I like to take pictures of flowers.  I'm no fancy-smansy photographer by any stretch of the imagination, but I like to take pictures of flowers and landscape, have a bunch printed out, then make cards out of them.  You can go to a craft store (or scrapbook store) and buy blank note cards and envelopes.  Paste the picture on the front and voila!!!  You have a nice note card.  Since people rarely send letters any more, everyone enjoys a nice note card. 

Here is a pic I've used to make a note card:

I love petunias.  Have you ever noticed that they're sticky?  I love them, though, they're so bright.  And speaking of bright...

Here is another picture:

These are ranaculas.  They only bloom for about a month each year.  What color!!

I'll post more pics when I can find them in my vault of picures. 

Favorite things...

I found a new favorite thing.  Its cool.  It saved me a bunch of money, but more on that later. 

Its called Lemi Shine.
(Disclaimer:  I don't know anyone at Lemi Shine, they aren't paying me a dime, not even in free Lemi Shine.)

Let me back up a little.  A few months ago, I was ready to head to Sears to look for a new dishwasher.  Mine was almost 8 years old and I thought a new one might get my dishes cleaner and get rid of those awful spots on my glasses.  They were looking milky, not clear. 

Then I thought about it.  Maybe I should just get new glasses.  After all, they were almost 8 years old.  (Sensing a theme here?  Yes, I moved into my house almost 8 years ago.)  Then I was reading my favorite blog, The Pioneer Woman, and she mentioned Lemi Shine.  I thought, a $3.49 fix might be more cost effective than a new dishwasher OR new glasses.  So I ran to Target, bought some, ran home and started the diswasher.  Lo and behold, my glasses looked better. 

A week later, the white scalely build up at the bottom of my dishwasher was gone. 

I'm telling you, this stuff is amazing.  A miralce.  A $3.49 fix.  One of my most favorite things.

Christmas is two days away!!

...and I still have some things to do. 

My husband called me this morning from work with a new gift idea for himself.  Good thing, too, because he really doesn't give me a whole lot to go on.  Stocking stuffers are the hardest.   I think he gets tired of dental floss, chapstick and deoderant every year.  Time to mix it up a bit.  I threw a movie in there this year.

The peanuts, on the other hand...
They are little list-makers just like their mama!!  (So proud of them!)  No shortage of ideas for them.  They handwrite a list, then print it out on the computer, complete with Santa clipart from Yahoo images.  I have to admit, though, stocking stuffers for a 10 year old boy is hard.  I'm pretty sure he doesn't want deoderant.

I think I'm easy to shop for.  I like books, clothes, scrapbooking, massages, mani-pedis, running and vacuuming (but I already have a Dyson, so...).  I like gift cards, too.  Who doesn't?  I know some people think that they're impersonal to give, but I don't think they're impersonal to recieve.  The amount doesn't even really matter...$5, $25, $50...I tend to put the amount 'towards' something I want.  Trust me, I have no gift cards with small balances.  I use those babies up completely!!

So back to Christmas being 2 days away.  Hmmmm....little more shopping, little more wrapping, bake a couple of cookies and I'm good to go!!

Making a list...checking it twice...

I'm a list maker.  I love to make list.  I like to wake up in the morning and make a list of what I need to do that day. 

It usually looks like this:
  take kids to school
   run @ park
   shower
   Costco
   laundry
   clean showers
   vacuum


Vacuum is almost always on my list.  Love to vacuum.  (Who would't with my Dyson?)

My list might seem boring to some, okay, to most, alright...to everyone.  But when I get something done and cross it off my list (even a given, like 'take kids to school') I feel like I've accomplished things that day.  Since I don't have a regular work day anymore, or a boss breathing down my neck, I realized that I have to be accountable to myself. 

Every now and again I chill out and watch a movie on Lifetime.  I'm usually under the weather, though.  I'd have a hard time sitting on the sofa knowing that weeds are growing, dust is settling and lists need to be made.

I have other lists, too, other than my 'to-do' list.  I always have a Costco, Target and grocery list.  This lists are purely functional because I'm a planner.  I plan our weekly meals. 

But more on that later.
  

What to do next?

Its not as if I have nothing to do right now. There's plenty. I just don't know where to start.

Plan meals for the next few days, make a shopping list and get my butt to the store?

Wrap some presents while the kids aren't looking?

Start another load of laundry?

Go for a run?

I know what I'd like to do...
Cozy up under a blanket and watch a movie. Doesn't matter what the movie is, I'll be asleep inside of 10 minutes anyways!

I can't run because I don't want to leave one of my peanuts home alone. (One is at soccer with Dad.)
I already did 2 loads of laundry. That's pretty productive in my book.
I need to wait until the kids are gone to wrap. I'll get busted if I don't.
I guess I'll meal-plan and get ready to shop.

But wait...what is my peanut watching now?  Is that a blanket next to him?

Took a year off...

I haven't been on much lately...for more than a year, but then again, my audience hasn't exactly been burning up my inbox with requests for more insightful posts. I really want to get back into this blogging thing, but seriously, life gets in the way. So what have I been up the past year?

I got on Facebook, which is really cool, but not really. Complete waste of time checking to see who is busy that day, who is bored, who hates the weather where they are and who just saw the latest movie. The cool part is reconnecting with friends. I have to say that there have been some suprises, some good news, some not so good news and a few announcements.

I've been working on Abigail, my first book. I told my husband that it is either "okay" or it "really sucks". I'm still not sure where it lands. I know it needs work and character development, but at least the basic story is down.

I've been doing yardwork. Its like laundry. It never ends.

I planned a big family trip that we took over the summer. I'll boil it down to 13 towns, 8 hotels, 4 national parks, countless restaurants, 4,000 miles on a rental car and 1 cracked windshield. My husband laughed when I pulled out the 4" binder complete with dividers that mapped out our trip. Seriously. I printed out directions from one place to the next, printed tickets for things were were doing, printed out hotel reservations...what can I say? I'm neurotic that way. Its okay. I'm happy that way. Did I mention that the binder was also in chronological order? The binder ended up being useful, too, because we could add brochures and reciepts we picked up along the way.

So I didn't find a cure for cancer or solve the financial mess of the world in the last year, but I was busy.

global warming?

I love this article!!!

The headline on the Drudgereport is: Cyclists 'braved freezing cold temps' to promote global warming awareness...

This would be funny if it wasn't so ridiculous!!