From the Marriage Chronicles...

Setting: Last Saturday, in Husband's car, driving home from my parents anniversary party.


Background: I hate sports. (I'm an equal opportunity hater in this case)
I use to like them. I went to every football game for 4 years in high school. 
I'm pretty sure this is why I now hate sports.

Anyway...

Husband turns on the radio to listen to the OSU vs. Nebraska game.
It's AM radio.
And it's really loud.


Me: "This makes me want to throw myself from the car."
Husband: "Do you want me to slow down?"

How did I ever get so lucky? =P

Cat Ownership...

(This obviously is a post I started a while back, 2ish months ago to be more precise)
(At least I'm getting to it... right?)
(Anyway)

Last week was my birthday. 

I'm now 28. 

Does that mean I'm an adult now?

I sure hope not because I still fail to feel like one.

Oh well there's always next year...

So you're probably saying to yourself... "Gee Karen that's great and all but where have you been? What fascinating things have you been up to? Have you run away to live on a hippie commune yet?" To which I reply, "The more things change the more things stay the same." Which more or less means no I haven't run away to a hippie commune.

I am now a cat owner. You read that right. As of June 23 I own a cat.
(Well I guess technically "we" own a cat)

This cat to be specific. 

His name is officially Uncle Andy but that's not what he always gets called... For the first days I'm pretty sure he thought his name was "No". It's a very long story (not really) in which I called Husband at work, cried a lot, and saved this cat from a very early and unwarranted death. 

(That's not to say I haven't told the dogs to eat him when he won't stop screaming at 3am...) 

(However, he always manages to redeem himself right before I decide that he will in fact be living outside)

The dogs are terrified of him.

 (Don't be fooled, they will lick you to death)

My big, scary dogs are terrified of a cat that weighs less than they do and is front declawed.

It's all very tragic really. 

I've found cat ownership after a 10 year hiatus is far more difficult then I remembered....

So now that we're verging on 3 months of cat ownership let's update shall we?

The dogs are still terrified.
Despite all the hissing, spitting, growling & swatting... I think Andy secretly loves the dogs. I can't figure why else he would stare out the sliding-glass door and cry when they are outside.
That's not to say I don't still tell the dogs to eat him when he's being difficult (i.e. being a cat).

However, since becoming a stay-at-home wife Andy and I have developed a new bond.

I'm beginning to think I might actually like him.
Our relationship is very similar to the relationship I have with Husband. (Disturbing I know but let me 'splain)
When I'm home and he can choose to ignore me he's happy. He's also extremely happy when he can lay across my hands while I try to type on the laptop. When I try to do something, like clean, he follows me around screaming his head off and generally be annoying.
I'm sure this is pretty similar to how I act when Husband tries to get anything done. (And no, I don't scream my head off or lay across the laptop per se) I constantly ask him questions or ask the oh-so-not annoying, "Whatcha doing?" or the even more popular "try to proposition him to do something else like watch a movie or get coffee" maneuver. (And yes I still bitch that nothing gets done around the house... it's not my fault he can't resist my feminine charm, or whining)

Anyway, upon realizing this I have a new fondness for the cat.
(when I'm not busy trying to get the dogs to eat him).
I guess maybe we were meant for each other, at least he likes to think so. 

Besides how can you resist all this sexy?

I am not...

Susie Homemaker.

Not even close.

First, an apology... I realize I've neglected this blog. Not for intentional reasons. There must be half a dozen unfinished blogs in drafts as well as the uncounted ones bouncing around inside my brain. It's just that somewhere along the line I became unhappy with life and couldn't find the energy to try and be witty or entertaining. I was stuck professionally in a place that made me unhappy and frustrated for 2 years. So on my 28th birthday Husband and I decided that it was time for a change. A week ago last Friday I walked away from that job. I am now embracing unemployment. I feel free to be myself again and that's the most wonderful feeling in the world. 

Now on with the show.

After 3 days of sloth-like activity I attempted to put myself back in motion yesterday. It wasn't easy considering I'm pretty sure I was a sloth in a previous life and can be far too content to sit around reading books. One of the arrangements of me leaving the previous job was that I would assume full responsibility of cleaning the house and cooking meals. At the time I was desperate for a fresh start. Now I wonder if I was too hasty. 

Part of the horror of being a stay-at-home wife, for me, is having to face the big pile of neglect my house had become while I was gainfully employed. While working I did the bare minimum to get by (laundry) and let's be honest... Husband picked up a lot of the slack. I would sometimes get in these weird cleaning frenzies but they never lasted long and usually the house wound up more of a disaster then when I began. Therein lies the problem, once I start cleaning I become a disorganized scatter-brained freak. This time I swore things would be different. I would have a strategy. 

One big project a day. (Day 1 was cleaning the fridge and it was so traumatizing that I can't even begin to contemplate blogging about it)
Outside of my big projects I was trying to consciously make an effort to keep previously cleaned spaces maintained, which I have found harder to do the further I get in my efforts. 

As a side note... Husband is driving me crazy. I feel like I'm running around picking up after a toddler. He's more disorganized then me, which is saying something. Trying to keep the coffee table clean is battle. I have a folder full of papers and a box of junk that he needs to go through and he keeps just pushing them aside. Men.

Back to what I was saying...

When I was given permission to give my notice I felt this spark ignite inside me. The spark was this intense need to purge. I had 3 large boxes full and waiting for a local charity before I even left my job. After yet another round in the kitchen I have 3 more (smaller) boxes. While cleaning out shelves I found things I didn't even know we had, (a waffle iron, seriously?) and can only assume they were wedding gifts that we had no idea what to do with... 

I have taken 2 grocery bags full of books down to resell at a local bookstore. (It was nice to finally let go of books I had no intention of reading again, a lingering pack-rat tendency I suppose) (Never mind that I turned around to buy half a dozen more with the store credit I earned) (Or that I keep justifying the 15% off coupons B&N sends me)(It's small victories... right?)

Last night I found a box that among other things housed all my Sims 2 software. Once I fought off the urge to reinstall the whole series (I seriously had every expansion, stuff pack & game guide made), I listed everything on Amazon. While cathartic this adventure has made me remember just how much I hate the post office.

My relationship with cooking is a tenuous one. Sometimes I love it. Most days though I resent it. Why food can't magically cook itself is really beyond me. I'm pretty sure my life could be sustained on grilled cheese and nachos but Husband, as he tells me, has more diverse nutritional needs. (I think he just enjoys being difficult) I'm trying to expand my cooking abilities but it's slow going for now.
The whole peace agreement does hit a small snag though. I won't cook meat. He has, at least temporarily, agreed to handle cooking the meat as long as I do the rest. I seriously don't know what he thought was going to happen when he married a vegetarian. (On Thanksgiving I can't even be in the room while he preps the Turkey, the whole thing makes me gag) (And watching him de-skin chicken? Awful)

I guess my point is... I'm trying, and that has to count for something right?

Now it's time to take half of the small league of furry creatures in for their vaccinations. And then to contemplate tackling my bathroom. *shudder* 

Spring fever...

I have spring fever. 

I have it hard core.

Anytime that the sun is out all I want to do is go sit outside. 

I can't get enough of it. 

I think if I could physically hug spring I would.

This past weekend was very "hippie-tastic" for Husband and myself. 

We went to a healthy-living expo. While fascinating it was also a little uncomfortable. I love alternative medicine but seriously? Some of the people there were a little too out-there for my taste. I am so not a hippie. 

After that we attended "EcoFest". I was a little disappointed honestly. There wasn't as much info as I thought there might be. Although to be fair maybe the vendors were a bit burned out by the time we got there. I'm not sure. 

(What can I say... Tulsa has a looong way to go when it comes to environmentalism!)

Sunday was the best. We attended a Compost Bin sale & lecture provided by The M.e.t.  A lot was learned (by me at the very least) and we scored a pretty nifty deal on another compost bin. 

I'm so excited. 

The problem I had was fear. Fear of doing it wrong. 

(Yes I realize that it is really hard to screw up compost... now) 

So let me introduce you to the family.

 Big Bertha (left) & Tiny Tim (right)
We received B.B. a while back as a Christmas gift. She's wonderful but there's a small problem with her. When she's full... I can't move the damn thing. Her design was intimidating. So I procrastinated on composting.
T.T. is the one we received on Sunday. The beauty of him is that when B.B. is full and cooking I can continue to throw things in him. There's a nifty door that slides up and thus allows you to remove the ready compost while the rest cooks on top. Pretty sweet.

Here is Big Bertha all full and ready to be sealed up and left to her business. In theory we still have to roll her and add water but she can be Husband's project.

Tiny Tim shall be my baby. (There was much satisfaction to be had from shedding and throwing his box in to be compost!) 

He's a work in progress. I'm a work in progress.

I look forward to seeing how all this plays out. 

It'll be an interesting journey.

Oh and I totally want to do worm composting now. 

It's ridiculously neat... and gross.

Maybe one day. 

A new year...

We are finally back in the bedroom. I can barely believe it. It feels surreal after all this time. I'm taking the process of moving back in slowly so I can savor the feeling. We are attempting to purge a lot of clutter during this process which can be so time consuming but it feels so good though.
So the tour...

Our new dresser/entertainment center. *love*
Do you see the hidden panel next to the dresser for our breaker box? Pretty fantastic work on Husband's part I must say.

This is the wall that contains the backdoor. (pictured above) We don't have the curtains up yet, long story, but eventually....
The back wall.
Gotta love the matching night-stands. (It was quite the exciting day of furniture shopping let me tell you) They make me feel grown up.
The totes on the floor? I'll explain in the next picture.

This is where the closet will eventually go... We have yet to figure out this little conundrum. There's a hidden door on the far right side that allows us access to the water heater... Husband has plans in place to build a small removable shelving unit against that wall so that we can eventually attach the poles to hang clothing. It's just ridiculously cold outside so who knows how long some of our clothing will remain in totes...
(The trash bag? Clothes for charity)

So there you have it. I'm finally beginning to feel like there's an end to all this madness. We still have trim to lay, doors to stain/paint, curtains to hang, closets to finish, paint to touch up... And that's just the bedroom.

I feel like it will be a year of change and I hope that change is for the better. I have a feeling it will be though. So here's to new beginnings.
(And no I don't make resolutions)