Yes, It's Tuesday :)

I've got so many loose ends to tie up lately, I could post 'random' indefinitely!

Before I forget, here's a picture I really like of a) the dress from Shabby Apple that I won from The Apron Goddesses, b) my new haircut, and c) a couple of friends with me at a wedding (yes, the one in the middle is the bride :) ). Hubby and I seldom get out without Maggie, and it was a good time even beyond that. They had a beautiful ceremony outside at a local park, then we headed over to a local hotel/banquet center for a fun reception. Admittedly, I missed Maggie and we headed out at the 'reasonable' hour of around 10:00 PM. I think we're officially grown-up.

My chocolate business is officially going quite well. September has been my best month ever and I'm even earning my 5% bonus for the first time! Yay, me!

No word on the job I interviewed for last week. The longer it takes to hear, the more I'm wishing I didn't need to get the silly job anyway. There are so many things I'm already realizing I'll miss out on in the evenings if I have a job (since the job is for afternoon shift...). Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll want someone else more? Or if the chocolate would stay consistent I'd be making more doing that anyway...

Tomorrow is opening night for Disney on Ice!! Yay! Maggie and I are picking up hubby (or daddy, as the case may be) around 4 PM tomorrow and heading to a reception where we'll get goodies, meet performers, and pick up our tickets for the show. I'm really excited and insisting that hubby at least pretend he's happy about it.

Best Blog Award!

Thank you so much, Mommy Kennedy! I always love getting awards - it's nice to hear that you're liked, and nice to have the chance to give out some love to the blogs you like too!

The Best Blog Award rules are:
1) To accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs (sorry, I only made it to ten!) that you have recently discovered and you think are great! Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

My selections:

Mom of 2..(taking it one day at a time)
Rambling Unsettle Vagabond
Nita's Random Thoughts
The Apron Goddesses
My Kids on the Block
My ramblings...
Staying Sane with 4 Boys...or at least trying to
WAHM Resource Site
The Crafting Pot
Mommy Works Online

So Confuzzled....

After going to a wedding in the afternoon yesterday and then the reception following, yesterday totally felt like the weekend already. I keep expecting tomorrow to be Monday! So it'll be like my bonus weekend day ;)

I usually sit down at my computer after the baby goes to bed and work through the same series of sites that I check on a regular basis. After hardly getting on yesterday since we didn't get home until late, and watching a movie before getting on today, I keep getting distracted. Just because I won't have time for my regular routine, I'm left sitting here, googling things like "what is disability insurance" just because I know it's time to be at the computer, but I can't quite stay focused on why.

I suppose at this point it may just be more useful to get some sleep so I can fully enjoy my bonus weekend day!

Saturday?? - Saturday!!

What a busy week! It's obviously about time for me to catch some sleep now since I still have another chocolate show tomorrow, but I thought I'd give you a quick preview (and me a quick reminder!) of some of the things I should be writing or re-capping soon!

• My potential new job (okay, I'll wait the one to two weeks til I get word on that!)
• The business networking meeting I attended
• The chocolate show I finished earlier in the week
• Maggie and I starting 'school' (our mom and tot playgroup)
• Pictures of me with my new haircut and the dress I won from The Apron Goddesses

I think that hits on most of the high points..

A funny to tide you over? The other day as I was carrying Maggie across the room, I asked her to take her finger out of her nose and I'd get her a tissue to take care of her boogers. She promptly removed her finger from her nose, reached for my hand, and tried to put MY finger in her nose. Apparently the booger needed to be taken care of ASAP, but she wanted to follow directions....

Wordless Wednesday

Disney on Ice starts NEXT WEEK (in Michigan, that is...)

Yup, that's right! Disney on Ice will be at the Palace of Auburn Hills (for those of you close to SE Michigan) from September 30 until October 4. And there are discounted tickets available!

Coupon Code Details
* The coupon code will be ‘MOM’— four tickets for $44 for weekday shows Monday-Friday and $4 off all tickets for weekend shows. Any additional tickets beyond the 4-pack for shows during the week are still priced at $11.
* The tickets can be purchased from http://www.ticketmaster.com and by entering the MOM code in the “MC promotion” box when purchasing tickets.
* Offer not valid on Rinkside or VIP seating.
* Cannot be combined with other offers. Service Charges, facility & handling fees will apply.

If you are in the Michigan area and will be posting this information elsewhere, please let me know :)

Hope to see you at the show!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it here before, but I'm not especially a morning person. That being said, this week has already kicked my butt. Yesterday morning at the crack of 10:00 AM I had an interview, and today I had a business networking meeting at 11:00 AM. Yeah, not that early, til you figure in me getting up before Maggie so I can get a shower and then get her up and ready before someone comes to watch her. Trust me, it's ambitious for us, especially two days in a row.

Which reminds me, I was mainly going to the interview yesterday because they asked me in to interview. By the end of the interview? I think I want the job. It's an afternoons thing working in a warehouse. It definitely sounds like a good change of pace for me.

I finally read something that may help my chest congestion (when I cough I sound like a 70-year-old who's been smoking since I turned 8). I searched on Swagbucks and read that some natural remedies for my hack may be garlic and fenugreek. I'd never heard of fenugreek before I had Maggie, but I still had a bottle around now from trying to increase my milk production back when she was a baby. WIN! And I think it's helping. Or I'm just terminally optimistic.

After listening to other people lament about wasted time, I decided to check out Farkle. I shouldn't have.

I'm going to use my time well now and go wash out our stinky, stinky garbage can while it's empty.

Is that All?

83%LUSH

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Sites

I'm honestly disappointed in myself. I was zooming through at the beginning, but I think I got a little too confident and then flat out missed a couple I shouldn't have. Huh. I suppose this is a fair enough result for a mother of a toddler. I can't even remember when I had my last drink.

Then What?

I suppose I'm not all that stressed about finances because things always work out in the end. I don't know how, but things just seem to work out - whether it's me adjusting my expectations, or the money showing up when I need it. Either way, it's good.

I suppose I'm going into my interview on Monday with pretty much the same attitude. It'll work out, or it won't. If I wanted to be more financially comfortable, I may have joined the ranks of something else instead of trying to work from home and scrape together a bit of income here and there. Different strokes, I suppose...

Arrrrrr You Ready to Celebrate?

That's right - it's Talk Like a Pirate Day!



I can't think of a better holiday to enjoy. Does this mean I should be starting early on rum today? Hahahaha...

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. I still have a really annoying cough. And it's so hard it hurts.
   
2. I have an interview on Monday! Hopefully the job is right for my circumstances, and they like me too!
3. I just took a break between #2 and #3 to go switch the garage towels from the washer to the dryer. Make that from the washer to the trash. And the inside of my washing machine? Was coated with dirty motor oil. I wiped it down with bleach with a towel that is now in the trash, and now we're washing hubby's yard/garage work clothes in there next to hopefully make sure there isn't more sludge hidden in the washer.
4. Did I mention I'm not pleased about #3?
5. Huh. We're heading to Cedar Point this weekend. At one point, the site says to 'leave your costumes at home,' but then another part talks about a kids' costume contest. Wouldn't the contest be pretty pointless if everyone leaves their costume at home?
6. My hands now smell like bleach. Which I'm fine with.
7. I feel like it's Friday night and I should be doing something extra-fun compared to the rest of the week nights.
   
8. I could have sworn I heard my hubby's car drive by almost a half hour ago, but he's over at a friend's house. Or out driving around, apparently.
9. Tomorrow morning we're trying to make it to a free matinee at 10:00 am. We're not usually morning people around here, so I guess we'll see how it goes. They're showing Hotel for Dogs for free. We went to one of these a couple years ago. They don't turn the lights all the way out, and there's an intermission in the middle - perfect for families with toddlers :)
10. It's not too late to bid on Original Corvette Wheels. They are off one of my dad's Vettes years ago. Check em out and bid if you like em ;)
    

FREE Chocolate Tastes Better!

Free Chocolate Friday!! Thanks, Mars! And now, a few words from the generous folks at Mars, who are giving free chocolate to another 250,000 lucky folks today:

Mars, Incorporated, maker of some of the world’s favorite brands, such as Dove® Chocolate, M&M’S® and Snickers®, has a legacy of chocolate making excellence. Our scholarly pursuit to understand everything related to the history of cocoa and chocolate is reflected in our American Heritage™ Chocolate brand. These chocolates are made in the authentic tradition, inspired by a handmade process and preserving our culinary history.

What can you count on your chocolate lady for if not free chocolate, right?
Additionally, starting next week I'll be sending out a monthly newsletter about new developments, products and other fun stuff over at Dove (which, by the way, is part of Mars). If you're interested, please send your name and email address to ILoveFreeChocolate at gmail.com with Chocolate Newsletter in the subject line.

Too cute!

This video is cracking me up, so I had to share:



Enjoy!

Another One Down...

Another day, that is. We made it through hump day. This is actually an easier week than the next few. Tomorrow Maggie is very excited to go to 'Ryan's house.' She's been asking to go to Ryan's every time she wakes up in the morning and from her nap. Tomorrow evening we should actually make it there.

Next week I have two more chocolate parties (Thursday and Saturday) with a wedding on the day in between. The week after? We get to go to Disney on Ice. I'm excited, although deep down I have to admit I'm not really expecting Maggie to respond any better to the ice skaters than she did to the giant Chip and Dale on our Disneyland packages trip in June. But I can still hope ;)

I'm a Lucky Girl!

I was out dropping ecards and surfing my regular sites (yes, I know I said I'm going to bed early - it's still a little bit early!) and found that Nita drew my comment as the lucky winner of $15 in her birthday giveaway!!

I never seemed to win much 'in real life,' but now I've won my dress and $15 cold, hard CASH lately! Go me!!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I seem to have more to-do lists running through my head lately than random thoughts, but whatever.

Now I'm upset. I had one box of Dove Sea-Salted Caramels that I'd opened and served just a few of at a tasting last week. I think I packed them in the cooler after that...now they all sweated or something, so instead of having cute little salt sprinkles, they're all suspended in salt water :( Not nearly as good as the originals (but still yummy, I admit).

I found shoes to go with my dress (that I won from Shabby Apple and The Apron Goddesses) for just $9 at Payless! Go, me!

I may actually go to bed early tonight. I've had this darn cough for so long. It's to the point now that I'm not coughing constantly, and I actually sound okay when I'm not coughing, but I still feel like there's a giant monster sitting on my chest half the time. Not breathing is exhausting.

I'm glad President Obama called Kanye West a jackass. If the shoe fits...

I haven't seen the spider in my office again, but I did kill one in the bathroom the other day. It was up on the counter. I usually expect them on the ceiling or the floor. I'm not sure if he had crawled out of my clean clothes on the counter for the day, but I hope not. I'm now shaking out my clothes really well before I put them on. Ew.

I Love Monotony

No, really. When I think back to my old jobs, there are some tasks I actually miss (I specify 'tasks' because of course I miss my regular paychecks!).

One of the weirdest things I ever enjoyed doing was taking about a kajillion appliance part numbers from microfiche and typing them into Excel. I'd strap on my headphones, pop in a CD (this was before iPods), zone out looking at the fiche and let my fingers do the walking. Some days it was handle numbers, or light bulbs, or the ever-changing water filters: 4392887, 4396510, 4397429, 4399842, on and on....for a couple hours at a stretch. It wasn't even what they'd originally hired me for, but I did it in the evenings to make a few extra bucks. For a few months, it was my favorite part of my work day - very soothing, oddly enough.

Nice Night :)

I'm finally breathing well enough at the tail end of my cold that we decided to take a family walk to Dairy Queen (with our little red wagon, of course, for Maggie to rest in). It's our version of exercise, since the walk there and back undoubtedly burns more calories than the small ice cream each of us gets - even with the cherry dip!

One woman there kind of made me sad. She was there with her two kids, but she was on the phone the. whole. time. And it wasn't like her kids were talking to each other. They were each just silently eating their ice cream while mom talked to her friend. Nice.

The charming moment that made up for it still makes me giggle though. There were a couple little girls at another table. They were probably 8 or 9 years old. One asked the other one, "Do you fight with your brother?" And her friend answered, "Like every day." Even her tone said that was a stupid question. I was pretty amused.

Hope you've had a fun night as well.

Bills, bills, bills

So this week is pay-week again. I'm so grateful that we have money coming in (okay, mostly hubby's job, but I do try to contribute!). It is technically enough, but just like Vincent and Spuddies (in Over the Hedge), "enough is never enough." There are always bigger bills sitting off to the side, just getting a little bit at a time. Lately it's some stuff I need done to my teeth. Not even anything fun! ;) We could have been using flex-savings to set aside the money pre-tax, but we didn't find out what I'd need in time. Too bad there isn't something cheaper I can buy that would finish off the cost, like a Medicare supplement for people who are too young for Medicare and probably wouldn't qualify for a supplement anyway ;)

Yeah, I'm not all that worked up about it. Pay-week is happy, even if there isn't usually money left to satisfy all my dreams at the end. Without leaving dreams, what would I still be working for, right?

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. Free Chocolate Friday!! Thanks, Mars!
2. Sometimes I miss the 'me' I used to be and wonder how she'd fit in now. You know - what would happen if I showed up at the orientation for the parent and toddler playgroup wearing the 'Damn right I've been naughty - now spank my evil butt' t-shirt that I used to wear to the bar?
3. Half of the lighted word 'Wendy's' on the Wendy's on Wixom Road was burned out when I drove by tonight. All I could think was, "Dan Gilbert would be pissed."
4. I'm hoping to get paid today for a side job I did recently. I really need new shoes. The sole fell off my shoes that I wear to shows last night...for like the fourth time. Glue isn't doing it anymore. I'd like to go find some shoes that will work for my shows and for the wedding we're going to at the end of the month. But I need the money first.
5. Now that I'm paying more attention, I know why Maggie says, "Shit." She learned it from me, and I seem to reinforce it frequently. Shit. I mean, "Oops."
6. It's not too late to order chocolate from the shows I'm putting in this weekend!
7. I just sprayed some chloraseptic that was probably like ten years old on my poor aching throat. It seems to be working. I hope it doesn't kill me. And why is 'septic' in the name anyway? Kind of creepy if you ask me.
8. I keep planning to have a couple days of tuna fish sandwiches and Cheez-Its for lunch, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe next week...
9. So Maggie and I watched Bambi (or at least most of it) the other morning. Never. Again. I dozed a bit in the middle, only to wake up in time to see Bambi shot and the forest catching on fire. Yeah. Great kids' movie. She could watch war clips on CNN if that's the impression I wanted to give her. Ugh.
10. The chloraseptic doesn't last nearly long enough. Maybe if it were fresher?
    

Blogger Buddie Award

Awww...aren't they cute? LaShan over at A Lil Enchanted gave me this award a couple days ago and I think it's adorable! Her blog is one of the ones I'm sure to check out any day that I'm online (and that's most days!). You should go see what she's got too!
No requirements on this one, so I'll even give it to my 'blogger buddies' that don't post awards. *wink*

Tammy at Crazy Mom with 4 Boys
Carolyn at Carolyn's Lost Sanity
Marty at Don't Take the Repeats
Jodi at My Life as Mama Jodi
Mrs. Lawson at Rambling Unsettled Vagabond
Grunty and Chubbs

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I just saw a spider. I didn't scream or anything, but now I've totally got the itchies. You've heard about the condition of my office before. It's better than it was, but still plenty homey enough for a vicious black spider, apparently.

The holiday is throwing me off, as usual. I keep thinking today is Monday, but it's (obviously) Tuesday, so I'm already half-way to my Thursday fun time. With my schedule getting busy nice and fast, I can't afford to lose a day along the way.

Since it's my turn with the cold that hubby had all weekend, he's been amazingly (sorry, I know you hate that word, honey) helpful. He went to the store and took the baby, then went back out while I put her to bed to drop off the library books and the movie we'd rented yesterday. A couple extra minutes of 'me' time was very much appreciated.

Maggie's at the wonderful stage where she thinks she can 'show' people things with the phone. I asked her if she wanted to say hi to Mimi, and she proceeded to show Mimi the yard through the window, and some of her toys, and a couple of dishes. Then she (Maggie, not Mimi) had a major meltdown when I tried to get the phone back. "Me hold it!"

I think the spider is in that box over there. He was too fast for me to catch, and I'm afraid to go looking for him. What if he got reinforcements? They'll cocoon me like that scary part in Arachnophobia.

I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. Maggie and I are going to make another delivery of chocolate. Yeah, people are generally happy to see me :) Unfortunately we won't stop and see GG along the way this time, since we're both coughing. The last thing my grandma (and Maggie's GG) needs is a cough. Hopefully we'll make it out that way next week.

Here We Go Again!

Am I the only one who gets confused if the 'first' of the year is in January or September? It seems like nearly everything revolves around the school year, and since I've always lived in an area with a 'traditional' school schedule, September is the grand kick off.

My life follows this pattern as well. Due to a lot of things in my life over the summer, I feel like only now is everything finally wrapped up and I'm starting from scratch. It's happy and sad, as starting over always is.

I've got a clean slate and I'm raring to go. Business is picking up, I got a new member to my team this weekend (welcome, Jessica!), and fun plans are on the horizon. Maggie and I will be starting a play group through a local school next week, and as I think I mentioned earlier, I've got one of my old online jobs for a couple weeks in October. Being busy always keeps me happier.

On the other hand (why does there always have to be another hand, anyway?), what I thought I was working for and working through during much of the summer was just an illusion. Now I get to finish the 'working through,' but at least it's definitive now. Which of course is hard to buy into when I thought it was definitive before. Eh, the mind is a terrible toy.

Hope your fall harvest is bountiful and beautiful, and your Labor Day weekend was wonderful :)

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. I'm still tired from last weekend. This weekend had better be less eventful.
2. I would LOVE a Snickers Ice Cream bar right now. The salty/caramelly/ice-creamy goodness is so fabulous.
3. Some movie theater popcorn also sounds delicious. It's never quite the same when I make it at home.
4. Of course if I had the popcorn, I'd also want some Faygo Rock n Rye soda. Not Cherry Coke this time - it's too late for all that caffeine.
5. Oh! I'm trying Harriet's September Comment Challenge. It's just for 500 this month, so I think that's do-able.
6. I can hear my husband picking up the baby's toys in the living room. I hope that doesn't mean he's mad at me for not doing it.
7. I didn't even realize that President Obama was doing an address thingy for school children next week til I saw it on a forum. Apparently it's quite the hot issue. I can't wrap my head around exactly why. Other presidents have made similar addresses without the drama. Huh.
8. I'm going to get to use my label maker in a few minutes to put away some old baby toys. I love using my label maker.
9. My teeth need brushing.
10. I still haven't cleaned out the back of my car from last weekend's adventures. So much for starting with a clean slate.
    

August Top Droppers

Funky Town Disco Music
The Way I See It
All Stace, All the Time
Mom's Place
Ungkutan
Symphony of Love
Computer Aid
Luv a Bargain
eastcoastlife
Denford Magora's Zimbabwe Blog

And then there's us...

The weather around here (Michigan) is looking really gorgeous lately. Not very hot anymore, but not cold yet either. The leaves are getting ready to change to their beautiful fall colors. And then there's our family. We'd be getting really good use from a bell tv lately. I had my lil ole surgery last weekend, and hubby had his wisdom teeth pulled yesterday (although he doesn't seem any less wise as far as I can tell...). The view looks inviting out the window, but we're just chillin on the couch and waiting to get back to our normal selves :)

Wordless Wednesday

Is Anyone Still Around?

Sorry I went MIA for a spell there. I did make it to my chocolatier meeting and back on Saturday, but then my body decided to fast forward to a medical emergency that night. Girly troubles. Everything is supposed to be resolved now, but it's pretty much taken the wind out of my sails for a while. I've been spending my time while the baby naps getting my own nap, then going to bed early (when I'm usually online) and sleeping in as much as possible. Yeah - laugh a minute around here!

I do have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday pic I wanted to get up though - it's on hubby's phone from one of our shopping trips last week. Let me see if I can go hunt that up for your entertainment.

And knowing all my bloggy friends - let me thank you in advance for your concern and continued support while I try and get back up to speed!