Jumble of Things...

It's amazing how much can happen in 5 days. :) A bunch of stuff, thoughts, and things have happened or are happening so it's all being dumped today. :)

Tulips
We've had crazy weather lately. The last couple of days have been in the mid-to-high 50's, which was really, really nice!! But now it's gone back down to brrr cold (13 right now) and I think it's wreaked havoc with my tulips!! I saw tiny shoots the other day and I'm really hoping the bitter cold won't completely kill the bulbs. I need to check the Paul Parent site to see if he has any recommendations. I covered the shoots with some leaves and mulch, hoping that would help. Fingers crossed!!

Fireplace
Joe & Ellin came by on Saturday morning to hang out and drop off my new (for me) fireplace. Ellin was driving around town where she lives and saw this metal fireplace with a for sale sign on the curb. She stopped to see how much it was ($40) and then called to tell me about it knowing full well that a fireplace in this house would be soooo perfect. :) I said scoop it up and Joe went to take a look at it - make sure it was solid, in good condition, usable, etc. It's in *awesome* condition so they grabbed it for me and brought it up on Saturday. Most people would probably think it's ugly since it's orange, but I love the color orange! I have to find out from the town what the rules are for installing it and then getting it worked into the budget. The other good thing is that Joe has a friend that is getting rid of a ton of slate pieces. So I plan on making the walls behind it (it's a corner unit) non-combustible and then tiling it with the slate. It should look great. :)

Bag 'o Purple
Before carrying in the fireplace, Joe & Ellin carried in a big bag full of stuff for me - things that she picked up while out and a few b-day presents. It ended up being the big bag '0 purple stuff! If you haven't guessed it, purple is my favorite color and I tend to collect any and all purple things. :) My bedroom is purple, my bathroom has purple in it, & my kitchen has a grape theme. She bought me these beautiful, matching, purple tablecloths and napkin sets (which I'll be able to use for an upcoming event), for my birthday. Also, while out one day at Walmart, she saw a billion Xmas decorations that were all purple. The last couple of years I've had the "purple" tree (not really a surprise) and the bulbs and things she got will fit perfectly with it. They were all very unique and quite purple. :) I gave her $10 for this huge bag of decorations she picked up at the 75% off sale - gotta love after holiday sales!

Birthday Dinner
Saturday night we went out to Bison County to celebrate my birthday. Dad, Betsy, Keith, Sue, Chris, Elissa, Zeke, Cathy, & Kim were all there and we had a fabulous time. :) We sat in the alcove off of the bar so the guys could watch football. It had every 'favorite' element I have - good friends, good food, good beer, & good conversation all at the same time. Kim, Cathy, & I went back to Cathy's house where we watched the Pats game and chatted for hours. I had a *great* time! Thanks guys for making it a wonderful night. :)

Football
Speaking of football, a big thumbs down to the refs of the Pats & Steelers games for making two of the worst calls I've seen in a long time. I don't spend Sundays watching the games anymore, but I understand what's happening and will watch them if they're on. I guess I'd be considered a fairweather fan but I'm not so sure that's the case since I don't really care who wins. :) (Except the home team of course)

Curtains
While Joe & Ellin were up, we did a bit of discount shopping (my favorite kind) and I managed to find purple sheers that are *perfect* for my bedroom. We put them up and they are sooo much nicer than what was up before. It's the small things that make me happy and if two $4 sheers will do it, so much the better for me. :) I do have to get back there today to pick up two more for the closet opening - I do want them to match after all. :)

Flyball
Flyball practice went very well on Sunday. Freddie had much better swimmers turns on the box this week by adding a knee into it on top of a FedEx box. That probably doesn't make sense for anyone that doesn't know flyball, but it's almost impossible to explain so that's what you get. :) Pacey is doing well on going over the jumps. I can't really tell if he's single striding over the jumps yet as I'm running away from him while he's doing it, but his recall was faster this week, or so it seemed to me. :)

Mary
My youngest cousin, Mary, is going to her semi-formal this weekend. I stopped by there on Sunday after flyball practice to work out what we were going to do with her hair for the dance. While there, I had lunch (frittatta sp?) with my grandparents and spent some time chatting with them. I hate to see them getting older and having to deal with all the health problems that come with it. :( But they're still fairly active and I love spending as much time as I can with them. They're really cute. :)

Dad
After stopping by my Aunt's house, I stopped by my Dad's house (that's where I saw that awful incomplete pass call on the Steeler's interception) to cut his hair before his trip to Florida. He's going for 2 weeks (the lucky bastard) as a present to himself for his 50th birthday this year. I think we'll plan a party for him to celebrate the milestone. :)

It's been a busy week and I'm hoping it will slow down for a bit. :) I did *nothing* last night but catch up with Tivo (monster jam, extreme home makeover, law & order.) I have today off and the big plans are: homework, laundry, & cleaning, my all-time favorite activity.. not. Since it's noon now and I've only stared on the laundry part, I have to kick it into gear and get rolling. :)

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