Christmas Spirit

I will not be a grinch. I will not be a grinch. I will not be a grinch. I will not be a grinch....

I keep telling myself that, and it seems to be working. My problem isn't with the spending money, sometimes I wish I was more grinchy that way. I love buying presents, and I usually end up with too much. My problem is the crowds! I bite my tongue every time in the store, especially when I'm with the kids. How is it that the slowest, oldest, widest lady in the store is always parked right in front of the section you need to be? So I have been telling myself, I will not be a grinch. I will be polite, and smile if it kills me. I will look at all the other stuff around that area, maybe it's fate and I'm supposed to find something that the shopping cart lady isn't blocking. Maybe there's a deal just waiting for me where I would least likely look...

I have also decided to give a couple dollars to every bell ringer I see, or give the money to the kids so they can have the experience. Even when my hands are full of groceries, or when my wallet (between the checkout and the door) has found it's way to the exact bottom of my purse, or even when the wind is whipping and the snow and sleet are stinging my face, I will pause and dig for money and GIVE, because I WILL NOT BE A GRINCH.

I will let the kids make a mess in my kitchen, and I won't complain about cleaning it up later, after they've spent hours decorating and baking Christmas cookies. Because when I was a kid, my mom did the same for us. I don't remember the mess, which we undoubtedly made, but I remember how much fun it was every year making Christmas cookies with my family.

I will let the kids wrap their own presents, because they are excited about it and because it means something to them to do so. Even though they won't be perfect, and they may use a little too much paper... It's only paper, and we're going to wad it up and burn it after presents are opened anyways, so what does it matter if they use too much?

I will allow my 4 yr old son to organize the Nativity Scene as many times as he likes, even though it's not ever in that perfect 1/2 circle surrounding baby Jesus. Because in the world of my 4 yr old, it makes perfect sense for them to be in a different position, and who am I to say where they were on the Day that Christ was born.

I won't change the radio station away from Christmas music, even if it's Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer, and when that song is on, I will appease my children and crank up the radio so that they can sing at the top of their lungs.

I will bundle myself up and brave the cold so that my children can show me their snow angels and snow men. Even though I could see them from the warmth of the house, through the window, I know that it's not the same for a child, who thinks you have to be right there to taste the snowflakes and see the snow angel. And when they come in from the snow, I will let them make another mess in my kitchen with hot cocoa and lots of marshmallows.

I will enjoy the simple things and let the kids put the Christmas tree lights on the super duper high flashing speed that makes me feel like I've just took a triple shot of espresso right to the brain. I will let them then change the speed another twenty times that night just because the lights are so much entertainment for them. And I won't care, because I have children who are with me this Christmas and I had the money to buy the extra lights with the super duper speed settings, so why not enjoy them?

I will not be a grinch this Christmas. I will enjoy all the pleasantries, all the hurrying here and there, all the parties, and all the extras that cost a little bit more. I will smile at all the grinches in the store and hope that I can extend a nice bit of warmth to their busy day. I will pause and reflect on all that this season is and on all the reasons that we have this season to bless our lives. I will reflect on the loved ones no longer with us, and on those that may not be here for another Christmas season. I will cuddle on the couch tonight with popcorn and sodas and watch the Muppets Christmas Movie.

I will enjoy the season. I will let my heart grow with love. Love for the all the little things that God has blessed our hearts and lives with. Because as the grinchiest Grinch of them all once said.... "What if Christmas doesn't come from a store, what if Christmas means a little bit more."

Dreary Day and Christmas Music

I love Michigan. Or so I tell myself all winter long. Even though my sister tends to send me lovely little updates about how it's "so cold" in Arizona (she means 60 degrees). Today this winter weather has turned to a nice steady rain. I can't complain that it's not yet cold enough to freeze, although undoubtedly here in Michigan it will eventually turn to a nice freezing rain, soon to be covered by snow. And then every Michigan driver seems to forget how to drive over the warm months and there will be slide offs all over the roads... Like I said, I love Michigan. Really, I do, for the most part. The seasons are just incredible.

Today though, however, dreary the day may be, I have started my Christmas music listening. I love listening to Christmas music, I'll play it all day long while I'm working, and in the evenings making dinner, etc..

So thanks to this Christmas music, the day is no longer quite so dreary. I do have to say that may favorites are Vince Gill - Let There Be Peace, and John Lennon's - So This is Christmas. Although, I would probably be hard pressed to find one I really didn't like...

Anyway, to you all, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Joyful Listening here on my blog site!

Family Pics

We finally managed to get a new family picture taken. The last one was when Robby was only 5 months old, of course my hubby says were good for another 5 years now! I wish I could put the one from almost 5 years ago out here... What a change in all of us!

Distractions

I just found myself laughing at myself, of course who else is there to laugh at? I'm working at home, my neck is getting stiff, so I decide to get up and stretch for a minute. I walk to the sink, thinking I'll do dishes real quick. I put away the ones that are clean and realize, oh, maybe I should throw laundry in first so it's going while I do these. So on the way to the laundry room, I realize the Christmas tree I bought last night is still boxed up. So, I go back into the kitchen and get out the scissors to cut the box open with. Putting a Christmas tree up would be a good neck stretching exercise, right? Until, I realize when I cut the box open, that I told the kids that they could help tonight... would they care if I did this on my own? So, I put the scissors back, debating the Christmas tree, set up or not to set up. And then come back to my work computer to work...

Ok, dishes aren't done, laundry isn't done, tree isn't set up, and my neck is still stiff and getting a kink in it! What in the world did I just accomplish??

Ok, so I am off to actually "do" something right now. However, I'm sure I'll find something else along the way that will distract me...

Thankful for Little Things

Well this year there is so much to be thankful for. Even in this horrible economy, with people around me losing their jobs and worrying about their retirement and their health care, there is still those glimpses of good, the glimpses of joy and the things that make us smile each day and get out of bed, the moments to be thankful for.

Today it was the dog, believe it or not. Our crazy puppy, one that I never even thought we would be able to talk my husband into, was making all kinds of crazy noises today. I don't know if it was the snow, the fact that he got to stay home with me and Robby all day or what, but he would run and jump in his bed and nuzzle his nose down into it, then "winny" just like a horse! I'm not kidding! It was hilarious. Robby and I just kept laughing. I wish I could read the dog's mind. But it was nice, just to be able to have that moment, with a dog.

That moment made me realize how lucky, and thankful, I really am. I have a good job. A good job that allows me to have a flexible schedule, to work from home all the time, part of the time, or whatever parts of time I feel is necessary. I have a job that lets me work at home and listen to my dog make horse sounds, and lets me listen to my son belly laugh and tell me that the dog sounds like a horse.

Not that listening to the dog horse is my only benefit that makes me thankful ... Being able to work at home has not only given me more time, it's given me the ability to work around the little things. A morning talk with my husband when he gets home from work, when I normally don't see him until he's getting up for work, and I'm coming home and the rush is on... It has given me the ability to take more time with the kids when they get up for school in the morning. Instead of them getting themselves ready while I am getting ready for "work", I can sit with them at the table in my cozy little pj's, make them breakfast, pack lunches if necessary, all because I don't have to spend an hour on the road.

It's the little things that matter. Standing on the porch and watching them get on the bus instead of trying to rush and put my make up on (make up is not required when you work from home)! Being able to take that 45 minute lunch break and put dinner in the oven/crockpot, do dishes and laundry and not have to worry about having to do them after work, or, being able to take that 45 minute lunch and walk over to sit with my 91 yr old grandmother. Instead of office gossip, I get to reassure her that yes today is "Monday," and yes the cat is on her bed...

I can take my laptop and sit in the winter sun rays as they stream thru the kitchen window, rather than working in some dingy litle cube that resembles a tan prison. I can get my 3rd of 4th of 5th cup of coffee without everyone in the office commenting that it's my 3rd, 4th or 5th cup in an hour and that I should just get an IV... No one has to see my vices here at home! I can listen to my music while I work, without worrying that it's too loud for the neighbors, or I can listen to nothing but the water in the fish tank and not have to worry about the noisy office chatter all around me.

It's amazing all the things that I could list off, and how many ways my life feels "better" for just having the opportunity to work were I do. I have a boss that trusts me to do what needs to be done, and knows that I can do it and not take advantage of the situation. They talk about work life balance and how we need to strive for that. I feel like this year I have managed it finally... and I am so thankful for that. That area of stress that all working moms have, I feel like I have faced and defeated. Yeah, there is still stress, but not even close to where I was at this time last year.

I am thankful, yes, thankful, grateful for this one little thing in my life this year.

More Holiday Open House Items...

Another 12x12 double pg layout... I love the Imagine book! It makes it so easy to put together these layouts - quick!

Then, I followed Nona Pearl's You Tube video for the following 2 pocket gift card holders! These are so quick and easy you could whip them out in minutes!

I did a couple of 6x6 Acordion Albums, next I would like to try making one of the wall hangings out of them.

I finally did an acrylic album. I think these are so neat! And actually really easy to do... I started from the back so you could see a little of each page from the beginning... Now, it just needs pictures!

Hopefully, all I have left to put together are maybe some more layouts and maybe some more cards... and then pray for a good turnout tomorrow night?!

Block Frame

Wow, I just did a 4x4 acrylic block as a sample for the holiday open house... These are SO easy!

That's my niece and nephew... after I use this for a sample I'll have to give it to their mom for a desk top photo!

Holiday Open House Ideas

Well I finally had time to do some "stuff" for the Holiday Open House that I am doing, along with 7 other girls that have a direct sale business... Here's a few of my ideas...

Now to get all the other stuff done that I need to do... ;-)

Creative Juices

I feel so good today! I love it when I have Creative Juices running through me. Lately, I have been so busy with kids and football that I hadn't had time to do anything, but I finally feel like I have time to act on some of the ideas I've had. I am doing a Holiday Open House with 7 other girls next Friday, and I've actually completed a whole bunch of crafty stuff in the last two days. I feel like I'm on a roll! Now, I just need to go do about 100 Christmas cards...

Of course, a long with the scatter-brained creativeness, comes the messy house! Now, to hire someone to go along behind me and pick up the messes!

Happy Creating Everyone!

Randy Pausch

Last week we had our “Quarterly Meetings” here at work. While meetings aren’t my thing, this meeting usually bores me to death as it is full of recapping various numbers and statistics on where the company is now, etc… I am not a numbers person and details tend to bore me; however, at this particular meeting, our RVP gave his speech and I was wowed. He first caught my attention by putting a quote on the over head… I love quotes, so of course, I had to write it down. But then when he started speaking about the person who said the quote, and I was just completely engaged.

Randy Pausch. I had never even heard of him, since I watch little TV and what not, I hand’t heard the recap given on Oprah, nor had I surfed YouTube to see that like 6 million people were watching this man, who had very little time to live and was giving his ‘Last Lecture’ to people around the world. But I did finally watch it. The same night after our meeting I went home and googled the now famous professor. My 12 yr old son and I watched the Oprah abbreviated version first, then after the kids went to bed, I sat in front of my laptop and watched the entire version on YouTube.

I kept rewinding to listen the some of his stories. He was an amazing speaker. I found myself laughing, crying, and in the end awed by this person, who was no longer alive, but who had such a grip on the ways of life. The ways to live, the ways in which to apologize, the ways in which to go after your dreams… He left me wondering where he was now, did he believe in God? He didn’t go into that in his speech. How is his family doing now that he is gone? Did they absorb his passion for life and moving forward?

There were some great little anecdotes and quotes that I wrote down while watching his lecture… Here are some of my favorites:

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”

“When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody’s bothering to tell you anymore, that’s a very bad place to be. Your critics are the ones telling you they still love you and care.”

“Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.”

“The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.”

“You just have to decide if you’re a Tigger or an Eeyore.”

“When it comes to men who are romantically interested in you, it’s really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do. It’s that simple. It’s that easy.”

“Don’t bail. The best of the gold’s at the bottom of barrels of crap.”

“Don’t complain. Just work harder.”

“Find the best in everybody. Just keep waiting no matter how long it takes. No one is all evil. Everybody has a good side, just keep waiting, it will come out.”

“Be prepared. Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity.”

“It’s not about how to achieve your dreams. It’s about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.”

And if you haven't seen the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo