Memorial Weekend Memories

I took advantage of the 3 day holiday weekend. I tend to work the summer holidays to earn extra cash, but I decided to go for the free time this year. Saturday, I headed home for my cousin's graduation party. I rode the motorcycle and by the time I got home late that afternoon, it was pouring rain. I got the bike in the garage right before it hit. The rest of the night was spent relaxing and watching ConAir.

Sunday, Pmo and I had breakfast, read the newspaper ads, and got ready for Holiday World. It was media day so we got in free and had a luncheon. The Voyage kicked our butts and the Pilgrim's Plunge soaked us. We hit the highlights throughout the rest of the park and headed home. After a yummy dinner at Pizza Chef, we were wiped out and pretty much turned in for the night.

Monday was a mix of yard work, shopping, and dog adventure. We checked out the trails near Angel Mounds and found quite a little maze. Jack was very excited about newfound territory and Bug did a good job of keeping up. He also panted a lot. They were wiped out when we got home. See picture below. Jack is the smart one on the cool tile by the front door.

I have many things to look foward to this weekend and beyond. The debut of the farmer's market in Newburgh, a friend's birthday party, more yard work, and a little bit of relaxation. We also have two weddings to attend next month, another one in July, and we're also tying up a few loose ends on our own ceremony. Ready or not, summer, and all it brings with it, is upon us!

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May Madness

Friday was sleep deprived. I stayed up until 1:30am that night, thinking that would help me fall asleep, but I ended up wide awake for another hour. Then the storms hit which makes Jack cry so I got up to go sleep with him. I turned the ceiling fan on, forgot there was a balloon in the room which drifted toward the center and wrapped itself around the fan making all kinds of noise. I was mad by this point but I finally went to sleep about 3am.

Saturday was full of wine. It was drizzling as we walked up to the tent and by the time we got there, the back of my hair was soaked. I had an umbrella with me but I didn't think it was raining that hard at the time. We bought our tasting tickets and worked our way down one side of the tent. We each tried a different wine then switched glasses. By the time we were ready for the next side, I suggested we go check out some the food at Englebrecht's booth because we were tipsy. We ended up buying 3 bottles from Buck Creek Winery in Indianapolis. We liked some others but knew that either a local store carried it or it was within driving distance. We're not likely to go to Indy anytime soon.

Sunday was yard work day. In the afternoon, I mulched around the front of the house while Pmo set up a bird house in the backyard. I got so into mulching that I went back and bought 4 more bags, on top of the 4 bags I had already used. Mulching is addictive once you see how good it looks. But it's also very tiring. We ended up having cereal for dinner and watching the movie Hancock.

Monday was Bug's day. He really had trouble moving around over the weekend so I bit the bullet and took him to a new vet. I was worried about the price tag, what they would say was wrong with him, and how he would act. But it was a pleasant experience. The staff was really nice. The doctor answered all of my questions. And I got free meds for Bug because they had a sample on hand so the whole thing cost about $40. Bug acted a fool like usual but not too bad. Hopefully he'll get better and x-rays won't be necessary.

This week, I'm tackling computer storage and cookout invitations. I've decided the tons and tons of pictures and music are making my laptop slower than dirt. So I've bought a few USB drives to free up the memory. Then I'll try the library again to download some new songs. We bought decorative paper and envelopes over the weekend so I'm hoping to get invitations for our summer "reception" sent out this week. Washing and vacuuming my car would be a good idea, too, while it's stopped raining.

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Wasting Time

I was in the library today for about an hour and got absolutely nothing done. My laptop must be overloaded in the memory department because it just would not cooperate and by the time I actually got to do what I wanted, my battery died and I wasn't near a plug-in. So I had to start over again. And I'm not sure the program downloaded. I guess I'm going to have to transfer pictures onto a zip drive or something. Or maybe it's the monumental amount of music I have on there. Whatever the case, it must be fixed because I couldn't download any new music today like I had planned. I simply ran out of time. No Lady Gaga and Pop Evil for me.

I could have done something with this wasted time and not have been rushed to get back home, eat lunch, fix dinner, walk dogs, and get ready. Not to mention I was up at 5:30am with Jack because of the thunder. And when I went in the other room to sleep with him, he was all excited like it was time to play! I had to convince him it was still night night time. Bug was like, whatever, put me in the bed and I'll go back to sleep.

Tomorrow is dog grooming day and I think I might take it easy after that. If I get done early enough, I can enjoy some "What Not to Wear" and pick out my outfit for the work day and Saturday's wine tasting. The weekend's almost here!

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Mid-Week Review

The weekend is kind of a blur by now but I thought I would try to catch up. Saturday was my cousin Hannah's birthday party so we trekked over to Perry County. We had good barbecue, watched Hannah open presents, and played bubbles with my cousin Lauren, a.k.a. Lolo. After we got home and spruced up a bit, we headed to Nick's Pizza for a graduation party for Pmo's friend. Good pizza, good beer, and I even got a giant margarita glass out of the deal. Then we headed to the riverboat for a little gambling. This is not something Pmo and I normally like to do but we thought, what the hell? Pmo spent a few bucks and won $25. I spent 5 bucks and got nothing. So I told him to cash out and let's hit the road!

We weren't feeling too good Sunday morning, but we were up and moving by afternoon. We planted some flowers that we bought the weekend before. We took a break for a trip to the Dollar General and Wesselman's for what I called the "bare essentials" but of course I ended up getting a bit more. Then we headed back to the house for a mid-afternoon lunch and finished our flower planting outside. For dinner, I fixed pork chops, baked beans, and macaroni and cheese. Then it was time for the final Apprentice. Joan won and it was over for good.

I've been spreading out the to-do list over the week so I can get things done but still get to work on time. That's my new daily aim. Today's task was groceries, tomorrow the library, and Friday is dog day. Baths, nails, teeth, pill, the works. Saturday is the Newburgh Wine Festival which we are super excited to attend and probably bring home more bottles of wine. Sunday is up in the air. Probably knock some more items off the neverending to-do list.

Wine and Dine

***Saturday mornings are filled with such hope in our house. We have two whole days to do whatever we want. So this is what we did. After pancakes, sausage and bacon for breakfast, Pmo set out to replace lumber on the patio that had rotted. I started reorganizing the garage to set up a recycling area. I helped Pmo cut the lumber when he needed me, and I planted some tomatoes. We took a break and ate lunch in the house, then headed outside again to check the gutters. Pmo blew tons and tons of helicopters off of the roof with the leaf blower while I supervised from the ground. We walked the dogs around the neighborhood for a bit, then got ready to go out to eat. On the way, we stopped at the Pet Food Center and Goodwill and purchased a hummingbird feeder and a work bench. Dinner at the Red Robin was pretty good. It was noisy and they forgot to put our name on the list, but otherwise, very filling. I got a cheeseburger with bacon and an egg. Back at home, we watched "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," a movie I had borrowed from the library for free, and drank some Stone Hill wine. Vignoles. Tasted like apricot, so good!

***Sunday started out with donuts and the newspaper. Except I never got to read the actual news. I just perused the ads and we were off and running again. Pmo hung his birdfeeder then we went back to Goodwill to pick up the work bench. We also stopped by Sears to pick up some hooks to hang up my bicycle in the garage. We stopped at the Pet Food Center again to buy some flowers and then one more stop at the Country Store in Newburgh which also had a plethora of plants. At home, I got the notion to start attacking some out of control bushes with the clippers. Pmo says I shiskabobbed them. While I worked in the ran, he made a place in the garage for his workbench. It turned out to be a little small but it will work for now. I went back inside to review my purchases from Kohl's and decided to take two pairs of shorts back. Then I made chicken vegetable medley for dinner and spice cake for dessert. We settled in for the Apprentice where 3 celebrities were kicked off. I knew it would come down to Annie and Joan. It's the perfect catfight.
***Today, I did some more shopping. I stopped in at Walgreen's, Kohl's, then Target. I didn't find a lot I liked at Target, but I ended up with a pair of shorts, a shirt, and some other stuff. To make myself feel better, I'm going to try to make a big payment on my credit card next paycheck. The guilt is driving me nuts. And with a little help from savings, I should be able to cut the amount in half. Problem is, the other half remains.

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Buyer's Remorse

Tremendous guilt washed over me today when I checked out at Kohl's today. I spent nearly $200, on myself, for clothes. I never do this. Never, never, never. I shop only clearance. I limit myself to spending no more than a certain amount of money. And I don't really shop with a purpose. I shop to see if, by chance, I can add a few pieces to my wardrobe and find some bargains. But this time is different. I don't have clothes that fit right now. I need to buy these items or I'm going to burn up this summer. And I know it's only a matter of time before I get tired of capris and crave a pair of shorts. But do they even make shorts that aren't either down to your knees or up to your butt? I bought three pair today but I wouldn't call them shorts. More like half pants. I also bought two pairs of jeans, a pair of navy blue pants, and three tops that could be used for work or casual wear.

All in all, I was pretty happy with the purchases but I'm secretly hoping I'll be able to take something back and get a refund. I'm still trying to pay down my credit cards (aren't we all?) and today's "power shopping" didn't help matters much. I'm also rethinking my decision not to open a Kohl's charge card. I don't usually buy that much at one time, so I didn't realize I would have shaved $25 off my bill. But I always refuse those offers because, like I said, I'm trying to pay off the credit cards I have now. I don't need another one. So I'm going to go home and try some stuff on again and see if I really want to keep the goods. I must not be too remorseful because I'm planning to go to Target next to see if I can find some more casual tees!

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