The one where we finally finish with the chores...

Actually, we weren't finishing with the chores. We finished chores that should have been done a long time ago. First of all, I'm ashamed to say that as of Friday, we still had Christmas lights up. I know, I know. We didn't have them plugged in, and in our defense, it was too muddy to get the tractor in to take down the lights on the horse. Who uses a ladder when you have a tractor? Not Working Man, he's got a terrible fear of heights. Not that I'm any better. I wouldn't get up there in the tractor even.

Additionally, the last week was insanely windy. Our sign for the ranch got completely blown to one side so we needed to fix that too.

As a bonus, before I edited these pictures, I got the new Lightroom 3. Wow, what a difference. I love it! I'm a huge fan of presets (why do the work if someone else has done it for you?) and use them to get the big changes I want, then I tweak them a little. You'll also notice I managed to get a watermark for myself.

Working Man was frustrated that I was taking pictures instead of doing what he wanted.


And the heavens parted.


And there, with no fanfare whatsoever, Working Man takes down the last of our Christmas lights. Hallelujah!

So...I think other than the second one from the bottom, all of these presets are new in Lightroom 3. Oh I love it. A lot bit. I encourage you, if Photoshop is still outside of your capabilities (as it is in mine), please invest in Lightroom 3. Your photos deserve it.

FFR

The one with the cleaning...

So last night, I find myself getting home at just after 9pm. I then find myself relaxing (read: cooking dinner for Working Man then watching TV). At 11 I remember that I have a lot to do tomorrow and decide to clean off my desk. You know, to get a jump start. This is the problem with me cleaning...I clean for a long time. I don't stop for a long time. So I do a lot of cleaning. And here I am, 12:15 in the morning, and I've finally sat down and decided I can stop (read: I have to stop or I'll wake up the household). Here's how it started:

I cleaned my desk. The cleanliness of the desk reminded me how messy Working Man's was. I reached over his sleeping form (poor guy is exhausted) and cleaned his desk (read: threw out stuff from three years ago). The cleanliness of his desk made me realize how dirty the dresser in the living room is. So I cleaned this too. After cleaning off these surfaces, I had to use the restroom. Big mistake. I noticed that the trash was full. I emptied the trash (read: took the small bag out, tied it, and put it in the big trash can in the bedroom for Working Man to take care of) and put in a new bag. Doing that, I realized that the bathroom was gross. So I cleaned the toilet, the counters, the mirrors.

Done that, I noticed the dresser and nightstands in our bedroom were cluttered. So I cleaned those off. This is when I realized that I have so many tools in the house, it's amazing we have any outside. Nothing...nothing, gets put back after a project is done. I take some dishes to the kitchen, then notice that every surface in our bedroom and living room is dusty. So I dust them and the picture frames.

Then I got on my hands and knees and cleaned the floors. No, not really. I don't do that for anyone. I knew today was going to be that once a month cleaning that gets done once a month (read: when guests are coming). Somehow, it turned into a last night spree. Of course, I still have more than 2/3 of the house left. But like I said before...I can't do it now without waking up FILD and MILJ.

Did your mother tell you that cleaning was sooooo glamorous? Somehow, I missed the memo. It's 12:23am and I now look like I never showered today. Blech.

Ah well, it's worth it. The dust will not reappear for a long time (read: until two hours from now).

FFR

The one with Annie rolling through my head...

Tomorrow is only a day away!

Tomorrow. Yep. Tomorrow. Today is my last day of work before I have three days off...in a row. I know...whoa. What was that? I think it was a pig flying. Never thought it would happen. But here I am, and I'll have three days off. The way things change so quickly at the hospital, I'm pretty sure that everything is going to be completely different by Monday but I'm sure I can catch up.

Tomorrow is going to be excessively busy. I have a LOT to do to get ready plus a doctor's appointment. But that is okay.

So...tomorrow. This weirdo is going to be here:

I don't know if I can handle the excitement. Wish her a happy 16th birthday. (It was a couple weeks ago now...) That's what I'll be doing!

FFR

The one with three days...

Three days.

The one where I'm excited

Remember this goofy girl? She's coming to visit. She's not just coming to visit...she wanted to come HERE for her 16th birthday. I'm pretty excited.

I anticipate riding in the cold...and potentially the rain. She won't leave without riding. Maybe I won't let her ride, then she can stay forever. That would be great. I think our dad would haul her away whether or not she rode though.

I don't know I've ever given you the back story on us. We're nine years apart and she lived with our dad and her mom and I lived with my mom. As a result we did not see each other very much and we've never been very close. This summer when she stayed with Working Man and I for a couple of weeks, we got a lot closer. She wasn't at all the person I thought she was, and that's a good thing.

So now the countdown begins...eleven days. :)

FFR