OPEC and the Life-Sucking Piggy Bank

I was pleased this morning to wake up and find gas at my local Enmart lowered to $2.48 (even though I paid more last night, but that’s cool).

This morning, I read this article at Forbes and giggled a little.

Hub and I had a conversation regarding this issue awhile back. I was still ticked about the prices even though they were dropping. I said I wouldn't be happy until they were below $2. He said it would never happen. To be honest, I believed him. However, after reading this article, I may not have been far off the mark.

So why did I giggle at you, OPEC? Well, maybe because you've been using Mega Maid to suck the dust bunnies out of my wallet for 4 years and it's time you get hit where it hurts. I guess Mega Maid's gone from suck to blow, eh? How does it feel not to know where your next meal is coming from? No, you're probably not that strapped for cash, dudes, mainly because you have the rest of my money hidden in your mattress, but a lot of us were/are. I at LEAST wanted to buy my hubby a dang Christmas present.

Oh yeah, and speaking of exorbitant - how about cutting France a break, too? $9.33 a gallon. Really?

Surprise

I don't think I've said this here yet.

My hubby tricked me into researching my own anniversary present!

We were talking about going back to the place we went for our honeymoon, Gatlinburg, TN. We've been twice (honeymoon, and then June 2005). That's the last time we've been on vacation together. I have been back since then with some colleagues, but I missed him not being there with me. Plus, that's how I destroyed my first iPod. Ha. That's what I get for not taking hubby.

So, he asked me what cabin we stayed in the first time and if it was pet-friendly "if we were to go again". I researched and found a similar cabin from the same company, since I couldn't find the old cabin. He then gave me his credit card and told me to book it! I was so surprised. I was NOT expecting that, because I didn't think we could afford a trip anywhere. Yay! Now that I have good tires, we're set to go already!

Oh, we're taking the babies, too. Provided Lucy doesn't poop in her carrier this time, we'll be great LOL.

Josh is going to to buy his xBox 360 this Friday. Bless his heart. He's wanted one for so long. This has made me realize that we can now afford to have a baby. Now all we need is the house and to pay off three large debts so they won't get in the way later. Woo-hoo!

More to write later. I and a group of colleagues helped another move a houseful of her mother's belongings, and she's taking us out for lunch as a thank you. So sweet!

Band Funding

Nice news - I just heard that funding for our local music programs has been increased by our school board. Considering that for a long time, the funding has been cut, it's a wonderful change.

I'm glad to see that the board is aware of how important arts (of all types) are in our schools.

Yay!

Frivolity

Ok, one could look at my receipts for the weekend and have no problem whatsoever realizing that we got our taxes back. We spent a LOT of money. I am glad there was not another day in the weekend.

Here is the list of things we bought (I think it's complete):

Paper Shredder
Fireproof Lockbox
Portable File Holder
Steam Carpet Cleaner
Recirculating Waterfall station for the pids
Sneakers for me
Dress shoes for Josh
3-tier cookie rack and new cookie sheets
Clothes for Josh
1 t-shirt for me
Disney Puzzle

Here are my excuses. I feel the need to explain.

You can look at the list and see that we really did need most of that stuff. You can't blame us for needing most of it, especially the steam cleaner and the fireproof box, since we do live in an apartment. We rented a cleaner once, and it cost us about 50 bucks total for two nights. As much as the pids mess up things and as klutzy as I am, we really needed one. Fireproof box is self-explanatory. Would you trust your attached neighbors not to burn down your marriage certificate, pet's medical history, etc? No, you wouldn't. We should have gotten one a long time ago.

The paper shredder was necessary as well. Besides, it keeps me from doing what I have been doing, which was taking all of our spam mail to work and shredding it there. We plugged that bad boy up last night and shredded everything we could find. We were like kids with a new toy. When we got done shredding the pile of junk mail we had, we went after more. We even shredded credit cards (yes we can) and a newspaper. Oh yeah, we knocked out the power, too. Apparently we cannot plug in and run more than a couple things on one side of the apartment, so the shredder must have been just too darn much for our pitiful fuses.

As for the waterfall, Macy had one a long time before Lucy came along, but we didn't take good care of it. We let it get broken and unrepairable. Therefore, we technically owed Macy that item.

Portable File Holder should be self-explanatory. Besides, Josh was getting tired of having to search for our important papers every time we needed one (those that don't currently fit or deserve to be in the fireproof box are going here). This is to hold everything that would have fit in the larger fireproof box that we couldn't afford.

I have not had a new pair of sneakers since Josh and I were dating when he'd gotten me a pair for Christmas (4 or more years ago!). Besides, mine were 1/2 off since we got Josh's at the same time (gotta love Shoe Carnival's buy one get one half off sales). As for Josh's, I just love the way he looks in brown leather shoes LOL.

Disney Puzzle. Ok, whatever. It was only $10 and I have been wanting a new puzzle for a long time. Besides, this one will take FOREVER, so I won't want another for awhile. At least I didn't buy the Pooh & Friends puzzle plus the puzzle roll-it-up mat as well!

Clothes for Josh: He really needed new clothes. Besides, we put that in the tax budget. We decided we'd could afford to let him have $200 for a clothes budget. He has been wearing the same things for a long time.

My one t-shirt: Well, it was cute.

Cookie Rack & Cookie Sheets: I have alway wanted a rack that wasn't a broiler pan and didn't warp my precious cookies. As for the sheets, Josh cooked chicken one too many times on my Calphalon cookie sheets and they finally peeled apart (yeah ok, only one was Calphalon, so maybe I deserved one of them croaking). Technically, he owed me two sheets, but they came in a pack of three. That's not really my fault. They did show their future stubbornness, though, as it and the entire tribe of pissed-off cookie sheets jumped from the rack and attacked me. Grab one and they all take up for each other or something ("you ain't taking us without a fight!"). Luckily, my husband knows my fourth octave yelp and came running to help me and the poor Bed, Bath & Beyond girl who came to my rescue.

I therefore reject the term "frivolity" for the most part and insert the word "necessity."

Ok, I have written enough for now.

De-stressing

Hey all!

We were invited by one of my co-workers to her husband's 30th birthday party last night at a place here called Chief's Wings & Firewater. We had a pretty good time! About 40 people were there (most of them I knew from work, others were her hubby's friends).

We'd also had a team-building exercise at work all day yesterday. Afterward, we had a cookout, complete with "liquid refreshments." I had my share! In fact, I didn't have all that much at Chief's since I'd already halfway filled up at work. Ha. Spent less $$.

We got our taxes back a day or two ago. Josh is getting half for a car. We're spending a little apiece on new clothes, probably getting a steam cleaner, and we're not sure what else. We'll more than likely put it toward paying off the furniture.

By the way, speaking of buying things on credit, I am so DONE with the amount of sweet little retail cashiers asking me if I want to save 10% on my purchase today by signing up for their 29% interest store credit card. Of course, looking at the bright side, at least that do-not-call registry has done some good, as I no longer get the same offer via phone. I have to actually go somewhere to get asked now.

We had a date tonight. I love date night! We went out to a restaurant called California Dreaming. They have the BEST beer-battered chicken strips and loaded potato soup. I always end up taking half my food home, though. I usually don't eat appetizers since I know I can't handle that plus a meal, but I can't pass up their soup. We also saw the movie "300." I was a little reluctant to see it before. I wasn't in the mood to watch yet another dramatic battle movie, plus, I wanted to see "The Number 23." However, I'm glad I let Josh pick the movie. I'll give my synopsis of 300 later on. It was well worth the ticket price.

Well, it's 3:30 in the morning here, and for some reason, I am wide awake. I'm going to go finish my current load of laundry, finish watching Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban, pick up my snoring hubby off the loveseat, and put my bod into the bed.

Estimated time of arrival in bed = approximately 1 hour.

That's just not normal.