neighborhood drama and other stories

i don't even know where to start, so i'll start at the beginning.  or, rather, the beginning of where i left off earlier this afternoon!  *laugh*  


mom picked me up at 3 & we went to WM.  i found the 2 $13 shirts i wanted to get, and mom found some shirts that she liked.  : )   i saw a couple other shirts that i liked, but decided to look at the mall first.  we went to hallmark & mom got grammy a birthday card - i still need to do that, whoops!  i read this really cute book called Smitten, about a friendship btwn a sock & a mitten.  also saw some really nifty snow globes that i think will make great christmas presents.  except that everyone is getting blankets this year.  i reeeealllly need to not overbuy christmas gifts!  lol  i mean, even tho i like buying presents.  


we went to lane bryant, and they had some AWESOME sweaters, and a 40% off sale.  however, even w/ the 40% off, i didn't want to spend that much on sweaters.  mom was cool, saying it's my birthday & now would be the time to spend the money ... but idk, i just didn't want to!  so we went to cj banks & i found 4 skirts that i really liked, but narrowed it down to 2.  : )  can't wait to put them into my skirt rotation!!  mom found some jeans she liked there, too.  cool beans!  final stop was victoria's secret for my perfume (heavenly, love iiiit!).  i got a secret giftcard, too, which i can use starting december 1st, and it's at least worth $10, but could be worth up to $500!  how neat would THAT be?!  so, around december 1st i'll go in & buy a purse sized something or other for $10, use the gift card, and see how much it's worth!  woot!!  


after the shopping, we went to the olive garden for dinner - but there were ppl outside waiting, and we didn't have time to wait.  so we went to el rodeo for mexican.  yes, i can eat mexican two nights in a row.  or three or four... heh.  i got a taco & beef enchilada w/ white cheese sauce.  YUMMY, and chips, too!  


then, it was time for PHANTOM!!  we got there about 40 minutes early, got a great parking spot, and met up w/ brad, brandee, baylee, boo, nathan, brandee's friend (trent??), aunt janie & uncle ron... hugs & chatting & so not enough time together!  the play was A.MAZ.ING!  brilliant!  faaaaabulous!  bub did so awesome, i can't even describe it.  the gal playing christine was amazing, too.  i wish i had some cash cuz i would go again tomorrow!  aunt carol even has a cameo.  : )  during intermission, we got a snack & mom outbid aunt carol on a couple of things on the silent auction.  it was funny - there was a $15 olive garden gift card that aunt carol had bid $16.50 on, so mom bid $17 or so just to play w/ her.  then the boys behind us were talking about it & mom said, "she's my sister, that's why i did that."  LOL  it was really funny!!  


after the play, mom dropped me at home.  i hadn't been in the house for 2 minutes before she called me, because apparently there was a fight going on down the street & she wanted me to call the cops.  idk why she didn't call them herself... LOL  anyway, while i was busy pushing buttons to get to a live person (seriously, even if you're calling the police for a non-emergency, is it really necessary to have at least 3 automated systems?  yeesh!) the cops & fire dept were arriving at the house.  i could hear the shouting, but didn't get close enough to see anything, really.  thank God no one came running down the street w/ a weapon or anything!!  


oh!  before mom dropped me off at home, we stopped at my mailbox & i'd received a postcrossing from Las Vegas and a much-loved card from Kate, in the Netherlands.  (*waves to kate*  hi kate!  thank you for reading my little bloggy!!  : )  )  

favorite!!  those shildpadje (baby turtle)s are just adorable!  *grin*

so, there you have my stories for today!  no UPS visit.  *pout*  i may have to call them & get an ETA, cuz bret & i will be at work on monday.  hmmm.  


i hope your saturday was spectacular!  : )  i'm off to bed - oh, don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour!  i love fall back.  extra hour...yay!  of  course, it's currently almost 1, so even w/ fall back, it's almost midnight!  gotta sleep.  


ttfn!!!

peaches

oh, saturday, i love you!  i didn't sleep as long as i thought i would - only til 9.  i thought for sure i'd be able to snooze til at least 10!  *laugh*  ah well.  also ah well, i wanted scrambled eggs for breakfast, but apparently i'm out of eggs!  whoopsies.  add that to the grocery list... so, i had leftover pasta from the other night instead.  and cottage cheese.  odd combo, i know, but it was filling anyway.  


then i got started on my latest menu post, which includes yet another GIVEAWAY!  cuz i like them, and it's NOVEMBER, and did i mention it's my birthday month?  *laugh*  i celebrate me by giving ppl stuff!  it's a great system, i know.  : )  so, take a look.  this giveaway does involve a purchase, but only because i think it'll be good for you.  ; ) 


so, along w/ all that, i'm just reading blogs & writing this & watching more buffy w/ bret.  oh, and doing laundry, so being a little productive even.  i was going to watch Desperate Housewives, but computer said DENIED.  grrr.  and in a couple hours - time to shop!  and i would really like the UPS guy to get here... 


and that's all i got for now!  *laugh*   i'll let ya know all about the shopping and the Phantom when i get back!  ttfn - loves!


********

finally friday!

today was a pretty quiet day at work.  deli day for lunch - one of my favorite lunches!  all the deli meats i want, thinly sliced, different kinds of cheeses, potato salad...mmmm!  i know, right, what kinda day is it when the highlight is deli meat??  lol  anyway, it was good, and it was a good day.  went fairly fast, too.  i spent almost all day working on memorial reqs.  


after work, i headed to hallmark to pick up aunt sandy's card.  i LOVE that place!  i can't wait til i can go on my spree for christmas stuff & birthday cards for work & all that fun stuff!  : )  i like to buy pretties for me, certainly, but the most fun is when i'm picking out things for other ppl.  cards or gifts, postcards, small things, big things, it all brings me this rush of... something.  happy!  lol  the best is when i find the PERFECT thing for someone, the thing that jumps out at me, screaming, "APRIL WILL LOVE ME!" or "MARZ! THIS IS PERFECT FOR HER!" : )  sometimes it takes me awhile before i can actually purchase said item.  i like when it works out that i find it & can purchase it at the same time, but i do try to have patience when possible.  *laugh*  


after the card purchase (and, i also had one of those moments mentioned above, finding a little something for joyums.  woot!), i headed to sancho's.  it was paaaaaacked w/ ppl for aunt sandy's party, woot woot!!  i went with nell & joe & their daughter, sophie, into the other room to give new ppl space.  i ordered my favorite TACOS.  since there were so many of us, tho, it took forever to get them.  *laugh*  which was okay, as i mostly hung out w/ nell & her family.  our family is so big that you almost have to pick one or two ppl to hang out w/ at each event - and rotate them - otherwise you never get to know anyone!  *laugh*  


mom arrived about 10 til 7, just in time to share a taco!  : )  quickly, because we had to get to the HS to see bradley in PHANTOM!  : ) : ) : )  i was so excited!  this is my favorite ALW production.  i've loved the soundtrack for years before i even saw a production of it.  i wanted to ride w/ mom because i didn't want to deal w/ the parking lot, but she didn't want to bring me back to the restaurant afterward, so i drove myself.  i got to the high school & parked & was on my way in when mom called.  


"what movie are we seeing?" she asks.


i stop dead in my tracks 1/2 way to the front door of the school.  "movie?  we're not seeing a movie, we're seeing bub perform in phantom at the high school!"


mom gasps.  "no!  was that tonight?!  that's not tonight!"  


and we continued in a conversation of her thinking she told me she couldn't go friday (she told me friday was the only night she COULD go, but that's okay).  yadda yadda yadda, meanwhile i really have to use the loo!  so i hopped back in my car & headed home, disappointed, but not too much as i'm determined to see it.  


mom called when she got home & we decided that we'll go tomorrow.  : )  after some pre-birthday shopping. oh, excited!!!  we're going to CJ Banks, because they're having a sale & i usually find great skirts there.  also Lane Bryant.  normally i don't like their clothes, anymore, because they're very ... mmm.  idk a polite word for it, but i just haven't liked them.  in HS they were GREAT!  i loved the clothing lines they had at that time.  but then they went all "trendy" or something & unfortunately the trends for women's clothing leaned toward no sleeves & low cut & fitted.  no, thank you!  i don't even care if my style makes me look bigger, i like my comfy, roomy clothes.  : )  speaking of, there's a shirt at WM that i want, too.  $13.  love it!  


anywhoooooo.  oh!  i'm working on a tastefully simple post for the menu blog.  hopefully will have it up tomorrow.  : )  excited to write it!  i think you guys might want to put in some orders.  ; )  


for now, a little more buffy & then beddy bye for carrieboo.  


ttfn!  

quickie III

sleeeeeeeepy!  so sleepy my mind's gone.  LOL  i'm ready to sleep.  but first, i wanted to share tonight's gallery of photos from leyton & anthony time!  : )  we had fun, and leyton actually went to bed w/o much of a fight.  i think it helped that phil stopped by before he went to work.  heh.  

class # 3 went well, altho i ended up being about 15 minutes late.  but that's okay cuz it's just check-in time!  : ) i got to work at 11:30 instead of noon, tho, so that was cool.  i needed that extra 1/2 hour, too!  in my first hour & a half i had 9 phone calls!  i thought i was going to have to stay til 6 - that was the plan - but i finished the deadline stuff by 4:30.  : )  then i was able to work on some memorial stuff and getting the birthday food day email out to my peeps!  heh.  


i got home at 6, made dinner quick, got the mail (postcards, yay!!), and then headed over to jen's for evening fun!  after the boys went to bed, i watched criminal minds & read some of People.  jen got home about 10 & i headed home home home.  got to chat w/ joy a bit (yay!) and watch some buffy, 

from Russia  

and now - really - bed!  : ) 


TGIF!!!!!  ttfn.

decisions...

sometimes i make decisions that ppl don't agree with.  


and that's okay.


i pray about the decisions i make, and i listen to the promptings of my heart.  i believe in the Lord's power - His ultimate power.  i believe that He will use every decision i make for good, because i love Him and trust Him.  this is not to say that i always make the right decision, even tho it might seem right at the time.  but i have to trust that, even if things don't work out exactly the way i want them to/thought they should, they will work out, and ppl (and I) will be blessed.  


so, today i got some advice on a few financial decisions, which will help me in the new year.  but i had to decide if that would be enough.  could i dig out of this hole i seem to be in?  the answer was no.  i couldn't make the math work out, i couldn't see a light at the end of the tunnel, i couldn't figure out a time when i would be able to have everything paid off at once.  and so i did something i wasn't sure about, but i feel right about.  i took out a small loan, which will help me pay off a good chunk of my current bills, and will alleviate some of my debt.  well, as it's a loan, i guess it's really shifting my debt but it's shifting it into a managable piece!  : )  


praise the Lord!  : )  i feel like a weight has lifted, really.  


and now i can concentrate on the fun ... well, after my class tomorrow i can concentrate on the fun.  lol  they scheduled this class (the 3rd in my "living w/ diabetes" series) for a cutoff day at work.  eeeeeep!  but it'll be okay.  i have class til 11, then will pick up lunch & be in to work before noon.  i can stay til 6 & get stuff done, then i get to go play w/ leyton & anthony!  : )  and after that - it's friday!  after work, dinner party at sancho's, then bub's play (Phantom of the Opera, i am soooo excited!).  not sure what's going on saturday & sunday, but i know it will involve snuggling in my bed for a good rest period!  


speaking of rest... i should get to bed.  bret & i had a nice chat tonight.  oh, and i got to watch chuck!  : ) 


happy hump day, bloggy peeps!  ttfn!  


moi


aka... 

... in which i share some postcards : )

i don't have much to say about today.  it was a good day in that i got a lot (A LOT) accomplished, my toe feels better (haven't taken my sock off yet so idk if it looks any better, but i have faith), i had a delicious bowl of chili and pb & jam sammich for dinner.  


got to watch TWO episodes of NCIS tonight!  : )  then i switched over to buffy cuz i don't want to overload the computer.  lol  (sidebar: bret is currently chirping at angel and attempting to get her to play with him.  LOL  too funny!)  i read lots of blogs, wrote a menu post about p.f. chang's finally, read some crazy political posts on fb... and now i'm ready for bed!  : )  


but first, because i haven't anything witty to say, i'll share the cards!  

from my nephew stephen.  so sweet that he sends me cards!  : )  

Russia via Tallahassee  : )  

from Corey - thanks a bunch!!  I love these kinds of views!  

German Postcrossing - LOVE this owl!

Ukranian Postcrossing 

Portugal Postcrossing - quite interesting

sea turtle from Brookfield Zoo.  ya know i love this one!  

booklet from the zoo. there's at least one card in this bunch for someone reading this RIGHT NOW.  and probably more than one.  : ) if you see a card that you'd like, let me know.  if it's not gone, it could be yours!  : ) 

ttfn! 

NOVEMBER'S HERE!!

and i love it!  : ) 


today was rough, but also okay.  my toe hurts, well, even when it doesn't it's all red & i am praying praying praying it heals.  it's still all swollen & red right now.  :(  


after work, grocery shopping finally!  also had to get gas.  i was on EEEEEK!  lol  i really should have gotten gas after groceries, and used a gift card so i could get 2 cents off per gallon.  d'oh!  


i got to see leyton & anthony after that, when i dropped off my money for cookie dough.  leyton & maybe anthony will spend the night next weekend.  excited!!  : )  bret's excited, too - got to chat w/ him a bit when tonight & he was asking when leyton would be spending the night.  heh.  it was nice to hang out for a little bit w/ all the boys.  


what else?  sooooo tired, and going to bed.  oh!  but first, postcards - i am sending out a bunch of postcrossings & also some that i just found for my peeps.  : )  i hope you all enjoy them!  ironic - all of my postcrossings (7, i think) are to the US!  lol  that's never happened before - usually i get one or two to the US at a time & the rest are russia or poland.  so to have alllll of them going to the same country (not the same state, tho) is cool.  oh, and i got corey's postcard from SLC today, too.  sweet!!  thanks again, corey!  : )  i got a postcrossing from germany, as well.  planning to get everything from the past few days scanned in sometime this week!  


aaaaannnnndddd... *laugh*  idk.  there was more?  maybe?  oh!!


yes, my november celebration giveaway!!!  i'm putting together a surprise package for one lucky reader!  the package will include 1 (one) novel of the romantic fiction persuasion, 1 (one) bookmark, 1 (one) postcard from chicago, and 1 (one) completely random, possibly homemade, something or other.  why the surprise element?  well, my birthday theme is kinda 18 again, and my friends threw me a surprise party for my 18th!  my party this year isn't a surprise, but that's okay.  *laugh*  


SO!  how do you enter?  leave a comment on any post from November 1 - November 14th.  i'll be randomly selecting a winner from all the comments.  followers of this blog will have a slight advantage in that i'll add one more entry to the "hat" for them - but each comment is its own entry, so non-followers can have a good shot as well!  : )  (or, you could become a follower... but no pressure.  LOL)


that's all i've got for now!  have a great night & here's to a HAPPY NOVEMBER for us all!  


ttfn!