Weekends

I was sick all weekend. Being sick over the weekend is the worst. I went to the doctor on Friday though and found out I have acute bronchitis, so I don't feel quite as silly for complaining when I thought it was just a cold.

I found out my neighbor has bronchitis too. We are both having halucinations from it. My new idea is for us to make a public service announcement together in which we look at the camera and tell kids, "Don't do drugs. If you want to get high, let us cough in your face and you'll have all the hallucinations you want without fear of overdose." I tell you what, this idea was hilarious to me during the middle of a coughing fit at 2:00 in the morning. Lack of oxygen to the brain much?

Saturday I was supposed to have lunch with a couple of girlfriends, but I had to cancel because I didn't think they'd appreciate me coughing all over their salads. I did go to a Salt N' Pepa concert Saturday night though, because the tickets were non-refundable, I didn't think my coughing would disturb anyone at a loud hip hop concert, and seeing Salt N' Pepa fufilled a sixth grade dream of mine. I felt like crap, but it was actually a really good show.

On Sunday, I forced myself to stay awake for the Academy Awards. Let's just say I was underwhelmed and I hope that next year they go back to the format of having a comedian hosting. It was just plain boring. Seriously.

Chuk knows how much I love award shows and tries to help me celebrate it. I think it's his way of saying thank you for all the football parties I throw for him. Last night he made OSCAR Meyer hot dogs for dinner and bought me STARburst candy to snack on during the show. (I know sugar is bad for me when I'm sick. I only ate two. I'm a model of self restraint.) He also made me a cake decorated with a star and an Oscar statuette.

When I first saw the cake all I could do was burst out laughing. My husband is good at a great many things. In fact, in the five plus years I've known him the only thing I've ever seen him do poorly is frosting. He is the worst cake and cupcake froster in the world. He knows how bad he is at it and he tried anyway, which I LOVE. It's so cute. I can imagine him as a four year old. A for effort.

Last weekend, we stayed with my in-laws because Chuk's oldest friend was visiting her mother and he wanted to see her while she was in the area. She lives in New Zealand and is a deaf interpreter. Awesome, no? In addition to hanging with his friend we got to spend some time with our niece who is an absolute delight.

I love it when she holds my hand. So cute!

Baby eats ice cream.

We also spent time walking around historic Smithfield, Virginia, which is best known for its hams, but should be known for its super-cute historic homes. Look! Pretty!

And that's how I spent the last two weekends. The end.

The Short Week that Feels Long

After a great weekend, it's been one of those weeks. I've been mad at my husband since Tuesday, have the worst cold ever (for the record, "cold" doesn't seem to be an adequate word to describe my misery), and my computer totally and completely died last night which has forced me to share a computer with the aforementioned husband. Sharing is never fun, but it's even less fun when you're already arguing. One of my favorite quotes is one from Lily Tomlin who said, "Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse." Isn't that the truth? When it rains it pours.

Because I'm in a lousy mood, let's listen to happy songs that make me feel upbeat.















Obviously, I like songs with a strong beat that you can dance to with bonus points for songs by or about weirdos. What songs make you happy? I need all the suggestions I can get.

Good Deal Alert

The Living Social deal today is 52 issues of Newsweek for $17. A one year subscription is normally $39, so the discount is significant. I think this would be a great gift for that hard to shop for person in your life...I'm looking at you Father's Day and grandparents' birthdays.

The above is a referral link, if three of you sign up using it, I will get the subscription for free.

Are You Freaking Kidding Me: Babies

Our other friends had a baby this week too! Say hello to little Diana. She brings the total to four couple friends who have had babies in the last five months...and we have another one pregnant too. Plus, we spent the long weekend with my precious niece.

It's all making my uterus hurt. Why do babies have to be so freaking cute?

Edited to add: I just found out I have yet another friend who is pregnant. I'm officially jealous, but don't tell anyone.

Stork Delivery

Look what our dear friends got last night! We can't meet her for another three weeks, but I am so looking forward to it. Welcome to the world sweet Callie.

Containing Clutter

I love using origami boxes to organize my drawers. They're easy to make and free. I came across a product this week that inspired me to use this same technique to make catch-all boxes for our dressers and desks.

My local craft store was selling birch paper. I thought it was beautiful and knew I could use it for something. We always need little places to throw keys and change and other miscellany from our pockets. Because this is real wood, it looks good enough to keep out. Because it is paper, it can be manipulated.



I used this video to help me remember how to make a box. The birch paper is thick and it's difficult to work with. If it's your first time making an origami box, I suggest you practice it with scrap paper before using your decorative paper.

I'm always taking of my jewelry off in the evening while I'm on the computer, so this baby is going on my desk to catch my earrings and whatever else I'm mindlessly dropping. I have another piece of the birch paper I'm going to use to make a box for Chuk's dresser that he can use as a valet for his watch, ID badge and change.

Linking to How To's Day.

Celebrating Valentine's Day

I don't know how you feel about Valentine's Day. There seems to be two basic camps: the it's a commercial holiday and we should express how we feel everyday camp and the go all out camp. I'm somewhere in the middle. I do think it's overly commercial, but on the other hand, if I'm honest, I don't do a good enough job letting the people I love know how much they mean to me on a daily basis. I like having one day devoted to making them feel special.

Because we're trying to be budget conscious this year, Chuk and I agreed to make gifts for each other. We currently don't have a headboard on our bed and Chuk is always complaining because he's a pillow smusher and his pillow falls between the bed and the wall while he's sleeping. I decided to make him a bolster pillow that he could use to cover the gap.

I got a cheap bolster from TJ Maxx because it was less expensive than a pillow form and fabric I knew he would love from Etsy. My sewing skills are still majorly lacking, but the pillow looks OK from a distance.

I also made him a toothbrush holder because he didn't have one and it grosses me out when he just throws his toothbrush in his toiletries bag when we're traveling.

Both of these projects took me forever and made me realize I need to invest in a seam ripper. I'm trying to be patient with myself as I learn though.

Chuk came home on Monday with tulips and chocolate covered cherries from Trader Joe's. He also made me a crossword puzzle full of clues from our life. He is seriously talented. Do you know how hard it is to make a crossword puzzle?

His main present to me though was a movie he made from video and pictures from all our years together. It was so awesome. I thought about posting it here, but I'm still trying to keep this blog mostly anonymous so I'm not going to.

We went out to dinner in Old Town using a restaurant.com gift certificate. If you haven't checked them out yet, you should. (I'm not being compensated to say that.) I never pay more than $2 for a $25 gift certificate. The only catch is that you usually have to use the certificate on a purchase of $35 or more. Still, you're only paying $12 for $35 worth of food, plus tax and tip. We don't go out to eat very much, but when we do, this makes it a lot more affordable.