Chill Out

Dave just got a Christmas bonus.

And we had to give it to the furnace repairman.

After a pre-Thanksgiving, after-hours, extra-expensive visit by the bonus recipient, we're still wearing beanies and fleece. We're not out of the arctic quite yet.

(I love beanie wearing. I'm going to buy a new one-- or two-- just for fun.)

We've been huddling around the fireplace and space heaters and going to bed with piles of blankets for three days.

Although the furnace is still working and limping along, we were advised to lower the temperature in the house to avoid a total blowout.

Out of the bazillion parts the bonus recipient had on hand in his trusty truck, he didn't have the one we needed.

Of course.

So, it's not as cold in the house as it could be, which has awakened my survivalist tendencies. Really.... have you ever thought about how you'd keep your family warm if you didn't have a way to heat your home?

Beanies only go so far, ya know. Same with bonuses.

Honest Scrap Award

Robin, my long-time friend, awarded me the Honest Scrap Award. I graciously accept and will pass it along to other bloggers who will be named at the end of this post.

Be aware, there are rules to this deal. They are as follows:

1. Present this award to 4 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design or those who have encouraged you.

2. Tell those people that have been awarded the HONEST SCRAP AWARD and inform them of these guidelines in receiving the award.

3. Share “10 honest things” about yourself.

Having covered that, shall we move along to the self-disclosure part?

A-hem....

• I always eat too many Oreos, whenever I have the chance (and I have no desire to change that).

• I'm trying to learn the difference between discernment and criticism.

• I wish I had the ability to spend a lot of money without fretting about it.
  
  
• I find some (wicked) enjoyment out of throwing other people's stuff away, especially when they don't know I'm doing it.
  
  
• Sometimes I drift off while talking to people and then have to pretend like I heard what I didn't hear. (Apologies extended in advance).
  
  
• One of the deepest desires of my heart is to have God show me--after I've died--the history of the world, with a comprehensive yet simultaneous presentation of all time periods, cultures, people, civilizations, etc. I want to see the evolution of governments, viruses, theologies, species, ideologies, wars, technologies, etc; the migrations and conquests of civilizations; and the ways in which God has dealt with all of mankind. I guess I want to take World Civ. on the grandest scale.
  
  
• Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like had I not had children. {Sigh}
  
  
• Sometimes I wonder if Jerry Seinfeld coined the phrase yada yada or if he just made it commonplace.
  
  
• There are some relatives I just don't like.
  
  
• I harbor fantasies of wearing a sleeveless gown, decked to the diamonds, to the ballet. Or a state dinner. Whatever. I'm easy.
  

And, there you have it ..... and now onto the OTHER fun part.... the naming of four other Honest Scraps.

Kat
Joy
Jana
Sharon
Sarah

Yes, I do realize that I went over my limit, but I couldn't scratch anyone off. I enjoy all of their blogs, their thoughts, and their personalities. Have at it, ladies.

Memories with Meg

I keep a journal for each kid, something that I've slacked off doing for the past year and a half. So, as I was catching up on it this morning, I read some of the passages I had written years ago.... things I had forgotten about.

Here are a funny church stories, compliments of Meg.

• When asked by the bishop during tithing settlement if she was full tithe payer, Meg answered, "I'm a part tither."

• At one point, Meg did not want to attend her ballet lessons or preschool. I explained that I'd have to quit paying and let some other kid take her spot. A few days later she told me, "Mom, stop paying the church."
  
  
• While giving a prayer during primary one December years ago, Megan prayed, "Please bless Santa to know who has been good and bad."

• Meg and I went to a mother-daughter church activity in which chicken salad was served on a croissant roll. Meg took one look at them and loudly proclaimed that they looked like dead armadillos.

Giving

Lately my thoughts have been on what I can give to others this next year. This list is in progress and may be refined as my thoughts develop.


- to contribute to my neighborhood community in a way that builds stability, friendship, safety, trust, and cohesion.

- to give Abby opportunities to explore her talents and gifts.

- to help Megan develop problem-solving skills.

- to give Dave less grief about football (yes, honey, you heard that right).

- to build family memories and traditions.

- to serve others in those spontaneous moments in which they need something from me.

- to let people know how much they are loved and appreciated.

- to encourage, build, and sustain others.

- to nurture Abby's enjoyment of reading.

Daddy Date

When Miss Ab was preparing for date night, I told her that her daddy might like it if she held his hand throughout the movie, just like the last time they went.

After she got home, I asked her about it.

She said, "We held hands, except when I ate my candy."

(Can I even tell you how much I love 6-year-old kids?)

Bad-Check Thursday

Years ago, back in the day when using debit cards was unheard of, Dave and I would write checks for nearly every necessity. As poor married college students, we'd make our budget s-t-r-e-t-c-h as far as it could, often leaving us to end the pay period on financial fumes. We'd sigh a big sigh when Thursday rolled around, knowing that deliverance was at hand as soon as the bank opened the next day.

Or if we were really in a pinch, we knew we could write a check on Thursday, gambling that it wouldn't clear the bank until after the deposit was made the following day.

It was a timing thing.

Bad-check Thursday meant that we could forget about spaghetti and Hunt's one-dollar-a-can sauce for dinner and go out for an extravagant dinner at Taco Maker.

Whooo-heeeee, right?

Or maybe we could grocery shop a day earlier. Or change the oil in the car. Or help the needy (just kidding .... we were needy).

But mainly we went to Taco Maker and other such fine-dining establishments.

Fast forward a decade and a half..... our paycheck is bigger now, checks are only written to the hairstylist who works out of her basement, and starvation isn't likely with all the food we've got stored in the basement. And, even if the checking account balance approaches zero, we are cushioned by savings accounts, money market accounts, C.D.s, home equity, and mutual funds.

But I sort of miss bad-check date night with my sweetie.

Things that Must Go

I'm tired of people using the word ORGANIC. It has trendy, pretentious connotations, and its use conjures up images of uppity apartment dwellers spending way too much for broccoli.

People who regularly use the word organic (and those who think they are amazingly cool for doing so) are REALLY getting on my nerves, the exceptions being chemists or botanists.

I think Sarah blogged about this awhile back.

So this post is for her.

The other day I heard THE WORST usage of the word organic that I've ever, EVER heard......

A guy on the radio was interviewing a man who had recently found his true love. The interviewer asked him if the process of falling in love had been organic.

I could have only wished he had meant orgasmic.

But no.... he meant organic.