Hey I’m posting over at Chicas today, so stop on by if you get a chance.

I am so proud of myself. Last night, I did the unthinkable. I actually fixed a computer problem.

See. I had McAfee Suite 8.0. And I hated it. It takes over your entire machine and it ticks me off. I’m an AVG fan, so that’s what I use.

So anyway. Last year, when I went through The War and lost 220 pounds on my left ring finger, I decided to uninstall McAfee since it was registered to him. The only problem with that was McAfee didn’t want to go away so easily. I was left with this Error Code 7.1.015. Even though I tried and tired, I couldn’t get rid of the MFer.

So I was talking with IT Guy at work and he told me to email him a screen shot of the two errors I was getting and he’d help me figure it out. But when I got into, I decided to do a little research on my own.

After several Google searches and one phone call to Brother when I realized there was NO WAY I could mess with the registry, I found the information I needed. it was this little uninstall tool call McAfee Cleanup I needed. And so I held my breath, downloaded it and ran it. And TADA! It worked! I removed the offending software from my machine after having it on there for over a year.

Talk about elation.

And the best part was - I didn’t screw anything up in the process.

So I called Brother and told him the good news.

“That’s great.” And he’s all deadpan.

Oh thanks for that.

And since I was feeling so sure of myself, I decided it was time to get up my two new kitchen lights. So I played Electrician. The first one went up with no problems. The second one was a big of a pain in the arse. When I pulled it down, all the old insulation on the back of it was (a) stuck to the ceiling and (b) fell all over me.

Then the electrical tape was so old, it was literally fused to the damn wingnut thing-a-ma-bob. I finally got it all unwired and down. (And yes, in case you’re wondering, I did flip the circuit breaker to make sure there was no power to the swtich.)

Meanwhile, The Man calls me and asks what I’m up to. I tell him I’m writing my new lights.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” he asks.

I should have been insulted especially since I hung every other light and ceiling fan in the house (except for the two fans I couldn’t do myself). Anyway, he was kind of foul so we didn’t talk long and I finished my light.

I cleaned up and turned the circuit breaker back on and TADA! They both work. I’m happy but itchy. So I ran through the shower.

I swear I still fell all that insluation crap all over me and it’s making me nuts.

At any rate, the computer is running great and the lights look fabulous. And now I’m off to work.

Yesterday just crawled by. I don’t know why. Maybe because all I thought about all day long was Coach.

I did get some edits done on the MAGIC book. I need to start rewriting the rest of the following chapters if I’m going to turn it in like I want. I think I need to put up the word meter as a visual aid so I’ll have a goal to meet.

Still waiting on edits to come back on BREAK. At least Round 2 is done with. I’m ready to get this book finished up.

A friend at work loaned me some tree trimmers. So when I got home, I trimmed the trees in the backyard and the hedges in the front. It was a jolly good time (can you hear the sarcasm?) especially since it was 5000 degrees outside. Even after 6 pm.

I suppose summer is officially here.

And my house seems to be overrun with gnats. WTH?

I’m still in love with my Coach bag. I think I’ve officially crossed the “high maintenance” threshold.

I also think it’s time to get a financial plan - a real one - and a budget and stick to them. I’m revamping again over the next two weeks to figure out what the heck I’m doing. Stop spending money would be a start. LOL

Okay I’m off to work. Happy Hump Day, ya’ll.

Sunday nearly killed me. I was terribly busy running around and getting stuff done at the house.

I bought this amazing shoe rack that holds 36 shoes and is an over-the-door thing. I thought that’d be GREAT since I was tired of tripping on shoes that are homeless (i.e. have no boxes). I got it all put together, but it over my closet door…and the freaking door wouldn’t shut. Apparently, this closet door is a little bit narrower than a regular door. WHATEVER!

I tried to hang it on the back wall of the closet. I drilled holes and put in wall anchors and EVERYTHING. But to no avail. It still fell off the wall. Much to my dismay.

So today I schlepped it back to Bed Bath & Beyond to unshop. I hate unshopping. On Sunday, I had to unshop at Lowe’s and return 11 sets of hinges I bought. They didn’t fit my kitchen cabinets like I had envisioned, so back they went.

Anyway. Back to BB&B and I returned it. And bought a shoe rack that went on the floor and holds 20 shoes. Okay so it’s not as cool as the other one, but it’s totally functional. And I got a set of 10 clear plastic shoe boxes with lids.

See, the idea here is that eventually…someday…I will have a clear plastic shoe box for every pair I own. Then I can ditch the actual shoe box and keep them all in their very own, stackable, clear shoe box.

I know. It’s anal, isn’t it?

Oh. I also hung up my mirror FINALLY on my closet door. Since the stinking shoe rack didn’t work. It was a total ass pain to hang, too, but I did it and got it up and I quite like it.

Sunday was also my trip to Lowe’s where I bought six gallons of paint to finish off the interior of the house. I’m so ready to get every wall painted in this house and I’m this close to getting done.

I’m also going to pain my butt-ugly kitchen cabinets. Man. I hate those. Dreary, depressing brown. I need something happy and cheerful.

I can’t hardly believe it’s mid-July. Where is the year going? And I’m the speaker in August at the chapter meeting. I guess I better figure out what the hell I’m going to talk about, eh?

So far today I have…

Done three loads of laundry,
Mowed the front and the back,
Used the weed eater (YES! It started right up!),
Went to the grocery store,
Put groceries away,
Talked to The Man,
Ate lunch

And I still have to go to the pet store and get litter liners and Lowe’s to buy more paint.

Go me!

I woke up this morning with a smile on my face. I can’t remember the last time that happened.

Sweetie Boy had his performance last night at the church. To say he was precious would be a gross understatement. He was adorable and so funny. I can’t wait to get the DVD and watch it. They did a week in review type video too for the kiddos and my baby boy was on there. He was so cute!

His dad came, as well as Best Good Friend and Skater Daughter. We had a good time watching the little performance. Afterward, he went home with dad and I headed to North Dallas to see The Man. I had some seriously good martinis.

I got lots of birthday shopping for my boy done, too. His birthday isn’t until the end of August but I want to be prepared. PLUS, Target had the Jack Sparrow treasure chest he wants on sale. I picked up a few more Ben 10 toys for him, as well. Yesterday in the mail, I got a $25 reward certificate for B&N so I went and spent every dime. Got the baby more Magic Tree House books and a new A-Z Mysteries book for him. Some of the Magic Tree House books are for now, and some are for later. He’s definitely reading on a 3rd grade level now which is highly impressive. Especially since he’s only going into the 1st grade.

That’s my boy!

Then I headed over to the mall.

Now. I’ve coveted Coach bags for years. But I’ve never bought one and any man I’ve ever been with has balked as the pricetag of them. They are beautiful bags, though, and I know if I ever got one I’d carry it for life.

Best Good Friend recently made her first purchase. Which made me insanely jealous. hehe I started to have the wants real bad for one. And what made it worse is the fact I have all this buying power with credit I don’t use. I’m trying to be thrifty, you see.

However, my wants got the best of me today. I went into the Coach store with a specific bag in mind. It was the Signature Scarf print but it was so small I knew I couldn’t have that for every day use. The gals in the store were GREAT, too. Very helpful, friendly, and just lovely to deal with. 

Needless to say, I made my very first Coach purchase today. And walked out of there a little less richer. But that’s okay. This Coach bag will be with me for years. And in case you’re wondering what it looks like… it’s the Chelsea Patchwork Large Hobo, Style #10974. It’s suede and smells like leather and MY GAW I love it. LOVE IT! It’s a beautiful bag. And yes, I hugged it and sniffed it and petted it.

I guess you could say I’m officially a snob now. hehe!

I’m a soccer mom. Sweetie Boy is all signed up for soccer!

We also made a run to Target to get khaki shorts for his performance on Friday night. Turns out, he had some in the bottom of the hamper. Oh well. And he suckered me into a new Ben 10 toy (check out Cartoon Network to find out what it is if you’re interested). He thinks it’s totally cool.

We had a nice evening after we got home. I didn’t even turn on the TV or the desktop computer (I’m writing this from the laptop). Instead, we hung out together and had some play time. At one pointe he told me, “You crack me up, Mom.” HAHA

Anyway. Now I’ve got to hit Academy and get his soccer gear. He needs shin guards, cleats, a soccer ball… My gaw it’s going to be so cute. I can’t wait.

Got my Lowe’s bill in the mail today. They must have gone insane because they raised my limit another $1500 for being a “great” customer. Hello. Of course, I’m thinking now since they did that I can get the rest of the paint for the interior of the house…

It never ends.

Exhausted. This week has worn me out but it’s been so good for the baby. I’m so happy he’s enjoying MusiCamp AND he made a new friend. He said he and Grayson hang out together. And he’s picked up a new phrase: Oh, snap. haha And learned to play Rock Paper Scissors.

I’m going to be positively beside myself for the next two weeks. I guess I’m just going to have to suck it up and get over it. In the meantime, I’ll be working on MAGIC and I’ll have more edits on BREAK and possibly NICE GIRLS DO will be ready to go for edits.

I love deadlines. I know that sounds sick, but I totally do.

I can’t believe tomorro is Friday. This week has FLOWN.

And I’m ready to crash.

…Naughty Monkey! I just couldn’t resist these oh-so-cute striped pumps by Naughty Monkey. I can’t believe I hadn’t discovered this brand before! And now, of course, I’m all about them. I’m hot to have them in all different styles and colors. They’re all so unusual with really fun names like “Get up and get out” and “Picnic in the Park” and “Sweetie Pie”.

Anyway, I got them from Zappos today and I LURVE them. The second I opened the box (which was shrink wrapped - isn’t that cool?) I knew I was in love. They are so cute and quirky and can go with almost anything. I wore tan pants and a black shirt today and they actually went just fine. And gave a splash of color.

This has been the longest week. I guess it’s all the running around I’m doing lately with the kiddo. Taking him to and from MusiCamp. He’s really enjoying it and I’m so glad. He’s made some new friends and I can’t wait to see the performance on Friday night!

Regarding the bathroom - I wish I could put one of those tub things over my old one (yes, we do have a similar company here, Dev) but the problem is, there’s not a shower in there. It’s just a tub which is dumb. So I have to have the walls demoed, plumbing done, and then retile it. Right now, there is only about four rows of tile above the tub. Why they built a second bathroom with no shower is beyond me.  

Been extremely tired today. Couldn’t fall asleep last night and then today was just long. Had lunch with Best Good Friend and smelled like Chinese the rest of the day. Came home and cooked spaghetti for dinner and then rounded up the kid for bathtime and bedtime. Bedtime has been extraordinarily difficult these last few days. I think he’s just not used to being in a routine anymore. That should get better after school starts. I hope.

And…as of tomorrow…I will be a soccer mom. Yep. I’m signing him up for soccer! As per his request and $75 later. It’s all worth it though.

Exhausted and I’m going to go climb in bed. Tomorrow is another marathon!

The Sweetie Boy had another fun day at MusiCamp and then he and his friend hung out at the office and compared notes on Gameboys while he and his mom (my coworker) worked the rest of the day. They were cute.

But he was worn out which makes for a very cranky kid in the evening. And a very hard to deal with kid. I was running out of patience quick. Especially since the AC is trying to crap out on me. And all the tile in the bathroom by the tub has decided to depart the wall.

Isn’t owning a home GREAT? I guess next year my next big spending will have to be on getting both bathrooms fixed. *cringe* I’m frightened, Aunti Em, I’m frightened!

Anyone got about $3000 lying around I could borrow?

I’m thinking if I can get the hard stuff done (i.e,. plumbing) then I can do the tile work myself. Maybe I can recruit Mom to help me. *grin*

It’s depressing so I’m just going to try and not think about it.

I’ve been super tired lately. Probably becuase my diet has been shit and I haven’t been working out anymore. But - hey - I lasted nearly three weeks with the work out thing. I’m going to try to get back to it. Soon.

I haven’t been writing CRAP lately. I sent off the Round 2 edits to the editor so I’m done with that until Round 3.

It’s getting late and the boy is in the tub. Since he’s a grouch, I need to get him out and in his PJs so I can get him ready for bed.

And tomorrow is another day.

Okay. So. My days off and this weekend went way too fast and here it is Monday night.

Saturday I took Sweetie Boy to see Transformers. It rocked! Okay, so the acting was subpar but the robots were totally awesome. Megatron was hot (just kidding).

Then we hung out at the house the rest of the evening and didn’t do much of anything. After we hit the movies, we went to Wal-Mart (I do so love Wal-Mart) and I got me a new George Foreman Grill. I think that thing! Got the Sweetie Boy a new Ben 10 toy, a six pack of beer, and back at home I grilled hamburgers and made french fries. There’s nothing better than homemade. I decided to have a beer with dinner.

Well, during the course of dinner, the baby boy asked me why I was drinking a beer. It’s rare I drink in front of him, but I was really thirsty for it. I told him I just wanted one… and then promptly spilled it across the day.

“Now look what you done!” he says.

It took all my strength not to bust out laughing at him. Instead I firmly reminded him I was the parent and he shouldn’t talk to me that way.

“Well, you spilled,” he says.

Can’t argue with logic like that I suppose. I don’t know where he gets his mouthiness sometimes. ;) 

Sunday he bugged me all day long to be on the computer so I just gave in and let him. I got the second round edits done on the book and also finished some painting projects. I decided to paint the air vents in each room so they would blend in with the walls. I have to say I really like them that way! It beats having this white eyesore above the doors.

Anyway, today was Day 1 of MusiCamp. It’s a little musical program at the church I’m thinking about attending. My boss goes there and it’s a very nice church with a great kids and youth program. I think it’d be good for him (and me) to go every Sunday we can. I’m waiting to see how he does this week. After today, though, it sounded like he really really liked it. He was excited because he got to play bells and shakers and learn sign language. I think that’s great.

I took him back to the office with me afterward and he played with Heatblaster (a Ben 10 toy) and kept asking to sit in my lap while I worked. That’s next to impossible. I packed up about 3:30 and headed out…and he crashed in the car.

I was okay with that. I’m after a Wii and I can’t find one anywhere of course. Best Good Friend called me at about 2:15 and told me a Gamestop in Euless had one, so I headed there when I left the office. By the time I got there are 4, it was sold. Figures. And of course they are going for an outrageous sum on eBay. I have some time, though. It’s going to be his big Christmas present. I headed home disappointed.

He slept until nearly 5:30 and it was all I could do to get him awake. And now he’s still awake wouldn’t you know.  Asking me if it’s going to rain tonight (I guess he wants to be prepared in case it thunders and lightnings later). I knew this was going to happen. I hope he goes to sleep soon, though…

And today I wore my very favorite BCBGirls four inch heels. I hadn’t realized I’d be walking to lunch with the boss and it nearly destroyed my feet. I think I’ve done something to my ankle because it hurts something awful. I guess tomorrow will be a “flats” day.

I’ve turnd in the cover art form and the blurb for NICE GIRLS DO so maybe I’ll have cover art soon for that book. I can’t wait to see what they come up with!

After 27 days of rain, it’s finally NOT raining! The sky is clear blue and the sun is out and it’s just beautiful outside. Which also means it’s probably going to be hot now. Oh well. We’ve managed to escape the triple digits so far (not so much for poor Phoenix and Las Vegas).

I’ve had a couple of days off work and it’s been nice. The 4th was fun - went to Brother’s house and, ate too much food, and then we shot off fireworks until the police came. haha Sweetie Boy told me he liked holding sparklers and bottle rockets until “the police came and ruined firework day.” snicker

Thursday I had a business meeting most of the day but the outcome was good. Mom stayed with Sweetie Boy while I was away and she let him play on the computer, watch Spiderman 2. They had a good time hanging out together. I was exhausted by the time I got home Thursday so Mom stayed another night and we went out to dinner to a noisey Mexican restaurant.

Friday the handyman came by and looked at my rotting wood on the front of the house. He explained to me how to do it myself, but my mother wouldn’t hear of it. She made him fix it (hehe aren’t Moms great?) and he went to work. Afterward, since there was fresh wood on the front of the house under the roofline, we had to make a trip to Lowe’s to get exterior paint so I could get paint on it. I wanted to do that before it started raining again.

When we left Lowe’s, though, the clouds had started to break and there was actually a hint of blue sky. We hurried home and I painted the house while the Sweetie Boy ate his lunch. We hung around a little longer and then headed to Mesquite to take Mom home. We decided to take a quick jaunt to the mall so he could ride the glass elevator. We rode it up and down two times and then I bought myself some  perfume I was out of.

I drove home through afternoon traffic, cooked dinner, and then collapsed. It was a good day.

Today I think we’re going to go see Transformers. I hear it’s awesome.

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