I just finished the 3rd book in the Goose Girl trilogy by Shannon Hale, River Secrets. Can I just say that if you haven't discovered her books yet, you really need to! My sister raved about The Goose Girl so much I was driven to read it and loved it. The very first Shannon book I read was Princess Academy, which my mother gave my daughter for her birthday a couple of years ago. I of course snagged it and read it myself.
I'm trying to decide whether to read The Book of a Thousand Days or Austenland next. I'm really glad that there are more books! I hate it when I find a wonderful author/series and get to the last book. It makes me sad.
When I run out of Shannon books, I will probably start over on The Goose Girl and read the sequels again, too. They're that good!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Feeling Chatty
Hmmm, I'm finding myself coming back to type a lot today. I keep remembering stuff that I forgot to write about. Stuff like:
*I'm so proud that I have a cute background on my blog now. I didn't get how to do that, but with a little help from friends on my favorite message board, I mastered the cutting and pasting off of The Cutest Blog On the Block. I'm feeling very cool!
*We got cell phones for Christmas (I can't believe I didn't do a Christmas post; that bears witness to how tired I was by the time the day rolled around) and I now know how to text. It's a beautiful thing. Shane even texts back sometimes and seems to not mind.
*Our stake is being realigned tomorrow, and we stand a very good chance of ending up in a different ward. We will know after a 3:00 stake meeting tomorrow.
*I need to clean my bathroom. That's probably what this "chattiness" is all about. Avoidance.
*I'm so proud that I have a cute background on my blog now. I didn't get how to do that, but with a little help from friends on my favorite message board, I mastered the cutting and pasting off of The Cutest Blog On the Block. I'm feeling very cool!
*We got cell phones for Christmas (I can't believe I didn't do a Christmas post; that bears witness to how tired I was by the time the day rolled around) and I now know how to text. It's a beautiful thing. Shane even texts back sometimes and seems to not mind.
*Our stake is being realigned tomorrow, and we stand a very good chance of ending up in a different ward. We will know after a 3:00 stake meeting tomorrow.
*I need to clean my bathroom. That's probably what this "chattiness" is all about. Avoidance.
The One Good Thing About Winter
The only thing I like about winter (aside from Christmas) is. . .
Cute scrapbook paper. That's it. I love snowflake designs on light blue or other pastel paper. And that's all I've got to say about that. Now I've just got to get some photos of someone enjoying winter so I can make some cute pages!
Cute scrapbook paper. That's it. I love snowflake designs on light blue or other pastel paper. And that's all I've got to say about that. Now I've just got to get some photos of someone enjoying winter so I can make some cute pages!
Sorry Girls, He's Taken!!
Have I dished lately about how wonderful my husband is? I don't think I have. So now I think I will!
Kelly has been playing Mr. Mom since December 18, which was about when my work hours went way up. He always takes the last two weeks of December and first week of January off of work because he lets his paid leave hours build up during the year. It's always really nice to have him around so much and gives him a nice break. I'm really proud of the fact that this year he has done NO JOB-RELATED WORK during his time off! I told him that's a sign of a recovering workaholic, LOL.
I'm particularly grateful that he has been willing to let me do what I wanted with working and has been completely supportive as far as picking up the slack at home. He's done (including folding and putting away) laundry, dishes, vacuuming, chauffering the kids around, etc. All of that has been really helpful. The biggest thing he's done that I'm grateful for, though, is. . .
Getting the kids caught up on their schoolwork. Both of our kids have some difficulties with how they process learning, and so we inevitably come to crisis points several times during the school year where things aren't turned in and grades are down. Even before the break and end of first term this year, he has taken that by the reins and worked with them to get on track with their classes. He's worked with both of them on schoolwork, getting Shane through his Government class and Astronomy packets and helping both, particularly Brittany, with Geometry. He is so patient and knows how to break things down into managable amounts. When frustrations are running high and almost everyone in the house is screaming, he is the one who is able to bring calm and approach/explain things in a way they respond to and understand. There is absolutely no way Brittany would be passing Geometry this term with the mountain of work she had to do (she missed a lot of class periods due to illness/migraines) if not for him working out a schedule for the holidays and sitting down and working with her. I'm eternally grateful for his patience with them and also with me (I am pretty high-maintenance since I have so much anxiety). He told me that it's his turn now since I did so much to help them when they were small. He really is so much better at handling teens than I am.
I'm grateful that when I've come home after a long day at work he immediately tells me to put my feet up, and he even massages them for me. One day I came home at dinnertime thinking I needed to get dinner ready, and he already had some soup on the stove. It was so nice!
Today we had a nice time together. After I played the piano at a baptism this morning, he went to the pool with me so I could do some water aerobics on my own and we had such a fun time just talking. After that we went grocery shopping and had lunch. I'm really glad that I enjoy just hanging out with my husband. There doesn't need to be anything special going on; we just enjoy being together.
It's a beautiful thing to me to see how we've grown together over the years. I have a sign in my house that says, "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all." I think that pretty much says it for our relationship--we fill in the gaps for each other when we think outside of ourselves and support each other. Kelly pointed out not long ago that he's known me for over half his life. That is pretty cool! We had our 19th wedding anniversary in December, and we met over 18 months before we were married. That is a long time!
Kelly has been playing Mr. Mom since December 18, which was about when my work hours went way up. He always takes the last two weeks of December and first week of January off of work because he lets his paid leave hours build up during the year. It's always really nice to have him around so much and gives him a nice break. I'm really proud of the fact that this year he has done NO JOB-RELATED WORK during his time off! I told him that's a sign of a recovering workaholic, LOL.
I'm particularly grateful that he has been willing to let me do what I wanted with working and has been completely supportive as far as picking up the slack at home. He's done (including folding and putting away) laundry, dishes, vacuuming, chauffering the kids around, etc. All of that has been really helpful. The biggest thing he's done that I'm grateful for, though, is. . .
Getting the kids caught up on their schoolwork. Both of our kids have some difficulties with how they process learning, and so we inevitably come to crisis points several times during the school year where things aren't turned in and grades are down. Even before the break and end of first term this year, he has taken that by the reins and worked with them to get on track with their classes. He's worked with both of them on schoolwork, getting Shane through his Government class and Astronomy packets and helping both, particularly Brittany, with Geometry. He is so patient and knows how to break things down into managable amounts. When frustrations are running high and almost everyone in the house is screaming, he is the one who is able to bring calm and approach/explain things in a way they respond to and understand. There is absolutely no way Brittany would be passing Geometry this term with the mountain of work she had to do (she missed a lot of class periods due to illness/migraines) if not for him working out a schedule for the holidays and sitting down and working with her. I'm eternally grateful for his patience with them and also with me (I am pretty high-maintenance since I have so much anxiety). He told me that it's his turn now since I did so much to help them when they were small. He really is so much better at handling teens than I am.
I'm grateful that when I've come home after a long day at work he immediately tells me to put my feet up, and he even massages them for me. One day I came home at dinnertime thinking I needed to get dinner ready, and he already had some soup on the stove. It was so nice!
Today we had a nice time together. After I played the piano at a baptism this morning, he went to the pool with me so I could do some water aerobics on my own and we had such a fun time just talking. After that we went grocery shopping and had lunch. I'm really glad that I enjoy just hanging out with my husband. There doesn't need to be anything special going on; we just enjoy being together.
It's a beautiful thing to me to see how we've grown together over the years. I have a sign in my house that says, "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all." I think that pretty much says it for our relationship--we fill in the gaps for each other when we think outside of ourselves and support each other. Kelly pointed out not long ago that he's known me for over half his life. That is pretty cool! We had our 19th wedding anniversary in December, and we met over 18 months before we were married. That is a long time!
Friday, January 2, 2009
A Real Job and a Shrink-Wrapped Car
I forgot to post that a couple of weeks ago, the director of the Church Distribution Center called and asked me if I would be interested in staying on permanently after the holidays. I was very surprised because my understanding was that there weren't going to be any new permanent positions available. He said I "have been a wonderful additon to the Center." I felt like Sally Field in her famous, many-times mocked "You like me! You really like me" Oscar speech. The catch is that for the first few months of the year it will only be a shift a week or every TWO weeks unless I pick up shifts from people who need someone to work for them. That's okay by me BECAUSE:
I got a call from H & R Block about part-time receptionist work for tax season, and they are okay with working around the Distribution schedule if I get hired. I'm waiting to hear back for an interview with them.
And an update on the shattered back windshield of our car: One of the guys I worked with at Lehi Mill told us to get the plastic you use for weather-proofing your house windows, etc. It comes with double-stick tape to adhere it and then you take a hair dryer to it to shrink it to size. He suggested double layering it and then putting duct tape around the edges. I was kind of horrified at the suggestion because it sounded trashy to me, but since we were desperate we did it and it's working great. It doesn't even look that bad. So if you're ever in a pinch with your car windows and can't get them replaced right away, that is a pretty good alternative. You can do it for between $6 and $10.
I got a call from H & R Block about part-time receptionist work for tax season, and they are okay with working around the Distribution schedule if I get hired. I'm waiting to hear back for an interview with them.
And an update on the shattered back windshield of our car: One of the guys I worked with at Lehi Mill told us to get the plastic you use for weather-proofing your house windows, etc. It comes with double-stick tape to adhere it and then you take a hair dryer to it to shrink it to size. He suggested double layering it and then putting duct tape around the edges. I was kind of horrified at the suggestion because it sounded trashy to me, but since we were desperate we did it and it's working great. It doesn't even look that bad. So if you're ever in a pinch with your car windows and can't get them replaced right away, that is a pretty good alternative. You can do it for between $6 and $10.
Resolutions
I guess I should make some New Year's resolutions. I avoided them for a long time because I used to set ridiculous, unrealistic ones so decided I was destined for failure so what's the use, but I actually started setting more reachable ones a couple of years ago and that went a lot better.
So, for 2009, my goals are:
*To not set unrealistic resolutions
*Exercise 3 times per week regularly
*Lose 40 more pounds (I lost 40 this past year, thank you very much)
*Take classes or do tutorials to update my computer skills so I can get back into a career when Shane goes on his mission
*Read 2 more Charles Dickens novels: Nicholas Nickelby and The Pickwick Papers, The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. I love classic literature and it's a challenge. I feel smart after I finish a classic book.
*Come up with a housework schedule (you have NO IDEA what a big deal it is for me to set that as a goal! Organization is a NIGHTMARE for me. I usually dust when I notice that something is looking kind of scary. My mother, on the other hand, cleans things that are clean.
*Write all my debit card purchases in my check register (Shut up, I don't want to hear it :))
*Quit using avoidance to think I don't need therapy anymore
*Get the rest of our camera film/disposable cameras developed
*Treat myself to one day of scrapbooking every week
*Read something in the scriptures each day
*Strive to live in a more balanced way, saying no when I need to and not overdoing things like my work schedule
*Reserve my woman's perogative to change my mind and throw this list out if it becomes evident that I have just created an unrealistic list of stupid resolutions
So, for 2009, my goals are:
*To not set unrealistic resolutions
*Exercise 3 times per week regularly
*Lose 40 more pounds (I lost 40 this past year, thank you very much)
*Take classes or do tutorials to update my computer skills so I can get back into a career when Shane goes on his mission
*Read 2 more Charles Dickens novels: Nicholas Nickelby and The Pickwick Papers, The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. I love classic literature and it's a challenge. I feel smart after I finish a classic book.
*Come up with a housework schedule (you have NO IDEA what a big deal it is for me to set that as a goal! Organization is a NIGHTMARE for me. I usually dust when I notice that something is looking kind of scary. My mother, on the other hand, cleans things that are clean.
*Write all my debit card purchases in my check register (Shut up, I don't want to hear it :))
*Quit using avoidance to think I don't need therapy anymore
*Get the rest of our camera film/disposable cameras developed
*Treat myself to one day of scrapbooking every week
*Read something in the scriptures each day
*Strive to live in a more balanced way, saying no when I need to and not overdoing things like my work schedule
*Reserve my woman's perogative to change my mind and throw this list out if it becomes evident that I have just created an unrealistic list of stupid resolutions
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Welcome to 2009
I'm looking forward to this new year. 2009 is going to be a pretty big year for us, with Shane graduating and going on his mission in the fall.
One of the signs that I am getting old can be found in how my New Year's Eve went:
Both my kids had parties with their friends and sweeties, so we went over to a neighbor's and played games with some fellow oldish people. By 11:30 I was clawing to stay awake! We went till midnight but I was dying. :) And no one else wanted to break out the Martinellis! I did get my New Year's kiss, though.
Gone are the days of parties till the wee early morning hours for me! I told my dd and her group they could cook an early breakfast after midnight, which they did and then kept going until 3:00 a.m. They said they'd try to keep the noise down and I told them it didn't matter; I was so tired I'd probably sleep through anything. :)
I remember the day when I didn't think it was a proper New Year's Eve unless I was out until 4 a.m. *rolling my eyes*
Maybe my best bet is just curling up on the couch after going out to dinner with Kelly and watching Groundhog Day. For some reason I always want to watch that movie for New Year's Eve.
I did learn a pretty fun game with FACE CARDS at our old people party(here is where you gasp in righteous indignation). It's called Hand and Foot. I like it a lot. They said it's a lot like Canasta; I wouldn't know, because I am pretty much a face card virgin. They weren't allowed in the house when I was growing up. I am feeling pretty worldly and sophisticated now. :)
One of the signs that I am getting old can be found in how my New Year's Eve went:
Both my kids had parties with their friends and sweeties, so we went over to a neighbor's and played games with some fellow oldish people. By 11:30 I was clawing to stay awake! We went till midnight but I was dying. :) And no one else wanted to break out the Martinellis! I did get my New Year's kiss, though.
Gone are the days of parties till the wee early morning hours for me! I told my dd and her group they could cook an early breakfast after midnight, which they did and then kept going until 3:00 a.m. They said they'd try to keep the noise down and I told them it didn't matter; I was so tired I'd probably sleep through anything. :)
I remember the day when I didn't think it was a proper New Year's Eve unless I was out until 4 a.m. *rolling my eyes*
Maybe my best bet is just curling up on the couch after going out to dinner with Kelly and watching Groundhog Day. For some reason I always want to watch that movie for New Year's Eve.
I did learn a pretty fun game with FACE CARDS at our old people party(here is where you gasp in righteous indignation). It's called Hand and Foot. I like it a lot. They said it's a lot like Canasta; I wouldn't know, because I am pretty much a face card virgin. They weren't allowed in the house when I was growing up. I am feeling pretty worldly and sophisticated now. :)
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