2012

Be Thankful
A thankful heart is key to being happy, recognize 
blessings, which are many.  I have a friend who has
blogged about being thankful for each day of 2011. It
has been tremendously inspiring,  I
cannot commit to a daily post, this is my year to stretch.

Be Happy
Lament of the Grouch
I knew that in Heaven all are Happy.
But I wish I'd known the reason before.
Only to the happy
do they open the door.
-Carol Lynn Pearson
*************
At the Judgement day a man will be called to account for all the good things he might have enjoyed and did not enjoy.
-Jewish Proverb I'm thinking that a
good knock-knock joke or any kind of goofy zinger might find it's way to the pages of this blog.  You have been warned. 

Be Kind
Enough said.  I'll hold my rude comments
and give peeps the benefit of a doubt.
Save

My car, Alice, has 260,000+ miles on her odometer.  That is a lot.  She burns oil, she has a few rattles. I love her.  The drivers seat is molded to my bum, it is comfortable, I could sit and drive behind her wheel for hours.  She is 17 years old. If you know anything about me, you know I form a relationship with my vehicles, because I own them for so long. But I'm smart enough that I know she will need to be replaced, probably sooner than later.  I haven't had a car payment for years.  I don't want one.  I want to save and pay cash, this will mean pinching some pennies, nickles, dimes, quarters. . . . . who am I kidding it will entail pinching some Ben Franklin's!!! Wish me luck and if you are feeling especially generous you could donate to my car-fund- hahahahaha

Read labels and try to purchase things made in USA
This is hard, but I keep trying.

Be better at procrastination – (try not to)
I may have to put this off until next year. . . . . hahahaha
I'm sure this is too much for me to try to bite off in
a single year.  I'll consider it a success if I can
pull off the first two on the list.

Below are the books I read in 2011:
Odd Hours
Brother Odd
The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square
(this book made me want to own a shop that sells bedding)
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
(This is about a girl who can eat food and know what the person preparing the food was thinking/feeling, it was a bit weird)
Kings of the Earth
To The Rescue
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
(I counted this as a classic and not "light fluff")
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
(Very good.  Henrietta Lacks was a black woman whom the "HeLa" gene was used in gene research and is still used today, about medical "ethics") 
The Dead Lie Down
(can't rememeber much)
The Wrong Mother
(ditto, can't remember much)
The Truth tellers Lie
(ummmmm, don't remember much, there seems to be a theme)
Anna Karenina
(another book that I counted as a classic)
An Object of Beauty
(not sure I finished it, written by Steve Martin, boring. . . I think)
Freakin' Fabulous
(too funny, written by Clinton Kelly, just a fun book about fashion)
The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel
(this woman was "quite the whore" according to my mom, and I agree)
The Peach keeper
(I think I liked this)
Oh no she didn't
(another book by Clinton Kelly, very, very light fluff)
Gideon's Sword
(ummmmmm)
The Lover's Dictionary
(different)
The Illumination
(ummmmmmm, can't remember much)
The girl in the Green Raincoat
(ok, not too memorable)
Service Included
(this book is about the food service industry, just so-so)
The Postmistress
(Loved this)
Sex in the City
(pretty bad)
Nothing to Envy
(depressing, I blogged about in earlier in the year)
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man
(Funny, light fluff by Fannie Flagg)
Little Bee
(kinda sad, kinda good)
I still Dream about You
(more fluff from Fannie Flagg)
As Husbands Go
(pretty good, about a woman trying to find out if her dead husband was what she thought he was)
Can't wait to get to Heaven
(additional fluff. . . . Fannie Flagg . . . . .again)
The Giver
(I read this when Megan was is 6th grade, it was a book her class was reading, I didn't think that a 6th grader would understand it then and I still think it is beyond a 6th grader, it was a good read)
Gathering Blue
(Same auther as The Giver, it was ok, youth fiction, but I think it had concepts beyond the 12-15 year old audience it is going after)
Peony in Love
(weird)
American Wife
(This book is based very loosely on Laura Bushs' life, it was ok)
Off Season
(ummm, can't remember)
The Hand that 1st Held Mine
(I recommended this to my book club, I liked it)
The Map of Time
(long and wordy. . . . not too good)
Let the Great World Spin
(ok)
The Dove Keepers
(excellent-loved it, blogged about it)
Brooklyn
(ok)
New York
(ok, it's basically a history lesson)

I joined a book club this summer.  Several months the book they picked was one that I had read.   I didn't re-read them, but couldn't remember enough about them to have any real discussion - yikes! I think I go for the treats and to visit.
 

Knock Knock

Who's There?

Doris

Doris Who?

Doris locked that's why I'm knocking!

Santa Kitty

Happy Santa Kitty. . . . . .  not.

Boyd purchased a Santa outfit for Fatty.  She

was not amused.

Boyd: "Oh look, she wants to be Santa"

Fatty: "I want to kill you, you crazy nut-job.... so humiliating!"

Where is the Fairy Wand when you need it?

If I could locate my magic wand I would wave it

and click my heels together (3) times

and we would get some of the

white stuff!

Sniff.............

This is Sweet Sophie. I love to smell the

sweet spot on her neck, just under the ear.

I call it the "life force" of a baby.  It adds years to my

life, but doesn't diminish anything from Sophie.  She's wonderful! But I

might be a tad bit biased.

Postcard from . . . .

This card is postmarked from 1915

This was a postcard sent to my Grandma Bushar, before she was Bushar.  The address is:

Woodruff, Arizona.  No street, no house number, just the community.  It was written to her from Dena.  I'm not sure if you can see, but about mid-way down the text of the card they used "b/4" which I thought was a more current short-hand type of use. 

The fabulous Bev give this to me on Christmas Eve.  It is my favorite gift of the year!

The Week After

Do you still have your tree up? I do. I didn't actually put my tree up, Boyd did. I placed a few of the decorations on it.  I'm waiting for Boyd to take it down. ummmmm.......not sure if that will happen. I've got a list of several things he need to do. He did get me a curtain rod hung. it was a 48" rod on my bedroom wall to hang my scarves from. It was a brilliant idea, I'm sorry I can't say it was mine. But it looks and works like a charm. Now on to more important things ........

After Christmas sales........... 

Are you going? 

What will it take for you to think it's a bargain?

Do you have returns?

Where will you spend your after Christmas time?

I sometimes purchase after Christmas wrapping paper and cards.

Usually I look for a great deal on a winter coat.

I don't need one, but if the price is right, I will purchase one.

I'm thinking this year I will look for some snow boots, since

the ones I have a pretty much ready for the trash heap.

Paxman Christmas Party

Mom & Dad above, Austin and Girlie Girl Kelly

Bev, who isn't happy to  have a picture taken. . . . . she will grin and bare it.

Brad & Boyd

Bridget and Ben

Don (above) Goldie and Jill

Goldie with some boxer shorts he took from Lexus.  The man who has been going commando since he was 12 took this bad-boys away from a 10 year old!

K-K-Katie and her peeps!

Lance & Shawna (above) Lance taking one the the final gifts.

Lexus before Goldie took them away from.

Peggi and Lance. . . . hey Leavitts why didn't I get any picture of you guys? Were you hiding?

Bridget & Ben. . . . again.  I think I still don't know how to load pics to blogger !!

Tayson & Wyatt (Lance's mini-me)

Tanner & his Girls (above)

Tanner and a Dora Snugglie . . . . so jealous!

It was a fun party. So good to see everyone. Sometimes this is the only time we see each other. Lot of peeps weren't there, they were missed. Next year I'll try to get my $Hi& together and let everyone know when it will be.