Friday, February 25, 2011

Stay-At-Home Housewife

I've been at home for an entire work-week, due to the school break known as "Presidents Week" in my district. I love Presidents Week; it is my kind of week. No presents to buy or wrap. No decorations to put up. No special treats to bake. Just an excuse to stay home.

And to wish I were a full-time stay-at-home housewife.

Here's my week in review:

Monday: Honestly, I can't remember what I did on Monday but it doesn't really count because Jon was home, too. His district takes two Presidents Day holidays instead of Presidents Week, like my district. There is much bitterness in our home over this simple fact but he's trying to rise above it and I love him for that.

Tuesday: I weeded! Like a fiend! So satisfying to get all those disgusting weeds pulled up. So discouraging to realize that, with the advent of spring, they will all just grow back. After Jon got off work, we met with our realtor and put an offer on a house. It's the back-up offer, so we have no hope that it will actually go through, but, still.

Wednesday: Lazy day. Didn't do much. Watched flaky tv. Hung out on the computer. Should've worked out but didn't. I did go to AWANA that night and taught the 3rd through 6th grade crew. A bitter crew, because they had had to go to school that day (no Presidents Week in their district).

Thursday: Baked cookies for Bible Study before 8AM. Drove to award-winning cupcakerie in Riverside to pick up cupcakes and drive them to my sister's house in La Mirada. Not that my sister was there, she was at work (more bitterness over the fact that my district has Presidents Week and hers, like Jon's, has two Presidents Days). But her husband was there and her baby Zac was there (big brother was at kindergarten, again with the bitterness) and my parents were there. I left her three of the cupcakes and brought one home to Jon so they can't stay mad at me. I got to play with Zac-Attack (yes, that's what I like to call him), have lunch with Kurt, Mom & Dad, and Zac, and then I drove home. No traffic on a work day, coming or going, because my leave times were so luxe! As soon as I got home, I cleaned the bathrooms. That night, we went to Bible Study, with the aforementioned cookies.

Friday: Did all the laundry. All. Vacuumed and mopped. Now I'm killing time before I dust.

I soooooooo want to be a stay-at-home housewife!

BTW: I also want to point out that every single morning, I got up at least fifteen minutes before Jon (so, 4:45AM or 5:15AM), made his lunch, started the kettle for his cocoa, and got the paper for his reading pleasure. I do that every single morning, whether I'm on Presidents Week or not. I'm not always the sweet, loving non-stay-at-home housewife I'd like to be but I do try to throw the poor guy a bone.



Sister and I are pretty serious about our cupcakes! And, yes, I've heard that pie is the new cupcakes. But I have room in my heart for both.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Freaking Out

This afternoon we will be meeting with our realtor to make offers on two houses. Two! Not that we are buying two houses but we found two houses we love for different reasons at different price points and we're offering on both and seeing where our offers go.

I am totally and completely freaking out. Like, sick-to-my-stomach freaking out.

I will deal with the freaking out and the sick-to-my-stomach feeling in my usual fashion: completely ignore the whole thing and pretend that nothing unusual is happening.

Yes, I am an ostrich.

And, please, in this market? Both houses could easily get away from us! So, really, what's the point in freaking out anyway? Today really isn't that big a deal.

Except that it is. And I am freaking out!
This is our current house. There is nothing wrong with it except that we have outgrown it. We have lived in our starter house for twelve years. I think it's safe to say that "starting" is behind us. We're looking to move on to "establishing."

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Casual Chic

Can I just say that Brian Andreas over at Story People has a quote for everything? And I mean everything. This just about sums up my approach to getting dressed for 355 out of 365 days of the year: "Ready for just about anything in a casual chic sort of way." Uh, huh, that's what I'm going for (allowing for ten days on which I might be sick and not get out of my pajamas or I might have to get all gussied up in a dressy chic sort of way). I don't always hit it, but I give it a go.



So, we're heading into a transitional season and I hate transitional seasons. Hate them. With a fierce and abiding passion. Fall to winter? What? I don't need a coat, or wait, I do need a coat; no, no, I don't need a coat. Bummer, I needed a coat. Winter to spring? Yes! It's the perfect day for a light jacket! Oh, no, the clouds are rolling in; where's my coat? Nope, they're rolling back out again! Rats, now it's raining.

I do not know how to hit the "casual chic" mark in a transitional season! I know, I know, light layers. Look, I'm short. Too many light layers and I start to look kind of puffy. Like a snowman. And, let me tell you, during these transitional seasons? A snowman could melt. Easily.

I've been looking at my closet and it is not helping me. In passing, is it wrong that, while we're house-hunting, my primary fixation is the size and layout of the master bedroom closet? It's not like a have a humongous wardrobe. And I cull it regularly. But it has reached capacity and it's driving me a little crazy. Anyway, the closet is not helping. Lots of pants, not enough tops. Lots of skirts but it's still too cold for skirts. Lots of solids, not enough patterns. But I don't really like patterns. But lately I'm kind of craving patterns.

Casual chic, maybe it's all just too much work. Maybe what I really need is a uniform.

Nope. I'm bored just thinking about a uniform.

Maybe I should just go shopping!

Or maybe I shouldn't. Maybe I should put all the shopping money into our savings account toward a bigger and better closet. I mean house. A house built around a bigger and better closet.