Little C's Birthday

Happy Birthday to this lil babe!

We have a busy day planned. Hubby had to go to a Saturday morning training, so I dropped him downtown. He nervously watched the tire pressure all the way there and I watched it all the way back to our city. It's very cold this morning so I'm sure that's playing a part. Here we are about to get our tires did:

Like the cracks? They're from Christmas Eve 2022

Our family, Hannah's family, and Kate's family all managed the avoid the Coach From Hell (and it was probably mutual). 

We then raced home, picking up C & K outside of Kelso, to celebrate with Little C on her big day.

Closing Time

Seaside looks perfectly spectacular today.

Today I opened (my usual job) and closed (which I NEVER do) the store. Everything went swimmingly well. Aside from the nice lady who walked into the bookstore at 12:25 pm (we close at 12:30) and asked for help "uploading her assignment" - we were able to sweetly shoo her to the tech support building - we had zero problems.

I hadn't used the website for the new credit card program we now use, and had unmatching amounts on the store transaction software, and it threw me for a loop for a minute until I figured out my mistake. But it worked out. 

In true Universe form, right at closing time, the exact moments when I was trying to perform tasks that required massive concentration and following a list, my phone started blowing up with multiple extended-family dramas. Go away, people. No one wants your garbage. It messed with my head for a while.

A lawn mow, a washer load, a bath, some funny videos and a couple of venting sessions later, I'm feeling much better, and also feeling like muting a few phone numbers; the Shmacebook Messenger app is already in the virtual trash can. I don't think it's too much to ask to have nice people in my life, who behave well and respect boundaries. I don't think it's too much to want good mental health. 

I get that no one is perfect, especially me, but I try so hard to be what people need. It would be great if that effort was reciprocated by some people. 

Later: We checked on H & A's kitties and brought home Shmapa Murphy's pizza for dinner. And the crowds went wild (yay).

Not In Seaside, Again

I've had just about enough of this

But campus is lovely.

Back at home: BED KITTIES

filled with kitty goodness

This child and her mermaid coloring book 

She was later heard singing her ABCs

This child

who bounced into the room, threw herself on the bed and immediately started mauling the kitties

And then....it was on. PILLOW FIGHT

Little R laughs her head off whenever she sees her legs in this pic

And THEN: I picked up Hubby. After getting some crappy news about R's soccer coach being awful to Hannah (it's been an ongoing thing and now a group of players are leaving that school after fall quarter), we visited H & A's kitties, then headed back to the city. Drowning our sorrows in enchiladas sounded like an amazing idea. And it was.

Churros and ice cream for dessert = heaven.

Major Autumn Coziness

1. Having a toasty bath (in my diseased-looking tub) while enjoying coffee, candlelight, and the soothing sounds of Mel Torme

(Sidenote: As a Gen X kiddo, I will be forever grateful to the ZAZ team, creators of such gems as Airplane! and the Naked Gun trilogy, for introducing me to Mel Torme. Thanks, boys!)

2. Measured the piano to check for fit in R's room. It won't fit and now I'm bugged. I wish houses could grow. Or that we were Sims and could throw down new foundations and move the walls around.

3. Made more progress in the basement. It feels like a never-ending process, but it'll get there eventually. I'm excited to have the futon back in working order.

Little R received some cool magnet toys that needed a container, and it was so nice to be able to hurdle over the sewing nook "wall" and whip up a drawstring bag for her. 

4. Decided to relax with a movie. This lady found me

5. C had a job interview today and dressed up very handsomely for it. 

6. Then there was The Soup. We added kielbasa sausage to it this time and so far, folks like it. I thought about making some kind of bread item to go with it but lost the motivation. It's been a big day. 

Flipping through the pages of our old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, I was inspired to rearrange our kitchen sometime in the near future, and to start baking my way through Chapter 3, "Breads". I love that we can bake now and it won't heat up an already hot house. Hooray for autumn!

7. Hubby flew home and I picked him up at the airport. Yay!! He regaled us with tales of Utah fun while eating soup.

"SHUT YOUR GRIPE HOLE"

I enjoyed a lovely day at work with the usual niceties and daily tasks. I also cleared out my inbox and did a bit more rearranging on my desk...

I call this one "Drinking on the Job"

... enjoyed a lovely walk with Heidi....

...and yelled* at a customer who was being rude to Junior. Only we get to be rude to Junior, lady! 

Junior was on one again today. I think he now knows better than to ask about my job, but the scoffing and eye rolling (when D or I ask him to perform tasks he thinks are beneath him) have returned. Keep batting a thousand, pal!

Today's outfit, starring the skull scarf fringe

No thrifted items this time. The sweater was a hand-me-down, though 

After work, I ate lunch, met with my amazing shrink who is so happy that things are going well (the last time we met was in August, I think), took M and the babies to the pharmacia and to McD's for a treat, dropped them at home, and grabbed stuff for dinner at WinCo.

Shrink said that she's going to steal my idea of adding the seasons to Shmoogle calendar. Color me pleased. 

The rest of the day was chill. I gave H & A's kitties a brief visit and watched TV and played Sims until picking up B at his friend's house at 9 pm. We stopped for gas, and shared a lovely pineapple Fanta on our way home. *belch*

*I didn't yell but I felt like it. "When you make a purchase, the bag should be free" is not something Junior has control over, you dips***. Tell the governor instead. 

Monday with the cute skirt

All items thrifted except the backpack and hose

I've been dying to wear this skirt since I bought it in July. It took having a place to set up my ironing board to finally get it done. Now that I'm wearing it, I'm seeing a hem issue to fix (sort of visible in the picture), and I need some cream pantyhose - these are white! Outrageous!

The work garden continues to thrive

As does this gentleman working outside the bookstore

shhh I took his picture again

In other news: It's the Falliday Season, we're almost to this time of the year, and I couldn't be happier. Halloween would be a close second, but Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday; I love every part about it. As a little girl, I loved helping Neenaw set the dinner table with all of her beautiful things, and now using my dishes and linens brings back those wonderful memories. 

Also, what a great holiday for going absolutely nuts with food, experimenting with new recipes, making copious amounts of everyone's favorites, tweaking the menu, enjoying all the reactions (favorable or otherwise), and all those leftovers! I LOVE IT.

Later: Aye, tis a fine October eve

....for kitty sitting these guys

Back at home: Our kitties are now sniffing my backpack and trying to figure out who it smells like (Diesel, the tuxedo cat)

There's a cat on my back

Took some men to the airport early this morning - Hubby to visit Grandma, and H to join A and her family. I came home and went back to bed, where this cat joined me. 

Turns out he was hungry. 

C was sweet and brought me a BEC biscuit from McD's, and M made coffee. I got busy with some dishes and laundry, then it was time for more Sewing Nook shenanigans.

I moved the old dresser and added the TV and VCR - they still work! Little Richard Simmons is teaching a class.

I unearthed quite the collection today. 

Did some sorting and mending.

Later: After dinner, it was time for some crocheting and Young Frankenstein. "Damn your eyes!!"

Shhh, don't tell B that I took his picture 

Moody

Here at the 704, starting about this time of year, and officially in November, we deal with Seasonal Affective Disorder. The gloom sets in until around, oh, May. Occasional bright spots of sunny weather appear here and there, but it will mostly look like this outside for the next six months. 

(Needless Rant: With this in mind, why every single house-flipping contractor paints every stinking interior wall GRAY is a mystery to me. The folks who flipped our house: gray walls. Five years later, browsing through a real estate app, it's easy to tell the houses that have been flipped recently because guess what: GRAY WALLS. It's gray outside for 8 months out of the year! Gray is depressing! Choose something else!)

I'm trying to be proactive about it. Last year around this time, I went to the thrift store for winter clothing, and instead of reaching for the usual black or navy blue, I stocked up on as much yellow and red and orange clothing as I could. It's nice on those cold dark mornings to have something colorful and fun to wear. 

This year, I added the four seasons to my Shmoogle calendar. I can tell you that each season is approximately 91 days long - and I knew that before I added them to the calendar, of course, but seeing each little day pass by is comforting, even inspiring. 

Benefits so far:

1. It makes me want to enjoy the season while it's here. 

2. It helps me appreciate each month, instead of considering some months to be "filler", as I've done in the past.

3. It reminds me that since I'm (most likely) going to be alive anyway, I can get through 91 days of crappy fall weather with depressing skies. Then I can do it again with winter and then with spring, until things dry out again.

Crappy Sky Season has a beginning and an end, and there are things to look forward to - even within the season, like birthdays and holidays and trips and projects and food and entertainment and family and laughing (in no particular order). 

Now, to stuck up on vitamin D and yellow paint... or blue... I found this picture online and fell in love with this shade. It's perfect for our room. 

LATER: There was soccer (and crocheting and hugging on R and H) in Bongview

...followed by linner at my new favorite restaurant, that genius combo of A&W and KFC. Why favorite? Because root beer float AND mashed potatoes and gravy. This is civilized living, people.