Oops! Bad JoeGirl…

I can’t believe I completely forgot to post yesterday! E-Gad! I think that was the first weekday ever, since starting JoeGirl on June 20th, that I have not posted. Shameful, indeed. And I apologize.

What kept me so busy? I had a splendid day, actually. Here’s what I did…

After putting Quinn on the bus, I dropped Jake off at daycare, where I learned it had been his caregiver’s birthday the day before. Feeling sheepish for not acknowledging Pattie’s special day, I rushed home to design a card just for her.

I enjoy such a thrill during that first moment as pen touches paper. I use an extremely fine black felt-tip pen on creamy watercolour card stock. The pen glides over the bumps and valleys of the paper, letting my hand direct its tip to create the letters and sweet drawings. While I always prefer the simplicity and solitude of the ink-only drawings, I do often embellish my illustrations with colour, either marker or paint, making each card unique—and a wonderful gift in itself. You can shop for cards like this at my Joe Designs Etsy store!

At the same time, I designed another card for my dear friend Shelley, whose birthday is today. Shelley is such a compassionate person—always taking time out to lend a hand, offer a kind word, or share a hearty laugh.

For a few minutes before leaving home, I chatted on FaceBook with a newer friend of mine, James—one of Quinn’s senseis from Jiu-Jitsu. James is a young guy, but very powerful and bright. Not sure why we have connected—he’s into heavy metal and ultimate fighting (Mom’s worst nightmare, right?)—but we enjoy sharing small talk both at the dojo and online. James is a surprisingly gentle, genuinely compassionate guy, and such a great role model for both Quinn and myself.

I love when people younger than me become my role models. Not sure how to explain that one, but I suppose it comes from being 36, and wanting to be 24 again. I’m friends with people of many ages—both younger and older. There is value in every age and experience level, and once you find a person’s true colours, it is remarkable to watch those colours fill your own life with inspiration.

First stop: SuperStore pharmacy. My doctor prescribed Tetracycline for this Perioral Dermatitis I have developed on my chin, thanks to The Pill (which I stopped taking about five weeks ago). While waiting for the ‘scrip, I browsed the store for goodies. Quinn needed more long pants for the cooler days ahead, which I found easily—beige cords and dark jeans. I continued to wander up and down every Joe Fresh aisle. Can you believe it? A line of clothes called Joe. How perfect.

The fifteen minute wait-time went by quickly. I picked up the meds and headed to the shortest checkout line I could find: The Self-Serve Line. No sweat. I’m technologically inclined, right? Besides, I only have two pairs of clearly tagged and coded pants, and I want to get out of here NOW. What the heck.

Touch the screen to begin. Touch.
Please scan the first item. Scan. Drat. It scanned twice.

Where’s the Remove Item button? How do I get the second instance of these cords off the list? Hello? Heeeeellllloooo? Where is the @#$%@ Remove Item button???

Meanwhile, the system is telling me to place the item in the bag, which I have already done.

Please place the item in the bag. I’m placing—then shoving—it in the bag.
Please place the item in the bag. It’s in the $%&*#@ bag, already!!!

Then, from over my shoulder and about 6 metres (yards) away, I hear a quiet “Do you need to take an item off the list?” I turn to see a store employee talking to me. “Yes, I do.” She touches her own screen, and the second instance of Quinn’s new cords magically disappears from my list. I turn again, this time sheepishly, and say thanks.

Please scan the next item. Scan.
Please pay now. Debit. Done. Outta here.

Rats. I was supposed to pick Andrew up at 11:30am, and it is now 11:35am. I’m about seven minutes away from his office. Zoom, zoom.

Good thing I rushed {she says, sarcastically}. Andrew was stuck in a meeting which, in turn, meant I was stuck in the car until about 11:45am. No biggie. I’ve been wanting ME time, right? He hops in the car and tells me the meeting was still in progress, but he told them he just HAD to leave. What a sweetie.

We look so forward to our lunch dates. Our favourite treat? Vietnamese Pho—a huge bowl of tasty broth, enormous pile of rice noodles, thinly sliced strips of beef, garnished with bean sprouts, fresh basil and a splash of hot sauce. Our bellies slosh around for the rest of the day, but it is so worth it.

Next stop: IKEA. Haven’t been there since the new catalogue came out. Parking lot was packed. Still serving the back-to-school crowd, I see. My intent on this trip was to look for organizing solutions for the basement play area and the mudroom. I had been looking at their kids’ bin/drawer system, Trofast, for a while, calculating many possible configurations to best contain and control the toys. It wasn’t going to be cheap. The frames alone are $57 each, plus the bins. I was easily looking at over $300 to outfit the play area adequately. Ugh. In seeing the system in person, I wasn’t convinced, and therefore walked away armed with knowledge, but no product.

Then came the storage section—bins, boxes, shelves, hangers. I love this stuff. That’s where I found it. The perfect solution. Same concept as the kids’ system, but more grown-up and industrial. Which means more versatile down the road, right? And, whoa? What's this??? Only $18 per frame? How can that be? It’s way bigger, and the translucent (better than opaque ones, so you can see what’s inside, don’t you think?) bins offer at least double the capacity! Meet Antonius. Brilliant. I walked out of the store spending only $200 for three Antonius racks, 15 bins, boxes for Quinn’s school work, and a few other little things. I was completely stoked. What a find.

Last stop: Gotta Paint, to pick up the ceramic dishes Quinn and I created last Wednesday. We had a great time, sitting side by side designing and painting our plates. Mine is a Snacks for Santa plate, and his is a triangular one for pizza. Not a cheap date, but something I have always wanted to do with Quinn. He’s looking forward to having pizza tonight, just so he can use his masterpiece. Now that’s pride.

I was home by 3pm. Had just enough time to check, and respond to, a few emails and phone calls. Hung out with the boys after school/daycare. A neighbour stopped in for a visit, and to borrow my Benjamin Moore fan decks. Andrew came home, we made and devoured supper (President’s Choice White Macaroni and Cheese. Easy, but delicious!), then Andrew went off to pick up some Grolsch beer bottles for his home-brew, so the boys and I assembled the Antonius racks. WOW! Easiest IKEA assembly ever. All you need is a hammer or, even better, a rubber mallet. I swept up all the Duplo, train set components, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles paraphernalia, and numerous other piles of colourful plastic, and tucked it all away nicely into the fabulous drawers. So great. So, so great.

8:30pm came faster than I realized, so I whisked Jake up to bed, then dashed into the blue room to make Shelley her birthday gift. I can’t reveal it here just yet, as I haven’t had the chance to give it to her, and I know she is a very loyal JoeGirl reader. I was finished her gift by 10pm—completely zonked. Up to bed, and asleep in less than five minutes, I’m sure. Which is unusual for me.

So I hope you’ll forgive me for yesterday’s oversight. You deserve better. Oh, how I adore you all for reading JoeGirl. Thank you.

What’s the last thing you forgot to do?