I'm done.

That's right. I'm officially retiring from the freelance game. Hanging up my hat. Letting the fat lady belt it out. Throwing up my two fingers and screaming "Peace Out!" Been tinkering with the idea for a moment, but when I said it out loud this morning, it felt good. It feels right. I'm just tired, you know? I sit in front of a computer for 8 (sometimes 8+ hours) at work and when I get home it's around 6pm. From 6pm to around 10pm I do the cook, clean home, spend time with husband, thing and then I'm sleep. (Really I probably do all of that within the first 2 hours of being home to be sleep by 8pm hehehe) I'm getting to the point that I resent my computer and the work I used to enjoy so much. Never wanted to be bitter with the career that I love, so I'm going to get, while the getting is still good. Toodles freelance, I've got a million other things that I really NEED to get done. So I'm determined to knock out some long overdue and some "just come up" jobs by the end of next month (7/31/07 people!!!) and then my home laptop will be used for random internet googling only. Yep. And typing this up and posting it makes me feel all the more human and less hostile about the projects that I have at hand. There is an end, and I WILL meet it. {If you're reading this and currently I have something on my plate that is long overdue for you, I'm not going to lie, it would be wise to email me, but don't call. I'm lining up my targets in order of date needed, date job received, and whatever other cryptic method of organization I can muster up, and I'm picking them off one by one. If you email, I can put an end to your "why the crap is she taking so long" misery and give you an ETA (estimated target (or project) assassination). I promise I haven't forgotten, I'm just procrastinating the mess out of it... sorry....

On a happier front. Or really does it get any happier than announcing RETIREMENT? Anyway, I had a small goal of obtaining some topiaries for the front of our house. I consider it my contribution to my husband's yard (fore I am not a yard-work kind of girl and refuse to touch a mower. The yard is Kj's creative canvas like the inside of the house is supposed to be mine {sans the new "I'm not sure how that's going to look/work/go" creative interior design voice that has been developed by an unnamed member of this family unit of two}. So if you dip your paint brush and mark on my canvas, it's only fair that I can do the same to yours right? Okay, back to my topiaries. Well, I wanted the spiral ones like these:



but the cost is ridiculous! I also want them to be artificial as my green thumb well... because of its past performance the color is in question... so, I decided I'd make them. Brilliant, right?! So Saturday morn (when I should have been doing some freelance, but I digress...) I set off to Old Time Pottery in search of cheap greenery and some planters. Absolutely no luck on the greenery and the planters I picked up, well, I was pretty sure that they were going to have to go back (so sure that I had the cashier tape the receipt to the box). I was feeling kind of low and decided to stop by Michael's Craft store on my way home. My last ditch attempt in the 183 degree heat (really) to complete my dream topiary project. Low and behold, I believe God thought I'd had enough because I walk into the store and I see that their topiaries are on SALE. 40% off. Then I spot 2 "ball" topiaries that I immediately decide will do just as well as the spiral. Whoooo-hoooo! 1 splinter, a few sprigs of moss in my hair (one was on a top shelf and yes, I disregarded the sign and climbed on my cart and the lower shelf to get MY topiary by MYSELF with no store assistance), and $60 later I was the proud owner of these:



Don't they just make the house look lovely. I think so. The planters even worked perfectly! And no one else in our sub-division has them! It might have something to do with living in FL and these things not even looking like they really belong in a heat-stroke hot, no dirt, but sand, palm tree infested habitat... but I could care less. They so bring out the AL in me. ;-) So for the rest of my time here in FL, should you come to visit, we're the house with the green ivy balls by the garage (at-least until the direct sunlight turns them turquoise... but the Michael's lady said I've got at-least a year before that happens...)!

Happy Monday!