40 things to do before I am 40!

And just so you know that is right around the corner. It is exactly 8 months and 2 days away. I made this list some time shortly after my birthday this year, so I'm thinking it was in late September or early October.

1. Finish cruise scrapbook (we took the cruise in 2008)
2. make a button picture
3. unload the last box in my closet from our move in 2008 done 12/09
4. Volunteer somewhere
5. make a pillow
6. make curtains for the basement
7. start Library of Memories System
8. get all 2008 and 2009 pictures developed off of computer
9. make 25 scrapbook pages 17 as of 1/10
10. finish "paper" closet in den. done 1/18/10
11. go antiquing
12. buy something I love without worrying about the money (maybe wool rug from Target)
13. only get one new purse all year
14. find the perfect brown sandals--buy 2 pair
15. mail cards and letters to my friends on their birthdays
16. write in my journal for the kids more this year
17. blog on a regular basis--maybe weekly
18. put shelves up in my scrapbook area--and put all my "stuff" on them
19. read 4 books I wouldn't normally read
20. see a play
21. see a musical
22. go away for a weekend with just Doug. 11/09
23. do some embroidery
24. do something anonomysly
25. give myself a pedicure once a month
26. have a regular date night with Doug
27. take each kid out to eat by myself Kate 12/09 Zach 1/10
28. go tent camping (cringe)
29. paint a picture
30. update Kate's school album
31. update Zach's school album
32. make an ornament scrapbook with my BFF
33. Serve a dinner on my china 11/09
34. see a major league baseball game
35. wash down all the woodwork in the house
36. walk 3 times a week on a regular basis
37. frame my favorite quotes
38. frame a piece of each kids artwork
39. do 12 scrapbook pages about myself
40. finish landscaping one side of the house

Whew. I better get to it.

Car Trouble

UGH! I've said it before and I will say it again. It seems like the majority of the problems happen when Doug isn't home. Or maybe it just seems like it because he deals with the majority of the problems around here.

Started car this morning and pulled it out of the garage to warm it up before taking Zach down to school to catch the bus. Everything went fine. Told Kate to go out and start the car to warm up again before taking her down to school. (I should have went out there with her to show her since she'd never done it before, but how hard could it be...is what I thought--she can do it) Mistake. She came in saying that the check engine light was on--but I told her it always comes on when the car first starts--well, that should have been my eye opener. When we went out to get in 10 minutes later the car was still cold and only auxiliary stuff was working. Hmmm...I tried to start it--nothing. Brake pedal wouldn't depress---hmmm....then car wouldn't even click. Poor Kate thought she broke the car. Turns out it is the same thing that happened to Doug when he took the boys to practice in Blue Mound 2 months ago--It may be time to take it in and figure out if it needs a new battery or what. Poor Kate. She had to walk to school thinking she had broken the car.

I had to back the jeep out of the garage down the driveway in between the Camry and the neighbor's car and pull it up close to the car. Then I had to find the jumper cables--I hadn't seen any for 20 years (back in my college days when I had to jump Cari's car every other weekend). Doug told me how to do it on the phone, but luckily the brand new never been used jumper cables had directions on them. Now to open the hoods and get started. Doug's jeep hood had to be "unbuckled" (weird) and then I looked around unsuccessfully for a "propper-up" thing. there isn't one. You just lean it back against the windshield (I was praying please don't let me drop it and break the windshield because I don't need anything else to happen today). Jeep done. Camry was easy--hood stays up by itself. Yeah. Red to red--black to black. Start car. It works! Happy dance inside my head--because it is too cold to do it outside. Unhook cables, hoods down, cables away. Jeep pulled back into garage. garage door down by hand. Leave Camry running for 20 minutes. Run inside--make smaller grocery list of essentials that we will need for next couple of days--cereal, milk, diet Pepsi, pop tarts (you're welcome Zach) since I am not running the chance to drive into Decatur and spend 2 hours in Wal-Mart to come out and find that the car won't start again. Run to Dollar General here in town (leave car running while I go in (thank God for small towns)--$21 dollars later and I put car back into garage. Turn car off (Praying all the time that when I go out there later it will start again so I can go somewhere if I need too). close door manually. Go inside and immediately open the diet Pepsi so I can get my caffeine for the day--it explodes. UGH! Anything else? Bring it. Ha.

Day 2-Doug gone

So far so good. Zach is having a few problems in the morning. He can't seem to get up and get going without a lot of complaining and whining. Last night he went to bed at 8:30. That still didn't help. He told me to have a terrible day today when I dropped him off for the bus--because I dropped him off before 7:05 (it was 7:02). So, I don't know what we are going to do about that. Homework and practice went well yesterday--we'll see how it goes the rest of the week.

Kate has been a big help--dishes, dogs, checking Zach's advanced Math homework, helping with supper last night. Gotta love her. We stayed up last night and watched the first half of the news together to get some idea about the weather this week. I wanted the warmest day to go to the grocery store and that turns out is going to be tomorrow--high of 21--woo hoo.

I took the ornaments off the kids' tree upstairs today. Had to do a little hot glue fixing to a couple of ornaments and need to find another small box to put a couple more ornaments in that don't have their own boxes. I will have to buy another rubbermaid container before I can take the actual tree down. Hope I can get that tomorrow at the store. The holidays are almost officially over--I consider it over when all traces of it are gone.

Decision Making

Why is it that I feel that I am the only one in my family that ever makes a decision? Where do we want to eat supper out at? What is going to be fixed for a supper at home? When does the house gets cleaned? When do the kids do their chores? When does the yard get mowed? When does the cat get fed and watered? When does the recycle go out? When do we take the garbage out? When does the furniture get vacuumed? When do clean clothes get put away? When does something we borrowed from somewhere get returned? When do our sheets get washed? When does the sidewalk get shoveled? When does a barking dog that is outside come in? When does the papers that are brought home from school get put away? The answers to all those questions in this house is when the mom says so or when the mom loses what is left of her mind and goes psycho on her family. For one day of my life I would like it if I didn't have to make ONE decision in regards to any one but myself--preferably something like "what color should I paint my toenails?" Is that asking too much?

One Little Word

I was reading Ali Edwards blog today and she talked about how she chooses one word every year to focus on throughout the year. I've been thinking a lot about my goals and dreams for this year and really want to try to do the One Little Word this year. I was driving my kids to my parents today when the word hit me. SIMPLIFY. That's my word. I often think I want/need/have too much and I would love to work on that aspect of my life. Less is more. So not only will that have to do with physical things, but also with my time and food. I want to lose weight this year before we head off to vacation at the end of May or the first of June.

For the first time this year we had planned well enough that the whole week of Christmas was spent mostly at home relaxing and not running around with our heads cut off trying to get everything done at the last minute. So that is another goal of mine--to plan well and carry those plans out--and to ask others to help me carry out plans. For example this year I enlisted my kids to help wrap presents. One kid would wrap one day and the other the next. This kept them out of each other's hair. Also I am going to plan into the budget money for each person to buy the other 3 people in the family a gift--previously we (Doug and I) have bought stuff and then had each person pick something from those things to give to the other, but I have decided that next year each person will be responsible for choosing and buying something for all the others. That way they will experience all that goes into gift giving. It will not be mom and dad doing all the work.

I want to appreciate all that I have, my time and be healthier in 2010. So keeping with my one little word for 2010: SIMPLIFY--I want to buy less, be stingy (or more constructive) with my time and eat less/exercise more this year.

I'm dreading it

Going back into the church office today after lunch. I've got to get the Hawk Hangout papers submitted for November so that they get their money reimbursed. I'm praying that he's not there while I am but I have a feeling he might be since I just emailed him to let him know I was planning on being there. He'll probably be there to make sure I am not doing anything fishy. He's the fishy one, but...My stomach is in knots. I wish I could just tell him what a big jerk he is to his face and save myself the stomach issues, but I cannot do that.

Tonight I am going out with some credit union friends to celebrate one of their birthdays. I am missing one of Zach's games to go, but you know, sometimes friendship is worth it. I checked with Zach first and he said he didn't mind. I'm looking forward to some laughter and fun.

I am still struggling with staying home. Last night I finished up my laundry in anticipation of spending the morning upstairs messing in my scrap area and so far all I have accomplished is a shower and 1 1/2 hours on the computer. I didn't set my 30 minute timer I know. I am going to finish up this post and go dry my hair and then go straight upstairs. I don't have any plans to make pages but I do want to straighten and rearrange up there. Here I go...

It's snowing

And it is the big beautiful fluffy ones. Nothing is sticking, but oh, is it beautiful! It makes my heart happy.