Confession Wednesday: "We have reached cruising altitude. You may now pry your fingernails off the armrests and stop screaming."

I'm going to close out this particular Year of No Fear by flying. In an airplane. (Shudder.)

(Technically this isn't a true Yonf, because I've done it before, but I REALLY, REALLY would rather avoid it.)

I know, I know, flying is much safer than driving, yadda, yadda, yadda . . . I just can't seem to get past the fact that if my car breaks down or leaves the road or is side-swiped by another vehicle, I still get a fighting chance. In an airplane? It's all over.

But I love my sisters enough to brave the terrifying skies so I can be with them for their respective big days.






Are you afraid of anything that doesn't seem to bother anyone else?

The Annual Christmas Ornament Exchange

I have previously mentioned a popular ornament exchange here in town that I avoided for years. The pressure was too great-bring a beautiful ornament wrapped perfectly that everyone will want. I had a friend one year who brought an ornament and was very embarrassed when some comments were made reguarding the size and color of the ornament. So out of fear I never went to this party. Fears of the party-bringing an ornament, people I don't know, attention on me when I pick an ornament, and worrying that somehow I would make a fool out of myself. Last year as part of my year of no fear, I went to the ornament exchange with Mrs. B. I spent a few weeks finding the perfect ornament and trying out a bunch of different recipes to bring, which led me to try these fabulous s'more brownies (to die for but I decided they were too messy for the event). I ended up taking a great wooden angel and swedish meatballs. I had a fabulous time! I had a great ornament that was well received, not knowing many people wasn't a big deal, attention on me was minimal when picking a very popular ornament when it was my turn and no big deal, and I didn't embarrass myself, not even once. I vowed to go back the next year.

Here is the ornament I got last year (it even lights up):

2008 Ornament exchange rolls around and I decide my mom needs to come (not to hold my hand! Just for fun!) so I go twice-once in the afternoon and once at night. I used my mom as an excuse to go twice, but really I wanted to go twice. What happened!? I was no longer afraid of something that I was afraid of for so many years, instead I was excited and anxious and I will even admit I had a hard time sleeping the night before because I was so exited! And this year the ornament exchange didn't let me down. I had the best time!

Here are some pictures of the ornaments I got this year:

So the moral of my story is I'm so grateful that I decided not to let fear win last year and that I attended the ornament exchange and attended this year too!

Is there any other holiday parties you look forward too each year?

Fa-la-la-la-follow-up

Just wanted to say I really appreciated all of the thoughtful comments on the whole Christmas letter issue. My mind was finally made up by this:

(That's not my mechanic or my car, but that's exactly how my mechanic was looking at my car when I was wishing I had a camera with me earlier this week. My dad, who was with me, had a camera phone, but it refused to operate.)

Anyhoo, to those of you who wished for me to stamp my season's greeting, thank you for sacrificing so I can have power steering and fuel pressure back.

Also, Christmas Project night was OODLES of fun! I've mentioned before that I hesitate to invite people over because it sends me into a VERY uncharacteristic OCD cleaning frenzy.

Once, years ago, I was frantically cleaning house prior to a visit from my parents. My across-the-street neighbor called me and said, "I can see you through the window. You're cleaning your toaster?? Your parents' love for you will NOT be affected by the state of your toaster, which quite frankly is easier to replace than to clean. STOP IT NOW!"

(JQ, I miss you.)

So I'm just here to report that yesterday I did NOT freak out, did NOT deep-clean, and even went to a *movie yesterday afternoon, leaving myself less than an hour to finish preparing. (I DID have to force myself not to think about the appearance of my carpet, the cleaning of which has also been sacrificed to recent automotive events.) Thanks to all that came - I thoroughly enjoyed each of you!

Highlights included:

• Watching Staci & Jenn wrap and transport this gift without tearing any paper

• Having my cinnamon rolls compared to Krispy Kreme donuts. (Jerilyn, do you remember the time you wrote a news story for the high school paper, and "donuts" got misprinted as "dobuts?" It still makes me giggle.)
• 6 layers of 3 different colors of paint that all dried to the same color as the vinyl waiting to be applied to the board.
• Really, all of it!!

* The movie, after much pleading from the resident 12-year-old, was Twilight. What a mother won't do . . .

Now I'm off to Michael's to buy more paint!

Christmas Time -Wednesday confession

I got to do the unthinkable today. I went shopping by myself! I don't know when the last time I did that was. I was able to hit 4 stores and buy everything I needed for the Ward Christmas Party on Saturday 6pm (the more the merrier) in an hour and a half. Is that impressive or what? I was very proud! It was fun too! I'm going along my way at Costco and I hear the most beautiful Christmas Music. I look around and I can't see where it is coming from. Finally, when I'm checking out I see the Eagle Point High School Choir singing at the front of the store. It was beautiful! I'm not sure if it was the wonderfulness of being alone or the beautiful music but all of a sudden the Christmas Spirit hit me. It started to feel like Christmas, the cold weather no longer seemed like a hindrance, the crazy traffic was no longer annoying, and I no longer felt overwhelmed with the Christmas Party, Christmas presents, and kids. My mood was lifted and I enjoyed the singing to help me feel like Christmas is coming.

Confession time: Has the Christmas Spirit hit you? What caused it to finally feel like Christmas for you?

Answering Yonf's wish #8

I've decided to copy Jenn's idea follow Jenn's example (thanks!) and have a Christmas Project night at my house, too. Come this Thursday anytime after 7:00 and bring a project to work on or presents to wrap. Or don't bring anything and come anyway!

Tag! YONF's Turn

8 favorite TV shows:
1. Survior
2. Amazing Race
3. Gray's Anatomy
4. Seinfeld
5. Life
6. Cheesy Lifetime Movies (Especially Christmas ones)
7. How I Met Your Mother
8. Numbers

8 books I recommend:
1. The Notebook
2. Three Weeks With My Brother
3. The Choice
4. The Blossom Street Series5
5. Babywise
6. To Kill a Mockingbird

8 things that happened yesterday:
1. My baby slept through the night! Yea!
2. I needed the lesson taught in Relief Society (I need to improve my attitude)
3. I watched the Survior Finale, pleased with the results
4. Ate quiche that my husband made, very good!
5. Felt like I was running around with my head cut off trying to get things ready for Ward Christmas Party
6. Took a fabulous nap
7. Baked bread.
8. Made reindeer food with the kids to give to my niece and nephews

8 things to look forward to:
1. I have a nephew being born any day now!
2. Christmas!
3. Christmas break-we all get to sleep in
4. The hopes of a possible vacation
5. Spring
6. Rejoining the gym
7. A break from dr. appointments
8. Tamales on Christmas Eve

8 things on my wish list:
1. A clean house longer than 5 minutes!
2. A clean garage!
3. A new wallet
4. New clothes
5. Scene It-Seinfeld Edition
6. A vacation!
7. PF Chang's
8. A girls' night out

8 things I love about winter:
1. When it snows and I have no where to go
2. Watching the kids play in the snow
3. Hot cocoa
4. Stews, soups, and all kinds of warm foods
5. Driving around looking at Christmas lights
6. Christmas Parties
7. Snuggling in my favorite purple blanket
8. My husband is home a lot more!

8 people to tag (that is, if they wish to be tagged)
Mrs. B tagged all the people I know that have blogs!

Eight

I've been tagged by the ever-delightful Mandi.

8 favorite TV shows:

1. I Love Lucy
2. The Cosby Show
3. The Muppets
4. (The theme here is either ANCIENT HISTORY or NERD ALERT.)
5. But also:
6. NCIS
7. and . . . um . . .
8. Moving on . . .

8 books I recommend:

1. The Scarlet Pimpernel
2. Mrs. Mike
3. All of Jane Austen's (Thanks Marla)
4. Jane Eyre
5. (Technically that's more than 8)

8 things that happened yesterday:

1. Wild bargain shopping spree at Kohl's.
2. Ate fish tacos for the first time - yum! (Except the cilantro)
3. Sampled a Milk Bordeaux at See's - also yum!
4. Grocery run with my 3yo.
5. Ice cream with my 5yo.
6. Blushed again at my Friday-night charades attempt at "Elf."
7. Saw a teenaged acquaintance in the mall and forgot that grownups aren't supposed to greet adolescents in such settings. Especially not grownups that publicly confess a love of The Muppets. Received a hasty, barely audible hello as said acquaintance passed.
8. Saw a tweenaged acquaintance 10 minutes later, forgot again, got the same results. Will I ever learn?

8 things to look forward to:

1. Next Sunday's Christmas program
2. Post-Christmas family events!
3. All things Christmas
4. Warm weather
5. January slow-down
6. The box of Clementine Cuties in the kitchen
7. Sleeping
8. My new steam mop that's on a UPS truck somewhere east of here

8 things on my wish list:

1. Slippers
2. Warm socks
3. Winter dress boots
4. The return of normal circulation to my previously overheated year-round-flip-flop feet.
5. New cooling racks
6. August Rush
7. Motivation & energy to declutter
8. This little gadget

8 things I love about winter:

1. Cold tap water
2. Holidays
3. Snow days
4. Hot Cocoa
5. Random 65-degree days
6. Clam Chowder
7. Rosy cheeks
8. Christmas lights

8 people to tag (that is, if they wish to be tagged)

1. Jacque
2. Yonf
3. Jill
4. LCM
5. Christy
6. Savannah
7. Kathlene
8. Jenn

Confession Wednesday: To stamp or not to stamp?

I've been wondering for months now: Would it be tacky to create an online Christmas letter this year? I've mailed out letters for several years running now, and I'm always excited when everyone else's cards, letters, and pictures start rolling in each December. But this year I haven't been able to bring myself to buy the stamps yet.

For the record, I would strive to create a good online letter: pictures, music, attempts at wit that I'll agonize over and rewrite many times, etc. I'm adding a poll to the sidebar, because I really just can't decide what to do. But since I'm investing my hard-earned funds in a new monitor for the homeschool computer today, I know which direction I'm leaning.

At least that's the way I'll lean until the mail comes at 3:00 with more stamped Christmas cards and the guilt kicks in.

Would an online creation (in place of a stamped letter) bug you?

Wednesday Confession: Facebook Etiquette

I've been a "member" of facebook (mom-go to facebook.com to see what this is) for quite awhile. My sister-in-law challenged me to join, she also challenged me to start a blog, Thanks! I'm still trying to figure out the etiquette of facebook. For example, who do you invite to be your friends? I'm constantly exclaiming to my husband, "200 friends, how can so and so have 200 friends?" Do you just request everyone you've ever met? Where do you draw the line?

I did an experiment today, I was at the eye dr. for my daughter's appointment. While there an old high school friend came up to say hi. I've been to the eye dr. a lot, between daughter and myself and never has this old friend been so friendly. I found her on facebook a few weeks ago but decided not to request to be her friend because I wasn't sure how we really left things between us years ago. She is one of those high school friends that was tons of fun and made me do things way out of my comfort zone, she was hilarious! But after high school I went away to college and we never really connected as friends again. So my experiment-I was very friendly today and now I'm curious to see if she requests me as a friend.

So my etiquette questions about facebook-
1. Do you just request everyone you've ever met to be your friend?
2. What do you write in the "what are you doing right now" field?
3. How often should I comment on someone's wall?
4. What's up with poking people? Should I do that?

Mrs. B and I were having a race to see who could post first today-yeah I won!