Now?! Now, I'm past the "mild irritation" and quickly heading toward "BOOM!"

Do you remember how in my last post I mentioned, in passing, that Man-Child's big gift had not arrived in time for Christmas morn?  And I kinda laughed it off because he's not a tiny guy any more?

Well, now I am getting a tad bit infuriated irritated.

Apparently, the Amazon supplier took their damn sweet time in actually shipping said gift.  So much so that they didn't bother to actually ship it until Hubby sent them an email saying "What the hell?" (I'm paraphrasing obviously...since he is so much nicer than me).  Funnily enough, the package was then shipped immediately.

WITH the caveat that the package would arrive anywhere between December 20th and December 26th.

Well, obviously the 26th has come and gone.  And still...nothing.  So Hubby fired off another angry (he claims) email today.  To which the response was, "We are soooooo sorry; it'll be there by the 2nd...for sure!  We can offer you a 10% discount."

Which was about the time I kicked Hubby away from the computer and replied for him.  I told them that we would be HAPPY to have 10% discount...provided the damn gift ACTUALLY arrives on or before the 2nd.  Otherwise we expect a full refund.

I GET it.  I get that both the online retailers AND the delivery services are overwhelmed during the Christmas season.  Seriously, I do.  Particularly since I don't have a small one waiting on "Santa" to deliver the goods.  But this?  This is totally unacceptable.

Up until now, I have been fairly calm about the situation, but now I'm about ready to explode.  If it weren't for the fact that this is a GIFT...one that Man-Child has NO idea that he has a snowball's chance in hell of getting - AND the fact that Man-Child is headed back to school soon - I would just tell them to take the whole thing back.  Period.  I don't want it.  Lose any and all chance of profit.

But it IS a gift.  One that Man-Child wants so very much.  One that he thinks he would never, ever get...even from Santa.

So I will wait.  For the next three days.

And if that damn gift doesn't show up?  Well...some VERY INDIGNANT emails will be sent.  And Man-Child will be getting a different gift.  And that's all I can say about that just yet.

Bastards.  Ruining Christmas for the "children..." How dare they?!

Seriously?

Reflections on this and that...

Hello!!  No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, despite my marked disappearance (you did notice I wasn't around, didn't you?).

But with moving and Christmas falling one right after the other I was more than a little busy.  I had assumed that being off for almost two weeks that I would get plenty done; both with the house and blogging.  Well, we all knows what happens when one assumes....

Needless to say, during the move and it's immediate aftermath absolutely NO Christmas shopping took place, so once I was free from the normal work day that became my main focus pretty much right up until Christmas Eve.

Our Christmas was very nice.  Beginning with dinner with friends on Christmas Eve.  It was a lovely evening punctuated with peals of laughter from their small ones.  Made me a tad nostalgic for Man-Child's "small" phase, which seems so far away now.

Christmas Day was a quiet one for us.  All the gifts - those that actually arrived on time - were oohed and aahed over and much appreciated.

The "one" gift...the one that was "the" gift for Man-Child has yet to arrive.  I'm not sure whether to blame the supplier or the delivery service.  I'm leaning toward the supplier since Hubby ordered it on December 10th and it didn't ship until much later.  Luckily Man-Child is old enough to understand that sometimes even Santa has issues with his suppliers.

Unexpectedly, our Christmas Eve guests called us late in the day to reciprocate - I can only assume that they needed to see different faces as much as we did by that point.  So once again, we ate, drank and made merry.  It was wonderful.

Although our Christmas festivities were fabulous - there was a pall hanging over them, as we had received the news that a friend from our old neighborhood had passed away the day before Christmas Eve.  Tonight we attended the memorial service as a family.  It was tough.  Man-Child had absolutely adored this woman when he was small.  Despite the fact, that on our first Halloween there she scared the boy half out of his mind by sitting so still, dressed as a witch, that she looked like a decoration.  Until he walked up next to her to ring the bell...when she yelled out BOO!!  And had that small, little guy running down the stairs, screaming for his life.

The realization that this was the first memorial service I have attended for one of our social circle is sobering.  It made me realize that I need to pull my friends closer and make the time to see them more often.  Life is short.  All too short.

Now that we have lived in this much smaller place for almost a month(!) I have to say we are adjusting.  The furniture might be a little tight but we are finding life is a LOT easier in smaller place; although Hubby still has dreams that we will eventually somehow squeeze both cars into the garage (just typing that makes me giggle because of the amount of STUFF that is currently residing in there.  He's a dreamer, that Hubby of mine).  It's not quite the pain to put things away since their are no stairs to navigate.  Cleaning is certainly a lot easier.  And, we are finding that instead of hiding away in our separate areas doing our own thing we are interacting more (which may explain the lack of blogging despite being home for so long).  Eventually, I hope to do a house "tour" but we still aren't quite there yet as there are still boxes to be unpacked (or repacked for the attic), pictures to be hung and things to be sent to the local Goodwill.  We are still tweaking things here and there as we settle in but the important thing is that we are comfortable and happy.  We really can't ask for anything more than that, now can we?

As the holiday season comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to let you know how much you all mean to me.  This blogging thing started out as a lark, never meant to be taken seriously.  And while I still don't take the stats, number of comments, etc. seriously, I do take the friendships and connections that I've made very seriously.  And I wish you much peace, joy and love in the new year.

2014?  Somehow I have a good feeling about it.

The question of the day. Is it considered "murder" if...

I purposefully let some of my larger plants to die?

As some of you may know, I have an extensive collection of house plants.  Which are now housed in a MUCH smaller space...which means that I really don't have the room for them - currently they are occupying every square inch of extra square feet we have.  Which we can't afford to lose at this moment.

I have tried to give some of them away; to no avail.  As of today, I've only been able to unload one of them. *sigh*

Which is what turned my thoughts to "assisted suicide." Is it morally unethically to let some of them die a natural death?

Don't start throwing the stones just yet!  Normally, I do whatever I can to keep my plants alive.  But at this point, I'm at a loss.  Some of these things are HUGE.  Which necessitates HUGE pots.  Which takes up valuable real estate.  And the thought of just letting them die is killing me.  But unless someone takes them, what choice do I have?

Currently, they are practically sitting on top of each other - all vying for the little sunlight this place offers.  It's making me crazy.

So that is the question.  Is it morally unethical to just let them "go?"


***
Sorry for the absence - both in posting and commenting.  I've discovered that "downsizing" has meant that I am more visible in the home; i.e., there is no place to HIDE!  And, apparently, if I am visible I become a magnet to the Hubby and means I am available for a chat.  Despite the fact that I am on the computer...typing away and giving only monosyllabic answers. *sigh*

Moving, apparently, brings out the freak in me.

It's true.

Despite my recent lapses, at my heart I am organizing freak; and my freak flag is flying high.

It's true.  In my heart of hearts, I like things neat and tidy.  I like everything having a "home."  Unfortunately, I live with clutter-bugs.  And, of late, I have given up.  But no more...

I've been busy, busy, busy unpacking, discarding and organizing...and according to Man-Child (who isn't even here to witness the insanity) I'm over-thinking things.  Why did he say that?

Because when he called the other day to see how the unpacking was going I just happened to mention that I had been dealing with the closets.  That, in itself, wasn't enough to raise his eyebrow.  No, apparently, organizing closets and making them tidy is quite normal.

No, what had him roaring with laughter before informing me that I am insane was the hangers.  Yes, hangers.

I don't know about you, but in this house hangers have an ability to disappear with the blink of an eye.  This, of course, causes you to run out and buy more, grabbing whatever is available.  And before you know it, you are overrun with them.  And then you notice that they are all different colors.  You have white ones, tan ones, green ones, pink ones, blue ones and black ones.

And that is, suddenly, not pleasing to your eye.  So you decide that there must only be TWO colors of hangers.

White (and sturdy) ones for the guys and the nice, slim-line, velvet covered ones for you (to accommodate that smaller closet, of course).

So when I informed Man-Child that we now had designated hangers he thought I was insane.

He may be right.  But....

Those closets look damn good right about now

It's Official - We've Downsized. The Aftermath...

I was going to attempt to write a nice coherent post - possibly even break it up into a series like Part One: Packing 101.  Part Two: Moving Tips, etc.

But I'm exhausted.  So instead you get this ramble-y, jumbled mess.  Sorry about that.  Contrary to popular belief I am NOT Wonder Woman (but I really, really wish I was!).

So here's the deal regarding packing when downsizing.  No matter how ruthless you think you are being by getting rid of stuff prior to the move; you're not.  Believe me, you will soon discover this when you actually move into that new place that is roughly half the size of the home you just left.  And that's when the ruthless cutting out of things begins - and you make approximately ten trips in four days (and will still be nowhere NEAR done) to the local Goodwill drop-off.  Where the worker, who now knows your car by sight, will be flabbergasted when you start handing him dozens of pairs of shoes, along with those specialty cake pans that you only used once and other items that were squirreled away that you had completely forgotten about.

The next most important thing regarding packing?  Do not cheap out on the packing tape.  This is crucial.  My husband did just that and we nearly lost the bottoms out of a couple of boxes.  After that, I ditched the cheap tape and went for the name brand.  It was worth every penny.

The actual move wasn't too terribly miserable - mainly because of our friends and the friendly movers.  We hired professionals to move the heavy stuff - and that was also worth every penny spent.  These guys were fast, efficient, friendly and helpful.  As were our friends that we had enlisted to move the other stuff (night stands, plants, etc.).  But they went above and beyond.  Instead of just stopping at what we had asked for they proceeded to pack what was left and while I am beyond grateful (as it meant EVERYTHING got moved in ONE day) it has been a challenge to find some things.  Had it been left to me; I'd still be over there packing things into neatly labelled boxes...and eventually succumbing to panic and just throwing things into boxes willy-nilly.

As I was off this week, I was able to get the house set up enough that we can use the kitchen, the bathrooms and find our clothes - much to my husband's delight.  I've also been unpacking other boxes and, as mentioned earlier, making multiple runs to Goodwill with donations aplenty.  I'm trying to determine what we will need and what can go into the attic and what just needs to go.

We moved in on Saturday and were without internet until Wednesday.  I'd say it was a miserable existence - but it was actually a good thing because I was able to get so much done without the temptation.  I was able to keep up with most of your blogs via my phone during breaks - but neglected to comment because it's such a pain to reply on that thing.

Despite keeping us waiting for so long AT&T surprised me.  When I had called to move the service I specifically asked the woman if it would work when they hooked it up.  She said it would.  I told her that during both of our last moves it was a nightmare and wanted to be sure that wouldn't be the case this time.  She assured me it would be easy-peasy.  And for once, AT&T is not on my naughty list.

Today I decided to go through our filing cabinet - and let me also give you this bit of advice; it would be wise to do this once a year and not once every decade; which is apparently the last time I went through ours.  I now have a MOUNTAIN of paper to shred and have discovered that I really don't need that bulky filing cabinet.  The majority of what is left can either be scanned and stored on a cd or a usb drive (with the paper copies being shredded); while the few remaining paper copies that must be kept can be housed in a compact file box.  And?  Did you know that the IRS suggests that you keep copies of your returns for only two-three years?  Somehow I was under the impression that you had to keep that stuff FOREVER because I have found returns that date back to 2000!

I will admit that moving into a smaller space is a challenge but I'm already beginning to get creative with the little storage I do have.  Hopefully, I'll be able to share some of that in later post.

But I can honestly say that getting rid of so much stuff that is useless to me (but most likely needed by someone else; hence the donating) is freeing; more so than you would think.

In the end, I did have to part with some of my furniture (I know, I know, I swore I wouldn't) - but I've kept the things I really love and need (although it is a bit cramped in here) and my furniture now has a nice, new home where I can visit as often as I want.  I gave it to the friends that hosted us at Thanksgiving.

I finally realized that keeping everything would be impossible and that once we move to our "forever" (knock wood - because dear God in heaven I never want to move again once we land in our next place) home I would probably want to start fresh anyway.

So we are pretty much done with the old house.  The cleaners came today (again, worth every penny not to have to clean AND unpack!) and Hubby is over there now disposing of the last few vestiges that remained behind.

And now, we are looking toward tomorrow and what it will bring.  Hopefully something with bigger closets.

A really quick update....(and another rant about AT&T - really; at this point I should just get another provider and another example - or two- of how I am losing my mind)

We aren't homeless any more.

We've found a super-cute one-level townhouse/cluster home (what the hell is the difference?!) to rent for a year.  YAY!

The downside?  NO closet space.

BUT, I can live with it for a year or so until we figure out what our next move is.

In the meantime? I've been busy packing, packing, packing boxes and moving, moving, moving boxes and we are nowhere NEAR being done.  The mover's come on Saturday to move the furniture and, if all goes according to plan, we hope to actually be living there this weekend - one full week ahead of the deadline!  But we shall see.

In the meantime, we have been attempting to change our addresses and move services; always fun.  And AT&T (my VERY favorite people in the WORLD [NOT]) has informed me that they can't POSSIBLY transfer our internet until December 4th.  Which means, of course, that we will be without access for at least four/five days.  Nice.

Funny.  All the OTHER providers didn't have a problem with switching our service on the days we requested.

At any rate, I will be without internet for four or five DAYS - it will be a miracle if I make it out alive.  Most likely, I might find myself camped out in an empty house with nothing but my laptop and router.

I made the customer service lady SWEAR to me that there wouldn't be any issues with the swap.  I think she lied.  Why?  Because with our last two moves there were MAJOR issues.  And I can tell you right now, if I am without internet for that long AND I have issues getting it to work?  Someone will be extremely unhappy.  And that person will most likely be my husband (and new neighbors) as I become increasingly agitated and shouty.

As further evidence that moving is stressful (and/or I'm completely losing my mind) I, apparently, locked us out of our online banking account.  I received a random text the other day - which, flipped me out completely.

Total scam

Which resulted in me trying to log on to our account to make sure that we hadn't been cleaned out - because how in the hell does SunTrust even HAVE my cell number?  And no matter how many times I typed in that user name and password the account failed to open.

So I talked to Hubby - who also couldn't access the account - and had him call the number, only to discover that it was a scam.  But then he, fueled by my hysteria, went to the bank where he informed them forcefully that NO, there was no way we locked ourselves out of the account and that they have been HACKED.

Until...he came home and we were attempting to update the password, to keep our account safe, when he heard me repeating what I was typing into the computer (because that is TOTALLY normal behavior) and informed me that I was putting in the wrong information...which I had been doing all along (which once again proves my point that we all have too many login names and passwords to keep up with...)

DOH!

To further fuel the speculation that I am losing my mind, cue today.  I made my doctor's appointment (as promised here) and went to fulfill my promise.  Dreading it; but determined.

Only to be informed upon arrival that the appointment isn't until tomorrow.

Seriously?

When I sent Hubby a text about it he responded with this gem...

Between this; the "bank fraud;" and the move - I'm beginning to think that maybe he should.

And yeah - I shouldn't title blogs with "a really quick update" because apparently, I am rather ramble-y.  But that - and my insanity - is why you love me...right?

And, finally (yes, really) all that aside to say, I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.  You are all counted among my blessings.  And if you don't hear from me for awhile, it's all AT&T's fault.

A TOTAL jumble...that's the only description I have of my state of mind right now.

"I don't EVER remember any move we've made being THIS chaotic.  Even when we moved across the country (from Texas to North Carolina) WITH a toddler!"

Those may have been the words uttered from my lips to Hubby this evening as we tried to sort out the logistics of our impending move.  The move, which I might add, STILL does not have a forwarding address.  Although, according to the mail we receive on a daily basis, reminds us that very soon, we will no longer be living here - as evidenced by the stack of mail currently on the counter for the new owners.

We have found a place that we have decided we both can live in.  One in which we, probably, won't maim, kill, or otherwise harm each other.  But we are waiting to hear from the rentee (or is that rentor? Definitely the Lessor...maybe.  What the hell do you want from me?  Sure I may work in a legal department, but that doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about!).

With any luck, we are planning to move the weekend immediately following Thanksgiving.  Giving ourselves a full week to finalize the last minute detritus and clean the house for the new owners.  While also insuring that any so-called "helpers" (those that have sworn they would do whatever they could to help us move) are busy with family obligations.

And then there is the whole Thanksgiving Dinner debacle to contend with.  Hubby mentioned something about..."surely, we can have a normal Thanksgiving here..." Which, understandably, freaked me out completely.

Because, no.  We cannot.

Which lead me to declare that we will be having Thanksgiving at a local restaurant - pick your poison because I'm making reservations.

He finally acquiesced.  And my only remaining road-block was Man-Child...the one for whom the word "tradition" was created.  The very same one, after having exactly ONE scavenger hunt for a (large, impossible-to-wrap gift; as a TEENAGER) one Christmas wondered why we didn't have scavenger hunts for every Christmas thereafter...i.e., if you do it ONCE it's a TRADITION around here, apparently.

And when I informed him that Thanksgiving would take place at an impersonal restaurant - rather than in the chaos of our own home?

God, I LOVE that kid!

His response left me with tears in my eyes.

And then?!

*just like THAT*

I was left with MORE tears in my eyes when a friend called (I KNOW! I'm as shocked as you; I actually answered the phone!) to promise her husband (and his truck) into slave labor this weekend by helping us get rid of a bunch of stuff AND invited us to Thanksgiving dinner at her house, because there was NO WAY IN HELL we could have Thanksgiving at a restaurant! (her words, exactly...or almost. Don't get nit-picky.  At this point, my brain can't take nit-picky).

And yeah...that is how rapidly things are happening around here and perfectly explains why my mind is in perpetual yo-yo mode.

Y'all have no idea how much I am ready for this move to be over already.  Seriously.

At least he tries...bless his heart. But seriously, that was helpful HOW?

My husband has had the past week (plus today) off.  And during a discussion of how panicked I am over the fact that we haven't yet found a place to live (we only have NINETEEN and a few odd days left, people!  I'm ALLOWED to freak out) he mentioned that he packed our photo albums today.

All five hundred - give or take...into boxes.

The albums that were ensconced in drawers.  Drawers, that when slid out of the chest could be used as boxes.

Dear God in Heaven! Has this man NEVER moved before?

I smiled and said, "Thank you."  After mentioning that the drawers could have been used as boxes to transport said albums.  What can I say?  I'm panicking.  At least I remembered to say, "thank you."

To his credit, he did make two phone calls today about possible living quarters.  The one responded that we could see the place on Saturday.  The other never responded (what the hell is up with that? Is she SO rolling in commissions that she can ignore requests?  Must be nice).  When he sent me an email telling me that we would be looking at the one place on Saturday, I responded with "My nerves can't take this.  We have NINETEEN days to find a place to live, pack this house and move."

After about 10 minutes he came back with, "Can you be there at 5:30 pm tomorrow?" and became my hero all over again.

UNTIL, during our above mentioned conversation, he said, "You know, I look back over this week off, and I really didn't get all that much done."

Yeah, ya think?

Apparently, it's time for me to start using some of that hoarded vacation time that usually gets used at Christmas to actually get some stuff done.

Yeah, yeah.  I've talked a good game about this being an "organized" move and how if I just did a little every weekend, it wouldn't be stressful.  Well, apparently, I LIED.  Because the past three weekends have been crammed with me driving up and down the mountain to ferry Man-Child back and forth (let's not EVEN begin to get into the fact that Hubby was SUPPOSED to return him yesterday - leaving me home to find a place to live and pack, which did NOT happen, obviously), way the hell out to Raleigh and God only knows where else.  And nothing has been packed - other than those damn photo albums; which, needless to say, didn't NEED to be packed.  AND we still don't know where we will be living.

Oh sure, I could be packing right now, instead of typing this - but who the hell can pack when they are panicked, frustrated, exhausted (this Monday KILLED me, people!  Seriously?  Why do Mondays have to be SO draining?) and irritated?  In the mood I'm in, I'd pack the the damn cat - if we had a one, that is.

*deep breath*gulp*deep breath*

It will all get done and be okay...right?

Of course it will.  As long as I'm the one in charge of making sure it all gets done; apparently.

One outfit; two different comments.

"Well, YOU don't look like a coupon shopper..." were the snide words that greeted me when I exited the grocery store with a smile on my face last week during my lunch hour.

Granted, I was wearing one of my favorite (and most inexpensive, I might add - i.e., the uber-exclusive Tar-jay was the designer) outfits.  But, doggone it, if you can't feel happy when you are wearing a skirt covered in polka-dots, then obviously you need to see someone.

Plus the sun was shining (always makes me happy), the breeze was warm (ditto) and my errands were done - ensuring that I could go straight home after work.  Why wouldn't I be smiling?

Obviously, I had passed a woman who was having a "Bad Day." Because after mulling over her initial statement, along with the barely caught "mumble, mumble...guess you didn't think it could be horrible...mumble, mumble" I have determined that this woman judged a book by it's cover.

This week I wore the exact same outfit (most likely for the last time this season as it's getting far too chilly) and received a far different response.  This time I was approached by another older woman who informed me that I was "looking mighty pretty today."  Obviously, this woman was having a MUCH better day than the other one.

And the result?

Well, obviously it is apparent how much your attitude can affect other people.  The first woman had me stewing over how DARE she judge me?  She had NO idea what I have been through in the past few years.  And how DARE she judge me for appreciating the little things in life - like my very favorite polka-dot skirt and the fabulous weather? And what business is it of hers whether or not I have to use coupons? And just where does she get off in trying to ruin someone else's day?

Her attitude actually had me questioning whether or not I should wear my very favorite skirt the next week.  Yes, her judgment was still affecting me over a week later.

Obviously, I mentally flipped her off and chose the skirt again and was rewarded with kind words this time.

I realize that people have bad days - hell, I've been known to experience one or two or a thousand myself - but generally, I try to keep my bad days to myself and not spread the poison around too much..unless it's directed at poor drivers.  They deserve it.

It's too bad that this isn't everyone's philosophy.  Apparently, some people ascribe to the "share the bitterness" philosophy.  What a shame.

One woman looks at another and takes umbrage that this one takes care in her daily appearance while out and about, so she throws barbs.  Another woman looks at the same person - appreciates what she sees, and takes the time to note her approval.

I know which person I'd rather be.

Confession time

Okay ladies (sorry guys, if you are reading - you might want to click away right now) - before we begin; go read this; I'll wait.  Yes, it's kinda long.  Yes, it will make you cry - but it will also make you laugh.  No matter what; it's worth it. I promise.


Back?  Good.  Now here's the truth.  I USED to be a good girl that followed the rules when it came to my health (here's the proof - just three short years ago).  Well, kinda.  Diet & exercise were always iffy (okay; since it IS confession time - NEVER my top priority) but when it came to scheduling my yearly pap smears and mammograms, I was ON it.

And then it all went haywire when the Center for Disease Control ("CDC") decided that women 40 years old only needed a mammogram every two years - despite the fact that the American Cancer Society has always - and still does - recommended that woman over the age of 40 have one EVERY year.  Once the CDC made that determination my insurance changed and I kinda got screwed - until my company stepped in and reimbursed me.

Then my "doctor" (technically she was a Physicians Assistant) up and decided to leave the practice, which left me high and dry.  The very thought of finding someone else to "take care of business" (i.e., the pap smear) was daunting.  So daunting, that despite asking for recommendations from my friends, I let it go.  And as for the mammogram?  Well, yeah.  That slid too.

Throw on the extended unemployment, my son's Senior year of high school, graduation and ultimately, his leaving for college...

Yeah. "Haywire" doesn't EVEN begin to describe the roller coaster that has been the last three years.  Needless to say, I haven't had a pap smear OR a mammogram since prior to 2010 - yes, I know.  I am appalled at myself.

I've already emailed myself a reminder to call tomorrow and schedule both.  Will you?