Working the new morning routine...

Coffee, computer, job applications and bickering pups...oh and a bit of snow falling outside. :)

(The pictures came out looking kind of cool - not technically perfect though. I was just playing around with some of the settings and these are what happened when I did. I like how they came out and that I accidentally captured that bird coming in for a landing!)

Oops...maybe I should stop saying how much I like snow!

Just checked and the estimates have gone up. I am very grateful that I don't have to commute right now. And I'm very grateful that I have a bunch of treats in the house and streaming Netflix so I'm all set for the next couple days!

The view from my window...

Sunrise on the snow while I was having my coffee and reading the want ads. Beautiful!

I had a good, productive day yesterday getting things done around the house and applying for a few more jobs. I never turned on the TV for background noise. The quiet was lovely. I started watching a movie that's been on my list forever (Sex and the City) and enjoyed a lovely dinner with John. He left for Maine for 3 days this morning.

Today was running errands and making sure I was stocked up for the snow (yes more snow!) coming tonight in case I can't get out tomorrow or Saturday. The Smart Car may be stinkin' cute and wonderful on gas, but it is not good about getting out of the driveway that has snow on it. UGH! Normally this isn't an issue, but John's work car is out of commission right now and he has the SUV with him in Maine. So it's hunker down time for me! My big plan is to clean out/rearrange the kitchen cabinets. It's long, long overdue and much needed. Wish me luck!

A much needed laugh...

This was the message that came up when I clicked on a job posting this morning:

We are currently upgrading the treadmill that powers the TweetMyJOBS engine, and looking for a replacement hamster. We should be up and running shortly.

Another beautiful snowy day and the job search is on...

It's snowing out. Beautiful, big, fluffy flakes of gently falling snow. It looks like a winter wonderland out my window! I'm enjoying the quiet (I love how the world sounds so "soft" when it's snowing outside) which is only broken up by the sound of the "noisemakers" (see earlier post this month) and my sick husband snoring away. LOL!

Here's a little update on what's been going on.

Friday I went to the office and picked up my things before everyone got in for the day. There wasn't much since I'd only been there 9 months. Made me a little sad because I really liked the people I worked with. I had a nice chat with the CFO and I'll head back next week to have lunch with everyone. I consoled myself with one last trip to Panera and drowned my sorrows in a frosted valentine's shortbread cookie and bought John a couple of his beloved cheddar & jalapeno bagels as a treat. Then it was time for a little retail therapy at Michael's and AC Moore because I won't get to Bellingham any time soon and they're both on the same exit. I was pretty well behaved and didn't go over my budget! Yeah! For dinner, John and I tried calzones from the new pizza place we're test-running (because our favorite place became just awful when the owner stopped supervising). They were delicious and huge and are now going to be a Friday night regular. :)

Saturday I got to have some fun with my friend Julie. A girls' day! So long overdue and so much appreciated! We took a drive through the backroads of CT and MA and headed to Woodstock and Putnam for a little antique shopping and lunch. Of course, since I had given myself permission to get myself a little something, the only that I saw that I really, really, really wanted was a vintage letterpress draw filled with letterpress alphabets and numbers...for $375! It was a thing of beauty and was screaming "take me home...you know you want me...c'mon you can do it!". It took all my willpower to not buy it and justify it as a gift to make up for a difficult past year. I'm still thinking of it and hope the desire for it fades soon! I also updated my Monster.com resume posting and crossed my fingers that someone will see it and find it interesting enough to contact me (besides the insurance sales people from last year).

Sunday was just a lazy day at home with a sick man and lots of tissues and TV. I did a quick Wal-Mart run to stock up on medicine and supplies and then it was quality time on the couch and taking care of John.

Yesterday I got to babysit the 3 girls for my cousin. The little dude is sick (double ear infection) and he had a doctor's appointment. It was not one of my best times with them. I was not in the best of moods (bad, bad morning with the dogs getting up early, one big accident from the old guy and hitting that angry phase of getting through the layoff and the new hand of cards I have to play in this life) and I was short with G when we were playing Sorry. I need to work on that. But overall we had fun playing with the crafting kit I got them for Christmas and just being silly together. John got home early so we got to have lunch together and then it was just more relaxing so he'd relax and get better.

Today I'm going to do some laundry, make my wish list of projects to accomplish with this unexpected time off, update my journal and clean up the bedroom to get it ready for the new bed coming later this month. John's home today so maybe we'll head out for a bit to take some pictures and enjoy the pretty winter scenery.

Here's to a productive and good week for me. I've got some following up to do on the 5 jobs I've applied for and more to apply for. Fingers crossed...

Some pictures from this morning...

Olive and Enzo demonstrating how they plan to spend the snow day...

Doesn't the Smart Car (that snow pile in the middle) look like it's been breathing through those 2 little holes in front?
The bird feeders and one of the many visitors this morning...
John trying to make some headway at the end of the driveway with our redneck plow...
Stuck in the snow trying to make it to the street...
It's going to be a great day for pictures I think!

I got my wish...

There's at least 8" of snow out there this morning and more on the way! It was too dark for pictures, but I wish I could have got a few of Miss Olive venturing out into snow that came up to her chin. She was NOT happy! Enzo is used to it and just went about his business. Miss Olive...not so much. Came running back in and waited until I went out to shovel a path for her. Then she wasn't pleased with the size of the area I cleared and kept trying to venture out farther only to freak out when the snow covered her face. It's going to be a long day with her. LOL!

John won't be working today (no place for a private investigator to park during a snow emergency) so we're going to watch movies, eat some junk food and enjoy the day together.

Happy Snow Day!

Day One of the next chapter in life...

I think it's pretty interesting that it's happening on 1/11/11!

Last night I got laid off. Again. By email. Which wasn't as bad as it sounds. This layoff wasn't entire unexpected (I'd adjusted my schedule/pay to 3 days a week to avoid it recently), so getting the email (with a text alert that I should check my email) allowed me the opportunity to have my little breakdown in private and to talk to the boss when I had pulled myself together and could do so calmly. And it helped me avoid her having to do it in her office which is a fishbowl and everyone would have been able to see it. And I would have had to try to control the mess I would be while saying goodbye to people I really liked and enjoyed working with each day. So as of today I have a little less than 3 weeks to find a job or file for unemployment. I'll go to the office later this week to pick up my stuff and say goodbye. And I don't have to worry about getting to work tomorrow during the Nor'easter heading our way!

I'm working on updating my resume and there were several good prospects I found today. So I'm going to hold onto the belief that my job is out there waiting for me. The one where I don't dread going in each day and the one that doesn't make me feel dumb all the time. The one that challenges me and allows me to use and expand my abilities. The one that I'll be at until I retire. (That's my dream right now.)

I am lucky to have very supportive friends and family (and an amazing husband). I'll get through this and come out better off than today. I have faith.

And to make sure I really try to get that job so I can start saving money again, I made big travel plans to celebrate John's 50th birthday with our good friends. We're going to Disney and we're doing it right! 2 years to save...gotta get that job soon!

And now on to daily life. I ran a couple errands this morning and got the supplies to get snowed in for a couple days (another small dream LOL!). I've got plenty of scrapbooking projects to play with, Netflix movies/streaming and good food/junk food a plenty. Bring on the snow!!!

Checking off my "To Do" list...

and making the best of having today off. So far I have ordered copies of some family pictures from the photographer's website, finished and ordered an 8x8 book of the wedding from Shutterfly, undecorated the Christmas Tree and put it away, and had breakfast (not on the list, but important to do!). All of this productivity brought to you by John having to leave just after 4:00 am this morning and the dogs thinking this was a good time to get up! I also edited the picture of my cover for the One Little Word class I'm taking at Big Picture Classes so I can post it (part of keeping myself accountable for getting things done this year). It definitely needs something else, but that can come later.

Yesterday I made reservations for John and I to go visit Rockland and Camden again. We're going to be staying at the Samoset Resort in Rockport (between Rockland and Camden - I still don't get why there's a Rockport and a Rockland next door to each other). We drove by and checked out the resort on our way home from Wedding Week in August. It's a lovely place with a fabulous location. We can walk to the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse and there's lots of beach area to do some beachcombing. We're hoping to get some kayaking in and definitely dinner at Prism again and lunch at Cappy's. If we can fit it in, we also really want to go back to Brevetto. Ok...there's a food theme here as you can see! Some of our favorite places to eat are in this area and it's always hard to choose among them. We can't wait to get back up there for a visit!

Time to walk away from the computer for a bit. House cleaning and laundry are calling me...

A new love for me...

I was so excited when I saw them for 50% off when we were checking out at Barnes & Noble last night! I wanted them, but couldn't justify the $40 just in case I wanted to try and journal every day for 2011. But I've been doing it every night on scrap paper and this weekend my project was to find/create something to keep by my bed. The rainbow of color just makes me smile to see it and the books are beautifully made. They were a great deal at $18 (love my member discount)! In case you're loving them too, they seem to be sold out online, but check your local Barnes & Noble store.

And as a follow up to yesterday's post, I woke up this morning to 2-3" of beautiful white fluffy snow! My world is covered in a lovely white blanket!

Have a beautiful Sunday!

It's snowing...

(picture from last year)

I'm going to just say it and run...

I love, love, love snow! I love how the world looks fresh and clean. I love the way it makes the world sound softer. I love watching the dogs play in it. I love looking out my window and just watching it fall. I hope this time we get more than a dusting.