Office Life: Advancing While Staying Put

I've worked the same job in the same office for 8 and a half years.  Way back when I was being interviewed for the job, it was made very clear to me that this position was not a stepping stone to bigger things; this was it.  There would be nowhere to advance.  Some people might have been immediately turned off, but it was music to my ears.

I've never had the desire to climb the corporate ladder and work my way up to the supposedly-coveted corner office.  My goal was to find a job I like and give it my all.  I didn't want to worry about looking for the next big thing or fighting for a promotion or seeing if I could eventually utilize my experience elsewhere for a fatter paycheck.  I just wanted to get a job, be awesome at it, and stick with it.  I'm sure it sounds like I'm not ambitious and that I've become complacent, but that is not the case.

Doing the same job for several years may sound like monotonous drudgery.  I suppose that can be true, but it doesn't have to be that way.  Although I obviously deal with much of the same each day, there are ways to keep things enjoyable and to improve myself and my work and expand what I do.

Shopping and Swinging

After tackling the porch steps on Friday, Ernie forged ahead on Saturday with many more outdoor projects.  While he worked, Matthew and I decided to go out for a little while.  Our first stop was Target.

Matthew loves riding in shopping carts.  Being a stroller in a store doesn't cut it anymore.  He likes to be up higher and able to observe more freely.

I picked up some boring household items, but I also got a few things for Matthew.  It's getting way too warm for his footie pajamas, so some new summer pajamas were in order.

Once we left Target, I decided to stop at a playground that I knew had toddler swings.  I've been wanting to allow him to enjoy some swinging, but our previous playground stops only had swings for bigger kids.  Matthew definitely enjoyed the swing.

Once he grew tired of swinging, we walked around the park and explored.  When I decided it was time to go, Matthew resisted and ended up falling and scraping his knees on the asphalt.  Poor kid!  I felt so bad.  I cleaned him up as best as I could, and then we headed home.  

At Target, Matthew had spotted one of his favorite books from his day care and was stretching and trying to get out of the cart to get to it.  Obviously, I had to buy it.  I also picked up a couple new toys for Matthew's Little People Farm. I figured these new toys would make up for the knee scrapes he suffered.  Turns out, all I needed were the boxes.

Picture Perfect

We do not have much hanging on our walls.  Our house was brand new when we moved into it back in 2005, and it took a long time before we committed to hanging any pictures.  There is a chocolate lab painting upstairs, two train pictures in the living room, two lighthouse pictures in the downstairs bathroom, and Brett Favre in our dining room (I'm really surprised I got away with that).

I decided I'd like to have some family pictures displayed in Matthew's room.  Something to hang made sense, and I wanted to have pictures from both sides of the family.  At the first store I looked at, I immediately found a frame I loved.

There is plenty of ink in our printer, and I had several sheets of photo paper, so I decided to see what I could put together.  I went through pictures from our wedding and from Ernie's mom and stepdad's wedding.  I dedicated one side to my family and one side to Ernie's family (four pics each).  I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Ernie will be hanging it in Matthew's room sometime this weekend.  Well, hopefully this weekend.  He has a lot of plans for things to accomplish around the house on this three-day weekend.  Last night, he tore apart the front porch steps after he noticed they were unsteady.  He discovered rotting wood and other fun stuff.  One trip to Home Depot and lots of work fixed that though.

Once Matthew wakes up from his nap, I think a trip to a playground is in order.

Trip to the Greenhouse

I do not have a green thumb, but I do love flowers.  Fortunately, my mother is very knowledgeable in that area.  Thanks to her, I am able to enjoy some lovely flowers outside my house once winter goes away.  She told me last week that a trip to the greenhouse was definitely in order.  When I got home from work yesterday, we hopped in my car with Matthew and went to get some flowers.

This was Matthew's first time visiting a greenhouse.  I wasn't sure if he'd enjoy himself or not, but it was quickly clear that he was mesmerized by all of the beautiful flowers.

Matthew and I happily wandered all of the aisles while my mom made the important decisions.  She kept asking me what I'd like, and I did help to narrow down some choices, but I truly consider her the expert and wanted her to just buy whatever she felt was best.  I knew that we couldn't go wrong with whatever she decided.

Next to the checkout, there was a bin with free watering cans for "junior gardeners."  Matthew proudly grabbed a watering can before we left.  The owner said that he would hire Matthew in a few years, once he got a little taller and a few more muscles.  My mom said, "He should probably stop wetting his pants too."  Ha ha!  Poor Matthew.  It's hard being 18 months!  The owner said that wasn't a big deal though and that "it happens."  I think you're in, Matthew!

1 Year and in the Clear

I took the day off from work yesterday to take Matthew to the doctor.  He was diagnosed with hip dysplasia when he was a newborn and had to wear a corrective harness.  It came off in May of last year, with the scheduling of an appointment to follow-up in a year.  Matthew had to be x-rayed, and unfortunately, the x-ray machine in the doctor's office was broken.  We had to go elsewhere to get the x-ray done, which meant going to a huge, overwhelming x-ray room.  Matthew freaked out and was really upset, but he cooperated well.  When we went back to the doctor, we were told that Matthew looked "absolutely perfect" with no need for any additional appointments.

I'm so grateful to have this experience behind us!  Because of the x-ray machine issue, our appointment took a little longer than expected.  Matthew was ready for a nap not long after we got home.

We are having a potluck lunch at work today, so I put a dish together yesterday to contribute.  I decided to make Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad.  I made it once for us for dinner and loved it.  I had served it warm then, so this is my first time making it in advance and serving it cold.  I hope it goes over well.  It's obviously a bit spicy, so we'll see if people like it or if I should just go back to bringing cookies on potluck days.

For our dinner, I decided to make beef burritos.  The only thing I omit from that recipe is the garlic.  That's odd for us, as we are big garlic lovers.  The first time I made these burritos though, the garlic seemed to stick out too much.

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen yesterday but also plenty of extra time to play with Matthew.  I love days off with him.  He seemed to have recently went through a phase where he was extremely independent in playing, but now he seems to prefer having us around, even if it's just to sit on our laps while he plays.  He really enjoys books, blocks, puzzles, and his Fisher Price Little People farm.

Speaking of which, I think Matthew could use a lap to sit on right now.

The Simple Things

Thursday night was another round of preliminaries for Your Hometown Idol.  Now there won't be any action until the finals in July.  I had planned to write about this on Friday, but I woke up that morning extremely sick.  There was no way I was making it to work.  I couldn't even bring myself to watch TV or read a magazine.  I was too miserable to sleep, so I basically spent the day in bed doing nothing.


That was my entire Friday, pretty much (how thrilling).  I couldn't even keep down water for most of the day but started seeming a little better in the evening.  Ernie and Matthew walked to the store to get me some Vernor's.  I sipped it slowly for a couple hours, and it made me feel better (oh, the magic of Vernor's!).

I felt better on Saturday but was still very sore and achy and had a headache.  It was pretty much another day of doing nothing but hanging out.  Chewie was a good companion for that.

I woke up on Sunday and felt amazing.  I was so excited!  Ernie and Matthew were already awake, so I rushed downstairs to join them.  I brewed some coffee, got a load of laundry going, and sat at the computer to pay bills.   I was thrilled by my ability to be able to accomplish these mundane tasks.  It really made me appreciate how wonderful it is to just wake up and be healthy.

Since Matthew basically didn't get any attention from me for two days, I was eager to hang out with him.  We ran errands together and had a blast, although he was a little angry at me for not letting him run around the parking lot at Trader Joe's.  How dare I not want him to get hit by a car in the small and busy parking lot!  The parking lot at the next grocery store was quieter though, so he was able to walk from the cart return back to the car with me.  He loves his independence in situations like that.  Occasionally, he will be fine with holding my hand, but he normally just wants to forge on his own (with me right by his side, ready to yank him out of harm's way, much to his dismay).

Ernie had mowed the lawn while we were gone, so we got to enjoy some time in the freshly groomed backyard when we got home.  While we were playing, we found a little friend.

Of course, now I wake up this morning feeling sick to my stomach.  I couldn't even finish one piece of dried toast or a glass of my beloved Vernor's (breakfast of champions!).  I'm trying to look on the bright side and compare how I feel now to how I felt on Friday.  I'm hoping I'll feel better as I get on with my day.  I better, as I've been looking forward to being able to complete the routine tasks I take for granted.

Wish List: For Our Home

1. Our front door is very worn looking and could use a fresh coat of paint.  It is currently a deep burgundy color, but I'd love to convince Ernie that we should take the plunge and get a purple door.  The purple door on this page is beautiful!

2. Our kitchen island tends to become a dumping ground for keys, mail that Ernie needs to look at, and various reminders.  This mail center would be a great solution.

3.  I have long dreamed about having a gorgeous photo or painting of the Mackinac Bridge hanging above our couch.  I'd love to get a 20" by 30" canvas of this print by Angie McCullagh. Her photos are gorgeous!

4.  Our current towels are are a little worn out, to put it politely.  Ernie has been clinging to a couple of Tommy Hilfiger towels in particular that he doesn't want to give up, so I think these towels would make us both happy.  I know he would want navy, but I could also go for some blue, grey, and sand ones.

5.  Before Matthew was born, we had a computer room on the first floor that Ernie kindly painted a dark, bright purple per my request (yes, it's my favorite color, hence #1).  With Matthew needing his own room, the computer room was converted to our guest room.  The current bedding doesn't fit in well and is a little worn after a well-meaning guest machine washed the dry clean only comforter.  This comforter set would simple and beautiful.