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Thursday, July 30th, 2009
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7:42 am - new gig?
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| Thursday, July 9th, 2009
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9:42 pm - So...I turned 29 today
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It was so great, I think I'll do it next year, too! hahaha...nah, that's just my going joke today as everyone expects that you should hate 30. I think 30 will make me a touch sad, but hopefully it won't be a big deal. I had to work today and I've been sick all week, so that was not so fun. I think I was asleep with my eyes open for most of the afternoon after 2 dayquil. Yes, they make me sleepy. Go figure. But I did treat myself to a lunch time ice cream today and a little bit of quality time with my book in my Jeep with the sunroof back. I think I even got a little tan.
Rob and Sarah took us out to dinner at Rosella's - which, by the by - is the BEST pizza place in Presque Isle. And the girl who is our favorite waitress was there tonight and treated me to cheesecake on the house. Which was lovely! She is SO awesome. I love living in a small town sometimes. She always knows what we eat/drink and tells us dirty jokes. LOL...
We also go a Wii tonight. We've had Rob & Sarah's Wii for a few days and we've been playing it obsessively. But to me that's a good thing since it's exercise. I don't normally like tennis due to boob bouncing when chasing the ball, but on the Wii, I still jump around and experience much less pain when playing tennis. :-)
We also got (thanks, dear!!) the Wii fit, so hopefully my boobies will shrink with the rest of me. After I'm done with my birthday treats, of course. ;-)
This weekend we are renovating our upstairs bathroom due to a severe leak which is causing mold and grossness in our basement bathroom. My bro-in-law and his plumber friend are coming by tomorrow night to finish picking stuff up at Lowe's and we should have our new jacuzzi tub, vanity/sink and misc plumbing parts delivered tomorrow night. Then on Saturday, the destruction begins. I'm a bit scared. This is the first MAJOR renovation we've done to the house. I did, however, paint our bedroom last week and move some furniture around. It helped dramatically. We still have to finish putting up wallpaper border in our bedroom and the spare bedroom. The third bedroom is currently the "girl room". It's got my clothes and make up vanity and other miscellany that doesn't have a home yet. Right now it's housing the rejects from the other two bedrooms and is a disaster. I haven't planned much for that room yet, since, in theory, that is the "baby room". It has no baby and nor will it for some time, if ever, I suppose. Not sure quite how I feel about that. It varies from day to day. But, until anything is decided for sure, that room is basically in limbo. It's just got random stuff.
My sunroom looks nifty. It's the "fairy room". It's got Amy Brown fairy ornaments hung from the walls, white Christmas lights strung and some moon party lights. I'd like to fill it with plants, but in the winter time, that becomes a very very cold room, and I'm sure they'd all die.
Speaking of plants, my garden seems to be doing well. My tomatoes are looking a bit sad and REALLY need to be tied up, but it's just been raining so much that I haven't been able to really do it. Today's been the first nice day in ages, and it was a bit on the busy side. My lawn is overgrown and sadly in need of a trim. Both the front and the back. I usually try to alternate them because I don't have enough energy to do both lawns without completely exhausting myself, but I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet on this one. My front garden stones have been eaten by my lawn. I need to test out my new weed wacker and save it from being completely choked off. And weed the poor thing. There's lots to do with a house.
So, my birthday had downs (sick, only 4 people came to my obligatory office b-day party, a general feeling of grumpiness) and ups (got a Wii, purple roses from my hubby among other nice gifts, dinner with truly awesome friends, free Godiva chocolate cheesecake), but it was just another day overall, and I'm sure it will be next year, too.
Or maybe I won't worry about it, and will just be 29 again.
current mood:  thoughtful
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| Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
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9:19 pm - flowers and books
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I'm currently reading the sequel to Rhapsody by Elizabeth Haydon. Rhapsody was really fantastic, and being half way through Prophecy, I am equally enamored. Good series. Two thumbs up. The characters are life-like without being too cartoony or repetitive. That was a big issue I had with the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. Yes, we know Richard Cypher is a rare person. Seriously. Get over it.
Anywhoo...also flowers. There are flowers growing in my front garden. All by their little lonesomes. I am SO going out and tearing out all of the uckies out of my flower garden this weekend. And cleaning the dog poo out of the ones in the back. Uck. I will try to remember to get a picture. I'm not entirely sure what they are, but they're purple and that makes me happy. The flowers in the backyard are purple bearded irises. I think it's awesome that this house had purple flowers planted by someone. It's like they knew I was coming. Though a bunch of the leftovers in the front are going to be dug up and replaced by herbs. I'm also going to do a moonlight garden in the back in view from the deck. That's basically just going to be various types of white flowers. It should be pretty. :-)
current mood:  amused
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| Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
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10:10 pm - ways of life
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It's just about bedtime, so I suppose I'll make this a brief post since there's nothing too much to talk about...
Had a nice Easter. Spent a little time with the 'rents and then came home to make our own ham dinner. We seem to be the congregating place for folks without immediate family on the holidays, and this one was no exception. I broke out the bottle of cheap (but good) white wine in the pantry and our new friend, Josh played some drunken Rock Band with me. I totally rocked it out on Garbage's "Paranoid". :-)
I've been doing really well with my parties. In case anyone isn't aware, I've pretty much given up the chocolates. I've got a lady to call to come see about buying a bunch of my stuff from my old biz. The rest of it is going to the trash and treasure sale next weekend to get sold off piecemeal. So, in lieu of making chocolates, I am now a Passion Diva - one who presents and sells items which bring value to marital relations. Yes. I sell sex toys. hahaha...it's fun. And profitable!! I'm meeting awesome people and making new friends. I wish I had started this years ago!! So...that's what I do now apart from my full time job.
Marriage is good. The house is good. I still have a hard time getting myself out of the mindset that this is my house. Somehow it still feels temporary. I don't think I've really felt like I've had a home. Even living with my parents growing up, I knew that was temporary. I find it hard to believe that I might be somewhere permanently, living life in such a vagabond manner for all these years. I am planning on starting a garden soon and fussing with the front and back flower gardens as well, so I am hoping that will help fuse my connection with my home.
Our puppy has gotten big. I just got her licensed. She is so lovable and cute. She still needs some obedience classes, methinks, as she jumps up on people now. Other than that, she is another source of joy in my life. Not so much for the cats, though!
All in all, still truckin'. Mama I'm comin' home.
current mood:  enthralled
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| Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
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10:08 pm - What's Your Personality Type?
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| You Are An ISFJ |  The Nurturer
You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal.
A good listener, you excel at helping others in practical ways.
In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music.
You find it easy to be devoted to one person... a partner who you do special things for.
In love, you express your emotions through actions.
Taking care of someone is how you love them. And you do it well!
At work, you do well in a structured environment. You complete tasks well and on time.
You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist.
How you see yourself: Competent, dependable, and detail oriented
When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, dominant, and stuck in a rut |
current mood:  surprised
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10:04 pm - What's Your Celtic Animal?
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| Your Animal is the Cat |  You are independent to the point of being stubborn. You stick to your values.
You are loyal, trustworthy, and honest. You are very devoted to your family.
You are aloof towards those you don't know well, but you are affectionate with those you are close to.
You are a creative, sensual, and mysterious person. You are agile and flexible. |
current mood: amused
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| Sunday, February 22nd, 2009
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4:02 pm - sex toys...
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Caught your attention, have I?
Well, as it turns out, I seem to be rather good at selling sex toys. I've been a consultant for about 2 months now, and am doing quite well! I've got/had 5 or 6 parties this month and already have like 4 parties on the books for next month! My calendar is staying pretty much full! It's providing some well-liked extra cash and I'm having a lot of fun. I've pretty much dropped the chocolates, though I do make penis pops to bring to my parties for the guests. They think that's a hoot!
I feel remotely guilty because I STILL haven't done that insurance class for work and I've had the books for over a year now. Ugh. I just can't seem to find the motivation. I don't mind sitting at my laptop and reading all of the information for my parties, but I just can't get jazzed up about insurance. *sigh*
Also, with the extra $$ I've been making (so far about $700 in my pocket JUST this month), it's hard not to be excited about the parties. I'm making SO much more with this than I EVER have with the chocolates. My mom was pretty bummed that I'm doing going to do it any more, but she understands. I think she just wants to keep my stuff down in the shop. But that's hard to justify, too, since I maybe get a $200 check during the busy Christmas-time months. The rest of the time might be $100 a month if I'm lucky. The time I had to put into it just for that small return has made me realize that it's not worth it.
So...buzzing right along... (hahah...that's a vibrator joke, if you didn't get it)
I bought seeds today to start my garden. Do you think it's a bit early since I still can't see the ground? haha...I'm still excited about it.
I'm also doing some planning of things to do around the house this spring. I'm starting to pick out paint colors and whatnot. I'd like to get the rest of the basement to a more "finished" point, as well, where we have the pool table. It needs a floor - and the rest of the paneling/sheet rock or something done to one of the walls where we pulled out built-in shelves.
I will be very happy when winter is over.
current mood: contemplative
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| Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
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9:57 pm - blogging in front of the pellet stove
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Why? Because it's warm and comfy on this -6 evening. What's new, you ask?
Well, feeling a bit like being hit by a mac truck in some senses.
I've started a new biz - Passion Parties! Yes, essentially I am selling sex toys. :-)
And lubes, massage stuff, edible stuff, etc. ROMANCE enhancers, as they are called. hahaa...I had my first party last Friday - some of you were invited and didn't come. That means you need to have your own party. *wink wink*
I think that went fairly well. I have like 3 more parties coming up. I hope I do well with this. The chocolates are still going, but I have realized that I just don't have time to put the effort into it for what I'm getting out of it. I can do one party a month and spend 3 hours with awesome females and make the same amount of money as if I spent days in the kitchen and an entire weekend at the forum. *grr*
Too much effort, not enough return. I think the Passion Parties might be my ticket out of a full time job.
Which brings me to my job...still feeling useless. Even worse now - my boss has announced that to help the focus in the department, no more ipod usage will be allowed. Well, as far as I know, I am the only one who listens to an ipod during work, and that is to HELP my focus. Otherwise I just hear the innane chatter from the girls around me and whatnot. It's very distracting. And I've only been using my ipod for the last 2 years. Every day. I find it amazing that just when I think I'm at the bottom, I somehow sink even lower. It's not like I didn't see it coming, though.
But there are worse things. I've been slowly, and from a distance, watching the Jen/Patrick drama unfold. I'm very disappointed, shocked and disturbed at the whole affair. I am saddened that I probably won't see my god-baby again.
I am happy, though, that I did make a new friend, recently. I was a little freaked out to find that she was pregnant (I'm going - oh no, not again!), but I've started getting over the Meaghan tragedy and am glad to know that her boyfriend, Rob, seems to be handling everything excellently, according to Sarah. She is very laid back and is awesome to talk to. I am finding that as I get older, I do want to spend more time with "the girls". It's very relaxing with the right people.
I'm also saddened by the news of the loss of one of my old school mates, Katie Pictu. She was 27 and passed unexpectedly on Sunday. Things like this, and my friend Rob (Robinson Loder)'s death always make me stop and think about how suddenly the end can come and the things I'd like to do while I have the chance. I've regretted a few things in life - most recently, not having gone to college. I wish there was a test I could just take and say - there - my 10 years in the work force should make up for that! At least with some sort of business or liberal degree.
I guess part of my issue lately is just having too many things to be happy and sad about. Some things more sad than happy, but, then, like everything - it's temporary.
current mood:  blank
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| Friday, January 2nd, 2009
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8:12 am - New year's quiz - stolen from Andy
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1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Bought a house, got a puppy, gone to a lammas class, become a Storyteller for a LARP game
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't think I made any actual resolutions last year. This year I'd like to:
Decorate my house
Lose weight (20-40 pounds)
do well on my toy business
perhaps get pregnant (still up in the air about that one, though, as it's not just my decision to make)
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
my friend, Jen.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no
5. What countries did you visit?
I think we went to Canada.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
energy, motivation
7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 31st, 2008 - closed our first home
October 22nd, 2008 - Derrick brought Emma home
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
again, the house.
9. What was your biggest failure?
gained back some of the weight I lost from the wedding
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
nah, just my usual Christmas cold
11. What was the best thing you bought?
House was good. Geeze...you'd think I did something else this year. We also got our wonderful puppy! My laptop is awesome (and paid off!). I also paid off my car.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Again, the house.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Well, technically, I'm starting my Passion Party consultant biz in 2008. I'm really psyched about that! Also, the house. And the puppy!
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
"you're so gay (and you don't even like boys)"
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder?
amazingly, happier. Derrick and I were newlyweds this time last year, but this year we're still newlyweds with a house and puppy!
Thinner or fatter? A bit fatter. I lost a good chunk of weight before the wedding, but it's been creeping back
Richer or poorer? probably richer since we are now building equity in the house and we don't have anything huge (like a wedding or house) to save for, but we're still just saving.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Relax.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Procrastinate. Worry.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
My family came over to the house and had dinner and presents with us.
22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Every day!
23. How many one-night stands?
Zero!
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Big Bang theory
How I met your Mother
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
This is a hard question...hate actions, but not sure about the person.
26. What was the best book you read?
Now THAT is a hard question, seeing how I've read a LOT of books this year. My discount alone from B-Dalton was $134 for the year. That should explain a lot about how much we actually spent on books. The ship series by Robin Hobb was fabulous. The Stephanie Meyer, "Twilight" series was very good, too. Also, my favorite addiction was Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series. Lots of vampire books. I read the entirety of Laurel K Hamilton's Anita Blake series, which I loved less and less as it went by. I want to say I won't read any more of those books, but I probably will anyway.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Katy Perry Rocks!
28. What did you want and get?
House
Puppy
new playstation games (DDR & rock band)
Passion Party consultant kit
practical stuff for the house
29. What did you want and not get?
to keep my old boss. :-(
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Wall-e was really good. I haven't seen Twilight yet, so I can't say if that would have made the list. Iron Man was da bomb. hahaa...
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
had to work on the actual day, but went to my mom's for a 4th of july/secret bd party bbq.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
My old Landlord dying horribly. <---I sort of have to agree with Andy on this one.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Professional. I started wearing business suits and makeup.
34. What kept you sane?
Moving the hell out of my old apartment building. Having an adoring husband with me through everything.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I dunno...none of them are real, so it doesn't matter much.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The election was awesome!!!
37. Who did you miss? (in no particular order)
My friend, Jeanne who moved to PA the same time I moved back to PI.
My friend Jen Knight from Portland, my friend Jennie Krasse from Biddeford. My friend Leah Henderson from Wright Express. My friend Nathanial Morrill from Wright Express. Now my friend Jen Bailey, who's going away. Too many Jen's seem to come and go in my life.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Jen Leary/Bailey, Mariah Barnes/Lemieux (old person, new meet up), Rob's girlfriend Sarah, Sherry Mockler (my Passion Party mentor)
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
Perseverance, asking for the manager, never squeeze your baby.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
It's a beautiful day, but there's always some sorrow
It's a double edged knife, but there's always tomorrow
It's up to you now if you sink or swim,
Keep the faith and your ship will come in.
And I say way-hey-hey, it's just an ordinary day
and it's all your state of mind
At the end of the day, you've still got to say,
it's all right.
current mood: contemplative
current music: pellet stove fan, cat cleaning itself
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| Friday, November 28th, 2008
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7:08 pm - eeew...yellow
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| Tuesday, November 18th, 2008
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10:21 am - bits o' fluff
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I am skipping my craft show this weekend. I've decided that I'm only going to do the trash & treasure sales from now on. It's too much to do shows now with the house and dog and work and such.
I did try to make something new last night - eggnog truffles. The mixture was too thin, so I had to spoon it into chocolate cups rather than roll into balls and dip. I haven't tried them yet, but I think the recipe called for way too much butter rum flavoring. Guess I'll see tonight when I try one. They were a HUGE pain. I think I'll try regular truffles and see how that works.
We started crating Emma. Only 1 accident yesterday as opposed to finding messes first thing in the morning, then at lunch time, etc. She holds it all night and all morning until we come home for lunch, and then again she is good until we get home. She goes right quick when we bring her outside, though!
I'm cooking Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. I've started thinking about what I'm going to make...gonna try some gluten free stuff for turkey day for my friend, Jen. Wish me luck!
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| Friday, November 14th, 2008
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2:32 pm - stuff
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A brief update, really, since I'm on break at work.
I got some new pictures taken at Sears - check them out! They're mostly for my Goddess Chocolates brouchures, biz cards, etc, but should make some nice xmas gifts for the family.
Emma's doing well. She's still not housebroken, but getting better. She's so cute it hurts. :-)
I've not been terribly motivated lately to do chocolates, but I have a show in a few weeks, so I'm hoping that will change.
My job's been a bit on the depressing side lately. I just feel like I can't do anything right no matter how hard I try.
I love my husband and my new home. We are doing Thanksgiving for friends and Christmas day for family. I can't wait to get our tree! We bought some really nice ornaments on clearance last year - purple and crystal. They should look nice. I need to do some serious housework, though, as the coffee tables are nearly impossible to find.
My head hurts lately, and I've been having minor dizzy spells. I think I may make a dr. appointment next week. It goes away and I think "I'm fine" but then it comes back. *grrr*
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| Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
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2:20 pm - emma - day 1
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http://s78.photobucket.com/albums/j91/lunasea7980/?action=view¤t=emma-pillow.jpg" target="_blank">http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j91/lunasea7980/emma-pillow.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
Emma came home with Derrick around 7pm last night after a very long day. She was very frightened and was shivering. I held her (and coo-ed over her) for a little while, and then let her down to explore. She was fairly brave at first, scoping out the living room. We shut the pocket door to the kitchen and let her have a few kitty free moments. She was doing well until she found a nice hidey hole and refused to come out for awhile:
http://s78.photobucket.com/albums/j91/lunasea7980/?action=view¤t=emmhiding.jpg" target="_blank">http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j91/lunasea7980/th_emmhiding.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
You can see the bone I put down to try to coax her out. Eventually we picked her up and got her out from behind the chair and gave her her doggie bed. After being hand fed a few treats, she drifted off into oblivion.
http://s78.photobucket.com/albums/j91/lunasea7980/?action=view¤t=emmasleeping.jpg" target="_blank">http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j91/lunasea7980/th_emmasleeping.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
I took her out to potty, which she did, and then brought her back in. I tried to get her to eat, to almost no avail. She was pretty keen on the cat food, though, and I had to put that up and out of the way. :-)
She spent the night in her doggie bed in our bedroom. She was quiet most of the night, but started whining around 4am. I slept very lightly as I was trying to make sure I didn't sleep through her needing to go out, so I didn't feel very rested this morning. I had Derrick get up with her at 4am when she started whining, and sort of ruined the rest of his night's sleep, as he can't usually go back to sleep once he's up. Oops. Well, he has the day off. :-)
This morning after I got ready, I let Miss Emma out and she got very playful once I brought her inside! I gave her a new toy and a chewy bone and she was quite happy. I left her gated in the sunroom and Derrick said she was shivering again when he got up. I hope she can handle a few hours of alone time now and again! I have to clean her doggie crate tonight as she had a bit of an "accident" in it. She herself needs a bath after the trip, too, methinks.
We also picked up our new tv and stand last night and Pat & Derrick got it put together. I'll post a pic soon as it's pretty cool.
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| Thursday, October 16th, 2008
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7:07 pm - New member of the Burbee Household!
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Well, after much haggling with Derrick, we finally decided on a doggie breed - we decided that we would get a puggle. No, it's not a cross between a pug and poodle. That seems to be the guess of most folks. She's a pug/beagle mix. I had a few disappointments in finding the right one, though. The first got taken, and the second was too far of a drive. So, after a bit of internet searching, we found EMMA! She's coming from a breeder in Missouri. She's actually being flown in to Bangor and Derrick has to go pick her up next week. I'm so excited!
I'd ordered a few books and got one of them yesterday. It was "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skete. I've read a bit and learned some new stuff about puppy raising. I haven't had a dog since I was a kid, probably 15 years, now, so the dog thing is very new to me! I've always liked OTHER people's dogs, but never had the hang of the whole training thing. But this time, I'm determined to raise a well behaved puppy! The breeder said that Emma will be a bit on the large side for a Puggle, probably about 20-25 lbs. and that she is more easy going and laid back. She should fit in nicely in the Burbee household! I'm a bit nervous about the first few days and getting used to the new schedule and such, but I'm hoping that I can get her leash trained rather quickly as I am excited to start taking her for walks and increasing my exercise, too!
So, here's her royal cuteness:
current mood: excited
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| Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
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2:21 pm
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We got our new pool table down to the basement last night! Woot! Now we have to level the damn thing. :-)
Also, one of my bestest friends has asked Derrick and I to be godparents to their baby (who should be born around halloween!). Yay! I told her Ok, but I get to be the FAIRY godmother. hahahhaah..
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| Monday, September 29th, 2008
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10:13 am - update...
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I've been working on the house for a bit before I have to delve back into chocolate making. So far we've painted the kitchen cabinets (green), painted a room in the basement (purple), took down the old boarder in the kitchen and put up a new boarder (herbs). Phew. It was a lot more work than it sounds like!!! I was pretty exhausted yesterday as we painted the basement and did the boarder. The boarder was a pain in the ass because I had to scrape off the bottom adhesive layer of the old boarder, which involved wetting down that layer and scraping until my arms felt like they were going to fall off. And then cleaning up all the little scraps of boarder that came off. What a MESS!!!
But, the house is getting to the point where it feels more lived in and less like we're living out of boxes. We're not quite done yet, but getting there.
We bought a pool table yesterday! This was going to be one of our planned purchases when Derrick got his back disability pay, but my grandparents found a really nice once at a garage sale for $100! Woot! We have to wait until the rain lets up to bring it home, though. :-(
I start chocolate making again this week, as next week I will be at the forum for the craft fair. I've got to replinish a bit of my lollipops and make a TON of peanut butter cups. I'll probably make something like 15-20 dozen or so as I also need to replenish the store's supply. I'm also going to start doing some christmas and halloween stuff. I've got some new boxes that have a section in the middle for a "business card" sized chocolate (of which I have molds for lots of different themes, like christmas, congratulations, get well, etc) and then room for lots of little chocolates. I also have some new fillings for small chocolates that I'm excited to make!
It doesn't look like we're going to get a puppy this year, sadly. It's getting too close to cold weather to start trying to train a doggie, so we'll probably wait until next year. It'll probably take us that long to decide upon a breed, anyway. The way Derrick and I are, it will show up when we're ready for it!
current mood: awake
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| Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
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10:16 am - bit of an update...
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Well, we just got through a long weekend - which I spent with a bit of a head cold. :-(
I suppose it's best, as I didn't have to take any time off from work and my days off are rapidly dwindling.
My chocolate production needs to ramp up. I didn't get a whole lot done being sick. We were going to go to Bangor, but we're going to stay here for a few more weeks so I can get through my first show of the season. It looks like I'm going to try to do the show at Keddy's again. I may even do the mall, though that one is not very good. The hours are long and my take isn't nearly as good as the other shows. Sadly, folks just don't go to the mall to spend money.
We've been fixing up the house a bit. I want to take the weekend after the show I have this month and finally paint the kitchen and put up my wallpaper boarder and get the rest of our stuff finally put away. We're mostly set, but still finding things. I found our fridge magnets last night. I was so happy! :-)
Derrick and I had our first wedding anniversary on Monday. We had a nice dinner at Governor's and talked about our first year together and where we hope to be in the future. We both agree that we're quite happy with the way everything turned out this year - we got our house, he got his disability and a job that won't tax his health. We're not sure yet what the future holds - be it a new pet dog or a kid or what, but at least we know we are where we want to be currently.
My goals for the next year are roughly as follows:
Keep an inventory of chocolate at all times so I can do impromptu shows
Lose another 40 pounds
Finish painting and decorating the house
Make my website functional
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| Thursday, August 21st, 2008
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2:07 pm - things and stuff
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It's been a bit of a wild week...I spent Tuesday night bowing down to the almight porcelin god. That was not such a good time. I can count on one hand the number of times I've thrown up and was not pleased to add another finger. So needless to say, I stayed home on Wednesday, as my sleep was interrupted for a good 3 1/2 hours. I was also kind of weak the next day, too. What a trip. Gods, I even took a pregancny test to make sure that wasn't the cause. At first I thought it must have been supper, but we had 4 our good friends over for dinner and they were all fine. Must have been some kind of 3 hour bug. :-)
Yesterday my brother-in-law came by and did a little bit of work on the house. He tore out all of the shelves in the basement and some of the paneling on the walls to get at the leak which makes our basement all musty and damp. Not good as that is where our computers and such are. We'd also like to put a pool table and perhaps a tv and gaming consoles, so it'll be good to dry the place out a bit. We also have doors that close now! Yay! It looks like we'll need a new roof in a few years. I'm sure we'll do a metal roof next time. It'll last forever and alleviate the need to shovel. The joys of home ownership!
Actually, I am loving the home ownership thing! Now that it is all set, we are settling in nicely! Still lots to buy, though. We still haven't mowed the lawn. Oops!! :-)
I have a show coming up in a few weeks, so I've started making stuff. I pretty much have to make my inventory from nothing since everythign is at the store. I think I might make some popcorn tonight. That is my new best seller! The peanut butter cups are always a staple, though. I'm also looking forward to doing some cream filled chocolates as well as caramels and the like. I've bought a lot of molds for smaller things like peppermint patties and bon bon type candies, so I'm looking forward to that! I've got a preservative called invertase coming in the mail which will extend the life of my candies. Chocolate itself stays good for a long time, but if you use anything that can go bad inside the chocolate, it shortens the life span tremendously. Last year I made a ton of chocolate covered cherries, only to discover (my mom did, really - she was not impressed) that they had gone kind of moldy. Yuck!! So I'm going to make stuff closer to the show this time and use a bit of the invertase in hopes that they will keep better. I mean, the ones that the stores sell at Christmas time seem to last forever at room temp, so I'm hopeful.
Here's a few things on my list of chocolates to do:
Lollipops:
Raspberry (in milk, dark & white chocolate)
Strawberry (in milk, dark & white chocolate)
Orange (in milk, dark & white chocolate)
Butterscotch white chocolate
Hazlenut milk chocolate
White, Milk & Dark chocolate
Peanut butter cups (in milk, dark & white chocolate)
Pretzel Rods (dipped in chocolate (or caramel in some cases) and sprnkled with various chips and things)
Popcorn (in several flavors, including "naked chocolate", "nuts over chocolate" and "rocky road". I may be adding "white chocolate macadamia nut" and "tuxedo" - white & milk chocoalte and perhaps dark chocolate)
chocolate covered pretzels (twisted pretzels)
Peanut butter pretzel clusters (peanut butter chips with broken straight pretzels dropped into clusters with chocolate drizzle)
Chocoalte Covered Cherries
Lots of new cream and filled chocolates (TBD)
I only have about 3 weeks to get stuff done, so that'll determine how much I will have.
My first wedding anniversary is in 9 days! I'm surprised it's gone this quickly! I"ve made Derrick promise to have at least a bite out of our saved wedding cake. It seems as though he is planning to squish it into my face since he didn't get to do it at the wedding. I suppose he can as long as he will lick it back off. ;-)
But then, I can think of better places to shamsh it if that's what he will do. Mwahahahahaha... :-D
That's all for now. Oh BBQ Sunday at 4:00. Rose - you and Josiah are more than welcome to come by!
current mood:  busy
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| Tuesday, August 12th, 2008
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7:26 am - house and chocolates oh my
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Yes, I know there are supposed to be 3 things listed and then "oh my", but I couldn't really think of a third...
The house is coming along nicely. I got all of my chocolate making stuff organized and put away. Which is good because I have a tentative order from AMHC's sexual assault awareness group. I've been doing ribbon lollipops for them this year and it's worked out well for them and myself. It's only a tentative order because they're not sure how many they want yet. Yay for orders! I'm also going to start making stuff for my upcoming shows. I know I'll have at least 3 shows at the end of the year (starting next month!), and probably more, depending on how much stuff I can make up.
We've decided to paint the basement purple. It's actually called "purple moon" and it's a nice light purple without being too pastel. The kitchen cabinets are going to be painted green and a new border with an herbal motif is going up in place of the god-awful chicken and apples theme border there currently. Well, partly there. Mom and I started tearing it down last week after cleaning the cabinets. But it's coming together. The kitchen finally looks like a kitchen which makes me exceedingly happy!! I still need to put my desk together, though. That stuff is all in the basement and I haven't really spent much time there as I have the laptop and it tends to stay upstairs with me. :-)
I am hoping that we will do an "open house" afternoon some time in September. That'll give us time to get the stuff up on the walls and the painting finished up. We were thinking of getting a puppy, but not 100% sure yet...
Well, that's about all, I suppose. Another day another dollar. Time to go to work.
current mood: chipper
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| Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
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10:16 am - a cleaning we will go
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Well, we seem to be making progress in the house. Over the weekend some friends came over and helped us move in all the big stuff, so we finally have something to sit on. the dining room is big enough to hold our monster kitchen table with both leaves in it and the armoire (for chocolate stuff) and a hutch that I have. The living room is slightly awkward with so much large poofy leather furniture, but it's ok. It'll be better once we get the 40" (or 42" - we're not sure yet) flat screen TV hung up.
I've been trying to get the laundry done and put away, which has been a bit of a challenge where we've had a lot of company this week. We had some BBQ for the folks who helped us this weekend and discovered that only one half of the grill gets flame. That's ok. We'll probably pick up a new one when they go on clearance. Maybe towards the end of the month.
There's still a lot in the garage that needs to find a space, but once I have a bit of time, I'll be able to assign stuff to their new homes. Most of it is kind of just storage anyway, like my old soap craft stuff. I may break it out again in the future, but for now, I'm just doing candy.
I'm going to get a new border this weekend for the kitchen and we're going to paint the kitchen cabinets. They're burgandy right now (not a good shade, either - just a dark red) and we will probably change them to a shade of green. Yay!
We got cable yesterday. Internet access is happy.
Speaking of happy, actually, Derrick and I have less than a month until our 1 year wedding anniversary! Not sure what we're going to do yet, but I'm sure it'll be fun. Maybe a little trip downstate or some such thing.
That's about it, really.
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