Struck a Deal

The contractor called last night and made another offer that we accepted. They're here today for about four hours, they'll be here tomorrow all day, and then they'll finish up on Tuesday. I don't think I'll have anything else done for awhile. All that's left to do is new carpet for the bedrooms and new countertops in the kitchen. Those things will have to wait awhile. I want to get our taxes done and see where we stand before spending anymore money.

One of my resolutions for next year is to cut down on spending. I kinda went nuts this year. Not beyond our means, mind you, but still a lot more than I normally spend. Internet shopping is way too fun and easy. I think that's where I got off track. I'm going to set myself a monthly "allowance" starting January 1. Now I just have to figure out how much that's going to be.

Another resolution is to not have any sugar for the month of January. It would be ridiculous to try and not have any for a whole year, but I think I can handle 31 days. After that, I'll see how I feel and how much weight comes off just from that, and make a decision on what to do next. I know I can do it because I did it a few years ago when Barnaby and I both went on Marilu Henner's program. We went cold turkey on sugar, dairy, and meat other than fish, and did great on that for months and both lost weight. I'm not so much trying to lose weight as trying to get healthier by eating better.

Gotta go. Later.

And Then There Were Three

I've freaked myself out, and I can't pick one!

Christmas (I know. Very Original)

Christmas is over with family. Boon Pappy is coming over in the morning at 7am to have our Christmas. Barnaby and me will have our Christmas then too. I guess we'll just laze around the rest of the day and maybe watch the Cowboy game. Nothing will be open, and I'm sure nothing good will be on TV, so it should be a pretty boring day. I remember working on Christmas day last year because I was so bored. Even if I want to work tomorrow, I don't have any. I'm going to try and stretch a few magazines that I haven't read so they'll last through tomorrow night. Sometimes we go to IHOP on Christmas night really late and eat. It's about the only thing open on Christmas day/night, and it's kind of a fun tradition.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. I hope you're happy and healthy and everything goes your way. Much love all around.

Pam

End Results

Ignore Devil Dog in the Lower Right

We're very pleased with the results. It did not come off without a hitch, however.

I was just telling Barnaby Wednesday night that it looked like we were going to have no problems for the first time when dealing with a contractor. I should have known. On Thursday, I noticed that they hadn't painted the other half of the front room (which is actually a separate room, but we use them both as one. There's barely a divider there. You can see it in the pictures if you look real hard. Except you don't have to look real hard now because the paint suddenly stops and half the room is stark white. I ask you...WHY WOULD ANYONE LEAVE ONE ROOM WHITE WHEN THE REST OF THE HOUSE IS A BROWN SHADE??? Answer: THEY WOULDN'T.

I won't go into the whole story, but suffice it to say, I had a wall-eyed fit after hearing that the contractor wanted to charge me $1490 to do that one room! I'm ticked off, but I will paint that room PURPLE myself before I pay him that much money to do one tiny room. It has screwed up the whole flow of the house, but whatever. We'll figure something out.

I'm in a hurry now to get ready for the Christmas get-together with family. I need a shower in the worst way, and make-up, and nails, and ...

More Progress

Here are the pictures of everything with just the base coat. Today they will be putting a faux finish (tea stain) on all the walls. Go look HERE for an example of tea stained walls. You may have to try and open that page twice. For some reason, it never opens the first time for me.


The color in the kitchen and breakfast room is exactly the same as what's in our living room. I had no idea it was that much the same. It should look much darker with the tea stain.

I really like this gold color in the bedroom. They are painting the entire room that color, and only tea-staining the wall behind the bed. Hopefully, they will be finished today. He told me yesterday that he thought they would be done by the end of the day today. I have things I need to do. Not to mention the fact that I'm just sick of them being here.

It's stressful having people in your house all day. Things are in disarray, and I have to actually be fully-dressed all day -- bra and everything! I hate that. I never wear shoes or a bra unless someone is coming over. I usually have one some kind of lounge pants too. Heh, that sounded dumb..."lounge pants." What I mean is pajama pants or sweats or something like that. I can't truly relax with real clothes on.

I want to bake a couple of things for Christmas Eve. We're having appetizers and desserts over at my sister's house with the whole family, except my sister in San Diego who isn't here for Christmas this year :(.

More later.

He's So Cute, It Hurts!

OMG, ya'll! Is that the cutest thing you've ever seen??? I'm considering being his mommie. I know! I'm crazy dog lady! When I know more, so will you.

Progress

I'm still hiding in my office. I think I'm going to move to the bedroom and watch TV. More pics and stuff tomorrow.

Chicken Soup

Rainy Day

I'm cooped up in my office for the next three days with the dogs and Kitty because the painters are here. I packed a cooler with water and iced coffee, and I have the toaster, some bread, and some peanut butter in here with me so I don't starve to death. I'm sure those guys will be overjoyed when I start taking their picture. Hee. I'll probably be updating here several times a day due to bordom.

"Homemade" Chicken Soup

I got the basic recipe for this soup out of a cookbook and changed it up a little. It took me 10 minutes, tops, to put this together, and it was so good. The pesto makes a great-tasting broth. It's definitely a keeper recipe. It would be perfect to throw together when you have a cold or aren't feeling well enough to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Don't leave out the sprinkle of parmesan on top. That makes it really good.

Chicken Noodle Soup

3 (14-oz) cans of chicken broth, divided use

1/2 can of water (1/2-3/4 cup)

1 (12.5-oz) can of chunk white chicken

1/2 bag of frozen chopped broccoli

1 small can sliced carrots

1 1/2 cups uncooked medium egg noodles

Black pepper to taste

3 tbsp store-bought pesto (I used basil pesto)

Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp)

Parmesan cheese

Bring 2 cans of broth and the water to a boil in a large saucepan. (Reserve the 3rd can of broth for reheating leftovers) Stir in chicken, broccoli, and carrots and return to a boil. Stir in egg noodles and cook 7-8 minutes until noodles are done. Stir in pesto and lemon juice; simmer one minute more. Serve in a bowl with parmesan sprinkled on top.

This was great and even better leftover the next day. I had to add another can of broth before warming it up because the noodles had soaked most of it up.

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Miss Pissy Britches

Did I sound like Miss Pissy Britches yesterday? I didn't mean to. I don't want to be one of those people whose journal/blog/whatever is nothing but a bitchfest and a downer. I read a few like that are like that more often than not, and I don't want to be one of them. I guess everybody has those kinds of days, and if you're going to keep it real here you have to include those. It just doesn't need to be every day. Moving on...

It's my favorite kind of day again: overcast and dark, chilly, rain, and I have lamps on all over the house. I just love lamps. I could have ten in every room. Clocks that tick are one of my favorite things too. I'm going to get a coo-coo clock one of these days. Maybe next year for mine and Barnaby's 15th anniversary. We bought one for our 4th, and I still love it.

I've been taking my camera whenever I leave the house. I've been hoping to get a fun picture to share. No such luck. My world is being boring. I guess when you only leave the house to run to the grocery store or drugstore, there's not going to be much exciting or interesting to share. Who knew?

I've had a box of hair color sitting on my bathroom counter for several days now. I decided on a dark auburn color. I miss my strawberry blond hair, but I don't want to go that light anymore. I had no idea my hair was this dark now. And mousy, ashy, and boring. When I get around to putting it on my hair, I'll take a picture of that. How pathetic is that? Will you be checking back every five minutes to see if I've posted it yet? I'm so sure.

BP? Where are you? We keep missing each other on the phone. I miss talking to you.

A-Hole

I'm so proud of myself for cancelling a job with a new client who turned out to be a pain in the ass. Normally, I would have just taken it when I really didn't want to. I used to have a hard time telling anybody no, even complete strangers I've never met in my life. Well, I've gotten over that, and it gets easier every time. He kept asking me a million questions and wanted assurances, wanted me to guarantee the work of Kinko's printers (what?), and was just a general pain in the ass. I just decided I didn't want to deal with him after speaking with him again this morning, so I called him and cancelled. It's not like I started the job and then bailed on him. We were still discussing the details. He still wasn't sure exactly what he wanted and hadn't gotten any of the materials to me to start. He got mad and hung up on me, and then called back twice wanting to know why, why, why??? He hung up on me both of those times too. I was super nice to him and called him "Sir" and everything, even after he had hung up on me twice. He thought he was going to bully me into taking the job, but I said, "Absolutely not. I am not taking this job, and I don't want to discuss it any further with you. I'm sorry if I've wasted your time, blah, blah, blah. I just don't think I'm the person you need for this job." He hung up on me for the third time. Whatever, Dude. You should have kept your mouth shut and stopped trying to micro-manage me.

I went to Ulta on Saturday. I had the best time for the first 15 minutes, and then Barnaby came in and was up my ass for the whole rest of the time. I didn't expect him to like shopping in a beauty store, but damn. He was supposed to be at Best Buy while I was at Ulta, but he only stayed about 15 minutes and then came to bug me. I told him to leave because I wasn't NEARLY finished looking, but alas, he stayed and bugged the crap out of me until I finally decided to leave and a midget girl checked me out.

It was weird because she was about 3-feet tall and teeny tiny, but she didn't look like a midget -- or dwarf or little person or whatever is politically correct now. Her head and arms and legs were in proportion to her body, and she was pretty. As we approached the counter, Barnaby said, "Is that girl sitting down on something?" I said, "Shhh! No, she's not sitting down!"

It doesn't feel like Christmas around here at all. Not one little bit. It's been around 80 degrees for a week, and we have the air conditioner on. I'll just be glad when it's over. I'm not sure why, but I absolutely hate Christmas. Bah Humbug.

I'm Rambling

I'm trying to keep Phoebe entertained while I work so she won't get bored and lick her leg off. Good Lord. Next thing you know, I'll be taking her to doggie daycare just to keep her from getting "bored." I just took their toy box out of the closet (yes, my dogs have a toy box, shuddup) and left it open. You should have seen them all three standing there with their heads in the box pulling out as many toys as they could. I've never done that before, but they sure liked it. Now there are stuffed toys and squeaky things laying all over the house.

I just cut the holy crap out of my finger trying to open a window. It slammed back down on my finger and cut a big gash in it. Worker's Comp! Social Security Disability! I can't type and make a living because my finger is hanging by a thread of skin! Okay, it's not that bad. But still.

I was opening windows because it's absolutely beautiful outside. It's a perfect temperature, sunny, and there's just the right amount of breeze. It makes me want to bake a pie and put it in the window to cool. Okay, that's a lie. I've never done that in my life. But still.

I woke up this morning with a Jim Croce song in my head and it won't go away. I keep catching myself singing it. You know what I think it is? I swear that our brains can receive radio waves and we can subconsciously hear it even though the radio is not on. I think that song was on the radio when I woke up.

No, you're stupid.

Operator, well, can you help me make this call?
See, the number on the matchbook is old and faded.
She's living in L.A. with my best old ex-friend, Ray,
a guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated.

Isn't that the way they say it goes?
Well, let's forget all that.
And give me the number if you can find it
so I can call just to tell 'em I’m fine
and to show I've overcome the blow,
I’ve learned to take it well.
I only wish my words could just convince myself
that it just wasn't real, but that's not the way it feels.

Operator, could you help me place this call?
Well, I can't read the number that you just gave me.
There's something in my eyes.
You know it happens every time
I think about a love that I thought would save me.

Operator, let's forget about this call.
You see there's no one there I really wanted to talk to.
Thank you for your time.
You've been so much more than kind.
And you can keep the dime.

Um, No

That's not dirt. I tried to wash it off, but it's permanently discolored.

Here's something new: My dog, Phoebe, is licking her foot incessantly. It's driving me bonkers. There's nothing wrong with it, she's just licking for whatever reason. Apparently this is common in dogs. This is what I read on the innernets:

WHY DO DOGS LICK THEMSELVES RAW?

This type of foot-chewing may be compared to nail-biting in people. We chew our nails when we are bored or worried, out of habit, or even as an obsessive/compulsive behavior. Often, we find similar motivations in these foot-chewing dogs. Frequently, there has been a change at home such as:

*Lengthy confinement
*Addition of a new pet or human house-guest to the family
*Death or loss of a companion pet
*Loss of owner or absence of a family member
*Moving to a new home
*Boredom

(None of those are true for her except maybe boredom.)

For many dogs, treating the skin lesion is not enough; the dog must be palliated psychologically as well. Extra attention to the pet on a reliable basis may be all that is needed; however, some dogs actually require psychoactive drugs.

AMITRIPTYLINE - helpful in only 30% of dogs but considerably cheaper than the others. It takes 4 weeks on medication to determine if there will be an effect. If the medication is found helpful, the pet continues on it.

Approx. cost for 1 month of treatment for a 75 lb dog = $15.00

PROZAC - helpful for 50% of dogs that lick. The medication is given for 4 weeks. If no response is seen, the dose is doubled for another 4 weeks. Medication is discontinued if a good response is seen.

Approx. cost for 1 month of treatment for a 75 lb dog = $135.00

NALTREXONE - helpful in 50-60% of cases. The pet takes the medication for only one month. If licking stops, it usually is stopped for weeks to months. Should licking resume, another course of medication may be instituted.

Approx. cost for 1 month of treatment for a 50 lb dog = $210.00

Um, no. My dog is not taking Prozac or anything like it. She already takes meds for her arthritis. I'm going to wrap it with an Ace bandage and see what happens. She hasn't licked it raw yet, but she will soon. Right now it's just dark and discolored where she licks it all the time. Oh, and I'm bat-shit crazy listening to that incessant licking! Lick, lick, lick, lick. Gah! Stop it before I chop your leg off!!!! I'm the one who needs Prozac. Again, um, no.

Hi, Mates!

Is this the coolest Christmas tree topper you've ever seen? Love it! We got it free in the Pirates of the Caribbean DVD. It's actually a pin for your shirt or hat, but I thought it would look great on top of our little tree, and I was right. Merry Christmas, Scallywags. Arrrr!

As you can see, I drug out what few Christmas decorations we have. It's plenty. I'm not a big fan of Christmas and all the hoopla. Barnaby is even a bigger Scrooge than me. We really are perfect for each other. *Le Sigh*


I don't know why, but I couldn't find any pictures bigger than these of Pepe Le Pew. I'm sure there's a way, but I don't know what it is without making them all blurry-looking. It's funnier if you can see the expressions on their faces clearer.

And while we're on the subject, Pepe La Pew was nothing more than a stalker and rapist. If you think about it, it really is inappropriate. I don't think they'd make a cartoon like that these days. Or do they? Do they still make new Pepe Le Pew cartoons? I say that with tongue in cheek. I don't really care, but I always think that when I see his picture. Way to go, Pam. Make something nasty out of a silly cartoon and ruin it for everybody.

New subject...

I'm pissed about my eye job. I'm going to the doctor and tell him I'm not happy. I still look like I need an eye job. He was WAY too conservative and I still have my upper eye lids resting on my eye lashes. My right eye is worse than it was before surgery as far as getting a black spot of mascara that rubs off my eye lashes and onto my upper lid. That's just not right to still have that happen after paying money for an eye job. I don't see how he can argue with me once he looks at it himself. It's obvious that I still need something done. I'll let you know what he says. I'm not sure if I'll go before Christmas or wait until the beginning of January. Probably the sooner I go the better.

I'm off to read some mags before bedtime. See ya.

Alive and Well

My, my, time has gotten away from me and I haven't updated in a few days. Sorry about that. I wish I could tell you've I've been doing fun and exciting things, but no. I made some Christmas cookies on Saturday and decorated them. It was the first time I'd ever done that in my life...AND PROBABLY THE LAST. It took forever and made a huge mess. The cookies weren't very pretty either. I have trouble drawing a stick figure, so I should have known how it would turn out. I really wanted to take a picture of them, but I let my son take my digital camera to a wedding he went to that night.

He asked me to babysit his puppy, Mick, while they were gone. We kept him from about 3:30 until 12:30. I just don't know how we're going to do it when we get another dog some day. Puppies have so much energy! It was crazy around here with our three dogs, the cat, and Mick. I remember when our dogs were little thinking that I'd never get to sleep for a few hours straight ever again. They just take up so much time and attention, and you have to watch them every second or they'll chew on something, or shit, or piss, or vomit. I was worn out by the time he left. It made me really appreciate my dogs though.

I have a list here of things I need to do today, like doing Christmas cards for a few clients, wrap presents, go to the post office and mail some, groceries, bank, laundry, and the list goes on. Guess I better get to it.

I don't wanna. I have to. Bye.