Wish

If I had a whole buncha' money...

These are a few things I would like to have:

Somebody to change my sheets every day

A massage every day

Books, books, books and more books

My very own beach house

Big backyard with kitchen and a pool and a TV and some couches

A pedicure every week

I think that's about it.

Winning

And the winner of the office pool is...

ME!

Winner winner chicken dinner.

Thank you, Louisville!

Nice little windfall for me.

Especially since we found out yesterday that we owe Uncle Sam $295,984. 

So there's that.

OK, not really that much.

But, you know...

Anyway, that's the big goings on around here.

More tomorrow.

Ciao.

Expensive Socks

All she needed was some new socks. So Jordan and I ran to Target Saturday night after the debacle also known as the Arkansas-Alabama game to get them.

$150 later, we left with the socks. And all this too:

• two CDs
• bathing suit - marked waaayyyyy down - for Jordan - not for me because I'm allergic to bathing suits
• two bags of M & M's - one bag of peanut butter (which are most excellent) and one bag of pretzel
• two little dresses - for Jordan - I'm also allergic to something that's described as "little"
• bag of apples
• butter
• crescent rolls
• headbands - in school approved colors
• chocolate covered raisins - special request from the Captain
• Coke Zero - again, for the Captain
• Special K chocolate shake drink things
• two spiral notebooks
• a package of bobby pins
• gum

Oh, and the socks.

Budget Schmudget

Had the ol' "Want vs. Need" conversation with Cooper this weekend.

He neeeeeeeeeded some ToyGameLegoThing when he found out I was going to the store.

The convo then turned into an explanation of budgets and how "we have a budget and there's a certain amount of money in the budget to buy the things that we need"

And that's when he said, "So, exactly how much money do you have in that budget?"

Want vs. Need, Importance of a Budget convo fail.

Soooo, the weekend.

How was yours?

Jordan was home from church camp long enough to sleep for 23 hours, get her clothes washed, get her clothes repacked and get back on the church bus. They are in Tuscaloosa this week helping in some tornado relief efforts.

Cooper is still residing in his Man Cave. I'm trying to be tolerant of this. The monstrosity in the middle of my den is starting to get slightly annoying. But isn't really harming anything. Oh well...

The Captain has glued and clamped The Coffee Table in an effort to bring him back to life. Stay tuned.

I'm hanging out at home again today.

Oh, and it's hot. Like 287 degrees today.

Peace and love, people.

Yours, mine, and mine

A pretty decent refund check from the oral surgeon arrived in the mail yesterday. After insurance paid and all that blah blah blah, we had apparently overpaid for Jordan's surgery back in December.

So the Captain sees this little gem on the counter.

Captain: Oh wow. That's nice. And look, it's made out to me!

Me: Well, you might as well just endorse that over to me because the payment came out of my account to begin with.

Captain: Oh baby, we don't have "mine" and "yours". It's all "ours". {kissy kissy}

Me: Why is it "our" account when there's money going in, but "my" account when there's money going out?

Captain: I could use that to pay my car insurance.

Me: I pay that anyway!!

Captain: Well, it could go to --

Me: This check is probably going to be called "Money for three more volleyball tournament weekends."

Captain: Humph.

Me: Get your hands off my check.

Side out trying out

What? It's only Tuesday? Really?!?

*sigh*

Jordan has club volleyball try-outs tonight. "Club volleyball" is apparently another term for "spend thousands of dollars making a team and then driving all over the country playing volleyball every other weekend".

She's never played any club ball.

Many other gals on high school teams do.

Hmmmmm.

There's a lot of competition out there for the team spots, so who knows if she will even make a team.

Guess I could go either way on this.

If she makes a team, we will have to think of other creative financing arrangements for this "opportunity", since the Captain and I each sold a kidney this summer to pay for our new air conditioner.

Oh well. It is what it is. We'll just see how it plays out.

In the meantime, I better head to work to make some money. Just in case.

Friday Post - Long Holiday Weekend Edition

1. Nick's surgery went well yesterday. As his mom said, "Round 1 went to Nick. Cancer took a beating." He still has a long road ahead. But good steps were made yesterday. Thanks for praying for him.

2. The Adventure-Having Daughter and Captain come home home tonight. And yes, she leaves AGAIN next week on another trip. She's a vagabond.

3. Cooper and I have had an exceptional week. Camp Cozy Bed has been a most excellent place. And one night, we may or may not have been in bed at 5:45. Maybe. We've watched our share of America's Funniest Home Videos and have laughed our heads off.

4. I'm off today. And we get Monday as the holiday since it falls on a Sunday. Soooo, I'm off work until Tuesday. Say amen people.

5. I had the consultation yesterday for Jordan's braces. Let's just say we can fix her teeth for the same amount we paid for the new air conditioner. Plus, she has a "challenging mouth" and will have to have 4 teeth pulled AND have jaw surgery. There is some major misalignment of her top and bottom jaws -- some sort of measurement thing which should measure 1.0. Hers measures 7.8. The pulling of the teeth and the putting on of the braces will happen this summer; the jaw surgery won't happen until next summer. The DDS also teaches at the dental college here in town and said she would most definitely be a case study for the dental students. So....blah to all that. Stay tuned. And send money.

6. I'm getting my hair cut today. You're welcome.

7. I'm off work until Tuesday. What? I've already said that? Oh sorry. I'm just slightly excited.

8. I continue to remain ever thankful for our freedom and independence.

9. May hot dogs and fireworks abound for you this weekend.

10. And, finally what's Indendence Day without THIS??!!

Can you spare a dime? Or a hundred bucks?

Tis the summer.

Also known as The Expensive Summer with the Excessive Cash Outflow.

We just bought a new air conditioner for $96,227.

Now, The Girl is getting braces. That will set us back another $72,458.

Then there's money for church camp(S), and money for youth group stuff, and money for clothes for church camp(S) and youth group stuff, and money for This, That, and The Other.

And my brakes are squeaking.

Plus, my family is pretty spoiled and accustomed to electricity, cable television, internet and food. And those bills just keep merrily rolling along.

OK, that's all from me today.

I owe, I owe. It's off to work I go.

Peace out people. Have a super duper weekend. And hydrate. It's hot out there.

Sold! To the gal with OCD and the migraine.

Friday I noticed an online auction advertised in my newspaper.

And they were auctioning off a sectional.

I have totally been in the market for a sectional for my playroom. But I don't want to spend a small fortune on it.

#1 because it's upstairs and said purchased sectional would not be in the direct line of public viewing.

#2 Did I mention it was in the playroom? Which means it will get jumped on and flopped on and be forced to endure lots of wii playing activity.

But I thought that if I could get this sectional for a moderate song, then why not?

So I registered.

And entered my "maximum secret bid".

OK, I actually had to get Friend Anne to help me because I'm a moron. And I'm not real savvy with online auctions.

So she explained it all to me.

And then I clicked "submit bid". Eeeeeek!

I was the current high bidder!!!

Then I got excited. And nervous.

Because what if I won the sectional?!?!? I would be excited. And nervous.

And what if I didn't win the sectional?!?!? I would be sad. And relieved.

It was an odd sort of emotion rolling around in that ol' heart of mine.

The auction ran for 48 hours. And I obsessed over it all weekend and constantly checked my email and the auction site for updates would occasionally think about it and check the current bid.

I am not cut out for ebay.

Or apparently any sort of auction.

Because there is a constant state of nervousness during this bidding process. It is not good for anyone with OCD. Just sayin'.

I was actually the only bidder on the sectional. Well, one other guy bid, but it did not meet the reserve, so his bid was never accepted. So my original bid was it.

And all 382,429 times every time I checked, I was the ONLY bidder. So things were kind of in my favor. Unless there was a last minute bump bidder.

I also had some momentary panic set in when I wondered if the sectional was really a SECTIONal. Like, could this thing make it up my stairs? And make those tight little stairway turns? Hmmmmm.

The auction closed at 10pm on Sunday night. Which is past my bedtime. But I thought I could stay up and witness history. But then I got a migraine. And really could not even get out of bed. Much less check the current bid status.

The Captain offered to stay up and engage in a bidding war if necessary. And courageously fight that last minute bump bid. Cause he is brave like that.

But I decided that my first - and only - bid was my final offer. And if I were going to keep upping my bid, then I could just buy it directly from the store.

So I went to bed.

And Monday morning discovered....

I WON!!! I WON THE SECTIONAL!!

Woooo hooooo!

Did I mention that the sectional - that I now own - was one of the exact ones that I had looked at?!?! And how cool is that?

In the meantime, I'm still hoping we can get my little prize up the stairs.....

Stay tuned....

Cause I'm just nice like that

The kids and I ran to Sonic the other night for a cold summertime treat.

Total for 2 Oreo cookie blasts and 1 cherry limeade = $6 and change. (Even though I wanted a vanilla shake. I opted for the limeade. The lesser of the two evils. Plus, my choice could be considered fruit. And it's cherry AND limeade. So that counts as two servings of fruit. So there's really nothing wrong with it.)

So I pay the little Sonic carhop girl. And she gives me my "change change" first.
"That makes $7...."

Then she proceeded to peel off the dollar bills for the rest of my change.

This is the point where I apparently derail.

Because my brain must have heard $7 and thought that was my TOTAL CHANGE. (stay with me people)....

Because I said "I just need $5." Thinking the little Sonic carhop girl would earn a $2 tip.

She said with great enthusiasm "Are you sure? Well, thanks." Which really should have been my first clue.

HOWEVER....on the way home I just couldn't make it all add up.

So I said to The Daughter -- who is very smart with all sorts of mathiness -- that none of that added up back there.

And she said with the straightest of faces, "You know you gave her a $20...."

A TWENTY?!?

Seriously??

Did I really just tip the little Sonic carhop girl $8?!?!?

No wonder she was so excited.

Because her tip was more than my entire order.

Maybe she thought I was just very generous. Or stupid.

I bet the next time the ol' Camry pulls in the Sonic parking lot, those little carhop girls knock each other down trying to get to me.

Economics...do ya' care?

The week is moving along. That's a good thing and a bad thing. Good because we are one step closer to our vacation. Bad because I'm running out of time to get all my to-do's done.

The Captain may be a little better. He was back in the bed when we got home from church. I think the kids believe he really may be dead or dying. Or maybe they think he's not even in there at all. They insist on turning on the overhead light to look at him "We just want to SEE him." Anyhoo, I hope today brings improvement for him. We were talking to some friends at church last night (who are MAJOR Disney fanatics) and talking about how the Captain is sick and how he really needs to get better. And I said "Yep, because we sure will miss him next week in Disney." Just kidding Captain. Get well please.

While I'm a news junkie, I'm not necessarily a political junkie. So I don't really understand, or get into, the whole Dow Jones market, stocks, the price of crude oil, all that stuff. I don't know the difference between Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson. In fact, I really don't even know who they are. And I'm kind of ok with that. But I know enough to know that America is in a world of hurt right now and our economy is really in poor shape. I have talked to friends who range in levels of interest. From those who really don't care about what's going on, to those who have cashed their CDs and are stashing large amounts of cash in a secret undisclosed location. Gas prices are rising. The Dow is falling. The fall of the American economy is looming. Has it impacted you? Are you concerned? Does it keep you awake at night? Are you a Chicken Little or a Pollyanna? Tell me people -- Are you doing anything different in your life because of the state of our economy?

The Bloggie Doggie owns stock in Milk Bone. Eat more dog biscuits!

Make today a good one people! Peace out!

I'm still hot

Just curious people....Surely, I'm not the only one whose utility bill is out the roof...

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Stupid, Lucky, 174, 460, Pretty

What a total idiot Matt Jones is. Did you hear about this? Unbelievable.

I picked the kids up from Mom's and we ran to the library to check some books out for them and renew two of my books. (I'm so glad my kids like to read.) I lucked into the new James Patterson book Sail. So I will hold off on the Lisa Gardner and start this one first. His books are always a quick read, so I should be finished with it this weekend.

Then we went by Hope Church to get our race packets for Saturday's 5k.

Then I got home, opened my mail, and saw this.

I promptly did this.

I was upset and mad for awhile. Then I went outside to listen to the rain. And I saw this

Which made it all better. At least for a little while.

Can I borrow $1,200?

The compressor on our upstairs A/C is out. Good news is that we can get it fixed in one day. The bad news is that it will cost $1,200. And that was our cheapest option.... If we selected door #2 or door #3, it could range in upwards of $5,000. The best thing, though, is that all of our main bedrooms are downstairs, so it's not SUPER urgent that we fix it right now and we are not really inconvienced in any way. But it is still just one more thing ....