We have finished the leftovers from Christmas dinner. As part of it, I made Martha Stewart’s mac n cheese, which was suggested to me by Receptionist who DOES go on about it. I thought the recipe was a bit fussy compared to mine — hers involved pre-warming the milk and constantly whisking, bit fussy, but that Martha, she’s fussy. We all liked it. Although the consensus was mine is preferred, Martha’s mac n cheese reheats like a dream, tastes like it was just made, and there is something to be said for that. Nom nom.
There are still about 50 cookies left. I took some to work and everyone enjoyed them. As you may suspect, I do not work at a bakery, so when one of my bosses raved at length about my cookies, telling me those thumbprint cookies sell for $3 a piece at Panera and they’re not as good as mine, and then added, “You missed your calling,” it was quite awkward. Following that, I had to take him a draft which I know was not as impressive as my shortbread. However, I’m certain my draft was better than any baker at Panera could write. The revisions will be on my chair in the morning, so we’ll see.
I like knowing there’s a two-day pause in the middle of my week. I keep saying I worked Monday, but my Monday was Thursday and this week also has Thurmonday. I have driven my husband crazy about days and dates.
Everyone’s doing a sort of inventory or reflecting on 2019 or setting goals for 2020 and it gave me pause. I’m over here like “The sheets are clean and dinner’s in the oven” because I tell ya, I don’t need the end of December to remind me —
I’m overdue at the eye doctor and the dentist.
I colored one whole picture this year.
I only read 15 books.
My name isn’t listed on the YMCA 3x a week roll call.
I missed most of the photoaday prompts in December.
I fell behind at blogging, not only in December, but every single week all year.
Facebook thinks I died.
The gutters aren’t clear and the back hallway is not finished.
However, I have worked hard, and I must say, I have wifed and parented exceptionally well and I’m okay if 2020 ends the same way.
joeyfullystated 
You’ve done good with all the important stuff. 🙂 Now…did you do the header and the artwork at the end? Impressive plus I really like it. 🙂
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Thank you 🙂 Yes, I colored it. Sadly, most of my markers dried out from the last time I colored, but I moved to crayons and had a good time anyway!
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I say, if you’re here to kick it to the curb, it was a good year.
After almost 30 years working together, almost 20 working for him, I think my old boss remembers me for the coffee table I gave him.
Enjoy your short mixed-up week.
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Haha! I do take consolation in that. I really do. Thanks, Dan 🙂
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With all you do, reading 15 books in the past year is great! Especially if you enjoyed them!
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🙂
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I wonder what wine goes best with mac and cheese, and cookies. On Wednesday, I want to high five being alive. I’m with you on 2020. I hope it goes wonderfully well for everyone and I can high five again, on the next new years, then. Have a great week, y’all.
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Personally, I like root beer with my mac n’ cheese and cookies — but I’d say a dry white, because Gruyere and jam.
I will cyber hi-five you every New Year’s Day!
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Have a wonderful week, Joey.
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Im ready to end this year if only to get away from these damn holiday ASPCA and Corona commercials (Im sure you know the one with the palm tree xmas lights and the ultra depressive whistling? Its horrid.) that make me wanna huff gas & light a match.
From what Ive read here, youve had quite the full year. II wouldnt feel so bad about missing a few things. We cant get to everything, you know. (Though I do miss your regular blogging schedule.)
Miss you joey. 🙂
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I LOL to your huff gas & light a match imagery! I do know the Corona commercial. Haven’t seen it at all this year, though. Maybe cause no cable? I never could bear the ASPCA commercials, I can’t even listen to that Sarah McLachlan song anymore 😦
I really can’t get to everything. Truly. Thanks for the support.
Miss you, too!
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It really feels like puttering along this year, doesn’t it? Happiest of new years, my friend. Keep on puttering and doing you. ❤
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Yes it does. Back atcha! ❤
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Your life and blog are amazing. I’m glad you bring us into both. Let’s hope for the fun and health of this year and more!
I don’t cook so can’t relate to anything but the delicious. I’m glad others have the talent and share. Yum!
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That’s so nice, Dar! Thank you very much for that 😀 You made my day!
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😍😎
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All evidence points to a year of excellent wifing and parenting so kudos to you. Say goodbye to 2019 knowing you’ve nailed it and welcome in 2020. Here’s hoping you have a wonderful new year!
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Same to you, Laura! 😀
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Well as long as you parented and wifed well the rest can just suck it. Enjoy your week however messed up it may be.
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Hah! That sounds right! Thanks! You too 😀
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I certainly love seeing you here, but goodonya for doing the important stuff like a boss! As my granny would have said “you done good”.
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That’s a fine compliment and I’ll take it! Thanks!
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You’re welcome!
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You can only do so much, Joey, and you do more than that! Happy usher-in-2020, my friend.
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Right on. Thank you and back to you!
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Success comes in different degrees, and we would all be better off to appreciate a good marriage, healthy kids, and fresh coffee once in a while. I always enjoy your posts, and if they’re sporadic, I can live with that.
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Thanks Craig 🙂 Much appreciated.
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You worked hard, you wifed and parented–what more can you ask for? I think you’ve done well, Joey. What do you say to someone who says, ‘you missed your calling?’ Oh, dear. Here Mr Bossman. Type your own damn letter! hahaha! My calling says I should leave work early!
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Haha! Right? Things I don’t say cause I do so love my job and well, I’ve baked a lot longer than I’ve written for him 😉
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I would have kindly suggested at that point that boss put about 10 of your missed-your-calling cookies in his mouth at one time and STFU. But then again, my filter’s broken, perhaps permanently.
Let Facebook keep thinking you’re dead. Not missing much there.
Kudos on the real jobs well done. And the coat! Don’t forget you got the coat — what a challenge!
To 2020!
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Dang, Tara, your filter done petered the fuck out! LOLOLOLOL I was quite flattered, but it was awkward.
That coat! Yes! I did that! 😀
To 2020! xo
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And if I have my way, it will stay broken. Mm hmm. See, the thing is to get a boss that I don’t need said filter for. Live it, learn it! 🙂
And I will answer your email. I don’t know what’s happening with the space/time continuum. I make a to do list with, say, 6 things to do, which I had to done before, and now I can only get to, like, 2 each day. I’m rollin’ with it! But that means some things get delayed (but not forgotten or not thought about! *heart emoji* — I’m gonna start writing out all the emojis… weirdness! why not!)
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Oh my! There are just some things I could not say to certain people, and I’m certain the world is a nicer place if they maintain the same status quo on filtering.
The way you spend your time is your own affair, and I’ll not shame you for your priorities, wink.
Typing out emojis works well in blogland. Heart, heart, gush, gush.
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In terms of keeping boundaries and standing up for myself, I am shameless now. And that’s a good thing. *wink back at you*
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You know, it’s possible you did miss your calling. I’m sure I had many moments like that back when I was working, and I never listened to them….
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You should have been a DJ? Do tell!
Baking is great, and I’ve always wanted to take a pastry class, I WILL SOMEDAY! — but I don’t think my stupid hands could handle baking every day.
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You got the hard ones down and that’s what counts. Not a fan of Ms. Martha. Haven’t been ever. Hope you have a wonderful New Year, Joey. It has been a pleasure reading your posts.
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Thank you, Janet, I enjoy reading you too ! 😀 I hope the same for your 2020 as well!
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I wish every Monday was Thurmonday…
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I wish we had four day work weeks. You know Google did that and saw 40% increase in productivity? Last week, we all talked about how we could rotate days and how fab that would be for appointments, etc.
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All year, every day, you have Joeyed like a BOSS!
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I did! I mean, who else could I be’ed? 😛
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I refuse to take inventory.
I lived, I learned…and okay, I drank and blogged about it.
Life is good!
And hey, if FB thinks you’re dead?
You’re doing it right.
😉
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LOL Fair enough!
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You feeling good about your accomplishments is pretty inspirational. So is your baking although I do think that comment could have been interpreted as–you are a better baker than employee HAHAHAHA and I’m sure it wasn’t meant that way. But mac’n cheese. Sorry, MINE is the best. It’s a herb infused white sauce and fontinella or fontina cheese dish. YUM. Happy New Year!
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Do you know you’re the only person here who laughed?!? Thank you! That’s what I thought, too, Luanne! “Gee thanks for the holiday bonus, when does my pink slip arrive?” LOL For the record, only you and the ladies in the office laughed — I guess we’re all similarly twisted.
If you’d like to share your recipe, I’ll try it. I’ve never met a mac I didn’t like, and Sassy is a mac monger!
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LOL, yes, twisted definitely. OK, make a regular white sauce, but add plenty of thyme and bay leaf to it. Sorry, I don’t know how much. Just enough that you can see it in there, ya know? You can use any kind of milk, even skim because the cheese is so yum. Make a pound box of mostaccioli (and, yes, you can use good quality gluten free even, although of course it’s best to use regular which SOB I can no longer do) al dente. Butter casserole dish. Then mix 4 oz fresh grated parm, 12 oz fontina or fontinella coarse grated (it’s very soft cheese so I use my Cuisinart), and a little pepper. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, you are ready to layer the casserole dish. 1/3 pasta, 1/3 cheese mix, 1/3 sauce, repeat until all used up. Then cover with buttered bread crumbs (of course I use gluten free now). I grate those babies (dry bread) in my Cuisinart too. 350 degrees. About 15 or 20 minutes. Keep a watch for when it’s bubbly. My kids grew up on this stuff and love it. This is not really an American mac n’ cheese, more French flavors IMO.
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That sounds really super yummy and well textured EXCEPT for my severe and sincere aversion to thyme.
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Wow! You could use a different herb then, I’m sure. Bay leaf is ok?
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Yes, I thought about that as well. Maybe some rosemary — but like, when it’s from my garden 😀
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Too bad I can’t give you some of mine :).
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You did good in 2019, girl! You are an awesome wife, mom and blogger. You bring the joy of Joey to a lot of folks. And the common sense. Btw, I lol at the idea of a Panera worker’s draft on your boss’s chair.
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Thank you very much, Kat 🙂
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Love the way you look at life, Joey. Take pause and know as you do, that it’s not who knows what we do or did, but how we live our life. I’m OK with you being OK with just the way you are!! Happy New Year!! xo
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I tend to view goals for the new year as something of an ambit claim. In reality, if I make it to the end of the year and the family is still reasonably healthy and intact and my house hasn’t been visited by health inspectors, that’s probably good enough.
Facebook thinks you’re dead? That’s a win right there!
Happy New Year, Joey! May 2020 be kind to you.
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Haha! Thank you! Happy New Year to you, too!
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Here’s to another year of winning at wifing and moming. Happy 2020!
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And to you!
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Happy New Year, Joey.
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We were invited to a couple’s house for dinner on New Year’s day – lovely people, great company, it was a wonderful way to start the New Year. But when I got home, I fell into that trap of comparing – their lovely house, the sparkling windows and floors, the newest this the latest that in home decor. I began to regret the visit because now, we have to return the invitation and I looked around the house and “chabby chic” doesn’t come close – it’s cast-off comfortable, and dusty and cat haired and books and clutter and rocks all over the place.
“Am I happy?” I asked myself.
Yup, was the reply.
That’s all that matters then, isn’t it?
And I write this here instead of on a blog post of my own. Because blogging is something else that has been ignored, along with washing the kitchen floor.
Best wishes in 2020, and keep baking!
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Your happiness IS all that matters, yes! They don’t keep their house that way to make other people happy, I’m sure. Just variations in how we all spend our time and money.
I cleaned my bathroom floor grout a few weeks ago. It may have looked nice for a whopping week’s time. No way would I spend 30 minutes a week to keep it up. Not even when I was a housewife!
Wishing you a very happy 2020 — more books and rocks, maybe not so much the cat hair 😉
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I’m glad that your 2019 went well and ended well. 🙂 Wifing and parenting exceptionally well are amazing accomplishments. I’m sure that your family is very happy and loved.
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