Quick Update

We saw some big time progress on our house when we went by this weekend.  I took a picture with Jacob's camera, so I'll try to load that tomorrow, because I have no idea where it is.  The inside has been painted, and there was a guy in there all weekend working on trim, closets, and the cabinets.  I am SO EXCITED about how the cabinets turned out.  They're exactly what I wanted, so I can't wait to see how they look once the lights are in and the countertops are on.  We still don't have a closing date (who needs it?), so I have no idea when the house is going to be ready, but it's nice to actually see some progress. Also, the carpenter (?) had brought his dog into our house to hang out while he was working, so when we walked through yesterday, I of course spent 10 minutes petting and talking to the dog.  Somehow, when we got back to our apartment, I got my coat off before Andy and Oscar smelled the dog's scent on me, so while we were at Jacob's office party, Oscar discovered my dog-smelling coat and decided to mark it.  So we came home to my coat soaked with urine.  Note to self: ALWAYS let Oscar smell anything a dog touched before he discovers it on his own.  Maybe that's what happened to our Christmas tree last year....

Well we survived the office Christmas party.  It was pretty uneventful, really.  The entertainment was this improv group they flew in from NY, and they were pretty good, but NO ONE in the crowd was participating except for me and Jacob, so I felt really bad for them.  Improv totally relies on crowd participation, and apparently a bunch of nerdy engineers and oilfield workers make for a terrible and unimaginative crowd.  I ended up wearing the lace dress I ordered online, even though it was way too big for me.  It totally hung off my chest, so I should have stuffed my bra.  It looked like I had either borrowed the dress from a heavy friend, or had just had gastric bypass.  That would've been a great way to meet Jacob's coworkers "oh, yeah, sorry about my dress...a little baggy...you should see all my loose skin!"  There was a professional photographer taking pictures there, so we got one taken, but other than that, we didn't take any pictures all dressed up.  I thought about it as we were waiting for the party bus (which did have black lights and a stripper pole) to take us home.  It was cold and I was tired, so neither of us took our jackets off.

DANA-notice in the picture you can see my wonky pinkie finger from when I broke it.  I told you it looks terrible. You might have to click the picture to make it bigger, but you can't tell me you don't see how that finger shoots off in a different direction.
Okay, sorry.  I had to prove that point to her.  ANYWAYS, I decided to experiment with my makeup for the party, so I bought liquid eyeliner, and tried to do a winged eyeliner.  For my first try, it came out pretty good, although not super noticeable.  I wanted to make sure it wasn't obvious so Jacob was embarrassed to be seen with me, so I asked him what he thought about my eye makeup.  He was like "it's fine.  Although...is it supposed to flare out like that?"  I told him it was, and he seemed satisfied with that.  He assured me he wasn't embarrassed to be seen with me (for that reason anyway), and I kept it.  I wish I had taken a closeup picture, because I wanted an opinion on it.  Oh well. 

We gave the boys their Christmas presents early, and I think it's a success.  Oscar's gotten really bad about always having to lay on the couch.  When Jacob and I are both on the couch and there isn't room for Oscar, he seems genuinely concerned and worried about how he'll rest.  He always looks at us really pathetically like "my legs are so tired and my big head is so heavy!"  The thought doesn't even occur to him that he could lay down on the floor.  So we bought them big dog beds, and Oscar's actually been sort of interested.

He really likes when they're pushed together like that, so he can stretch as much as he wants without having to touch the floor.  Of course, at the moment, he's curled up next to me on the couch, covered by a blanket.  Baby steps.

Tomorrow is my last day before I start work, so I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself to make it worthwhile.  Obviously there's a trip to Herbergers and Walmart in there, but so far I can't think of anything else.  Suggestions?

Tonight I made brownies, my first attempt to make them from scratch, and they are GOOD.  For my additions to the batter, I added chocolate chips and marshmallows, and they're the moistest, gooiest brownies ever.  The only downside is that the recipe makes a 9x9 pan, and we're almost out.  I mean, I did give some to my neighbor, but not enough to justify how little we have left.  Next time I make them, I'm definitely doubling the recipe.  And make sure you have enough milk handy, because you'll want it.