Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Looking Forward to 2006






A Picture Share!


Originally uploaded by plural.






Buh-Bye Buh-log! (for now)

We're in the home stretch now! In a few minutes we are heading up to Milwaukee for our final walk-through on the house. (Cross your fingers that they moved all their furniture out- especially that beast of a piano.) Our internet service will probably be shut off by the time we get back tonight so I just wanted to pop in and say I will be back hopefully sometime at the beginning of the year. You know how it goes with cable installers and such so the exact date is kinda sketchy.

I have come to the realization that I a have been an insufferably boring blogger lately. My resolution for 2006 is to be a less boring person. That and to stop drinking so much darn Diet Coke already.

We'll see how that goes.

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Merry Christmas Everyone!

christmas2005.jpg

T minus 4 days! While the kiddos can't wait until tomorrow I'm looking forward to three days after that when we are finally OUTTA HERE. Wooo! Usually I feel kind of blue in the days after Chrismas as things start to get back to normal, but this year I have an exciting project to keep me busy well into the new year. We should be going offline on the 27th but I'll most likely check in before then.

Last night Jason and I wrapped all the girls' presents and watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, which was oddly enough, one of my Mom's favorite movies and we used to watch it together every year. The holiday is not in full swing until I see the Griswold Family Christmas Tree light up and Randy Quaid in his blue polyester leisure suit.

Tonight we plan to eat, drink, and play poker into the wee hours. I joke about the "War on Christmas" but I really do love it. See, even us secular folk have hearts way deep down.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Thank God It's Finally Bedtime

Well, I was hoping to sit down tonight and write a little about how WE ARE MOVING OUT IN ONE WEEK and how I got to see "King Kong" the other day and that Peter Jackson is indeed King of All Action and Fantasy Movies (thus confirming that the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was not a freakish fluke). HOWEVER...... I just spent the entire day being screamed and/or whined at by a napless two-year-old (the one who is still wide awake upstairs refusing to sleep and bothering her older sister- you know, the one who refuses to acknowledge anything I say unless I repeat it around eleven times or bellow it for the whole neighborhood to hear while making threats to take away certain cherished play things? That sister. ) So I'm going to instead cuddle up to my TIVO, watch some home improvement shows and keep reminding myself that tomorrow is another day. A day better than this one hopefully!

I have come to the conclusion that I deserve a medal. Or better yet, one of those Girl Scout sashes with all the merit badges and nifty awards sewn on it.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Thinking Again

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

-Benjamin Franklin

Friday, December 16, 2005

Materialism Schmaterialism

I can't say I wasn't warned. Back when I was so proud of myself for buying all of the girls' Christmas toys in November I was told I would end up spending more on Christmas overall once the holiday sales hit. It's offical: I'm a sucker! (Didn't I just post a quote from the Buddha the other day? Believe me, I'm aware of the irony.) I do have to say it's been nice to have the bulk of my gifts squared away for so long but since then I've been picking up little presents here and there and it certainly adds up. Jason bought a couple of things for Juliana too so it looks like they are really going to hit the jackpot this year. I just love buying toys so much and I don't usually buy them throughout the year so I did the so-called American thing and was a good little consumer this holiday. Don't you see I'm just being patriotic? Don't try to steal Christmas from me! I'll defend it with my dollars!

Of course, every cherished new toy will promptly be packed away into moving boxes so there will also be lesson to learn about delayed gratification. Points for Mom!

I finally took the girls photo for our Christmas card this week. Instead of making the card myself this year I used a template at the Target photo lab and wouldn't you know the border that worked best with the photo read "Happy Holidays!" I wanted to get one that said "Merry Christmas" but none of those designs looked right. So "Happy Holidays" it is. Take that Bill O'Reilly!

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Thinking

"Violence never ceases by violence, but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal law."

-The Buddha

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Doo-Doo-Doo Doo-Doo-Doo Dooo-Dooooo

I just wanted to insert my little virtual Snoopy Dance here for Steph and Greg since they are moving into their new house tonight!



Soon our hour-long phone conversations will become chats over cups of coffee in our respective new kitchens! Eeeee!

Tuesday, December 6, 2005

Betwixt and Between

How can I be so incredibly busy yet so BORED at the same time? I'm still packing and cleaning and on the phone all the time with one person or another regarding our move but at the end of the day I'm still so incredibly anxious and IMPATIENT about the whole thing and just want the day to be here already!

I am so over you Bartlett.

I'm at the point where mentally I have already moved on from this space. All the little things that personalize my home are wrapped up in plastic and stored away in the garage. Waiting. I drive around my neighborhood and it doesn't even feel like I live here anymore. Everything is hovering in this in-between realm and I don't feel like I'm grounded anyplace at all. Once we move I know that it will take some time for our house to feel like "ours" but it is much more exciting to be building something as opposed to tearing something down.

I bought some red paint today for my new dining room. That lifted my spirits. I have lived in a house without a red room for waaaay too long.

Thursday, December 1, 2005

Yea, I Haveth Seen The Light

I've finally tasted the sweet manna that is Starbucks' Peppermint Mocha. (Props to mappy b for the recommendation!)

Over the years I've really tried to dislike Starbucks (you know, the big bad corporation putting the little corner coffee shop out of business thing) but somehow they keep reeling me in.

I am weak.