by Joey | Dec 16, 2013 | Throwback
Good morning, friends. Yes, it’s an instagram repeat photo this morning. Are you following me there? If you like a daily dose of Joey, be sure to hop on over to twitter and instagram and click “follow” because things will likely be very quiet around here until after the new year.
This week I’m preparing everything knowing I’ll be down for the count for a few days after Thursday. I was talking some things through with the hubs this weekend, and it dawned on me how much I actually do around here. I know he’s up for the job, but I’m TOTALLY type A and HATE having to rely on other people. It’s funny to me too because I’m basically freaking out about how we’re going to eat. That’s funny because between the two of us, J is actually better in the kitchen than me (let it be known I have come leaps and bounds from my days of teriyaki everything with a side of velveta). I almost feel like I’m going to be “out of work” and I have to train the new guy. It’s a ridiculous feeling. He’s totally capable.
The amount of anxiety I have over the fact that I have to remove my nail and toe nail polish on Wednesday is ridiculous. RIDICULOUS.
Yesterday, I felt incredibly overwhelmed. It would be one thing just getting things in order for surgery–but the fact that there’s a holiday smack in the middle of recovery is just a bit much for me to handle. I’ve had to make sure that all my shopping and wrapping is done before Thursday. And I like for everything to be special. I like our traditions and I like food. Husband’s tradition growing up was pizza on Christmas Eve–and what’s on the list of foods I can’t have post surgery? Pizza. Awesome. I also like for us to have a nice, yummy breakfast on Xmas morning. I actually asked the husband if he knew how to make bisquik pancakes. I think I’m losing it. Who doesn’t knowhow to make bisquik pancakes? Once I got a good chunk of cleaning done, I felt a bit better (hello–scrubbing bathrooms).
If you can’t tell–it’s really hard for me to allow myself to just sit down and relax–which is exactly what I’m going to have to do for a few days post surgery. And if I’m sitting in a house where there is a lot that should have been done–I’ll go crazy.
I’ll be sure to post to twitter once I’m up to it on Thursday. I know some of you have asked how you’ll know how everything went, so be sure you’re following me there.
In case I fall off the planet after this, Merry Christmas my loves. I hope your holiday is cheery and bright!
by Joey | Dec 12, 2013 | Throwback
To take a note out of Krisin’s binder, I’m doing one of her Stuff and Things posts. Because stuff and things are going on.
Sometimes I do my hair and make up.
Today is not one of those days.
But yesterday was.
I felt the need to document it. It’s a rarity these days.
1. It’s 12:45PM on Thursday. I woke up this morning, took a shower and put fresh pajamas on. It’s freezing and all of the things I need to accomplish are inside the house. Judge away.
2. Dealing with the insurance company and hospitals is starting to make me cringe. It’s almost like these people don’t want to get paid.
3. I need to sell my book. I also need to finish the book I’m currently working on.
4. I have been hinting painlessly to the husband what I really want for Christmas. He made the mistake a few weeks ago about joking about it (it would basically be the shift of ownership of something we already have–so it would essentially be free). I’ll go into more detail if he actually does it.
5. I’ve had a few run ins with people in the last couple weeks that have just left me standing there blinking thinking “how do you function in life?” These have also made me realize that age is just a number.
6. I spent Wednesday at my parents house. We left Bailey unattended for about an hour (the first time we did that there). My mom has a pretty sizable collection of Disney stuffed animals in the entryway as Christmas decor. I was pretty sure Bailey would make a snack of one of them. Luckily–they were surrounding an animatronic Caroling Mickey & Minnie display that moves (if you can’t tell–my parents’ house is quite disnified). Bailey was terrified of the display and therefore the stuffed animals were left untouched. Win.
7. In one week at this time I will no longer have a gall bladder. I feel like so much has been leading up to this decision that it took a little while to sink in that…oh, it’s surgery. I’ve had plenty of surgeries in my lifetime (read: I’m a sick girl), and they’ve never worried me before. For some reason I have a tiny bit of nerves in the pit of my belly. I’m sure they’ll all go away the moment I sink my teeth into my first cheeseburger in months.
8. I took pictures for a different kind of post earlier this week. I am not very good at the whole “selfie” thing. But I hope it’s something you guys like. I’ll work on getting that up soon.
9. I was irrationally jealous when Texas got snow last week. We had a thunder storm in the middle of the night on Saturday last week and that usually means that 10 days later it will snow. I’m holding you to that–universe.
10. I want to always remember last night. Picking J up from the airport at 11:30 last night was just a happy memory. We were both so happy to see each other–Bailey looked on from inside the car in the cutest way when we hugged. And we had an hour drive home in the middle of the night where we just talked and talked and it was just…a happy moment.
11. I was going to stop at 10, but Lauren just sent me a picture she drew of my devil gall bladder. She says he’s sad because he’s getting evicted. This is why I love her.
by Joey | Dec 9, 2013 | Throwback
Family traditions. Do you have them? Most people do. But thinking back over my childhood, the most common theme of my family seems to be change. Each year different from the one before it. The ever evolving Christmas.
I’m the baby of five. The baby baby. My oldest sibling is in her early 40s. I was just a kid when we stopped hosting The Dickens Family Christmas Eve Party. A party my little child brain captured as grand, loud and fun. My mom would run upstairs as the first guest arrived to change into her party clothes. But in every photo, she’s wearing an apron. Her standard uniform. My dad would wear his reindeer sweatshirt: on Dancer on Prancer on Donner on Vixen (yes, the sweatshirt was of these deer standing on each other). I, for some reason, remember this sweatshirt getting smaller and smaller as the years passed. The party would run up until Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. Sometimes, people were still winding down as we’d pull in the driveway after church. I remember being excited for how the party would change for me as I grew into my teenage years. But the tradition dwindled as jobs changed and kids grew up.
For all my years growing up, we had two trees. A skillfully decorated, tall, gorgeous live tree in the front room downstairs and a colorful, youthfully decorated fake tree in the bonus room upstairs. Christmas morning took place in the bonus room. My dad would set up the video camera and we’d all traipse in. Okay. More like Brian and I would dash around waking everyone up and drag them in (muahahaha–the torture my poor teenage siblings endured when we were kids). I wasn’t out of high school yet when my mom said it was time to downsize to one tree. The downstairs tree. The Christmas Mornings I’d known my entire life were changing, and I protested.
Year after year, Christmases dwindled down as my siblings married off and started families of their own. And then suddenly–I found myself the only one who woke in my parents’ house on Christmas morning. My mom and dad met me by the tree that morning, anxious to open gifts. And I just stood there and looked at the tree that we all used to gather around together and succumbed to the change. “No,” I said. “It’s not right.” That year, we packed all of the gifts into the car and trotted off to my sister’s house. And that’s where they’ve celebrated Christmas for the last seven years.
And then last year J and I stayed in our own little home, just the two of us.
The ever evolving family. The ever evolving Christmas.
that is not a staged mantle. that is the mantle at my parents house. 20 stockings. all real people. no pets.
also–my brother and I did not make it into the family portrait above the mantle. typical.
by Joey | Dec 6, 2013 | Throwback
This week, you guys? Just…no. A big fat no.
1. Tuesday night/Wednesday morning I grabbed my pillows in a huff and went to the couch because dear husband was snoring his brains out. So I kind of knew what was coming Wednesday morning. I run into the bedroom realizing we both overslept. He opens his eyes and mutters he doesn’t feel well. Understatement of the century there, folks. Kid had the throw ups all day. Yay. So when I was struck down with the throw ups on Thursday, I couldn’t say I was surprised. But to wake up this morning to find that BAILEY (our dog) now has the throw ups? Please. Just. No. No no.
2. Charter Communications. Leave me alone. Your service sucks. I spent all day on the phone with you yesterday because my internet has gone down for the billionth time in the last 9 months (all while dealing with the throw ups) and then you have the NERVE to call me at 9PM last night and 8AM this morning trying to get me to sign up for TV service. Uh, yeah? Because you’re doing such an outstanding job with my internet service OF COURSE I want to sign up for others from you. I might have been a little rude to the sales rep. And I’m not even a little sorry. You suck.
3. On a happier note, I actually read a book in the last week. I don’t know what’s happened to me but forcing myself to sit down and read the last few weeks has seemed like torture. But once I was doing it, I was happy. I read The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks (finally–I’ve had it forever). It was cute. I immediately downloaded the movie on our demand to watch in bed last night but turned it off halfway through. I’m just not a fan of movies that are hardly true to the book at all. As a writer, I just find that to be a huge slap in the face. I get that things have to be different for cinematic reasons–but changing SO MUCH? It’s not even the same story. Plus, I just couldn’t buy Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling as a couple. He’s younger than her in real life and looks young even for his age. And I think she looks old for her age. I just couldn’t buy it. So off it went.
4. If you like unique Christmas music–go check out Dave Barnes’s Christmas Album. You won’t be disappointed. It’s been my favorite for the last few years. Here’s one of my favorite songs! This video is just too cute–and I might love JLH.
5. Confession: I’ve always kind of hated Essie polish. I was disappointed in the formula (watery and streaky) the first few polishes I purchased from them years ago. Between their fall and winter collection this year, there were a few colors I just couldn’t say no to. And I’m glad I decided to give them another try. They seem to have reformulated!
Essie: Sable Collar (with flash)
Sable Collar (without flash)
I added the gold little hearts down the side of the ring finger because I have nail polish ADD 😉
Thank God it’s Friday. I’m thinking I’ll take B for a walk then tackle all of the laundry and clean out the fridge. I know. Exciting things happening here.
linked with: h54f, thenailfiles
by Joey | Dec 4, 2013 | Throwback
Things have been preeeeeetty quiet around here lately. And motivation has basically been lacking. There’s been a whole lot of laying around. And you know what? I’m kind of okay with it.
It’s always just so hard for me to focus and be productive around the holidays. I blame it on college. That month long break for those four years really spoiled me. And I mean, I’m the boss around here. So why not continue with the trend?
I knocked my reading goal down from 75 to 60 a few weeks ago because there was just no way. I forgot to take into account when I originally made the goal that I would have a career change this year. Surprisingly, I have way less time to read now that I work from home than I did while I was nannying. I never, ever watched TV while nannying. I didn’t feel right about it (though honestly, I don’t know why). So during nap times I would DEVOUR books. I’m 3 away from my new goal–and I just need to make it happen.
Surgery almost happened today. I got a call yesterday morning (that actually woke me from a nightmare about surgery ironically enough) from the surgeon’s office that someone had rescheduled and that they could do the operation today. While that was overly tempting, it just wasn’t going to work out. J’s first day of vacation for the holiday is the 19th, so he’ll be home with me full time after the operation which just works out better. Plus, my parents are on vacation in FL, and not that I specifically need them to be home–I’m sure they’d be more comfortable being in the same city while I go under the knife.
I decorated the day after Thanksgiving–which in all honesty is an overwhelming job for me. Confession: I actually hate the chore of decorating. I’m not all festive with hot chocolate and xmas movies–no. I’m the one cursing up a storm screaming how much I hate Christmas lights (I mean, I’m just going to buy whole new sets every freaking year from now on. I’m so tired of getting them on the tree and suddenly half of them go out. I TEST THE SUCKERS. What gives)? While I hate actually decorating–I like the aftermath. So I always power through.
Yes, my living room is messy and that’s a whole lotta nail polish on that tv tray. This is my life. Oh, and yeah. We finally bought a rug. Bailey is in her glory. It’s from Target, in case you’re wondering.
Also? Someone please remind me to go shopping once the holiday is over. I’m still using a table cloth as a tree skirt (this is the 4th year in a row….) because I refuse to spend $30 on tree skirt. I need to hit the sales once all the holiday stuff gets marked down. Maybe I’ll nix the table cloth for our 5th Christmas.
That’s all for today, folks.
