My Favorite new toy

I have a "new" toy. It was a gift for my birthday from Steve and Wyatt. They bought me a Sony E-Reader. For those of you who do not know, it is the perfect gift for me. I can download electronic books to this device and read them just like a paperback book. I love to read. I have always loved to read. I can not remember a time in my life when I have had a book nearby to read. I would rather read than watch tv. I read fast, turning the pages, getting lost in the storyline, tuning out the real world. Did I mention I read FAST!!! On a good day, when I have nothing else to do, I can easily finish a book. Reading on vacation is great, I can read nonstop. BUT that tends to create a small problem when traveling. A person can only pack so many books before the weight pulls you down.

Last summer, we were gone for a week. I read 7 books. I had to buy a new book to read on the way home.

SO the e-reader is the perfect answer. I currently have 35 books on this device. It still boggles my mind, that I can pack around 35 books in one hand. Ohh, how happy this makes me.

Shortly after getting this gift, we took a cruise. I brought 30 books on the e-reader. I was happy in the knowledge that I would not run out of reading material. I didn't run out of reading material, I ran out of battery power. ACK!!! Steve left the compter at home.SO I could not charge my ereader. SO first stop of trip, I was at a bookstore buying a couple of new books to read. This will not happen again as I have a wall charger now.

But to really appreciate how much I love this device. I am wide awake at 2:30 in the morning. I finished my book. Still can't sleep. No worries. I just download a new book. AHHHH... life is sweet. I now have unlimited access to books 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks of the year. Without having to put on clothes, and find a place that is open that sells books. Ohhh, yeah, Steve did good. This little device will be my favorite new toy for quite some time.

2010 Word of the Year

Simplify: to make simple,

That's my word of the year. I tend to stress about things. We all do it. I tend to go overboard at times. Having people over for dinner? I feel like everything has to be perfect and better than it was the last time the company came over. Then I worry if everyone is having a good time. I need to stop that. I need to keep it simple. Not plan every last little detail. Fix a few things to eat, not 103,030 different things.

Simplify: I need to streamline the house. We have too much junk. We don't have to have one of everything. Keep it simple. Only keep the things we really use and need.
We don't drink coffee. No need for a coffee maker for when we have company. I think I have used it ONCE for company since we bought it. It's out of here. Two rice cookers? Keeping the old one for steaming veggies? Takes up too much space. I can get rid of it, and buy a small collapsible steamer basket for when I steam veggies. Keep it simple.

I do not need 4 sets of sheets for each bed. Two per bed. That's all I need. One clean set to replace the dirty set. Then wash the dirty set. Too much "stuff".

Keep it simple. I need to remember that. Stop trying to do everything perfectly. Do my best, and live with the results. Don't overthink things and make it more complicated than it really is.

If I can do that this year then I think I will have a lot less stress in my life. I think I will be able to enjoy my family and friends more. That's my word for the year. Now to live up to that word.

New Year's Eve 2009

. What a great night we had. My cousin, Mike, invited us over to his house. It was his birthday/new year's party. Growing up the two of us were pretty much inseparable. My mom and his mom were best friends their whole lives and so the we naturally followed suit. But after marriage, work, raising families, we tended to not see that much of each other. I realized after meeting up again on Facebook that we hadn't seen each other in almost 16 years. That is entirely too long. His mom's funeral was the last time I had seen him. (oh how I miss her.) Granted he had moved out of state for a lot of that time. But he's back home now, and it felt soo right going over to his house (right next door to the house he grew up in), and watching our children run rampant over the same field we ran rampant over. There was a lot of talking, drinking, and laughing, and eating. It was hard to say good bye last night. I didn't want the night to end.

To make the it even sweeter, his youngest son is now sleeping on my living room floor, camped out with wyatt. How many times in our childhoods, had the two of us done the same exact thing? It was incredible how easily, and quickly these two boys hit it off last night. I am glad. It looks like the friendship tradition will live on.

Now it is 2010. I just know that it will bring more dinners, more laughter, and more good times with my family. Here's to the start of a great year.

Second Day of school!

I made it through the second day of school. This would not have been possible without two of my very good friends who sat next to me during the inservice and kept me company. They make me laugh and make faces to make me smile. I really can't complain too much, most of the people I work with are very pleasant. HOWEVER, I just hate sitting on hard plastic seats at the cafeteria tables where my knees reach my chin. These tables are made for small children. Very Small children. My legs do not fit under the table with ease. The seats are attached to the tables, did I mention that they are hard plastic? Yeah my butt keeps reminding me of this. From 8:30 until 12:30, we sat. and sat. and sat. While listening to "school policies procedures". My butt cheeks thought they were going to "become one with the orange plastic circle". My knees ached from being bent at such an odd angle. There is no room to stretch out. I thought it would never end. FInally it did. Now what material was covered, I could not even begin to tell you as I had a brain fart as soon as we walked out of the frigid room. Yep it was COLD in there. SO I left with a headache, a sore butt, and blue toes.

I did have a nice lunch with friends. Then it was back to the classroom to finish getting ready for the first day of school. Parents came to meet the teachers. I think 6 parents came today. That was good. I recieved my class list, which surely must be wrong as it says I only have 13 students!!! umm, no this can't be correct. There must be some mistake.

TOmorrow will be another hectic day. Students arrive. Our goal on the first day: get them to class, get them fed, get them home!! Anything other than that is gravy. Rules and expectations of course. Maybe a writing activity and a game or two. Maybe the time will fly by. One can only dream.

Fun Fun Fun

I spent my last day of summer vacation doing the fun stuff I love doing. I went shopping and bought a few shirts that I found on sale. I can wear them to school or on our cruise in November. I went and wandered around the scrappy store. I love the scrappy store. I bought a few things I have been needing. Then I came home and scrapped. I ignored the floors that needed mopping, and the laundry that needed washing. I spent a few hours on myself. I finished one layout and made a birthday card for my niece.

Later I picked Wyatt up from daycare, and treated us to Baskin Robbins ice cream. I know I Have a freezer full of ice cream. But I wanted a real "end of summer" treat. Baskin Robbins is not somewhere we go often. I think the last time I took Wyatt there was at least 3 years ago. So for us that was a real treat.

Then I came home, and soaked in the tub. Steve cooked dinner. Nothing fancy, just steak and potatoes. Now I am going to lay in the bed and read until it is time to go to sleep. I know I will be waking up before the sun wakes up. It's going to be a busy day. But I did enjoy my last day of "fun fun fun"

My Last Free Day

This is it. My last free day of summer vacation. Tomorrow I HAVE to go back to work. So how will I spend my last free day? I plan on dropping Wyatt off at daycare, going out for breakfast, then coming home and doing absolutely nothing work related. I want to watch movies and scrap. I need to make a birthday card for TIffany. At some point I will eat lunch, maybe going out to get something to eat, or else just eating junk around here. I am just going to relax before the stress of a new school year kicks off tomorrow.

Scrappy Room Redesign

My scrap room has been a bone of contention in my household for quite some time. Steve and I agreed that I needed a room to work on my hobby. He built the workshop (aka the man cave) out back for working on his hobbies. It was only fair that I have a place for mine. So I claimed the spare bedroom.

When we first moved into the house, I had no problem sharing my space with Steve. He seldom came into the room, unless it was to use the computer or to pay bills. Easy peasy. I had my folding table on one wall and he had the desk on the opposite wall. The other room was the guest bedroom. Soon after we moved into the house, we had Wyatt.

The guest room became Wyatt's room. The "extra" things we had stored in the guest room moved into the "scraproom/office". Since taking care of Wyatt, and working took up most of my time, I didn't have much time for scrapping. All was still good in the scrappy place, even if it was a little crowded.

Soon my folding table was sagging under the weight of the supplies piled on top. I had boxes, bins, tubs of supplies. There was no functional storage. The room was a disaster. Steve griped constantly about the mess. FINALLY, he took pity on my and decided to create me the "ultimate" scrap space. He designed and built cabinets, while I pondered paint samples and color schemes. I wanted the room to be calming, and peaceful, yet still reflect my creative side. It took awhile, but finally it was done. With the blue walls, white trim and sand colored carpet, I was creating the "beach" themed room. Steve installed the cabinets. Upper around 3 walls, lower cabinets along one long wall, and a desk top on each short end. I had beaucoup storage. However, I still had to share the space with Steve. He just wanted one desk top, and the cabinets above it for storing office things and bills. Soon he wanted one lower cabient for computer stuff.

Things went along somewhat smoothly. Wyatt grew as kids tend to do, and discovered that he liked to do crafts. In my scrap room. While he watched cartoons. While I was trying to scrap. It seemed that I could never get away from the "guys" when I needed some alone time. I couldn't just sit and read in a room without a tv on. I couldn't lay down for a nap without someone coming into the room to get something they needed. I couldn't just hide in a pretty girly space, because my guys, being typical guys, didn't want "fru fru pretty lacy, comfy" things. They wanted "manly colors, with a manly decor". I felt I was being overrun with testosterone, testostorne, crap with male hormones.

This led to the "Scrappy Room Redesign". Steve and I started talking about remodeling and redecorating the house. I told him that I needed MY OWN SPACE or I was going to seriously hurt someone in this house. A room to myself, that did not have any manly things in it, that was fru fru, lacy, pretty and comfy. That was a peaceful, quiet, place for me to hide out in. This led to the Scrappy Room Redesign.

After much talking, debating, arguing, and shopping my new space is finally taking shape. Steve took out one section of the cabinets and one desk top. For now we put the top bunk to wyatt's bunk bed in here. Eventually I will get a pretty white bed (just in case we need a place for company to spend the night). I am going to get the pretty white shabby chic bedding that I have loved for the longest time. Every time I go to Target, I walk through the bedding section and fondle the quilt and the sheets, and try not to drool on the pretty throw pillows. NOW I can buy them and bring them home. Along with pretty curtains. Then we will get a new bookshelf to hold some of my scrapbooks that I have made (no more hiding in a dark cabinet for them). And I have to figure out some sort of dvd storage (do you know how much space 229 dvds takes up? A LOT!!!) THen I will push for a bigger, flat screen television (why should my space have a tv smaller than my computer screen?).

Last night, I put old sheets on the bed. Steve was in the living room watching some Discovery Channel show. I curled up on the comfy bed, and watched a girly movie and read my book. All was quiet and peaceful. (Wyatt was at my sister's spending the night.) When I was done for the night, I got up turned off the lights and went to bed with Steve. But for the little while I was in there, I could watch what I wanted, read a book with no background noise, or even just peruse magazines looking for scrappy inspiration. I have my own little girly space. A pesticle free zone!!!

All is good in MissyLand.