Meandering Maunderings

I don't normally do this- having gotten out of the habit, but I can't not do this one...



HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPFIEND!!!!!


You've been a wonderful friend over the last several years, thank you. *big hugs* Have a wonderfully joyous birthday. :)

But last night much was accomplished... Hubby and I worked on cleaning Leo's room. It had accumulated much 'stuff' and we're trying to get rid of extraneous things. This meant going through the wall o' closet and determining what we wanted to keep vs. get rid of. Then we could go through the stuff not in the closet and determine what of that we wanted to keep.

We got rid of a lot of stuff- nothing that would be terribly useful to anyone. So we ended up getting Leo's room pretty well cleaned up. I think he's mad at us though- we removed some of his sleeping spots. He still has plenty, don't worry. *grins* There was this area that had a Rubbermaid tote, with a box on top, and a blanket on the box. Leo loved to sleep there. Once we moved all of the above, he flopped down on the ground where the tote had been and looked at us pitifully. I, however, am hard-hearted and did not relent.

Tonight I tackle some other part of the house while the hubby is working. Unless they call him off again, in which case he'll be drafted into helping me again. I'm not always good about the day-to-day cleaning. But when I get it in my head to do a big clean- it gets done and the house looks great! Luckily these do come up every month or so, and the hubby is really good at the day-to-day cleaning. (Yes, I have a husband who cleans! WITHOUT my prompting him! *gasps*)

This morning I almost woke up late. Well, the alarm went off once, I hit snooze, and then never heard it again. Strangely enough, our little grey, fuzzy, alarm clock didn't go off either. It wasn't until I was sitting on the side of the bed doing some of my neck stretches that she came in and started talking to hubby and I. Luckily I got up just 5 minutes past when I normally would. I guess there is something to be said for consistent schedules!

Anyway.... we're expecting a package from UPS today. However, they have a habit of buzzing the buzzer, waiting ten seconds and walking away. Which doesn't really give a person time to answer and let them know someone's home. So husband put up a note in the window, to the effect of: "To UPS driver, someone from Apt 10 IS home. I do occasionally use the bathroom though, so please give me more than 10 seconds to respond. I promise to be downstairs within a minute, you can time me if you'd like." *laughs* He's wonderfully silly. Hopefully the UPS driver sees said note and is amused by it enough to stick around and deliver our package. :) It's signature required, so I don't think they would just leave it at the apt. complex office, they might though. I hope not, WANT IT! (early birthday present)

And am bored at work (so get to posting FL!). This is about the general state of Anne-land. Animals good, husband good, Anne tired. Anne is also working on weekend plans. Anne is wondering when she slipped into third person. Probably a good idea to end this post now...

Happy Birthday fmh!!!

Happy Birthday bubblesbrnaid!!!

First off, thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. :)


Secondly, the birthday itself went really well. I worked until noon and when I got home I was initially not allowed inside. See, hubby had gotten into his head, at the last minute, to create a 'Present-go-round.' This involved tying ribbons to the ceiling fan, then attaching presents to the ribbon, and turning on the fan. This was quite fun, and funny, and a little dangerous as one of the prezzies was season 3 of Gilmore Girls- which weighed more than the others, was on a longer ribbon, and there was the potential to be hit by it... *laughs* I was very amused. And pleased that he went to the trouble.

Total haul (cause I know you want to know) Seasons 2, 3 of Gilmore Girls (because I had 1, 4, 5), Roar (the complete series, all 13 episodes... which I haven't actually seen but hubby thought I would like it), Evanescence's The Open Door, and Blade Trinity (the unrated extended version). The latter happens to be my favorite Blade movie. :) How can you beat a movie with a Vampire Pomeranian? (and a really nice looking Ryan Reynolds...) I was very pleased. Then I learn that he held one prezzie back for later...

So we had prezzies, and then lunch. Oh, and cupcakes instead of a full cake. Sadly, the frosting on the pink cupcakes (there were two pink, two orange, and one green) was gross- and I haven't tried the others. And I got some of the icing on my finger and it stained my finger pink! It's better now...

Then it was off to the passport office! Or rather, the branch of the county clerk's office that's in downtown Lansing. Turns out we needed to know stuff we didn't know. So we each took turns going out into the hallway to call our parents. My dad didn't know for SURE where my mom was born, so I had to call her at work. She did wish me a happy birthday- I don't think dad realized exactly what day it was as he said nothing about it... Hubby was unable to get ahold of his mom, so he called his sister. *laughs* Luckily she knew. (See, I knew MIL's birthday, but not hubby's dad's- since we're not close to him at all...) So we got everything filled out, got pictures taken, and paid them a gazillion bucks. Funny, the clerk lady was just bored and not excited about anything, until we were waiting for the pictures to finish printing and then she got chatty...

Stopped by home for a bit, and then went for an early dinner at Outback (I wasn't feeling terribly creative...). Did get an excellent steak and a free sundae (which I shared with the hubby). We got home and I got my last prezzie- a gift certificate for an hour long massage! I just have to call and schedule it. Soooo looking forward to that. Watched Blade, laughed mightily. Want Jessica Biel's body...

Saturday! It was get up early and go cross stitch shopping day! Picked up cjtremlett (and got to say hi to one of her kitties) and we were off! And got there early! *waits for those who know her to pull themselves off the floor*

Right, so then losgunna and royal_jester (though she doesn't use her journal anymore...) showed up, followed shortly thereafter by sarbah77 and crwilley. Now I can't speak for them... but *I* had a lot of fun! Spent more than I had intended- but that was the rest of my Christmas monies and birthday money! I even went so far as to buy both the pattern and fabric for an upcoming project. Oooh.. So yeah, lunch was NOT at Quiznos, as planned, but at the Irish Pub across the street. This was a good substitution. There was Coldstone afterwards, so it was all good. But then it was time to go home (though some of the others were heading to a nearby mall). I needed a nap. *grins*

Got home before hubby (he was at an open house for Creative Wellness, and did pilates, yoga, tai chi, and Nia... this is the same place that my massage gift certificate came from). I went through all my cross stitch stuff, thought about napping, but stitched instead. Hubby came home worn out, so then there was a nap. :) Stitched most of the evening, and then Sunday we did a whole lot of nothing, I don't think I even left the house! It was wonderful. *grins*

So that was my birthday weekend. It was great. Got prezzies, saw friends, had good times with hubby... what could be better?

Most of the time I would put off making any sort of 'New Year's Resolutions' because it seemed to make more sense to make Birthday's Resolutions, the date being so close and more relevant...

So far- turning 29 for the fifth time as been good. :) The body's way of celebrating was to remove the migraine (yesterday), YAY! but chose to woke me up at 4 AM with a charlie horse/severe muscle cramp in my right calf. Fun... or something.

Hubby got up when I did (later than 4 am...) and made cinnamon rolls for breakfast! YUM! Opened my birthday cards- the one from my MIL was so sweet. I think she likes me. :) See, MIL makes all her own cards, she's gotten quite good with graphics on the computer. So they're all pretty and have poetry and stuff. Plus the usual two scratch off Lotto cards. It's a family tradition. Mom got me a card that made me all sniffly too.

Only working a half day (yay!) so hubby and I can go get passports this afternoons. Step one in the great 'Fleeing the Country!' plan will be complete. Or at least we'll be able to go visit Canada...

So yes, in an excellent mood- and trying to figure out where I want to go to for dinner (birthday's have to be celebrated with dinner out, it's a household rule... that I just made up. Hmm, must find a flag. *grins*). Hubby has something up his sleeve, dunno what, but he's very good about spoiling me on my day. I once commented to him that growing up there would be times we'd have birthday parties for me at some other date (further from Christmas). Birthdays just didn't seem to be a big deal in my family (though that could just be my perception). I, being a selfish creature, want my birthday to be a big deal- he obliges because he loves me, and is apparently quite glad I was born. :)


Thank you to everyone who has wished me a happy birthday- I can't tell you how happy it makes me. :) So I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Namely, Mine! It's coming up soon, in case you didn't know.

Now, on January 12, a Saturday, I have a desire to go cross-stitch shopping. I have Christmas money that wants spending... I would like to have company in this endeavor. (provided the weather doesn't go to all hell just to spoil my fun)

So of my friends who are in the area, and able, would you be available to go to the Rocking Horse (and likely Quiznos and Coldstone!) on Saturday January 12? :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY frawg_angel!!!!!



I know I haven't been doing too much with birthdays lately- but I couldn't let this one go by. See, The Frawg and I have been friends since I was 8 years old. So yeah, just HAD to mark the occasion.

Happy birthday to the amazing, and one and only popfiend!! :)

After some e-mail confusion, I finally got my birthday present from my mom- a gift certificate to silkweaver.com! :) Now I must decide what to order... this could take a while.

Okay, so the birthday round up! For the record I have the bestest husband ever. :) When I got home from work he greeted me with a cake with 'happy birthday' spelled out in candles. He was intending to make a cake himself, but ran out of time, so he bought a Kroger cake because of how much I liked the one sarbah77 had at her birthday party. Right, so walk in and see a birthday bag with a present leaning against it. I decided to delay opening, just to savor the anticipation. Instead I headed to change so we could head out to dinner (at Outback, just wanted a steak for some reason). There on the best was *another* prezzie. I told him he was spoiling me and he demurred but said he was trying to. Then, because the cats were threatening to eat my ankles because they were STARVING!!! and Kyle was giving me pathetic looks, I went to grab their canned food and found a fourth prezzie. :)

The loot- two Mirabilia cross stitch designs (Forest Goddess and Titania Queen of the Fairies), "Wings to the Kingdom" by our own Cherie Priest (aka cmpriest ) and a winter jacket! The coat is mostly white with two shades of purple, and it's a three-in-one so there are multiple wear modes. Which is most cool. It even has an iPod pocket. :) Perfect for walking the dog in winter. Just one problem... it's a wee bit snug around the hips/waist. :( We tried to exchange it but they didn't have a larger size (I don't even know if it comes in a larger size AND have been unable to find out). So the coat is in limbo, if I can get a bigger one that would be good, if not I may just keep it and use it for motivation in losing some weight. I don't want to return it because it IS a great jacket, and I know hubby went to several stores before he found what he was looking for. Speaking of several stores- he also went to several for the book, and eventually had to have a couple people help him find it because it wasn't shelved properly. "Four and Twenty Blackbirds" (the first book) was in the horror scetion- as it should be. "WttK" was actually in Fantasy/Sci Fi. The store's staff is looking into it. ;) The cross stitch was a big deal because he actually bought it *online.* Not so big a deal to some- but considering this was his first ever online purchase, and he only did so because he knew I wanted these two patterns and he couldn't get them locally, means a lot to me. He's a wonderful husband. :)

Dinner at Outback was quite tasty (well, everything except the Bloomin' Onion- but it's probably for the best that I don't eat much of that. ;) ). And I got a free dessert since it was my birthday. So all that was good. Afterwards we, feeling bloated, played Champions of Norrath for a bit before turning in. ;)

Friday was a lovely do-nothing sort of day until about 3pm- at which point hubby went to work and I got ready to face the world (yanno, took a shower, got dressed) and headed out to donate blood. The process took forever (note to self, resume going to Red Cross itself, not their mobile blood drives) but my blood pressure was rather low (for me) at 118/78. Apparently I was feeling quite mellow. :) I did end up with a bruise at the needle site, unusual for me, but eh, no biggie. The evening was spent snuggling kitties and doggins, and just generally being chill.

Then the official weekend, and time gets sketchy. Tried to return the jacket- no luck, unhelpful people at the store. Next was lunch at the food court and general wandering around the mall. Home again home again, as a headache was rearing it's ugly head. Another relaxing evening with the Champions and then sleeping, though this was broken up in part due to the phone call about hubby's uncle.

Sunday hubby had a training session at work, so was gone from 11:20-3:45. Me? Migraine city. Oi. I managed to walk the dog and get to the pharmacy for my prescription. The rest of the time hubby was gone was spent one the couch dozing as I switched between hot and cold packs. Not fun. I had wanted to go see the Nephew, but oh no... head was NOT having any of that! Hubby brought my Jimmy Johns for lunch and I felt vaguely human by about 5. The migraine had receded back to that tentative level, and I felt pretty good right when it was time for bed and Monday morning... yay.

But now I must go, about to leave work to head to Allegan. Don't wanna go. I don't like funerals. Again with the 'visitations creep me out' thing. But, I am going, husband needs me.