Ah, life...it's just crazy

I did it. Sort of. I called my boss yesterday morning to give my notice that I would no longer be working for him after December 31. I would love to leave, like 3 months ago, but I thought how symbolic it would be to start my new year fresh. A weight has definitely been lifted...it's true. Work was still frustrating today, and I decided not to tell many of my regulars that I had decided to quit simply because I want to wait until the last possible moment to deal with all of the questions and comments about my decision. So, I called my boss so that I wouldn't have to drag on the conversation longer than it needed to be. But, he wasn't at work. I really wanted to give him as much time as possible to find my replacement, so I didn't want to wait until his return to work on Friday. He didn't answer his cell, so I left him a message and said he could call me. He still has not made any attempt to contact me. I know that he got my message, though, because one of the other girls said he called her...because one of his other employees at his other shop also gave his notice this week. I was surprised, that I was surprised, that he had not called me. And , yes, that is what I meant. It is one of the reasons I need to leave. He's not a bad person, but you can tell he is tired of his business (I know he has been trying to sell it) and it is hard to work for a person who cares so little about his business that he can't find 5 minutes in his day to call the girl who has been running his store for 2 years to confirm that he got her message. I mean, come on! Because of me, he has not had to step foot in my shop for about a year and a half! Customers are shocked when I tell them I haven't seen him in over a year. But, whatever...it's his business. I am relieved to have finally taken the GIANT step to leave, and I'm even more relived that it seems like I will not even have to train my replacement, as he will probably just give the 'Wednesday girl' extra hours. Now I kind of want to leave sooner, knowing he doesn't actually have to 'replace' me. But enough of that.

Yesterday, after the call, I did my 'at home job' of cleaning. I scrubbed the bathroom (yes, on my hands and knees to scrub the floor), cleaned the kitchen (dishes, trash, that sort of thing), did a load of 'gross' laundry (bathmat, shower curtain, dog blankets), paid my bills (online banking has made life so much easier!), packaged up my latest Etsy sale. Then I took the rest of the day for me...a delicious hot bath, steaming hot pot of coffee with Christmas movies, online surfing, hanging with the pets, and more Christmas planning. Then Hubby got home and we went grocery shopping...we had 2 bags of frozen broccoli, a bag of rice, a box of Gorgonzola cheese crackers, and a jar of pizza sauce. Dinner the night before was a concoction of the chicken we had left, a can of tomatoes, linguine, broccoli, and cheese all baked up in the oven. But now we won't need to shop for another 3 weeks. Days off never seem to really be days 'off'...why doesn't stuff take care of itself!? It's amazing to me, on the days when everything actually gets done!

After all of our money worries with me quitting, it looks like I will be working the Vet. job all Christmas week as the other kennel girl is going away for an extended holiday weekend. Can't pass up money now, plus I actually like that job.

Here's a link to see the kimono I bought (family, don't look if you want to be surprised!). I love that it was ('likely') made in the 20's. I will definitely post Christmas pictures. Since I don't have to travel, I can't forget my camera!

I'm not sure why I don't have any shots from last years '50's Christmas'? (Donna, if you have some maybe could you email me?) But here's a couple from our 'Victorian Christmas' from the year before.

This was the outfit I made for hubby. I actually took a jacket and shortened the front to make it into 'tails'! I was pretty proud of how it turned out. I was going to crop my head out of the shot, but MAN, my hair is awesome!! (I did this very early in the morning, I think)
We girls had practiced a little bit of Christmas music on our recorders, but I think we should've done our performance BEFORE drinking my eggnog...I couldn't stop laughing! My dress is actually a wedding dress I bought at a thrift shop (right after getting engaged) for $30!! I have worn that dress so many times and in so many different ways...best $30 I ever spent.

Well, kind of a strange end to this post, but I felt like it needed some pictures!