I'm 33 years-old, but I might as well be 60, because I bet my New Year's Eve is as exciting as my parents'.
At least I can stay up until midnight. But barely.
I never have an exciting New Year's Eve. Even when it was just me and the hubby, we were boring on December 31. The first few years I tried to get him to go out and do something. He's just not a party guy.
Then we had kids. Do you know how hard it is to find a babysitter on New Year's Eve? Just as hard as it is to find one on Valentine's Day. Fuggedaboutit.
Right now we have the news on. Previously we were watching "Dick Clark's New Year's Rocking Eve" (hosted, oddly enough, by Ryan Seacrest...) I'm sure when our local news is over we'll be switching back to Ryan so we can see the Swarovski crystal ball drop.
PAR-TAY.
At least I knew who Rihanna was when she was on the big show earlier. My husband recognized the sampling of "Tainted Love" that's a part of her song "SOS", but he had no idea who Rihanna was. Same with Fergie. Bless his heart. He still thinks the Black Eyed Peas are something we're supposed to eat for luck on New Year's Day.
I'll just leave him to his Star Wars marathon. I didn't marry him 'cause he's cool. He sure fills out a pair of Joe Boxer plaid lounge pants, though. Call the fire department, 'cause my man is H-O-T HOT, y'all.
SIDE NOTE: I just noticed on Wikipedia that Rihanna was born in 1988. Fo shizzle, y'all. I was 15 when that girl was born. I told you I was old.
Usually hubby and I toast the new year with a glass of sparkling apple cider. This year we'll be enjoying Mimosas (yee haw!) thanks to the nice folks at the Grand Floridian hotel at Disney World. They gave us a split of Korbel champagne when we were there in January celebrating our 10th anniversary. We brought it home in our checked luggage, and it's been sitting in our pantry since then.
Woot! My man's gettin' out the Solo cups for the New Year's toast. It's almost time!
Happy New Year!
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Dressed Down
I was standing in my laundry room just minutes ago, hanging up clothes and thinking about... stuff. Nothing specific. Just chasing rabbits through my brain.
Thoughts were coming at me from all over the place, like a hundred balls simultaneously fired onto a racquetball court. You know how it is... you start thinking one thing while performing some mindless task, and all of a sudden another deeply buried thought hits you and you wonder, "HEY! Where did *that* come from?"
While I was folding my daughter's pants, the fishing rod that is my brain reeled in a memory from childhood. I recalled standing in my grandparents' den in Tennessee. My Aunt Sharon was showing me and my mom a piece of smocking that she was making. Her plan, she explained, was to make a dress for me, incorporating this smocked piece into the chest area. The fabric she was using for the body of the dress was a dark black and red plaid.
I was in love with the dress, even though it technically was not yet a dress. It was going to be so very pretty. *I* was going to be so very pretty.
Since I was an overweight child, I hardly ever got to wear what the skinny girls were wearing. I remember when designer jeans were all the rage. My Calvins had pleated fronts like "mom jeans", and the label was hidden under the belt I had to wear with them. Everyone else had Calvins with pockets, and their labels were sewn onto those pockets. Forget the Chic and Jordache and Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. My fat butt wouldn't fit into those.
I was in a singing group when I was in 6th grade. Of course we had to have matching outfits. The director found the same skirt in everyone's size but mine. All the other girls had straight navy blue wool skirts. Mine was pleated like a lampshade.
Man, I hated being a fat kid.
MAN, I hate being a fat adult.
But I was writing about a dress...
This smocked dress was going to be so cool. It was supposed to be ready at Christmastime, and I could not wait. I had a friend at church who wore smocked dresses, and they were lovely. She was a skinny girl, so you can imagine my excitement at being able to wear something just like her!
Christmas came and went. I didn't get the dress. To this day I don't know what happened to it. I never saw it completed. I guess my aunt didn't finish it. She has sons, so I'm pretty sure she didn't decide to keep it after toiling over it for a long time (unless there's something I don't know...)
As I stood there in my laundry room remembering my extreme sadness about the dress I never wore, it occurred to me that I still abhor being disappointed. I have come to a place in my life where I block excitement, because I don't want to be let me down. I'm guarded. Too guarded. I guess my hopes have been dashed one too many times, and I've grown a thick shell to deflect hurt feelings. Sucks to be me.
As a consequence, I don't let people inside my shell. You see, I like people who follow through. I don't like it when someone makes me a promise and then doesn't make good on it. Empty promises nag at me like something I know I need to do but can't recall.
If I tell someone I'm going to do something, I make it my ambition to get it done. I do not want to be that person that lets someone down. I don't want to be the person that drops the ball and causes someone else to hurt. I will always be the person who follows through, or tries REALLY hard to do so.
I desire those same attributes in friends, but it seems that there aren't many people left like that. I am a good friend. I know I am. I just wish I could find else someone like me. I could use a few great friends.
Thoughts were coming at me from all over the place, like a hundred balls simultaneously fired onto a racquetball court. You know how it is... you start thinking one thing while performing some mindless task, and all of a sudden another deeply buried thought hits you and you wonder, "HEY! Where did *that* come from?"
While I was folding my daughter's pants, the fishing rod that is my brain reeled in a memory from childhood. I recalled standing in my grandparents' den in Tennessee. My Aunt Sharon was showing me and my mom a piece of smocking that she was making. Her plan, she explained, was to make a dress for me, incorporating this smocked piece into the chest area. The fabric she was using for the body of the dress was a dark black and red plaid.
I was in love with the dress, even though it technically was not yet a dress. It was going to be so very pretty. *I* was going to be so very pretty.
Since I was an overweight child, I hardly ever got to wear what the skinny girls were wearing. I remember when designer jeans were all the rage. My Calvins had pleated fronts like "mom jeans", and the label was hidden under the belt I had to wear with them. Everyone else had Calvins with pockets, and their labels were sewn onto those pockets. Forget the Chic and Jordache and Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. My fat butt wouldn't fit into those.
I was in a singing group when I was in 6th grade. Of course we had to have matching outfits. The director found the same skirt in everyone's size but mine. All the other girls had straight navy blue wool skirts. Mine was pleated like a lampshade.
Man, I hated being a fat kid.
MAN, I hate being a fat adult.
But I was writing about a dress...
This smocked dress was going to be so cool. It was supposed to be ready at Christmastime, and I could not wait. I had a friend at church who wore smocked dresses, and they were lovely. She was a skinny girl, so you can imagine my excitement at being able to wear something just like her!
Christmas came and went. I didn't get the dress. To this day I don't know what happened to it. I never saw it completed. I guess my aunt didn't finish it. She has sons, so I'm pretty sure she didn't decide to keep it after toiling over it for a long time (unless there's something I don't know...)
As I stood there in my laundry room remembering my extreme sadness about the dress I never wore, it occurred to me that I still abhor being disappointed. I have come to a place in my life where I block excitement, because I don't want to be let me down. I'm guarded. Too guarded. I guess my hopes have been dashed one too many times, and I've grown a thick shell to deflect hurt feelings. Sucks to be me.
As a consequence, I don't let people inside my shell. You see, I like people who follow through. I don't like it when someone makes me a promise and then doesn't make good on it. Empty promises nag at me like something I know I need to do but can't recall.
If I tell someone I'm going to do something, I make it my ambition to get it done. I do not want to be that person that lets someone down. I don't want to be the person that drops the ball and causes someone else to hurt. I will always be the person who follows through, or tries REALLY hard to do so.
I desire those same attributes in friends, but it seems that there aren't many people left like that. I am a good friend. I know I am. I just wish I could find else someone like me. I could use a few great friends.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Blog Challenge: Money
How did money affect you this holiday season? Did it affect you at all? Did you overspend? Did you work within a tight budget? Did you feel guilt or anxiety over how much you spent? Did you find yourself wishing you could spend more, or wishing you had spent less? Did money control the way you gave, and did it influence the way you received?
This is the third Christmas when I haven't worried about money. I don't know how I ever enjoyed Christmas in years past, knowing bills were coming our way in January. I would be completely stressed out if I knew a credit card bill would be on its way soon. I couldn't enjoy the holidays that way.
We started the Dave Ramsey program in October 2003 and paid off our last consumer debt in April 2005 (we still have a mortgage). We don't use credit cards; instead, we put aside a certain amount of money each month so we have a decent Christmas budget in November. The budget includes everyone we need to buy for as well as any charity donations we plan on making in December.
Two years ago my husband and I decided to limit our kids to three gifts each, following the tradition of the Magi that visited baby Jesus (each brought one gift.) It has really trimmed our budget, and the kids enjoy what they do receive MUCH more. We have found that we also put a lot more thought into what we buy for the kids.
I always wish I could spend more money at Christmas, but not on my kids. My favorite part of Christmas has become the charitable giving. There's never enough money for that, in my opinion. I could give and give and give.
In November we do the shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. We pack one box for each member of our family. The kids have really enjoyed participating in buying the items we place in the boxes, as well as the packing of the boxes. I love walking into our church on the designated day and seeing all of the shoeboxes piled high. I would love to follow those boxes one day, to be able to hand them out to the kids who receive them. Man, what a trip that would be.
We also choose angels from the Salvation Army Angel Tree every year. Our church sets up one, and we look for kids that match our kids' ages. We have a blast shopping for the kids, and our children enjoy picking out clothes and toys for their "angels". I hope our children get as much out of this process as I do, and that as they grow older they will always remember that it's not all about them at Christmas.
My family has been blessed beyond measure. I'm a firm believer in the passage found in Luke 12:48. It says, " From everyone who has been given much, much will be required..." I feel like because I have been so richly blessed, it is my duty to give back. I love to give, and I try to do it as often as I can.
Did you find yourself wishing you could spend more, or wishing you had spent less?
I definitely wish I could give more. Always. I just love to give!
Friday, December 22, 2006
I Am the Queen of Slugvania
I am officially a slug.
Three of my children have been away from home since Tuesday afternoon. I've only had the 8 year-old here with me.
I've slept late. I've watched WAY too much television. I have done the assorted load of laundry and kept up with the dishes (I'm not that sluggish!), but I've been more laid back about household chores. I'll get to them when I get to them.
We've gone out to dinner every night. (I did take dinner to someone else who just had a baby...)
I've even watched "General Hospital" a time or two. I can't tell you the last time I caught up with the goings-on in Port Charles. I set the DVR to record "GH" again because I miss watching it (I quit when I was homeschooling...)
Last night my daughter had a sleepover guest. Today they've been in their PJs all day long. I had told them we'd go to the movies to see "Night at the Museum", but I didn't even have enough energy to do that. It's raining, and I just didn't feel like going out in the rain. Instead I ordered a pay-per-view movie and popped them some popcorn and left them to watch the movie while I did some scrapbooking.
It's been a great day. I *love* days like this when I don't have to be busy.
Merry Christmas to me!
(ps: THANKS Mom & Dad for taking the kids this week!)
Three of my children have been away from home since Tuesday afternoon. I've only had the 8 year-old here with me.
I've slept late. I've watched WAY too much television. I have done the assorted load of laundry and kept up with the dishes (I'm not that sluggish!), but I've been more laid back about household chores. I'll get to them when I get to them.
We've gone out to dinner every night. (I did take dinner to someone else who just had a baby...)
I've even watched "General Hospital" a time or two. I can't tell you the last time I caught up with the goings-on in Port Charles. I set the DVR to record "GH" again because I miss watching it (I quit when I was homeschooling...)
Last night my daughter had a sleepover guest. Today they've been in their PJs all day long. I had told them we'd go to the movies to see "Night at the Museum", but I didn't even have enough energy to do that. It's raining, and I just didn't feel like going out in the rain. Instead I ordered a pay-per-view movie and popped them some popcorn and left them to watch the movie while I did some scrapbooking.
It's been a great day. I *love* days like this when I don't have to be busy.
Merry Christmas to me!
(ps: THANKS Mom & Dad for taking the kids this week!)
Monday, December 18, 2006
Tears
“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of
weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love.” Washington IrvingThis week, paint us a picture of a time when you cried. Maybe it was recent, maybe it was ages ago. Maybe it was tears of grief over a break-up, or tears of joy over an engagement. Maybe you cry when you get mad, or perhaps you cry when you're laughing hysterically. Perhaps you have a hard time crying at all. Pick one time, and color the story for us.
I cry at the drop of a hat, basically. I am a very emotional person, but I don't mind crying. In fact, I feel so much better after a good cry. It's healing!
I cried tears of joy last week after opening an email from a friend. She told me she was expecting a baby. I was overjoyed for her, because I know how badly she wants a sibling for her son. I immediately committed to pray for her and her unborn child. I asked God to protect her and the baby and help her give birth to a healthy son or daughter. I cried for her, knowing how happy she must be.
I cried tears of sadness the next day when I opened another email from the same friend, telling me that she had miscarried.
I cried tears of anger and frustration for my friend. I don't know why God chooses to do that, to take life like that, to break hearts like that. I just have to live in the faith that God almighty, all powerful and sovereign, knows why it happened. I pray my friend has the same faith, that she trusts that God has a reason. I have prayed that God comforts her and holds her in the palm of His hand while she goes through this trial.
Hopefully one day soon I can again cry tears of happiness for my friend. I will pray for her every time God brings her to my mind. I'll pray for peace for her, for strength, for health, for understanding, for faith, for perseverance, for wisdom.
And I'll pray that one day, in the not so distant future, she has another baby to hold in her arms, to laugh with and love and yes, cry over.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Stage Presence
Tonight I sat in the pew of my church and watched in awe as my daughter approached the microphone to sing a solo. She sang without signs of any nervousness (though I was sitting with cold, clammy hands, shaking in my seat...) She sang loudly and confidently and she sang with perfect pitch.
I was so VERY proud of her.
This is her fourth time since May 2005 that she has earned a solo in a church musical. She was the only first grader to earn a solo in her first musical in May 2005. She rocked that one. I cried when she finished because I was so very stinkin' PROUD of her.
She went on to sing solos in last year's Christmas musical and the spring 2006 musical. The song she sang tonight was the most difficult one yet.
But she pulled it off.
The other kids that took their turns singing did so with fidgeting hands or fists clenched in fear. They sang softly and quickly and ran back to their places when their songs were over.
Not Camryn. She strode boldly to the microphone, smiled her winning smile, and sang her heart out.
She's a natural performer. I don't know from whom she gets her confidence, because I would be jelly on that stage. I have sung in groups before, large choirs and ensembles, but never a solo. That's scary.
My daughter knocks my socks off. I'm such a proud mom!
I was so VERY proud of her.
This is her fourth time since May 2005 that she has earned a solo in a church musical. She was the only first grader to earn a solo in her first musical in May 2005. She rocked that one. I cried when she finished because I was so very stinkin' PROUD of her.
She went on to sing solos in last year's Christmas musical and the spring 2006 musical. The song she sang tonight was the most difficult one yet.
But she pulled it off.
The other kids that took their turns singing did so with fidgeting hands or fists clenched in fear. They sang softly and quickly and ran back to their places when their songs were over.
Not Camryn. She strode boldly to the microphone, smiled her winning smile, and sang her heart out.
She's a natural performer. I don't know from whom she gets her confidence, because I would be jelly on that stage. I have sung in groups before, large choirs and ensembles, but never a solo. That's scary.
My daughter knocks my socks off. I'm such a proud mom!
Friday, December 15, 2006
Brain Dump
My 8 year-old's teacher uses an expression I find amusing. She says "brain dump" to describe random thoughts she's put onto paper in the form of a newsletter. So, that's what I'm calling today's blog. It's a total brain dump.
Taco Bell
I spent my morning cleaning and deodorizing my basement. My mother-in-law finally left last night (woo hoo!) Unfortunately she left behind the lingering odor of her perfume (I can't stand her chosen scent). Armed with Febreze, Clorox wipes, baking soda and various scented oil plug-in devices, I braved the vapors of the basement and went to work this morning. I'm exhausted, but it's done. And it smells *M*U*C*H* better.
Since I was working so feverishly during the morning hours, I didn't have time to stop for lunch before time to pick up my youngest three children from school & Mom's Day Out. By the time I picked them up and delivered the appropriate gifts to each of their teachers, I was famished. So I made a run for the border.
Now, if you're a parent, you know that stopping to get fast food for just ONE person in the car is next to impossible. So I planned on ordering the kids a snack, too.
When I was a kid, Taco Bell served a scrumptious confection called a Cinnamon Crispa (they should've been called SINnamon Crispas, 'cause they were devilishly bad for the waistline...) They were like fried flour tortilla chips coated in sugary cinnamon. I don't know what year Taco Bell decided to go instead with a Cinnamon Twist, which is like a bag of large, twisted, cinnamon-sugar coated Cheeto-like things. But they're not nearly as good, I tell you.
Today I think I was stuck in the 80s, 'cause when I ordered, I asked for 4 orders of Cinnamon Crispas. Doink.
Yeah, that's all there is to that story. It doesn't have to really have a point, does it?
My Kid is Funny
After picking up our Taco Bell, we headed to Camryn's school. On the way, Aiden (5) suddenly blurted out, "Mommy! Are you thinking outside the bun?" Then he proceeded to poll his siblings, chanting, "Raise your hand if you're thinking outside the bun! Outside the bun.... outside the bunnnnnn..." I swear, that kid makes me laugh hard. He's a riot. I loves me some freckle-faced, long-eyelashed Aiden Josiah. His smile is an ointment for my soul.
Revenge Songs
I was playing Wynonna Judd in the car today. I love, love, love her song "That Was Yesterday". It's a total revenge, spit in your face, did you really think I wouldn't survive? song. Like Destiny Child's "Survivor" and Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive", "That Was Yesterday" kicks butt. I've played it more than once in my lifetime. It's the kind of song that makes you want to grab a hairbrush, and with long, red fingernails pointing to unseen people who've ever done you wrong, SING YOUR HEART OUT.
Yeah, it ROCKS.
Wynonna rocks.
Here are the lyrics.
'Scuse me. I need to go find a bottle of red nail polish and a hairbrush.
Oh, and Brooke, I'll put it on your iPod after Santa brings it. It might help you get over a certain someone.
Just a little Rx from your big sis.
Taco Bell
I spent my morning cleaning and deodorizing my basement. My mother-in-law finally left last night (woo hoo!) Unfortunately she left behind the lingering odor of her perfume (I can't stand her chosen scent). Armed with Febreze, Clorox wipes, baking soda and various scented oil plug-in devices, I braved the vapors of the basement and went to work this morning. I'm exhausted, but it's done. And it smells *M*U*C*H* better.
Since I was working so feverishly during the morning hours, I didn't have time to stop for lunch before time to pick up my youngest three children from school & Mom's Day Out. By the time I picked them up and delivered the appropriate gifts to each of their teachers, I was famished. So I made a run for the border.
Now, if you're a parent, you know that stopping to get fast food for just ONE person in the car is next to impossible. So I planned on ordering the kids a snack, too.
When I was a kid, Taco Bell served a scrumptious confection called a Cinnamon Crispa (they should've been called SINnamon Crispas, 'cause they were devilishly bad for the waistline...) They were like fried flour tortilla chips coated in sugary cinnamon. I don't know what year Taco Bell decided to go instead with a Cinnamon Twist, which is like a bag of large, twisted, cinnamon-sugar coated Cheeto-like things. But they're not nearly as good, I tell you.
Today I think I was stuck in the 80s, 'cause when I ordered, I asked for 4 orders of Cinnamon Crispas. Doink.
Yeah, that's all there is to that story. It doesn't have to really have a point, does it?
My Kid is Funny
After picking up our Taco Bell, we headed to Camryn's school. On the way, Aiden (5) suddenly blurted out, "Mommy! Are you thinking outside the bun?" Then he proceeded to poll his siblings, chanting, "Raise your hand if you're thinking outside the bun! Outside the bun.... outside the bunnnnnn..." I swear, that kid makes me laugh hard. He's a riot. I loves me some freckle-faced, long-eyelashed Aiden Josiah. His smile is an ointment for my soul.
Revenge Songs
I was playing Wynonna Judd in the car today. I love, love, love her song "That Was Yesterday". It's a total revenge, spit in your face, did you really think I wouldn't survive? song. Like Destiny Child's "Survivor" and Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive", "That Was Yesterday" kicks butt. I've played it more than once in my lifetime. It's the kind of song that makes you want to grab a hairbrush, and with long, red fingernails pointing to unseen people who've ever done you wrong, SING YOUR HEART OUT.
Yeah, it ROCKS.
Wynonna rocks.
Here are the lyrics.
It's finally over
But I can't even cry
So, don't you give me no sweet talk
You done told your last lie
I was your puppet
Just a dancin, dancin on a string
But when the sun went down last night,
Lord, it changed everything
Today I feel different
'cause now I can see
That you care more 'bout yourself
Than mistreatin' me
It took me a long time
To figure you out
But misery and pain
Ain't what love's all about
(chorus)
I was your woman
But ya threw me away
I used to be your very own
Custom made, love slave, do-anything-for-you little fool
But that was yesterday
That was yesterday
And so it goes
Another lesson gets learned
And in the big book of experience
Another page gets turned
Now you say you need me
Well, honey, you got some nerve
I hope some sweet tomorrow
We both get what we deserve
(repeat chorus)
I'm packing up and movin' on
Your real good thing is good and gone
'Scuse me. I need to go find a bottle of red nail polish and a hairbrush.
Oh, and Brooke, I'll put it on your iPod after Santa brings it. It might help you get over a certain someone.
Just a little Rx from your big sis.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Funny Quips
I came across a page of funny sayings today. I thought I'd post some here.
Grab a drink and a snack and enjoy (though, maybe not too close to the keyboard...)
*Duct tape is like the force; it has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
*Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
*If you can read this, I can hit my brakes and sue you.
*Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
*A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.
*A dry sense of humor is better than slobbering everywhere.
*Life in a vacuum sucks.
*A pessimist is never disappointed.
*Lottery: A tax on people who don't understand statistics.
*Hold a hard drive to your ear -- listen to the C:
*1024x768x256... Sounds like one mean woman.
*Two most common elements in the universe: Hydrogen & Stupidity.
*DOS never says "EXCELLENT command or filename"...
*I Have To Stop Now, My Fingers Are Getting Hoarse.
*Canadian DOS prompt: EH?\>
*Computers can never replace human stupidity
*Why does the person that snores always fall asleep first?
*Experience: What you get when you don't get what you want
*If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
*Vuja De - the feeling you'll be here later.
*Whatever you delete today, you desperately need tomorrow.
*I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
*I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges.
*On the other hand, you have different fingers.
*I know you are nobody's fool but maybe someone will adopt you.
*Did you eat paint chips when you were a kid?
Grab a drink and a snack and enjoy (though, maybe not too close to the keyboard...)
*Duct tape is like the force; it has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
*Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
*If you can read this, I can hit my brakes and sue you.
*Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
*A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.
*A dry sense of humor is better than slobbering everywhere.
*Life in a vacuum sucks.
*A pessimist is never disappointed.
*Lottery: A tax on people who don't understand statistics.
*Hold a hard drive to your ear -- listen to the C:
*1024x768x256... Sounds like one mean woman.
*Two most common elements in the universe: Hydrogen & Stupidity.
*DOS never says "EXCELLENT command or filename"...
*I Have To Stop Now, My Fingers Are Getting Hoarse.
*Canadian DOS prompt: EH?\>
*Computers can never replace human stupidity
*Why does the person that snores always fall asleep first?
*Experience: What you get when you don't get what you want
*If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
*Vuja De - the feeling you'll be here later.
*Whatever you delete today, you desperately need tomorrow.
*I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
*I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges.
*On the other hand, you have different fingers.
*I know you are nobody's fool but maybe someone will adopt you.
*Did you eat paint chips when you were a kid?
Monday, December 11, 2006
Blog Challenge: Fill in the Blank
1. My current favorite song is: "Wind it Up" by Gwen Stefani
2. The last book I read was: The Innocent Man by John Grisham
3. The last book I bought was: A Designer's Eye for Scrapbooking with Patterned Paper by Ali Edwards
4. The last CD I bought was: Taking the Long Way by The Dixie Chicks. That was before I got my iPod. Since then I've just been downloading from iTunes.
5. Another CD I wanted but didn't buy is: Wynonna's new Christmas album
6. Right now, I'm wearing: black gauchos from Target (my favorite pants!), white camisole and a black v-neck shirt from Old Navy. Black is very slimming, you know!
7. The last gift I bought was: The "Hannah Montana" soundtrack for my daughter's stocking.
8. The last time I laughed heartily and loudly: When I picked up my 5 year-old son from school one day last week he showed me his two new best friends. They were acorns. Nothing special. Just acorns. He put them in his pocket. We drove to the post office. As we were walking inside, he's fumbling with the acorns in his pocket. Truth be told, he looks like he's scratching his boy parts. He declared, in a loud voice, "HEY! I can feel my acorns!"
9. My favorite holiday ornament is: My grandmother's crocheted wreaths and stockings because she has Alzheimer's and no longer remembers how to crochet.
10. My house smells like: You know, I don't really know what it smells like right now. I've had a cold for a week, and it's affecting my sense of smell and taste. I know the basement smells like my mother-in-law's perfume (yuck) and my room smells like Creamy Nutmeg because there is a Bath & Body Works Wallflower plugged in in there.
11. The first thing on my to-do list tomorrow is: Hmmmm.... tomorrow.... My husband has the day off, so we will run around doing errands like we always do on his days off. I know we have to take the car to CarMax for some things they didn't do to it when we bought it. After that, who knows? I need to get the kids' teacher gifts together, personalize the ornaments I bought to go in my 3 year-old son's class Christmas treat boxes, wrap an ornament for an ornament exchange I have to go to on Saturday, put together the treat boxes for the 3 year-old's class, find my older daughter a nightgown that looks like it came from the 1800s for her play on Thursday night, wrap assorted gifts, assemble and hang the wreaths for the outside windows... the list goes ON and ON!
12. If I could sit on Santa's lap and believe that he'd bring me whatever toy I wished for, I'd ask for: a Canon Rebel camera
13. If I could holiday shop in ONE store, all expenses paid, I'd shop at: Target. It's one stop shopping at its best!
14. If an angel alighted on my doorstep today and said, "I'm here to grant a Christmas wish," I'd wish for: Money to pay for the expansions and upgrades to my older daughter's school. It's a private school and they're growing rapidly.
15. When I see a bell ringer while out shopping, I: try to drop something in the kettle or make sure the kids have something to drop in it. Since I do a lot of my shopping at Target, I don't get the chance to walk by the kettle!
2. The last book I read was: The Innocent Man by John Grisham
3. The last book I bought was: A Designer's Eye for Scrapbooking with Patterned Paper by Ali Edwards
4. The last CD I bought was: Taking the Long Way by The Dixie Chicks. That was before I got my iPod. Since then I've just been downloading from iTunes.
5. Another CD I wanted but didn't buy is: Wynonna's new Christmas album
6. Right now, I'm wearing: black gauchos from Target (my favorite pants!), white camisole and a black v-neck shirt from Old Navy. Black is very slimming, you know!
7. The last gift I bought was: The "Hannah Montana" soundtrack for my daughter's stocking.
8. The last time I laughed heartily and loudly: When I picked up my 5 year-old son from school one day last week he showed me his two new best friends. They were acorns. Nothing special. Just acorns. He put them in his pocket. We drove to the post office. As we were walking inside, he's fumbling with the acorns in his pocket. Truth be told, he looks like he's scratching his boy parts. He declared, in a loud voice, "HEY! I can feel my acorns!"
9. My favorite holiday ornament is: My grandmother's crocheted wreaths and stockings because she has Alzheimer's and no longer remembers how to crochet.
10. My house smells like: You know, I don't really know what it smells like right now. I've had a cold for a week, and it's affecting my sense of smell and taste. I know the basement smells like my mother-in-law's perfume (yuck) and my room smells like Creamy Nutmeg because there is a Bath & Body Works Wallflower plugged in in there.
11. The first thing on my to-do list tomorrow is: Hmmmm.... tomorrow.... My husband has the day off, so we will run around doing errands like we always do on his days off. I know we have to take the car to CarMax for some things they didn't do to it when we bought it. After that, who knows? I need to get the kids' teacher gifts together, personalize the ornaments I bought to go in my 3 year-old son's class Christmas treat boxes, wrap an ornament for an ornament exchange I have to go to on Saturday, put together the treat boxes for the 3 year-old's class, find my older daughter a nightgown that looks like it came from the 1800s for her play on Thursday night, wrap assorted gifts, assemble and hang the wreaths for the outside windows... the list goes ON and ON!
12. If I could sit on Santa's lap and believe that he'd bring me whatever toy I wished for, I'd ask for: a Canon Rebel camera
13. If I could holiday shop in ONE store, all expenses paid, I'd shop at: Target. It's one stop shopping at its best!
14. If an angel alighted on my doorstep today and said, "I'm here to grant a Christmas wish," I'd wish for: Money to pay for the expansions and upgrades to my older daughter's school. It's a private school and they're growing rapidly.
15. When I see a bell ringer while out shopping, I: try to drop something in the kettle or make sure the kids have something to drop in it. Since I do a lot of my shopping at Target, I don't get the chance to walk by the kettle!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
December 5th
I have a knack for remembering dates. I remember people's birthdays forever. I remember certain unimportant dates like when my prom was held (April 27, 1991) and the day I had my wisdom teeth removed (December 20, 1990). Things like that just stick in my head.
Today is December 5th. Today is Leah's birthday.
Leah was a friend of mine in elementary school. I remember being so jealous of her. She was beautiful, with blue eyes and gorgeous blond hair. She had the popular boy as her "boyfriend". She was rich. She had it all.
I was invited to the party celebrating her 8th birthday. I remember having drinks we called "suicides", which were nothing more than two different sodas mixed together (I had Coke with Mountain Dew.) It was a great party. I was so excited to be there!
Her house was amazing. She had an enormous bedroom with her own bathroom and a walk-in closet that was bigger than my own bedroom at the time. It was decorated in bright green and pink. She had all the Hello Kitty stuff you could imagine. Leah was so cool.
Ten days after that party, on December 15, 1980, Leah was killed. She was knocked down by the open car door of her mom's Nissan 280Z when her mom's foot slipped off the brake. Leah was run over by the car.
I remember our second grade teacher, Mrs. Phillips, tearfully cleaning out the contents of Leah's desk. Most everyone got to check out of school that day, but I had to stay because my mom worked. Mom picked me up and I told her what happened. Mom was in charge of making the little stockings for our Christmas party. All she could say was, "Beth, are you sure? But I just sewed her stocking last night!" I know she was in shock. She was friends with Leah's parents.
My mom let me attend the funeral. She says she was criticized for taking me, but I'm glad she did. It help me process the whole thing.
Every December 5th I remember Leah's birthday. I calculate how old she would be today (34) and wonder what she would look like. To me she'll always be the smiling, blonde, blue-eyed girl in the monogrammed sweater from her second grade picture.
Happy Birthday, Leah.
Today is December 5th. Today is Leah's birthday.
Leah was a friend of mine in elementary school. I remember being so jealous of her. She was beautiful, with blue eyes and gorgeous blond hair. She had the popular boy as her "boyfriend". She was rich. She had it all.
I was invited to the party celebrating her 8th birthday. I remember having drinks we called "suicides", which were nothing more than two different sodas mixed together (I had Coke with Mountain Dew.) It was a great party. I was so excited to be there!
Her house was amazing. She had an enormous bedroom with her own bathroom and a walk-in closet that was bigger than my own bedroom at the time. It was decorated in bright green and pink. She had all the Hello Kitty stuff you could imagine. Leah was so cool.
Ten days after that party, on December 15, 1980, Leah was killed. She was knocked down by the open car door of her mom's Nissan 280Z when her mom's foot slipped off the brake. Leah was run over by the car.
I remember our second grade teacher, Mrs. Phillips, tearfully cleaning out the contents of Leah's desk. Most everyone got to check out of school that day, but I had to stay because my mom worked. Mom picked me up and I told her what happened. Mom was in charge of making the little stockings for our Christmas party. All she could say was, "Beth, are you sure? But I just sewed her stocking last night!" I know she was in shock. She was friends with Leah's parents.
My mom let me attend the funeral. She says she was criticized for taking me, but I'm glad she did. It help me process the whole thing.
Every December 5th I remember Leah's birthday. I calculate how old she would be today (34) and wonder what she would look like. To me she'll always be the smiling, blonde, blue-eyed girl in the monogrammed sweater from her second grade picture.
Happy Birthday, Leah.
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