Budgets, bills, and all things money

Our family needs to shake things up in the finance department. Since I stay home most of the shopping and daily expenses fall to me. I'm on the hunt for ways to save money. I realize coupons are out there, and I know some people have great success with them. How? Very often the coupons are for brands that are already pricey; they are for larger quantities than I want to purchase; I just don't get the coupon system. Is there someone out there who can re-edcuate me? Also, who shops in bulk? Do you truly save money shopping at Sam's or Costco? I feel like I am in way over my head in redoing things around here, but something has got to change. We are simply spending too much money and there has to be a better way. I know I can make small changes (less eating out for example) but I really don't see how to save money on the things like groceries, diapers and things like that. Help!

Rest in Peace

My grandmother, Minnie Braun, passed away today. She was 95 years old and had suffered a long time. Please pray for her soul, and for my family. She is my dad's mom, and his only immediate family. His dad died when he was a teenager and he is an only child, so I imagine it is a lonely feeling. Thanks.

Home Again

Just a quick update; I've got lots to do now that we are back home.

We enjoyed our visit to my hometown. While busy and crowded at times it was great to spend time with my family. We also got to visit with some old friends that I haven't seen in a while. I must confess, I did go shopping on Friday. But not until the evening, and only for boots for myself! I'm so selfish. We just spent an hour or so getting away from the madness of 8 kids (7 of them under the age of 6) under one roof. I found some boots that I think I like, but before wearing them I want to check out one more store. If they have something I like better then I will return the other boots. But they were 1/2 off so I had to buy them, just in case I can't find anything else at a reasonable price. I'm silly, I know.

It really was a good weekend, but we are glad to be home. Kids need to be back in their own space to play and sleep.

Oh yeah. Gig'em.

Taking a Break

From cleaning, that is. I hate leaving town with a messy house, so I'm spending the day cleaning. I have conquered the kids' rooms (not the laundry though) and now have the rest of the house remaining. Thankfully, nothing is too out of control messy and O.H. gets home early today, so he can help. While cleaning I'm also going to be packing, as we are headed to my hometown tomorrow (Longview; home of Neal McCoy and former home of Matthew McConaughey or however you spell it). All of this before dinner with my in-laws tonight. I work well under deadlines I think. I got on the treadmill for all of five minutes this morning and decided I had no desire to do that. Now I'm feeling fat and lazy. :) Just the way to start a feeding frenzy of a holiday. Call me prepared.

I'm also desparately craving Chick-fil-A; not weight loss friendly, but that is of little concern. Someone light a fire under my a** and convince me to get on the treadmill or clean my house more.

Thanksgiving: A Made-up Holiday

I realize there is some kind of historical context for Thanksgiving, but I view it as a made-up holiday that just invites stress into our lives. Don't get me wrong--I love the food, the football, the days off. However, I don't attach any great emotional significance to it. Christmas is the big one for us; one that has faith traditions to share with our children and a meaning much larger than being thankful for family and the like. However, people seem to get stressed to such an absurd level over this day. And the shopping orgy the next day is just sickening. Like the stores won't have great deals all throughout the season. A holiday about giving thanks has turned into the prelude to the grossest display of materialism on earth.

Sorry for ranting; I just had to get that off my chest.

You may all commence with frantic cooking and cleaning and mapping out a shopping strategy if that is your thing. Or not. I'm of the not variety; avoiding hosting for as long as possible.

Funny things kids say

Given the loss that our friends experienced, there has been a lot of talk of babies around here. My sweet Nutball has an interesting idea about acquiring a baby. She says all our friend has to do is "take a deep breath" to get a new baby in her tummy. I don't know where she got that idea from, but I find it quite amusing. Of course, Princess thinks all I need to do to get her a baby sister is go to the hospital and get one. Not that surprising, since to her 5 year old mind that is all I did to get Monster. She conveniently forgets that he grew in my stomach for 9 months. Funny how that works.

I am reminded often in these last few, sometimes difficult days what a blessing our children are and young kids in general. They are so resilient and so trusting in how things work. They are so aware of our feelings and wanting us to feel better. They are such gifts.

Keep praying; this is something that will stay with us.

A tough day

"Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name"

Matt Redman, Blessed be Your Name

40:20

That is the approximate time it took me to finish the 5k today. I improved my time by 5 minutes! I was so proud of myself when I was done. O.H. improved his time too. It was a great run, with several other friends cheering each other on. Now we're looking to do one in early January for our next one.

After we finished the race, we went and clogged our arteries with some yummy southern breakfast. I didn't eat too much though, so no worries. The bigger concern is tailgating and all the deliciously bad for me food that will be available. Oh well--I ran a 5k and I'm going to eat what I want!

Holy Jumpsuit, Batman! That's Elvis!

I am embarassed to post this, but here goes anyway. Last night I stumbled upon the Documentary Channel, showing a film called "Almost Elvis." Yep, a whole documentary devoted to Elvis impersonators. I couldn't stop watching! I stayed up until 11:40 to watch the insanity. O.H. and I are watching it and trying to guess what year it is. Based on clothes, hairstyles and cars our first guess was the mid-80's. Well, then one of the men mentions the internet. We were stunned. Seriously. If you had seen this film, you too would have been stunned. Okay, we're thinking, maybe mid-90s then. Perhaps these people just aren't aware of the passage of time when it comes to fashion and automobiles. So we get to the end, the big contest, and we find out it is 1999! We couldn't believe it. The whole time we were watching this film, we kept commenting on how it couldn't be real; it seemed more like a movie. But, for better or worse, it was real. It reminded us a lot of the Christopher Guest ensemble cast movies like Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, and A Mighty Wind. Except It. Was. Real. So, you all missed out on a cultural touchpoint and should feel somewhat sad.

Speaking of Guest, his new movie, For Your Consideration, opens today. We are hoping to find time to see it eventually.

Prayers are Needed

For anyone who reads this that is the praying kind, they are needed right now. One of my very good friends delivered her baby girl this morning and she was born without a heartbeat. Doctors were not able to do anything to save their precious girl. Janelle Marie Gibson is mourned by all who know and love her family today. Please, please say a prayer for this family. Scott and Jodie also have two boys, 5 and 3 years old and they will need many prayers too. Thanks.

Is this Weird?

I honestly want to hear from my faithful readers on this one. I drink way more water when I have bottled water in the house. Seriously, I will easily drink 4 bottles (and yes, I reuse them but only once) in a day without even realizing it. But, when I have to rely on putting water in a glass, I'm doing good to down one glass. Why is that? O.H. thinks it is completely irrational and I might agree. All I know is, water in a bottle is more likely to be consumed by me than water in a glass. Weird I think. What do you do that is weird?

I love him but he makes me crazy

Conversation with O.H. just completed.

Me: "I'm really frustrated. The girls tore up some leaves and sprinkled them on the carpet."

O.H.: "Can't you just vacuum that up?"

Me: "Yes, but it is still frustrating." (In my head thinking "Oh yes, I can't wait to vacuum up more crap. Just what I was looking forward to. Great suggestion, dear, I never would have thought of that.").

I was hopeful he would say that sucks and he would get it when he got home. What was I thinking? Someone call the loony bin and see if they have an opening; I have clearly lost my mind.

An Interesting Possibility

Last night at the UNT basketball game (we lost unfortunately) I ran into a former colleague of mine. We used to work in the advising office together. He is now in the Athletics Advising office and is looking for tutors for history and government. He asked if I might be interested. I said yes! I'm going to meet with him again tomorrow to talk some more about expectations and pay and things like that. He thinks it would be in the evening most of the time which is when I would need it to be. Also, it is something that is on a need basis; meaning the athletes contact me when they are having trouble, but otherwise I'm not working. So, it could be great. I'm excited about it--a chance to use my brain, get back into the work environment on a limited, family-friendly basis and meet some of the students I watch on the field. The pay will not be great, but if I can do it when O.H. is home there won't be any cost on my end, so it would all be extra income (after taxes of course). Yea!

Not Moving

Today is a dreary, windy and cold day. When my alarm rang this morning, I heard the wind howling outside and did not get up to exercise. No problem, right? That's what the treadmill is for, isn't it? Not so, my friends. Today I slept in and we had playgroup and now I am home and I still do not want to get on the dreaded beast. It would mean taking another shower too. We're planning on attending the UNT basketball game tonight; sweaty, nasty me is not something the public should have to suffer. So, as of now, there will be no exercise today. I'm working on talking myself into it though. If I do put in my time I'll let y'all know. But don't hold your breath.

Works for Me Wednesday--Christmas Edition

Keeping Gifts in check and in Perspective

We decided to adopt the gift policy of several friends a few years ago. We are Christians (obviously, by my sidebar) and wanted to keep things in perspective, but still give our children gifts. So, we give our kids 3 gifts apiece. Why? Because Jesus got 3 gifts, and it is His birthday, after all. We make a point to talk about this, commenting on how great it is that Jesus shares His birthday with them and they get gifts too. We also read a letter from Jesus that I have in an Advent/Christmas activity book.

Okay, I just read another great tip about the gifts and I think I will amend it for my family. We will still do 3 gifts, but now they will have a purpose. See the tip here.

Check out Rocks in My Dryer for more great tips.

Slightly New Look

I messed around with the look of my blog today. I have very limited computer skills, so even though there are some things I would like to change, it doesn't look like I can. Anyone who can point me to more templates with more options (especially font size in the sidebar) please do so.

The links to blogs I read is for blogs I read daily and have found to be entertaining, inspiring and interesting. If you don't like them, don't read them. :) Being new to all of this stuff, I'm still finding my way around and will probably make changes to the list now and then.

Any suggestions you can make regarding the look of my blog are welcome. Have a good day y'all!

Working my way Up

I was able to run for 20 minutes, notstop, today on the treadmill! That was 1 1/2 miles! I'm very excited. Honestly, I could have gone longer, but Monster was crying in his highchair so I figured I better help him out. My total treadmill time was 25 minutes. Yes, I keep getting on the treadmill because I keep oversleeping. I'm very excited about the 5k this weekend; I think I will be able to run more than I did last time. We're going with two other couples, so we will all cheer each other on, which makes things easier in some ways. I'm so proud of myself for keeping it up. I have been exercising at least 3 times a week since the last 5k, so 6 weeks or so. Now, if I would stop drinking soda and eating fast food the results would probably be more obvious, but at least I'm trying. Thanks for the motivation/encouragement everyone!

From the mouths of babes

I just had to share the funny thing Princess (age 5) said to me yesterday.

My stomach growled quite loudly.

Princess: "Mommy, it says it wants a baby girl!"

She is aching to have a baby sister. Since we aren't even considering adding to the family tree at this time she is in for a long wait. We just tell her to pray about it.

Also, my children call guitars "remote guitars" for some reason. I think they have it confused with remote control. Yep, real sharp knives in our family drawer. ;)

From the Way Too Much Information File

We should've closed the door.

Next time we will. We should be smarter than this by now.

Encouragement

I know everyone needs encouragement at some time or another. I know one person really needs it right now, and since I can't do it in person, I'm doing it on my blog.

I'll begin with a quote from one of my daily devotion books. It is called Catholic Mom 24/7: Daily Meditations for Busy Mothers, but Tammy Bundy. I'm starting with this quote because it says what I was going to try to say, but so much better.

"You (God) don't want us to suffer, and yet you know there are some things we simply must go through in order to get to where we are going." Right now, it is hard to see what God's plan is in this. It is hard to undertand that there might be some greater good to come about or some lesson to learn. Why does it have to be so hard? I don't know why, but I do know that there is a purpose. "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the Lord, and I will change your lot . . ." (Jer. 29: 11-14). You are strong; you have already overcome more than most of us will ever endure and you and your family will overcome this trial too. You stepped out in faith and you will be rewarded, although it is hard to see that now. You have brought blessing to so many and you will be blessed a thousandfold, for God promises that. It is when we are broken, when we are at our weakest, that God reveals himself to us and gives us guidance and peace. "Lord, hear my prayer; listen to my cry for help. In this time of trouble I call, for you will answer me" (Ps. 86: 6-7). There is grace in this trial and there is joy to be found at the end. You will come out of this stronger than before and with even more to testify to God's goodness.

We're praying for you and with you.

My heart breaks knowing that we are not close in distance, but we are bound by a friendship that was given to us by God, and that is a bond that cannot be broken by distance.

We Survived

Well, the day is finally here. O.H. will return from his retreat sometime today. Unfortunately, I won't be here to greet him. Prior to his accepting the role of director for the retreat I was already on a committtee bringing an Advent Assembly to our parish. So, the kids will stay home with a babysitter and I will spend my day at the church. The kids would have attended the Assembly with O.H. but that obviously won't be happening. He's been gone since Thursday morning and I am definitely ready for him to return. I know I have several friends whose husbands' travel, but I am not cut out for that. My admiration goes to you ladies who manage to run your home alone a majority of the time.

When O.H. left the house was a wreck. I mean that too. It looked like someone had come in and rummaged through everything. No clean dishes, very few clean clothes and virtually no visible floor in the kids' rooms. It was embarassing. I promised O.H. that it would not be in that condition when he returned. And it is not. I somehow summoned the will to clean it from top to bottom. Or almost. I ran out of steam when it came to our bathroom. O.H. can tackle that one when he feels like it. It is so satisfying to see a clean house. Also discouraging, as I have no doubt it will be a wreck again very soon. Such is life with kids.

Once again I was blessed by a friend yesterday. A young man, friend of my brother's and now a family friend, came by and entertained the kids and gave me some adult conversation for a while yesterday. Again I am thankful for all of my friends, and again I am reminded of the great rewards of service to the church, as that is where we initially met this young man.

Mean Green win! 16-7! Woohoo! Apparently firing the coach gets our team motivated. Yes, UNT fired Darrell Dickey. He did a great job building our program, but his time here is done. The offense has grown too predictable and it seems there have been some focus/discipline issues. He will coach the remaining games and then take his leave. I'm sure some players are disappointed, but if we want to build a new stadium and get some interest growing, we need a new face. The last home game is next weekend, so we are making our final tailgating plans. It is so sad when the season comes to an end, because regardless of the game, we always have fun tailgating. This time our very best friends will be joining us, after we all enter a 5k in the morning. Yea!

Little monster has recovered. His fever broke and stayed away Thursday. So far no rash, so it doesn't seem to be roseola after all. Very mysterious. I'm just glad he is feeling better. It is hard to get anything done when a baby keeps you pinned to the couch. Thanks for your prayers and kind words during his illness.

An Ode to Friendship

No Thursday Thirteen for me this week. Instead I'm going to write a bit about how great my friends are. Not to brag or anything, just to get it out there in case they stop by sometime.

When God blessed us with these 4 kids in 4 years, He saw fit to give us some of the best friends we could ever hope to have. He knew that I would need some Godly women to lead me on my path to holiness, and boy do I have them. Women that model for me what it means to be a wife and mother in the eyes of the Church. Women that strengthen me and encourage me when I am feeling overwhelmed and undermotivated (is that a word?). Women and men that show me what a holy marriage is all about and who share their blessings with us. God also gave my O.H. many male friends to do the same. Friends that have been there with us when we were told our little Nutball might not live (which obviously was not the case) and that prayed with us and walked that difficult but ultimately beautiful journey with us. He has blessed us beyond measure and we can only pray that we will bring blessings to those we know as well. Blessed us so much that for some, we no longer call them friends, but instead call them family.

He also blessed me with an amazing group of women in college. Women that challenged and pushed me to examine who I was and what I was going to do with what God had given me. I'm so thankful that we are still in touch and we are still supporting and loving each other as we are taken in our different directions. Those women are the ones that prepared me to to be the woman I am today.

How did I find these friends? Largely, through the grace of God in service and participation. By saying Yes to God in some aspect, I was saying yes to these friendships, I just didn't know it at the time. There is value in friendships that are outside our comfort zone and our shared faith, and I treasure those friendships, but I firmly believe that seeking out and nurturing relationships with people who will encourage us to more fully become what God calls us to is the key to living my vocation fully.

So how about you? Do your friends know how much they mean to you? Have you thanked God for His servants that serve you?

I *heart* books

I went to Barnes and Noble last night on a much needed escape from the house. O.H. just left this morning for a 3 night retreat, so I was trying to get in my last moments of sanity while I could. Anyway, I'm at B&N and the first thing I notice when I walk in is new discount rates for members. Much happiness ensued. I am a proud member, paying my 25 bucks a year for a %10 discount on everything (really, everything even sale items) and they send me coupons regularly. I shop there a lot (books for every kid party we go to) so it is well worth it for me. I get %40 off all Hardback fiction best sellers! Score! I love that. So I got a new book. It is called The Rising Tide by Jeff Shaara. It is historical fiction, this one set during WWII. Shaara and his father first wrote a trilogy on the Civil War, then he wrote two books about the American Revolution, one about the Mexican War, and one about WWI. They are all very well done. So far my favorites have been the Civil War ones. He writes from the perspective of several major and minor figures of the era. Using diarires, journals, written reports, and things of that nature he gives them a voice. So, the historical dates and places and war details are fact, but he has added his own take on the matter. Very engaging indeed. And I got his new one! Woohoo! There will be 2 more and I can't wait. Also, I now know exactly what to get my father-in-law for Christmas. In addition, there were easily 20 other books I would have happily purchased had money not been an issue. And that was without really looking through the stacks. So, I love books.
I use my library frequently, but they don't always have what I'm looking for. And with 4 kids in tow usually, I don't get a lot of time to really look for some good books. B&N is my friend.

On a less exciting shopping note, I looked for some boots last night. I really want new black and brown ones (I've had my black ones for 6 years now). I had found some I liked, but they no longer have them in my size. All of the ones I liked last night were $80!! Needless to say, I will not be buying those anytime soon.

Voting

I didn't make it today. I feel like I'm letting somebody down, although I don't know who that would be. I made two attempts to vote, but was unable to go through with it. You see, I had to take sick little monster to the doctor. A dear friend watched the other 3 kiddles for me, so that was nice. I thought I would vote on my way to the doctor's office. Well, the rest of TX may not vote, but those Precinct 120 people are avid participants. After standing in line for a few minutes I realized there was no way we would make it to the doctor on time if we stayed in line. Off we went. After going to the doctor, the radiology lab and the blood lab (more on that in a moment) I tried to vote again. Again long lines awaited me. I waited as long as I could, but had to leave to retrieve my children so that my friend could get hers from school. I could have returned to the voting site with all the kids and done my civic duty, but it was not going to work. So, I didn't vote and I am not happy about that.


So, sick little monster. He has had a fever for over 24 hours, but no other symptoms. He just didn't feel good. When a 14 month old wants to just sit in your lap, there is usually something wrong. He had a temperature of 103 at the office! Well, the doctor wanted to be sure it wasn't pneumonia, so we had to get a chest x-ray and a CBC (blood count). Oh, so hard on the mommy to do that. They had to stick the poor guy twice to get the blood and it was so sad. I felt like I tricked him. Happily, the results all came back normal. We appear to have a case of roseola on our hands and that is all. It is hard to have a sick one though. Breaks your heart and makes you tired all at once.

So, no voting and no exercising today. Not a good day here. But not as bad as some.

Why I am Exercising

So, reading a friend's blog has made me think about my motivations for exercising and overall trying to lose weight. I'm blessed in that, without much effort, I don't really look like I have had 4 kids in 4 years. Sure, you can see the result of pregnancy, but typically, women gain and keep more weight with each pregnancy. I haven't done that, thank goodness. In fact, many people have been surprised to hear me talk about losing weight. Thanks for that by the way (we women love compliments, don't we?).

Why do I want to lose weight? I think it is fair to examine my motivations and make some determinations as to how important they should be.

I weigh more now, or about the same, as I did six weeks postpartum. That is not good for the energy level required in keeping and maintaining a home and family with 4 small kids. When I am working on taking care of myself, I am more motivated to my particular job well. So, more energy/motivation for my vocation is a reason.
Secondly, feeling good about how I look translates to feeling good about my marriage. Not that O.H. would ever use my weight against me (for many reasons I am assured of that), but it is important that I feel good about myself so that I want to actively nurture my marriage.
Also, O.H. needs to lose weight. I love him and I want him around and able to enjoy our life together. To do this, he needs to get his a** moving. Sorry to be harsh, but it is the truth. And we all know a little competition does wonders for a man.
Finally, I want to do it for me. I want to remember what I look and feel like as myself, not just as wife and mother (although I wouldn't give that up). Not that I want to shed my vocation or forget this life, but I do want to reclaim myself. I want to nurture the person that is that wife and mother. And, I want to feel smokin' hot once in a while.

Oh yeah, I want to set the example for my kids so that they grow up with the healthy habits I am trying to develop now.

Thanks friend for getting me thinking about why I am doing this.

Hurts so good . . .

I'm so cheesy.

I did not want to exercise today at all. I went to bed last night with the aid of Tylenol Cold nighttime, as my O.H. so generously shared his ailment with me. How that happened is a bit of a mystery, as he was gone a lot over the weekend and I was sleeping on the couch with a kid every night. Nevertheless, the germs found me and knocked me down last night. Naturally I did not get up with my 5:45 alarm, just turned off the alarm and went back to sleep. But, the fact that I am entering a 5k in less than two weeks kept hanging around. So I dragged myself onto the treadmill and did my 30 minutes. I even managed to run a complete mile without stopping, so that felt really good. I have been doing 2 miles total fairly consistently, so I think I am going to increase my route to 2.5 miles this week in preparation for the 5k. Not running all of it of course, but slowly building up.

In other news . . .

2-7

Yes folks, that is the sad record of the beloved Mean Green football team. They made a valiant effort Saturday, but failed to maintain a lead. It is very discouraging for us, the hardcore fans, because we put so much into the team. I mean, we are always encouraging people to come to the games, but why would they want to? It is not as if good football is being played. Good thing tailgating is fun no matter what. It was not a good weekend for any of our teams, as the Mavs, Aggies and Cowboys all lost too. Ouch.

Addictions

Some silly things I'm somewhat addicted to:

• What Not to Wear
• Literati on Yahoo Games
• Reading blogs (what have I gotten myself into?)

Since the O.H. is away for the night, I will be up absurdly late. When he is not here I have a hard time going to sleep and I usually stay up until I can't possibly stay awake one more minute. I sometimes even bring Buddy to sleep in my bed, as he is the first one up anyway. How an undersized 3 year-old boy makes me feel calmer and safer I don't know, but he does. So, I'm posting at this late hour because I am not ready to call it a night.

I'm watching Cover Shot. I'm tempted to write in and see if I can get on the show. It looks fun. I think I just want to do something wild that I have never done before. And going to New York seems like it would fit that description. But then I would be bummed because O.H. wouldn't be with me and that seems like it should be a shared experience. Maybe I overthink things.

Good night.

TGIF . . . I think

Well, Friday is here again. I'm mostly glad, but not entirely. My O.H. is going to a guys night out kind of thing tonight with his retreat team, so I'm on my own with the kids. That is what makes me indifferent to the weekend, because it will be a typical morning here tomorrow since I'll be in charge. Oh well, I am glad tomorrow is Saturday. It is looking like a smaller crowd (possibly no crowd) for tailgating tomorrow, which is nice because it will be more like a date for us. Uusally we spend so much time talking to other tailgaters that we don't talk to each other all that much.

I woke up this morning feeling dizzy and nauseated. And no, those of you who are thinking #5 is in progress, it is not that. It would be near miraculous if that was the case. Whatever it was seems to have gone away now. I hate feeling like I'm going to puke--it is worse than the actual puking, which didn't happen anyway.

I need a new cellphone, but I'm not eligible for an upgrade until March. And there is no way I'm paying full retail for the darned thing. My phone has randomly been turning itself off though, which is frustrating, as I use it for an alarm clock. I slept through my morning prayer time and obviously didn't exercise, given the dizziness. I made up my prayer time in Adoration though. Our church has it on First Fridays and I volunteer in the nursery for two hours, so that other moms of young kiddles can come and pray for a little while. No one else came today though, so I just got a quick 15 minutes in the chapel and stayed in the nursery with my kids the rest of the time. It is amazing what 15 minutes of calm will do for you.

How's that for a random stream of useless information? I don't know that I'll be back on until Monday. We'll see how the weekend goes. Have a good one!

A Survey

I stole this from this funny and entertaining blog. Enjoy.


1. Explain what ended your last relationship.

My husband. I met him and let the other guy go. Oh, there were other things, but that is the short answer.

2. When was the last time you shaved?

Today, as if you needed to know.

3. What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.?

Preparing breakfast probably.

4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?

Sitting right here and talking on the phone to my sister.

5. Are you any good at math?

Decent, although I'm sure not as sharp as I was when I was in school.

6. Your prom night?
Was great. I loved my dress (bought in September of my senior year). I went with a great friend that I had "dated" in middle school and maintained a good friendship with. We went to dinner with a crowd, went to prom and went to afterprom where I won a Bible as a door prize. It was a great, no pressure, no expectations night. I hope my girls have a similar experience.

7. Do you have any famous ancestors?

No, but my husband's first cousin is married to Roger Clemens.

8. Have you had to take a loan out for school?

No, I was blessed to receive many scholarships. Yea for nerds.

9. Do you know the words to the song on your myspace profile?

I'm too old and boring for a myspace profile.

10. Last thing received in the mail?

Sports Illustrated, Food and Family magazine, and bills.

11. How many different beverages have you had today?

Two, I'm really thirsty now.

12. Do you ever leave messages on people's answering machines?

Sometimes. It depends on who the person is that I am calling. And how important the message is.

13. Who did you lose your CONCERT virginity to?

Clay Walker. That's right, my first concert was a country concert.

14. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?

No.

15. What's the most painful dental procedure you've had?

Having 4 permanent teeth removed The shot to the nerve was the worst part.

16. What is out your back door?

A small patio and a very Sanford and Son backyard full of kid stuff.

17. Any plans for Friday night?

Apostolate for Family Consecration meeting.

18. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?

I'm indifferent because I love the ocean, regardless of what it does to my hair.

19. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns?

Sure.

20. Have you ever been to a planetarium?

Yep.

21. Do you re-use towels after you shower?

Yes.

22. Some things you are excited about?

Tailgating Saturday. Regardless of the results of the game, it is a day with my guy and no kids and some adult beverages, so sure to be fun.
Mavs basketball. It will help ease the pain of being a Rangers fan.
WOWO!

23. What is your favorite flavor of JELL-O?

None. I don't care for Jell-o.

24. Describe your key chain(s)?

A pink leather one with a tiny mirror on one side and a lower-case n on the other side. The word HOLY in beads held together by hemp, and the key fob for my almost-wagon. 3 keys--my car, O.H.'s car, and house.

25. Where do you keep your change?

In the zippered portion of my wallet, the money box, the console in my car.

26. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people?

This year at church. I do wine tastings too, but those crowds are usually just 10-15 people.

27. What kind of winter coat do you own?

A charcoal gray wool-blend from Old Navy. I like the shape, but it is too big and I don't like that. I'm trying to not want a leather coat.

28. What was the weather like on your graduation day?
Hot and humid--that's East Texas in May.

29. Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed?

Open.

Well, that ended rather abruptly, didn't it?If you're reading, consider yourself tagged. Let me know if you play!

I couldn't come up with anything more interesting today, so here you go. I'm lame.

Works for Me Wednesday

Okay, this is my first time to attempt this. Being as computer challenged as I am, who knows what will result. Check out this blog to see other great ideas.

Thank you notes from the kids are always tedious and a bit challening, especially with several prewriters, as in my case. I decided to make the task easier on all of us. I have the kids draw a picture on one side of a piece of construction paper and then I write a very brief note on the other side. This way, the kids have contributed but the message is clearly written and easy to understand for the addressee. Also, it is a little different from the usual thank-you note and cheap too! Works for all of us!

Not Feeling It

I did wake up with the alarm this morning. 3 mornings in a row! May seem like small potatoes, but for me it is an effort. 5:45 is early! I'm glad I'm doing it though, as the quiet time is nice. Right now during my prayer time I am reading the daily reading from a One-Year Bible. It is nice to have because if I stick to it, I will read all of Scripture over the next year. Eventually I will probably add some more meat to what I am doing, but for now it is good.

As for exercise, I was not feeling it today. I didn't do my entire course, just a mile and a half or so. My pace was off, I was having a hard time running and I just feel yucky. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. I do like getting up early and having showered before the kids are awake. It helps get my day going and we are not running late everywhere anymore. Yea. I know millions of people already figured that out, but I'm a slow learner when it involves giving up sleep.

Trick-or-treating was so fun! Finally the kids (well, the 3 older ones) are old enough to actually enjoy it and eagerly participate. They were all enthusiastic and polite, so what more could we ask for? It was chilly though, poor Princess was frozen in her butterfly costume. But, a chilly Halloween feels better than a sweaty Halloween. Buddy was a lion and received many, many compliments. So, I owe a debt of thanks to my friend who loaned me the costume. Next year I will hopefully have my kids participating in All Saint's festivities and the secular side of Halloween. I would like to teach them what the day is really all about, but still let them enjoy the silliness of costumes and trick-or-treating. I just didn't get my act together this year in regards to saintly education.

We're off to playgroup. Have a great day dear readers.