Pre Christmas Posting

I am feeling lost after spending the last 6 months buried under a mound of work. The burden has been lifted for 5 weeks and I have no idea what to do with myself. I even took a couple "mental health" days from work hoping this would help, but no avail. I am as lost as ever.
I have briefly contemplating spending my time doing the things I have put off for 6 months:

Cleaning under and behind the fridge...stuff is growing there I know it!

Organizing the garage

Deep cleaning the house

Pulling out some crafting stuff to work on

Making up lost time spent with my girls

Cooking

Working out like a mad dog

Organize the hall closet

Clean out my overflowing purse

However I have done none of the above. I did manage to start and finish a 565 page book, stay in my jammies for a full 24 hours, snuggle on the couch into the wee hours of the night with my girls while watching Food Network, and complete 2009's photobook. Totally unproductive....however, I feel more relaxed now than I have in 6 months. Maybe behind the fridge will get cleaned this summer?

Convicted Waster

I've been convicted on how wasteful we are, this is what came out of our fridge and straight into the trash. Disgusting, isn't it? Especially when you think of the millions of people starving around the world today. Just think of the money that was spent on these things that could have been spent on others.

Spending money has been on my mind lately. It is easy to nickel and dime yourself. One of the ways I do this is to spend money on drinks. I love iced tea out, drinks from Starbucks, or the coffee cart at work. I could easily spend 2 dollars here, 4 dollars there, etc and before I know it I've spent 90 dollars in one month on drinks. It finally hit me a couple weeks ago when I handed over my card to pay 2.45 on a venti iced tea (with no sweetener please....oh how I miss saying those words). The price had gone up (again). I decided right then and there no more of my money will be spent on drinks out. That iced tea probably cost them 10 cents to make! My money can go to something other than drinks out. It has not been an easy decision, but one I am going to stick to.

Sadly, I emptied out more wasted food from my fridge yesterday. I am not sure how to tackle that waste. Maybe I'll send it to my cousin Libeth, she can't stand to see food wasted and will eat it up...so will my brother in law and mother in law...Maybe I should have them all over for leftovers once a week???!!!

Tricks and Tonsils

Mackenzie is super flexible...almost oddly so. When she was three years old she spread out in the splits in the middle of the grocery store aisle. Up until that point I has no idea someone could spread that way.

Kenzie also has (had) 3+ tonsils. Though she hardly ever had a sore throat, she had crazy dreams, apneic periods when she slept, LOUD snoring, and sleep walking. This is a picture of her tonsils before having them removed by Dr Pransky at Children's Hospital a couple days prior to Thanksgiving. She recovered well and enjoyed her Thanksgiving meal with no difficulties. Good news is that she is sleeping a TON better. Her breathing at night is so much better. We also found out she has severe allergies to dust and dust mites...and moderate allergies to cats. This is too bad because I have not dusted my house since before summer school began and we have a cat that loves to curl up around the neck of all people who are allergic to cats. If you are not allergic to cats, my cat will not even come out and visit you, however if you have cat allergies, he knows and will not leave you alone until he has made you miserable. This must have been why our cat insisted sleeping curled around Mackenzie's neck every night. Needless to say we put a stop to that. Thank goodness for Faith, she has taken on sole responsibility for keeping all dust and cats out of Kenzie's room. She was present when the doctor gave all the allergy instructions and she has made it her personal mission to follow the doctor's orders to a tee.

Yep, this girl's got talent!

Caught on Camera

I found these pictures on my camera today...somebody has been caught!