PittGirl

Can I just say that I love reading PittGirl's blog. And as some icing on the cake, she had this picture on a post today:

You can read the post by following this link: http://theburghblog.com/2008/05/08/pittgirl-wins-with-100-of-the-vote/

Now, let me say that I really haven't had too many problems with the PLCB with the transfer on the liquor license, but they really do need to look at giving up the liquor stores.

And that's all I have to say.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, hello! I've been busy with a bunch of stuff for the restaurant, and a bunch of t-shirt stuff. But I've jumped in here for a few reasons, just to keep everybody in the loop

First, here's the scoop on Downey's House. Long story short, we put a bunch of money in escrow so that the PLCB could get tax clearance from the Dept of Revenue and the Dept of Labor and Industry. That was Tuesday. We asked if we might close on Friday (tomorrow), and we were told that Friday would be a miracle. But we're all shooting for early next week. Which would put our opening around Memorial Day.

Next, I actually did a new t shirt design. I've been updating the job/occupation store (www.cafepress.com/noshoptalk and www.zazzle.com/notworking), but I actually added a new one to Brainlint.net. So, here's the shirt (via Zazzle):

Sarcastic Comment by hdowney
Get this custom shirt at Zazzle

And here's the framed tile from CafePress:

Sarcastic Comment Framed Tile

Number 3 is a cool story:

I had Chloe (3) in the back seat of the car, and she decided to put the window down. We're driving along, enjoying the warm weather and fresh air. I was in a great state of mind. Riding high on the whole 'life is good vibe. All of the sudden, Chloe starts FREAKING OUT. I have no idea what happened. She is hysterical. I pull over and get her to calm down. Turns out, she was holding her sister's little stuffed Tigger out the window. Well, you know what happened. SO, I turn around and head back down the road (which is a 2 lane road, but pretty busy). I see it, pull over into a driveway, and try to cross the street. The whole time I'm watching cars drive over Tigger. Nobody actually ran it over---until---the big semi did. Well, I got Tigger. He's really no worse for the wear, and Chloe and I have decided to keep this a little secret.

She said that she'll never hold anything out the window again.

When we went to pick up Becca from preschool, Chloe didn't want to go. She said she didn't even want to see Becca. She sat in the car with her woobie (aka blanket) over her head. When Becca finally got in the car, Chloe totally kissed her ass. Becca was being silly, and Chloe said (in a sucking up kind of way) "Becca, you're SOOOOO funny!"

She hasn't told Becca what happened, and she probably won't find out until she learns how to read and finds this blog.

Happy Day!

Yes I am.

Um, I just took an online quiz about which character are you from The Office. I was poking around, seeing what the next episode was going to be. (by the way, the name of it is "Did I Stutter.")

Anyway, here's what I got for my result:

Which Character From The Office Are You?

More on The Office. Created by BuddyTV

And yeah, that's pretty much me. Maybe that's why I like the character so much :) If it wasn't for my hubby, I'd be happy just coasting thru life instead of pushing to the next level.

Awwwwww

OK, I just finished watching The Office, and I loved it. But I just had to say that when Jim pulled that ring out for Pam, I got all smiley and happy. Yes, I realize that this is a FICTIONAL television show. But how sweet. And then, their little scene towards the end was cute, too. Down on one knee...my heart stopped for Pam. Tying his shoe? Hysterically laughing. OK, just had to share.

I'm having labor pains

Well, I guess I have a little bit of news to share. We talked to our broker yesterday, and it looks like things are moving along very well. Previously, when we asked about the status of our liquor license transfer, here's the answer we got: "Well, it's sitting in Harrisburg on somebody's desk in a pile. We're just waiting for your file to make it to the top of the pile." Yesterday, however, we learned that our file DID make it to the top of the pile. We should know sometime today if we need to supply them with more info, if we didn't fill something out right etc. So, um, HOLY CRAP! Joi from Specialty Group said that we should close by our deadline, which is May 1. I really, honestly, feel like I'm pregnant with a restaurant. Not sure of what's to come once the 'birth' happens, trying to prepare as much as I can, etc.

So, I've gotten some applications, and I'm going to start to schedule interviews. We'll be holding interviews on April 27 and 28. So, if you're interested in working, get your damn application in. (you can get it at www.downeyshouse.com). I get to play grown up today, and I'm meeting with an insurance guy (for our personal health insurance) and Mike from Micros (our POS system that we're buying). I constantly feel like I'm going to throw up, but it's all good :)

Shifting gears a bit, I've decided that the girls CANNOT sleep in bed with us anymore. I decided this at 3:30 in the morning. There was no more room for me in the king size bed. So, I got up and went to Becca's room to sleep. Then, they both got up looking for me. That was it. I pulled a Super Nanny moment, and just put them in their rooms, and tucked them in with a kiss. Then I kept putting them in their rooms. Over and over again. Just with a kiss. No discussion. It finally worked. At 4:45 am. We'll see how it goes tonight. But at least I'll try the 'Super Nanny Bedtime Routine' at 8:00 instead of 3:30. I'm dog tired right now, and I just can't get enough coffee.


I meant to mention this previously, but I think I have a school girl crush on John Krasinski. Or maybe it's Jim Halpert I have the crush on. This shall pass, but he just seems like such a nice, good looking, Polish guy. And I'm sure it's mostly the fact that he's on my favorite tv show (The Office, if you didn't know). I went through the same thing with Jason London many years back. And that was because he's in my favorite movie of all time, Dazed and Confused. Oh well.


Happy Day! I'll let you know more about the whole restaurant thing when I know more!

Honey...I'm Home!

Well, we made it back from Florida. We all had a great time, although Chloe had a fever for three days. So cute seeing that little face looking up and saying "Me sick, mumma." I felt so bad for her, but better to be sick in sunny Florida than in Pittsburgh. We were able to swim (which helped her fever out a bit), and it was great seeing the connections happening between the kids and my folks.

Then, it was back to reality. At least the weather in Pittsburgh has been OK. We've actually gotten to spend some time outside. I've been trying to get all of the t's crossed and i's dotted for Downey's House, but there really is a lot I can't do yet. We've been getting applications. More now because I posted an ad on Craigslist. I'll be going to Jabby Joe's on Monday and hanging out to see how everything is running now. Tony is convinced that everything will go through on the anniversary of his parents' deaths (April 28th and 29th, I think). Hey, we'll take whatever divine intervention we can get.

On a lighter note, I am SO EXCITED TO SEE A NEW EPISODE OF THE OFFICE TONIGHT. I so love that show. In fact, I think that there's all new stuff on tonight, so I may sit on the couch with the laptop and just indulge in the tv.

Well, have a great weekend. Even though the weather is supposed to be cold and yucky on Sunday, it will still be the weekend.

Another website

Hello everybody! I'm getting ready to pack up the troops and head to warm, sunny Florida. But I did get a little bit of web work done last night. You can check out the newest collection of t-shirts and gifts from CafePress at waitstaffshirts.com. I just finished it up, and it's a collection of funny stuff for bartenders and servers. If you get a chance, go and check it out! Next time I write to you, I'll be sitting in much warmer weather :)