sprung

It's official - spring is here! It's easy for me to keep track of the vernal equinox, with it being my birthday and all. And my husband's birthday. And his twin brother's birthday. Sharing a birthday can be a bummer, but I won't elaborate on that now because so far this one has been a-ok. The three of us get together every birthday and have supper, taking turns from year to year on who pays or cooks. This year we'll be going out to one of our favorite restaurants for a meal that's already making my mouth water: macadamia encrusted halibut stuffed with king crab. That makes my frosted mini wheats breakfast feel pretty unsubstantial sitting in my tummy.

What else for today? Well, some family drama last night. In a nutshell, the dear husband ticked off his little nephew at a family gathering a few months ago. We thought that all was fine and forgotten since the tears had been replaced by laughter by the end of the night. Imagine our surprise when he opened his birthday card and saw that, along with the b-day wishes, the 7 year old wrote: You're a devil you made me cry happy birthday NOT!

I'll spare you the details of what followed (from virtually EVERY one of my in-laws). But here are my feelings on the subject - as parents, why on earth would you send that card? If the kiddo was really that upset by it, why didn't his folks get in touch with us sooner to address it? Or, better yet, use it as a teaching opportunity for him to learn that holding onto anger and frustration isn't healthy? There has been something weird between my husband and this particular brother (the boy's father) for years. It seems pretty clear to me that this is an issue between the two of them and it has nothing at all to do with the kid.

Enough on that - at least it brought some tough topics to light for the family. And we'll certainly remember this birthday. The card, however, is covered in coffee grounds at the bottom of the trash can. It didn't even make it to the recycling bin.

This doesn't mean I'm having an unhappy birthday - not at all. So far I have just lounged, drank a lot of coffee, caught up on my favorite blogs, and planned a long dog walk. Which is what I'm about to do.

urge to purge

Uh-oh, I've been neglecting the blog again. But that just means I've been keeping myself busy in real life, and isn't that better?

I've been cleaning & organizing like crazy lately. One of my new year's resolutions is to go through EVERYTHING in the house and recycle, give away, or toss whatever we don't use/need/want. My honeypie and I are pretty good about keeping the house tidy, but it's amazing to see the amount of straight up junk occupying our closets. So, my first order of business in tackling the house: whip those closets into shape.

Here is a peek at our linen closet before. I counted FORTY FIVE pillow cases stashed in there! For 2 people?

And here is the after - much better, but still not quite what I'd like it to be.


This is embarrassing. This was my side of the bedroom closet. It had been in this sorry state for longer than I'd like to admit. Stuff was constantly falling off hangers and being stuffed into the shelves. Things that I wear weekly were mixed in with clothes that haven't fit in over a year. Ugh... there's another resolution.

I began tackling it by pulling stuff out and sorting it into piles. This isn't even all of it.

Finally - I can actually see my clothes! Since putting the closet back together, getting dressed in the morning is much more efficient.

I also cleaned up our library/craft room - check it out here. After cleaning out 2 closets and 1 room, there was an awful lot of stuff to kick out of the house. We had been saving magazines for ages. It's hard to let go of them after you pay up to five bucks a pop! But let go of them we did. This shows about half of the 'zines we ended up recycling.

With all of the stuff from the craft room, I more than filled our recycling bin (more like a dumpster - the thing is freakin' gigantic). Our fireplace seat is covered in stuff to donate - and this is just the tip of the iceberg. I still have to deal with the rest of the house!

weekend not away

I thought we were going away this weekend. Visions of this cozy little cabin snug in the snow have been running through my head. Breakfast at the Talkeetna Roadhouse. Bundling up for a walk along the river with a big man and a small dog.

Poop. We're not going.

harumph

Ok, so just a few days ago I couldn't say enough about how sweet and good my old ball and chain is. And then you know what? He thinks I am a 35 year old redhead. For reals. First off, I don't see how he can get my age mixed up. We have the same birthday, for crying out loud. I am exactly four years younger than him and I always will be. I am a freakin' baby of 32 compared to that old man of 36! And the redhead thing... he saw some dumb joke about brunettes on tv and laughed and said he wondered what life would be like if he had married one. And I responded with, 'Umm, you did.' Nope - he's completely convinced that he married a redhead. Now, it just so happens that I hold several redheads very near and dear - and as much as I'd like to be a member of the club (I have dyed my hair red a dozen times over the years, but not for a long time) I am just a brown head. Otherwise known as a brunette. A light brown head, but I'm pretty sure that's still brunette. Right? We've got black, blonde, red, brown, white, grey, and I think covers the hair colors.

In other news - my boss is gone. I mean she's completely gone! She put in her notice yesterday and our director told her to go ahead and leave. So there's a weird vibe running through the office now. She wasn't exactly fired, but that's what it feels like. We're all a little creeped out by the whole thing. She's a very nice woman, great at her job, not the best supervisor ever but oh well. She had a new plan on her back burner for several months and it came to light prematurely - which directly led to her cleaning out her office at 9:30 yesterday morning. Tearful goodbyes, awkward glances in the hallway, whispered conversations in the bathroom. Ick.

i made something...

what a mighty good man

I just gotta love that husband of mine. Have I mentioned how adorable he is? I hope he keeps the beard. It appears every winter without fail, but it always vanishes mysteriously after a couple of months. He says it's itchy. But beauty takes pain, right? If I were a man I'd love to mess around with facial hair. I'd switch around between big ol' chops, a handlebar moustache, various beards... but no goatees. I get the urge to reach out and shave them off. Ooh and no tiny moustaches, either. Ick.

Happy last day of 2009 and Peace Everywhere! I big time dig the card illustration below - I only wish I'd thought of it first, but must credit this guy. I like you, Mr. Biggs! Can I please steal your ideas and run with them?

No major reflections on 2009 for me - it was a good year, full of family & friends (2 visits to Maine & NYC!), some much needed home repairs & decorating, loads of camping & exploring AK this summer, and some good times with me hubby... not to mention Mr. Obama. The more that I think about it, 2009 really has been a fantastic year! Hooray! Thanks!

I had a nice chat with Dear Old Dad this morning. He was pretty peeved that his trusty snowblower seems to have shat the bed. Seeing as they're anticipating the storm of the century in northern New England this weekend, it really is a drag. That and his super long driveway in the middle of nowhere. But, he's a scrappy fellow and always handy with a shovel.

I wish I could be there - I love a good storm. We're still fairly warm and clear up here. It makes for nice driving weather, but we really need a good snow to freshen things up. I hear there's a chance that the ice fog will be back soon, which would mean a return of the gorgeous frostiness we had until a few weeks back. Here are a few photos I took on December 12th: