Wordless Wednesday

Sledding

I'm currently being bombarded with holiday stuff, family stuff, snow stuff, and back-to-work stuff. Which means I don't have time for blog stuff. The world is so unfair!

I did get to go sledding a few days ago, though, and managed to kill my back thoroughly. But dangit-- I caught AIR off that jump! Lots of air! I took a can of Whoop-Ass to my brothers and FLEW!!! (Of course, there was that one run when my brother and I doubled... we rocked down that slope until we crashed spectacularly into the powder...)

And I have learned a New Truth... if you invite your step-daughter to go sledding with you and your family on a day that is Not Officially Your Holiday Time, you are apparently participating in ruining the Other Mother's life.

I just so don't get girl politics.

Wordless Wednesday

Yes, We Got A Lot Of Snow

Why do you ask? :)

HoHoHo

Ron, commenting on a camouflage Santa hat someone was wearing:

"So, do you think he wears that for hunting reindeer?"

Things I've Done

Over at Michelle's blog, she had a list of things people can do. You bold the ones on the list that you've done.

Wow. I've done more on this list than I haven't done. That's really cool, if you think about it. (Except I don't want to bounce a check, or eat caviar. Ewww!!)

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/World
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightening at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Learned a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

Bodies

Yesterday, I took Violet and Lu to go see Body Worlds. If you haven't been to one of these exhibitions, you need to go. They are truly amazing! (I will have to say, though, that Bodies-- The Exhibition was much better than Body Worlds, even if BW was the original...)

One of the displays was of the blood vessel system in your body. I was pointing out to Violet and her friend Steffi how many blood vessels are in just the skin on your head. Steffi looked at it and said, "Wow! My head must look like a Chia underneath the skin!"

I love kids. :)

Texting Conversation

Violet: :( :( :(
Me: You don't like the snow?
Violet: if snow was warm then I would like it!
Me: LOL
Violet: I would go out in my swimsuit!
Violet: It would be a spa

Wordless Wednesday

Santa Claus

(Hopefully, no little ones will be reading my blog anytime soon...)

I was thinking today about how I broke the news to my kids about Santa. I started it out by reading a story to them (I will post the story at the end), and then talked to them about what Santa is. I explained it as thus:

"Santa is the spirit of giving anonymously. What that means is that when you give a gift to someone, and never expect a "thank you" from them, you are Santa. When you give just for the sake of giving, and nothing else, you are Santa."

And as they reached the age of knowing the Truth, they got to be Santa themselves. I allowed them to help pick out their little sisters' stocking stuffers, and buy things for families less fortunate than ours. My youngest hasn't had the opportunity for the stocking stuffers, but we do continue to buy toys for 'Sub For Santa'.

During these tough economic times, I encourage everyone reading here today to donate to organizations that give to families in need during this time of the year, especially your local food bank. And make it a Christmas gift to yourself-- plan on donating to a food bank *all* year 'round, not just during the holidays. Put it in your calendar once a month to give. Show your gratitude for your abundance by sharing with others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WHO IS SANTA CLAUS?

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true. Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything.

She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she snorted . . . "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun. 'Where' turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through it's doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only nine years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-4 class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he had no good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby." The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby. Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

Just Say Cheese!

As I was making dinner last night, I took the bag of frozen peas out of the freezer. When I opened it, some of the peas scattered across the kitchen floor.

Ron looked at me and said (in best guy fashion), "Looks like you peed on the floor."

Sometimes, you just have to laugh at the cheesy moments life hands you. :)

Why I'm Not Posting Much Lately...

I gotta get all this stuff listed on Amazon and eBay... and more is coming Saturday.

Oy.

First Place! Yeah, Baby!

Received in my inbox today:

SanDisk’s Point and Shoot Film Festival Contest
Dear SanDisk’s Point and Shoot Film Festival Contest Entrant,

As the Official Administrator of SanDisk's Point and Shoot Film Festival Contest, we're pleased to inform you that your entry into the contest has been selected as a First Prize Winner!

Too cool. I entered in a video of my daughter playing soccer with the guys.

In other news, I did get in to see an allergist. The official diagnosis is: "I'm not sure exactly what you're allergic to, but I suspect it's the ibuprofen." The other culprit could be gelatin, of all things. I only got the reaction after I switched over to liquid gels. So now I get to have blood tests to see if it is the gelatin or the ibuprofen. Gelatin would not be a fun thing to be allergic to. There's gelatin in a LOT of stuff!

Wordless Wednesday

Meme

Givinya de Elba had an interesting meme on her site. It looked fun, so I thought I'd try it, too!

Ten years ago I:
* was devastated-- my then-husband had been fired from a job he had only had for 2 months.
* realized my marriage was a crock
* saw the beginning of the death of my dreams of being a stay-at-home mom
* was packing to move for like the 12th time
* made the decision to go back to college and get my degree

(Wow... that sure brought up lots of depressing memories!)

Five things on Tomorrow's To-Do List:
* get more stuff listed on Amazon and eBay
* take the girls Christmas shopping
* go to work
* go to the post office before work to ship stuff
* pick up girls from basketball practice

(Yes, I sound like a suburban working mother.)

Five snacks I enjoy:
* cheese and crackers
* fruit
* carrots
* nuts and seeds
* Baby Bel Cheese

(I like to eat cookies, but I wouldn't say I "enjoy" them... I feel too guilty when I eat them!)

Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:
* Pay off my house and cars
* Put money aside for kids' college and future homes
* Invest wisely
* Use proceeds to fund charitable works and travel the world
* Quit my job!!!

(I think I would like to have this problem.)

Five places I have lived:
* Utah, USA
* Washington, USA
* Nevada, USA
* Montana, USA
* New Mexico, USA
* Arizona, USA

(OK, so I cheated and put six.)

Five jobs I've had:
* Stay-at-home mom
* Custom picture framer
* McDonald's peon
* Manager at a call center (basically working for Microsoft)
* Professional computer geek

(Someday, I may go back to college and get my law degree. Maybe. If I'm insane enough to want to go to college again!)

BusyBusyBusy

I'm currently swamped with Christmas orders for my new part-time eBay/Amazon business, so I'm not able to update here as often as I would like. Sorry. :(

But in the meantime, I'll share a story with you.

On Saturday, we had to get crickets to feed our pet lizard. So I get the crickets, which are put into a smallish plastic bag, and then filled with air to keep the crickets from turning into insect mush. Because it's cold, I put them inside my coat to protect them from the outside temperatures until I can get them home.

We had to make one stop on the way back home, and with the bag in my coat, it looked like I was suddenly VERY voluptuous on my left. I mentioned that I'd probably get a lot of weird looks going through the store. Ron replied, "We can just tell them that you're getting the other side done in two weeks."

:)

Texting Conversation

Ron: Nikki is here so we will have to behave now. ;)
Me: Ok, ok. I'll behave. I have a halo, remember?
Ron: With horns. :)
Me: Something has to hold up the halo...

Wordless Wednesday

Texting Conversation

Kayla: I just saw an old midget couple walking down the street lol
Me: Cute. :)
Kayla: I guess lol
Me: Everybody deserves love. :)
Kayla: I meant i just dont find old people cute lol its not anything against midgets
Me: I think old people in love are cute.
Kayla: Old people smell like dying and soap
Me: LOL Someday you will smell like soap, too. :)
Kayla: Nope ill use herbal essences