So Simple and Elegant...

WIKIPEDIAN PROTESTER



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King Tut, How'd You Get so Funky?

My daughter's 6th grade class is studying Ancient Egypt.

They were given a selection of various projects to choose from - things they had to research and create, such as a beaded collar, an Egyptian dictionary, and some other things I can't remember. My daughter decided to make a King Tutankhamen Death Mask.

King Tut...King Tut...every time I think of King Tut this song keeps running through my mind, remember Steve Martin's song?





Anyway...the project came with detailed directions on how to make this mask. I took one look at it and immediately a few more hairs on my head turned gray. Why do they do this to us parents? Fortunately my hubby has a strong art background and he's the one that made the trip to the craft store to get our supplies. He came home with a styrofoam board, a plastic mask, some paint and some new brushes, and proclaimed that he had no idea how to make papier-mache.

Well geez, that's the one thing I do know. Newspaper, flour and water.

It was a team effort, and here is the finished product. We're all quite proud.

---

Louisville Cheer Competition!

My daughter is a cheerleader. She's on the basketball squad, which is the one that does all the stunts and flippy things, basket tosses and pyramids and back tucks and such. No sense in all that work if you're not going to compete, right? So this weekend we had our 2nd competition of the year, for which we had to drive alllll the way down to Louisville, KY.

That's about a 2 1/2 hour drive for us. I like road trips. My kids don't, particularly, despite the fact we ply them with just about every diversion money can buy -- MP3 player, Nintendo DS, books, cards, a portable DVD player, a box full of junk food to snack on. Hubby had to work, so the drive was all mine, alone, on my own, which was kind of a bummer. But it was OK. We had fun!

We got to the hotel about 7 p.m. Friday. All the girls & their families stayed at the same hotel, so that evening they were in the pool, having pizza, running around all over the place like they owned it. Much fun! And at 6:45 a.m. we were up again for hair and makeup in the conference room -- curly ponytail hairpieces, glittery eye shadow, that sort of thing. They all look so cute - a little silly and overdone close up, but it's stage makeup, meant to impress at a distance.




They came in 1st place in their division! And they also won the trophy for all-around highest score! I gotta tell you, this cheer squad is GOOD. They are such a pleasure to watch! One of these days I'm going to tape it and put a video clip on here.

After the competition, I figured we should do something special for my son, because he got dragged along to a girly-girl event and managed to be positive about it, which is a real challenge for a nine-year-old boy. So we took him to the Louisville Slugger museum and factory! He loves baseball.





We toured the factory, looked at the museum displays, and the kids tried their skill in the batting cage. As usual, their favorite part was the souvenir shop! I bought my son a personalized Louisville Slugger bat, which I think is a pretty good exchange for sitting through a cheer competition.






I love to travel, but I'd rather do it as a passenger. It's great to be home.

Mama Bear vs. Kids' Sports

Kids' sports were a big part of my day today, and really, have been a big part of my life for the past few years. I'm not a big sports person, you know? When I was a kid, I played soccer one year, played volleyball one year in Jr. High, and that was it. My husband isn't "sporty" either, really. We don't go to pro games or watch on TV.

But we like sports in theory. We agree that they are wonderful for a child's development - character, physical conditioning, mental growth and motor skills, and social networking. So we don't PUSH them, exactly, but we do encourage them. Mostly we have asked them to try new things throughout the years.

My daughter has played soccer and basketball, but has settled on gymnastics. She's taken gymnastics classes since she was 6 and competed for 3 years (this year she's doing cheer instead.) My son has done soccer, basketball, tae kwon do, floor hockey, and has settled on baseball and wrestling.

Boy, it's rough on "mama bear," here. Because in sports, kids tend to get hurt! It's unavoidable. We walk a mighty fine line between wanting to protect them and comfort them and needing to pat 'em on the head and say "go walk it off, you're fine."

Two years ago my daughter began jumping to the high uneven bar, which is terrifying to watch. Once during warm ups at a meet, she missed the high bar and fell ON HER HEAD. I sprinted over to her, panicked...then caught myself halfway there and stopped to see if she was OK before scooping her up like a toddler with a skinned knee and embarrassing her! She was fine. Sigh.

Right now she complains her back hurts; she may have pulled a muscle during cheer practice doing back handsprings. Back pain at age 11 is no small matter and I'm tempted to pull her out and take her to the ER! But instead I have to let her and her coaches decide, feed her Tylenol and give her a heating pad.

We had an incident today at my son's wrestling meet which really pitted my "mama bear" instinct against my resolve to teach my kids to be strong.

My son was up against another boy on his own team, a friend of his actually, who is a very strong, determined competitor. They are evenly matched, and watching them compete is exciting! Well, my son lost, but when he walked out of the ring, he was holding his stomach and wincing as if it hurt him badly.

Mama bear took over, envisioning internal bleeding and organ damage! I went over to him, kneeled down and asked him if he was OK. At 9, he's still a sweet, cuddly cherub to me, he's my youngest and I always feel like smothering him with kisses and carrying him around, but I must resist! He said he was all right, but his stomach felt "weird." He came up to where his dad was sitting, still clutching his belly.

I was shocked when my husband got angry with me for what I considered legitimate concern and maternal comforting! He said I was babying the boy and he was fine. Boy, was I mad. What if he's really hurt? I asked. Maybe we should take him to the urgent care?

We parted ways soon after that - driving separate cars, because I'd been at a cheer competition with my daughter earlier - still angry with each other. How, I wondered, could my husband be so cavalier about our son's sore belly?

He explained to me later why our son did it, and proved to me exactly why boys need fathers in their lives. My husband understood, and I had no clue.

You see, our son was crying. Apparently losing a wrestling match can be a very emotional experience for a young boy! It's not like playing a game of checkers, after all. Wrestling creates, and requires, an adrenalin rush -- it's a male domination game, and satisfies their natural need to express aggression! Losing is frustrating as hell, but it builds character in ways that a mere Mama Bear can only imagine. Girls really are wired differently.

My boy was feeling this emotional release, but he didn't want to actually cry, so he (not purposely, I'm sure) invented a physical reason for being so short of breath, red-cheeked and teary-eyed. He wasn't upset...no...it was his stomachache.

His father told him to take a deep breath, get back down there and congratulate his friend on the win. At the time I thought he was nuts - the boy was hurt, after all, he was in no condition to go talk to anyone! But Dad was right. Comforting our son for his tummyache at that time would be like coddling him and "poor baby-ing" him for losing.

It's good to learn how to lose.

It's also good to learn your limits, which means that at some point mama bear has to pull back and let her "cubs" experience some pain and figure out how to deal with it.

I heard a story today related to that. Last year at a cheer competition, one of the members of my daughter's cheer squad back-handspringed right off the mat and landed on her neck. She picked herself back up and, instead of walking tactfully off the stage, proceeded to finish her routine, complete with being the top of a stunt pyramid -- despite the fact that the top half of her body felt completely numb on one side. The girl was rushed to the hospital immediately after and spent two days there. She'd had a concussion and slight damage to her spine! But she is now legend in the squad because of her COMMITMENT. They won 1st place, don't you know.

You can go too far, and this is an example of doing just that.

If mama bear lets her cubs learn how to deal with pain and injury, they'd better also learn the proper balance between taking care of themselves and fulfilling team obligations.

This is something that most adults haven't learned.

It's a rough world, and there's much to figure out, but whatever happens, mama bear will always be on duty.

What's On My MP3 Player

Just as a data point -- and a view into my personality.

Some of these songs came from CD's. Some are songs I downloaded for my daughter's MP3 player. They're all over the map, but I like a lot of different styles and I could think of umptyzillion others I'd love to have on here if I had unlimited downloads.

Second Hand News -- Fleetwood Mac
The First Cut is the Deepest -- Sheryl Crow
American Idiot -- Green Day
Been Caught Stealing -- Jane's Addiction
Big Girls Don't Cry -- Fergie
Boulevard of Broken Dreams -- Green Day
Brain Stew -- Green Day
Complicated -- Avril Lavigne
Cotton Eye Joe -- Rednex
Get the Party Started -- Pink
Girlfriend -- Avril Lavigne
Hollaback Girl -- Gwen Stefanie
Man of Constant Sorrow -- Dan Tyminski
I'm a Loser -- Beck
I'm Just A Girl -- No Doubt
In Your Eyes -- Peter Gabriel
I've Been Everywhere -- Johnny Cash
Least Complicated -- Indigo Girls
Longer -- Dan Fogelberg
Longview -- Green Day
Misty Mountain Hop -- Led Zeppelin
My Front Porch Looking In -- Lonestar
My Happy Ending -- Avril Lavigne
The Ocean -- Led Zeppelin
Once In A Lifetime -- Talking Heads
Paralyzer -- Finger Eleven
Pickin' Time -- Johnny Cash
The Rain Song -- Led Zeppelin
Rehab -- Amy Winehouse
Say You Love Me -- Fleetwood Mac
Skater Boy -- Avril Lavigne
Spiderwebs -- No Doubt
Spirit of Radio -- Rush
Strong Enough -- Sheryl Crow
Subdivisions -- Rush
Sweet Sacrifice -- Evanescence
Take a Chance On Me -- Abba
Istanbul (not Constantinople) -- They Might Be Giants
U + Ur Hand -- Pink
Unwritten -- Natasha Bedingfield
Welcome to Paradise -- Green Day
I Got Over You -- Chris Daughtry
Wind It Up -- Gwen Stefanie
You Know I'm No Good -- Amy Winehouse
Zombie -- Cranberries

Catch Up (& Mustard)

Whenever I say "catch up" as in "I've got to catch up with my to-do list..." my hubby invariably quips "what about mustard?" Silly guy.

Today's accomplishments:
* I tossed 500 Avon brochures in neighborhood driveways. 400 of these were from past campaigns I didn't get to toss due to weather, funeral plans, and general lack of motivation. They're still valid, though 200 of them expire next Friday and say "last minute Holiday gifts." Oh well. At least I got them out of my office!
* I paid our bills.
* I paid my mom's bills.

Lord, I hate financial stuff. It's getting more complicated all the time, too. I remember when paying bills and keeping track of the budget was easy. I got paid X amount, I deposited it in the bank, I wrote checks for the bills and hoped there was enough left for groceries and a little fun. It's not like that anymore. Now we have direct deposit and automatic payments, debit cards, and I just can't keep track of it anymore.

I bought a brand new copy of Quicken to help me manage my money. One week and an automatic online update later, I'm hopelessly lost. I think I set up our accounts wrong. I'll start over and try again.

I've tried to get my husband to manage our money and pay bills instead. He isn't interested. I don't blame him.

I Need Flylady

I need to go back to Flylady. I like Flylady, but her advice sometimes hasn't seemed to fit my needs in the past. I'd read the daily missions and kind of chuckle -- those things weren't big issues for me and I felt a little smug about it. For example, she'd say we ought to go into the bathroom and toss out all the empty shampoo bottles and shriveled up ends of soap bars. But I'd already done that a couple days ago, because I always cleaned the bathrooms on Thursdays, HA!

But I've gotten away from my own routine and my house is a PIT. Okay, it's not as bad as some, I guess, but it's so damn depressing to feel like I'm shoveling snow in a blizzard. I have more of Flylady's "hotspots" than I know what to do with -- the dining room table, kitchen counter, corner of the kitchen, downstairs hallway, boxes of stuff on the steps...we are just rearranging our junk these days. So I'm re-subbing, and will make myself accountable.

Animal Issues

We adopted my mom's cat. Mom's cat is OLD. I think she's 16. She does not get along with our cats At All. Our cats are just curious; this old biddy acts like they are attacking her every time they come within four feet. Mom's cat has peed in my closet, on the bathroom floor, and her favorite thing now is to pee on the towel we put next to our leaky shower stall. Well, it could be worse, but it's kind of a downer to always have your bedroom smell like cat pee. Kills the mood, you know?

The dogs are doing well, except I'm kind of miffed at Rocky (black lab mix/mutt) who just chewed the handle off a snow tube my son got for Christmas. It wasn't even blown up yet. He left it on the porch, and Rocky decided it was nicer to lie on than the cold tile floor, and had something fun to gnaw on too. Mind you, he wouldn't be on the cold tile floor if he hadn't ripped open both the back and seat of our wicker loveseat. Dummy. Our German Shepherd Dog, Maverick, is much more sensible and would never be caught doing something so undignified. Good thing they're both so lovable.

We have chickens, too, four of them -- two barred rocks and two buff orpingtons.



This is our first year with them; we got them last spring and they've been laying eggs for a few months now. You'd think a family of four could use up four eggs a day, but we don't. We have a big surplus in the fridge, we give them away to friends, and the older ones are enjoyed by the dogs. Maverick in particular likes his daily treat of egg mixed with glucosamine powder; it helps his hips.

Silly, dirty things! Their coop needs cleaning, badly, but we've been putting it off because the weather's so cold.

Sometimes I wish for a less complicated life...remember boredom? I used to be bored. I remember feeling bummed because there wasn't anything much to do, having lots of spare time, hours to read or listen to music or just stare up at the ceiling daydreaming.

But I guess this is true...be careful what you wish for. It goes both ways.

Git'n - Er - Done

Git-er-done...that saying's been around a while, right? I remember when my little girl heard it - she must've been about four - and said "ditter dun? what's that mean?"

But I'm a redneck at heart...and I appreciate the phrase for its serious meaning. Depending on how you look at things, it either means "hurry up so we can head out, pop open a cold one and dunk some worms at the lake," or "make serious progress on that big to-do list." Usually a to-do list that's been settin' a while.

Like mine.

Holidays always throw me for a loop, schedule- and organization-wise. Especially this year, when I feel like I'm climbing out of a deep, slippery abyss, dealing with my mom's death. It's been a weird month, trying to grieve and get my emotions pointed the right way (and help the husband and kids do the same) while simultaneously celebrating Christmas. Talk about compartmentalizing! Isn't that an amazing thing, our ability to separate our feelings and take them one at a time? To be able to feel blinding grief and desolation one moment, and joyous, bubbly, giggly humor the next?

At least I've been spared the guilt. I'm tired of guilt. It wears me out, and it's so pointless. I did everything I could possibly do, I am a good person, none of this is my fault and it's OK to move on. Wow, that's healthy! So unlike me!

But now that I'm returning to the real world and my real life, I have a to-do list that is overwhelming. I just sat and typed it out, everything I could think of in every area of my life, and it runs three pages. Fortunately these are not all things that need to be done in one day. Soon, though. I have to prioritize, but most of all, I have to DO it. Not just prepare to think about planning to do it.

My mom was a professional procrastinator. I mean, she was really, really good at it. Every time I would come over to help her out, to pack up and move her to the condo from the house in which I grew up, she'd say this: "You look so tired, and that's such a big job. Why not just sit down a while and chat? You can do it another day." But "another day" would be just the same...and it went on and on...fortunately I am more of a Git-Er-Done person. Or at least I'm impatient.

Today I managed to do four main things. I got caught up on our laundry and even put it away. I put away all of the Christmas decorations, and I mailed my college transcript to WSU to complete my application. And I submitted my application for financial aid online (FAFSA).

See, it's real...I will be going to college. Yes, I mean it. I am afraid that I won't, though. I am afraid that I'll get sidetracked, as I always have in the past. I'll feel guilty about spending the money, or my business will start to take off and I'll think I don't really need it, or...who knows. So I have been telling everyone who will listen that I am doing it, because the more people I tell, the more embarrassed I'd be if I decided not to go.

It's kind of embarrassing on its own, though. A few days ago I was chatting with a friend of ours, a 5th grade teacher who has a Masters' Degree in education, minor in English Literature. She was surprised; she had no idea that I'd never finished that B.A. But a college education isn't the only measure of a person's ability, experience, or depth. I may have taken my last college class nearly 20 years ago, but I never stopped learning. What is college, after all, besides the experience of cracking open textbooks and absorbing the material therein? Of practicing the skills you need to acquire and sharpen? I've done that. The only thing missing is feedback, and I got that when clients paid me to do the work.

Still, I think I'll stand up a little straighter and smile a little brighter, at least in a business scenario, with that degree. It's time to Git-Er-Done! But before I do...yikes, there's a mountain of other stuff to finish first!

I Bought A New Car Today!

It's a wonderful feeling just to be able to buy something expensive -- to have the luxury of shopping and choosing it for yourself, without worrying what someone else wants or thinks you should do.

Of course, it's even nicer when the other people in your life agree with you.

Several years ago I fell in love with minivans. My husband had hit a deer and totaled his old beater, and we were broke, so with $1,000 cash in hand from the insurance settlement we bought a 1995 Dodge Caravan. We loved that car, considering how little it cost, despite the funky smell we never could quite get rid of. And I knew that our next car had to be another minivan. Fortunately, in a few more years, our financial situation was a bit better and we drove a 2004 Kia Sedona off the new-car lot.

For those who are shopping for minivans, I highly recommend the Sedona. I took some heat for buying a Kia ("Kia? What the heck is that?") but the price was right - it's one of the lowest priced vehicles in its class - it has great safety ratings, and it was quite comfy. I can't complain about the reliability, either! It might not have had all the bells & whistles of, say, a Honda Odyssey, but who cares? It was a great car. Towed 3500 pounds. Felt nice and solid.

But lately I've been feeling just a little silly for driving such a big beast. We only have two children, and rarely tote around extras. We camp, but recently purchased a Class C camper (1978 Travel Craft, in all its orange and harvest-gold glory) so cargo space isn't a big deal. For towing and hauling, when needed, we have my mom's old Ford Windstar minivan, which isn't worth much on the market (and is cheap to insure) but still runs great.

For some reason, nearing that 40th birthday has activated my Vanity Switch. You know the one, that little voice in your head that says "So what if the shoes pinch? You look so much better in heels than those old practical flats." Or "Go ahead...buy another lipstick." Oh, come on...you've got one. Guys have them too. That's why there are so many tough Hemi pickup trucks on the road, with pretty young things in the passenger seat.

I swear, I never thought I would see a car as anything but transportation. For a long time, I was just happy to HAVE a car. Then I wanted a car that suited my practical needs. Next I demanded a reliable car, one I didn't have to worry about breaking down if I wanted to drive it on a 300-mile day trip with the kids. The next desire was for a comfortable, practical reliable car. And then I wanted a good-looking comfortable practical reliable car. But then....

But then something clicked and suddenly I started caring WHAT COLOR the car was and suddenly I didn't want to drive a minivan because those are middle-aged utilitarian MOM CARS. Never mind the fact that I AM a middle-aged mom. That is not ALL I am!

Besides, I am soon to be a college student. College students don't drive minivans, do they?

So! Here's what I wanted: A compact SUV, preferably with 4-wheel drive, but that wasn't essential. I wanted a vehicle that sits up higher than the average "car" but isn't a humongous gas guzzling behemoth. Or, as one of my friends put it, "a rolling apology."

Candidates included:
* Kia Sportage
* Kia Rondo
* Honda Element
* Honda CR-V
* Jeep Patriot
* Hyundai Tucson
* Saturn Vue
* Ford Edge
* Ford Escape

My hubby and I headed out with the kids, who were not particularly enthusiastic about test-driving new cars on one of their precious Winter Break days, but tried to be good sports anyhow.

First we drove the Honda Element. We loved it, but the two things that bugged me were the doors - the back door opens backwards and you can't open the back door without first opening the front door, which means that if you're in the back and nobody's in the front you have to climb over the seat to open the front door or else pound on the window in the hope that someone will take pity on you and let you out. It also only seats four, which creates difficulty when you need to bring one of the kids' friends somewhere. We did like the utilitarian design, though, and ease of cleaning.

Next was the Jeep Patriot. We drove a vibrant blue one, and it was very cute, but really uncomfortable.

Over at the Saturn dealer, we tested a Vue. Yuck. That's my summary. Yuck. The steering felt...I dunno how to describe it...slippery and loose. And the turn signals, well, the sound that blinker makes is great for people who tend to turn them on and forget about them, because you can't ignore that sound! I don't remember much about the car beyond that, and don't have to.

The next day, I went out with the kids again and drove the Kia Sportage. I really liked this car, but it didn't have much "get up and go." Granted, I chose the 4 cylinder instead of the 6, but better gas mileage was my goal. It didn't surprise me. My hubby owns a 2001 Sportage and it's the same way, but we like it anyway.

We looked at the Rondo too, but it's a little bigger than what I had in mind. If we went too big, I might as well keep my minivan. This wasn't, after all, just about buying something new.

After that, we headed back over to the Honda dealer. The kids were in love with the Element. It's cute, right? They swore they could handle its shortcomings. I wasn't so sure. But they wouldn't let me forget it. They kept chanting "E-le-ment! E-le-ment!" (sigh) It got old fast. I knew how I really felt about the car, though, in a Freudian-slip kind of way when I was talking to the Kia salesman and accidentally referred to it as the "Elephant."

I took a good look at the CR-V, a car that at first glance didn't seem to meet my needs. Technically it isn't an SUV; I guess you'd call it a "crossover." There was a pretty glacier blue one on the lot. It had extra accessories -- running boards, mud flaps, and a roof rack. I didn't care about that stuff and I thought I wanted a darker blue anyway. But we drove it and I fell in love. This car is great! It's got plenty of power for its size, it feels solid and well-made. It's comfy! The seat adjusts in height, great for short people like me. Totally ergonomic design. Split rear seats that fold up to create more cargo space. Nifty shelf in the back for hiding and stacking cargo. Moon roof! I LOVE this car.

We went back today and drove the "royal blue pearl." The other one was in the showroom, which was why they put all the extra stuff on it, to show it off indoors. But they sold it to us anyway, at the same MSRP as the other one. We decided the lighter blue was much nicer!



This is one SWEEEEET ride! Check it out, this photo is the same as mine, but mine has running boards, mud flaps and a roof rack:

Tying Up Loose Ends

It came to me this afternoon as I was...well, tying knots...that 2008 has a theme for me. The theme is "Tying Up Loose Ends."

When I woke up this morning and considered how I wanted to spend my day, I remembered the "UFO" in my closet -- that quilt I began a year and a half ago when I first decided to take up quilting. "UFO" of course stands for "Unfinished Object." It's not the only UFO in there, but this was very close to actually being completed before I abandoned it in favor of newer, more exciting projects.

The problem with this quilt was that I was a bit too confident in my nonexistent quilting skills when I began it. This was the first quilt I ever attempted to make! I diligently shopped for fabrics and cut out neat little 5 1/2" squares. I arranged them in a simple pattern, measured full-size quilt dimensions, and created a quilt top with nicely matched corners. But then it was time to actually make it a QUILT. No problem, I thought. Top, batting, backing...got it. I soon realized it was a bit more complicated, because when I tried to sew it all together, the layers slipped and slid all over the place.

Here's a piece of advice, if you aren't a quilter but have thought about trying: don't choose a full-size quilt for your first project. Start with something smaller, like, say, a pot holder. Or a placemat. I did that AFTER this project was stuffed into the closet. I went on to make four twin-size quilts, a baby quilt and two small quilts for the wall. But this thing taunted me from inside its box every time I opened the closet.

Fortunately there's more than one way to quilt a quilt. I tied it. Simple enough, I took embroidery thread and tied little knots on every corner, about 5" apart. I finished it today! And for the binding, I dug out the small scrap of cream-colored broadcloth leftover from the backing (it was buried in a bag, way back in the depths of my cluttered closet) and had JUST ENOUGH to make binding with 17 inches of binding left over!

Here is the finished product:



Looks kind of nice, doesn't it? I'm insanely proud of this thing.

I decided it's time to finish up all of the UFO's before I start something else. Let's see...there's a patchwork fleece quilt in there, and a scrap Irish chain, and a pinwheel quilt yet to do. A few weeks ago I finally finished assembling a crocheted granny square afghan I began making in 2004 - those blocks traveled to Florida and back, keeping me occupied in the car. It looks marvelous and I'd like to start another...oops...after I get the UFO's done!

But there are other loose ends to tie up this year besides craft projects.

I have to "settle an estate," as the phrase goes. That means I have to dig up info on every account my mother held and either pay it off or collect what she had coming to her. And pay her taxes. And have all property probated to my ownership. And pay the attorney to do it. And, basically, pack up her life into boxes and dollar figures, for storage and investment. Close it out. The End.

On a more positive note, I get to finish my college degree, the one I started 22 years ago! Granted I won't actually be finishing it this year...maybe 2010 if all goes well...but there are still many knots being tied here. Actually applying for and registering for college is a big one, a very significant step. Just finding out what I need to do in order to earn that degree is, I think, putting me halfway to the finish line.

We will try to complete a lot of projects that were begun and abandoned. Like that pool. And the garden. Home repairs. Many good intentions.

The point, of course, is that just like it says in Ecclesiastes to everything there is a season. I'll add a verse. There's a time to begin, and a time to finish things...before beginning anew. New beginnings are a lot more fun, but completion is gratifying.

New Year 2008

We made it through another one.

I remember when I was about 14 or so, on a New Year's Eve spent at home with my parents, my dad let me have a glass of wine. I think it was "Cold Duck" which is really nasty, but my dad seemed to like it. I'm not much of a wine drinker anyway. If I do drink, it's got to be white wine. But anyway...I had a glass, forced it down, and was feeling pretty happy with the world. My dad said that in a few short years it would be 2000, and paused to calculate how old he'd be then. The answer was 69. Not too old, he said to my mom, brightly! We'll still be around! Won't that be something!

He didn't make it. He died in 1999. My mom made it a little while longer, of course, but she died just shy of 2008.

Now, I'm never one to complain about any excuse for a party, so New Year's Eve is generally something I enjoy. I haven't really understood why it's such a big deal, though. January 1 isn't much different from December 31. I asked my parents once, long ago - probably as a young child - why we celebrated New Year's. They told me it was because we made it through another year. I didn't get it, then, but now I do.

It's also a good time to make changes in our lives and take stock of what we've done and want to do. And, by golly, tax season is around the corner! Just one more month and I'll be visiting TurboTax.com and hoping to break even or get a little refund!

Resolutions

On New Year's 2001 I resolved to give up smoking. Not on New Year's Eve, mind you. That night I puffed away with the best of 'em. But I didn't buy any more. I dragged that last pack out for about a week. And then there were no more, and I've stuck to it. Six years have gone by and I am very much a non-smoker.

Sounds like a good idea, hm? If I can do it, so can YOU!

Here are the things I expect to do in 2008:

* Settle my mom's estate
* Sell my mom's condo
* Sell my mom's property in Florida
* Invest my inheritance for the kids' college funds and our retirement
* Start back to college (goal is Spring quarter '08!)
* Go on a nice 6-day family vacation, and at least 4 weekend camping trips
* Work out 3 times a week and lose 20 pounds
* Put up our above-ground swimming pool (it's been sitting in the garage since last May)
* Get the water spigot in the back of our house working
* Remodel and improve the chicken coop and pen
* Install ceiling fan in our entry and cut out a hole for a floor grate in the dining room floor, to improve our wood stove's ability to heat our house
* Paint master bathroom and bedrooms, and maybe more rooms as time allows
* Till the rest of the garden (it's 40' x 40' and only about 1/4 was tilled last year) and use it well
* Plant some fruit trees and berry bushes

That's a lot, but I think it's do-able.

Things I would like to do, but might not:

* Replace our roof
* Convert garage into office/craft studio
* Convert current office into laundry room
* Replace kitchen vinyl floor
* Replace main floor carpet, maybe some of it with hardwood floor or Pergo
* Convert back porch/solarium into a nice utility room

No matter what happens in 2008, it's starting very well. We've had some rocky times in our marriage, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. When you're married for 15 years, you're bound to have some struggles now and then. But I'm feeling very warm and fuzzy about our relationship right now! My husband is a great guy. Whatever the new year - and the future in general - brings, we'll face it together. And with that in place, how bad could it be?

No...don't answer that, I don't want to lose my smile just yet!