Land of the Lost: December 2008

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Christmas craziness

I love Christmas. I love the smell of the Christmas tree permeating my house for a whole month. I love the lights and all the decorations. I don't love the scrambling around to buy presents. I am always plagued with the worry I didn't get enough presents for somebody. I started to reflect on the one thing which makes my Christmas miserable (besides dealing with nasty family members) and decided I was not going to worry about this year. I have to be honest though, I worry about it a little. :P

As I've watched my kids in Christmases past tear apart their presents like a wild herd of hyenas taking down a gazelle, I realized they don't appreciate the gifts as much as they really should. This year I've decided to tone it down. We bought the boys a couple of high ticket items and clothes - that's it. The high ticket items are very useful and meant for all 3 of them. I started to doubt my decision but then came across this article from MSN. The article suggests there are 7 things you can buy with money that make you happy. I was skeptical when I read the article but was pleasantly surprised at the end. I think you will enjoy it. Here is the link:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/HomeMortgageSavings/7-smart-ways-to-buy-happiness.aspx?GT1=33011

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My blessing for this week October 9, 2008

NAPS! I have been running around crazy the last couple of weeks. I've made 26 jars of jam and successfully stocked my pantry with almost 3 months of food storage. At some point, I realized I was doing too much. I decided to take a break from all of it. Instead of doing some other crafty thing while Henry took a nap I took a nap with him - for 3 hours! That felt so good. It's nice when you realize that you aren't Superwoman and sometimes you just need to take a break. Sleep solves many problems. Everything just looks better today.

My blessing for this week 8/11/08: The good ol' USA.

If you haven't been following the Olympics, this was a pivotal point in swimming and for smack talkin' Frenchmen. My family watched this live and were screaming by the end of it. I was so proud to be an American! What a blessing it is to live in a free country!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/11/sports/olympics/11swim.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&em

My blessing for this week 8/6/08: Steam cleaners.

As you know we have a pug puggy. What you might not know is she has purposeful puppy incontinence. Which means she chooses to use the various Claire Murray area rugs in our home as her personal backyard. We have tried everything with her- litter boxes, pee papers, and yes, even diapers. She still prefers to mark our house with puppy love.

After she was injured we were told in lieu of paying $700 worth of x-rays that we should keep in her a kennel so she could rest. What a great opportunity to crate train her! I jumped on it. Since being confined, to what in her mind must be dog jail, I have been able to successfully train her to get her business done outside. She is almost fully healed. Tomorrow is the last day in the kennel for her. I decided to celebrate by steam cleaning the carpets- yes, exciting I know.

You would not believe the disgusting mess in the carpets or the filthy, dirty water that was a result of cleaning them. So disgusting! I had no idea we were that dirty or that carpets could hide so much. One particular stain I thought would never come out and we would always have a lovely reminder of our incontinent puppy. But, everything came out! The rugs look as beautiful as they did the first day we bought them and smell wonderful. I am so grateful for steam cleaners!

52 Blessings

This is a great idea in which every week I can count my blessings. Although what I am about to share with you didn't occur this week, it was important to me. One day, I was having a rough time dealing with some issues in my life. I was so depressed. Nothing was going to get better. I had to take the kids to one of their many activities so we all piled in the car. As I was driving out, I saw this beautiful egret in my yard. I was stunned. Heavenly Father knew just how to give me hope. What a beautiful creature this was! Perfect and white, representing what was pure in the world in its simplest form. I knew everything would be okay if I would just trust in Him.