The Happy Happy Snowman

Merry late Christmas to everyone!

In the spirit of Christmas, I headed out to Target today at lunch to see what was on clearance (well, really I just needed catfood, but since I had to go anyway...). All holiday stuff is 50% off, so I picked up some wrapping paper and ornaments, and while browsing the stock, my friend Christyn and I came upon what may be the world's happiest snowman.

Now, we are cracking up in the aisle at this little beverage dispenser, which could have been very cute, but the design was poorly executed. What do you think?

The little snowbank is substantial enough that the dispenser could have been placed lower on the figure. But instead, the spigot is located in a rather unfortunate spot. Odd that it says "love" right above it... (I call this the spigot of love!)

Yeah, I'm perverse, but this just looks too wrong. Oh Target, you never disappoint me. First Easter, now this...

Bake-a-Thon 2007!

I spent the weekend at my father's house, for a little (okay, a lot!) Christmas baking. My brother Joe came up to partake this year, so it was actually a lot easier, and we were able to get a whole lot done in 2 days. We made at least 9 different things (I lost count...and my leg fell asleep, so I'm not getting up to walk into the kitchen and check).

Here are a few cute (if I do say so myself) pictures of Gino in cookie baking bliss.

Peanut butter batter from our batch of buckeye balls

Chocolate chip cookie dough

Is this bliss or what?

I will only take responsibility for giving him the first beater. The last 2 were supplied by Dad, and the sugar apparently hit about an hour after Dad left for work, and I was watching Gino before my stepmother got home. That kid was just bouncing off of the walls. Literally bouncing!! (Off the furniture though, not the walls.)

Here's a shot of most of our finished product - this was taken Saturday, but we made more on Sunday:

Clockwise, left to right: Peanut Butter Blossoms, Hello Dolly Bars, Awesome Cookies, Molasses Drops, Butter Rich Spritz, Lemon Cookies (middle)

Now I am off to arrange a tray of cookies to take into work tomorrow, watch While You Were Sleeping and work on the hat/scarf set that my friend ordered today (more $$ for Disneyland!).

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

Why do some people make everything so complicated?

Everyone at work (okay, maybe 3 or 4 people, but it was enough) kept asking me if we were going to do a Secret Santa exchange this year. I ended up organizing it last year, because everyone wanted to do it, but no one else would pony up and make it happen. So naturally, people seemed to be waiting for me to take the necessary action again this year. So I sent out the email last week to see if people were interested. Most were, so today I sent another email to the willing participants with more details, and asking for input.

My idea, with verbal suggestions from other co-workers, was to pick names next Monday, cap the total spending at $20, leave little items here and there for our giftee through the week, and exchange final gifts on the 19th. Everything seemed fine, although we changed the date to the 18th because people were out on the 19th...

Then I get this email from the boss (on which she has copied everyone) stating if we are leaving small gifts she can't participate. I responded to all, clarifying the spending cap and making the little (and inexpensive) gifts part optional. Then I get this private email from her - "Then some people will get a bunch of gifts and others won't." I responded to her saying that it's all the same value (since the spending cap is the same for both ways), and she just writes back saying "Tami - you know it doesn't work that way."

Oh my God. Grow up, will you? Just tell me if you're participating or not, and keep your whiny crap to yourself. We're all adults and it's all for fun. This is not something you need to stress over! (My other boss was sympathizing with me on this, and yes, I shared the exchange with her, because she had a similar one and had called me vent while I was staring in shock at my email.) While I was conspiring with the other boss, a response to my clarification email came in saying "Great idea! I like it." It made us both laugh.

And I can't tell you how many of my co-workers came over to me to mention how ridiculous that boss's response to the little gifts idea was. Urgh. I'm thinking tiny little things, like a greeting card or a candy cane or something. It's not unheard of in the Secret Santa circles.

There is a reason everyone wanted to do this and no one wanted to spearhead it. At least I won't have to do it next year! (Perk 1 for getting a new job.)

In less irritating/petty news - I cleared out the corner of my living room for my Christmas tree and it is now up, with lights (though the bottom string is unlit because of a broken bulb...and I pulled out the vaccuum after 10pm because I didn't know when the bulb broke or where the glass bits ended up) and the tree skirt.

I'm Back!

And apparently, I was missed. I wasn't off doing anything exciting or anything, the writing bug just hadn't hit. So...to recap:

I spent Thanksgiving at my mother's house, which was fun. We went shopping at the outlet mall the next day (but unlike my insane mother, I did NOT get there at store-opening...I met her around 10:30am). I managed to complete most of my Christmas shopping, though I had done a lot before Thanksgiving (that's new for me). I only have a couple people left to buy for. Of course, I have supplies to make a few presents, but haven't made them yet.

Saturday morning I drove to my Dad's house and celebrated his birthday (and my step-mother's) and got to see my little brother. I didn't get any pictures this time, so you'll just have to trust me on the uber-cuteness.

I've been working on those scarves commissioned by my boss, and finished them last week. Below is a shot of the scarves, ruffle ends up, in the bag I used to take them in to work.

I finished another hat for another co-worker, which I'll deliver tomorrow. She's already paid, so I hope it fits!

I worked at home again last Wednesday, and since I was home during daylight hours, I went down to my storage unit at lunch and brought up all of my Christmas decorations. I switched over to my winter dishes, and put up my front door wreath, but I haven't decorated my tree yet. Mostly because my tree isn't up yet. I have a fake one, and plan to put it up this week (it was going to be tonight, but I'm not sure now...I mean, Desperate Housewives is on!).

This weekend I worked on some crochet projects and then had a girls lunch and shopping day today. I broke down and bought something for me - a much needed new pair of sneakers. My old pair is developing a visible hole in the right toe, and therefore is really not suitable for work wear anymore. So, I found a cute pair on sale at Mervyn's (thanks Kristin for bearing with me!) and the problem has been solved.

In other news, I'm going to Disneyland! Or as I may start calling it, Jill's wonderful world of knitting spots... (hehe) Moriah has been inviting me to go with her family for the last few years (they always go in January, or have been doing so for a while now), and I figured this would be a good time to take her up on the offer, since I've got the vacation time that's rolling over from this year, and I am still employed. I'm putting aside all the $ from sales to go to the trip, so I'm hoping to sell a few more things to add to my Disney fun fund.

Okay...back to the Desperate Housewives natural disaster show...

Howdy Y'All

Just popping in to say Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are all safe and warm with the ones you love today.

As for me, I'm at my mother's house, counting down to T time (that T is for Turkey, that's good enough for me...).

Christmas Rush?

So, I'm starting to wonder if that Christmas rush everyone talks about is going to hit soon. One of my co-workers asked me to bring my jewelry into work last Friday, so I put it all in a bag and decided to include the cards and crocheted stuff too.

Everyone was duly impressed with the scarf and hat (Chloe and Talise), and I ended up selling Talise and getting a custom order for 4 scarves. Yay me! Below is a pic of the yarns I am making the scarves with (she asked for gold, pumpkin, deep blue, and olive, which is not in the below picture). Gracie didn't want to be left out. Unfortunately, I had to whisk her away after taking the shot, so she wouldn't leave (much) cat hair on the yarn.

I've also had more people ask about putting in some orders for the holidays, or for themselves, but I don't have any actual sales from that yet. My custom order (actually for my manager's manager) paid 1/2 up front, so I didn't have to buy supplies out of my pocket (I like that arrangement!).

Also, after this weekend I have a new respect for bowlers. I went bowling on Friday night with some friends (and yes, I still really suck at it). Aside from my final scores, the really pitiful part is how sore I am 2 days later! My thumb is no longer numb (okay, it wasn't quite that bad), but my forearm is totally sore, as is my right ankle (lunges, anyone?) and upper thigh. So sad...

But I'm recovering...and now I have to go attempt to sign into my work computer from home. I'm going to attempt to try to work at home 2x a month. This Wednesday is my trial run (if I find that I'm not getting any work done, I probably will not do it again). Wish me luck!

Weekend Rants and Raves

This past weekend I drove up to Sacramento to visit my friend Kerri. We decided to do something a little different, and hit a comedy club on Saturday night. We ended up at The Punchline. The headliner was Jamie Kaler, whom neither of us had heard of. Apparently he's been in a few things, including the TBS series My Boys (which I've never watched). Well, Kerri and I have decided we might have to start watching now. This guy was hilarious! We laughed so hard, I expected to go down a pant size (ab workout and all that). Anyway, if you can catch his stand up, I would recommend it.

On Sunday, we decided it time for some shopping, so we hit the mall that's near her house. Before leaving for the weekend, I had set a spending limit of $100 for myself (I knew we were shopping, and had decided to replace certain undergarments that have been known to attack - and have since been eliminated from my wardrobe). We cruise through Macy's and see some very cute and overpriced shoes alongside some very skanky and overpriced shoes (a pair of which I picked up and showed to Kerri, stating "Wow, these will totally match my new pole!" Um, then I realized I made the joking exclamation perhaps a wee bit loudly...) But that is neither here nor there.

We came upon the NY & Co store (which I am still in the habit of referring to as Lerner's), and saw major sale signs plastered in and around their display windows. Almost Everything in the Store - Buy One Get One 1/2 Off! So, of course, we had to go in. I actually found 2 items that I liked and decided to buy. After waiting about 4 hours in line (a slight exaggeration, but really not that far off the mark), I get up to the counter and the frazzled associate rings me up. My 2 items come to over $80 (WAY more than I expected to spend, and hadn't even gotten what I'd come to the mall for)!! I questioned the sales girl, since I picked both items up off of the racks/tables with the sales signs prominently displayed. I was told that one of the items wasn't included in the sale, and I assumed it was the satin shirt I had nabbed...I was kind of at a loss, and at that point accepted it and signed the receipt.

Then, as soon as Kerri was done with her purchases, I grumbled to her that I got no discount, and that I was annoyed that the sales girl didn't mention to me prior to completing the transaction that one of my items was bogo 1/2 off and the other wasn't - usually they will at least ask if you wanted to pick up a 2nd item covered under the sale. I stewed a while and as we left I had pretty much decided to come back and either return both items or simply return the shirt that I assumed was the non-sale item and pick up a 2nd sweater, which I assumed was the sale item.

Kerri could tell I was p.o.ed, since I was totally quiet all the way to the elevator (anyone who knows me knows that isn't regular behavior for me), and was no doubt visibly seething. We decided to hit NY & Co on our way back out the mall, allowing me more time to figure out what to do. So, we did some (necessary for me) damage in Victoria's Secret, sniffed around the Body Shop, and found antibacterial hand soaps at B&BW for $3 (good deal!).

Now, Kerri and I are starving - mind you it was the first day of the time change and we'd barely eaten all day. So, on our way back out we decided that I'd stop in at NY & Co and exchange the shirt that wasn't on sale for the 2nd sweater that was, and Kerri would go on to Macy's to pick up a sweater she was drooling over after our first walk through. I was planning to just meet her there when I finished.

Well...the best laid plans and all that... I guess I wasn't the only unhappy customer, because aside from the 2 or 3 purchases ahead of me in line, there were also 2 returns and a huge problematic return in process. People were muttering and whining in line, and a few of them left instead of sticking around to buy. Kerri called me when she was done, and I was still 2 people back from the front! When I finally got up there, with the 2nd sweater I decided to get for the bogo deal, I was told that the sweaters were the items that were NOT on sale, rather, the pants that were folded on the bottom shelf of that display were. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? The sweaters are folded on the top of the table, flanked by two giant signs advertising the sale. The pants are barely even visible. I was disgusted and did a straight exchange for a refund. Saved me over $80!

I left pretty peeved, and don't think I'll be shopping there again for a while. Slight grudge, perhaps, but I consider that to be total false advertising. And then, come to find out, the headband that Kerri had purchased wasn't on sale, though it was on a rack that had a 40% off sign. I also got an email today from Kerri that explained the reason she set off every alarm in all of the stores we entered and exited yesterday. NY & Co didn't remove the security tag from the shirt she bought. So, she has to go back AGAIN, to have the tag removed.

OY!