Random musings

It’s been a week, and there’s nothing really big to discuss, but lots of little niggling things that I’ll just mention in passing, so if you’re busy, this is probably one you can pass…I’m just going to babble for the sake of babbling.

I spent most of my free time last week at my sewing machine, and it was refreshing. I haven’t sewn in nearly a year. I made two new covers for my little Ikea couch because a bride wanted some variety at her bridal shoot. The couch is white and simple and boxy, so I knew that it wasn’t going to be THAT difficult to recover, but I still had a lightbulb moment about just how to cut out pieces and sew them together in the fastest and easiest way. Boom. Thanks again to Jim for lending us his truck for a couple of hours so that we could take the couch up to the empty bank and shoot some awesome pictures on the blue couch AND the red couch. Fun stuff, and she’s a gorgeous girl, so I’m sure it will be portfolio-worthy stuff. She loved the covers too, so it all worked out perfectly well. We even got the homeless guy out front who was begging for change to help us carry the couch in and out and Jon tipped him five bucks for the service. Excellent! We didn’t have to juggle Hannah and the equipment because he was there to assist. Whew. Thanks buddy, whoever you are!

The office Christmas party was on Friday. Apparently EVERY office Christmas party was on Friday because we couldn’t find any family to babysit Hannah. Luckily, our fantastic friends Sam and Lindsay watched her for us at the last minute, and they all had a blast. We just love those two! And the party was fun! It’s the first one I’d ever been to, and I felt much more comfortable than I think I would have a year ago. Jon always helps in situations like that, and I’m glad I married someone that could be social the way that he is. You could see the subtle separation of the lawyers and the secretaries, but it was a good-natured divide, nothing forced or hurtful, and in the group locations (around the drinks and the buffet) we all talked and laughed the same way that we did when it was just us secretaries at our table with our husbands. Happy Holiday Times. I just wish my hair would have stayed up in the pins. Oh well. The hostess was a sweetie too and sent gift baskets home with everyone that had little individual homemade loaves of bread and a big jar of yummy jam. What a nice way to spend an evening blending work and social time. Kudos to Mike and Kristy for pulling off such a lovely party.

Sam and Lindsay not only babysat for us during the party, but they are also the angels that have lent us their car for a couple of weeks. They work together and carpool all the time, so they didn’t need both cars the way that Jon and I need two cars now that Elroy is gone. I’ve been driving their little VW Golf for a week since all I do is drive to work and leave the car in the garage for a few hours and then drive home again. We figured that I was by far the least likely to rack up miles or tempt fate with another car accident simply because I don’t drive that much, so better that I take their car while Jon drives ours. We’re looking at new cars and hope to give them back their Golf shortly.

I made another huge batch of Masala the other night. We’d invited three friends over to eat with us, so I doubled the recipe thinking that one of the servings would more than feed the five of us and then the other serving would be my contribution to a luncheon the next day. Nope. Two of the boys at dinner the first night more than doubled their portions and I was left with one little tupperware full of Masala for left-overs and no extra ingredients to make more. Oh well. I pulled out a case of Campbell’s Select Italian Sausage soup and threw five cans of it into the crock pot to fulfill my assignment for the Sunday luncheon. The funny thing is that I had a couple of people compliment me on my soup and ask for the recipe. I was a little sheepish about it, but told them the truth…it’s from a can. Bless Campbell’s. The Masala was fantastic too, and the whole party complimented and raved about all the food. YAY. You’ve got to love a successful dinner party.

Our dinner with friends meant missing a concert I’d sort of wanted to see. Suburban Legends came to town again, and I had hoped to get to see some of their new dance moves and hear their new songs. The friends won out though, and now I find out that it’s probably for the best. BeQui DID go to the show, and her blog about it yesterday was scathing. Apparently, the change in their lineup has also changed their sound, and not in a good way. They’ve also dumped all of their choreography, and the whole thing just isn’t the same as the amazing performances I loved four years ago. It’s just too bad. I know that every group probably has to evolve and change, but these guys used to be upbeat and happy and fun and they had tight choreography to all of their songs that included cartwheels, riding on shoulders, sword battles using the slides to the trombones. Every concert was a blast, and I still listen to their old cd when I want to smile and bounce in my car. I’m sorry for BeQui that this concert didn’t even come close to their old glory. However, I hear that the guy from Yo Gabba Gabba opened for them, and I would have been totally entertained to see that just because of the stories Britta has told me about the show and Ella’s love of the dancing party. Thanks to BeQui for going to the show for me, and keeping me up to date with stories of brawls in the mosh pit that should have been freestyle skanking! She’s such a stallion!

Our little niece Kira was blessed this weekend, and we feel like such idiots for being two minutes late. Jon had finished a project that he needed to deliver just that morning for one of the families on the other side of this crew, and it made us just a couple of minutes late to the church. However, the blessing started before anything else (we were speeding at 80 miles an hour and were hoping that they would do the sacrament first, but no luck) and we walked into the church just as the family sat down and the bishop apologized for having pronounced Kira’s name wrong before the blessing. Jon was so sad, and I could tell that his sister was hurt too. Ugh. We really did try so hard to be there, but we missed it literally by two minutes. It didn’t help my attitude that the priests blessing the sacrament kept messing up and had to repeat the prayer four times. If only they’d done the sacrament first! We would have made it in plenty of time for Jon to have joined the circle! Bah. Jon’s dad and his brother razzed him about it a little bit, and his back was up for the rest of the day. He teared up, and just kept saying how badly he felt for missing it. He loves his sister so much, and it just killed him to miss the blessing of her daughter…poking fun at him for it didn’t help. He tried to make up for it a little bit by bringing in his camera and taking some good quality pictures of the little star, but everyone was really blase about that too and he still felt ineffectual at the end of it all. I wish I could have done more to make him feel better. He knows that it’s our own fault for being late, and we hope the disappointment will pass soon enough, but in the meantime, it sort of hurts to have those looks from the family. I know that they may not mean it, and that they’re disappointed in us too…which they have every right to be…so it’s just a sad situation.

Kung Fu Panda is by far my new favorite movie. We got it as the last installment in our Netflix membership and I watched it four times over the weekend while I was working. He he he. Jack Black has a special place in my heart from my single days that has just gotten bigger over the years with his good choices in movie rolls. He did a great job voicing the panda, and the rest of the all-star cast was fantastic along with the amazing animation. I loved too how they switched styles. At the beginning you see his dreams of glory which are a blatant reference to anime cartoons, and then when he’s awake, the rest of the movie is completely different animation. Maybe part of it too is my love of all things Asian, but what a great combination!…at least as far as I’m concerned…Jack Black, cartoons, Kung Fu, comedy and heart?…New favorite. It made Jon laugh out loud a few times too, and he’s agreed that it needs to be our next movie purchase.

I’ve checked off two more presents from my Christmas list. YAY! Getting there.

I should have Hannah’s birthday party invitations done tonight and will send those out to the family. Sorry to any friends that would like to come that don’t get the invite…it’s a REALLY small house. I’ll video tape some of the fun and post it here afterwards. We’ll see how well she attacks a cake, and if I’m dealing with a puking kid after the party ends. A sugar hang-over for a 1-year-old? This ought to be interesting.

I’m starting to remember to go home at 3 o’clock now instead of at 5. I’m getting to like being able to get more things done during daylight hours. I really am making some headway on projects and to-do’s, and I think I’m going to enjoy the progression between working in a law firm and working for our wedding business. This could just be great!

Okay. Enough babbling. Lunch is over. Back to the grind!

~ by bylorena on December 8, 2008.