GOOD HEAVENS, IT'S ALMOST JULY

Did I really last post on June 20th? Wow.

So, updates...

Work is going well. I'm probably going to jinx myself by saying this, but work is going really well. Gary (my boss) has been on vacation for the past three days, and the shop has exceeded it's daily sales goals every one of those days. I'm sure that has nothing at all to do with his absence, as he's actually a beneficial presence, but it's great that the store thrives even when he's gone. He was very stressed about leaving because the last time he did, the woman who he left in charge actually closed the store because she "needed a nap." A three-day nap, apparently. The store took a huge financial hit, and Gary's been extremely nervous about leaving town ever since. So I'm really happy that things are going well this time - maybe he'll relax a bit.

I've been doing well with the eBay sales, too. Oh, and by the way, Craigslist rocks! I listed a Coach purse that we had in the shop, and a lady in Virginia emailed me about it. She actually paid for the purse and shipping that very day! I didn't think you could get to other towns' Craigslists, but I guess I've been proven wrong.

Craigslist is actually my favorite selling site - it's free, and usually doesn't involve shipping (that purse was the only exception so far). I just give people our address and they come to the store and buy what they saw online. Much less work than eBay, which means I get more done, which means more money for the store, which means a happy boss and likewise happy employees. Whee!

Hi, I'm Pley, your friendly neighborhood Craigslist cheerleader. Give me a C!...
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DH is back home from a week-long trip to southern California. The kids and I are very happy to have him back, and he's glad to be home, too. Right now he's playing XBox with the boys, which I find strangely cozy and comforting. I think the boys are giving him advice on his game. That's a strange situation to find yourself in - your kids giving YOU advice. I'm still getting used to it.
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Right now I'm listening to "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" by Def Leppard. It's on my iTunes list, which I'm playing through the computer. I used to listen to Yahoo radio, but it doesn't seem to work very well with either Windows XP or Mozilla or Yahoo beta mail (likely the latter). Those are the only things that have been updated on this computer since I used to listen to Yahoo radio, so if it's not those, then I'm just lost.

Last song played - "Independent Woman" by Destiny's Child. Next up - "February Song" by Josh Groban. MAN I love JG's voice.

I just realized that I've got a weird lineup on iTunes. I guess I'm just a diverse girl.
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Earlier this afternoon I printed out my Grocery Game list for Kroger. Not as many good deals this week as last (all of which I missed out on because my coupons are not organized! wah!), but I can still work with it. I'm particularly looking forward to getting more Softsoap for a buck, as we are all but out.
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Fish looks exactly the same as she did twenty years ago. We should all be so lucky. On that note, I love blogs with pictures. I should post more of my own.
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Kimmer - I want to reiterate here, where my loyal readers (all three of them) can see - I'd be glad to help you with eBay stuff, if you need me. :)
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Okay, I talked myself into it. Here's my senior picture, circa nineteen eighty-something:














And here's me at the Alan Parsons concert last year in Florida:














And with that, I'm out! Have a great weekend!

TO GET THE DEAD BABY OFF THE SCREEN, AND OTHER FOIBLES

Makes no sense; I just like the word "foibles." Heh.

The kids and I watched "Robot Chicken" today. It was the Star Wars version, but it had one skit with an animated Dubya that we found more than amusing (I did fast-forward through a couple of scenes that aren't exactly child-friendly but still made me laugh when I watched them alone). All evening I've been saying, "That'll teach you, George Washington!" and the kids and I crack up. "Tacos rule" is another of our new favorite sayings.

Ah, the joys of misspent youth. Next week: poker!

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Well, the dreaded insomnia has reared its ugly head again. I've been forced to resort to Advil PM to help me sleep at night. Before that, I was waking up from around midnight every night, and not falling back to sleep until at least 4:00 a.m. I have to get up around 6:00 every morning to get myself and hubby ready for work, so that sleep schedule just wasn't working for me.

Unfortunately, a regular dose of Advil PM is a bit too strong. I took two Monday night, and spent all day Tuesday in a fog. Last night I took one pill, and was only foggy this morning. I'm going to try and skip it altogether tonight and hopefully can get a full six or seven hours. The insomnia and aunt flo's unwelcome visit this week are making my life a living hell. Well, not quite hell, but definitely an unpleasant purgatory.

I'm off to bed now. Wish me luck.

NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART

Y'all know I work in a consignment shop, right? If I haven't mentioned that before, well, there it is.

Now that we have that out of the way...

A couple of days ago, a man came in with a bunch of antique stuff he'd found while going through his late mother-in-law's storage shed. Among the items he brought in was an antique doll stroller, complete with an old, dusty, dirty plastic doll with frizzy hair. The stroller generated a lot of interest from customers in the store, but since it was a new arrival and had not yet been coded and priced, we couldn't sell it right away.

Tuesday morning I had a few minutes on my hands and decided to clean the stroller up a bit so that I could take some pictures. My thinking was, with that much customer interest, it might do well on eBay.

I pulled the old doll out of the stroller and tossed it into the trash. When I turned back toward the stroller, I nearly had a heart attack. There was another doll in the stroller - one that had apparently been laying beneath the other one for a good 30 or 40 years. Now, I've never seen a real human baby decomposing before, but I imagine it would look something like this:















Note how its right eye opens sideways to stare at you and haunt your soul.


"Hey you, over here! Hi! I'll be the one to haunt your dreams forevermore."




















"You cannot hide from me. My extra eye sees everything."

















Decomposing fingers of death...


















Sweet dreams, y'all.

OF SOCCER AND YOUNG LOVE

Sunday afternoon we took K and his crush, A, to the Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas soccer game at Robertson Stadium (the official football stadium of the University of Houston). It was K's first "date," but I think his dad and I were more nervous than he was.

The four of us went to the game alone - we left Ry & Pey at the grandparents' house. The drive to the stadium was long, but not as uncomfortable as you might think. DH had coached our very shy son with questions he could ask A, and I think K asked every single one! To her credit, A was very sweet and gracious and answered every question, although she didn't elaborate much. We later remarked that she was almost as quiet and reserved as K, to which he replied, "that's the first time ever." Apparently she's a very outgoing girl. That makes sense, actually, as she's already made the freshman cheerleading squad at their high school.

The day was very hot and sunny, and K has a smarting sunburn right now. But both kids had a good time, and the Dynamo won (yay!) so hubby and I had a good time, too.

I wish there was more to tell about my oldest child's first date, but it was blissfully uneventful. I also wish to heck I'd taken my camera! Dang it.

MIZZOU

So the family took that long drive to Missouri and back last week. All in all, we drove over 1750 miles and were in the car 31 hours. It was actually a pretty good trip, and although there were a few minor annoyances, it was perfectly splendid considering we spent four solid days in the ever-present company of family and in-laws.

I drank a lot of wine. So...yeah.

The first two nights were spent in Lowry City, Missouri, in dh's grandmother's parent's home. It was built around the turn of the century, I think, and looks it. Grandma's father actually died in.the.house. His funeral was held in.the.house.

Shivers.

Truth be told, I completely love it - the creaky floors, the funky windows, the old-house smell. We opened all the windows and awoke to the sounds of birds every morning. Perfection.

The family reunion was held Saturday at the Boy Scout meeting hall. There was lots of good food, tons of people I didn't recognize, and a foosball table. What could be better? Oh yeah, beer. My brother-in-law brought a cooler of beer and we all took one...then we were informed that we actually weren't allowed alcoholic beverages in the Boy Scout hall. Oops. I poured mine into a plastic cup and tossed the bottle. Problem solved! Who says Girl Scouts can't be innovative?

The next day we drove all over central Missouri and visited a bunch of cemeteries, where we saw all the old family graves. DH's dad can tell a story about almost all of them, and we should have been videotaping. I am so annoyed with myself for not doing that.

Monday afternoon all the grandkids (that is, DH, his sister, and their three cousins) met up at Grandma's other house in Kansas City to go through her things. (She passed away last October, just days shy of her 96th birthday.) We were all encouraged to take whatever we wanted, as there was well over 100 years worth of things there. I ended up with some punch bowl cups, a couple of old pieces of china that date back to the turn of the century, and some hand-crocheted doilies, among other things. Pey was gifted with a bedroom set from the 1940s. My favorite new possession, though, is a bound set of the old musical monthly called "The Etude Magazine" from 1929. In the back of the notebook, Grandma stuck some extra magazine covers that still bear her address label. The labels read thusly:

Miss A Grandmasmaidenname
Lowry City, Missouri

And that's it. How cool would it be to send a letter to someone and only have to put their name and city on it? My how times have changed.

While going through the house, we also came across some old postcards sent from family members, to family members. They carried one-cent stamps and were postmarked 1907. Oh how I wish we'd been able to keep those! I think hubby's aunt took them, though, so at least they'll stay in the family.

It was a sentimental trip, and it carried extra sadness for us because in all likelihood, we won't ever be able to go back to that house again. As soon as it's cleared out, it's going on the market. I guess I'm not used to being a player at the end of an era, but the sale of Grandma's house is definitely closing a chapter.

Grandma, we thank you for your legacy and for all you represented. I hope that when I grow up, I can be just like you. You are very much missed.

Love,
T