When in Rome (2010)

(click poster for link to trailer)

From IMDb: "Beth Harper (Bell) is a young, successful art curator ... but she's completely unlucky in love. However, when the New Yorker travels to Rome to see her newlywed sister, she impulsively steals some coins from a reputed fountain of love, and is then aggressively pursued by a band of wannabe lovers."

A bunch of girls from church got together tonight to go see this new chick flick. I can't believe I actually saw a movie on opening weekend when my review may actually be beneficial to people who might want to see it! ha!
This was a very cute movie!!!! The guys who play the "wannabe lovers" (including Jon Heder and Danny De Vito) are HILARIOUS!!!! There was one scene where they go to a novelty/theme type restaurant and is was so funny I was crying. True de-stressing includes laughter accompanied by tears!
You can click to watch the trailer. Yeah, you know how it will probably end. Yeah, it has silly unbelievable plot twists... but it is actually one of the funnier chick flicks I have seen. Go see it with the girls!

Fullearths, Etc. Giveaway!

Fullearths, etc. Signature Salt Scrub

I don't usually post a lot of promotional type things, but I am making an exception today! My local friend and fellow homeschooling mom, Nichole, has started creating handmade soaps in her home and has grown it into quite a successful business already! Her products can be found at several local "natural" shops and boutiques, as well as on her website and Etsy shop.

I love soaps!!! The problem is, I am usually confined to using the lovely scented stuff for hand washing only because my skin is so sensitive. The great thing is that Nichole has a product even for me! It is Just Soap and contains no additives or scents or chemicals. Do you know that is basically impossible to find at a store?! And her prices are so great! You know what I would use if I could use anything on my skin? This. Doesn't that look luxurious?!

She is currently hosting a giveaway on her website, where you can win $50 in free products from her complete line of natural soaps, scrubs, and lip balms. I hope you will check out her website, and if you have a blog of your own, enter to win by posting and spreading the word about her products! You can get one entry to win just by commenting on her post about the contest... (click photo above to go to Nichole's website and enter to win!) Good luck!

Four Christmases

I have to do a review of this movie because I watched it last night and I really thought it was cute and funny! But, I must admit that I really loved it in the very first few scenes because I noticed something:
Do you see that stack of gifts she is standing on IN high heels to be as tall as him?! SO close to my heart! I first noticed it when they jumped up on a trolley for a kiss, and he had to bend so far over....*awwwwwww* I always thought that Corey and I made such an odd couple because he is so much taller than me, but now I can just think of this sweet romantic movie and realize that it is actually super cute! :)


Here it is again.... her having to look way up and even in high heels barely coming up to his shoulders. I looked it up and Reese Witherspoon is 5'2" and Vince Vaughn is 6'5". Pretty near our proportions at 5'4" and 6'6".

Besides that, it really is a funny little rom-com. I mean, predictable, but some funny scenes. And you can see what Corey and I would look like in a Christmas movie! ha!

RIP Razr

The old reliable Razr on the left. Passing on and being replaced by the next generation.....Blackberry 8310.

I can't remember the exact date I got this phone. I know I had one like it when Bethany and I took all our kids to the beach in North Carolina, but that was forever ago and I can't imagine I've had it quite that long. Surely not.

Nevertheless, this phone has been good to me. We have been so many places and seen so many things together. ha ha. It has seen the sidewalk, the floor of my car many times, even the road. It has seen the depths of darkness under Katie's bed for weeks at a time, and even the bottom of the toilet bowl followed immediately by a burial in a bowl of rice for 2 days.

I think it deserves a retirement, what do you think? All those battle scars..the scratches and the cracked screen on the outside..... *sigh*

I really and truly hated to give it up, but it was really starting to show its age. The keys were sticking. The texts would barely send. It would change volume randomly on the person I was taking to. It also could barely get a signal....for miles around our neighborhood and around the church. Super inconvenient.

This week, I have retired the old phone and upgraded. I have joined the world of the Blackberry.

When I opened the box and took out all the stuff this afternoon, I was pretty overwhelmed. I don't know when I became so technically illiterate, but somehow it has happened. I had to go "chat live with a representative" in order to figure out how to save and transfer all my contacts, then activate the thing. From that point on though I have managed to download and utilize the facebook app, and I have taken a photo and sent it straight to facebook! I have also texted and emailed successfully. (I see I can't be THAT many years behind because this blogging program still does not recognize "texting" OR "facebook" as valid words! ha!)

So, here we are. I can email when I am in the kitchen instead of walking all the way to wherever my laptop is sitting to do it. I can also take a photo while we are actually IN the living room having school, rather than take a photo with my digital camera, then upload it on the laptop that is connected to the wireless network in our house! ha!!!!

We'll see how it goes tomorrow. When I am actually NOT sitting right in front of the computer anyway! :)

My New Header!

I decided to create a new header for the blog...and stick with it! It was getting hard to keep up with the seasons, and I didn't like that it changed all the time....I mean I kind of did and kind of didn't. I like having a general header.... not season specific...which meant I could also make a button for my sidebar! I added it to my other blogs, the baby blog, and my book blog, so I could re-direct back to here and do it cutely. ha ha.

Anyway, that's my new header. The plan is to keep it permanently. We'll see.

Honey-Oat Quick Bread

This is a recipe I found to use some organic plain yogurt that I bought last week on mark-down. I knew that it would be great for recipes, and this one sounded so yummy, and it was!

You can click HERE to read the original recipe (and see a prettier photo) along with nutritional information (it isn't terrible for you). I am also pasting the recipe below so I can reference it easily. We just ate a slice warm from the oven topped with butter and a drizzle of honey...Mmmmmm!
I love that it is a bread recipe but it is a quick bread, so I don't have to deal with yeast. I do not have a good record using yeast!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, or quick-cooking (not instant) oats, divided
• 1 1/3 cups whole-wheat flour, or white whole-wheat flour (see Tip)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 8 ounces (scant 1 cup) nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup clover honey, or other mild honey
• 3/4 cup nonfat or low-fat milk

Preparation

1. Position rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°F. Generously coat a 9-by-5-inch (or similar size) loaf pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon oats in the pan. Tip the pan back and forth to coat the sides and bottom with oats.
2. Thoroughly stir together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using a fork, beat the remaining 1 cup oats, yogurt, egg, oil and honey in a medium bowl until well blended. Stir in milk. Gently stir the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture just until thoroughly incorporated but not overmixed (excess mixing can cause toughening). Immediately scrape the batter into the pan, spreading evenly to the edges. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon oats over the top.
3. Bake the loaf until well browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. (It’s normal for the top to crack.) Let stand in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a table knife around and under the loaf to loosen it and turn it out onto the rack. Let cool until barely warm, about 45 minutes.

Cookie Time!

Katie finally got to participate in the one thing that first drew her to Girl Scouts! She got to sell cookies! Well...we are currently still selling but we have to turn in our forms this week for the pre-sale. Since they are a Daisy troop, they will not be participating in booth sales or direct sales, they are just doing the pre-sale. Meaning: they just take pre-orders then deliver...no actually carrying around boxes of cookies and sitting in front of Wal-mart. ha ha. (I think that's what she actually would have loved! ha!)

At the meeting, when we were given the order forms, all the other moms were telling me that the cookies sell themselves and that it would be really easy to sell a ton of boxes. We completed an online order drive and got 8 boxes right off the bat! I kind of kept forgetting to take our order form around with us, but with a 12 box goal and 8 already ordered, I thought it would be easy to get the rest, and I was RIGHT! I took it to church with me this morning to ask a few friends who had said they wanted some cookies when they first found out Katie was joining Daisies. Just with 7 more people buying she now has 20 more boxes ordered! WOW!

So, she has made her cookie selling goal, and it was true what they said... this is the easiest item to sell EVER! People just always buy what they always buy and don't think twice. Personally, I don't really like the cookies. The last ones I had were very mediocre to me and I know for a fact I can bake something myself that tastes better. Thankfully, they have an option to buy a box to donate to the troops!!!!

In other news.... Corey is having some terrible back pain. The worst of his entire life according to him, so please say a prayer for him. We think maybe he is experiencing another kidney stone? not sure... And..I am getting a cold! argh! I thought at first it was a reaction from touching Katie's shrimp the other night, but it's a cold. I guess I should be thankful because if just touching shrimp caused a reaction then I would have a very difficult time keeping Katie and Corey from ever eating it while I am with them! ha ha!

Girl Talk

Oh, how I needed the mom time last night! I invited the moms from our homeschool play group for chips n dips and games. It turned out that only 2 of the moms could come, plus Bethany, who is always a part of whatever kind of homeschool/mom/play thing I am doing if she happens to be in town or living here and so she was here and got to come also! So, it was just four of us moms sitting around together....away from the children and just hanging out.


Everyone brought a dip and I proved the "dippers" and we just sat around eating, and talking. I had a big stack of games, and we started to play one once, but it ended up just turning into more talk time. ha ha. I just really think we all needed it.

We have so many things in common: We are all moms. We all homeschool our children. We are all Christians. We all lead conservative lifestyles (with the occasional democratic tendency of Bethany to want to recycle or let everyone win the game! ha!!!). We all are young married, young mothers, and we all, obviously, were in want of some girl time!

Even though we have all those things in common, there were also so many differences among us. We have mega-churchers, church-planters, and home-churchers. We have moms of boys and moms of girls. We have moms who love to read and moms who love to see the movie. We each have our own very unique extended family and upbringing. It is just so fun to learn more and more about your friends and find those other common bonds or enjoy hearing about how the differences can serve to enhance even our friends.

There were discussions of how our homeschooling was going. Of course, as always, the discussion of babies being born..especially since one of the moms is expecting in April. Talk of family, and God and "church" and husbands, and jobs, and money, and life, and our kids, and funny stories, and just anything and everything as one thing lead to the next. We had moments of seriousness as we discussed faith and raising our children. Then we balanced it with some hilarity as we discussed other various topics. ;)

All and all, it was just great to have some girl talk with friends! Friends that I could be serious with and/or just funny around. What a blessing to have friends you know will give sound advice or share their experiences though good or bad....we can all share in whatever way is most helpful to our friends whether that means discussing a past hurtful and trying experience, or if it means remembering the joy and miracle of childbirth (to remind a friend who is nervous about it all over again about how wonderful it will be!).

I am so thankful for all of my friends and for Mom's Night In! :)

Our New Cart

Yes, I am constantly changing things around here. We moved our classroom back upstairs before Christmas. Several things contributed including: no window down there, dust, basement critters, and COLD!
And since we thought I was going to be pregnant we decided to go ahead get it all upstairs then while I could help with the moving. It isn't ALL up here yet, because I just bought two black bookshelves to bring the rest up to organize and I also picked up this rolling cart for all our basics that we can take back and forth between the bedroom and kitchen.

Isn't it just perfect?!?!?

It rolls back and forth and has just the right amount of room for all the stuff we use everyday.
I will use the black bookshelves for all the rest that I don't use everyday but I can cycle out through the cart.

It even has two wire drawers that pull out. Under the second shelf you can see it. I put their pencil boxes, journal, and calendar in them. Our kitchen table gets plenty of natural light from the bay windows and has a great light there as well. We greatly enjoyed using our new school spot today...our first day back for 2010! 79 days to go! :)

Carrie's Book Blog

You may have noticed a new button to the right over there.... Yep..I did it..I created another blog! I don't know why, but I feel the need to separate the different things that I do...it was bothering me that my book and movie reviews were "covering up" my daily posts... and with signing up for ONE MORE challenge, I definitely needed another place to keep up with them all!

So, click the book blog button and see all my "booky" type stuff!

Snow 2010

It is getting to be a pretty regular tradition to have a snow day in January over the past few years! AND it gets better every year, so maybe next year we won't see any leaves poking through in our photos! Here are some shots of our recent snow days!

The first thing we always do it put out a bowl to catch the snow!

It was falling steadily all afternoon and early evening. But, we never know how long it will stay so play we must right away! (ha, dr. seuss talk!)

Making snowballs from the snow on top of the cars. That was the easiest to gather.

That was last night.
This morning, there was even more snow! I am sure we had more early, but we didn't get out until about 11am. Here is their second attempt at snow angels!

Noah even completed his with a face!

The view at 11am. I almost regret not getting up earlier to get a picture, but I don't sleep well while Corey is gone, so we didn't get up very early. The front of our house gets sun all day, so a lot of it was already melting and falling off of things. Can you spot the snowmen in the this photo?

We made two TINY snowmen.

Katie tried to write 2010. We haven't officially started school since the new year, so we hadn't learned how to write it. It is funny how they apply the knowledge they have about how things go.... after a quick lesson she had it down!

Noah did the same thing...

Awww...we don't get many photos like this in Georgia!

Last shot of the day before I appalled them by making them strip down right inside the front door! ha ha! Warm clothes from the dryer, a warm fire, and hot cocoa to warm up!

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

I finally have read Jane Eyre! I think I probably attempted to read it at some point in my life before, but never finished or got into the story.
I truly don't know why I have never read this novel because it immediately drew me in this time. Perhaps it is because I skimmed the synopsis on Cliff's Notes (.com) before starting! ha ha! No, I did not ruin any surprises, because that is impossible to do for me. I do NOT enjoy plot twists that take me totally off guard, it actually ruins a book (or movie) for me because I get so freaked out by them that I end up hating the book.... so to me, to know the "surprising twist" is to make it more enjoyable for me...I know..I am weird!

So...on to Jane Eyre. I actually read this book over three days. It is a slow time for me because we haven't started back homeschooling for 2010 and I am not currently leading a book for my other book club, so I have plenty of time to devote to it. Also, my husband just went out of town for business, so the evening last night was totally mine till 2am when I finished the novel!

For anyone who happens to have not read the book, here is a snippet from the back:

"Jane Eyre begins life as a lonely orphan in the household of her hateful aunt. Despite the oppression she endures at home, and the later torture of boarding school, Jane manages to emerge with her spirit and integrity unbroken. She becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she finds herself falling in love with her employer-the dark, impassioned Mr. Rochester. But an explosive secret tears apart their relationship, forcing Jane to face poverty and isolation once again."

I enjoyed the fact that this novel began when Jane was ten years old and did not skip any time periods in her life, telling the complete story with no jumps. I mean, of course it doesn't tell day by day, but many novels attempting to tell a life story will skip and only tell one major period, either childhood, adolescence, or teen/adulthood. Going through each stage, I could see how Jane's character changed yet stayed the same in many ways. How her thoughts, though similar, were more matured throughout her life. I have to say that the circumstances that arose in the last part of the book were pretty far-fetched in the way it all worked out, but that is what is so great about these types of books as well...all the twists coming together like a soap opera. The more I think about it, the more I see similarities between this novel and plots I have seen played out on soaps. Maybe they use old Victorian novels for their inspiration sometimes!

My favorite era was when Jane was homeless and poor and begging for food, then taken in by the Rivers' family. I liked that Jane was able to completely be herself and finally have "girlfriends" who were honest and loving.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and think that the plot, though "soapy" was interesting and well thought out. Even the names chosen for each character, I thought, were well planned and suited to their roles in the book. Though it had twists, the ending easy in coming and did not wrap up too quickly like many novels do at the end.

Oh, one more thing I meant to say about Agnes Grey as well. I got the versions of the Bronte books I am reading from Barnes and Noble. They were having a "buy two get one free" sale on their Barnes and Noble Classics editions, so I got all three Bronte books for $11. I am really enjoying these versions of the books because they include footnotes on every page that explain any out of date terms or words. For example, Jane Eyre uses the term "surtout*" and the footnote explains that it means "overcoat." Also, it gives notes when a word that is used that has changed meaning over time, like when she writes, "What, in short, is his character*" The footnote explains: "Here meaning moral qualities or reputation, rather than personality in the modern sense."
These notes make the reading so much more enjoyable because there would be so many terms that I would have no clue what they mean without research (especially with household objects and vernacular terms) and some things I would misunderstand because the meaning would have been different when the novel was written.


When I finished the book, I found an instant play version that I could watch on netflix. It was a very long BBC episodic version, so I just chose a few episodes to see some of the key parts played out. It was okay, but I thought the girl who played Jane overacted. Her hair also annoyed me..it seemed like it wasn't put together well, but I guess that may have been realistic? It did stick very closely to the book, word for word in fact, but I just didn't love it because the scenery wasn't very elaborate and the acting just not as good as it should have been for such a rich story. Her clothes were awful too! I know she was supposed to be plain, but they could have at least tried to make her a little attractive since she is the heroine of a romance novel! ha!
I have another version in my queue to watch, but I have to wait on it to be mailed, so maybe that one will be better!

Agnes Grey, by Anne Bronte

Prior to reading Agnes Grey, I had not read any of Anne Bronte's writing. Truthfully, I have only ever ready one Bronte novel at all: Wuthering Heights.

This is the description from the publisher of the copy I purchased this weekend at Barnes and Noble:

Written when women—and workers generally—had few rights in England, Agnes Grey exposes the brutal inequities of the rigid class system in mid-nineteenth century Britain. Agnes comes from a respectable middle-class family, but their financial reverses have forced her to seek work as a governess. Pampered and protected at home, she is unprepared for the harsh reality of a governess’s life. At the Bloomfields and later the Murrays, she suffers under the snobbery and sadism of the selfish, self-indulgent upper-class adults and the shrieking insolence of their spoiled children. Worse, the unique social and economic position of a governess—“beneath” her employers but “above” their servants—condemns her to a life of loneliness.

I was prepared for a long and slow read before I started the book. I took on this reading challenge because I did truly want the challenge of reading something that I might not just read on my own and that I also thought would be good to round out my exposure to some different styles of writing. I really have always enjoyed the plots of Victorian novels and I usually enjoy the movie adaptations as well, but the wordy writing style always ends up boring me and I put it down.

This novel did not have that affect on me at all. I found the plot very interesting from the beginning as it tells about poor Agnes and her horrible experiences as a governess. Maybe I sympathized with her with it taking me back to my own horrible two years as a first grade public school teacher! ugh! I loved how Anne Bronte developed the personalities of all the characters...and how uncomfortable and sorry I felt for Agnes Grey in all her troubles!

Then, there is the love story plot. Developed so slowly and therefore so much more believable! It was beautiful and interesting and I finished it in three evenings of reading time...the first one being just the first two chapters. This was a great way to break into the Bronte and Victorian reading challenges. It was only a couple hundred pages and easy to finish, so I feel inspired to keep going now since I already have one under my belt!

End of the Year Meme

I am late on this, but I saw on another blog that had copied it from me last year and I decided I should do it again! You can click HERE to read last year's answers...I eliminated a couple of questions that didn't apply to me.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Traveled to Amish country, Pittsburgh, Hershey, and Philadelphia! (and Delaware, blah!)

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I am sure mine were partially done and partially a failure...as always. Probably the same for this year! ha!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, but a good friend will in April, so I am excited about that!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No. But, we did experience the loss of a pregnancy. :(

5. What countries did you visit?
The good old U.S.A! ha ha! (kept the same answer as last year!)

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
More control over our finances!!! (same as last year) and more time working in the basement/house on projects!

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
December 18th and 24th....the dates connected closely to our miscarriage news.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Traveling and schooling! Oh, and mastering the coupon thing! That has been an awesome achievement for our family!

9. What was your biggest failure?
Putting back on MUCH of the 30 pounds that was my BIG achievement last year!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Agh...

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Not sure...school stuff is always fun...

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My wonderful friends! They are so good to me and bring so much support and encouragement!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The people who ran the field trip at Hillcrest Orchards and hollywood stars in general.

14. Where did most of your money go?
To pay for bills and Disney trips!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Planning our trip to Disney World. ha ha!!! Christmas! (same answer as last year!)

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
This is always so hard for me. It is hard to do right after the year is over and I think would be better to ask many years later...that's when you can really tell.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) poorer or richer?

(a) Sadder (just because of our recent experience)
(b) Definitely fatter :((( Boo hoo!
(c) Richer and Poorer! ha ha!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Playing games as a family

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worrying about things I can't control and spending money.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
At home with the kids! (same as last year...)

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
I was already in love!

22. What was your favorite TV program?
The Office and Community

23. What was the best book you read?
So many great choices, again! I loved Believing God, by Beth Moore, and Mary (a novella in the Francine Rivers lineage of Jesus series).

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
10th Avenue North!

25. What did you want and get?
A trip for just Corey and myself to Disney!

26. What did you want and not get?
out of debt...hmmmm....looking at number 25. ha ha!

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
I saw several funny movies, but really enjoyed Up a lot!

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 28 this year. I had a bunch of friends over for a combined birthday and 31 party! Got tons of free stuff! I also went and painted a picture at Sips n Strokes which was fun!

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting out of debt... celebrating a pregnancy at Christmas instead of mourning the loss... and as always...winning a million dollars!

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Whatever fits.

31. What kept you sane?
Bible study/book club, my friends and family.

32. Who did you miss?
My husband. He was gone for longer periods of time this past year.

33. Who was the best new person you met?
It wasn't someone I had never met, but I did really get to know someone, a friend, named Debbie. I am so glad to know her better now and hang out!

34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch! Lesson of the year, as cliche as it is!

35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. from "By Your Side"

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

An Ideal Husband

I completed the first movie in the movie mini challenge portion of the Victorian Reading Challenge, hosted by Our Mutual Read. You can read the review I posted on that blog HERE or just continue reading below...



I watched the 1999 film version of An Ideal Husband, starring Rupert Everett, Minnie Driver, Cate Blanchett, Jeremy Northam, and Juliane Moore. This film is an adaptation of the 1895 Oscar Wilde Play.

Since I am terrible at describing the plots of period films (I am easily confused!) I will copy from IMDb:

"Sir Robert Chiltern is a successful Government minister, well-off and with a loving wife. All this is threatened when Mrs Cheveley appears in London with evidence of a past misdeed. Sir Robert turns for help to his friend Lord Goring, an apparently idle philanderer and the despair of his father. Goring knows the lady of old, and, for him, takes the whole thing pretty seriously. Written by Jeremy Perkins {jwp@aber.ac.uk}"

I especially loved Juliane Moore's character as the "villianess" Mrs. Cheveley. She is beautiful and does a great job as the wicked blackmailer! Also, though she plays a minor role, Minnie Driver (as Chiltern's sister) was cute and sweet as the quirky sister. I wished they had done more development of the relationship between her and Lord Goring (Rupert Everett).

This was a cute film and had beautiful costumes and buildings that truly showcased the time period!

10 Goals for 2010

It has been ten years since the Y2K craze! Ten years since Corey and I started dating! And who knew that I would pull my 7 year old daughter's 8th tooth on New Year's Eve just ten years later!

We got together with friends last night and had a really fun time eating home fried chicken fingers, chili, baked potatoes, and then enjoying some chocolate fondue. We played games and just had a fun time. We ended the night with a sparkling grape juice toast for 2010 and for a "Mo Betta" year this year than last! Not that 2009 wasn't great, but who wouldn't want a BETTER year every year, right?! And after the December we had, I am certainly on board for some happy days!

I hardly ever succeed in keeping resolutions, but I guess I should at least make some kind of goals....

1. Park in the garage at some point.
2. Organize all the closets in the house.
3. Get fit.
4. Eat better.
5. Cook at home more.
6. Have a regular family game night.
7. Block out time to accomplish home improvement goals before other things get in the way every single weekend of the year.
8. Start picking up Christmas presents throughout the year.
9. Sew something else on the machine I was given.
10. Be more disciplined in my daily quiet/Bible/prayer time.

These are just a few goals. They aren't that different than things I strive to do all the time, but writing them out hopefully may help.

Here's to letting God plan this one!