CHRISTMAS!!!

I love Christmas. I love the decorations. The lights. The nativities. Finding great gifts for loved ones. Bursting with the secret of the great gift. The Christmas trees. The carols on the radio.

I turn into a child around this time of year. Or, if J was writing this, he would say, "Deidre's child-like behavior becomes more prominent this time of year."

You can't see me but I just stuck my tongue out at you J.

We buy a real Christmas tree every year. We bought it yesterday but didn't have time to decorate it, so it was sitting naked. We dressed it up today.

I think this is Lilly's favorite time of year too. She is never very far from any sort of activity. She especially loves the tree and the ornaments.

J was chasing her around playing with her and tripped. I think she looks slightly concerned. Or just wanted to continue the game.

Two of those stockings are mine. I may have forgotten to mention that I also love the candy. Double the stockings, double the candy.

But seriously. I bought the blue one when J and I were first married. The one to the left with my name on it is from my childhood; my Mom just recently found it and gave it to me.

Those are a strand of bells, in case you can't tell.

Yep, already getting into mischief. I've already found three ornaments knocked down.

The Boys

People have been asking me how Joseph is doing with his new job and how Micah has been doing in his new environment. So here's an update on the boys.

Joseph is doing well, but it's definitely an adjustment. I love having him home. He runs errands. He cleans. He makes dinner, but he's always done that. When we got our cabinets painted it wasn't a problem that it took four days, because he was home. When my truck needed repair work he took it my favorite, affordable mechanic who is only open Monday - Friday when I'm working. So there are definite pros.

He's continuing to learn. He impresses me with his self-motivation. He is fluent in CSS and HTML, knows some PHP, and is learning Javascript. He has a goal to learn how to build the smart phone apps, and for that he has to learn Java and Objective C (for Android and IOS, respectively). He is so smart and driven, he impresses me every day.

The only con is that we are poor. When half of the household income was snatched away, it was a huge adjustment. It is taking awhile for business to pick up. He did just land a big job so he's busy right now (and that's where the countertop money came from), and he's had projects here and there but nothing consistent. There was a week awhile back were he was a bit short-tempered, which is really uncharacteristic of him, so I could tell that his lack of business at the time was really getting to him. I told him that the slow time should be seen as a blessing - if he was crazy busy, he wouldn't have time to learn the other languages and skills he needs to learn. If he has to find a job eventually, that's fine, but it can take some time to build up a business. I could tell that cheered him up and I felt pretty good about that.

It's a rather strange phenomenon. I don't want him to be upset or unhappy, but if the lack of business hadn't been bothering him, I would have been concerned. If he was happy just sitting on the couch watching TV or playing video games all day, we would have problems. So the fact that he cares about being successful and is really trying makes me feel better. So I don't want him to be upset, but I felt better that he was.

The biggest adjustment for me was getting back into the "poor" mindset. Even before, we chose to live our lives in a way that we had an excess of money. We bought less house than we could have afforded, we don't have car payments, we don't pay for TV, etc. So Joseph's income had pretty much been at our disposal. We saved aggressively, but we could (within reason) buy what we wanted. Drop $70 to install some shelves in the den? Sure. Spend $150 on a paint sprayer to complete some projects? Why not. We would throw it on the credit card, pay it off, and get some nice points. For awhile we had money in the house fund and other little project funds so we could continue in this way, just pulling the money from the designated funds.

The turning point was when I was balancing the checkbook (in my excel spreadsheet) and we couldn't pay off the credit card bill. It wasn't large, only about $500, but that hasn't happened in a long time. And granted, we could have paid it off. We have various emergency funds and car funds and things like that, but the purpose of those funds is to use them for what they're meant for. Don't touch the emergency fund, it's not an emergency. So as punishment, we have to pay interest until the credit card is paid down. It's helped get back into the poor mindset.

We are hosting Thanksgiving this year. I wanted to get these really nice disposable plates instead of normal paper plates (even if we wanted to use real dishes, I don't have enough for 20 people). The nice disposable plates were $1 each. I did not get the fancy plates. Which probably doesn't sound like much to you, but it is life-changing for me. I was very proud of myself.

Another adjustment has been bringing my lunch to work. Do you know how much money you can save when you're not eating out every day? A ridiculous amount. We will go out once a week so that it's not completely restrictive, but that makes Friday a better day than it already is.

So on to Micah. There is a reason I wanted a bigger dog. Because all the little dogs I have known have been in-home pissers. The lady who fostered Micah told me he was potty trained, so I figured he was upset or going through an adjustment period. In an effort to stop him from peeing inside, we decided to make some changes (putting up gates at night so he was in the kitchen - don't worry, we got him a little dog bed), being firm with him, and giving him time. He did, at least, stop peeing on the couches (the leather ones, so they were at least easy to clean), but there was a special spot in the kitchen where he kept peeing - and it was on my curtains! We kept cleaning it up and he kept peeing. I looked online and found different suggestions. I mixed apple cider vinegar (it called for white but I was out), baking soda, dawn dishwashing soap and hydrogen peroxide together and spread it around on the floor. I let it dry while I washed the curtains with the same concoction. I cleaned up the mess (I don't recommend the Dawn for wood floors, you have to scrub it nine times to get it completely up) and it's been three days now and he hasn't peed again. I have my fingers crossed that he has finally adjusted and if that area doesn't smell anymore, he'll quit marking it. If he can go two weeks without peeing, we can take the baby gates down.

The peeing has been the only problem. Other than that he is a sweet dog. He is such a funny little guy. He can be stubborn - if we go on walks and he isn't ready to go back in the house, he will set his feet and refuse to move. He also won't come inside from the backyard when you call him if he's not ready. We joke around that we have a cat that acts like a dog (Lilly, who constantly needs attention), and a dog that acts like a cat.

I think Marley has adjusted as well as she will. She still doesn't like him, but she has stopped hiding in the back room. We set up another baby gate where we put the cat food, and she has just been hanging out in there. But she is back to sitting on top of the pillow on the chaise lounge, which I think of as the Queen spot. She can survey the room from atop her royal perch.

Lilly isn't afraid of Micah. She has pretty much stopped trying to bully him, so I'm hoping that eventually they can be friends. Time will tell. Micah is an old man and not much interested in playing anyway.

Overall life is good. When I'm being a brat and sulking because I am going to have to wait to do the bathrooms (the kitchen isn't even done yet), I think about how much I have and all of my blessings. And scold myself for not doing more to help others. So I'm actually a little excited about a small Christmas. I think it will help get back to the meaning.

I'll probably be a little crazy, since I will have eight houseguests, but that's another story.

Checking In

I got a text from Keeley that said, "You really need to blog something. I'm going through withdrawal."

Awwww, I love you too Kiwi. I smiled so big when I got that text.

Well the kitchen blog is pending. We finally saved enough money and paid the downpayment for our countertops. They'll be installed after Thanksgiving. So once that's done I will do the kitchen blog.

I have written four or five blogs in my head but it's been one of those months where I've had so much to do (contacting plumbers, trying to find the sink we want on Craigslist, not having anyone contact us back from Craigslist, planning Thanksgiving, crocheting new dishcloths because sponges gross me out, helping my love plant flowers) that in my down time I sit in front of the TV. And think about the things that I should do. And pull my special blanket a little higher around my face, snuggle into the couch, and continue to sit there.

I am usually fine running around like a crazy person with a million things to do. But a person can get burned out. Especially if the stuff that needs to be done isn't fun. I'm not a fan of calling around for quotes and I really hate when I find the perfect item on Craigslist and the podunk won't call me back.

Christmas is coming up. Which is really exciting and yet stressful. Usually it's not stressful, but this year we don't have a lot of money. But that's a whole other blog post.

But I will leave you with this:

Deni (during a violin lesson): Have you ever been to the symphony?
Deidre: No.
Deni: That can be my Christmas present to you!
Deidre: Uh....Deni, you're getting a bottle of lotion.
Deni (starts laughing): Hahaha, oh man. 'Here Deni, here's your bottle of lotion...and your $5 giftcar--'
Deidre (interrupting): Nope, no giftcard, just the lotion.

Broken Lamp

J and I went out to Bajio for dinner; it's located in the shopping center by our house. They were having a special on nachos. For $7 we had a nice little dinner for two - nachos covered in cheese, pork, corn, beans, and who knows what else. After a delicious and affordable dinner we got in the car and J asked if I needed to go anywhere else while we were out. I looked longingly at my TJ Maxx but said no. J turned toward TJ Maxx.

I freaking love him.

I found some awesome boots. Then I wandered over to the home section and looked at the lamps. We only have one bedside lamp in our bedroom. I found it for $20 at Bed, Bath and Beyond and have been looking for another one but without success.

I am cheap and refuse to pay $30-50 for a lamp. And I just haven't liked the cheap ones I've found. I've also tried going to Goodwill and trying to imagine them transformed - maybe a little spray paint? I hadn't had any luck.

Until this trip. I found one I liked on sale for $14.

 $14!! Woot! I plugged it in, put in a light bulb...

And it's broken. If I jiggled the switch the light would turn on, but it was obviously shorted.

Dang. Should I take back my $14 lamp?

No way.

I went to Lowe's, bought a $3.80 socket, and fixed it.

$18 lamp! Woot!!

J helped. It wasn't as easy as all the YouTube videos would have you believe. The cord did not want to come up and then it didn't want to come down; it was in there pretty tight. He is my muscles.

Look at all that hotness. Yep, you just can't stop looking at that lamp, can you?

The Weekend

Ah, the weekend. That magical time that flies so quickly.

Friday I got up ridiculously early so that I could get off work early so that we could meet my family at the fair. I checked the website, and reminded my sisters that we needed to get there before five in order to get the $1 tickets.

It didn't really work out that well.

J and I got there at 4:30. There was a reaaaaaaaally long line in front but we walked past everyone standing in line (rude, I know) and found a shorter line. I called Kristi and asked where they were? They were split up into two different cars and were almost there. I asked if they wanted us to buy their tickets? Could they be there before five? Kristi said go ahead and buy 9 tickets.

And then they got stuck behind a train.

J and I went ahead and entered the fair, got a hand stamp and left. After some frantic phone calls and running around, we were able to meet up with Kristi, Breezy, and Steph from the first car. It was 5:30. I told them that I bet there was a certain window where they still let people in after 5 - I told them to walk up, hand over the ticket, and keep walking like they owned the place.

It worked. They got their hands stamped and we went to track down the second group. Jennifer, Mike, Austin and Matt finally showed up. It was 5:40. I told them the plan and we headed toward the front. Kristi directed them toward a specific line because certain people were already turning away the $1 tickets. Jen got through. Austin got through. Mike got through. Matt was stopped. We tried asking nicely, we tried pleading, but they said no more $1 tickets. Matt had to go buy a $10 ticket, but when you think of all the people who got in after 5 and shouldn't have, it was still a good deal.

Mike, J, Matt, Austin in front, Kristi, Jen, Breezy in front, Steph.

Even though there was a rough start, the fair was a lot of fun. It was nice to spend some time with my family.


Saturday morning I went to a Super Saturday craft day with Kristi at her church.

Then I had to run errands. I got my oil changed where they informed me that I had a nail in my tire. Luckily I purchased the warranty when I bought the tires in May, so I went and sat at Discount Tire. Errands don't make for a fun weekend, but they must be done.

I heard on the radio that there was a big pet adoption event at the Petsmart near our house. I have been wanting a dog for awhile now but I've been really afraid of how our cats would react. When we watched my mom's two dogs while she was getting her floor done, it was a big problem. We went to look around and asked some of the volunteers about a few of the dogs. We expressed our concerns about our cats. They had one little dog, Micah, up front with them because all of the activity was making him nervous. They said some employees would take him home and he had been fostered before, and he was a really sweet dog who just ignored cats, so they thought he would be a good fit. The only problem was that he was old, 10 years, and he had a heart murmur. They said it was hard to place older dogs with medical problems. One of the ladies was really attached to him, and you could tell he really was attached to her.

We spent some time with Micah, and I told the people we wanted to think about it and left. I had wanted a medium or large dog and was kind of disappointed with a little dog. But I kind of liked that he was old - I wanted to adopt a dog who needed a good home. I asked J what we would do about the cats? He suggested putting their food and litter box in the guest bedroom and getting a baby gate. I told him if we went to Savers and there was a baby gate there, we could take it as a sign.

$15 for a baby gate from Savers and $25 for the dog later, we have a new member of the family.

Lilly is hilarious because she sneaks up on him and then growls. He just ignores her. Marley has been pretty relaxed about the whole thing. As long as he leaves her alone she doesn't seem to care. I hope it works out. I think once you get a pet it should be a forever pet.

Celebrate!

I had a rocking awesome anniversary. And then I had an equally awesome birthday.

I made J promise when we got married that my birthday and anniversary wouldn't be combined. He has kept his promise so far. And one of the things I love about this guy is that he is an AWESOME present giver.

Exhibit A: The massage table.

I realized after I texted this photo to friends and posted it to facebook that there is a bra in the photo. Whoops. Although no one said anything - they were too busy making comments about massages and pregnancy.
Ha. Ha. Soooo clever. Psh.

J told me the first three massages are free, but after that I am going to have to work for it.

For our anniversary we do what we always do - enjoy Arizona Restaurant Week. We tried Capital Grill this year and it was a great experience - wonderful food and the staff was really nice. A three course meal (dessert included) and the bill was reduced. What more could you ask for?

For my birthday I had a massage and facial I bought from Groupon. I came home and J took me out to lunch. Then he asked me what I wanted to do. I wanted to put the hardware on my cabinets. He told me he thought I was crazy but he obliged. The kitchen post is coming - once the new countertops are on. Might be a little while. You're just going to have to wait.

Saturday night I went out dancing. I have a single friend who prefers to do girls' nights only and J isn't wild about dancing, so girls' night it was.

Lottie kept gushing how gorgeous I look here. I asked her if it was because half of my face is missing.

But seriously, I looked pretty hot. All my friends are hot too. That's how I roll. Katelyn and HP couldn't make it for different reasons. And Keeley is in NC. But Deni came, even though she had just gotten back - at 7:00 THAT MORNING - from HI. I really appreciated that.

This card actually dances. 

My sister Kristi made the card on the left and Keeley made the card on the right. Keeley wasn't intending it to be Halloween themed - she just knows I am crazy about pumpkins. Keeley wanted to send me a gift card to my favorite pretzel place, but since she's in NC she couldn't get the right one. So she sent me cash instead, but it was wrapped in paper with the pretzel logo on it. I loved it!

And Kristi got me a MERMAID costume!

Deni brought me back presents from HI. Chocolate covered nuts, a Hawaiian bookmark, massage oil, and a cute dress/swimsuit cover up.

In addition to the massage and facial, Joseph got me the Whose Line is it Anyway DVDs. I had mentioned that I couldn't find them on Netflix so I wanted to buy the DVDs because that show is hilarious. He actually listened and remembered!

I really felt loved.

My Mom and Dad got me cash, which is equally appreciated. It is currently safe in my underwear drawer, waiting to be spent. Probably on clothes. Or shoes. Maybe a giraffe statue for above my kitchen cabinets. To be determined.

My Love

I used to be such an independent person. I did my own thing, went my own way. If I didn't know how to do something I figured it out.

But then Joseph stole my heart. I can't do anything by myself anymore. I don't even go grocery shopping by myself. Part of me wonders if I have a co-dependent problem. But that's only about 5% of me. The rest could not give a crap. As long as I have my J holding my hand, all is right in my little world. 

I love the faces he makes. I started taking pictures of him, trying to capture his faces. There was one I desperately wanted to capture, the one where he looks at me like I'm the most special thing in this world. Every time I would hold up the camera, his face would change and I couldn't capture it. But I kept clicking away, taking photos, hoping that I would catch my favorite face.

One face he makes, where he sticks his chin out, is because I'm either irritating him or teasing him. But he grins right after.

This first one isn't a picture of J; he drew this on his iPad and texted it to me.

Nothing like a man who knows how to vacuum. Oh yeah.

"Why are you taking a picture of this?"

Can you see the chin sticking out? I've taken too many photos and it's bugging him.

This is the face he makes when I'm being ridiculous and he's trying to reason with me.

And then he shakes his head. Because I'm being ridiculous.

Shakes his head to the left.

Sticks out his chin.

Shakes his head to the right.

I am not the only one in the family with the ability to irritate. Lilly likes to lick his hair. I have no idea why. But it bugs J.

And he did not appreciate having his grooming session documented.

Here he is watching a documentary on the Batman vehicles. He was completely oblivious to the photos. It's a Man thing.

"Do you have to do that while I'm driving?"

"You're going to be in trouble."

"I am thinking of ways to punish you."

"Perhaps I can distract you with my tongue."

"I got nothin." (Love the chin.)

Look at the dimple!

I don't have a clue what we're talking about here, but I love this series of expressions.

This is the face he makes when he thinks he's said something really funny. He's proud of himself.

Breezy and her BFF Lili were egging him on here.

They made him do a "big finish."

And then told him his finish was lame. This is his "how dare you" indignant face.

Too many photos. He's telling me I will be in trouble.

I asked him what sort of trouble? He is thinking about it.

The face he makes when he admits that I can't be in trouble. Because I am Pretty Girl. And Pretty Girl does not get in trouble.

I'm being ridiculous again.

This is the face he makes when I've said something he doesn't agree with. Or when I've made a statement that is so completely inaccurate, he wants to make sure I'm not crazy. I like to say crazy things just to get this face.

Skepticism. 

He is not convinced that I'm not crazy just yet.

And here, I think I've actually captured it. My most favorite expression ever. The Love You expression. It melts my heart.

And it's perfect that my computer nerd boy is blocked by his computers.

Happy anniversary my love. I'm glad I still like you. Continue being nice to me and keep it that way.