So much going on and yet, ...nothing to report.

I haven't been blogging lately. No idea why. I really am quite bored at work these days but I can't really do this sort of thing there.

When I get home, I've been giving myself more slack than ever when it comes to expectations - some nights I'll cook and some nights I give in and order out. All nights I lay around in my PJs after Evie is down by 7:30PM.

I finally put away the last of the Christmas decorations today. I had a wreath up on the mantle, some lights, a trio of Yuletide singing cow pig & chicken electronics (ah, its so horrible, its great), and some reindeer. I can now officially cross that task off my list.

I actually dusted something today (no idea when I last did that. Its seriously must have been before Evie was born) and even vacuumed the baseboards in the hallway. I'm realizing how truly gross my house is. I now see why my mother is horrified. I also now see why that woman could never handle a full-time job when I was a kid. The limited time to clean, organize, cook, bake and run a household goes completely on the wayside when you have a 3ft tall munchkin terrorizing the dog with a plastic recorder in hand.

Oh! Here's something worth reporting!
I booked a house on the Outer Banks today. Yippee! Rob and I haven't had a true "vacation" in years. No exaggeration. We went to Asheville for 1 overnight this past Thanksgiving Weekend but that was sandwiched in between the days spent with my parents for the actually Thanksgiving holiday in Greensboro. It was so nice but not nearly long enough to be deemed a "vacation". Before that, we went to Virginia Beach for 2 nights in August of 2005. Before that, we went to Montreal for 1 week in September 2004. Now THAT was a "vacation".
So, I found a dog-friendly house in Avon for late August. We will be staying there from Sunday to Sunday (one full week! Yes!) but we will also be bringing the dog, a 2-yr-old... oh, and my parents. This could prove great or really bad. Fortunately the house has separate TV rooms, 2 separate decks, a hot tub and a neighborhood pool pass so I am hoping we will all find ways to take breaks from one another. I'm also anticipating finding time to dump Evie with grandma/grandpa (er, did I say dump? I meant "lovingly drop off and leave in the care of") for a day or two.