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I’ve been feeling some work stress; I couldn’t really address all of it, because basically, it’s about having more to do right this minute for more anxious people who want it right this minute than I can possibly finish right this minute. Not to mention that the house was dirty and we needed groceries…right this minute.

So I did what I do in these situations–answered my email, cleaned up the house mostly, and went shopping. Work stress comes and goes, but my needs and my family’s needs take priority. The clients may be happy if their web work is done, but they aren’t going to figure out what’s for dinner, man.

And since I was feeling kinda stressed, I indulged myself some. One of the indulgences were these lovely roses, pictured above. Great $10 investment, if you as me. Making me smile every time I walk by for a few days is WAY worth ten smackeroos.

Magic Bullet Express 17-Piece Blender

I also got myself a Magic Bullet blender. Yes, they have infomercials, but that’s not why I got it.  I’ve never watched one…The people over on LCE were talking about making protien shakes and smoothies in ‘em, and they sounded good!

Well, I tried it out tonight, and man–it was good! I made a chocolate/banana protien shake for Chip and a Raspberry Banana smoothie for me…other than the frozen raspberries having some seeds in it, it was great. And it was still good enough to drink. Not bad for a first try. And with a little protien powder in it, it was very filling, too. It will make a good quick breakfast or lunch. The kid was happy to have an “as seen on TV” product, the husband was happy with his tasty shake, and I was happy with a new appliance to help me make good, low carb fare.

So my indulgences were WAY more successful than my work today.

We went to the Republican Caucus this morning to vote for Ron Paul…It felt WEIRD to register Republican, but whaddya gonna do? There was a HUGE turnout…somewhere close to a thousand people, I am sure…the pic from the line wasn’t even all of it! We waited in line about an hour to check in, which ultimately consistend of getting a colored sticker to put on the ballot. Then we waited about another hour, sitting on the floor by the wall, for others to check in and finally, for people to speak briefly for each campaign, and then to vote.

The biggest cheers during the speeches came for the Huckabee speakers, followed by the RP speakers. The McCain speaker got some token applause, but that’s about it. I only saw one McCain sign the whole time there-the lady looked just like the “funny glasses lady” on the Old Navy performance fleece commerical-and one small McCain Button (and that was on the guy who spoke for him).

And we were far from the only Paul supporters there, as you can see. In our district, about 23% voted for Paul.  (Click on an image for a larger version. Had to doctor the pic with the overall guy, because the damn Huckabee guy in front of me covered part of it with his sign. So that’s why it looks funny.)

My kid was there, too. She just isn’t in this pic. She was playing “Diner Dash” on the cellphone while we were waiting.

Now, I’m not clueless. I know RP doesn’t have a lot of delegates and with Romney dropping out, there’s less of a chance of a brokered convention now, which was his best chance to win the nomination. But you know what? It still feels good to be involved in the process. It’s been YEARS since I felt like my contribution mattered at all, let alone felt inspired by listening to a politician speak about freedom and liberty, and I’m glad that’s changed. So screw “electibility.”  I think that the only real way to “waste my vote” is to vote for someone I don’t believe in or skip voting at all because I don’t think my choice is “popular” enough. I’ve never made my decisions based on popularity, and I have no intention of starting now.

We had a really good time, even though it was tiring and a HUGE amount of waiting. Afterwards, we went out to eat at Old Chicago’s and then made a Walmart run. I’m really glad we went…

I think I have a nap in my future… Best of wishes to everyone who is involved in the process this year, regardless of who you’re supporting. It’s pretty damned cool to live in a place where we have the option of supporting what we believe in, after all. Pretty damned cool.

Peace out.

Julie’s got some new sweeties. Well, Ginger is new; Lily is less so, but still a fairly recent addition to the family. Don’t they just look like they were born to be photographed? I’m sure glad you decided to add to your family, Julie.
(Click on a thumbnail for a larger version…)

Kidlet and I made a gingerbread house today. Ended up working on it way longer than we’d realized, and had a blast. She was even able to overcome some of her genetic tendencies towards OCD-type behavior (NOT from me, by the way) and put some of the candy on the house without making sure there was a consistent color pattern rotation in some cases. Har!

 At first, we thought it might look like a 3-year-old barfed the day after Halloween, but we ended up deciding it looked like the work of a pyscho clown on acid. Either way, we had a delightful time building it.

Promised a pic of my son’s painting. cool, huh? i haven’t gotten a frame for it yet. but i love it, i love that he brought us one of his paintings to begin with, and i LOVE having my kids’ original artwork around the house. i think it gives us more creative energy in the house.

 Well, what we happen to have here absolutely must be the world’s most adorable Halloween Kitten, dontcha think? I mean, heck. I’m not baised or anything. Just because I’m her Auntie Goddess doesn’t mean a thing, really. I can be objective..

Fortunately, I don’t need to. (Click on the thumbnails for a larger size.)

Happy Goddess Day, everyone. Ha!

Normally, I’d go on about Goddess Day for all of Goddess Week, as I like to declare my birthday week as “Goddess Week”…but I’ve been busy as Hell this week. A lot of it was working on my low carb site. (more…)

 Well, the hummingbirds finally came back, and in a big way. I wonder if it was just too hot for them before? Regardless, I was able to snap some photos this morning, so here are my little friends… (Click on thumbnails for larger images.)

        

There were some other visitors from the wild there, too…First there was the psycho squirrel…came right up and started scratching on the fence while I was watching the birds!

   

And my kitty Vega watched from the window. He’s a hummingbird fan, but somehow, I suspect it’s for a different reason than I am. Mainly becfause he’s licking his chops. No birdie snacks for you, Vega.

They were looking for a leak in the unit next door, and decided, eventually, that it was our dryer vent clogged. And it had to be pulled out. By tearing out the floor in our sunroom. Which means I spent the day entertaining the landlord and the maintenence guy. That’s every bit as fun as it sounds.

What a mess!

Vega the cat flees the scene after being spied exploring the holes in the floor.

    

The floor was torn up all day, plaus a big hole in the laundry room, with all the stuff from the sunroom stacked in my bedroom. This was from about 9am until about 4:30pm, with a couple hours off for lunch (or good behavior, depending upon perspective).

Didn’t get much work done today. Go figure.

Add to this mix a tech problem to figure out and a chattier-than-hell landlandy who, among other things, talked to me about: her friends, her kids, her “female” health issues (breifly, thank god), many other things i did not retain AND cleaned lime scale out of my toilets and wanted to scrub my tub. She also changed my “filthy” furnace filter and gave me several mini-pep talks about maintenence. She was nice enough about it…she’s an older lady and tends to go on.

But when they left, the tube was replaced, the smoke alarm on the vaulted ceiling was fixed, the broken stove handle was reattached and the door that’s been off it’s hinges since we moved here was repaired. And my dryer works just like a brand new dryer now. That tube has been clogged a long time.

So you know. It was stressful, but it’s good to have stuff working right, too. Especially when I don’t have to do it. And they’re done!

Today, my baby is turning 18! Sorta makes my head spin, when I think about it.

We have a low-key birthday celebration planned today, which is pretty much our style. Calm. Y’kno?

This morning, Bailey baked a birthday cake and decorated it. We went to Office Depot and she picked out a new office chair. That, along with a new flatscreen LCD montior, are her big presents. Later, we’ll have some more gift time, it’s Pizza for dinner, and some ice cream and cake.

So far, she says she’s feeling pretty spoiled, so that’s good. 18 is a big birthday, and I want her to enjoy it and feel appreciated. She is. She’s a damn good kid, and don’t anybody think for a fucking second I don’t know it. I know good when I see it. Hell. She’s honest, kind, sincere, caring and sensible. She loves us and hates drama.

You know, I wasn’t in a hurry to be a mom. But I’m glad I am. I don’t think I could have gotten a better kid…I love ya, sweetie. Happy 18th birthday!