One Last Bit of Excitement for 2008

I really wanted to end 2008 with a bang, but I think I went too far!  Actually, though it wasn't as much a bang as it was a "THUNK"!!  I was preparing an awesome dinner (Rachael Ray's South by Southwest Sliders and oven fries) for my really great family and slicing some sweet onions to caramelize, when the amazingly sharp knife slipped off the onion and right into my index finger. YIKES!  Sudden bursts of pain and blood surged simultaneously and I was done.  I'm a total wimp and can't do blood.  After the color returned to my face and I wiped the clammy sweat from my forehead (thanks for your help Mom and Dad) our super-duper-Doctor-friend-neighbor made a New Years Eve house call (thanks, Karl) and fixed me up.  He told me I didn't need stitches and was lucky I hadn't severed the important nerve - it has a more technical name, but my head was down on the kitchen table when he said the name of it and I don't remember.  So, no multi hour wait in the ER.  No needles.  Woo hoo!  Even though I can't bend it, probably can't work on my knitting project for a few days, can't type very well and can't get it wet, I'm lucky it's my left hand, and my sweet husband and great parents have stepped in and finished making dinner and will take over what I can't do.                                                                                 

Photos. . .

Awesome bandaging job.

Jon made me a splint from a popsicle stick - which we amazingly had sitting on the kitchen counter from Molly making cookies on a stick a couple days ago!!

The patient is resting quietly.

More Small Town Perks

Like we've said before, we are really enjoying living in a small town.  On Christmas Eve, we opened our community newspaper, The Prosper Press to find this.....

That's our house.  Prosper has a Christmas Lights Contest every year.  The story was it was too hard to choose just one winner, so they included photos of all their favorites. There were three houses from our street!  The sad part about ours is they didn't even get the beautiful and HUGE lit wreath on our driveway gate in the photo!  It's the BEST part! Maybe I'll go out and take a picture tonight and get the wreath.

Thanks, Prosper Press!  

It Was A Merry Month!

2008 has been a wonderfully eventful year.  It's fitting that we wrapped it up with a wonderful Christmas season.  Here are some highlights.

Karen's Mom and Dad arrived mid month and are staying a whole month.  They are blessed to be in such good health and we enjoy having them in our home.   Dad turned 80 this year and Mom isn't too far behind.  Don't they look great?

We hosted our annual Chili and Chowder party in our new home!  We loved having old friends from Plano and our new Prosper friends all together.  The food was de-lish and the company was even better!

Our great neighbor Mike Koster and the Morleys, new church friends.

Prosper church friends the Platts and the Fergusons.

Long time Plano friends Rhoberta Blankmeyer, George and Heather Nail and Cindy Bell

Ashley had fun visiting with college roomate Kristin Willardson and her sister Jenny.

On Christmas Eve, we headed for the mall for our traditional kids photo with Santa.  We've done this since Ashley's first Christmas.  There are a few more people in the photo and for the first time, a second generation is included.  Parker was remarkably cooperative!  We actually had a harder time getting everyone else to pay attention and smile.  

The photo Karen took looks pretty good, too!

Will and Molly looking picture perfect!

The professional image - pretty good looking family, I think.  Nice socks, Santa!

Everyone had a great time!

After the photo, we all (except for Drew who had to go back to work) headed to the Original Pancake House for a yummy breakfast - Breakfast AFTER Santa.

Molly's Swedish Pancakes were as big as she is!!

Ashley and Sam

Grandpa Jon and Ashley

Beautiful Lucy and Adorable Molly

Perfectly adorable Parker!

We had a fun visit with an old friend from Karen's YW Prez days.  Charlie Thiot served on Stake Youth Committee, along with Ashley.  He's married now and has a really cute (and itty bitty) daughter, Keelie.  I managed to only take pictures of the babies. 

The standoff.

We also were able to celebrate in other ways of which we didn't get photos - school parties, a choir concert, an ornament painting party, seeing Christmas lights in Highland Park, playing games and visiting with each other.  We've had a wonderful time with family and friends and appreciate so much all who add so much to our lives.  

Up next - Christmas Eve and Christmas Day....

Meet Miss Sally Brown!

Lucy recently auditioned for the Prosper High School production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown".  With only six parts in the whole show, there was some serious competition.  But guess what?  She got a lead!  Very impressive for a Freshman.

So, may I introduce, Miss Sally Brown.

Way to go, Lucy!

I've Made a BOLD move

A friend of mine sent me this via email, so I decided to take it to the blog!

The things I've done are BOLD.  Some of the things I haven't done I'd really like to do and should get on it.  Others, not so much.  But, it's fun to see the list.  It's funny to think there are really people out there (in the civilized world) who haven't owned a cell phone.  

I tag whomever wants to give this one a try... Just copy and paste and BOLD or unBOLD as needed.  You can delete my commentary!

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band (but I did play in an orchestra)

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked (Mom, aren't you proud?)

23. Taken a sick day when you aren't 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 (but I've kicked one!  I love kickball)

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language (does ubbi dubbi count?)

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (maybe from a train)

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo's David

41. Sung Karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant

44. Visited Africa (a wish list item)

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted 

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to 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 (another wish list item)

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 of plasma

65. Gone sky diving (tempted)

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (too sad)

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter (everyone in my family has, but me!)

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 your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible (sad, but true)

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 (but been a witness!)

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 - ewww!

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Tagged (It's ONE word)

Tagged by Shahna, my cute friend who is now in my ward (congregation) at church.

The trick is using one word answers....

1. Where is your cell phone?  pocket

2. Where is your significant other? Raleigh

3. Your hair color? blonde

4. Your mother? artist

5. Your father? supportive

6. Your favorite thing? gospel 

7. Your dream last night? forgotten

8. Your dream/goal? salvation

9. The room you're in? kitchen

10. Your hobby? exercise

11. Your fear? failure

12. Where do you want to be in six years? island

13. Where were you last night? home

14. What you're not? unpacked

15. One of your wish list items? convertible

16. Where you grew up?  Kenosha

17. The last thing you did? cook

18. What are you wearing? jeans

19. Your TV? off

20. Your pet? turtle

21. Your computer? Mac

22. Your mood? stressed

23. Missing someone? Parker

24. Your car? Suburban

25. Something you're not wearing? earrings

26. Favorite store? Anthropologie

27. Your summer? speedy

28. Love someone? Jon

29. Favorite color? green

30. Last time you laughed? yesterday (at Lucy's cute song)

31. Last time you cried? Sunday (cry of frustration)

I tag Lucy, Tricia C. and Cindy B.

Copy and paste the questions and add your own answers.  Don't be a stick in the mud.

Projects, projects and AOADD

Molly is sick.  She's got a fever and a yucky cough and has stayed home from school for two days now.  She's the sweetest little companion and I love having her home.  Since I was housebound, I decided I needed to work hard to get as much accomplished as I can because I have this funny feeling that December is going to fly by and I'm going to miss the whole thing if I don't get it together.  So, I got to work.  And I've accomplished quite a bit.  

Here are some projects I've been working on...

I'm ALMOST done with the Family Room tree.  Just those last two boxes of ornaments to finish.  Of course the Living Room tree is missing a section (how does this happen Mr. Moving Man???) and the Game Room tree has not an ornament on it.  The kids trees?  Well, let's just say they have some decorating to do this weekend!  And I started EARLY!

Christmas card are sent - for the most part.  There are a few stragglers who still need new addresses.  So they are sitting on my desk to finish.  Also on my desk is a stack of party invitations I need to address and stamp TONIGHT!!  I guess that means I need to complete the guest list.

I've been wrapping, wrapping!  I also got all these gifts tagged, boxed and mailed - woohoo.  I still have another box to mail, so don't get too jealous.

I put together this little number for a family - who hopefully doesn't frequent this blog!  It's a family game night basket complete with games and refreshments.  It has one of our families' favorite games, right now, Whoonu, from the makers of Cranium.  It's really great, because everyone can play and it's funny, too!  You should get it.

The big project today was to go from a completely EMPTY closet to one stocked and organized.  Since we have such a lame closet, we had those cool pull down rods installed way up high (which was a week long ordeal with a trim carpenter, a painter and an installer involved) so we can get MOST of our (ok, MY) clothes in the closet. (Jon's fit fine).  Believe you me, I'm using every bit of space I can find in this terrible excuse for a walk-in closet! And overflowing into another closet upstairs!!

Jon gets the bottom and middle racks here in the first section.  I get the rest.  He's so good to me. 

We had this dresser added, too.  It's still empty as are all the shelves, but don't worry, I'll fill them up!

We added these shelves under the stairs (yeah, stairs in the closet, don't ask) so we have more shoe and handbag storage.  Also still needing completion.

With all that's gone on today, I've learned some things about myself.  I suppose I've know these things for a long time, but by recognizing them all in one day it occurred to me that I have problems.  I'd like to attribute it to AOADD (Adult Onset Attention Deficit Disorder).  While leaving the closet on no less than 5 separate occasions today to retrieve something from another room, I've managed to find something completely unrelated to do (make a phone call, clean up some dishes, talk with Molly for a second, etc.) and then have returned to the closet without the intended item!  I also have recognized that I have at least 7 projects going (in addition to the ongoing unpacking) and not one of them is completed.  Doesn't that sound like AOADD to you?  

Another thing I've learned today is that I adore (maybe ADORE is too strong, I REALLY LIKE) workout clothes.  Now granted rarely a day goes by (except Sunday) that I don't work out, so I NEED alot of workout clothes to prevent overuse of the washing machine.  And, in my defense, I have owned some of these clothes for upwards of six years.  Many of them actually have TOO many miles on them and will soon make their way to the trash bin.  But here's the pile I've accumulated today in the effort to find a home for each article of clothing.  I won't show the running shoe collection I have.  (What?  I have to match my shoes to my clothes!!)

Other things I've learned/recognized today ...

• I like green
• Closets fill up easily
• It's fun to colorize your clothes
• Molly is really good at entertaining herself 
• I have lots of clothes
• I'm not a label snob - I think Target clothes are fab-u-lous!
• I wear clothes for a LONG time.  I have an almost 8 year old suit (that I wear) and that's not the oldest thing in my closet. I just got rid of a suit when we moved that I wore to my brother's wedding, something like 14 years ago!
• Time flies when you're working hard
• I really like to be organized (Jon is laughing....I can hear him!)
• I have a LONG way to go