I Packed Up & Moved

I've moved!

Catch up with me at either:

Read Clean Books, the book review blog I write with my sister Tricia (check it out to find clean books for your kids to read this summer),

or Gonna Need Grace, a blog to connect those of us who sometimes need a little help remembering that we don't have to do and be and accomplish everything on our own...that we have the grace of Christ to fill in the gaps.

I hope you'll stop by for a visit, and if you enjoy yourself, please tell your friends.

Save Some Moola

Here are some of my best money-saving tips for the holiday season:

1. Go cash only. Set a budget, and put that amount of cash in an envelope. Feel rich for about 5 minutes. Use only cash for your Christmas shopping, even if you have to pay for some items separately at checkout. If you buy something online, take that amount of cash out of your envelope and take it back to the bank.

2. Shop through  . Go to Ebates first and then click through to your favorite sites from there. You'll get cash back for every purchase (they put it right in my paypal account!) You can find TONS of stores on ebates, including Walmart and even Groupon.

3. Check Black Friday ads - - if you already bought something with a Visa or Mastercard and then it goes on sale for Black Friday, Visa and MC will refund the difference, as part of their normal price protection program.
4.  Sign up for emails from your favorite money-saving sites (I get the ones from Money Saving Mom and Pinching Your Pennies). They will direct you to great deals every time. For example, today I got an email alert from PYP that 20-pack AA batteries were on sale at ToysRUs.com for $5.99, plus they were buy 1 get 1 free. The email suggested I sign up for a free 30 day trial of the ToysRUs free shipping program, ShopRunner. I did all of that, and my total for 40 batteries came to $6.74 with tax. I paid that amount with the Ebates money in my Paypal account, making the batteries totally free! (Of course, I'll have to make sure to cancel that free trial of ShopRunner before it expires)

5. EVERY time you go to Walmart, ask if it is 50% off clearance day. They do this randomly (usually on the weekend), but if you're lucky, you'll be able to get 50% off clearance toys, clothes, kitchen goods and more. 

6. Don't discount the value of homemade! I'm making my sis something for her very-close-to-Christmas birthday, and I think she's going to love it! (I hope)

All you seasoned shoppers are probably done with your Christmas shopping already, but for the rest of us...have fun!

I'm Just Saying...

I miss the Dixie Chicks.

Too Late For Me

Flipping through the Reader's Digest while I had JaydieBop at the doctor (strep throat), I found information about an exciting new scientific breakthrough: loud noises can be bad for the hearing of your developing fetus when you're expecting, and thus you should avoid vacuuming when pregnant.

They couldn't have said that 17 years ago?

Blah.

Power Play

You never want to put the words "Arizona" "summer" and "power outage" in the same sentence, but, it happens sometimes.

So, it was about 2 p.m., maybe around 107 outside when the power went out yesterday, and the temperature inside started climbing WAY too fast.

Luckily, we have a pool.

And, of course, I was forced to forget about work for the afternoon, since I couldn't log in to my remote computer.

Also, of course, we were forced to BBQ since we couldn't use the oven or microwave.

So, for us, the around-6-hour power loss went like this:
Groan and worry: 4 minutes
Hang out in pool with cousins and a couple neighbors: 5 hours
BBQ and make s'mores: 26 minutes

It turned out to be a fun afternoon. And when the power eventually came back on, my kids were actually really disappointed because we were just about to go spend the night at Grandma's (2 of them ended up going anyway, they just couldn't stand it! - thanks Grandma!)

Here's to the unexpected!

Integrity, for sale?

Yesterday I had the opportunity to sell my integrity for $2. Now, don't picture me in some seedy alley somewhere, or worse! It was just that Trevin had a basketball game, and I knew they would be charging $2 at the door.

Now, before I continue on, you'll have to know that I really HATE paying to get into these recreational league games. First of all, we pay a large-ish fee just so he can play in the league. Second of all, most of the rec leagues DON'T charge admission, so it really bugs me that this one does, and third of all, we like to go to the games as a family to enjoy some time together and support Trevin, and there are kind of a lot of us.

So, when this league charges admission, it messes everything up for me. Trevin had 5 games this week (yes, 5!), and there are 6 more people besides him in my family, so if you do the math, you'll see why I hate that little $2 charge so much.

And that is why only baby Alyza and I went to his games yesterday (Dad would usually Never miss, he loves those games, but Yay! he has a new job, and these were daytime games). As I strolled her giant stroller up to the entrance door, the one where they collect the admission fee, another door opened off to the side of me. This door was far away from the admission table, and led right onto the court where Trevin would be playing.

I'm ashamed at how badly I wanted to walk through that door! The only thing that saved me was remembering a story I read once that had a big impact on me, about a guy who had a chance to cheat a parking meter or something, but he said, "I would never sell my integrity for a quarter."

I decided not to sell my integrity for $2, but the fact that I really wanted to was a good reminder not to let my frugal nature get the better of what I know is right.

Organize Thyself

I went to a class on organizing and cleaning at church last night.

I came away with 1 observation and 2 tips:

Observation: Most of the tips people gave for organizing their kitchen began with "I got an insert handy organizational thing here for my pantry."   Note to self: buy house with pantry

A tip I will use: dry dishcloths outside in the sun after using them and they won't get stinky (I hope. Stinky dishcloths are the bane of my existence)

A tip I will not use: clean your toilet brushes in the dishwasher. Um...disgusting.

Old Home Movies

I've been watching some old home movies lately, trying to label them and, you know, be organized. Here are some things I've noticed:

* I wore the same shirt to my son's 8th and 12th birthday parties.

* Short hair is not for me.

* When taping children's sports activities, it's advisable to tape a few moments here and there, rather than the whole, long, entire game. Also, having a steady hand is a plus in a videographer.

* Someone (who shall not be named in this post) taped over my oldest son's first moments of life with an episode of Ellen (the TV show, not the talk show. Like it matters. Either way, I'm completely bitter.).

* My house is always tidy in the videos where company is over for a birthday party, and messy in the videos where I'm just taping the kids playing, as it were, in their natural habitat.

My So-Called Christmas Card

A Quick Rundown of 2010:

D-Dawg (16) is "driving" his mom and dad to tears. Tears of joy, that is, since he's running all their errands for them. TLC (13) has recently taken a part-time job as a stalker, or at least that's what we have to assume after seeing his photo above. Bananalyn (9) is looking forward to being in double digits soon, and has subscribed to AARP magazine in preparation for the big day. AJ, aka Squinty, (5) begins every day with the same phrase: "Can I invite a friend over?", and ends every day with the equally endearing phrase, "I need a drink." We're planning an intervention. And little Tator Tot (7 weeks) thinks Christmas is totally over-commercialized and refuses to participate.

JByrd recently received a mug for his birthday that says "World's Best Dad". He was surprised because he didn't know the voting had ended, but he wants all you other dads to know that he totally respects you, even though you didn't win. (losers). And I recently saved 15% or more on my car insurance, so I'm feeling pretty good about that.

Merry Christmas!

My little tator tot

Well, it's been 5 years since I've had a new baby in the house. Of course, I knew before she was born that I had gotten very used to sleeping through the night, to eating dinner without being interrupted by a squalling baby, and to quiet Sundays where the older kids read and the younger ones play together (semi) nicely. I wondered how I was going to handle my plunge back into babydom, the land of ultimate (if forced) unselfishness. Here is how it has been:

Every breath she has taken, every minute that's gone by, every late night feeding and diaper changed - I want it all back, I desperately want it all to quit flying away so fast. Not a day has gone by that I haven't wished I was in the hospital again, that she had just been born, and that I could have every minute of her life to live over again. That's how much I love her.

Changing

It feels good to be able to honestly say,


"I feel like I've really grown a lot this past month."


And it's true.


I have.


Sorry, no photos though.

Waiting

I hate delays. Particularly when I am sitting in front of the computer. If a screen doesn't pop up in the time it takes me to breathe twice, I am eye-poppingly frustrated.

That can sometimes make working remotely a little tricky. None of my software responds as quickly remotely as it does when we are face-to-icon, so to speak. One program (stop) in particular is painfully slow. I am doing nothing more complicated than garden variety data entry when I am in this program, but each time I save an entry and try to move on to the next one, the program spends a great deal of time thinking about whether it should let me move on or not. Right now it's driving me so insane that I decided to write this blog in between entries. This will give you an idea of either A) how brilliantly fast I think and type, or B) how stupendously slow the program is. (stop)

Other things I hate waiting for:
A commercial break so I can get hubby's attention. This can be a long wait if you're married to a channel-surfer!

Dinner to be done when I waited to start it until I was already starving.

Test results from (stop) a doctor.

Pimples to fade.

Of course, when the delay is my choice, the waiting is a little less difficult. For example, my cluttered closet has needed my attention for lo these many years, but I'm content to wait a little longer to tackle it, on account of not knowing what to do with all hubby's stuff that's in there too. That seems reas (stop) onable to me.

And, due to the piles of bad karma I've stored up over the years, I have a high school reunion scheduled for a day when I will be approximately 38 weeks pregnant. I think I might hold off on that, too! Nonstop "so, what have you been up to?" conversations can definitely wait.

Thanks for making my data entry go by a little (stop) faster for me. Now that I'm done posting I plan to fill the gaps between entries by eating gummy bears.

Oh, Man, It's Over

It's over! I'm 18 weeks and FINALLY feeling better. I still have a little nausea, but just like a little car sickness, nothing like what I've been dealing with.

The kids just got out of school for the summer, so my return to health came just in time. I love having my kiddies around during the summer, and it always goes by too fast. This summer we are playing it cheap and easy. Here's how the summer works at Casa Currant Pie:

Gotta have a chore chart of course! It's a self-directed reward system, so I don't have to spend all summer nagging. If your chores are done by noon you get 3 points. If they are done correctly you get 2 more points. Add 2 extra points if your room is clean and your bed is made. They are working together to reach 900 points (which should happen towards the end of July) and then we all get to go to Big Surf water park for the day! This worked like a charm for us last year, and the payoff was loads of fun.

Every week there is a designated Laundry Captain, Chef, and Pool Boy/Girl. The kids learn how to cook and do laundry, etc., which is good for them, although the results are sometimes a little iffy!

Monday is library day, with a stop off a Sonic for half price slushies on the way home.

Tuesday is Peter Piper Pizza day. Dad works at the corporate office and we get comps, so hooray for free pizza and video games.

Wednesday is $1 movie day at Cinemark.

The rest of the week is for chillin' and swimmin' at home, assuming we can keep our pool blue and a good supply of popsicles on hand. 

In between I visit the office a couple times a week and do the rest of my work from home. Have I ever mentioned how grateful I am for my job? I worked outside the home for about 15 years, and I feel so blessed now that my current company allows me to work most of my hours at home. It has truly changed my life and brought me so much joy.

Have a happy summer!

Finally...Someone Noticed!

During the past few weeks while I've been sick, my family has been trying to pick up the slack for me. Emphasis on trying ;), but their efforts have been sincere and appreciated.

For Mother's Day, Hubby lined the kids up and had them say nice things about me and what I do for them. My oldest made my day when he said, "Well, she must do a lot, because there are 5 of us, and we haven't been able to keep up with what she used to do by herself before she got sick!"

Feeling Better or Worse?

I have a very simple schedule that I keep. On Monday I do laundry, set my topsy-turvy "weekend" house back in order, and work from home. On Tuesday and Thursday I work at the office. Wednesday is grocery day, plus more working from home, and on Friday I catch up on anything that I let slide during the previous days, plus try to fit in some writing. Don't forget to include daily time to exercise, pray, eat, give my kids lots of attention, and make dinner.

It all seems busy enough to me, but a chance comment made me wonder...I heard or read somewhere this statement, "Oh, life was simpler then. When mother finished the breakfast dishes, it was time to start making lunch." Ouch! That sounds like pure misery to me, but I guess that's just the way it was. Interested to find out more about the way it was, I looked a few things up. Here are some comparisons that will either make you feel better (at least we don't have to scrub clothes by hand), or worse (how come, if I'm not scrubbing clothes by hand, I'm not getting more done with my time?).

COOKING THEN: "Prior to the second quarter of the nineteenth
century when mass-produced cast iron and steel stoves were more available
nationwide, cooking was a labor-intensive chore done on an open fire in a
fireplace. Wood or coal had to be hauled into the house, and ashes removed
daily. Worse was the limited variety of food that could be cooked by this
method. Kettles of stews or soups were easy enough, but the art of banking
fires over Dutch ovens or piles of bricks or stones for baking took considerable experience. Likewise, choosing the types of wood that burned hotter or longer and then arranging the fuels for consistent fires required great skill."

COOKING NOW: If it has more than 5 ingredients or takes longer than 20 minutes, I don't do it.

LAUNDRY THEN: "The most arduous household chore for women was laundry. For many, this was a two-day project every week, usually commencing with the washing on Monday, followed by ironing, folding, and mending on Tuesday. The housewife of the nineteenth century had to haul gallons of water from wells or pumps and maintain kettles of boiling water for the wash. Scrubbing, wringing, and carrying heavy, wet garments and linens to the clotheslines—and then retrieving the dried laundry—wearied and abused almost every muscle in her body. Her hands and arms were exposed to caustic lye-based detergents and scalding water for hours at a time."

LAUNDRY NOW: I happen to be in the middle of laundry right this very minute. While my clothes wash and dry themselves, I am up to my elbows in writing a new blog post.

HOUSECLEANING THEN: "Cleaning floors, and especially rugs, also was backbreaking work for the Victorian housewife. Between the endless clouds of dust entering the house from unpaved streets and the residues of soot and ash deposited daily from fire grates and oil or gas lamps, staying ahead of dirt was a constant challenge."

HOUSECLEANING NOW: I don't vacuum. That is what I have children for.

LINENS THEN: "For most women of the nineteenth century sewing was necessary to produce clothing, bedding, table linens, curtains, and most anything else made of textiles."

LINENS NOW: Hellooo, Target.

A NOT-SO-DISTANT THEN: "Studies from the 1950s showed that “women actually spent more time on household chores than had their mothers . . . logging a 99.6-hour workweek."

NOW: I prefer to have my husband think that home maintenance is still a full-time job. Thus, I should be pampered and adored for keeping it going along with my "other" job (the one that pays actual money). So, I will keep the number of hours I spend on it private, for now.

All the quotes in this post came from a chapter from a textbook called Advertising To The Amercian Woman 1 9 0 0 – 1 9 9 9. Find it online here.

Change

I lived in Michigan when I was little. I was shy, and I loved my mom. Which basically means, I hated to go to school. The summer before my 2nd grade year, the school boundaries were changed, and I had to go to a different elementary school. I had a large group of friends in 1st grade, and not one of them transferred with me. It was tough, but after a couple months I started to make new friends. That's about when my 2nd grade teacher decided that I was bored, so she moved me up into a 3rd grade classroom that she thought would be more my speed. It wasn't, it was weird. I was still officially a 2nd grader, and so that made me the baby of the group, plus the following year when I actually was a 3rd grader, man, was I bored! I pretty much had 3rd grade twice in a row. Well, things eventually got more comfortable for me, until two months into my 5th grade year, when I was again moved up, this time officially and into 6th grade. In my school district, that didn't just mean changing teachers and grades, it meant moving from elementary school to junior high school.

It was around October. Everyone had already found their "groups". Lunch tables were spoken for, lockers were being shared, and the seating heirarchy on the bus was already firmly established. If you had a boyfriend, you were cool and got to sit in the back. If you didn't, you sat up front with the rest of the nerds. Guess where I sat? My shyness became more pronounced as I tried to figure out how to fit into this alien new world. Everything was drama. Mean girls put a can of dog food in my only friend's locker. Luckily, I got it out before she saw it, but I cried in my mom's arms for a long time that day.

Soon after the beginning of my 7th grade year, my parents decided to move to Arizona, and they put our house up for sale. I was soooo happy! I couldn't wait to get out of that school. The school year dragged on day by agonizing day as our house languished on the market. I distinctly remember one bad day when I asked my teacher for a bathroom pass, just so I could go out in the hallway and cry and pray that our house would sell so I could get out of there. I cried a lot at that school, in case you can't tell!

My prayers were finally answered in April, when we moved. During the four days it took us to drive from Michigan to Arizona, I started thinking about what lay ahead of me. It was hard enough to start at a new school in October, what would it be like in April? How would I make new friends, I was so shy? This school might actually be worse than the one I was coming from. Riding down the highway with my worried face pressed against the window and my little sister's head in my lap, I had a sudden surge of insight. The kids in Arizona didn't know I was shy! Maybe I didn't have to be the shy kid anymore. But how do you put aside a part of yourself that has been with you since you can remember? I knew I couldn't just make myself outgoing, at least not fast enough to make a difference at school. First impressions and all that, you know. But there was one thing I could do - I could pretend. I could act like I wasn't shy until I actually got over being shy for real.

That is what I did. I didn't change into an outgoing person overnight, but I did make a couple of friends right away, and that gave me the surge of confidence I needed to keep at it. I'll never forget the best moment of my junior high career, when I brought home an 8th grade progress report that said "Talks too much in class". I don't think my parents were too thrilled with that, but that progress report was a real symbol of victory for me, and today, as an adult, I don't think "shy" is how people would normally describe me.

So, of course this story has a moral. Everything is changing right now, for almost everyone. Jobs, school systems, ward boundaries. What opportunities lie ahead for each of us to ditch those habits or quirks that we really don't like in ourselves, and start fresh? For me, I'm going to work on being a better listener. In a book my mom loaned me, I was reminded that good listeners don't let their eyes wander off the person speaking to them, as if they are looking for something more interesting. Good listeners don't interrupt or finish people's sentences for them (my particular weakness). Good listeners don't try to one-up other people's stories. Good listeners realize that the questions people are asking them are often the questions they would like to be asked themselves. So next time someone comes up to me and says, "How are you doing with all of this?", I'm going to make sure I know how they are doing before the conversation is over.

This post is dedicated to my husband, who needs and deserves a fresh start. I'm rooting for you, hon.

Split Endings

Well, my ward was split yesterday (meaning, the boundaries that divide LDS congregations and determine who you will attend church meetings with were changed). Actually, split is probably too enthusiastic a term. More like shaved. One little edge of our boundary was shaved off, and I happen to live in that little shaving. It's too soon to say whether that is good or bad, although right now it feels decidedly bad! It's not in me to be too melodramatic about these commonplace kinds of things, but I do have a few things to say about it.

Regrets? Sure, I have them. First, I always wanted to spend more time with the young women in our ward. I've watched them from afar and they are just one huge ray of awesomeness. I feel like I missed out, not getting to know them better. Also, my kids were sick yesterday and by staying home with them I inadvertently missed out on my last day of...everything. Blah. Plus, my 8-year-old was beyond thrilled with the new teacher she just got two weeks ago, and out of everything that comes with moving to a new ward, that is what she cried about. (Luckily, her teacher got "shaved off" with us, so there's still hope!) My oldest son also just recently got the man he admires most as one of his quorum advisors, so that's a relationship I'm sad to let go.

Anyway, all wards are good and all wards have the same gospel of Jesus Christ. But not all the time do you move into a ward that just completely wraps their arms around you and teaches you by example the definition of service. Here are some of my best memories and a few long overdue thank yous:

TL, at my house, goodies in hand, within a couple hours of the U-Haul pulling up almost six years ago. When she left I looked at J and said, "My goodness, who was that woman?!" I'm glad I know, now.

PJ, who came over and taught us how to take care of our pool, we were completely helpless.

Pretty much every single woman in the ward who babysat my two girls when J was going through some rough medical stuff.

CP, who's had the misfortune of having to listen to my deepest fears and regrets, but has always listened with love.

TJ, who brought me O magazine so I wouldn't be tempted to steal it from the doctor's office

LJ, whose calm demeanor is like a lullaby to me. NC is the same way.

SSt, for remembering about the wreath for a whole year, and then bringing me one!

KK, my number one painting cheerleader, who drove by my house and honked and hollered encouraging words every day while I was painting my house. She almost made me fall off the ladder once, but I'm not holding a grudge.

The PP Ladies, who encouraged me to write.

DW, TR  & KR for being on Christmas light duty

JG & KG, who loaned me everything under the sun from their wonderfully equipped garage, and I'm sure will continue to do so ;)

The high school seniors I taught, or, who taught me. Treat buckets rule!

My never-ending stream of completely wonderful visiting teachers, who fed me spiritually, and sometimes physically too.

SN, who taught me the importance of being consistent with my own visiting teaching.

TF, who came and picked up baby AJ at least once a week just to give J a break

Pres J, who took the time to answer a young boy's prayer.

JF and SF, for walking into Sunday School with J one day and taking me completely by surprise

My three Primary amigos, spending the last year with them has given me so many tender and wonderful memories that I can't name them all, but certainly our meeting right after J came to Sunday School was one of the best

Our primary kids for bringing me laughter and tears, but mostly for the hugs

MG, for the cake, but mostly for the note

BN, who acts like I'm the bees knees, when really the opposite is true

LT and OS, the only two ladies who came to my book exchange, and were so nice about it that I almost didn't feel like a total geek

SSc, for letting me write about her Grand Canyon adventure, that was really fun for me

CT, who called one time just because she felt like she should.

LS, for being thoughtful enough to introduce me to someone from my new ward right away yesterday

Have fun figuring out all the initials here! We've received so much service from this ward that I know I'm forgetting lots and lots, sorry about that. You've all touched my life and my kids have been so lucky to be taught by many of you. I'm going to stop now before I lose it...  Love you all!

How It Is

Today I had a dead battery that made me late for church. I also had a nice neighbor who gave my car a jumpstart both before church and again after church so I could get back home again. That's just how it is around here.

My sister loaned me her quiet house while she was at work one day last week, and I got a lot of writing done. Unfortunately, I was actually supposed to be working that day too, but if you see my boss, tell him that's just how it is sometimes.

I got my #1 best gift for my birthday, Gerald Lund's new book The Undaunted, but I couldn't allow myself to read it for over two weeks. Before I was allowed to read it, I had to finish all my 2010 budgets for work, get all my Christmas shopping, wrapping, baking, and meltdowns over with, AND have a clean house. See, once I start reading a good book, I can't stop. I KNOW you know how that is! (p.s. Do you admire my self-control? Two and a half weeks, come on!)

I had $8 in Register Rewards from Walgreens, and when I went to use them this week I found out that they had expired the day before, and the mean lady at the checkout wouldn't take them. If you know me, you know that almost brought me to tears, but that's just how it is sometimes.

I was sitting behind a class of 7-year-olds at church today while they listened to a lesson about how we are all God's children. One little girl became very agitated, then turned to the girl next to her and said, "Sick! That means my mom is married to her brother!" When you get to watch over the little ones every Sunday, that's usually how it is!

Two Small Things

About this time every year I start to get that funny feeling in my stomach. Too many late nights? That's a slight possibility. Too much fudge? Somewhat stronger possibility. Usually it goes away after a couple days, but this year it didn't, so between my full-time job of following the cast of The Forgotten Carols around from city to city, I snuck in a doctor's appointment. After waiting for 45 minutes in the waiting room and another 63.5 minutes in the exam room, I was finally diagnosed with Failureitis, the official term for those who have failed to live up to their expectations for themselves during the past year (per their dreaded New Year's Resolutions). It's a relatively common disease, with approximately 98% of the population suffering from it. The other 2% are all Jehovah's Witnesses, who don't celebrate New Year's, and therefore have a natural immunity to Failureitis. Which is lucky for them.

The symptoms of Failureitis are as follows (hypochondriacs, please stop reading and instead log onto http://www.coughcoughsneezesneeze.com/ for support):
Difficulty sleeping
Increased irritability
Multiplication of gray hairs and/or wrinkles
Irrepressible urge to snack
Strong daytime attachment to blankets and pillows
Sudden urge to buy a non-working farm and sit on the porch and rock for long periods of time
Mumbling
Bad writing

I spoke with the doctor at length about this disease. She feels I may have contracted it shortly after I told my Jillian Michaels workout DVD to go take a flying leap. That was January 3rd, but at that point my symptoms weren't yet obvious. In February I stopped balancing my checkbook, after I wrote an extra $500 into my checkbook ledger so my balance wouldn't get too low, and then the bank said I was out of money anyway. What use is that? By April I'd long since given up trying to be nice to everyone for one whole day, because all the jerks I work with made it too hard. When my kids started school in August, I had a wholesome and healthy snack waiting for them every day when they came home for the first week, then it was back to Fritos and bean dip. Fiber, you know. But it was in November that my Failureitis really started acting up. I had promised myself to keep on an even keel and not let my "moody" days get to me, but in November I snapped. Some unfortunate grocery clerk asked me very politely to "Have a nice day", and I....I said "No."

My doctor said that to cure my failureitis I must set my standards very low for 2010. Normally I wouldn't even consider such a thing, but she reminded me that Failureitis hurts everyone, not just the person diagnosed. So next year, no big goals or resolutions. Instead, I will do Two Small Things every week. Two little changes so I can cure my Failureitis without becoming a total and stagnant loser. So, even though today is only December 28th, I am starting right now. That's change number one for this week. Starting my Two Small Changes program. Change number two will be posted on my handy little change tracker to the left.

Happy New Year!

Did I miss Christmas?

So far this December I have:

* Tried to put a 4 ft angel on a 6 ft tree. Those meaurements are approximate, but let's just say that it took 5 strips of duct tape to get my huge-y angel to stand upright. Luckily, my son has every color duct tape there is (including tie dye), so he was able to contribute some white tape that blends right in. sorta.

* Skipped my first rehearsal for the Messiah. Yes, that's right, this year I made the cut to play my violin in our community sing-along version of the Messiah. This is an unpaid but prestigious position that I clinched by sending note-shaped cookies to the powers-that-be. Then I missed the first of only two rehearsals. I hope I'm not fired. I had a good reason!

* Tried to wait up for hubby when he went to the ASU game with his amigos. Unfortunately, the act of getting married some moons ago activated a sleepy gene in me that causes me to fall asleep at 10:30, no matter where I am. Hubby found me on the couch with some No-Doz in my hand at 11:00, fast asleep. Well, I tried.

* Received a random cake. German chocolate, too, my favorite. The sweetest teenage girl in the world showed up at my door tonight and gave me a big ol' chocolate cake that she made for me because, to paraphrase a wise sage, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me." It made my day, thanks MG!

* Heard about a weirdo vendor at Tempe Marketplace trying to sell some sort of smoke vapor machine that mixes straight nicotine with water vapor for a new smoking experience. He came right out and told my LDS friend that it was okay for him to smoke because of a "loophole" in the Word of Wisdom - this little cigarette replacement doesn't actually contain any tobacco. Yeah, I was never worried about the nicotine anyway.
(Don't know what the Word of Wisdom is? Find out at http://www.mormon.org/.)

* I also: learned that even a stuffed SpongeBob with the creepiest pop-out eyes in the world will get taken at a yard sale if it's free, sold 2 things on Ebay, was forced to clean out my garage, got yelled at in Spanish, used my fireplace, saw the cutest smile I'd ever seen on the face of a little boy hugging a stuffed Piglet, hung outside lights with the help of our neighborhood cardiologist (I'm so scared of heights that it's good to have a specialist nearby, just in case), AND wore my favorite Old Navy jeans three times in a row before I washed them. Don't judge me, I'm conserving water.

It can't possibly be only the sixth! Merry Christmas, if I'm still coherent by then.