hallllooooo poppets!

(said in my best mrs. doubtfire voice, if you can imagine)

i feel like i've not written a post in about a year but of course it's only been close to a week. i haven't been around to read all of you either--i sincerely apologize and will be by shortly. i keep up w/ many of you on facelibre as well so i don't feel completely in the dark.

lest you think i've been negligent just because i'm farming and killing people on facelibre, i'll give you a bulleted list of all of the things keeping me from blogging lately.

• we fell into that deep, deep dark cave and got a family cell phone plan. i know, i know. you don't have to say anything. but we got the minimal plan (w/ unlimited texting) and the boy, girl and i got phones. holy hell folks, i now have a slide out keyboard on my phone. and it's purple for god's sake! yes, me, the one who poo-pooed the whole damn thing. what can i say? it was shiny and i liked it. the girl texts me every afternoon as soon as she gets on the school bus since she can't have it on in school. the boy isn't allowed to take his to school.
• i have spent most of the past weeks up until yesterday (first day of school) running around like a chicken w/ my head cut off. despite the fact we officially finished school shopping more than a week ago, there were last minute needs/wants. it seemed like every time we went anywhere the boy or the girl would remember they needed a belt or a notebook etc. oy vey i was fried.
• i also spent a lot of time getting ready for the hubs' bday (he turned 44 on monday). we had a family "surprise" party for him on saturday, my folks, sis & her fam and bro and his fam. srsly don't think the hubs was surprised considering how many times my mom and sis called asking me needless questions about it, especially since neither of them call on a regular basis. hello--secret? understand the concept?
• i totally fucked up his actual birthday however. i had spent weeks researching hammocks and visiting a couple of stores before deciding on which replacement hammock to get him (the one he got for father's day broke a month ago). i was soooo pleased. monday the kids and i finished our errands and i went to set the hammock up before the hubs got home and it was too big for our frame. fuckity fuck fuck. that was his gift--the hammock and pillow to go w/ it. so we had to rush out and get something else and i was totally not happy. so frustrated, very near tears. i wanted it to be a good day for him since i knew it was a rough bday to begin w/.
• the hubs had a hard time this year w/ his bday because it's the first bday w/out his brother--he used to call the hubs every year, preferably as early as possible to try to be the first person to wish him happy bday. and, though it's been 5 yrs since his mom died, she also always called. two calls that weren't happening this year--it had a powerful impact. his dad didn't call because he's on an alaskan cruise this week. said it was too expensive to call from the ship. don't even get me started on that man. i swear to god sometimes it takes everything i have not to call and rip that man a new asshole and tell him exactly what i think of him. i used to feel so differently, before the hub's mom died. he did get a call from his sister, but that was it.
• last week i also was dealing w/ a freelance project that turned into a goat rodeo because every person connected w/ the organization i was writing about had to put their two cents in. night.mare.
• this week i've got a little more freelance work going on, mostly writing press releases, but it feels good to have something going on.
• as much as i was ready for the kids to go to school, i like being here when they come home in the afternoon. of course i HATE getting up at 6am again, but once everyone is out the door by 7:45-8:00 i have 6 hours to myself. i am a person who needs alone time. i missed that this summer. yesterday i almost jumped for joy when i was alone. i puttered around the house, mowed the back yard and never once turned the tv on. it was heaven.
• oh! and i got a new digital camera (early) for my bday! it's awesome--24X optical zoom. zmog! i haven't discovered all of its many wonders, but i will and will share pics.

whew.

i plan on blogging and reading much more often. i miss reading you all!