Fabulous Schedules

Sometime in early November…

Me: Hey Hubby, I have next Thursday off for Veterans Day. I could take Friday off too. What do you think?
Hubby: I have to work both days, so whatever.

Thursday – Veterans day – lunch time

Hubby: Hey, I looked and Friday isn’t waitlisted so I could take the day off with you.
Me: I didn’t take it off. I figured since you were working I would just save my vacation time.
Hubby: Oh, okay.

Later that same day…

Hubby: I took tomorrow off anyway.

Fabulous

Fabulous Compromises

I love going to the hardware store. Maybe it is because I went so many times as a little girl and it was always a pleasant experience that usually ended with going home and doing a project as a family. Maybe it is because the smell of wood reminds me of my dad. Maybe it is the abundance of beautiful flowers that make me feel like I am so totally NOT in a desert. Who knows! The hubby hates the hardware store. Whether it is the past bad experiences from his childhood, the price of all the items, or the lack of knowledge concerning the various tools I know not. As you can imagine, trips to the hardware store are no longer as pleasant as they once were. Enter behr.com or glidden.com. Both offer a virtual room painted in colors of your choice (much more variety than The Sims). The result is a friend and I going to the hardware store after the Hubby, sitting in the comfort of his own home, picks the colors he would like his “man cave” to be. Ah, Saturday trips to the hardware store with friends. Fabulous!

Fabulous Moments

Have you ever been too excited for the phone? I have. I received an unexpected call from a friend who had some very good news. After she shared her very exciting news, I was overcome with joy and the phone just wasn’t BIG enough for me to convey my excitement. Sometimes you just want to grab the person, give them a HUGE hug and maybe even cry a little. But sometimes that person in on the beach in California with her new fiance, enjoying the sand in her toes, the surf on her face, the diamond on her finger and the love of her life by her side. Fabulous!

Fabulous Outdoors

This summer my family experienced the Best Camping Trip EVER! I say “my family” because while I was there with them, it was NOT my best camping experience. I was super excited for this trip. I had waited a whole year to revisit the splendor that is Strawberry, AZ. After researching online, the hubby and I bought our first tent (from Target, Wal-Mart doesn’t honor the price listed online). Through a very long chain of emails, Mom, Sister and I put together a menu. Later, Sister, Hubby and I went on a tense shopping spree at the more-than-you-could-ever-need store for food and supplies. My very intelligent Hubby thought it a bad idea to bring our furbabies camping. But as I had already made sure the tent could fit a kennel for them to sleep in and bought the 50 feet of rope each to secure them to a tree, I felt they should join us. After all, if they were fur-less-babies we would bring them, right? (Not to mention we didn’t have any trust worthy furbabysitters.) After driving two and a half hours to the campsite, I was able to enjoy the perfect weather (for about five minutes). Just as we were finishing set-up of the last tent, it began to rain. The rain soon ended and the forest was left feeling refreshed and alive. The furbabies were left feeling “alive” as well, unfortunately! Apparently 50 feet is not enough room for our dogs. If we were near them they complained; if we were away from them they complained; if we let them run wild and free the Hubby was an anxious mess. There was no solution. The next day an Aunt drove up and took us all to Fossil Creek, nearby. Absolutely beautiful water scenes. The furbabies have differing opinions of water. Penny LOVES the water, like any normal chocolate lab. Rita HATES that water, what a freak, right? So I held Penny back from jumping in and having a good time while the Hubby tried to console Rita and assure her that my Sister was not drowning and there was no need to for her barking concern. Miserable! The Hubby finally took both girls and sat in the car. Well I couldn’t enjoy myself knowing that the Hubby (who didn’t want to bring the furbabies in the first place) was sitting in a hot van with barking girls. When we arrived back at camp we had wonderful family friends join us. I also had a massive migraine join me. The hubby and I decided that it was not worth it to stay another night. So we, uhem, I (with the migraine) drove home early. Fabulous!

(DOGS RUIN EVERYTHING!!)

Fabulously Weird

The hubby and I have been together for over five years now and just went to our first concert together. We do not share a love of Rush, Dream Theater, Lady Gaga or Pink. We do share a love of the Beatles, that's about it. Considering their situation, I don't think we will be seeing them live any time soon. So who did we go see? Weird Al at Celebrity Theatre. Very tiny venue with a rotating stage mean not a bad seat in the house! Alfred Matthew Yankovic, the three time Grammy Award winner, puts on one heck of a show!

Before the show the hubby and I enjoyed an amazing dinner at Humble Pie (thank you Lori for introducing me to their phenomenal French fries!). In short, my night was Fabulous!

Fabulous Sneak Peeks!

Oh how many hours I have spent playing The Sims! Creating layouts of my dream home. Rearranging the furniture. Choosing the colors on the walls. Picking out and caring for the landscaping. What a waste to guide a virtual person through virtual career development and virtual relationship building while sitting in my home on my computer alone. A much better use of my time would include advancing my own actual career and building actual relationships. I have learned this lesson and instructed the hubby to NOT fix the issues my computer is having with running this game. Before, however, my computer starting having an issue with the virtual world I spent so much time in, I was able to put the game to some very real use. Using The Sims to create the layout of your home and then rearranging the furniture in that home to convince your husband that a red kitchen is a good idea, Fabulous!

Just Fabulous!

Saturday night the hubby and I took our furbabies to the dog park. We hadn't been there in a while and our furbabies were getting bored (and therefore destructive) at home. I love taking them to the dog park. All of the crazy people, I mean dog lovers, there praise our girls shiny coats, well toned bodies and white teeth. There are amny who admire our labs. We are told every other time we go that, "if one of them ever has a litter"... we would have NO trouble finding homes for those puppies. Going to the dog parks makes me love my furbabies slightly more, until we go home and they eat my shoes. Then I hate them all over again...

When we arrived at the dog park we noticed that they had done some remodeling. The park now winds around the baseball field and is all grass instead of a grass patch in the middle of a dirt field. Also, the shade from the surrounding trees now falls in the area where we stand around. The weather was very nice and would have had a very pleasant time, had I not been in A DOG PARK!

Now, I have already established how I feel about dogs. So this should surprise no one. I am in a fenced area, surrounded by dogs. These dogs can not sence that I don't like them. A bichon is VERY happy to see me. I don't want to be rude, so I pet... him? I step in poo and a great dane decides I am his new best friend. I am use to my dogs nugging me for attention. My dogs are strong and can remove my hand from a computer mouse to pet them, however unwilling I am to part with said mouse. If my dogs are strong, that dane was the hulk. There was NO saying NO! When a dogs head is bigger than your own and comes up to your chest, you don't argue.

So while we were there, I pet MANY different dogs. All of a sudden my hands start to itch. Then they start to itch bad. Then they start to swell. Maybe I am developing an allergy to dogs... Fabulous!

Fabulous Happiness

I came across this article while reading one of my favorite blogs (www.pink of perfection.com).

I will admit that I started reading this blog due to it's name. But since starting, I can not stop.

Anyway, this article was very interesting to me. I am now even more excited and energized to host a Sunday night, small group Bible study in my home. I am also deeply saddened that I don't know my neighbors better than I do.

The article left me wondering, what is the dollar amount assigned to the happiness that children add to our lives? If anyone knows that answer, please share!

"...being married produces a psychic gain equivalent to more than $100,000 a year." Fabulous!

Fabulous Finds!

The hubby was busy paying attention to one of his many hobbies. I was trying to cope with the lack of attention I was receiving. One of my favorite ways to pass time is to organize and clean. This time I choose to tackle my make-up closet, also known as the back bathroom. Our back bathroom is not fully functional so I have Frankenstein-ed it to fit my storage needs. The hubby rarely enters this very feminine room. Anyway, as I was cleaning and organizing my "woman cave" I found 2 compacts each containing 3 eye colors that I had no idea I had. Fabulous!

Fabulous Attention

I am a relational creature. I am also an attention whore. When my hubby is home his attention should be on me! This is not reasonable, or healthy. He has many hobbies and interests and if I want to be a loving, understanding wife I must give him time to give those hobbies and interests attention. Also, this way the time and attention I get is more precious, meaningful and Fabulous!

Fabulous Friendship!

The focus of Women’s Bible Study Sunday morning was friendship. Sisters were commonly stated as the women’s best friend. And although my sister and I were not friends until fairly recently, I had to agree. My sister is indeed my best friend. I am not sure when this happened exactly. For most of her life I was a very selfish person and therefore oblivious to her needs or feelings. When she was nearing the end of her high school career, and we had both matured a great deal, we became friends. If this pattern continues, in 7 years, when my other sister is nearing the end of her high school career, she and I may be best friends too. Releasing selfishness and focusing on others every once in a while is fabulously rewarding.

Fabulous Desserts!

The hubby and I were discussing stress the other day on our way home from the grocery store. We came to the conclusion that I have absolutely nothing to worry or stress about. First of all, and most importantly, the Lord’s got it all under control. As long as I am doing my best to live in His will and not my own, I am good! Now if we could all just accept that wholly and completely, there would be no stress anywhere for anyone. But that’s just not the case. We as women (or men, I don’t not know who my readers may be) worry about money, family, jobs, church, friends, shopping, bills, weight, health, image, marriages, social events, etc. Why? Can we all agree here and now to think on things that are worth our time, things that are more, Fabulous?

Fabulous Quality Time

The hubby and I now have a new activity to do together, play video games. Playing video games isn't "new" to either one of us. However, we have had quite a time finding one we could both enjoy. The biggest problem we have faced is the fact that I am really a very poor video game player. Who wants to play a game when they KNOW they are going to lose EVERY time. Throwing a game now and then doesn't help the situation. I am so bad that I KNOW when he lets me win. Well, that has all come to an end. Super Mario Galaxy 2 has a special feature that allows for two player to cooperate. I am told this is a two player co-op... whatever. All I know is that I get to be the little pinkish star that AUTOMATICALLY moves around and follows Mario (the Hubby). I help by using the Wii-mote to click on coins (the pinkish star then AUTOMATICALLY collects them), click on enemies (the pinkish star then AUTOMATICALLY pins them down so Mario can kill them), and best of all I can to nothing to HURT Mario! I can join in the middle of the game. I can quit in the middle of the game. Both of which have no consequence on game play. Fabulous!

Fabulous Coupons

We received a flyer in the mail advertising the Sunday + Wednesday paper both for only $1 a week for the first 13 weeks. As the hubby and I do not have TV, I was very interested in getting the paper to stay up to date in current events. It was only an added bonus that the Sunday paper would also be full of coupons! The hubby and I agreed to subscribe. During one of the best Sundays I have enjoyed in a while, I made my grocery list and went through the coupons. Afternoon well spent? You tell me. I saved over $48. Fabulous!

Fabulous Sunday morning

Woke-up on time for church. There was nothing to eat in the house. The hubby took me to Einstein’s Bro. Bagels. They toast and butter your bagel for you! Fabulous. I also got a caramel-something coffee which I dare say was better than Dunkin’s version. Got to church and put together communion. Service was good, women’s class was great. Came home and got chores done, read through the paper, gathered coupons. Got super excited at the Target ad. Buy two Wii games get a $20 gift card! And the hubby’s shirts were on sale for $10 each. Get to Target and find a picnic basket and blanket (which I had just, the day before, been telling the hubby I wanted) 75% off, making the set $8! Leave Target with no perishables and decide we would really like lunch. What do I spot across the parking lot? CHIPOTLE! (The hubby’s favorite eatery) Eat lunch, go home. Continue chores including grocery shopping and more laundry. Wait till night fall and go to my parents with a friend to roast marshmallows and eat s’mores! Aren’t days that are blessed by God just Fabulous?

Fabulous Laundry

After several trips to my parent's washing machine and one trip to the laundry mat that nearly ended in divorce, the hubby and I agreed that it was time to invest in a washing machine. Fabulous! The hubby expressed that he felt we could continue to line dry clothing and therefore did not need to invest in a dyer just yet.

Some Background: My hubby wears black clothing and only black clothing. He does have white socks. Shoes, belts, shirts (with Beatles and Ghostbusters designs), ties and pants are all black. His one pair of workout shorts are black. His swim shorts are black (with a Pac-man design). Black clothing fades quickly, leaving him wearing several different shades of black. He is aware of this issue and concerned about the quality of his clothing. He is unwilling to make the change to colorful clothing.

I was very excited about the new washing machine that was installed in my previously vacant laundry room. This washing machine meant no more packing dirty clothing into my car, no more laundry trips to my parents, and most importantly NO MORE trips to the laundry mat! After experiencing, for about a month, the joy of owning our very own washing machine, the hubby began to notice how many clothing items we were having to replace. This was due to dogs taking the laundry off the line, and enjoying a snack, I explained. The hubby also noticed how crisp his clothing was. This was due to lack of fabric softener, I explained. The third thing he noticed was how quickly his black clothing was fading. This was due to the the extended exposure to direct sunlight, I explained.

It was time to invest in a dryer, he explained. Fabulous!

Fabulous Silver Lining

When tight-leash walking a very large muscular furbaby downhill, that furbaby will pull you downhill. This can result in twisted ankles, scrapes and scratches and sore hands. When tight-leash walking a very large muscular furbaby up-hill, that furbaby will pull you up-hill. This can result in a much less strenuous, much more enjoyable hike. Fabulous.

Fabulous Allergies

Most people would not celebrate having an allergy. Most people are not allergic to dish soap, Dawn dish soap specifically. When I do dishes my forearms break-out in a red, itchy rash. I can not switch to another brand because Dawn dish soap truly works better than any other dish soap I have tried. It doesn't smell the nicest, and it is not easy on the hands, but it cleans dishes. In my opinion that is the most important quality in a dish soap! The solution to this problem is simple. There are two choices. 1) Someone else has to do the dishes or 2) we buy a dishwasher. I would prefer the second choice as it would allow me more time to spend with my hubby. But the alone time that I have while he does the dishes is also, Fabulous!

Fabulous Surprise

There was a Breakfast Jack left on my keyboard for me this am. The person who left it had no idea I had woken up late and had a less than fabulous morning. They also didn't know that I don't eat egg or pork product. Thank you anyway, random Breakfast Jack giver for putting a little more "fabulous" in my day!

Fabulous Kitchen Gathering

This weekend I was blessed to have a house full of my closest friends and family. I hosted a Pampered Chef party. I couldn't think of a more fabulous way to show off the newly painted kitchen. First, Pampered Chef has some fabulous products; kitchen shears that my Fabulous Father will be able to use one handed, a garlic press that I don't know how I was living without and a wireless crock pot that cooked fabulous chicken fajitas in 25 mins! Second, I love playing host and providing the opportunity for the wonderful women in my life to gather, chat, catch-up with each other and enjoy delicious food! Thank you all who came for making my weekend so fabulous!

PS - My Fabulous Mother will soon be selling the above mentioned products! Isn't that Fabulous?! :)

Fabulous Frisbee

Sunday afternoon, after a VERY full weekend, I got together with some friends and family to play Ultimate Frisbee in the park near my home. Despite the extreme weather, much more athletically trained opponents and my own lack of skill in the game, I had a fabulous time! I did not once trip or punch myself in the face. I did not get heat exhaustion and I did get a great workout. After the game, some of the players, my hubby and little sister included, went to a friends house for some after dark pool volleyball. Hot, sweaty cardio followed by not even the least bit chilly pool water, Fabulous!

Fabulous Father

My dad has a mom who regards him as her baby boy. He also has 5 sisters who adore their baby brother. He has a wife. He is the love of her life. His mother-in-law has lovingly stated that she would keep him if she had to make the choice between her daughter and him. He has fathered 3 daughters who wouldn’t know what to do without their Daddy who can fix ANYTHING! His son gave him a daughter in law and two granddaughters who admire their Papaw. His dog Shelby loses her mind when he walks through the door. 14 women who all love this one man. This one man chooses to be an obedient son, helpful brother, loving husband, caring father, admirable grandfather, and gracious master. Fabulous!

Fabulous Fail

I arrived at work and unpacked as usual. As I opened the mini fridge to store my lunch I was assaulted by an odor that can only be described as putrid! I quickly learned that the food in the fridge didn’t belong to ANYONE on our floor, or in the entire building for that matter, and therefore NO ONE was going to clean what wasn’t THEIRS to begin with! Frustrating, yes! I for one DO use the mini fridge and am not afraid to admit it. After consulting my manager, I needlessly put a sign on the front of the fridge stating that all contents needed to be claimed by Wednesday at 3pm, or they will be discarded. This was needless because, again, the food didn’t belong to ANYONE in the office. Wednesday 3pm arrives to find me discarding salad dressing that expired in 2007. After scrubbing down the entirety of the inside of the unit, I decided to chip away the huge chunk of ice preventing the usage of the freezer space. To assist in the chipping I used the wooden handle of a knife. Apparently wooden handles have the capability to puncture the Freon line in a mini fridge. Who knew? Not me!

A brief lesson in Freon:
“Freon” is not exact a chemical. “Freon” is actually a trade name that describes a whole class of chemicals used in refrigeration. Most of the chemicals included under the trade name of "Freon" are known as "chlorofluorocarbons." This means that their chemical structure is made up of the main chemical building blocks of carbon and hydrogen, but they also include chlorine and fluorine as well. Without knowing the EXACT version of freon that was used in your refrigerator, one can only comment on the general health effects of freon as a whole.

Basically, it’s not good to breath, and I just exposed the whole office. Also the fridge belongs to one of my coworkers, not the office as a whole. Fabulous!

Fabulous You

~Pretty is something you're born with. But beautiful, that's an equal opportunity adjective.~ Author Unknown

What a fabulous idea; that a woman, regardless of physical features and cultural views, can cultivate beauty. I have known these fabulously beautiful women who hadn't a clue they were so gorgeous! Conversely, I have seen absolutely hideous pretty women who thought they were the definition of beauty. Look at yourself through God' eyes and tell me what you see. Fabulous!

Fabulous Obedience

This weekend I attended a Petsmart Puppy Training with my sister and her puppy. As it was the first class, the instructor covered only the basics. "Look at me, good boy!" It was really fun to see all the Daddies and Mommies trying to calm their furbabies. Most of the puppies got it first try. By the end of the class they could all focus to some extent. Some puppies just have a shorter attention span! When I got home to my own furbabies, I tried some of the same tips and tricks with them that the class had been doing. I don't know why I was surprised that it worked; Petsmart trainers are professionals after all. The point is, my furbabies are better behaved. Fabulous!

Fabulous Breakfast

I am a real – bargain hunter. I think that cutting out coupons is a valuable, money-saving hobby. My Grandmother happens to agree with me. The result is a very large grocery bag full of paper clippings every time I go to visit her. The bag usually contains various other goodies. (Last time it was old fashion tin cookie cutters.) Duplicate coupons are also a result. Recently I found myself the possessor of three coupons valued at $1 off two boxes of Post cereal. When the hubby and I arrived at the grocery store, I saw a fabulous little yellow sticker that read “Two for $2 Post Cereal.” The hubby and I each picked out three boxes of our favorite cereals. The total paid after coupons - $3 for six boxes. Fabulous!

Fabulous Cricut

My life has changed forever. I have now used a Cricut machine! Those things are, Fabulous! I had this life changing experience over this past weekend. Upon returning to work Monday and showing my Cricut handy work to my super crafty boss, I learned that said super crafty boss owns three Cricut machines. Well it turns out that she does not need three Cricut machines. Guess whou is getting a Cricut of her very own! Fabulous!

Fabulous Fire

I recently learned how to make Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. It involves sautéing onions and peppers in mustard, and toasting rolls under the broiler. As I was performing such tasks I was talking to my mom on the phone. My hubby overheard pieces of the conversation and came in to ask some clarifying questions. He was sidetracked however, by an oven mitt. The distracting oven mitt was sitting right behind me on the counter minding its own, and blazing away. 4 inch flames, I was oblivious to, prevented the clarifying questions from leaving my hubby’s mouth. What did leave his mouth, “Did I just hear you say OH MY GOD THE OVEN MITTS ON FIRE!!!!” prompted only a slow turn around and confused look, until of course I saw what he was referring to. He quickly grabbed the mitt and threw it out back onto the porch. I threw him is water bottle and he doused the flames. Out of breath and over excited we came back inside. I thought to myself “what’s that smell, like something is burning… ” then it occurred to me… THE ROLLS! I ran to the oven and opened it to find, you guessed it, more fabulous flames; again, no less than 4 inches high. I pulled them out of the oven and blew them out like candles on a birthday cake, which to my surprise worked fabulously! I then walked to the back door and flung them out with the charred oven mitt. The dogs wouldn’t touch them. I am now down an oven mitt and a dinner. Fabulous!

Fabulous Furbabies

I have always been a cat lover. I married someone who is allergic to cats. Fabulous right? There was no trickery or deceit. I knew long before we were engaged that he was allergic. Really, truly allergic. I knew too that he was a dog lover. What I didn't know was that his beloved childhood friend would pass away two months before our wedding date. I also didn't know how deep my future hubby's need for a dog was. I had always told him that I wanted a year without a dog. You see, reader, my mom was a chienne amante (dog lover). I had spent my childhood with the stinky, hairy, messy, inconsiderate of peoples' personal space, creatures. I would go to school only to realize in my third hour that the dog had urinated on my back pack. I don't think a year was asking too much, honestly. However it soon became clear to me that my hubby was just not himself without a canine companion. I made the secret decision that we would, at the first opportunity, adopt a furbaby of our own. So the saying is true, love is blinding. Only after the adoption of our 2 gigantic chocolate labs do I remember why, and how deeply, dogs repulse me. Fabulous.

Fabulous Flicking

I like to finish washing all the dishes before I go to bed. That way I can go to bed feeling accomplished. If I did nothing all day, got nothing done, at least I did the dishes! Well last night, I was finishing up dishes and listening to Pandora on my laptop, which was on the counter behind me. When I went to “like” a song or skip a song I dried my hands first. The hubby would not be happy to learn that I put wet soapy hands on the computer. Like any normal person, I sort of “flick” my hands to remove excess water before towel drying. When I “flicked” my hands I happen to “flick” the knife that I had just washed. The knife apparently did not appreciate being flicked, because it sliced the side of my finger open. Fabulous!

Fabulous Fellowship

Sunday morning I attended a Ladies Bible Class at my church. The leaders of the group arranged for an extended praise, prayer and worship time. They provided all the prayers from the last couple of months to the women who requested them. Those women then shared the prayer request again and told how God had answered each prayer and which requests still needed prayers. What a blessing it was to hear how these prayers were answered by our father in heaven. Prayer works; and that is just, fabulous!

Fabulous Curtains

My wonderful father came over the other day and installed a curtain rod over the front picture window so that I could hang my new curtains. There were none previously and as it was the front window my hubby and I thought we needed a little more, privacy. They look, Fabulous. No more than two days later my hubby decided that he would have a go at fixing the security shutter on the outside of the front picture window. We have been in the house over a year and have been entirely unable to make the thing come down more than 2 1/2 feet. Well, he succeeded. The solid metal, bullet-proof, security shade is down. The only problem now is that we cannot get it to go back up. We didn't need the curtains after all I guess. Fabulous!

Fabulous Forgetfulness

After having a bed sheet hung in our front picture window for a month, I convinced my penurious hubby that it was time to buy curtains. We set a reasonable budget grabbed the living room paint swatches and headed to Anna's Linen's. LOVE THAT STORE! After some compromising (no young or old marriage can survive without it) we agreed on beautiful blue and copper curtains (matched the living room blue perfectly). Now what size should we get? ... No idea, we forgot to measure the window... Fabulous!