Finally!!

Finally!!

Oh man. What a day! My DH stayed home from work today to complete some administrative tasks he’s been asked to do. Normally, he’s out the door just before 7 and we don’t talk until about ten thirty am. It takes me a while to wake up and get things going…so it’s better for us not to talk much in the morning. (Momma is not a morning person.)

So, today was his day to stay home. I would have been ok with that but for one tiny flaw in the plan. He had to type 15 pages of revisions for a company manual.

He had to type.
On *my* computer.
In *my* space.
All day.

Consequently, I was a basket-case. I know, it’s odd. I love him. We share our whole lives together. Why does it bother me so much that he’s on my computer in my space? It bugged me all day. I couldn’t get past it for love nor money. I was antsy and snippy all day. I felt like I was being invaded. I have my piles arranged a certain way, my tools and scrapping supplies spread hither and yon…and my chair adjusted to suit my legs, which are considerably shorter than his. I had to make myself go upstairs and try to forget that he was using my computer. I was a nervous wreck.

He did his thing.
He tried not to move too many things around.
He asked for help saving files and sending emails.
He left me a little thank you on a post-it when he was done.

Yet, here I sit, trying to catch up on a whole days worth of email and blog-reading and now writing and I still can’t explain it.

Around four this afternoon I was reaching my limit so j and I went to a movie. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was still matinee time so the tickets for the two of us cost $11.50. I was so distracted and out-of-sorts by the computer invasion, I let j talk me into a hot dog, a popcorn and two drinks. The bill…$14.75! Moly Cow!! What a ripoff! The crappy food cost more than the movie tickets! I feel totally bad now about being wasteful with the money. It was stupid. We won’t be doing that again. Ever!

The movie was OK. I have seen the original about 42 times as has j. I was surprised by how closely this one compared to the original. The story line has some changes but not many. The worst part was Johnny Depp, who plays the eccentric (to put it mildly) Willy Wonka. Oh man, was he creepy! Freekishly creepy. I was thoroughly disappointed in the Oompa Loompa songs…or should I say the lack of them. There were only a couple and very modern. They lacked the memorable sing-able quality that is so endearing in the first one.

On the way to the movie we stopped at a clothing consignment sale. I scored G a nice winter coat for $4. I was planning to shop some more but j was antsy…and there were several people trying to shop in the little boys 2T-4T section. Anyway, I’m happy with the good deal on the coat. (I love consignment sales.)

I’m contemplating building a table. Now before you go thinking “What is she thinking??” you should know that my father is a furniture builder. I’ve been around the furniture making and finishing process my whole life. True…I’ve never done it myself…but that’s why I think I might try it. See, I have this design for a table in my head that I can not find anywhere.

Some of you already know that we have a great room on one end of our house. It was a two car garage at one time but the former owner closed it in and finished it. It was one of the major buying points of the house for me. It now houses my scrap space and our school space, as well as the laundry and 4 closets.

I have a dream of a table for this room. It’s mammoth in size, solid as a rock and very rough-hewn. Probably oak or some other hardwood. Something with knots and chinks and dents and lots of grain. Stained but not glossy-finished. I want this table to be used constantly and to show its use and age through the next few decades. Four feet wide. Ten feet long. Big, honkin’ table. A new-old place to share meals with many, a place to scrap and stamp and school and build memories and share relationships. A place for holidays and everyday. I long for a place of warmth, filled with family and friends and the beauty of everyday life. A rustic heirloom farm table on steroids, if you will.

I put a message on one of the local homeschool lists that I am searching for a furniture builder and got a bunch of leads back. I’m torn tho. It’s going to cost a fortune if I have it done by a builder. Some of the websites of the artisans provided showed high-gloss contoured and decorative designs. Those are wonderful (believe me I can appreciate what goes into a fine piece of furniture) but that’s not what I want.

Anyway, J is not really *up* on the idea of me doing this. And he’s not feeling too confident in his own ability to craft such a beast. So, I don’t know how to proceed. If you have ideas…please share.

I have one more thing left to do tonight. I have to fill out the paperwork to obtain my very own passport. Yes, I guess this makes our spring cruise plans official. As of the end of the second quarter (April-June) J is the number 5 salesman in his company. The top ten salespeople (and their spouses) and some others will be cruising to the Caribbean in February 2006. I am trying not to get my hopes up too high…sales can be a tricky business if the wrong pressure is added…but I really want to go. I’m imaging all sorts of exotic things to photograph and yes, I’ve already looked…one of the islands has a scrapbook store. LOL!