Home Again

After a long drive home we finally made it. Whew! Again, I am soooo thankful for portable dvd players! I am also grateul for smooth traffic. We just about made record time coming home today, and after our drive up last week in which we encountered some not-so-good traffic we were quite relieved to not get stuck in any today. I think the kids were grateful too!

Anyway, we made it home. Now begins loads of laundry, but not too many because I did a couple before I left (thanks Mom!). Also, tomorrow we will find new homes for all the new toys and such that was accumulated this Christmas holiday. Fun, fun. However, I am thankful that we have a day to ease into our daily life. We had a great time this past week with all our family but now it's time to get back to reality. It will be so very nice to sleep in my own bed tonight. There's just nothing like your own bed. Ah yes, so good to be home.

All Done!!!

Well, I did it! Somehow I managed to get everything done without becoming stressed-out-mama! How did I do that? I finished evrything on my to-do list plus a few extras. I think I am in shock. This has never happened before. I finished loading up the truck and set up the dvd player and it was EXACTLY 12:00 when it was all done. See? Isn't that amamzing???

I think a part of how it all came together today was because Ryan was able to take Mae to work with him. I packed her little back pack with a coloring book, paper and her box of pencils/markers/crayons. She was all set and so excited to go with Daddy this morning. I was only dreading a phone call from Ryan saying that Mae was too bored and too interuptive and to come pick her up. The call never came...whoo-hoo!!

So, my kids and I have had our lunch and here I am sitting at the computer updating my blog as I wait for Ryan to get himself home so we can split! Ahhh, what a great feeling to be all ready to go and not be stressed. It truly is a wonderful thing!

Merry Christmas!

Update

So far I'm doing good as I have worked a couple things off my list. However, now our departure time has been bumped up to noon on Friday (instead of way-too-early Saturday morning). This means that I pretty much have to be done with everything Thursday night so I'm not a freaking-out-mama come Friday. Well, at least that is always the goal but never the prize. I have inherited a deep sigh from my father when it comes to cutting it short on time. Most times, the deep sigh occurs when packing and leaving are concerned (pst...my brother got it too!). Anyway, despite the change in schedule I am thrilled to able to leave sooner (a great big THANK YOU to Ryan's work!). This means that Caleb will not have to spend anytime in the truck traveling on his birthday! It also means I need to step up the pace on attacking my list!

As of right now I have 85% of the laundry done and put away (whoo-hoo!), the grocery shopping is complete, and the third tray of snickerdoodles are in the oven as I type. I do, however, have to make a correction to my list. I mistakenly said I had 2 dozen cookies to make. Don't I wish! I meant, I am making a double batch, which turns out to be about, hmmm, let's see, oh I think eleventy-billion cookies! Two dozen, my eye!

Tonight, as I finish baking scrumptious snickerdoodles, I intend to make the Christmas cards for Ryan and while I have all my stuff out I will also make and finish the gift tags. So that will leave wrapping gifts and packing which I will do tomorrow after we get back from the zoo. Then Thursday I will work on that pie. Not bad eh? Sure hope I can stay motivated!

Busy Week

I have a lot to do before we leave super early on Saturday. Thankfully I have completed my Chirstmas shopping! (yeah me!) Mae and I went out last Saturday and had a Mommy date. We had lunch together and then went shopping. It was nice to be able to spend some alone time with Mae. She needed it, and so did I! Anyway, now that the shopping is done I still have lots to accomplish this week. This is what I have to do:

• make gift tags
• make 6 Christmas cards (for Ryan's gifts to co-workers)
  
• wrap presents
• grocery shopping
  
• make 2 dozen snickerdoodles
• make this apple pie for Christmas (hope it turns out, and travels well!)
• go to the zoo on Wednesday
• do laundry
• pack

Now that I've written everything down it doesn't seem to be as much as I thought, but you know how things go......it takes longer than you expect. Plus, I have to do these things with all three kids at home. Both Mae and Caleb are off for Christmas break so if I choose to go to the store during the day then not only do I fight crowds but also herd my kids. I think I will go to the store at night when Ryan is home, that way I will only have to take one kid with me. Brillant, yes?

So, it may not be a long list but it will take me all week to get it all done. Naptime is a beautiful thing, and something I will be taking full advantage of this week (as always!).

Calendar Days

It's that time of year for me. I got out the new calendar I'll be using for 2007 and filled in lots of dates. When I got married, my mother gave me a perpetual calendar book and had filled in birth dates and anniversaries of family members. I use it every year about this time and mark each celebration in the coming year so I won't be the lame-o relative and forget important dates. This year I also used Mae's school listing of holidays and events to fill in days off and vacations. Man, they sure do have a lot of days off! She will get more days off than I ever did as a kid. Sheesh! But the school year does not end for her until almost the very end of June, so I suppose that makes up for all the days she will be missing.

The 2007 calendar we will be sporting in the new year came free with our zoo membership (thank you Zoo!). Every month has a featured animal for the main picture (surprise) along with zoo events added into the corresponding day (gee, thanks for taking up valuable space!). In our early years of marriage it had been a sort of tradition to pick out a new calendar for the year. I think our first year together we both decided on an Ansel Adams calendar. Then the following year featured shots of cathedrals, or maybe it was a famous photographer that included pictures of a few churches (ah! I can't remember!). Anyway, as the years went by it became less of a tradition and we slowly accepted the freebies that came our way. I guess that's how we came upon our newest one. It started out as something fun to do together but now it is just something to remind me, the mom, of doctor appointments and no-school days. The calendar has also become a central location for me to keep track of doctors phone numbers, stamps, and important baby sitter info. With all this stuff paper clipped to the side I can no longer really see the featured picture of the month. Oh well, I don't need to look at the calendar to know what a lounging polar bear looks like.

Happy New Year!

Productive Day

I feel good about today, for the most part. My bathroom is clean (whoo-hoo!). All clothes that have accumulated in our bedroom are put away. Our bed is made. All clean clothes have been folded and put in their respective places. Most of the laundry is done. The kitchen sink has been thoroughly cleaned and tables are free of clutter. All that AND I got a shower today (albeit it was 2:30, but hey, I'm not complaining about a non-interupted shower when kids are down for naps!)

So it would seem I had a pretty productive day. I have also received permission from the man of the house to have leftovers for dinner, so I won't have to cook tonight! What could be better? Well, I won't push it, for today is a not-so-bad day. Clean clothes, clean bedroom, clean laundry, clean kitchen. Yah, good day. *big grin*

Today With Nothing to Say

My brain is fried. I spent way too much of my day yesterday staring at this computer screen working on a Christmas gift. I walked away 5 hours later with a raging headache (mainly because I was so engrossed in my task that I didn't eat any lunch). Then I still had to make dinner. I did take something for the headache but it was too late by that point. So I watched some TV after the kids were in bed then went to bed myself. Today I still have a residual ache and no desire to stare at this screen any longer. Fogive my lack of creativeness in my blog today. But no complaints since I actually posted something! Maybe tomorrow I'll come across some spark of genious and post something really cool? Stay tuned....

So Glad I Bought This!

Yesterday wasn't Caleb's birthday but I had to make cupcakes and take them to his preschool anyway. Due to another kids birthday celebration next Tuesay then Jesus's birthday party on Thursday and Christmas break after that it was decided to do Caleb's birthday this week (his birthday isn't until the 23rd). Anyway, because of all this I was able to use my handy little cupcake carrier!!!

I bought it last year while we were still in Michigan. I was in the grocery store doing what people do, you know, grocery shopping, when I came across this little number. It holds 24 cupcakes and has the nifty carry 'thingy'. Isn't it great??? The first thing I did (after my Oooing and Ahhing) was look at the price. $19.99 Why is it that things cost more than I think they should? I considered the price and almost passed, but then I realized that this baby is worth every penny! I also envisioned all the years ahead of my children going to school and needing to take caupcakes for their birthday celebrations. And then I saw looks on the faces of other mothers and heard their comments on how wonderful this cupcake carrier was and how they wanted one and where could they get one. Not that I want others to envy me, I don't, I just realized how totally practical this baby is and that, yes, it is completely worth the $19.99. So I bought it. Yeah me!

Do you want one? Are you thinking "where did she get that?" and "I want one too!"??? Well, my dears, I have done some research for you. After another mom at Caleb's school asked me where I got mine I had to tell her I got it in Michigan. Her response, "Well, I need to go to Michigan!" (really, though, why would anyone go there except to buy this?) I really did want to tell her where she could get one so I went online and found that it can be bought here for the same price that I paid (not bad eh?). While doing my search I also found this other kind of carrier that can hold cup cakes or a cake! Cost, $32.99. (on a total side note....I found this through someone else's blog, and her blog was cool! it was all about baking! and she had pictures and reciepes for tons of delightful things. mmmm.....I'm going to have to be a frequent visitor).

So, there you go, not one but two choices. Are you totally impressed? Are you thinking "what a fabulous item" and that you" want one too"? Well....your welcome.

Early Reading Meme

I was tagged for this meme by Amanda (what's a 'meme' anyway?). I will do my best to answer the questions but I must be forgetting to take my ginkobiloba because I don't remember things so well. For this reason some of my answers are not as clear for me as they should be. I blame it on my thirties? my kids? Both, yes, definitely both!

1. How old were you when you learned to read and who taught you?
I really don't remember learing to read. I suppose I learned at school, isn't that were most kids learn? So, if that is the case then the teachers were; Mrs. Maze (kindergarten) and Mrs. Petterson and Mrs. Lindsey (1st grade....at least I think that was their names!)

2. What books do you remember owning as a child?
This is terrible! I just can't remember!!! I'm sure we had books at home but it totally escapes me! I do, however, remember a favorite story book that I'd would request to be read to me over and over.....and that was Johnny Lion (achoo, achoo, achoo!).

3. What is the first book you remember buying with your own money?
Again, I don't remember. But, like Amanda, I too was into The Babysitters Club, so maybe I bought some of those? Yeah, I think I did.

4. Were you a re-reader as a child? If so, what did you read the most often?
I don't think I did that. I may have read a couple books more than once but the magic is gone for me once I've read it the first time. It's the same for me as an adult.

5. What is the first adult book that captured your interest and how old were you when you read it?
Hmmm.....my first adult book huh? Well, I started to read a lot after I got married, and I was 20 at that time, and the books I read were The Atonement Child, Redeeming Love and The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers. The Scarlet Thread was the first book to ever make me cry!

6. Are there any children's books you passed by as a child and learned to love as an adult?
I love reading Guess How Much I love You to my kids. I get all choked up! *sniff sniff* I don't remember having it read to me as a child but that doesn't mean my parents didn't read it.

I think I have come to love reading more now that I am an adult. I don't remember enjoying it as much then as I do now. I'm always on the lookout for a new author....so please, feel free to inform me of any that you love!

Ok, it's my turn!!! I tag Diane and Mary! Let's see if they've been taking their ginko! *wink*

Is It Really Christmas Season?

It doesn't feel like the Christmas season to me. I blame it on the weather. I'm just not used to a warm December. I mean really, high 70's in December, come on! It should fee like Christmas though. The stores are playing the right music, there are people outside the stores with their red buckets and ringing bells, I see Santa Claus and snowflakes on tv (although I have yet to watch It's A Wonderful Life, a must see for every Christmas season!) and a neighbor down the street has just about every inch of lawn space taken up by every concievable seasonal decoration (but hey, where's the tribute to Hanakuh and Kwanza?).

So, I don't quite feel like putting up decorations this year. I have,however, broken a rule of mine. Last year my mother-in-law gave the kids two childrens tapes of Christmas music and I have them playing in the truck now. I have never wanted children's music in the vehicle. Call me selfish but I just don't have a desire to listen to it. The kids have been happy to listen to our own music of choice and even ask for their favorites. They have been exposed to different types of music too! Music like Bluegrass (O Brother Where Art thou), Modern-techno (Ocean's 12 soundtrack), Celtic, Christian (Steven Curtis Chapman, Rich Mullins, FFH, etc) Theatre (Newsies soundtrack!) and even foreign languages (Ryan's portuguese stuff....his car, not mine). So my kids have had quite a different exposure to music than others. But 'tis the season, so I have broken my own rule and allowed childrens Christmas music in my truck. I'm sure they will enjoy it but it won't last long. I do have to admit that hearing Caleb sing along is mighty cute stuff.

Maybe I will bust out some Christmas decorations regardless of how I feel. We won't be getting a tree this year since we will not be home the week of Christmas (no reason to have a fire hazard left unsupervised). And maybe if I play some Harry Conick Jr. Christmas music then I'll feel more in tune with the holiday? Oh! I know....I can crank up the air conditioner and wear my chunky sweaters and make hot chocolate with tiny marshmellows and turn on the fire place (yes, I said 'turn on the fireplace', for it is gas and not the real deal)! If I do that then maybe I'll find It's A Wonderful Life on tv then finally feel in the mood for this holiday?

Potluck of Disaster

Yesterday we went to a potlcuk with our new home group. Last week I asked for reciepes for a potato dish that I could take because I had none. I went with Carrie's recipe. Although it was very similar to Mary's recipe I went with Carrie's because it had exact ingredients and no bread crumbs (I didn't want to make crumbs or buy them). I forgot to put paprika on my list when I went shopping for the ingredients so I improvised and sprinkled curry on top instead. It was a risky move but it paid off! I got a few compliments on the dish but the biggest compliment was that there was none leftover! Whoo-hoo! Thanks for your reciepes!!!

The rest of the potluck was ok. There aren't any people our age or in the same stage of life in the group so it makes it difficult for me to connect with them. I'm so not good at small talk, and not having much in common makes it more difficult. I'm just plain terrible at being 'the new girl on the block'. Ryan does a great job of talking with people. I guess it is just one of those things that reflects the differences between us. *deep sigh* Most of the time I am so self-absorbed in these situations that all ideas at conversation completely eludes me and I come across as totally uninterested or boring. For example:

New person: "Hello!"
Me: "Hi."
New person: "So, how are you?"
Me: "Fine."
New person: "How are things with the kids?"
Me: "Good."
New Person: (silence)
Me: (silence, drawing a blank as to what to do or say next)
New Person: (they finish filing their drink and move on)

Pretty much that is how most conversations start, and end. It's not until later, on the way home, that I replay the tragic attempts at conversation with others and then think of numerous things I could have said. Doh! I feel like such an idiot during these times! I could have turned the questions around and asked how they are and or tried to recall something from a previous conversation to ask them about. But no, my mind totally shuts down and I draw a blank. It truly is a wonder I've made any friends at all in my life let alone met a decent guy and got married. I give all credit to God for there just isn't any other explaination!

During the potluck the kids were happlily engaged with the older kids at the house (two of which are their babysitters!). I did have to keep my eye on Isabel as she only wanted to climb the stairs any chance she got. When she wasn't climbing the stairs she managed to get her hands on a small porcelin container with potpouri. When Isabel realized that I saw her and was on my way to take it away, she prompty dropped it and broke the lid! Great. Fabulous. So not only am I a terrible conversationist but I let my kids run amuck and break things! Is there anything else I can add to my superb list of qualities? I apoligized but what good does that really do? Should I ask to replace it somehow? I'm sure the lady doesn't care, but shouldn't I make the effort anyway?

Hopefully there won't be any more all-family functions for a while. I'm not up for making small talk for a while anyway.

November's Movie Log

Another month with Blockbuster online has afforded us to watch a few more movies last month. Here is what we saw:

1. The Spanish Prisoner (I saw this with Mom when she came to visit. We both felt that we had seen it before but a long time ago. It must have been a while ago because neither of us knew how it ended! Movie was ok.)
2. The Benchwarmers (I am embarrassed to admit that I watched this, but it's true, I did. It was sophmoric and basically dumb, but we had a few laughs. I won't reccomend it though.)
3. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (we saw this when it first came out...hilarious.....classic....great!!!)
4. The Itilian Job (Good heist movie)
5. City of God (Ryan watched this. It is a foreign film with subtitles and is very well done, but does have a lot of violence.)
   
6. Nacho Libre (Wierd and kooky in a Napoleon Dynamite kind of way. We liked it!)
7. Strangers on a Train (an old Hitchcock film, was ok)
8. Hitch (we saw this when it was in the theatre, but saw it again with my parents over Thanksgiving. Still very funny!! Love it!)

I think my favorite movie was Nacho Libre. We keep repeating lines from the movie (little hug, little kiss, big hug, big kiss). If you didn't like Napolean Dynamite then I would not recomend this film, it has the same type of humor BUT it does have more of a plot line. It's your call.

The funny thing about seeing so many movies is now we want to watch the previews, so we can add more movies to our que. We have the original Ocean's 11 right now, we may watch it tonight. I'm also thinking of adding a few other 'older' flicks to the list, like My Fair Lady and maybe some Fred Astair. Of course your suggestions are always apprecited.....any ideas?