I got a new pocket calendar today, so the first thing I do is go thru and put little $ on all the paydays. I don't know why, I just like looking at them. Then I mark birthdays, anniversarys, most holidays are already on there, family reunion weekend, graduation, until I could'nt think of any others. Its so nice looking at the fresh, new pages, a whole year full of possibilities. I have a meeting at work this afternoon, I hate it when they cut into my sleep time, then theres no way to make it up. I'll make my Dr. bill and workwear payment while I'm on the computer. Still waiting on the car, no major damage, (thank you Lord)water pump needs replacing, and they found several other little "while you're at it" things to do. So I am driving the extra, extra truck, whose box is full of garbage bags from when DS cleaned his basement a couple of weeks ago. He left the bags in there overnight, and they FROZE DOWN. So, I went thru the bank drive thru this AM with 6 bags of trash in the back. At least they weren't busted open (heavy sigh) just when I think things can't get any lower......

What to do, what to do. I was getting the Christmas boxes out today, time for the tree to come down, and I have a lot of "don't know what to do with its" There is a lot of stuff stored in my closet that I was given as keepsakes, or told someone that I would take as a keepsake, and I need to make some decisions. Case in point: I have a wrapper (robe) and slippers made by my great-grandmother, when she was elderly, in case she had to go to the hospital. Its brand new, she died quietly in her bed at home. My mother kept it for years in her cedar chest, and when she was cleaning it out one time, she was going to throw it away, and I said, no, i'll take it. A keepsake, right? I just thought it was sad to throw it away, but now, what do I do with it? These things just stick to my fingers. No one else in the family is ever going to want it. It has no real value other than it's old fabric. But it still makes me sad to think of just tossing it in the trash. And thats just the tip of the iceberg. I also have a set of World Book Encyclopedias from the 1940's that my Grandmother bought when her children started country school, they are in immaculate condition! She gave them to me 25+ years ago, to get them off her bookshelves, they have been carefully wrapped in brown paper, in the bottom of my closet ever since. I have surfed thru ebay a few times, thinking that I might sell them, but they have no real value, it would cost more to ship them than I would ever get for a price. How do you decide what to do with those kinds of things?

Sleep? Yeah, I remember sleep, I just don't know when I got any lately. Three Christmas parties, three days in a row, and I worked every night in between. Am I a sucker for punishment, or what? I love Christmas, it was a big fuzzy blur this year. I was just thinking that nobody in our immediate family has had any kind of flu yet this winter, lucky us! I never did get a flu shot H1N1 or regular, haven't ever had one. No that's not correct, I had a swine flu shot back in the 70's, when the first big outbreak was. I never knew anyone who got it then either. Any way, happily, it had been very quiet at work, many of the residents were gone with their families for the holidays. So, I could at least sit down for some of the shift. I don't have any trouble staying awake when I'm really tired, I'm always kind of reminding myself, get up, walk around, do something else. It's when I don't really feel tired that it sneaks up on me, I catch my head nodding, my book slips out of my hands, and whoa, on my feet, find something to do! The bane of night shift workers everywhere. I can always go down to the other end of the building to visit with the med workers, at least they keep each other company thru the night, I am by myself on my two wings. And I know that they don't mind, but sometimes I think that I might be in their way, oh well, who knows. Anyway, as soon as Hubby gets out the door tonight, I am sipping down a couple of Tylenol PM and hitting the hay. I haven't been to a single after Christmas sale, I'm too tired to shop, so maybe it's not all bad!

I haven't done this in a while.....I am supposed to be hemming a dress, but here I am, playing on the computer.....I am surprised by the number of postings about upcoming tax season, my brain is barely getting around the upcoming holidays.....my hubby wants to give the kids their cash in $1's, fifty each (sigh, eye roll) only if HE intends to go to the bank.....we finally put up the Christmas tree today, I had really wanted a real one, but no time to go cut one, so we (frugally) used the artificial one that someone gave us a few years ago..... DD#3 did the decorating, her theme this year, snowmen and snowflakes, cute, we've never done a theme before.....BTW DD#3 asked to borrow a few dollars for the movies last night, she has a job??? well she spent too much on Christmas, and is broke until her payday, so that led me to my "pay attention to your budget" talk, which she sniped thru, and finally I asked her if this was MY money she was borrowing, it came with the talk!! (heavy sigh).....DD#2 has also been home most of the weekend, she must be short of funds also, she hardly ever stays home on the weekends.....I noticed yesterday that one of the basement windows was cracked, and a piece is ready to pop out, they are old windows in an old house ,and not easy to get in and out, I think that I'm just going to cover the whole thing with a piece of plywood until Spring, that should get us thru.....Wow, three bank robberies in a forty mile area in the last week, I'm surprised, or maybe not, times are tough everywhere.....snow in the forecast for the next 2 days, maybe we'll have a white Christmas after all.... I guess that I have frittered away enough time, better get something constructive done. TTFN

Just a little early morning whining, hopefully just a little. I had to write a check for school lunch money this AM. Now, I realize that this is a normal everything thing, why the fuss? Well, the fuss is because I didn't expect to write that check this week. Two years ago, our school district passed a millage to pay for building and technology upgrades, one of which was a computer/telephone system that could launch the shuttle into space. You get computer generated calls, texts and emails about every tiny detail of school life. Absences, late starts, school delays and closings, cancelled practices, school board meetings, every athletic and scholastic event you could think of, low grades, missed assignments, and....lunch account balances! In fact, they made a big stink last year by refusing to serve lunch to some ELEMENTARY students who didn't have enough money in the account to cover their lunch that day. (not one of the superintendents finer moments!) So, you are supposed to get a notification when there is less that $15 dollars in the account, and every day after that, until you put more money in. So, DD#3 says this morning, don't forget to write a check for lunch money, and I say, well I didn't get a call yet, how much money is left in the account. About a dollar. WHAT? No call, No email, no text! I wrote the check, and then called the school! Well, says the lunch lady, sometimes the system misses a student here and there. Did we(the taxpayers) not spend like way too much for this phone thing, and it doesn't always work? Wouldn't it be nice if things and people would just do the things that they are supposed to, when they're supposed to, and I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore! I could cross off my list, all of the things that are supposed to be someone/something elses problem, no double checking, no return reciept, no fuss no muss! It's like a giant info-mercial, you know it sounds too good to be true, but you order anyway, just to prove yourself wrong, and whammo, the mole has whacked you again! AHHHH....I feel better now.

My Grandpa used to say that. I don't know if it's a line from a song or poem, or something he made up, but its kinda cute. Been gone for a while, computer was on the fritz. We had our Thankgiving meal on the Sunday after, it was a great time with all who came. I finally talked myself out of making enough food for the 6th fleet. We usually have enough leftovers that I'm begging people to take some home, and than it occured to me that I was wasting a lot of my money. That sounds kind of cheap, but we all bring dishes to pass, why should I presume that we will run out? We still had enough that we were dividing it up for everyone to take home something, and that was fine. I ended up spending a lot less than usual, hooray! Hubby and I went to a food bank Saturday morning. He started volunteering there when he was off work after his surgery, and it was nice, we had a chance to talk while we were doing our thing. We decided to give the kids a small gift for Christmas, and then some cash. Thay all buy each other a small something, so there will still be things under the tree. I used to encourage them to make each others gift when they were younger, but they are all working, and don't have as much time now. I hope that they get back to the homemade stuff later on. It was so much fun, they found the most interesting things to make for gifts. One of my favorites over the years was a deck of decorated cards. My son got this for Christmas when he was in high school, maybe ten years ago now? Anyway, his sisters all got together with a new deck of cards ,and a package of sharpie markers, and they embellished the cards! It was crazy! Some of the face cards had little bubbles above their heads, where they were making comments. The other suites turned into dancing bugs, or martini glasses, or anything that they could think of. He used to have some of his buddies over for cards, and they spent so much time looking at the cards, they couldn't concentrate on the game! It was wild! That's the kind of Christmas memories that I want them to have, cute, simple things that they did for each other, and still laugh about now. All you can do is try, and teach them to knit! They all can, even my son.

Or - The Great Race, Freecycling. I couldn't decide which title I liked better. I like to use our local freecycle to get rid of things I don't want/need anymore. But this has reached a new high, or low, for me anyway. About a year ago, there was a flurry of posts complaining about "takers" selling items thay were getting off the freecycyle. On ebay, in garage sales, whatever. Surprise, surprise. But not the principle behind freecycling, of course. Then, in the Spring, the new big controversy was takers who apparently sit on their computer all day long, to be the first to reply to every offer. The advice was to wait for a day or two, go thru all of the replies, and choose who you want to respond to. OK, just not real speedy, which is sometimes desired. Now I have discovered a new glitch, the takers want instructions! A short time ago, I offered some old jeans for sewing or crafting. I didn't get many replies, but the next day I started down the list. The first asker didn't want to drive this far, no problem. The next one emails me back, and says (I swear)..."what should I do with them?" I thought that I must have misread, and got DD#3 in to look, just to be sure. I DON'T KNOW! If you didn't have anything in mind, why did you ask for them? Now I have to include an instruction sheet with every item? I emailed the moderator of the site, and this was her take, paraphrased. For some people, the freecycle is like a giant game show! Be the first to ask for every item, and you are the winner! Doesn't matter if it's something you want or not. I can see a whole new reality show coming, Freecycle Hoarders. People whose houses are filled with stuff they got off the freecycle, and don't know what to do with! "But it was such a good bargain!" I didn't reply, I hit the big "D" (delete). It just goes to prove, that some old chestnuts translate well into the electronic age. "There's a sucker born every minute!" I don't know if it was me or them?!