As of today, you have exactly eleven months to plan an amazing New Year's Eve Party.
Further, there are 327 shopping days til Christmas.
It is not yet too late to prepare a fun celebration for Groundhog's Day: 2/2
I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
VITAL UPDATES POST
1) I have secured the IKEA curtains! Thanks to my wonderful neighbor's wonderful mother - my set will be arriving from Alberta, Canada sometime in the next two weeks depending on how Karen's immigration interview goes. (Karen and her family are the good friends who just relocated here from Edmonton and now she has to go back to make sure she can stay. Got that?) Never before has my home decorating been caught up in such foreign intrigue. I will post the photos here first, readers!
2) Our new Sleep Number bed is the best thing we've bought since the minivan - and it cost nearly as much. But I will say it makes for a MUCH nicer life to think, "Aaaahhhhh! I can't WAIT to go snuggle up in my cozy bed for a wonderful night of sweet slumber," rather than, "Pain. So much pain. And ache. Ache and pain and old age and arthritis and I'm surprised I can still walk. Isn't there anywhere else I might sleep more comfortably? On the fiberglass in the attic, maybe?"
3) My marriage talk went fine. I wasn't outta-this-world blown away by my own brilliance, but keep in mind the level of psychosis I was dealing with as evidenced by that night-before blogpost. Also, my voice was still croaky. AND I still don't find it fun to be the one to break it to new Catholics that we don't use contraception. Call me a people-pleaser, but really, you oughtta see the looks on some of their faces.
2) Our new Sleep Number bed is the best thing we've bought since the minivan - and it cost nearly as much. But I will say it makes for a MUCH nicer life to think, "Aaaahhhhh! I can't WAIT to go snuggle up in my cozy bed for a wonderful night of sweet slumber," rather than, "Pain. So much pain. And ache. Ache and pain and old age and arthritis and I'm surprised I can still walk. Isn't there anywhere else I might sleep more comfortably? On the fiberglass in the attic, maybe?"
3) My marriage talk went fine. I wasn't outta-this-world blown away by my own brilliance, but keep in mind the level of psychosis I was dealing with as evidenced by that night-before blogpost. Also, my voice was still croaky. AND I still don't find it fun to be the one to break it to new Catholics that we don't use contraception. Call me a people-pleaser, but really, you oughtta see the looks on some of their faces.
Vocation Improvement
I very recently read a good book written by a woman with some sound advice for those of us with the vocation of wife and mother. Took a LOT of notes. The gist of it was simple - schedule, organize and routinize everything possible. So I did. Here it is Friday, and the past five days (I started Monday morning) have been revolutionary. My house stays clean, my kids are helping with chores they never did before, and I have more prayer time and a better outlook.
I know from reading all my fellow stay-at-home mom blogs that laundry is a beast in every household. I hate it, too - but I always managed to keep it from eating me alive by forcing myself to complete every load every Monday. Faithfully. I was a machine on Mondays, but it got done and I didn't have the worry that some member of my family might be underwear-less on any given day. I can tell you honestly that I had this Monday fun every week of every month of every year for almost a decade. I don't remember doing laundry on a certain day in college or in my apartment days with roommates, but for sure starting early on in my marriage. No more! I am so amazed by this change in my life, even housework-related, that it gets its own whole blog post.
Check this out! A crucial part of my new system:
Here we have what used to be the annoying linen closet at the end of our upstairs hall. It was annoying, because WHAT THE HECK was I supposed to use that counter space for? In a model home, I suppose, there would be a perfect houseplant-y photo frame-y concoction there to dress up the blahness, but in my house, it became the kids' catch-all. In order to implement my new improved laundry plan, I ventured to Target Monday (since I wasn't tied to the washing machine and dryer and endless folding and hanging) to buy a laundry basket. Until now, our family of six shared one laundry basket that resided in the Master closet. Not a bad system since our upstairs is small so the kids didn't have to go out of their way to deposit their dirty clothes. PLUS I didn't have to skip around the house every Monday gathering up multiple piles of laundry. But, with the new system - where I do laundry almost every day - I needed help. And diversification. Bought the three fabric laundry bins at Target and voila! a sorting system that also happens to take over the annoying hall counter. The kids now do their own sorting, I do a couple loads a day, fold it on my bed, and part of their before-bed routine includes putting away their own laundry. Five days down and no one has gone without underwear, I wasn't bound to my house all day Monday, and all is good. And if you've read this far about my housekeeping - you must be avoiding your own laundry.
Incidentally, because I suspect I have a large number of aviation enthusiasts who read my blog - that is a scale model of a Twin Otter on the tip-top of the linen cupboard.
Furthermore, it is an exact replica of the Vistaliners that Scenic Airlines uses to carry tourists from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon!
I know from reading all my fellow stay-at-home mom blogs that laundry is a beast in every household. I hate it, too - but I always managed to keep it from eating me alive by forcing myself to complete every load every Monday. Faithfully. I was a machine on Mondays, but it got done and I didn't have the worry that some member of my family might be underwear-less on any given day. I can tell you honestly that I had this Monday fun every week of every month of every year for almost a decade. I don't remember doing laundry on a certain day in college or in my apartment days with roommates, but for sure starting early on in my marriage. No more! I am so amazed by this change in my life, even housework-related, that it gets its own whole blog post.
Check this out! A crucial part of my new system:
Here we have what used to be the annoying linen closet at the end of our upstairs hall. It was annoying, because WHAT THE HECK was I supposed to use that counter space for? In a model home, I suppose, there would be a perfect houseplant-y photo frame-y concoction there to dress up the blahness, but in my house, it became the kids' catch-all. In order to implement my new improved laundry plan, I ventured to Target Monday (since I wasn't tied to the washing machine and dryer and endless folding and hanging) to buy a laundry basket. Until now, our family of six shared one laundry basket that resided in the Master closet. Not a bad system since our upstairs is small so the kids didn't have to go out of their way to deposit their dirty clothes. PLUS I didn't have to skip around the house every Monday gathering up multiple piles of laundry. But, with the new system - where I do laundry almost every day - I needed help. And diversification. Bought the three fabric laundry bins at Target and voila! a sorting system that also happens to take over the annoying hall counter. The kids now do their own sorting, I do a couple loads a day, fold it on my bed, and part of their before-bed routine includes putting away their own laundry. Five days down and no one has gone without underwear, I wasn't bound to my house all day Monday, and all is good. And if you've read this far about my housekeeping - you must be avoiding your own laundry.
Incidentally, because I suspect I have a large number of aviation enthusiasts who read my blog - that is a scale model of a Twin Otter on the tip-top of the linen cupboard.
Furthermore, it is an exact replica of the Vistaliners that Scenic Airlines uses to carry tourists from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Start the day with a fun run and see where it goes from there.
Right at the start of my run this morning, my neighbor drove by and I waved like I usually do. One of my running partners remarked that the neighbor must be wondering why I was running with three bodyguards or something to that effect. It was an unusual set-up for me, getting to run with three guys. My anxiety level over cougar mauling or scary guy attack was at an all-time low. (Sadly, my lung capacity was also at an all-time low, but I did manage to keep breathing through the whole run.)
If real bodyguards (think Secret Service Agents) are identified by dark glasses and lapel pins, my running partners today would be identified by InterVarsity sweatshirts and dark circles under their eyes. Oh, and Mike had on about twelve layers of clothing in an effort to simulate the bed environment, which is where he would rather have been. I'm honored these guys dragged themselves up despite their late-night staff meeting hours, pecan pie and ice cream eating. Rob inspires me on his blog with tales of his running, so I felt like I was "somethin" to get to jog Henderson with him. Mike is a good friend and neighbor, and now I can add "ridiculously cold and early run" to the list of memories we have. As for Bob, I don't think he reads blogs - so I'll just say I'm glad I wasn't running behind him. There are no ducks, no birds of any kind, that sound like that in the Vegas 'burbs. But as long as I'm being all mushy: when Kevin and I were getting ready for bed last night, Kevin said to me, "Are you excited you get to run with Bob tomorrow?" He knows how much I love the guy.
Funny, just after breakfast, I got an e-mail with a countdown to my half marathon. Thank God I did get out today after a week of being sick or I might have panicked at that message. I checked my name on the entrants list and got to see my bib number! Well, holy crap, I guess I really am doing this thing.
And the day went on. Another time, I'll tell the tale of my new cell phone, my new scanner, both instruction booklets, a lot of swearing, and how I really doubt I'll ever be able to properly use either piece of technology.
I might also tell about how our family had our first-ever celebration tonight in honor of some special saints' days.
I won't tell much about the two hours I spent at the lab today. That experience would have best been prepared for with a whimsically-illustrated, sweetly-rhyming storybook called "My First Mammogram" to calm my fears. And the two hours should have concluded with a date with a girlfriend for a coffee. Or a scotch. Maybe two.
All that on just an innocent-looking Thursday. I'm going to bed now.
If real bodyguards (think Secret Service Agents) are identified by dark glasses and lapel pins, my running partners today would be identified by InterVarsity sweatshirts and dark circles under their eyes. Oh, and Mike had on about twelve layers of clothing in an effort to simulate the bed environment, which is where he would rather have been. I'm honored these guys dragged themselves up despite their late-night staff meeting hours, pecan pie and ice cream eating. Rob inspires me on his blog with tales of his running, so I felt like I was "somethin" to get to jog Henderson with him. Mike is a good friend and neighbor, and now I can add "ridiculously cold and early run" to the list of memories we have. As for Bob, I don't think he reads blogs - so I'll just say I'm glad I wasn't running behind him. There are no ducks, no birds of any kind, that sound like that in the Vegas 'burbs. But as long as I'm being all mushy: when Kevin and I were getting ready for bed last night, Kevin said to me, "Are you excited you get to run with Bob tomorrow?" He knows how much I love the guy.
Funny, just after breakfast, I got an e-mail with a countdown to my half marathon. Thank God I did get out today after a week of being sick or I might have panicked at that message. I checked my name on the entrants list and got to see my bib number! Well, holy crap, I guess I really am doing this thing.
And the day went on. Another time, I'll tell the tale of my new cell phone, my new scanner, both instruction booklets, a lot of swearing, and how I really doubt I'll ever be able to properly use either piece of technology.
I might also tell about how our family had our first-ever celebration tonight in honor of some special saints' days.
I won't tell much about the two hours I spent at the lab today. That experience would have best been prepared for with a whimsically-illustrated, sweetly-rhyming storybook called "My First Mammogram" to calm my fears. And the two hours should have concluded with a date with a girlfriend for a coffee. Or a scotch. Maybe two.
All that on just an innocent-looking Thursday. I'm going to bed now.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Mawwiage
I'm trying to sound like that guy on "Princess Bride" saying 'Marriage' with his slurry accent as if I'm one of those folks who quotes from movies so well - I'm not, though. But I do think of that one line.
Tomorrow night I will go to bed early. Tonight I am up because I have to blog, eat a bowl of cereal, prune my bonsai tree, file my toenails, clean out under the t.v., write a letter to my aunt, evaluate the neighbors' pool chemicals, try to say the Pledge of Allegiance backwards and while doing some squats, research equine cataracts, sketch a tree the way they taught us in private school art class back in fourth grade, and then buckle down and write a talk on marriage for tomorrow evening's RCIA class.
(So... #1 - blog. Here I am, folks, procrastinator extraordinaire. So happy to be here with all of you fellow procrastinators and internet surfers who are skimming over strangers' blogs rather than tackling your relationship issues; writing that financial report for the board meeting tomorrow, or whatever.)
What to blog about? What to say... ah! It is absolutely imperative that I tell you that the search is over!!! After, like, six months or so of browsing the world for the perfect cafe curtains for my kitchen, I came across the ideal fabric and pattern. At IKEA, of all places! Fresh! Cheap! And then I saw "NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE" and I think I muttered something about rat bastards under my breath. I know, I know, Jesus still loves me, though... So, seriously, I have the best friends in the world. Layla Hanash volunteered to pop in at the Portland store on her way back to Vegas, and my friend's dear mother is checking in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada before her return here in two weeks. SO TAKE THAT, IKEA! YOU CAN'T KEEP THOSE CURTAINS FROM ME, NO SIR!!! I have my peeps all across the North American continent working to reel me in a set. And if Portland and Edmonton fall through, my trusty old new friend Janelle said she'd bring some back for me from Costa Mesa at the end of February. Maybe I oughtta postpone working on my talk until I can get you loyal readers a photo of those curtains hung neatly in my sweet little window.
In other news, Mike Nalley doesn't want to get out of his cozy warm bed for a run with me and Rob and Bob so it has become apparent that he is PRAYING AGAINST MY PHYSICAL HEALTH!!! How could you do this, Mike? My cough is lingering and I sound like a raspy frog version of Janis Joplin. I can't go running if I have a nasty bronchial issue! Quit the voodoo and just get out and give your own lungs a butt kicking! See you Thursday, if I'm not on a ventilator.
Finally the crankly old dead haunted-house tree in our front yard is going to be cut down and the stump ground out. Join me in wishing it good riddance. Moving us ONE TINY STEP closer to NOT being the ugliest house on the block.
You really oughtta be Catholic. Holy water is cool. Had fun blessing the kids in their sleep tonight and in general praying over our little casa. Took a good ten minutes. That was ten more minutes NOT working on my talk! I could go professional, I tell you.
Do you know me very well at all? Can you detect the edge of "manic" in my tone? I think it's there right along with the crazy energy from the Honey Nut cereal that will propel me forward in my talk-writing and bless the socks off these folks coming to hear what the Catholic Church teaches about marriage. Heck, a topic like this, all I gotta do is toss out a few truths and let the Q & A session soak up all my time. I'm getting pathetic! Off I go! Thank you for hanging out with me these crazy minutes!
Tomorrow night I will go to bed early. Tonight I am up because I have to blog, eat a bowl of cereal, prune my bonsai tree, file my toenails, clean out under the t.v., write a letter to my aunt, evaluate the neighbors' pool chemicals, try to say the Pledge of Allegiance backwards and while doing some squats, research equine cataracts, sketch a tree the way they taught us in private school art class back in fourth grade, and then buckle down and write a talk on marriage for tomorrow evening's RCIA class.
(So... #1 - blog. Here I am, folks, procrastinator extraordinaire. So happy to be here with all of you fellow procrastinators and internet surfers who are skimming over strangers' blogs rather than tackling your relationship issues; writing that financial report for the board meeting tomorrow, or whatever.)
What to blog about? What to say... ah! It is absolutely imperative that I tell you that the search is over!!! After, like, six months or so of browsing the world for the perfect cafe curtains for my kitchen, I came across the ideal fabric and pattern. At IKEA, of all places! Fresh! Cheap! And then I saw "NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE" and I think I muttered something about rat bastards under my breath. I know, I know, Jesus still loves me, though... So, seriously, I have the best friends in the world. Layla Hanash volunteered to pop in at the Portland store on her way back to Vegas, and my friend's dear mother is checking in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada before her return here in two weeks. SO TAKE THAT, IKEA! YOU CAN'T KEEP THOSE CURTAINS FROM ME, NO SIR!!! I have my peeps all across the North American continent working to reel me in a set. And if Portland and Edmonton fall through, my trusty old new friend Janelle said she'd bring some back for me from Costa Mesa at the end of February. Maybe I oughtta postpone working on my talk until I can get you loyal readers a photo of those curtains hung neatly in my sweet little window.
In other news, Mike Nalley doesn't want to get out of his cozy warm bed for a run with me and Rob and Bob so it has become apparent that he is PRAYING AGAINST MY PHYSICAL HEALTH!!! How could you do this, Mike? My cough is lingering and I sound like a raspy frog version of Janis Joplin. I can't go running if I have a nasty bronchial issue! Quit the voodoo and just get out and give your own lungs a butt kicking! See you Thursday, if I'm not on a ventilator.
Finally the crankly old dead haunted-house tree in our front yard is going to be cut down and the stump ground out. Join me in wishing it good riddance. Moving us ONE TINY STEP closer to NOT being the ugliest house on the block.
You really oughtta be Catholic. Holy water is cool. Had fun blessing the kids in their sleep tonight and in general praying over our little casa. Took a good ten minutes. That was ten more minutes NOT working on my talk! I could go professional, I tell you.
Do you know me very well at all? Can you detect the edge of "manic" in my tone? I think it's there right along with the crazy energy from the Honey Nut cereal that will propel me forward in my talk-writing and bless the socks off these folks coming to hear what the Catholic Church teaches about marriage. Heck, a topic like this, all I gotta do is toss out a few truths and let the Q & A session soak up all my time. I'm getting pathetic! Off I go! Thank you for hanging out with me these crazy minutes!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Good Smellin' Day
The inside of my house is full of smells. Some fragrance, some stench. The worst is when the kitchen trash has last night's dinner meat rotting away right next to two overnight Pull Ups. The best is when I have candles lit and cookies baking and maybe a little Castile cleaner on the floors.
But outside - do you ever stop to notice the smells when you're outside? I mean, I always notice the fumes at the gas station; I can tell when someone is running their dryer with fabric softener sheets; and smokers get my nose's attention as well. I do love the smell of rain, but it's so rare around here. And then after the rain, the scent of the sage is lovely.
It rained last night. And I stepped out early to do an errand and it smelled sweet. Sweet. Like yummy. It was incredible. Couldn't quit taking big long breaths thinking I must have it wrong and any second would recognize "Bounce Dryer Sheet" Smell wafting in the air. But no, it was just the morning air after the rain. Delicious. A day can't go wrong when it starts off SMELLING good.
And it didn't go wrong. We vacuumed, mopped, picked up, and finally removed the stranded rubber dinosaur from the highest pot shelf (hallelujah - that guy taunted me for weeks!).
So, now... going into Sunday... our day of God, family, and rest - I have a few things to consider:
1) Am I ever going to paint the remainder of my room? I've painted one wall. Three to go.
2) What to read? I completed all four Mormon Vampire Books. Now what? I need something, but I might not be totally ready to jump into the non-fiction Kevin just bought me: Noise - How Our Media-Saturated Culture Dominates Lives and Dismantles Families (light, breezy, cheery... perfect for bedtime!); and Blind Spot - When Journalists Don't Get Religion (shocking information!). I am excited to read both, but I gotta wait for the vampire mood to pass or I might read crazy things into the non-fiction.
3) Tomorrow we remember the conversion of Paul. Now THERE'S a story. And, coincidentally, I've been reading about the fellow in Acts the past couple weeks. I've been sorta annoyed at him - not really him, more the personality I imagine him having based on what is written in Acts. Maybe tomorrow I can re-read what I've read so far and try to open myself to a fresh perspective. I mean, after all, it's his day and all...
4) Will I pick up my sewing? It's been staring me in the face - the humongous pile of garments that need buttons re-attached or tears mended. But it is sure tempting to hide it under the bed until it melds with the dust bunnies never to be seen again. This reminds me of my more careless day as an accounting clerk when I would shred the documents I couldn't figure out. Never understood why I got fired from that job...
5) Learning to head a soccer ball on Wii is just not realistic. Almost never in real-life soccer do your teammates (or even opponents) hurl panda heads or cleats at you. I'm just noting...
But outside - do you ever stop to notice the smells when you're outside? I mean, I always notice the fumes at the gas station; I can tell when someone is running their dryer with fabric softener sheets; and smokers get my nose's attention as well. I do love the smell of rain, but it's so rare around here. And then after the rain, the scent of the sage is lovely.
It rained last night. And I stepped out early to do an errand and it smelled sweet. Sweet. Like yummy. It was incredible. Couldn't quit taking big long breaths thinking I must have it wrong and any second would recognize "Bounce Dryer Sheet" Smell wafting in the air. But no, it was just the morning air after the rain. Delicious. A day can't go wrong when it starts off SMELLING good.
And it didn't go wrong. We vacuumed, mopped, picked up, and finally removed the stranded rubber dinosaur from the highest pot shelf (hallelujah - that guy taunted me for weeks!).
So, now... going into Sunday... our day of God, family, and rest - I have a few things to consider:
1) Am I ever going to paint the remainder of my room? I've painted one wall. Three to go.
2) What to read? I completed all four Mormon Vampire Books. Now what? I need something, but I might not be totally ready to jump into the non-fiction Kevin just bought me: Noise - How Our Media-Saturated Culture Dominates Lives and Dismantles Families (light, breezy, cheery... perfect for bedtime!); and Blind Spot - When Journalists Don't Get Religion (shocking information!). I am excited to read both, but I gotta wait for the vampire mood to pass or I might read crazy things into the non-fiction.
3) Tomorrow we remember the conversion of Paul. Now THERE'S a story. And, coincidentally, I've been reading about the fellow in Acts the past couple weeks. I've been sorta annoyed at him - not really him, more the personality I imagine him having based on what is written in Acts. Maybe tomorrow I can re-read what I've read so far and try to open myself to a fresh perspective. I mean, after all, it's his day and all...
4) Will I pick up my sewing? It's been staring me in the face - the humongous pile of garments that need buttons re-attached or tears mended. But it is sure tempting to hide it under the bed until it melds with the dust bunnies never to be seen again. This reminds me of my more careless day as an accounting clerk when I would shred the documents I couldn't figure out. Never understood why I got fired from that job...
5) Learning to head a soccer ball on Wii is just not realistic. Almost never in real-life soccer do your teammates (or even opponents) hurl panda heads or cleats at you. I'm just noting...
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wonderland
How often do you spend the afternoon making balloon animals and a Winter evening in a swimming pool? Not often. So when it happened earlier this week, we all had a fantastic day.
Thanks to Grandpa, who provided the balloon animal kit, and to Kevin who is quite a balloon craftsman. Most requested animal? Giraffe.
And thanks to the Earlys, who are quite thrilled to live in a place where you can swim in January! And we are quite thrilled to be their next-door neighbors and share the experience. That's Cayna with the pink and purple noodles, Joe with blue and yellow, and Kevin under water. They weren't starting a polar bear club, the pool was well-heated.
Thanks to Grandpa, who provided the balloon animal kit, and to Kevin who is quite a balloon craftsman. Most requested animal? Giraffe.
And thanks to the Earlys, who are quite thrilled to live in a place where you can swim in January! And we are quite thrilled to be their next-door neighbors and share the experience. That's Cayna with the pink and purple noodles, Joe with blue and yellow, and Kevin under water. They weren't starting a polar bear club, the pool was well-heated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)