Hooray for weekends away! Honestly, I've been looking forward to this for quite some time. I know it's a Father's Day gift for DH and my dad, but I'm gonna enjoy the heck out of it! I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to beach time, hotel time or eating out the most, but I'll take all three, thank you very much!
I have a budget goal of $500 for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This covers all meals out for us plus my parents. It might be a little tough, but I hope to squeeze two decent meals out into this budget. My mom is cooking a brisket to bring, so that should help a lot as we will get several picnic meals out of it. I will also go pick up drinks and snacks tomorrow before I begin packing. The cooler is definitely in on this road trip. Once we're in Corpus Christi, I'll pick up milk and breakfast items to keep in the room.
Friday, we are meeting my parent's at the hotel around the 3 pm check-in time. This will give us a little time to settle in and unload the car. We hope to eat at Joe's Crab Shack for an early dinner around 4:30 or 5ish. I hope to hold dinner to around $120 for the five of us including the tip. I will use my AAA card for a 10% discount, which will help cover most of the tip.
After dinner, we will head back to the hotel, change and hit the beach. Unfortunately, I'm not sure which beach we will hit now. Our usual spot out on Mustang Island is possibly a no go. A sperm whale washed ashore near our favorite access road on Tuesday afternoon. Several marine biologists examined it and decided to euthanize it. Unfortunately, they did not have enough chemicals to totally euthanize it, so they sedated it and bled it out. This caused the beaches to be closed as the blood can attract sharks. The story can be read here.
Ah, sharks. A magical word in our household. Oh, thank you Discovery Channel for your twenty years of Shark Week! It took me years to get DH into the water, Peter Benchley! ARGH! Steven Spielberg, I hold you and your Bruce accountable for DH's complete and utter transformation into Courage the Cowardly Dog every time we wade in salty water past our knees. And just to cap it off, DH went off to bed rambling on about the whale being bled out onto the very beach we have been talking about for over six weeks. His last mumblings sounded close to those immortal words from Police Chief Brody "Come on down here and chum some of this ****!" Which is the line just before popcorn rained down from the top of the theater for those of you old enough to have seen Jaws on the silver screen. But, I digress....
On Saturday, we will hit the beach again early in the day. There's just no sense in us getting roasted by the sun and tossed about by high tide in the middle of the day. So, we'll either eat our picnic on the beach or back at the hotel. Then, I hope again for an early dinner somewhere in a slightly cheaper venue before a third trip out to make DH shark bait.
Since I have already paid for the rooms, I know the total there is $170. With meals out being around $190, that leaves me $140 for gas, groceries, and any souvenirs. It should be doable, even with gas as high as it is.
I'll post how we come out... if we come out! LOL!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Curtains, I tell ya! Curtains!
One of the things that I truly love about my house is its windows. In the living room, I have five large windows across the back of the house. When I gaze out them, especially in the summer, it feels as if we are out in the country. I have thick trees across the top and the fence is obscured in honeysuckle and trumpet vines. With the slope at the back of the yard, from my chair in the living room, I can gaze upon the treetops. I also love my trees. I have a decent size magnolia, which was a surprise as they aren't usually seen here, and when they are, they are usually very small. Just off of my back porch, I have a giant crape myrtle. It is so big, that it towers over the roof and when you are in the front yard, it can be seen. When it is in full bloom and the wind blows, it litters the back yard with its delicate petal snow.
With such a view, I have always shied away from covering my windows. I keep saying that when we finally paint over the odd turquoise blue and choose some new furniture, I will make some nice roman blinds for my windows. Since this is still quite some time away, I have always had some guilt over the electric bill in the summer and heating in the winter. The windows are original to the house, and the early fifties didn't produce the energy efficiency that is available now. So, I came to the conclusion that I should go ahead and cover them.
I spent a few days trying to decide my plan of attack. Hoot is very much a curtain destroyer. Since he was old enough to stand, he has pulled down curtains around the house. He easily bends normal curtain rods until they snap, or wither enough to reward him with the prize. In the bedrooms, I have given over to using metal straps, like they use to hold conduit to walls, on the curtain rods. But, I don't want to go that route in the living room. At the same time, I wanted to keep it below $10 a window since this isn't a long term solution. I decided to make light colored curtains that would easily come down if Hoot was to pull them. I spent just under $3.50 for some simple rods on sale. Then, after cruising fabric departments at several places, I found myself looking at twin sheets. Walmart had their cheap twin sheets for $3 each. The dimensions of the sheets would easily allow me to split each sheet into two curtains, so I would only need one sheet per window. So, I spent $7.50 for each living room window.
I hung a rod, and stood back to try and picture what I wanted, hoping to plan out my attack on the energy bill. To help me out, I slung a sheet over the rod and pulled the back down so that it was doubled. As if by magic, Hoot immediately came over and pulled the sheet off of the rod. Ha! The rod stayed and the little angel came away with nothing more than the sheet! I figured this was a good starting place and that I could cover all the windows as such until Hoot gave up trying to uncover the windows every time I turned my back.
So, I hung the three rods that I could easily get to and covered the windows. I put off two windows until this week when I would have some time to move furniture and vacuum up any dust elk that might be lurking. Then, I remembered I still had two tension rods tucked away and put them up with my curtains. So, voila, my windows were covered and my beautiful trees were gone. Oh, it was sad, I miss my view something fierce. The living room is darker and sadder. But, the next day, I was folding clothes when I realized the air conditioning shut off. My immediate impulse was one of horror! It was almost noon, and usually the a/c runs non-stop for most of the day in the summer. But, when I checked it, I learned that the curtains had done their job. The a/c wasn't broken, it just shut itself off for a bit. Hm, maybe I can learn to live with this new taupe view after all.
Now, I just need to put up the rest of the permanent rods in the living room and tackle my dining room windows. Those shouldn't be too bad as they are short and mostly covered with shade from our big trees out front. I will drag out the sewing machine for those curtains as the windows are visible from the street. Really, I already feel redneck enough with the curtains that no one can see being sheets, I would hate to pull into the driveway and be greeted with the like from the front of the house.
Overheard in the bookstore:
Did you know Susie is on vacation?
With such a view, I have always shied away from covering my windows. I keep saying that when we finally paint over the odd turquoise blue and choose some new furniture, I will make some nice roman blinds for my windows. Since this is still quite some time away, I have always had some guilt over the electric bill in the summer and heating in the winter. The windows are original to the house, and the early fifties didn't produce the energy efficiency that is available now. So, I came to the conclusion that I should go ahead and cover them.
I spent a few days trying to decide my plan of attack. Hoot is very much a curtain destroyer. Since he was old enough to stand, he has pulled down curtains around the house. He easily bends normal curtain rods until they snap, or wither enough to reward him with the prize. In the bedrooms, I have given over to using metal straps, like they use to hold conduit to walls, on the curtain rods. But, I don't want to go that route in the living room. At the same time, I wanted to keep it below $10 a window since this isn't a long term solution. I decided to make light colored curtains that would easily come down if Hoot was to pull them. I spent just under $3.50 for some simple rods on sale. Then, after cruising fabric departments at several places, I found myself looking at twin sheets. Walmart had their cheap twin sheets for $3 each. The dimensions of the sheets would easily allow me to split each sheet into two curtains, so I would only need one sheet per window. So, I spent $7.50 for each living room window.
I hung a rod, and stood back to try and picture what I wanted, hoping to plan out my attack on the energy bill. To help me out, I slung a sheet over the rod and pulled the back down so that it was doubled. As if by magic, Hoot immediately came over and pulled the sheet off of the rod. Ha! The rod stayed and the little angel came away with nothing more than the sheet! I figured this was a good starting place and that I could cover all the windows as such until Hoot gave up trying to uncover the windows every time I turned my back.
So, I hung the three rods that I could easily get to and covered the windows. I put off two windows until this week when I would have some time to move furniture and vacuum up any dust elk that might be lurking. Then, I remembered I still had two tension rods tucked away and put them up with my curtains. So, voila, my windows were covered and my beautiful trees were gone. Oh, it was sad, I miss my view something fierce. The living room is darker and sadder. But, the next day, I was folding clothes when I realized the air conditioning shut off. My immediate impulse was one of horror! It was almost noon, and usually the a/c runs non-stop for most of the day in the summer. But, when I checked it, I learned that the curtains had done their job. The a/c wasn't broken, it just shut itself off for a bit. Hm, maybe I can learn to live with this new taupe view after all.
Now, I just need to put up the rest of the permanent rods in the living room and tackle my dining room windows. Those shouldn't be too bad as they are short and mostly covered with shade from our big trees out front. I will drag out the sewing machine for those curtains as the windows are visible from the street. Really, I already feel redneck enough with the curtains that no one can see being sheets, I would hate to pull into the driveway and be greeted with the like from the front of the house.
Overheard in the bookstore:
Did you know Susie is on vacation?
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Hip to be square
Lately, with gas prices and every newscast throwing chicken little themed stories about the economy at the public, it has started to become hip to be thrifty. Huh? Am I getting hip again? I suppose this is a good thing.
I know that Clark Howard has commented on his show that he is getting a lot of requests for articles and appearances in the media. I've seen more than one article online, such as this one at MSN, that has mentioned family vacations and Greyhound in the same paragraph. Yeah, like I'm going to spend all that time on a bus with Hoot.
Just for kicks and grins, I put in our travel information for next weekend's Corpus Christi trip to see what it would cost on Greyhound. $290 round trip. Huh? It will only take around two tanks of gas for our entire trip. Even if gas was to jump to $4.50 a gallon, it would only cost us $117 for the trip.
Hey, I only paid $432 for our September plane tickets! I guess if we were going a long way, it might make a difference. But, again, for kicks and giggles, I put in our September vacation information: $630! Let's look at that. I have 3 round trip tickets from DFW to Orlando's MCO that I bought on Hotwire a while back. We leave September 14th and return September 20th. I paid $143 for each seat including taxes and fees. We fly non-stop. I have budgeted $160 for gas, (including oil prices at worse case scenario), parking, tips and travel meals. So, we will spend around $592 for transportation for our September trip. That's $38 less than Greyhound tickets, which wouldn't include meals. That's just crazy.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for saving money. I think it's great that frugality is "in" because maybe it doesn't make me seem so freaky. But, please, enough of the articles that don't really give any info, okay?
Overheard in the bookstore:
I'd like to return this map of Europe.
Is there anything wrong with it?
Yes, the cities are all listed in foreign languages.
I know that Clark Howard has commented on his show that he is getting a lot of requests for articles and appearances in the media. I've seen more than one article online, such as this one at MSN, that has mentioned family vacations and Greyhound in the same paragraph. Yeah, like I'm going to spend all that time on a bus with Hoot.
Just for kicks and grins, I put in our travel information for next weekend's Corpus Christi trip to see what it would cost on Greyhound. $290 round trip. Huh? It will only take around two tanks of gas for our entire trip. Even if gas was to jump to $4.50 a gallon, it would only cost us $117 for the trip.
Hey, I only paid $432 for our September plane tickets! I guess if we were going a long way, it might make a difference. But, again, for kicks and giggles, I put in our September vacation information: $630! Let's look at that. I have 3 round trip tickets from DFW to Orlando's MCO that I bought on Hotwire a while back. We leave September 14th and return September 20th. I paid $143 for each seat including taxes and fees. We fly non-stop. I have budgeted $160 for gas, (including oil prices at worse case scenario), parking, tips and travel meals. So, we will spend around $592 for transportation for our September trip. That's $38 less than Greyhound tickets, which wouldn't include meals. That's just crazy.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for saving money. I think it's great that frugality is "in" because maybe it doesn't make me seem so freaky. But, please, enough of the articles that don't really give any info, okay?
Overheard in the bookstore:
I'd like to return this map of Europe.
Is there anything wrong with it?
Yes, the cities are all listed in foreign languages.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
For Father's Day this year, we wanted to take a long weekend at the beach. We didn't want to drive too far, but we didn't want to endure the murky water at Galveston, either. So, we settled on Corpus Christi.
Corpus Christi is where we took Hoot to the beach for the first time. Well, not the Corpus Christi beach, but out on Mustang Island, which is just above the top of North Padre Island. The beaches are nice and clean, and some of them are still open to vehicles, which is super nice. Ok, well, not if you get stuck, but then the hunky guy in the truck pulled me right out and made my day in so many ways. But, I digress.
Now, we picked where we really wanted to go, but I had to make it happen. We are paying for my parent's hotel room as well, as a Father's Day present, so I really didn't want to break the bank.
As with all travel, I always start with what I really want. That way I know if I'm being realistic, and it doesn't always work out, but I'm not just going to say I can't afford it and not try. So, for the last four or five weeks, I've been surfing the web. I would really like to stay here, at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort. It's right on the beach out on the island and self contained. Not that I want to eat every meal at the restaurant in the hotel, but heck, I could if I wanted. No driving, just get up, hit the beach, shower, relax, go back and so on.
The cheapest I could find at the SunSpree was Pre-paid at $153 a night for a regular room. Total for two rooms, two nights: a whopping $704 when the fees and taxes were added. Um, no thanks. I could cut it in half and only spend one night, but that still leaves it at $352 for the hotel, plus we would only be there from 4 pm on Saturday until 11 am on Sunday. That's only 19 hours, which makes their rate just under $19 a hour for two rooms.
I kept looking. Directly across from the Holiday Inn SunSpree, is a Comfort Suites that I stayed in with Tee in the fall of 2006 when it was brand new. It's still out on the island, with the beach across the street. The price was a little more manageable than the Holiday Inn, but still it the price tag came to around $600, but the next time I checked, the hotel was sold out.
I dug around some more on all my favorite travel sites, especially Hotwire. On Hotwire, I was looking at a two star out by the airport for $49 a night. It's not on the island, but I've shot that price range to the ground. Two rooms, two nights plus taxes and fees would cost me $227. That's way cheaper than our other options! But, you know me. I've got to do better!
Priceline is a thing of beauty in my eyes and pocketbook. I've loved it and used it for so many years. I get a buzz off a great Priceline steal. I really do. So, I decide I'm going to start bidding. I know I can get a two star for $49 off of Hotwire, so I won't go over that price when I bid at that star level. But, I want to see if I can land a bit nicer of a hotel. So, I start out on the 3 stars on the island for $49 a night. Nope. I progress through the areas, never going above $49 and never below a 2 and a 1/2 stars. I'm not really bummed that I'm not landing anything because it's the first day of bidding. Heck, I've got my eye on that Hotwire deal so the pressure is off. So, when I have only one bid possible (I never go below a two star), I click on the two star option and decide to low ball. I bid $35 a room, a night. And I get one!
We'll be staying at the Extended Stay Deluxe Corpus Christi. I know some people don't care much for the apartment type hotels, but as a budgeteer, I love them! We'll have a full kitchen, and while I don't want to cook every meal, hey I am on vacation, it does save a chunk of money to have a few groceries in the fridge. We especially love to keep breakfast items on hand!
Of course, I have to know just how good of a deal I've gotten, so I price the same hotel on Travelocity. Two rooms, two nights, plus taxes and fees: $486! Priceline bid, two rooms, two nights, plus taxes and fees: $170! Roughly a savings of 65%! Oh, I just got that Priceline buzz again!
Current reading:
The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer
Corpus Christi is where we took Hoot to the beach for the first time. Well, not the Corpus Christi beach, but out on Mustang Island, which is just above the top of North Padre Island. The beaches are nice and clean, and some of them are still open to vehicles, which is super nice. Ok, well, not if you get stuck, but then the hunky guy in the truck pulled me right out and made my day in so many ways. But, I digress.
Now, we picked where we really wanted to go, but I had to make it happen. We are paying for my parent's hotel room as well, as a Father's Day present, so I really didn't want to break the bank.
As with all travel, I always start with what I really want. That way I know if I'm being realistic, and it doesn't always work out, but I'm not just going to say I can't afford it and not try. So, for the last four or five weeks, I've been surfing the web. I would really like to stay here, at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort. It's right on the beach out on the island and self contained. Not that I want to eat every meal at the restaurant in the hotel, but heck, I could if I wanted. No driving, just get up, hit the beach, shower, relax, go back and so on.
The cheapest I could find at the SunSpree was Pre-paid at $153 a night for a regular room. Total for two rooms, two nights: a whopping $704 when the fees and taxes were added. Um, no thanks. I could cut it in half and only spend one night, but that still leaves it at $352 for the hotel, plus we would only be there from 4 pm on Saturday until 11 am on Sunday. That's only 19 hours, which makes their rate just under $19 a hour for two rooms.
I kept looking. Directly across from the Holiday Inn SunSpree, is a Comfort Suites that I stayed in with Tee in the fall of 2006 when it was brand new. It's still out on the island, with the beach across the street. The price was a little more manageable than the Holiday Inn, but still it the price tag came to around $600, but the next time I checked, the hotel was sold out.
I dug around some more on all my favorite travel sites, especially Hotwire. On Hotwire, I was looking at a two star out by the airport for $49 a night. It's not on the island, but I've shot that price range to the ground. Two rooms, two nights plus taxes and fees would cost me $227. That's way cheaper than our other options! But, you know me. I've got to do better!
Priceline is a thing of beauty in my eyes and pocketbook. I've loved it and used it for so many years. I get a buzz off a great Priceline steal. I really do. So, I decide I'm going to start bidding. I know I can get a two star for $49 off of Hotwire, so I won't go over that price when I bid at that star level. But, I want to see if I can land a bit nicer of a hotel. So, I start out on the 3 stars on the island for $49 a night. Nope. I progress through the areas, never going above $49 and never below a 2 and a 1/2 stars. I'm not really bummed that I'm not landing anything because it's the first day of bidding. Heck, I've got my eye on that Hotwire deal so the pressure is off. So, when I have only one bid possible (I never go below a two star), I click on the two star option and decide to low ball. I bid $35 a room, a night. And I get one!
We'll be staying at the Extended Stay Deluxe Corpus Christi. I know some people don't care much for the apartment type hotels, but as a budgeteer, I love them! We'll have a full kitchen, and while I don't want to cook every meal, hey I am on vacation, it does save a chunk of money to have a few groceries in the fridge. We especially love to keep breakfast items on hand!
Of course, I have to know just how good of a deal I've gotten, so I price the same hotel on Travelocity. Two rooms, two nights, plus taxes and fees: $486! Priceline bid, two rooms, two nights, plus taxes and fees: $170! Roughly a savings of 65%! Oh, I just got that Priceline buzz again!
Current reading:
The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Close Encounters of the Wii Kind
On Friday, Hoot and I went to Wallyworld to buy me a new watch and pick up a few sundries. We rarely go to this particular Wallyworld, because we have a Super Wallyworld nearby. I'm not a huge fan of Super Wallyworld, but when you need a few quarts of oil, sunscreen, toothpaste, a yard of white fabric, bread and yogurt, you can definitely get it in one stop. Couple convenience with low (but not always the lowest) prices and I can get over it.
One of DH's and Hoot's favorite movies is The Three Caballeros. We've owned it on VHS forever and it gets regularly played. So, we noticed that it was quietly released onto DVD earlier this month. DH put it on his birthday wish list. I've been watching for it because with it's low key release, I was afraid the PC police would chunk it back into the vault quickly. We were also concerned that they might have changed the movie. On the Gran Fiesta Tour ride in Epcot, Panchito noticeably does not have his guns! I am still scarred by the gun being changed to a radio during the re-release of ET a few years back.
With the birthday wish list tucked away, and after the Caballeros release date, I thought I'd just pick it up the movie when I saw it. I had made a trip to Target, but no Donald, Jose, or Panchito were around. I had dropped into a Disney Store the next week and there were no birds. I strolled down to Best Buy one night on break, and if they were there, they were in the back having a siesta. Alas, they were appearing to be elusive.
So, when I found myself at the other Wallyworld, I decided to stroll through their electronics department with a roving eye on the DVDs. Alas, no Caballeros. As I was working my way back towards the exit of the department, I noticed several employees unloading a flat of stock. On the top layers were several Wiis. Now, I may have been lusting quietly for a Wii, but last I knew they were still illusive creatures that required getting up early and hoping they were still in stock by the time you got to the store. I still have no idea if the market is finally flush with stock.
Quickly, I look around. No one is rushing over to snatch the Wiis from the employees. No big mob, nothing. I realize it's very possible that the true craze has past and it's just a normal Cabbage Patch Kid now. But, I definitely thought "Here's my chance!" What, seriously? I'm going to make a $250 impulse purchase? On a video game console? Do I look like I have that kind of time?
I must confess: I struggle with the Wii for at least 30 minutes. I left the department, circled the store, returned to gawk at them some more, but eventually left Wii-less. Sadly, it wasn't even my No Buy stance that stopped the deal. Honestly, the longer I thought about it, the more I realized that I knew the video game game. The console is just a tiny part of the cost involved. Soon, you will want a second controller, so two people can play. Then, you want a new game or two. Then controller chargers, memory cards, and a Wii Fit. Alas, the madness will never end.
Again, I finally asked myself, "Do you have that kind of time?" The answer, sadly enough was no. However, I am keeping a line of thoughts open about potential Wii purchases in the future. But, it will be budgeted in before the beginning of the month.
One of DH's and Hoot's favorite movies is The Three Caballeros. We've owned it on VHS forever and it gets regularly played. So, we noticed that it was quietly released onto DVD earlier this month. DH put it on his birthday wish list. I've been watching for it because with it's low key release, I was afraid the PC police would chunk it back into the vault quickly. We were also concerned that they might have changed the movie. On the Gran Fiesta Tour ride in Epcot, Panchito noticeably does not have his guns! I am still scarred by the gun being changed to a radio during the re-release of ET a few years back.
With the birthday wish list tucked away, and after the Caballeros release date, I thought I'd just pick it up the movie when I saw it. I had made a trip to Target, but no Donald, Jose, or Panchito were around. I had dropped into a Disney Store the next week and there were no birds. I strolled down to Best Buy one night on break, and if they were there, they were in the back having a siesta. Alas, they were appearing to be elusive.
So, when I found myself at the other Wallyworld, I decided to stroll through their electronics department with a roving eye on the DVDs. Alas, no Caballeros. As I was working my way back towards the exit of the department, I noticed several employees unloading a flat of stock. On the top layers were several Wiis. Now, I may have been lusting quietly for a Wii, but last I knew they were still illusive creatures that required getting up early and hoping they were still in stock by the time you got to the store. I still have no idea if the market is finally flush with stock.
Quickly, I look around. No one is rushing over to snatch the Wiis from the employees. No big mob, nothing. I realize it's very possible that the true craze has past and it's just a normal Cabbage Patch Kid now. But, I definitely thought "Here's my chance!" What, seriously? I'm going to make a $250 impulse purchase? On a video game console? Do I look like I have that kind of time?
I must confess: I struggle with the Wii for at least 30 minutes. I left the department, circled the store, returned to gawk at them some more, but eventually left Wii-less. Sadly, it wasn't even my No Buy stance that stopped the deal. Honestly, the longer I thought about it, the more I realized that I knew the video game game. The console is just a tiny part of the cost involved. Soon, you will want a second controller, so two people can play. Then, you want a new game or two. Then controller chargers, memory cards, and a Wii Fit. Alas, the madness will never end.
Again, I finally asked myself, "Do you have that kind of time?" The answer, sadly enough was no. However, I am keeping a line of thoughts open about potential Wii purchases in the future. But, it will be budgeted in before the beginning of the month.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Where have you been?
Gosh, it seems like I haven't been posting much lately. It also seems like I haven't been home much lately. The household is out of whack, Hoot's schedule is out of whack, my Quicken account is out of whack (nothing dangerous, just behind on entries), and therefore, I am out of whack. I hate it when someone shakes the snow globe. Well, someone other than me, that is.
In the last three weeks, I've taken two overnight trips for work. Actually, you could say I've worked two overnights for work, as both involved late night inventories. I love getting away, even for a quick night. I also love shaking the work snow globe just to keep it all interesting. But, late April and May were probably not the best times for me to be shaking anything. With Mother's Day, our 15th anniversary and DH's birthday, it's just a crazy month. Usually it's like December, but with less time at work. This month, with it's overnights, it has seemed even more like December.
I did have a fun trip to Houston. Dinner was a great treat at Pappadeaux, followed by a glorious breakfast at la Madeleine. I adore their French Country breakfast with its eggs, potato galette, crisp thick bacon and croissant. But, really, I lavished myself with cup after cup of the French Roast coffee. This cafe/bistro is definitely a happy place for me. I spent a little more than the covered amount for my expense reimbursement, but what the heck. I don't get here often.
However, such indulgences are dangerous to the budget. While I am still going to be "up" monetary wise in the budget once the expense checks roll in, I am still wanting to be in spend mode. I'm definitely an all or nothing kind of gal, and taking trips and eating in nice places makes we want to be in "all" mode.
It was also my 15th wedding anniversary, so before I left Houston, I stopped into The Cheesecake Factory for a small cake to celebrate once I got home. We also had a great dinner at a local steakhouse, which was blissfully empty as the college students have all left for the summer.
To complicate matters even more, we still have DH's birthday this week and the weekend off for the combined Mother's Day/Anniversary/Birthday/Family Fun celebration. There has been much talk of going to the beach, or possibly just to Austin or such for the weekend. I will confess that with Memorial Day being early this year, I didn't realize it was the weekend I had requested off for this little celebration. That means everyone will be on the road and hotels will be a bit higher. I may poke around on Hotwire for a bit before we decide. Maybe we'll just stay home and clean house. But, really how celebratory is that? It's certainly not what I would classify as "Family Fun."
In the last three weeks, I've taken two overnight trips for work. Actually, you could say I've worked two overnights for work, as both involved late night inventories. I love getting away, even for a quick night. I also love shaking the work snow globe just to keep it all interesting. But, late April and May were probably not the best times for me to be shaking anything. With Mother's Day, our 15th anniversary and DH's birthday, it's just a crazy month. Usually it's like December, but with less time at work. This month, with it's overnights, it has seemed even more like December.
I did have a fun trip to Houston. Dinner was a great treat at Pappadeaux, followed by a glorious breakfast at la Madeleine. I adore their French Country breakfast with its eggs, potato galette, crisp thick bacon and croissant. But, really, I lavished myself with cup after cup of the French Roast coffee. This cafe/bistro is definitely a happy place for me. I spent a little more than the covered amount for my expense reimbursement, but what the heck. I don't get here often.
However, such indulgences are dangerous to the budget. While I am still going to be "up" monetary wise in the budget once the expense checks roll in, I am still wanting to be in spend mode. I'm definitely an all or nothing kind of gal, and taking trips and eating in nice places makes we want to be in "all" mode.
It was also my 15th wedding anniversary, so before I left Houston, I stopped into The Cheesecake Factory for a small cake to celebrate once I got home. We also had a great dinner at a local steakhouse, which was blissfully empty as the college students have all left for the summer.
To complicate matters even more, we still have DH's birthday this week and the weekend off for the combined Mother's Day/Anniversary/Birthday/Family Fun celebration. There has been much talk of going to the beach, or possibly just to Austin or such for the weekend. I will confess that with Memorial Day being early this year, I didn't realize it was the weekend I had requested off for this little celebration. That means everyone will be on the road and hotels will be a bit higher. I may poke around on Hotwire for a bit before we decide. Maybe we'll just stay home and clean house. But, really how celebratory is that? It's certainly not what I would classify as "Family Fun."
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Oh, Mother!
I was approaching Mother's Day with a bit of trepidation. I had originally asked to work the early shift on Mother's Day, since I was going out of town for work later in the week. I imagined getting up while the house is quiet, having a nice simple, quiet breakfast, then I'd go off to work. The morning would be quiet in the store, then the day would pass quickly. I'd depart and go home to find a nice cleanish house and perhaps dinner waiting on me. Alas, it was not meant to be. My boss, without asking, deemed that I should not have to work on Mother's Day. Talk about complications.
Then, a little guilt settled in on me. I called my Mom on Saturday, and asked her if she wanted to meet us in San Marcos for a few outlets and some dinner. We would meet at the Pottery Barn outlet, browse, then go to a very early dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. It would be great, we all love seafood, and Hoot could blow off some steam at the playground. So, when I arrived home Saturday evening, I found a few emails throwing a ton of kinks into the plan. My mom lives near San Antonio and she discovered that I-35 was under major construction that weekend right in front of the outlets. As traffic is always nasty in there on the weekends, it was a major drawback to our plans. Then, a second email revealed that she had called Joe's to check their hours and discovered it is now a Saltgrass Steakhouse. Not quite the same Hoot-friendly environment, especially without the playground. So, we scrapped San Marcos.
We briefly considered going to Katy and meeting the parents at the Rainforest Cafe. But, I knew we would have to be there before they opened since it was Mother's Day. So, we factored in how much further it would be for my parents to drive, and scrapped the meeting idea. C'est la vie.
On Mother's Day morning, we awoke to the unwelcome sound of water dripping somewhere in the house. Oh, boy. The pipe coming out of the garbage disposal was letting loose to beat the band. Any remaining chance of a day trip was scrapped. Flashlights were found and the cabinet under the sink was cleared.
I managed to remove most of the rotten pieces myself, but I would have to take the p-trap out to get it clear for replacement. I asked DH to use a little muscle on it and he kind of freaked out. I don't know if it was that it was Mother's Day, and I was on my back like a plumber, or if he really thought I couldn't do it. I'm still not sure. It doesn't make much sense to me that he is intimidated by plumbing, he builds million dollar oilfield equipment, but now that I think about it, he was awfully difficult when I wanted him to replace the faucet out back last summer. So, we did what all married couples do at some point. We fought. Not too many fireworks for us, but a few. I simply wasn't going to call a plumber, especially not on a Sunday, much less Mother's Day. Talk about expensive!
Eventually, he calmed down and helped me get the entire part clear of the disposal. After a quick Mother's Day outing to Lowe's, and a few more bits of bickering, we got it finished. Hooray! I have kept a bucket under it all week, just to make sure, but it's still high and dry!
We did go out to eat for wings and made a trip to Sam's for a few groceries. I also got two nice cards and some beautiful lilies. So, all in all, it was a pretty decent day. I hope all the moms out there had a nice Mother's Day as well.
Overheard in the bookstore:
Hi, I just graduated this weekend [from college], and I think I'd like to take up reading.
What kind of books do you like to read?
I don't know, I've never read one.
You've never read a book?
Not from cover to cover.
Then, a little guilt settled in on me. I called my Mom on Saturday, and asked her if she wanted to meet us in San Marcos for a few outlets and some dinner. We would meet at the Pottery Barn outlet, browse, then go to a very early dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. It would be great, we all love seafood, and Hoot could blow off some steam at the playground. So, when I arrived home Saturday evening, I found a few emails throwing a ton of kinks into the plan. My mom lives near San Antonio and she discovered that I-35 was under major construction that weekend right in front of the outlets. As traffic is always nasty in there on the weekends, it was a major drawback to our plans. Then, a second email revealed that she had called Joe's to check their hours and discovered it is now a Saltgrass Steakhouse. Not quite the same Hoot-friendly environment, especially without the playground. So, we scrapped San Marcos.
We briefly considered going to Katy and meeting the parents at the Rainforest Cafe. But, I knew we would have to be there before they opened since it was Mother's Day. So, we factored in how much further it would be for my parents to drive, and scrapped the meeting idea. C'est la vie.
On Mother's Day morning, we awoke to the unwelcome sound of water dripping somewhere in the house. Oh, boy. The pipe coming out of the garbage disposal was letting loose to beat the band. Any remaining chance of a day trip was scrapped. Flashlights were found and the cabinet under the sink was cleared.
I managed to remove most of the rotten pieces myself, but I would have to take the p-trap out to get it clear for replacement. I asked DH to use a little muscle on it and he kind of freaked out. I don't know if it was that it was Mother's Day, and I was on my back like a plumber, or if he really thought I couldn't do it. I'm still not sure. It doesn't make much sense to me that he is intimidated by plumbing, he builds million dollar oilfield equipment, but now that I think about it, he was awfully difficult when I wanted him to replace the faucet out back last summer. So, we did what all married couples do at some point. We fought. Not too many fireworks for us, but a few. I simply wasn't going to call a plumber, especially not on a Sunday, much less Mother's Day. Talk about expensive!
Eventually, he calmed down and helped me get the entire part clear of the disposal. After a quick Mother's Day outing to Lowe's, and a few more bits of bickering, we got it finished. Hooray! I have kept a bucket under it all week, just to make sure, but it's still high and dry!
We did go out to eat for wings and made a trip to Sam's for a few groceries. I also got two nice cards and some beautiful lilies. So, all in all, it was a pretty decent day. I hope all the moms out there had a nice Mother's Day as well.
Overheard in the bookstore:
Hi, I just graduated this weekend [from college], and I think I'd like to take up reading.
What kind of books do you like to read?
I don't know, I've never read one.
You've never read a book?
Not from cover to cover.
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