My mixed up, confused day

Actually, this year has been one big blur. Life just seems to be rushing by. I didn't go home for Chinese New Year and I think that has really thrown me. My work schedule has been weird. Lots of rush, rush, rush followed by odd down times. Plus the constant worry of too many upcoming projects.

I was going to go to yoga this morning, but slept in and missed the first class. Then I got the time wrong for the next class and missed that too. Then when I did laundry, I found that I had left a tissue or two in a pocket so that was a big mess. Forgot to go to the bank, now I'll have to remember to go during the week. I'm tired even though I slept in (or maybe that's why I'm tired). Now it's raining and I need to go out and gosh this is just one long run-on post, lol!

An exhausting scrapbook day

I went to the Scrapbook Expo today. Met a friend before my first class, then it was go, go, go. We did some window shopping, then I rushed over to my first class. It was a Quick Quotes altered canvas class, nothing that I would normally do, but I was hoping to break out of my box. I think I'll stay inside my box, lol. Not sure what I will do with the completed project. Maybe offer it up at the LM auction. The project itself is nice, just not me. Don't want to discourage you from taking their classes. I did win a page kit so that was fun.

I had an hour break so it was more shopping. I was going to get some paper totes to store paper in (they were only $1, normally $6), but in the hour that I was gone for my class, they sold out of the few hundred that they had left. Just crazy! Oh well.

The project for my next class is definitely going in the LM auction. It is a perpetual calendar by Boxer. Again, not my style. I wish I had been able to see project photos before I signed up for classes. I didn't do much with the project in class because I want to embellish it more (and make it more enticing for the auction ). I was lucky again and won a $15 gift certificate. I choose a couple of stamp sets (happy birthday set and a sympathy set-a rare find), some clearance embellishments (pseudo Chinese coins, perfect for my China album), and ribbon. Out of pocket was only four something since I had my gift certificate. Yahoo!

I was so tired by my last class, I didn't do most of the layouts. But I did take photos so I could complete them at home. It is ironic that I signed up for this class accidently, but it is the class I liked the most. Even more ironic that the class is titled "All my children" and you know how many kids I have, lol. Good thing I've got nieces and nephews. We did two layouts in class and had enough supplies to create two more. I liked the designs, though I will modify them slightly; don't need any quotes that talk about "my children."

I was pretty good about watching my pennies. For those of you interested in scrapbook accountability, I bought some Chinese-themed paper that I haven't seen anywhere locally and not available at my usual on-line haunts, some adhesive, my goodies from Boxer, a couple packs of Heidi Swapp ghost letters (only a dollar each!), and um, several more yards of ribbon. (In case you don't know, many of the scrappers at Lifetime Moments, are tracking their usage, some are tracking their purchases too, hence scrapbook accountability). Of course, I didn't NEED anything I bought. Oh, by the way, I found my Quickutz. I still haven't found my Stickles or Crop-o-dile.

Please help me find...

my Quickutz handle, my two boxes of flowers, and the Stickles I just bought. Haven't used my QK in months so who knows where it could be. I'm desperately trying to finish my Valentine for Mr. Fix-it. Geez, I think I need to clean house.

Mr. Fix-it to the rescue again!

Mr. Fix-it noticed my car was leaking and it turns out I needed new struts. So we traded cars since I had to drive to a different work location today (a lot farther away). He put gas in his car before I left for work, took my car in, and now all is well. On top of all that, he did a car appraisal today. He only needs to do a couple more to pay for the repair, lol. Lucky for me, we had leftovers from work so I was able to bring him a piece of cheesecake to thank him.

12 of 12

Yeah, I did 12 of 12 today from Chad Darnell, but I don't feel like uploading, so you miss out.

Feeling a little stressed because I want to make Mr. Fix-it a scrapbook page for Valentine's Day and am not sure how to do it without him knowing since I scrap on the kitchen table. Pretty hard to hide what I'm doing. And, um, nothing like waiting till the last minute and you know I'm the slowest scrapper on the planet. Wish me luck!

CHA 2008 Winter

Or should that be Winter CHA 2008? Or CHA Winter 2008? Whatever. You know what it is. If you're a scrapbooker that it. CHA is the semi-annual Craft and Hobby Association tradeshow. Note that it isn't a scrapbooking show, though paper craft vendors take up half the space. That's a lot of paper, considering it is it five halls in the Anaheim convention center.

I tried to get an exhibitor badge from my company as I had in the past, but it wasn't to be. Still, I was able to attend under an assumed name and a bit of subterfuge. We were even able to sneak in Mr. Fix-it.

In many ways, this CHA was a different experience for me. For one thing, Mr. Fix-it was with me, so I didn't feel comfortable making him wait while I participated in a million make-and-takes. Two, since I was pretending to be associated with a store, rather than an exhibitor, the vendors were much more willing to talk to me. Just for this, it was much more pleasant experience. I was even able to freely "spy" on a couple of company competitors.

The show seemed rather slow, though maybe it was just getting a slow start. The make-and-take lines were definitely longer in the afternoon. Note that I did not pay attention to any of the new paper lines. I get enough previews online, though seeing them in person does make a difference.

A few things that did catch my eye:

* Glue Arts came out with a competitor to 3M's ATC gun. I liked the way it worked, but it is still too large for my tastes. They're coming out with a smaller version, more like a large tape runner later this year. I'm going to wait for that. Note that the Pro is a prototype and the final product will look different (so I was told).

* Tombow has a new glue pen. Worked very well. Their make-and-take was a decorated giant paper clip. I was impressed with how fine a line I could draw and how quickly the glue dried.

* Glue Dots are now available in plastic dispensers, also most like a tape runner. They work well, but are not refillable so I'll pass. Their current packaging is cardboard boxes or plastic bags. Much less material produced and much less to have to recycle. I'll continue to buy the old packaging.

* Score-it. A must for cardmakers. There are some competitors out there, but I didn't get to try them out.

* Tonic has a new paper trimmer. Like I need to add to my collection. But, I probably will, lol. It is in the $24.99 - 29.99 range; I don't remember the exact price.

* Glimmer Mist. Much much subtle than glitter. Very nice sheen.

I forgot to check out We R Memory Keepers Big Bite. Not that I need another eyelet setter. Still, it would have been nice to see it in person. The Zutter Bind-it-all is still very popular. I was sooo coveting it last year. They now offer corner rounders for chipboard. Very cool! But since I'm not into mini-books, I don't see myself buying them (there are two sizes).

As you can see, I was concentrating on tools. I have soooo much paper and embellishments, I could scrapbook for a year and still not make a dent in my stash.

One odd thing was I didn't see anyone I know. Usually, I see store owners (both local and online) or local scrappers. No one, nada. Though I did catch a glimpse of the handsome Tim Holtz. Now I wish I had taken a picture. Ah well, the memory will live on.

Memories

I found out one of the photo storage sites I was using is closing down. That's too bad because it was a good site in that they didn't downsample your images and the storage limit was huge. Plus it was free. I've got close to a gig up there and now I have to figure out where I've got those photos stored at home. I'd rather not save the photos if I don't have to, since I'd have to save them one by one (no CD burning option).

In any case, it has been fun to look over the photos. Some are five or more years old. One thing I found was the album I made for Uncle T about six years ago. I was upset when he passed away that I did not get the album back. It wouldn't have bothered me so except several people remarked on the album at his funeral and that I would get the album back. Although I tried to use copies of everything, that wasn't 100% possible and there were original photos and memorabilia in it. Now those are gone forever. Printing the photos of my layouts won't be the same, especially since I didn't scan at high res. Maybe that should be a lesson to me. Always scan at high res, just in case. That way I can save my scrapbook pages digitally, just in case.

I thought I didn't care that much about any of the pages I made. But when you find out they're gone, it really does break your heart.

It's Super Tuesday

I voted. Did you? (Obviously, this doesn't apply to all my readers, but I know there are quite a few of you who can vote today.)

Wish us luck!

We're off to babysit the twins and little G. That's three against two. Five against two if you add in the dogs. If you don't hear from me again, they've overcome me and buried me in the backyard.

Never send a man to do the grocery shopping

Yes, I know that's a sexist title, but it got your attention, right?

We didn't go grocery shopping this weekend so were running low on a few things. Plus there were some awesome sales on instant oatmeal and I had coupons. I was going to shop before work, but Mr. Fix-it wasn't working so I decided to send him instead.

First, a little background on the oatmeal. I'm not a huge oatmeal fan, but I've been eating it for breakfast because it is cheap and high in fiber. Normally, I use plain, regular oatmeal, you know, the kind you cook over the stove, except I cook it in the microwave at work. For convenience (and a flavor treat), I like to keep some of the instant oatmeal around. I found this awesome new multi-grain hot cereal by Quaker, Simple Harvest. Unfortunately, it is way more expensive than the regular instant oatmeal. For the sale, with my coupon, it would be free!!! Yahoo!

I only like certain instant oatmeal flavors: cinnamon, brown sugar, pecans, or combinations thereof. Sooo, what do he get? Vanilla almond. Yuck! (yes, I tried one and don't like it.) And reduced sugar brown sugar. Another yuck! Mr. Fix-it didn't realize he bought a reduced sugar version, which I refuse to eat. (Maybe I'll post about that later.) Luckily, I found a coworker who took the reduced sugar version off of my hands. Mr Fix-it will eat one package of the vanilla almond and will try to exchange the other. Grrrr, and I thought it was such a simple request.

Mr. Fix-it

I've been thinking about giving A another name on my blog, ala Pioneer Woman's Marlboro Man. Obviously, that name is taken and besides A doesn't smoke so I had to come up with something else. I thought that "A" was difficult to read throughout my blog, even though you're probably used to seeing initials instead of names. I asked A to come up with ideas and this was one of them.

Today, he earned that name and more! I drove his car to work because it was raining and I wanted the extra security of his car (newer, larger). He called to let me know that I had two new tires. Huh? It turns out, I had a nail in one tire. He was working in the garage and noticed that tire was low. Thank goodness I didn't drive my car to work today. Thank goodness A is observant. Thank goodness A takes care of me. So today is the perfect day to unveil A's new name: Here's to Mr. Fix-it!

Why I shop for scrapbook supplies online

Today I went to a (relatively) new scrapbook store because I was looking for a few specific items and I thought they might have them there. I knew they had at least one item I was looking for. As it turns out, that one item was the only item they had that I wanted. Of course, that didn't stop me from buying three things.

But back to original reason for this post. I was trying to scraplift a card so I was looking for certain embellishments. I know that Scrapworks chipboard flowers and Heidi Swapp ghost flowers are a couple years old, but still, I was hoping to find them or something similar. I was also looking for Prima Pop ups birds, which are at least year old. When this store first opened, it had the largest selection of Prima products I had ever seen. So I was hopeful they would have what I was looking for. Nope, no go. Nada. And they had never heard of Prima Pop ups. And they were not helpful in suggesting alternate products. I found ONE package of chipboard flowers. TWO packages of transparent flowers. Okay, there were more than two packages, I guess I should have said two styles. But really, not much of a selection.

And over the weekend, I went to a different store and as usual, I walked out without buying anything. I checked out the prices on a couple of items that are $1 everywhere else. They are $1.99 there. Ridiculous!! All I wanted was pop dots. Yep, they were out of pop dots. I was willing to buy them at their inflated prices and they were out.

At least when I shop online, I know if something is in stock or not. I don't have to make a special trip. Next time, I'll go back to my "favorite" LSS (local scrapbook store). Their hours and location aren't as convenient and their selection isn't as good as other stores, but they are friendly and consistent in their stock. They don't try to be cutting edge and I can usually find what I want there. Oh, does that mean I'm not cutting edge? Maybe that's why I'm not on a design team, lol.

Scrapping in China

If you're interested in scrapbooking with Heidi Swapp in China, here's your chance: http://www.scrapmap.com/sm_china_0908.html
Its a mere $1987 per person, plus airfare ($1345.00). For that, you get two morning classes with Heidi, including a free kit! The rest of the time is spent touring around Beijing. Frankly, that's a lot of time to be spending in one place. Plus, most days, only two meals are included.

That's a lot of money. We're thinking about going to China and that's close to how much we'd spend on the whole tour, not just one city.

Another thought

Maybe my recent negatives thoughts are from all the toxins I'm releasing from doing yoga. I don't know if toxins are really released when you do yoga (or get a massage), but the instructors always tell us to drink lots of water before, during, and after yoga to rehydrate and also to flush out the toxins. Drinking lots of water is always a good thing (except that I have to keep running to the bathroom).

The stock market is headed in the wrong direction

It looks like our big account is down about 2% overall, which isn't too bad, but does that mean I have too much $ conseratively invested? Some of our mutual funds are down 10% (ouch!) to give you an idea. The huge downturn was a topic of discussion with some of my officemates. The worrywarts were running around like Chicken Little. Plus, I think they were using the downturn as an excuse to probe about others' finances. I wasn't fooled! I think my attitude of I'm not moving my money around, I'm in it for the long haul, and hopefully, dollar-cost averaging and long-term growth will pay off when I retire surprised them.

I don't know enough about investing to move my money around all the time. Some people check their retirement accounts daily. Seems like that would be a stressor, not something that reassures you. Although, I do check our outside investments often--several times a month. Gotta keep tabs on the cash flow and move money out of savings when big bills are coming in. Long-term investments? I just hope the numbers keep creeping up (which they're not doing at the moment).

Of course, I wish I had some spare change to purchase some mututal funds that were at the lowest in over a year. But wishing doesn't get you too far.

I hope this phase doesn't last long

At the moment, I'm feeling like a fat, middle-aged woman. I look at myself in yoga class, all hot and sweaty, not a pretty sight. I've been eating better for a couple weeks now (not that I ate bad before, and yes, there were a couple of slipups, but not many), drinking lots of water, and I've started exercising. I should be feeling better about myself. But I'm not.

Yes, I'm impatient and expect a small weight loss after a week of exercising. Don't tell me that a pound of muscle weighs less than a pound of fat. Come on, a pound is a pound is a pound (not like tons where you can have a short ton, long ton, or metric ton). Maybe muscle is denser than fat so if I've developing muscles, I'll look thinner. But that's not happening in a week. I'm still my same flabby self, maybe just a little more limber.

I still break out occasionally, but have to deal with dry skin. I've got age spots, wrinkles, thinning hair. Asian women are supposed to look younger than their age. Somehow, my age seems to have caught up with me.

Another DT disappointment

I applied for another scrapbook design team on a whim and not surprisingly, didn't make it. It would have been for an awesome manufacturer; they make the coolest embellishments. Nice paper too.

I didn't really expect to be selected. I'm not cutting edge enough or funky enough or something. I'm just too simple of a scrapper. But still, I had a secret hope.

Day 3

of yoga. Oh my gosh, there were over forty people in class today. There were several newbies (lots of people with gift certificates) so it looks like the crowds will continue to grow. Someone asked the instructor how large the largest class was and it was over fifty people. Wow!

I'm definitely going to have to think about doing this long term. It is quite a time commitment. Here's how it breaks down:

10 minutes changing and getting stuff together
10 minutes drive to class
10 minutes sign into class, pick spot in room (important now that the classes keep getting larger)
90 minutes class
10 minutes drive home
20 minutes shower and changing

That's two and half hours each class. I originally considered Curves; the 30 minute workout appealed to me. But I couldn't find any place close enough that opened early or late enough. They definitely aren't geared towards working women. Still, I'm going to keep them in mind for the future.

Day 2

of yoga. Yesterday, I went to my first hot yoga class, 90 minutes of yoga in heated room. It's pretty intense, the yoga more than the heat. I got a 20-day introductory pass and so far I like it. Unfortunately, I'm not the only one who's signed up for this special deal so the classes are pretty crowded. I went yesterday at 6:00 am(!) and even then there were 16 people. That's one of the smaller classes.

The good thing about yoga, at least with the two different instructors I've had so far, is that this exercise is both mental and physical. There isn't any push to "feel the burn," rather you are supposed to listen to your body, move with your body--not against it.

Maybe it is asking too much, but I'd really like to see some difference after 20 days whether it is better endurance through the poses or even better, a little more muscle tone. I'm not sure how long it takes to build muscle tone, but I sure feel sore.

It's bloggie time!

Nominate your favorite blog at bloggies.com. No I'm not asking for votes, lol. Just thought you might find this fun. I did think it was interesting that there are very few repeat nominees. And I guess I shouldn't be surprised that several blogs have been discontinued. That's the nature of the internet. Which reminds me. I need to update my blogging list on the side since some people don't update their blogs anymore.

How many e-mail addresses do you have?

I have five: one for work, one personal that I check almost daily, one personal that I check every couple days, one I hardly check at all, but I keep because I need it to send large files and to maintain my google account, and one joint account with A. I also have a couple of inactive freebie accounts that I could probably reactive if I wanted. The two personal were to separate my fun life (scrapbooking) from my serious life (professional orgs, family). But I'm migrating more and more people to my fun e-mail since I check that one more often. Does that mean I'm having more fun in life? I hope so! lol! But I really think it means that I'm trying to simplify my life.

Can I blame Hotmail?

I sent a friend an e-mail and it turns out it wasn't her e-mail, but rather a friend that she hardly sees anymore. I had attached her name to the wrong e-mail. I know that when I selected her name, I felt some confusion. Several months ago, Hotmail updated their UI (User Interface, what you see on screen/how you navigate) and I hated it. It put almost all my e-mail contacts in my shortcut list, so I was searching the 50+ list for her name. I found one I thought was hers and used it. Obviously that was a mistake! How embarrassing for me! And maybe for my friend since the e-mail involved money. Big opps! At least she laughed about it.

Time for a change

In case you didn't notice, I'm trying out a new name. Let's see how long this one lasts, lol.

Back to work

After a glorious week and a half of vacation, it was back to the old grind today. Truthfully, it wasn't too bad. About 1/3 of the department is taking the rest of the week off, plus our parent company is on vacation so no e-mails from them. The drive in was easy, but there was an accident on the way home so it was stop-and-stop traffic. No fun at all. Monday will probably not be a fun day. Good thing I've got the weekend to recover from this week, lol.

Blog name

I'm considering changing my blog name, but I can't think of anything clever. Maybe I should change it to something boring like "scrapper al's life and more." I'm tired of the current name and the mini-tribute to the Junkitz company doesn't really matter anymore since they've declared bankruptcy. Rumor has it, they weren't financially responsible. I don't know the truth. But I still want to change my blog title. Suggestions are welcome.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you and yours a fun-filled, prosperous, loving, and all-around fantastic 2008!

Dueling mice

A few months ago, our computer mouse was acting up. (What is it about electronics that don't last??!?) After a few test drives, A picked out a pretty expensive new model, but what the heck, ergonomics are important, right? The problem is, our hands are different sizes so the new mouse hurt my hand. A managed to fix the old mouse; thank goodness we can use both wireless mice at the same time. Now you can tell who's been at the computer last, based on which mouse is sitting next to the keyboard.

Arizona

We decided to take a mini vacation between Christmas and New Years since both of us were off work. We hadn't taken a vacation together in forever (or at least a couple of years)! Arizona is different enough that we felt like it really was a getaway, even though it was a short trip.

We (truthfully me) did not get off to a good start. We got a bit of a late start because I didn't get up early enough. Then, I managed to forget my wallet so I didn't have any ID or credit cards with me. Normally, A does all the driving, but still, I felt very insecure without my wallet. Later, I discovered I brought the wrong contact lens solution and I didn't bring any extra bras so I have no idea was I was (not) thinking when I packed.

Our first stop was Casa Grande. I recommend taking the guided tour. The volunteer docents are so enthusiastic about the site. One of my favorite stories is that for as long as Casa Grande stands or until the Hohokam return, a pair of Great Horned owls will remain at Casa Grande. We were told that the owls have been there from at least the 1920s. While I don't want Casa Grande to be destroyed, I also don't want the owls to leave. They were quite a sight to see.
Our next stop was the Tucson Botanical Gardens. They currently have a tropical butterfly exhibit. We just love seeing these.
This is probably the third or fourth butterfly exhibit we've seen. I never tire of them.

We had a mundane Japanese dinner the first night and a terrific Mexican meal the second night. The first was selected by the intriguing name from the GPS. The second was from the restaurant list the hotel gave us, plus, the parking was full when we drove by the night before which we took as a good sign. There were several cars in the parking lot even though it was early (before 5:00). At first, we were the only non-Spanish speaking customers. We were a little taken aback by the menu. We knew it was a Mexican seafood restaurant by the name, Mariscos Chihuahua. But I guess the picture of the shrimp on the restaurant sign should have been a strong indicator. There weren't any appetizers or entrees that didn't have seafood. Good thing we were in the mood for seafood, lol. I was a bit surprised by the assortment of hot sauces plus ketchup on the table. Why ketchup? And, were the dishes not hot enough on their own?

A ordered garlic shrimp and I ordered shrimp in chili sauce. I was assured it wasn't hot, just flavorful. Guess that was why all the sauces were on the table. Look at this plate: french fries, rice, and tortillas. I was in carb heaven! Oh yeah, and the shrimp, too many to count. Guess I shouldn't forget about the shrimp since they were supposed to be the stars on the dish. They were tasty, but a bit too spicy for my tastes. I still managed to finish off most of the dish.After Tucson, we headed north to visit a friend. On the way, we passed an outlet mall. Too bad I didn't spot it sooner because if I had, I would have made A stop. You know how I love outlet shopping. We had a nice visit with E and he choose a Chinese restaurant for dinner, which I smilingly agreed to with some trepidation. Hmmm, no Chinese descriptions on the menu and no chopsticks on the table. Not a good sign. Still, the food was hot and filling and tasty, though all the sauces were too sweet. There was enough food for us to stuff ourselves and for E to take leftovers home for another big meal. I'm not sure if it was the food or the temperature or what, but A and I suffered from some digestional distress the next day. Hmmm, reminds me of Thanksgiving, though this wasn't as bad.

Arizona was beautiful in a deserty sort of way, but the weather? Brrrrrrr!!! My poor skin was dying (and still is). I used up a whole (small hotel) bottle of lotion and it still wasn't enough. All in all, it was nice to get away, even if I do feel like a lizard at the moment.

More on Christmas

Recognize these boxes? They are leftover Harry and David gift boxes. We received a couple of gifts from vendors (though nothing as huge as we used to receive) and I just couldn't let the boxes go to waste (though the contents went to various waists, lol). Yeah, "packrat al" strikes again. Fortunately, all the boxes stack inside each other so they won't take up much room.

We spent Christmas with A's family and his brother's in-laws. For the past few years, we've spent it with my side, so this was a bit different. Traditions in his family are now non-existent since his mom passed away. (Or maybe we haven't had enough time to establish new ones?) And in my family, they've evolved or devolved, depending on how you look at it. Since Uncle T passed away, I just couldn't bear to spend it with my family and not have him there so I decided it would be better to spend it down here. As it turns out, my family was in several places due to Auntie M's passing so it was just as well I stayed down here.

We brought over cholesterol specials from thepioneerwomancooks.com. The olive bread was a bit too salty and I think we chopped the olives up a bit too fine since we used a food processor instead of hand chopping. But still, it was tasty. As were the bacon appetizers. Now you know we had to go out and buy all the ingredients for that, lol. They were surprisingly tasty. You can see them here in all their fatty goodness.

It was fun to see little G tear open his and everyone else's presents. He didn't quite get that they weren't all for him, especially since he was allowed to open his sisters' presents also. He's definitely got the oohing and ahhing part down. As soon as he tore into a gift, but before it was even recognizable, he'd cry out, Look at that, Wow!!! And before anyone had a chance to admire the gift, he'd be off to open the next one, lol. Next year should be even more interesting since the twins will be almost two, still a little young to understand what's going on, but old enough to get into everything.

In the past, we had gotten gifts for the in-laws' in-laws (got that?) since we were all opening gifts together. But this year, we thought they were opening gifts at someone else's house, plus there was the rumor that they weren't exchanging gifts. Well, we were surprised that everyone was opening gifts and that there were extra gifts for us. Opps!

Plus, we were a little embarrassed by the generosity of everyone. Not that we cheaped out, but we were more conservative than last year. I know Christmas isn't a tit for tat, but still, we were a bit overwhelmed by our gifts. Really, the best gift of all would be having all of A's family together for a holiday. But I don't see that happening any year soon.

We went to Target yesterday to check out the after Christmas clearances. Anything Christmas-themed is now 75% off. There were a few things left that I wanted, like some large gift bags, but I'm waiting until they're 90% off, lol. A says they'll be gone by then, to which I say, no problem, I didn't really need them anyways. I also didn't need the decorated As that I bought, but I couldn't resist.

I hope your Christmas was wonderful and full of love and joy! Happy New Year!

Playing catch up

We just got back from a little vacation to AZ and I'm so far behind everything. Need to unpack, need to do laundry, need to go grocery shopping. Why is coming back from vacation such a chore, lol?

I just checked Google Reader and I've got 35 blog posts to catch up on (and that's just the blogs that I've put on there. There's another dozen or so that I check sporadically). I still need to post about Christmas, Auntie M's funeral, and gasp! China. Sigh. Someday I'll be caught up.

A very scrappy Christmas

Santa baby (yep, that's how the tags were signed) brought me lots of scrapping gifts and a tee shirt. Most of these, I knew about since we bought the Cricut (an electronic die cutting machine) together and he showed me the tee shirt in the catalog and I loved the saying. I bought a couple more Cricut cartridges and figured that was it. But the box was awfully heavy and large for the cartridges and tee shirt. It turns out Santa A bought me a cordless Ott light, woo hoo! Perfect for taking to crops. I guess he figured out that I wouldn't buy myself one because I didn't need it. Okay, I know you're thinking I didn't need the Cricut either, but I do have a daylight lamp already, just not cordless. So it was a nice surprise. And I can hardly wait to wear the tee shirt to work.

I think that A was more excited about the calculator I bought him than his big gift (Rosetta Stone Spanish software). Oh well.

On a more discouraging note, I weighed myself this morning and my weight is back up to what it was in September. Could have something to do with me eating nonstop for seven hours yesterday, lol. Plus a huge dinner the night before. Plus all the goodies we had at work for a couple of weeks. A and I both want to lose the extra weight we gained, so hopefully, we can motivate each other.

Christmas cards

Have you finished sending yours out? Or do you not send Christmas cards? This year was a um, semi-half assed effort since I did not write a Christmas letter nor include a photo, although I did write a little something in every card and even a letter in some. I wanted to let some people know about the highs (going to China) and lows (Uncle T's passing) of the year.

Last year, I purchased several boxes of 50%/75%/90% off cards so I don't need to restock after Christmas this year. Though if I do find some I like at 90% off, I'll pick them up. But I need to change my card buying strategy. I really need to pick up two boxes of each style (not always easy to do on clearance) because I like sending everyone the same card. This year, I ran out of cards so I had to open a second box. Now I'll be all confused next year (not really, since I put little notes in the boxes, but you know what I mean). Each year, I select the cards I want to use based on my mood. Some years, I like elegant. This year, I went for humorous.

Then there's the dilemma of who to keep and who to cut. My list is pretty constant, all of A's aunts/uncles, a few on my side, scrapbooking friends, a few childhood friends, a few work friends. I decided to cut one friend off the list since I hadn't received a card in a couple of years, plus she hasn't returned any of my phone calls for a year. Yep, I figured I could take the hint. But low and behold, a card from her this year. Guess she's getting back on the list for another year. We'll re-evaluate if she doesn't call me at all this year. On the other hand, if I keep cutting people off the list, I can stick with the one card box per year strategy, lol.

More drama or is it trauma?

I had gotten two phone calls informing me of my aunt's passing, so I feel somewhat special that people felt the need to tell me. But then, one of the calls was from my uncle (my mom's brother, not the widower); he asked me to write something about my aunt. I was a little taken aback since I had seen my aunt maybe three times in the past 20 years. We weren't exactly close. I tried to demur, but Mr. Stubborn wouldn't take no for an answer. Unfortunately, he couldn't really explain what he wanted. I finally got the impression that this would go into a program or handout. So, I wrote a draft (with lots of blanks) and then talked to my mom to get more details. Came up with something I thought was appropriate, and gave it to A to read. Guess it wasn't my greatest work because he was a little hesitant. I told it was meant to be read, not read out loud. It "sounded" better to him then. You know, because writing a speech is different from writing a written piece. This morning, I dropped the sheet off at my cousin's because she's flying up tomorrow and could get it to my uncle faster than USPS. Then I called my uncle to let him know it was ready. It turns out, someone was going to read what I wrote. Who that someone would be, he couldn't tell me. I lost it then. I told him that first of all, I didn't feel it was appropriate for him to ask me to write something, but I did it anyway. Second, he didn't explain what he wanted so what I wrote wasn't appropriate. Third, if he was speaking, and two of my cousins were speaking, what the heck did he need more speeches for? Yes, I understand that he's stressed and sad. Yes, I know he's been very helpful to my uncle, the widower. But I really don't appreciate him adding stress to my life. So what I wrote is going in the trash (not really, it is going into my family files)

For more drama/trauma, I have been agonizing whether or not to fly up. On the one hand, probably no one expects me to go. On the other hand, I want to go to support my mom and show my respect for my uncle (the widower). A volunteered to drive up, but then, that would be a lot of driving, we'd have to get a hotel ($$$), we'd be tired. We decided it would be better if I flew up alone. But then, there wasn't any place for me to stay. Finally, I decided to fly up the day of the funeral and leave that evening. It is going to be a long day. When my mom heard I was coming up, she immediately called and said not to. I'm soooo upset now. You know how moms talk to you in that tone of voice, the "oh honey, don't do that" tone of voice. Damn it, it is my decision to make! Here I am trying to be supportive and you're shooting me down. Sigh, damned if you and damned if you don't.

Sad news

My mom called tonight and I knew it wouldn't be good news. She called to let me know that my Auntie M passed away earlier today. We're all worried about my Uncle B. They were married for over 50 years. They don't have kids, but other members of the family will be helping out. You know, like with the funeral arrangements, and staying with him so he won't be alone. There are already plans for a get together in February. I still don't know what I'm going to do.

Difficult decision

I've been getting updates about my aunt in San Francisco and the news isn't good. Basically, she's getting liquids via IV for comfort, but nothing else. I suspect it will be less than a week before she goes.

So now the decision part. Should I go up for the funeral? A and I have plans for a mini vacation. Is vacation more important than showing support for the family (which is what I think funerals are for)? Usually, I would say not. But we haven't taken a vacation in two years. I know A would understand, but I would feel terrible canceling.

If I do go to the funeral, it would be to support my mom. A little to support my uncle. But really, if I hadn't gone to China this year, I wouldn't have seen my aunt and uncle. Before this, I hadn't seen them since my wedding, oh so many years ago. So I probably wouldn't have even considered going (except to support my mom). I'm all torn up over this. I hate having to make these kinds of decisions.

Cardstock craziness

Lifetime Moments is clearancing out their 8.5x11 Bazzill cardstock. If you hurry, there's still a few sheets left (very few). I myself lost my mind and purchased over 200 sheets, it might be closer to 300 sheets. Hey, it was all 50% off (because of how much I purchased). Plus I was so close to free shipping, it was better to spend more to save the minimum $9, probably more, in shipping. Plus, most of it was free since I won a GC. How's that for lots of justification. I have noooooo idea where in the heck I'm going to put all of this. I really don't have room for it, sigh. So if you need any letter-size cardstock (perfect for cards), you know where to find me.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

We've got an appetizer baking in the oven, then we need to pack up the car with gifts and more food for the drive over to M&C's. It will be a small gathering tonight, only our side of the family (which I will enjoy). Tomorrow, there will be twice as many people with C's side there also. Should be interesting with a 3 year old, the twins, and a newborn. I'm looking forward to all the kid time.

Thus far, it has been our easiest Christmas. The timing was right so I wasn't too stressed out for work. We're not going out of town. Shopping was easy. I got almost all my cards out (still looking for a few addresses ).

I'm especially thrilled with the gifts I got for A. His big gift came to the office a couple weeks ago and I bought his little gift on the way home on Friday. He took care of his dad and brothers (without too much prompting) and we even got a couple extra things for people. My side of the family decided to not exchange gifts, which worked out for the best since we were all running around with the funeral plans and such. Shipped gifts would have probably ended up on empty doorsteps which would have been bad.

Well, A's loading up the car and I need to finish getting ready. Merry Christmas and hope Santa's good to you this year!

Coupon fun and frustration

Did my usual Sunday grocery shopping this morning, but had to go by myself because A was working. On the one hand, I like shopping by myself because I can wander up and down each aisle looking for unadvertised specials and combine them with coupons. On the other hand, I can't watch the cashier because I'm too busy unloading the cart, so it is difficult for me to check prices (more on that later).

I'm still debating which store to shop at. I used to go to the one down the street (less than two miles), but they are always running out of the advertised specials because it is such a popular location. But then they opened a branch less than half a mile away so I started shopping there. Much quieter, but smaller and not quite as large a selection. For example, today I went to the larger store and they had several items I could not find at the smaller store. On the other hand, the smaller store is in my city so my tax dollars would benefit me more (not that I spend that much, see below, lol).

Today, I spent $33.38; coupon savings was $23 (woo hoo!) and some change. Of course, I had my grocery store club card or the total would have been another $30 more. Ridiculous, isn't it? Yeah, some people don't like giving up their personal info. If so, sign up and give a fake name/address. But then, you wouldn't get the extra coupons in the mail which saved me $5 today. So yeah, you wanna help me save money? I've give you my name and address. (I used to be much more careful about that stuff, but with computers and the internet being what it is today, I figure privacy is a lost cause.)

I scored huge in the meat dept. There were a bunch of markdowns for meat with sell-by dates for next week. Since I'll cook most of it today, no problem. Chicken thighs for 65 cents/pound. Ground beef (yeah, it was the high fat version, but oh well) for 99 cents/pound. But my best score was cornish game hens. It was an advertised special, and I had a coupon so two hens cost me 13 cents! And since they were already frozen, I just stuck them in the freezer for later. I still have to make another trip to the a different store since I refuse to buy vegetables at their outrageous prices.

Back to my frustration at the checkout. I should have checked my recipt while I was there, but I had a cart full of groceries (even though I originally had four items on my shopping list, lol) and there was a huge line. Turns out, I was overcharged $2.50 on the clearance vitamins I bought. That's a lot! Plus, it is the principle of it all. So I will be making a trip to the grocery store tomorrow after work (it is literally on the way home). And I'll pick up another pack of cornish game hens. I've already made room in the freezer, lol.

Japanese spaghetti and meatballs

No, I'm not talking about the Japanese-style spaghetti you get in Japan or Little Tokyo. I'm talking about the yummy dinner A made last night. We had some leftover sauce from this oddly named recipe, which tasted like soy sauce chicken. A bought some ground turkey and made healthy meatballs with oatmeal and flax seed for filler. Then he cooked up some udon noodles and added the leftover sauce. Add in some steamed asparagus and yum! Hope he continues with this cooking trend; he's cooked three nights this week already!

Old technology to the rescue

We're one of the few people on the planet without cable, satellite, fiber optics, or some other form of television besides the regular ol' network stations. My bil just called to ask us to tape "Heros" since his satellite is out. Of course, this means he'll have to dust off and hook up his old VHS machine to watch the tape, lol.

It's December

Can you believe that it's December already? So what's going on with my roses? I usually trim them back after Christmas. But I'm getting lots of new growth right now. On all of the bushes, front and back yard. Crazy isn't it? Hmmmmm, global warming anyone?

Haven't started Christmas cards. Still need to decide if we'll do photos. I bought Santa hats last year on clearance and A agreed that we could do a photo shoot with them. Now, just to remind him of that.

Still have lots of Christmas shopping to do. Bought A a really great gift (at least I think it is great, lol). Spent a LOT more than I usually do. Good thing we cut back on other people, lol.

Actually, we don't spend that much at Christmas. People talk about spending hundreds of dollars on their kids. On the one hand, I am shocked. If they took that money every year and put it into a 529 account for their kids, think of the gain on the kid's college fund. On the other hand, if you bought them a computer, that's way more than a couple hundred bucks. How much do kids really need anyway? Do they really have to have the latest gaming console, and new clothes from American Eagle, and an iPod, plus stocking stuffers? Yeah, just call me Scrooge.

Domestication

I'm no Martha Stewart, though I put forth some domestic effort this weekend. Made chicken soup with matzo balls yesterday. Took some over to bil's today. They're all sick so I thought sil might not feel like cooking, plus isn't chicken soup the universal cure all?

At bil's, the girls were bawling their heads off. Poor kids were over tired, with stuffed up noses. Finally, we took C out of the crib in the hopes that E would fall asleep. Little C's nose started running and she was fussy, but I didn't mind. There will come a time when the girls won't want to be held so I need to enjoy this while I can. C fell asleep in my arms, sooo sweet!

Did a bit of Christmas shopping. Only got one present out of the way; A really wasn't interested in shopping. :(

Then for dinner tonight, I tried a new recipe. It was a variation of soy sauce chicken. A liked it so I think it will go into the rotation. Then I tried a new muffin recipe. Another hit. I told A not to expect this every weekend, lol. I'm definitely better on the cooking front than the cleaning front, though I've been putting some effort into that also.

Talk about cruel

On the way home, A went to the grocery store. Since we were gone for Thanksgiving, our fridge was pretty bare. I had asked him to pick up bananas and apples since he usually has a banana at breakfast and I had eaten half an apple without losing it. Safe foods, right? Since last night's disaster, I figured a modifed BRAT diet was the way to go. Of course, he couldn't resist and brought home a pie and just asked me to bake it. Ummmmm, isn't that rather cruel since I can't eat pie right now? Plus he bought ice cream so he could have it a la mode. He had taquitos for lunch, which I love and also couldn't eat. Which part of I can't eat much doesn't he get? And why does he have to eat all these yummy things in front of me?

Typos galore

Considering what I do for a living, it is embarrassing how many typos are in my posts here and on the various message boards I frequent. Yes, I try to do a preview so I can catch them, but you know what they say--it is easier to proofread someone else's words than your own. What does it matter really, that I have typos? I wonder if people will think that English isn't my first language. Or that I'm stupid. Or that I'm not good at my job (I'm very good at my job, by the way).

I don't think that message board posts should be held to the same standard as my professional life, though I do try to maintain a polite, but fun tone in my posts. No "shouting," no put downs, no political statements. But I try not to be boring. I want my personality to shine through. After all, if you're reading this, you must be somewhat interested in me, lol.

Progress

I had half of an apple this morning and so far so good (even though my stomach has been making horrible noises). I'm making jook aka rice porridge for lunch. Should have made it yesterday, but didn't feel like it. I was foolishly optimistic last night and had some xiao long bao (dumplings) for dinner. My stomach was gurgling so loud, A could hear it across the room. How embarrassing! But still, I was optimistic that I'd be able to go to work today. Unfortunately, I was up several times in the middle of the night, which caused me to oversleep and thus missed my carpool partner.

After more self-diagnosis and research online, I decided I do have food poisoning and not the flu. Who knows? Since I am slowly getting better, I decided to skip the doctor and hope that rest and light foods will get me back on my feet. Mom says to drink tea, honey water, and avoid fats. Cousin says to drink whiskey honey water and avoid cold foods. Online says to avoid caffeine and alcohol and diary. Me, I'm just happy if something stays in my system for more than a few minutes (or hours if I'm lucky).

This is my first (as far as I know) bout of food poisoning. I've got a pretty tough stomach and also have a sensitive nose and taste buds when it comes to off flavors. I'm much more likely than A to toss food or detect moldy cheese or the like so I think I'm pretty good at avoiding spoiled foods. I have no idea what could have caused this since everything I ate was also consumed by several other people. Guess I was just the (un)lucky one.

So why haven't I lost any weight?

Yesterday, I had a cup of coffee, half a Luna bar, a few sips of a milkshake, and some water. And none of it stayed in me. Today I had a bit of oatmeal, which didn't stay in me. Though the half cup of broth did. Along with half a package of ramen. Considering how many calories I've consumed (and lost), shouldn't I weigh less? I figure I should get something for my pain these past two days.

Thankful for

Family, especially A since he had to put up with me on the long drive home, friends, food. I'm thankful for a safe drive to and from visiting family for Thanksgiving. But I'm not thankful for the flu. I thought I had food poisoning, which I'm sure you can imagine made for an uncomfortable drive home. I slept almost the whole ride home. Had some water, half a Luna bar (and neither stayed in my system for long). But now I think I've got the flu. I'm feeling quite miserable at the moment.

Two left hands

That's what it looks like I have based on my dishwashing gloves. Sometimes it is three left hands. Somehow, the right gloves always get a hole, tear, or somehow wear out before the left gloves. So I always have an abundance of left gloves, at least until I get frustrated and throw them out.

Help me spend some (SB) money

Can you believe I'm asking? My favorite online scrapbook store is having a sale with free shipping (over $20, but that's way too easy to do), plus I have a gift certificate to spend there. Unfortunately, a lot of what I want is out of stock. Even though my wish list a mile long, I still haven't come up with $20 of stuff to buy. Guess I'm not in a buying mood.

A la Victoria Beckham

I'm still getting used to it. It is weird shampooing my hair because there isn't a lot of hair to lather. How do guys wash their hair? Also, my neck is always cold so I've taken to wearing scarves again.

Free rice

Check out this website. It is a fun way to test your vocabulary and get rice donated to the UN World Food Program. Each time you get a word wrong, the vocabulary level drops by one. If you get three right in a row, the vocabulary level increases by one. So it is really easy to drop levels, but not so easy to go up.

What I find surprising is I'm getting so many words correct. If you asked me to define, use the word in a sentence, or even pronounce the words, I couldn't do any of that for even half of them. What the heck does pellucid or homburg mean? Yet, by calculated guesswork, I'm getting most of them right.

In less than 24 hours, I've donated a few thousand grains of rice. :)

A little variety please

As I noted a few days ago, I made shepard's pie on Sunday. On Monday, A baked a meatloaf freezer dinner. Hmmmm, ground beef two days in a row? Then last night we had hot dogs. Yet another form of ground up meat. A little variety please! What about some chicken? shrimp? or even no meat? I guess I shouldn't' complain since A fixed dinner two nights in a row. But he just doesn't get that I need more variety since I bring leftovers for lunch. I had shepard's pie for lunch Monday and Tuesday. Can you tell I'm getting a little tired of meat and potatoes? Good thing I'm working offsite today so I'll have something different for lunch. It will be catered and I'm pretty sure shepard's pie and meatloaf are not standard on catering menus, lol.

Back to cooking

After a hiatus from cooking, I'm getting back into the swing of things. A is thrilled with the freezer dinners, but I'm not. But if it gets him to "cook" (throw the foil pan in the oven), that's one less dinner I have to plan.

So to combat that (and save $), I've gotta get back to cooking. Tonight's dinner wasn't totally from scratch, but I had a bunch of stuff to use up so I had to be creative. I had leftover gravy in the fridge, plus 10 lbs of potatoes. What does that sound like to you? To me, that sounds like shepard's pie. Browned a pound of ground beef with chopped onions. Added a pound of frozen mixed veggies and the gravy. Cooked up half the potatoes and mashed them (still have some left and will make corn potato chowder with it). Should have made the mashed potatoes a little drier, but still, the dish was tasty. And relatively cheap. We each had a huge serving, I made two lunches, and we've got enough for another dinner, if not two.

Had a bunch of apples and pears that were gonna go bad so made a crisp. It was a little too sweet and A thought the oatmeal in the topping was a little too raw, but not bad for making it up. On the other hand, anything with one and a half sticks of butter and one and a quarter cup of sugar has got to taste good, right?

Make and Take Freezer Dinners, take 2

Last Saturday, I did one of those freezer dinner things again. This time, I was by myself since A had to help his dad. It took me just over 2 hours to prepare 10 dinners. I went to Dinner My Way again since I had a coupon for their $199 special (12 entrees for $199). Now you're say, but wait, you just said that you prepared 10 dinners, what happened to the other two? This leads me to my tips for using these places.

First, don't go on the last day of the menu. There's a good chance that some of the ingredients aren't fresh or that they may even run out of ingredients. That's why I said I prepared 10 meals. Meal 11, she ran out of ingredients, but had one frozen already. That was okay with me. Meal 12, I thought the chicken had freezer burn so I asked for something else. She didn't have any more chicken for that dish so she gave me another meal that had been prepared. And, I didn't have to make the sauce for one dish because she had extras frozen. If I didn't have all that, I probably would have been there another 15-20 minutes.

Second, prepare the most complicated dishes first. You're not as tired and it is easier to follow the directions.

Third, it helps to have a large cooler (or two) to bring the food home in.

Fourth, before you go make these dinners, clear out at least two shelves in your freezer. I filled two freezer shelves and half a fridge shelf.

We're averaging 5 servings per meal. Not too bad, but still, more than what we'd spend on our own. It has been nice to not have to do any prep work though.

Blah, halloween

My carpooler was anxious to leave work on time so she could get home for the trick or treaters. Me, I was just happy to get home. A cooked dinner (yahoo!) and we're vegging in front of the TV.

The porch and kitchen lights are out, the universal sign for "don't ring the doorbell," lol. We did have one kid knock and ring, but hopefully, she'll be the only one.

So, in celebration of tonight, Happy Halloween, even if I am a humbug.

$3.09

In keeping with our bad luck of buying gas when price rise, I bought gas today at $3.09. Seven cents more than yesterday. Ouch!

Tag!

One of my fellow LMers/bloggers decided to torture me again and tagged me (B, just kidding! love ya!). Here are the rules (and you know I love rules, if only so I know what rules I'm breaking, lol):

1-Link to your tagger (see above), and also post these rules on your blog. (done!)

2-Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. (see below)

3-Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. (yeah right)

4- Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog. (see 3 above)

Seven facts, you want me to think that hard?!!?!

1. I considering getting rid of worm bin and just having compost bins.
2. I'm obsessed with saving money.
3. I hate getting my hands dirty.
4. I love fried foods.
5. I hate these tagging things.
6. I don't shower every day.
7. I never wanted to have a career and I now I do.

How do you count your savings?

I was talking to a friend about this and I find our different methods of calculating interesting. When I talk about what I save, I do really mean what I save, the dollars that come out of my paycheck and go into a savings account. (I'm saying I, but really, I'm talking about what A and I both save.) She also counts interest and company match on 401K. Since I have no control over those things, I don't count them. My method is easier for me because I can say I put $XXX into my health savings account and $XXX into my 401K and $XXX into saving and each of those numbers is a certain percentage of my income, if I wanted to calculate it that way. I'm not sure how to calculate the interest since that varies. 401K is easy to calculate since I know what the company match is. Anyway, in case you can't tell, we've got a little healthy competition going on as to who can save more. For quite a while, I was "winning." But since her DH makes about 3X what A makes (that's just a guess), she's pulled ahead.

No LM crop for me

In my never-ending quest to be organized, I was going through my e-mail and deleting ones I didn't need any more. I have a folder named LM crop and it contains all the e-mails from the 2004 and a few from the 2006 crop. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, for 2006, there was a crop forum on the message board so there aren't that many e-mails from then. I'm glad I saved the 2004 e-mails because they brought back so many fun memories. I'll have to print them out and put them in that album (yep, still working on that one).

As for 2007, it just wasn't meant to be. I really thought about it. I had a free ticket I could use. If I had committed to going in the summer, we could have pulled it off. But then, the China trip came along, work was crazy, and $$ was an issue (as usual). So, no crop this year for me. Now that it is so close, I'm really bummed. I'm glad that it isn't being discussed much on the boards since that would make me even more bummed. But I hope people will talk about it afterwards. I wanna know what I missed.

What to write

I have so many thoughts it's tough to sort them out. I could talk about how "poor" I am (again) or about the terrible Southern California wildfires or more thoughts on Uncle T or vent about work or my contacts or write about a million other things. Don't know why I'm so tired. Still have that darn cough. Wish I was visiting with S and C.

I'm off to read Harry Potter and drink some tea for a little relaxation.

We have crickets working for us

One nice surprise when I got home from China was our new garage door. Well, it really wasn't a surprise since the door/opener has been sitting in our garage for over a year until A finally got around to putting them up (I could post a page-long vent about that, but I won't). Our old door was an old-fashioned wooden door and I was always afraid the door would collapse on my car as I drove in/out of the garage. This was not an unfounded fear since each of the door springs has broken over time and the replacements did not inspire confidence in me.

The garage is sooooo much lighter now since this door has windows. It is so smooth and quiet. Not totally quiet since it sounds like little crickets chirping when the door opens/closes. So cute!

So tired

Understandably, I think. Not sleeping too well. Went to see FIL last night. A went this morning and his brother was there most of the day. So far, he's gotten six units of blood. I have no idea how much blood is in one of those drip bags. But six units sure seems like a lot.

I do have lots of ideas for more interesting posts (instead of ill family members) and I also wanna get scrapping again. Hopefully soon.

I do not have a black cloud over my head

But that's what people are saying about me. :( So the latest is that my FIL is in ICU. Now this is the one that is really getting to me. All my aunties? Not much I could do. I am more worried about my mom and how she was doing with both of her sisters being seriously ill. But my FIL, that hits close to home, both emotionally and physically. My FIL lives close by. Poor A was so stressed when he called me at work to let me know. Thank goodness his other brother is already on his way down here for a visit. He'll be down here tomorrow night and we should have more info on dad then.

On a positive note, my cousin called to give me an (overly) optimistic update on my aunt and my uncle in SF called me to let me know his wife came home today and to think me for the China photos I sent.

Still, now we both cringe when the phone rings.

The magic number

I hit the magic number last week, for three days! Woo hoo! What the heck am I talking about? My weight, silly. I wanted to hit that number before I left for China, but I didn't. Then, while traveling I figured I would gain weight since I was eating three big meals a day, much more than I normally eat. In fact, mom gained weight her first week! I dunno, maybe stress, maybe it is that time of the month, but whatever the reason, I know at my "advanced" age, I can still hit the magic number. Now, if only I could stay at this weight. That's my new goal for now.

Actually, I was wondering I could hit my pre-wedding weight (which is about 10% less than what I weigh now). I used to try on my Chinese wedding dress on my anniversary to see if I could still wear it. And I could, for several years. Don't remember when I stopped trying it on. That might a little extreme. But I'm thinking about it.

And it continues

Talked to my mom today. Now I have bad news from the other side of the family. An aunt was driving her cats to the vet and totaled her car. She was in the hospital for a few days, but is home now. From what I heard, I think she'll be okay, thank goodness.

And work has its ups and downs. Not thrilled to be working 12 hours days again. A's not thrilled either. I'm still sick, but still getting better.

My phone is ringing off the hook...

and it isn't good news. I've been getting updates about my aunt (in SF) from my cousin, which is good since she's a nurse and can ask the doctor lots of questions and help translate the answers for me. My aunt's surgery was yesterday and unfortunately, they could not remove the tumor. Right now, they're giving her 6 months to a year to live.

Tonight, I get a call from my brother, asking if I have my cousin's cell #. He doesn't tell me why he needs it and seems a bit hesitant so I don't press him. Unfortunately, no, but I know someone who does. After I get the number, I call him back (at Uncle J's), but by then, he's already on the road with my mom (she's finally going home!). Of course, now I get to worry about my brother driving for hours on the road (taking my mom home and then he'll drive back home and go to work tomorrow morning). And do you think I could get him to call me or send me an e-mail to let me know he's okay, of course not!

The reason he wanted my cousin's cell # was so they could get an update on Uncle B (husband of my aunt above). It turns out that Uncle B fell in the elevator today and was in the emergency room. So between calling to get updates, getting phone numbers, returning calls, my ear is sore and I haven't gotten anything done. Plus I still have to call my mom tonight.

So if bad things come in threes, I hope this was the third, and last item.

On a more amusing note, A asked me how many people I talked to (since I lost track of how many phone calls) and it was seven (cousin's DH, cousin 1, cousin 2, Uncle J, Auntie M, my brother, my mom). And if the phone line hadn't been tied up, with all these phone calls, I probably would have talked to another cousin.

China photos

I've been plesantly surprised and pleased at all the comments I've received regarding my China photos (send me an e-mail if you want a link). Surprised because they were taken with a point-and-shoot camera, not a DSLR. Surprised because the photos/subject matter doesn't seem extraordinary to me. Surprised because so many people were surprised at how primative China still is. Pleased because even though I was using a point-and-shoot camera and my contacts were bothering me the whole time I was in China, I think I managed to get some good shots. Pleased because I put a lot of effort into the commentary. Pleased because people took the time to thank me for the photos. Thank you!

Cough, hack, cough

It sounds like I've got it really bad this time. I managed to stay healthy during the entire China trip, but got sick as soon as I got home. It's been a week now, and I'm tired of coughing and sneezing. Since I woke up today with more congestion than ever, I'm staying home in the hopes of knocking out this cold. I'm gonna dose myself with vitamins and herbal tea and hope they do the trick.

Debating whether or not I should go to the doctor. I hate going to the doctor. The truth is, I won't go to the doctor unless I absolutely have to because I think it is a waste of money for someone to tell me I have a viral infection and to just let it run its course. But I always worry that it might be something serious, like walking pneumonia, or something I can't cure with OTC meds. I'm sure the worrying doesn't help. But that's how I am. I think I'll give it a couple more days and hope the extra sleep, vitamins, and rest cure me.

Guess I overdid it

Since I've come down with a full-fledged cold. I did go back to work early, partly because we are so short-handed at the moment and partly because I wanted to save my vacation time because my aunts are ill (more on that later). I was surprised and pleased and worried that the first four people I saw all said, "Thank goodness you came back early!" Though there wasn't that much for me to do except go through the 462 e-mails I got while I was out.

I was pretty tired and had a bit of a sore throat. It also took three days for my ears to clear. Or maybe it was the beginning of my cold. My throat is better now, but I'm soooooo tired. I took a two and a half hour nap today. Probably could have slept longer, but I asked A to wake me up after an hour, so he did, but then told me to go back to sleep. He went out to get some dinner and I finally got up to eat. Hope I can fall asleep tonight.

Missed a baby shower today and bunco tonight. Would have missed them anyways if I came back on my original schedule. Ah well.

As for my soap opera life, I think that people wouldn't believe it. A few days before we left for China, my aunt had brain surgery. We went to see her a few hours before we left for the airport and she wasn't doing so well. Unfortunately, we didn't get any news about her while we were in China so my mom was a bit worried. But we did find out that my other aunt (in San Francisco) was going to have surgery the next week, which was a shock to us. Hence part of my urgency to come home early.

As it turns out, my aunt went to the hospital early to prep her for surgery. They needed to stabilize her fluids and blood sugar because she wasn't healthy enough for the surgery as is. My uncle is still in China because he couldn't change his flight. Now I wish I had dragged him to the airport with me and he could have come home early. But he wasn't ready to leave. Since he's 89 years old, he wouldn't be able to "camp out" at the airport by himself, like my mom and I were prepared to do (thank goodness we didn't have to). Yep, I've got stress in my life.

Home Sweet Home

Yahoo! I'm finally home! Did ya miss me? Did ya even notice I was gone? For those of you out of the loop, I went to China with my mom and some other relatives. We visited her childhood home, saw a tiny bit of Hong Kong/Macau, and then spent a week on Hainan island (China) with other relatives. Add in more travel time for me (had to fly to Sacramento and get Mom before heading out to San Francisco Int'l airport) and I was gone for just over two weeks.

We were originally scheduled to come back on Friday (after a 3 day post-China extension in Hong Kong), but Mom developed the "China hack," probably because of being tired, the air pollution, the smoking, and the weather. It was hot and humid, but the hotels and restaurants were cold so all that temperature change didn't help. Also, it was impossible to regulate the temperature in the hotel rooms, it was almost always too cold or too hot. If we turned the air off, the humidity was unbearable, but with the air on, it got too cold. While in China, we desperately tried to change our flight, but no such luck. The airline said they were overbooked and wouldn't even put our names on a waiting list.

So since we were going to be in HK anyways, I decided our best bet would be to camp out at the airport until they put us on a waiting list. As it turns out, we didn't have to resort to such drastic measures. Here's how my day went.

• Left the hotel in Haikou (Hainan Island) at 6:15 am to catch the 8:50 flight.
  
• Had security question me about my contact lens solution (the same solution in the same baggie that went from OC to SFO to HK to Haikou). Had no idea what the guy was saying. My aunt also didn't understand him. Two other security guys were like, why are you questioning her and waved us on.
  
• Flew to Hong Kong. Went through immigration, picked up our luggage, then promptly turned around and went upstairs to Departures to find the Cathay Pacific counter.
  
• Contrary to what we were told over the phone, the flight still had open seats and the wonderfully kind agent got me an aisle seat with Mom next to me. It was done quickly and easily and best of all, no flight change fee.
  
• We had five hours before our flight so we decided to just walk around the airport for a while. We could have gone into HK, but we just weren't up to it. I tried calling the hotel to cancel our reservation, but that was a joke. Couldn't find an internet cafe without a huge line.
  
• Decided to go to the boarding gate, which involved passing through immigration/security and then taking a train to the boarding area. Forgot to take my camera out of my pocket, so had to get wanded.
  
• Found a free computer/telephone center sponsored by a local telecommunications company and e-mailed the hotel to cancel my HK rooms, my brother so he could pick us up from the airport, and my honey.
  
• Didn't trust the e-mail to the hotel so found an HK phone number and called hotels.com. The poor girl (I assume she was in India) didn't know how to cancel my reservation because it had been made online by someone other than me so I got transferred back to the US to a wonderful agent (Joye, I love you!), who couldn't hear half the things I was saying (and vice versa) because of our lousy connection, was patient and helpful and cancelled my reservation no problem, tried to get the hotel to waive their cancellation policy (billing me for one night because I was cancelling too late)-no such luck, and said she'd send me some sort of vouchers to use on a future booking. Such a relief to know I wouldn't have to pay for three nights I wasn't using.
  
• Bought a cup of tea to drink on the plane, but didn't realize I'd have to go through another security check by the airlines so it was taken away.
  
• Had the child from heck sitting behind us. Threw a tantrum the first 45 minutes so the flight. Either cried or kicked our chairs for most of the flight. Had a huge person sitting in front of me, who reclined his seat all the way for most of the flight. Was unable to sleep more than an hour or two. But we were coming home, which was really all that matter.
  
• Thank goodness my brother read his e-mail and was waiting for us at the airport (so I didn't have to deal with Super Shuttle or Bart or a taxi and yet more expense). Went to my aunt's (the one scheduled for surgery next week). She looks awful, but was so happy to see us. Had my first upset stomach of the trip, maybe from lack of sleep? Called the airline and was able to change my flight home.
  
• Went out to dinner, but finally had to rush everyone so I could catch my flight.
  
• Got to the airport 40 minutes before the flight took off. Cutting it a little close, but since it was late, the airport wasn't busy and I got through check-in and security in 15 minutes.
  

Right now, I'm suffering from the worse case of jetlag I've ever had. Still deciding if I should go to work tomorrow or not. I'm just so happy to be home.

I need more memory

I'm terribly afraid I'm forgetting something for my trip and I won't be able to buy a replacement. But what do I really need other than my glasses, contact lenses/solutions, a good pair of walking shoes, and a credit card? Do I need the 35 lbs of stuff I've packed so far?

A and I got into a little tiff (no, not TIF, lol) about memory cards. He bought me a 1GB card and we had a 128MB card sitting around. The camera came with a 16MB card, which is good for like, 5 photos at the highest resolution. (A little aside, Panasonic now has 16GB cards! I remember when memory was like $2/MB and we were thrilled to get a 48MB card for $70-it included a card reader too!) I was a little irritated when he suggested bringing that 16MB card. Like I really want to hassle with switching cards for 5 photos. I'd rather just delete some.

I mentioned to him a few times that I wasn't sure I had enough memory since I tend to take lots of photos. When I was into taking photos (back in the film days), I'd carry two cameras (or at least two lenses), and swap my film as needed (bw, ISO). I'd take a roll or more a day when I was someplace scenic or I was trying to be artsy (someday, I'll show you my chair series). Right now, I've got enough memory to take 24 photos a day at the next to highest setting. I hate that I'm feeling inhibited, that I can't take photos at the highest setting. Granted, this is just a point and shoot camera, but still, I've got a good eye. I'm pretty sure I can still get some great photos. (yes, yes, I know I could have just gone out and bought a memory card; the point is, A didn't think I needed more memory even after I explained it to him and he's the one who usually buys the electronics.)

So tomorrow morning, we're gonna go out and buy another memory card. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. Thank goodness for Target.

I'm gonna miss

While on my trip (I just can't call it a vacation), I'm going to miss

Waking to coffee (A makes coffee for us every morning)
Wasting time surfing the web
The fall season premieres
Target
Calling friends on my cell phone
E-mail
Last, but certainly not least, my honey

Blogging etiquette

Or should that be blogging netiquette? maybe that's redundant? In any case, when someone comments on my blog, am I supposed to comment back, even if just to say thanks? If someone asks a question, of course I try to answer. But otherwise, am I supposed to thank people for their comments? Maybe if I did, I'd get more, lol.

I've seen both practices and have no idea which is "correct."

Woo hoo!

I won! I won! What did I win? A $100 gc to my favorite scrapbook store! They have something called Scrapfest a couple times a year and I've participated in every one. This is the first year I only got the minimum # of points, but that didn't matter. That was enough for one entry and that was enough to win something. And not just a little something, but a big something. There was only prize that was bigger. This is a wonderful cap to a relatively awful summer. It made me so happy!

I have no idea what I'm going to buy. I do have an extra long wish list there, but it doesn't have a lot of new stuff on it. Then there the Memory Trends tradeshow next week which may show more new stuff, then the show in January and, and, and...it is never ending, lol.

Self-medicating

I was self-medicating for a health problem for the past week or so. I spent a bit of time online researching and also a lot of time running to different stores to get what I needed. I was definitely showing improvement, but not quite cured. Since I'm leaving for my trip in a couple of days, I finally decided to go to the doctor. I hate going to the doctor. I hate waiting. I hate getting the EOBs and being annoyed at how much my copay is. My prescriptions were over $50, and that was for the generic versions. Obviously, they weren't on Target's $4 generic list (too bad). The doctor's visit will probably be $60, $40 if I'm lucky. A keeps telling me that we have the money to pay for health care, but I keep thinking that if I just had a little more time, I could have cured myself with natural remedies that cost less.

Ugg, spending more money

One thing I always calculate into travel costs in extras like clothes and toiletries. I didn't do too bad in the clothing department. I got a pair of shorts for $4 and a skirt for $8 on clearance. Too bad I couldn't find any pants or shoes.

Today I spent a ton on OTC meds, you know, just in case. Stuff like bug spray, itch cream (mosquitoes love me), and cold medicine. I'm still debating on buying Immodium. Never took it before, never had the need too. It's ridiculous. I've got almost a gallon baggie full of stuff. Yes, I've read that you can buy most anything you need in China/HK, but do I really want to be looking for a drug store when I don't feel well?

The biggest expense was a new digital camera. I'm still trying to figure out how it works. My old digital didn't have as many bells and whistles and I think it took better photos. Oh well, gotta move with the times. That 5 second lag between pressing the shutter button and having the photo taken was just too long.

Also bought a new suitcase. I tried, but there was no way I could fit everything into a carry on. Besides, it would have been over the weight limit for the airline.

I'm running out of time. But I guess that means I'm running out of time to spend money, lol.

In a couple of weeks...

I'll be in China. Before you say, oh wow, or cool! or have fun! take note that I have no desire to go, that I think it will be a horrible trip. So why am I going? Because my mom asked me to accompany her. Considering how many things she's asked of me, how could I say no? Other than my mom, I'm not thrilled with the people we're going with (yes, they are relatives). It has been nothing but a headache with the visa, trying to get info out of the planners, trying to get everything done at work before I go (yep, 10-12 hour days are the norm now). My mom had problems getting her passport and bad me, was hoping it wouldn't get resolved in time. No such luck.

So I'm resigned to going. Kicking and screaming. Wish me luck with keeping my temper in check.

No wonder I feel poor

Several months ago, I talked A into tracking our income/expenses again. We did this a few years ago and it is interesting to compare what we spend now versus then. At first, we were going to track money for three months, then six months. I figured six months was good, especially since our six months included Christmas, the months we paid property tax, and the month I recieved my work bonus. So it gave us a more realistic overview. But now that we've done this for nine months, might as well go for a whole year right?

Some months we're better at tracking than others. Some things we're better at tracking than others. Like A always forgets to put in the lottery tickets and Sunday paper. I've forgotten to put in my paycheck a couple of times. Even so, I can't figure out why we're several thousand dollars in the red. I mean, we're paying all the bills so we must have the money, right? I know we've had some unexpected expenses, like my upcoming trip (more on that in another post). A's car habit. That came out of savings. Our savings acct. is smaller, but not as small as that red amount.

You know, I'm pretty good with math. Took a year of college calculus. Took college statistics. Unfortunately, I don't remember any of it. Plus, I never understood math theory. Most mathamatics is rather instinctive to me, in that I'll know if an answer is right or wrong, but I can't figure out why. Maybe that's why I can't figure out why we're in the red. Okay, just had a thought. Maybe I needed to "seed" my tracking by including my savings at the beginning of all of this? I'll have to think about this some more.

My latest "go to" meal

You know how people have those good ol' standbys, a meal that is easy to fix and the ingredients are always on hand. Since it has been so hot, I've been having milk and cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (not all on the same day, of course). I guess it is relatively healthy since I'm eating high-fiber cereal, low-fat milk, and I always add fresh fruit (usually a banana). Can you tell this heat is really getting to me?

Small, Medium, or Large (again)

After spending a significant amount of time shopping online and returning most of the purchases, I decided to take advantage of the Labor Day sales and labor over the sales, lol. As usual, I was totally frustrated with the inconsistencies in sizes. I tried on a size 6 skirt and it was loose. I tried on size 10 pants and they were tight. I tried on a medium top and it fit nicely, but was too low cut and I tried on a small in a similar style and it was falling off of my shoulders.

I bought the skirt anyways since it was so cute and I'm at my skinniest in a year so I need room to grow (or for the skirt to shrink). I finally used my Kohls giftcard from two? three? Christmases ago. Can you tell I don't like Kohls? I wouldn't have bought the skirt except it was free to me.

I know men don't have it this bad when trying on clothes. Forget all this making a woman feel good about the clothes she's buying by relabling a size 12 into a size 6. You're not fooling anyone. Basically, you're making people like me--normal, everyday people--frustrated and we're gonna shop less, not more. It isn't like I work in a business where I need to impress people; otherwise I'd feel even more pressure. Ah well, my coworkers better get used to seeing me in the same thing they've been seeing the past couple years because my wardrobe isn't getting updated any time soon.

Four eyes...

Yep, I wear glasses, more correctly, I wear contact lenses. Went to a new doctor at the practice I've been going to for years and he recommended switching to a different brand of contacts. They would be better for my eyes. Okay, but now, the problem was and is my prescription keeps changing. Oh yeah, and I had bifocal contacts and have hated them for the past year, but the doctor thought he could fix my prescription so they would work for me.

The first pair, while technically the correct prescription were waaay overpowered. I couldn't focus on anything less than 3-4 feet away. Had to wear reading glasses to cook, otherwise I might miss and chop a finger off. The next pair, couldn't see distance that well. Better than with the "original" contacts, but still not well enough for my liking. (And yes, still correct enough that I was legal and not a menace on the road.) After two tries with the bifocal lens, we've gone back to single vision lens. But again, I'm having trouble focusing close up and also mid distances. I'm back to reading glasses, though I can function without them. He's saying I might not ever be able to get back to what my vision was two years ago due to my age. Great, A says the same thing. Getting older sucks!

To add another twist to the mix, I wasn't supposed to use my current lens solution, which I've been using for years--like 15 or 20 years--with these new contacts. Did I mention I don't like change? On top of that, the lens solution he recommended was impossible to find. I went to every drug store in the area and called a bunch of others. I searched online and couldn't find it either. A few reviewer sites said it was difficult to find. No shit! Finally, I decided to buy some from the company website (I thought was very odd for them to sell directly to customers). Turns out, I waited too long because the company has decided to stop manufacturing it due to low sales of RGP lens (Rigid Gas Permeable lens). Guess everyone is going to soft lens. So last week when I picked up my latest lens, I told the optometrist that and he gave me all the rest of the bottles of the solution so I don't have to mess with yet another solution while we're figuring out the contact lens.

So this has been a torturous month and a half. Did I mention that I spend most of my work day reading? It has been hell. And the doctor thinks it could take a couple of months before my eyes settle down. I am not a happy camper. But if all this puts me in a lower powered prescription and also helps my eyes get healthier, I guess it is worth it.

It is so d@mn hot!

The powers that be are happy that is a holiday weekend, since that means a lot of people will be out of town or outside and therefore put less strain on the power grid. Since we don't have air conditioning, I guess we're already doing our part to help, lol.

Haven't been sleeping well due to the heat. Then there's the stress of work. Oh, and A is out of town and that always makes me nervous; I hate being by myself (though I'm more efficient when I'm by myself). I'll be so thankful when he's back home.

The good, the bad, the ugly

Let's start with the ugly. I stubbed my toe and now I have a blood blister. Ouch! The bad, I had a really tiring day at work. Struggled with a bunch of files. Sent e-mails to people who didn't read them. Still working on a "simple" update. Won't be done with it until next week. In the meantime, my other work is suffering.

The good, my carpooler cheered me up on the way home so I wasn't a b*tch when I got home. The bad, we didn't leave the office early enough to catch the free drawing at the farmers market. The funny, the farmers market moved and we didn't know it. The bad, the farmers market moved a few miles away instead of literally on our way home so we won't be going any more.

The good, my $600 worth of sandals from Zappos arrived. The bad, none the sandald fit that well so I'll be returning all of them. The good, free returns at Zappos, yahoo

The bad, I got an offer for some contract work but I had to turn it down.

The good, I got a package with my sister. Yahoo! Whew, glad I did this. I feel better.

Has anyone seen my blue flip flops?

How does one lose a pair of shoes? I did misplace them last year when I left them in an outer pocket of my duffle bag; I hardly ever use those pockets so I forgot I packed them there. And I did bury them under a pile of laundry for a couple of days. But this time, it has been a few weeks. I really miss my flip flops. These aren't your run-of-the-mill cheapie flip-flops. These have arch support and a toe guard and have nice cloth straps. Oh where oh where could they be?

Update
I found 'em. In the duffle bag. Like last time. Can I blame A? He's the one who put the duffle bag away without checking the pockets (maybe he was tired of seeing the bag in the hallway?). Lest you think I'm the only one to do this stuff, I was digging through all our luggage and found two of his tee shirts and a belt in another suitcase. Somehow, I think this means we have too much stuff.

Odd (and sad) dream

Last night, I had the oddest dream. I can't remember where I was, but I was with my family, mostly the older generation (it reminded me of the family reunion I went to this summer). Uncle T was there, and he was dead, but he didn't know he was dead. So we all had to be careful what we said to him because we didn't want him to know he was dead.

I hardly ever dream about people and even more rarely about those who have passed. And never so soon after they've left. I'm a little weirded out by the dream, but I'm mostly sad.

Busy day

We did our usual Saturday morning errands (bank, credit union, 7-11 to buy a newspaper, post office), plus an added stop for me to pick my new contacts (still not happy with them, did I tell you the story about 'em? can't remember).

Then we got a bit of culture. Went to the local musuem since an exhibit I wanted to see is closing this week. Nothing like cutting it close, lol. But it turns out, the gem and mummy exhibits were soooo much more interesting. Loved seeing all the beautiful gems, outlandlish jewelry, and beautiful scultures. Found the mummy exhibit to be very interesting, but cut that visit short because all the dead talk started giving me the heebee jeebees. Stuff like that usually doesn't affect me. Maybe I'm getting more sensitive in my old age.

We ended up buying a membership to the museum. Basically, if we see one more special exhibit, we'll break even. Go twice more and we're ahead. So it looks like we'll be getting more culture in the next year, lol.

Later, I'm gonna help with the kids while the guys go out and bond or something like that.

Sara

If you're interesting in learning a little more about Sara, my sister's sil, here's a link about her and her cancer fight: Sara.

This is so sad, so shocking. Less than a week after being diagnosed, she's in the hospital getting chemotherapy. I'm so thankful she has a strong support system. Poor Jake and Gracie (her little ones) must be so confused.

I'm so tired

My manager was gone for just over a week and every day, there was a new "emergency" to deal with. I had someone e-mailing me or calling me or standing at my desk at least once a day, if not three or four times a day. Such fun. Not! Then we had someone leave so I had to take over half her job. Thank goodness, there was someone else in the office to take over the other half. Obviously, I didn't have time to do any of my regular work.

He's been back a couple of days, but I'm still cleaning up the "emergencies" and trying to catch up. He's still trying to catch up his e-mails. Hopefully, we'll have a replacement soon for the person who left. Hopefully, I'll have time next week to edit the three hundred plus pages sitting on my desk. And update the five manuals I volunteered for since we're short staffed (by two people). And finish up the emergencies (can't forget those). Sigh.

Scrapbook GDA

I need to tell you about my latest scrapping deals. We were at a shopping center that happened to have Micheals. A was patient and didn't mind me taking a bit of time to shop. They had a bunch of stuff at 90% off the marked price so that's where I spent all my time. I got a scrapbook DVD and a Cuttlebug die cut for about a dollar (total) and gave them to my cousin who's interested in scrapbooking/cardmaking (she has a Cuttlebug). I also picked up a few other scrapbook goodies for myself.

Then yesterday, I was at Big Lots and they had a quite a bit of KI stuff. I love KI! Score! But I was good and just picked up a few things. Yep, will power at work, lol.

Update
We went back to Big Lots today to return one item, but went to a different Big Lots. Yep, I ended up buying a few more things. So much for will power, lol. I bought a stack of paper for $2. I guess A does know how much scrapbook paper costs because he asked how many sheets were in the pack. I told him 25. He said wow, that's really cheap per sheet. I told him he should be glad I bought just one pack since there were other papers I liked. But that if I were to use just one or two sheets, the cost per sheet was too high. Of course, I'd share my extras, but really, 23 extra sheets of paper is overkill. I learned that from all the paper I bought at the Lil Davis clearance sale a couple years ago. I'm still clearing some of that stuff out.

If you are the praying type...

please pray for Sara. She is my sister's SIL and was just diagnosed with lymphoma. While I have never met Sara in person, I feel like I know her from all the wonderful tales from my sister. In fact, one year when I was cleaning out part of my Tupperware collection, I told my sister to take anything she thought Sara might want. That's how hightly I thought of her. (Maybe you have to know me and my Tupperware obsession to understand.)

Sara has been a great source of support for my sister, who is far from the rest of her family. Sara and her DH have two children; one is an infant, less than two months old. When I hear terrible news like this, I want to shake my fist at God and cry why?!!? But since I believe in the power of prayer, I instead ask for your help. Please keep Sara and her family in your thoughts and prayers.