Just in Time for Closing...

I think I finally caught up on the work that was waiting for me when I came back from vacation only to realize that closing for the month is now upon us...nevermind...JOB SECURITY! I'm very grateful for a good job and the busier I am the faster the time goes.

Speaking of which....where did JUNE go????? I can't believe it's over already. What with the new baby at the end of May causing all the hooplah and my vacation time coming and going and graduation parties I lost a whole month somewhere...it's true, time flies when you're having fun.

And I am having fun! Several times a week an excited voice breaks into my day saying "I have a picture!" and I realize that it's my phone and Stephanie has texted me a new pic of cute little Rory! Even the dead battery in my car this morning couldn't dampen my spirits. (Thank the good Lord for Triple-A!)

The Week After Vacation....

Back the old grind...grateful to have a good job...buried under paperwork. It took me two days just to organize things, but I think I can start the actual billing process now. it's always great to get away, but the aftermath can really set you back to square one. Working for, let's see...six...project managers can be a bit confusing at times. I've threatened to get a mirror for my desk so that I can see which hat I'm wearing and keep myself on track. It's not really that bad, but sometimes when they all have requests at once it can be a juggling act.

Then there was payroll...Monday mornings I usually just have to check over the time cards to make sure the hours add up, the hours are distributed to overtime and premium time correctly depending on the county and job numbers are listed properly. My least favorite task of the entire week. If I'm going to gripe about anything at work this part of my job is it. And I do gripe....frequently.
I came back to a new system in which I now have to help input the data into the computer as well! What a crock of malarky. I do not do payroll...I am not a payroll person! However, I was not given a choice and my job description states "whatever my supervisor asks me to do" so there I was...rock and a hard place...I just bit the bullet and did it. And felt grateful to have a good job. When the supervisor thanked me for helping and mentioned that the week she was on vacation I would have no trouble doing all the time cards on my own I quickly reminded her that in the past I simply faxed the time cards northward to the corporate office where the "payroll people" did the inputting...and by the way, thanks alot. The Monday morning stress factor just increased by about 100 percent.
"JOB SECURITY!" I hear my co-workers shout. That's because I always tell them that when they gripe.

Still, all in all, it's a great place to work and I am very blessed.

Vacation

I'm home, and there's no place like it, especially my own comfy bed! I had such a great week visiting with all my family in the Fresno area and seeing my brand new great-nephew, Rory Maclaine Barnes! It was a full week, but I enjoyed myself very much. I got home in time to relax awhile and then have dinner with my kids and a good friend at The Lazy Dog Cafe....Bahama Chicken, yum! It was fun, but it's taking me too long to type this because my fingers won't co-operate so I'm off to bed...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Saturday Breakfast Excursion

Sara had a Saturday off for a change so we decided to head down to a wonderful little cafe in Dana Point that was recommended to Ryan by a co-worker who lives there. It was a beautiful day, with bouts of sprinkles intermingled with sunshine as we headed down I-5. A great morning for a drive, a great morning for a family field trip!

We located the cafe on a one-way street in picturesque Dana Point which was a hoot because I, as a passenger, was getting out of the car in the street....weird. It was a great little place. We loved the ambiance and the food was good. But the best part for me was a very friendly French native waitress (probably part owner) of the cafe. What an interesting person. She really made our experience special and I for one will be happy to make that trip again to eat in her cafe.

We couldn't go back the way we came due to one-way Pacific Coast Highway at that point so while we were roaming around looking for the way to the I-5 we got to see a little bit of Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and San Juan Capistrano, a very nice scenic route back to the freeway. Some really gorgeous homes and estates overlooking the ocean. What a view!

We headed home to the melodious voice of Michael Buble and I believe a good time was had by all.

Topsy Turvy

While the title of this post could be an apt description of my life from time to time, it's really not about me.

I have embarked on a quest of sorts, to see how I fair at growing tomatoes. I just love tomatoes. In almost any form. Catsup is one of my least favorite forms while marinara sauces give me goose bumps I love them so much. But the best way of all that I can remember eating tomatoes was fresh from the field, ripe and still hot from the sun. Delish. When I was small (believe me there was a time in my life, I kid you not) we lived across the street from a huge tomato field and we were allowed to pick and eat as much as we wanted. I can't tell you how many tomatoes I devoured during that time. Then, as I grew older we always had a garden and Grandma had a garden so fresh tomatoes were a staple on our table for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I decided to try my luck and since I live in the city, in a small duplex with a postage stamp size yard, I decided to try the upside down tomato plant method or the Topsy Turvy planter as you see in the photo. Ryan helped me assemble it and hang it on a clothesline post in the back yard. And we're off! I hope it works out because I would love to have fresh tomatoes this summer!