It’s time for another hodge podge post.
Brace Faces
Today I made appointments for the kids to finally get their braces put on their teeth. It has been a long time coming and we kept having to put it off. Last summer I took them for consults and nailed down a reasonable quote that is good through June 20, 2019. Their appointment is the week prior to that deadline. I had hoped I’d be able to pay off both set of braces in full on the day of installation (and qualify for that discount), but CootieGirl’s wisdom teeth removal and my crowns in the past year have sucked away enough of that money that now I can only pay for ONE kid in full and will have to do monthly payments out of my HSA for the other. But that’s fine – we’ll still get the upfront discount for the one and will qualify for the sibling discount on the other, so there’s that little bit of savings at least.
GBBO’s Bakewell Tart
This weekend’s baking adventure will be Mary Berry’s Bakewell Tart. I don’t know if we’ll attempt it on Saturday or Sunday, but the only ingredient I need to buy is raspberries (which are not exactly in season, but hopefully we’ll find some in reasonable shape). This one involves making our own jam and making a rough pastry, which is a big deal for me because I do NOT like handling food with my hands. I even use a knife and fork to eat pizza (to my family’s eternal shame). So having to use my hands to mix flour and butter and then hand-knead it? Ugh. My worst baking nightmare. But I’ll do it in the name of science…er, baking challenges!
1980s Nostalgia
Seriously, folks, if you are a movie kid of the 1980s, you need to listen to 80s All Over. I mentioned this podcast a couple weeks ago in passing, but it has now become a nostalgia-fueled favorite of mine to listen to during my commutes to and from work. They talk about all the movies I loved – both good and bad. It was such an amazing decade of movies – from “Blues Brothers” and “Xanadu” in 1980, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Arthur” in 1981, “Diner” and “Mad Max Road Warrior” in 1982 to “Flashdance” and “Terms of Endearment” in 1983 and “Footloose” and “Sixteen Candles” in 1984. The podcast is about to do their Best of 1984 and then it’s on to 1985. If you grew up in the 1980s and have a love for movies, you HAVE to listen to this podcast, if only so you can cheer when Drew and Scott bring up a movie you forgot you loved, and making you fall in love all over again.
England Trip is Approaching
CootieGirl and I head to England next month. Forty-one days, to be exact. Her passport has arrived and we are eagerly counting down those days. Yesterday I booked our Eurostar train pass to go to Paris for a day. Since Denis is anti-French and has stated he will never go, I told CG this may be my only opportunity to ever sit at an outdoor table at Le Select where Hemingway and Picasso one sipped at their own coffee cups (albeit with mine filled with hot cocoa, not coffee) while watching unsuspecting tourists walk by, or stroll along the Champs-Elysee, or see the Eiffel Tower. I think that will be my favorite day of the entire trip, to be honest. I’ve always wanted to go to Paris! The key will be mapping out each place and figuring out the path of least resistance to see everything I want to see in the time we have.
Hallmark Update
Another thing on my agenda this weekend is to work on my Hallmark novel. I just finished reading a Hallmark novel that was purchased by Hallmark Channel to become a movie in the future. I immediately downloaded the book and quickly read it to see if what I plan to write (I’m still working on the chapter outline) even closely resembles what Hallmark might be looking for. Y’all – I was so disappointed in the book. Will it make a great movie? I can see its potential, for sure. But I am not a fan of any movie/book that implies that people can fall deeply in love in less than 24 hours. And in this book it wasn’t 24 hours – it was more like 12 hours. I had a really hard time with that and, as a result, did not like the book as much as I hoped.
Having said that, I think I am absolutely on track with my book although I’m going to make some changes to make it less Hallmark-trope heavy. I had already removed several while working on the chapter outline, and I think I’ll remove a few more. I’ve been watching some older Hallmark movies from 2014/2015 and they are less trope-y as well, and as much as I love my tropes, I don’t want my book to be one big eye roll because of them.
PTO
We got word from my company that we will be changing from PTO in 2020 to a flexible time off system. Since I live and work in states that do not pay out accrued vacation time if the plan changes, I have a LOT of PTO that I need to use in 2019 or else it’ll all be wasted. As such, it’s going to be a good year for time off! I count at least 25 days that I’ll be using from here on out in order to assure that all my accrued hours are used. That’s not even counting the 2-3 days I’ve already taken thus far in 2019. Granted, 7 of my days off will be the England trip in April, but now I’m thinking I’ll take an extended Memorial Day weekend, an extended July 4 weekend, an extended Labor Day weekend, a few mental health days, and the entire week of Christmas (and possibly through New Year’s).
And that’s about it. I’m sad it is raining. I’m glad it’s Friday.  What plans do you have this weekend?
Get some neoprene gloves, the blue ones, from Home Depot or Lowe’s. They’re in the painting section in bags of 10, I think. Then put a pair on, wash with soap and water and dry them. That may help with the dough cringe factor.
I do have a box of gloves that I pull from when I dye CG’s hair her crazy colors. Maybe I’ll give that a shot!