better get back to organizing my garage sale items!

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Too Cold For Me!

Boy, this weather is just too cold for me! Mother's Day was GREAT - temperature-wise. Where did it go?? Yesterday I went with Hayley's class on another field trip. This time to the Water Festival in B. It was only in the high 40s or low 50s when we stepped off the bus. Thankfully all our morning events were inside but we had to walk from building to building and the buildings were very far apart. It was SO cold and windy!! Some kids had on just shorts and a tank top or t-shirt!! What are their parents thinking??? Are their parents thinking?? Do parents not check the weather?? (I check it every morning.) Especially on field trip days?? Especially when teachers send home notes specifically stating that the kids should dress for the weather, preferably in layers?? I had on capris, a tank top, and a sweatshirt and I was FREEZING!! I felt so sorry for those kids. There was nothing I could do. Our outside events were in the afternoon and thankfully it had warmed up some but it was still pretty chilly, especially when the sun disappeared.

Today I started going through all the boxes and totes in my garage. Then I went through the kids' closets and dressers removing all the clothes that do not fit. Why you might ask? Because I'm having a rummage sale this weekend. Hopefully I'll sell it all. Wishful thinking can't hurt! Actually I usually do pretty good, $200 to $400. It's supposed to be a nice weekend for it so I'm glad I picked this weekend! Wish me luck!

I was on my feet most of the day, lifting and bending so I'm sore. I'm heading to bed so my hubby can give me a back rub!

Monday, May 14, 2007

I'm Done, I'm Done, I'm DONE!

I cannot believe I'm done!! It feels so good to be done but I don't think it has really settled in yet. I'm still unemployed but that's fine by me. I'd rather have the summer off one more time before joining the working world. I don't mind not working but I really miss not having a paycheck! Oh, well. It will come soon enough, I hope! Like in September, maybe. Ssshhh, don't tell my husband.

It was a busy week last week. I spent Tuesday catching up on my four months of magazines that I was not able to read due to all my studying. On Wednesday, I attended a field trip with Hayley's class to the Laura Ingalls Wilder exhibit in DS. It was a gorgeous day for a field trip. I spent Thursday cleaning my house so it'd be in tip-top shape for my party. On Friday I went to SF shopping for my party supplies and summer clothes for the kids. I was planning to have a pink and purple (my two favorite colors) party for graduation because I hate royal blue and gold. When I got to the party store they were pretty much sold out of pink! Are you kidding me? Who else is using pink for their graduation party?!?! And they didn't have everything in purple. They had plenty of blue and gold, should I use that? But then I knew I'd just hate it. So I finally decided to go with a bright summer party - pink, purple, lime green, and aqua. I think it still looked nice. Then I had to stop in M on my way home for graduation rehearsal, which was a total joke! Afterwards I met up with a GREAT friend, Ellie, who I haven't seen all semester! She commuted on T & TH while I commuted on M, W, and F. We grabbed a bite to eat, had a drink (well, I had a drink and she had two), and gabbed nonstop. Then we had to take off because we both had about an hour drive home and we had things to finish up for our graduation parties, like cleaning houses and making food!

Saturday was the BIG graduation day. I didn't trip and fall when I walked across the stage so that was good. Before each of my friends went up to the stage, I whispered to them, don't trip and fall. They gave me such a horrific look, like why are you saying that?! As if I was cursing them. It was so funny! But don't actors tell each other to break a leg and that's supposed to bring them good luck?! Well, that's all I was trying to do! Really! After the ceremony, I stopped for cake & punch and to mingle with some of my professors. That was fun!

I had a good party. About 20 friends and family members came to celebrate with me. I think everyone, except my dad, was gone by 6:30. I was pooped by the end of the day. I served: hamburgers; hot dogs; brats; chips - dill pickle, cheddar and sour cream, and plain; pickles - dill and bread-n-butter; olives - green and black; cheese cubes - mild cheddar, colby jack, and munster; mixed fruit - red grapes, pineapple, honey dew, cantaloupe, strawberries, and kiwi; pea and cheese pasta salad; chocolate cake; mini chocolate chip cheesecakes; homemade mints - creme de menthe, almond, pepppermint, and cinnamon; beer; sparkling strawberry lemonade; and strawberry margaritas.


My Best Friend Maria & I



Ellie & I


Penny, Me, Jenn, & Ellie


My sisters - Kelly, Jodi, Shar & Me



My Best Friend Kari & I


My Dad & I


Dean, Tanner, Hayley & Me

My Party Decorations/Supplies

Thursday, May 10, 2007

The First Hurricane of 2007...

... is named Andrea. YIKES!! What does that say about me or about the year I'm going to have??? Sounds pretty stormy to me!!

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Life Is Good ...

Especially when you have air conditioning!

I felt like we had taken a step back into time. I know, it hasn't been that hot...yet! But this weekend is supposed to be in the 80s and I'm having my graduation party with a house full of people so I was starting to panic.

We'd been contacting our builder for about two weeks to get the A/C guy over to our house to install it. Some days it's gotten to 75 degrees in our house and while that don't sound that warm, it is, trust me. Especially when trying to sleep! So finally the guy showed up last Tuesday and at least got the A/C moved out of the garage and into the backyard on the slab Dean made. And then he was gone. He finally showed up again last Thursday when I was home, took one look inside and said oh, darn! (He thought all the inside piping and wiring were done inside but it wasn't.) This was about 10:30 am. He said he had to go buy some stuff to finish up inside before he could hook up the A/C. He said he'd be back in an hour. Well, he finally showed up today about 1:30 - boy, was that one LONG hour - and he didn't even say anything about why it took so long to come back! So he had to do some soldering and he said that usually sets of the fire alarms...oh, goodie! Sure enough, the fire alarms went off! Well, at least we know they work!! It took them a long time for them to stop, him and I took turns waving stuff in front of the alarm to make it stop beeping. By the time he got done, I had one heck of a headache.

And wouldn't you know it, I've been freezing since he left and keep turning the A/C up so it will warm up in here!

Monday, May 07, 2007

I'm So Happy!

Yippee! Wahoo! Awesome! Cool! Yeah! Woohoo! Yippee......wait......I already said that. Oh well! Can you tell I'm SUPER excited? I completed my last test this morning at 8:30!! I'm done! I'm DONE! I'M DONE!!

Saturday I got a jump start on celebrating. My friend Kari and I went out for Cinco de Mayo. We were planning to head to SF to celebrate but due to all the bad weather, we decided to stay in town. And trust me, we still had lots of fun. I got home at 2 am and was in bed by 2:15 but I couldn't fall asleep for quite awhile - I felt fine standing up but when I laid down I felt horrible. Normally I'm so afraid of hang overs that I only have 2 or 3 drinks. Seriously!! I think I would have been fine if I drank stuff I've had before but I mixed it up, A LOT!! We started the night out with Chocolate Martinis, then a Cherry Bomb shot (wouldn't recommend it unless you like drinking cough medicine), a few Santa Semen (gross name but very good), and lastly, Grandpa's Backdoor Punch (I think this one did me in)! Needless to say, I was VERY sick yesterday and for some reason I woke up at 6:15 and couldn't get back to sleep. So I spent yesterday in the bathroom A LOT (sorry, TMI) and felt terrible the whole day. This was not good being I had a Biology test to study for and take at 8:00 this morning! I laid in bed until 11:00 and finally dragged myself out to study and get ready for Hayley's Girl Scout Ceremony - Thinking Day and Court of Awards. Then back home to study and in bed by 9:30, although my goal was 9:00. Even after all of that, I couldn't fall asleep right away. It took me a good hour and then I woke up about 45 minutes early this morning. Probably because I was so excited that today is my last day EVER of college!!! (I'm so glad I got 11 hours of sleep Friday night because that's the only way I got through yesterday and this morning, especially considering last week was a VERY bad week of sleep for me. Too much stress, I guess!)

Party anyone? Oh wait, I'm having one on Saturday to celebrate again! But trust me, this time I will be doing very little drinking!! :)