Dear Santa,
This Christmas, I'd really appreciate a day of total quiet and no responsibility. If you could also drop off a big bag of 100 dollar bills so Hubby and I could go shopping and golfing and see a movie and pay a sitter, that would be great. Also, please fix the clusterf*ck that is government spending.
Thank you,
NHGirl
12/3/10
Thank you!
What? Three posts in one day? I know, it's crazy, but to be honest, my first two were typed last night.
I want to say a huge thank you to Julie the Army Wife for my new book, Battlefields & Blessings! I won her giveaway and received the book earlier this week. And inside, it was autographed by one of the authors, Jocelyn Green.
I don't know Jocelyn Green, but I know her hubby well. It was pure irony that I won this particular book, because her husband just happened to be my prom date way back in 1998! Small world, right??
He was in school at a different state, but we had met when I was on a band trip (I know, I'm an uber-geek, okay?). I was a freshman at the time, and we stayed in touch through my four years of high school. When prom season rolled around, I thought it would be great for him to go with me. It took some convincing, because he was supposed to graduate the next morning, but he eventually made it there. He wore his uniform (I'm such a sucker for that) and we had a really good time! After high school, we fell out of touch for several years, but thanks to Facebook, we've managed to catch up. And now I win a book written and signed by his wife- what a coincidence.
So thank you, Julie, for the book!
I want to say a huge thank you to Julie the Army Wife for my new book, Battlefields & Blessings! I won her giveaway and received the book earlier this week. And inside, it was autographed by one of the authors, Jocelyn Green.
I don't know Jocelyn Green, but I know her hubby well. It was pure irony that I won this particular book, because her husband just happened to be my prom date way back in 1998! Small world, right??
He was in school at a different state, but we had met when I was on a band trip (I know, I'm an uber-geek, okay?). I was a freshman at the time, and we stayed in touch through my four years of high school. When prom season rolled around, I thought it would be great for him to go with me. It took some convincing, because he was supposed to graduate the next morning, but he eventually made it there. He wore his uniform (I'm such a sucker for that) and we had a really good time! After high school, we fell out of touch for several years, but thanks to Facebook, we've managed to catch up. And now I win a book written and signed by his wife- what a coincidence.
So thank you, Julie, for the book!
Day 3- Gifts: What you're giving
LOL, I'm not going to post here, on a public blog, what I'm getting for everyone! What a spoiler that would be!!
I can say that we've already bought presents for my brother and sister and our niece. We know exactly what we want to get for my parents, Hubby's mom, and our nephew. I have no idea what we're getting Hubby's sister yet, but we definitely want to take advantage of tax-free NH.
We've also sent out 8x10s of the boys in their Christmas outfits (taken by JCPenney... they have a 50% off military discount for the portrait studio, hooyah!) and boxes of homemade jams and fruits. Hubby takes all the credit for the homemade stuff. As Martha as I am, he's the one that can... well, can. He cans all kinds of yummy stuff, like blueberry jam and orange slices in a honey syrup (which I used in an orange upside down cake I created... soooo good).
We're also donating money to charities this year. I've already given to the MSPCA and MDA, and Hubby gave to a program that helps Iraqi War vets when they get back home. All these charities hit close to home for us, so we felt it was important to give to them specifically.
Naturally,we Santa will be buying the boys a few presents to open at Gma & Gpa's house, but we're not going all out since Santa already visited here in CA.
And that's all I'm saying! :)
I can say that we've already bought presents for my brother and sister and our niece. We know exactly what we want to get for my parents, Hubby's mom, and our nephew. I have no idea what we're getting Hubby's sister yet, but we definitely want to take advantage of tax-free NH.
We've also sent out 8x10s of the boys in their Christmas outfits (taken by JCPenney... they have a 50% off military discount for the portrait studio, hooyah!) and boxes of homemade jams and fruits. Hubby takes all the credit for the homemade stuff. As Martha as I am, he's the one that can... well, can. He cans all kinds of yummy stuff, like blueberry jam and orange slices in a honey syrup (which I used in an orange upside down cake I created... soooo good).
We're also donating money to charities this year. I've already given to the MSPCA and MDA, and Hubby gave to a program that helps Iraqi War vets when they get back home. All these charities hit close to home for us, so we felt it was important to give to them specifically.
Naturally,
And that's all I'm saying! :)
MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #22
1.If you were given $1,000 right now, how would you spend it?
I would hire a sitter for the day and take myself to the outlets. My wardrobe (and my me-time) is seriously lacking.
2.If you had to choose a movie title (a real one that already exists) for your life story, what would it be?
Sheesh, that's too hard for me. But if I could pick a real movie that mirrors my life fairly well, I'd probably choose Meet The Parents. The first year of our relationship was rocky between Hubby and my parents! :)
3.If you were a teacher, what subject would you like to teach?
Been there, done that. I taught middle school chorus and general music, and I think if I were to teach again, I'd pick math. In the school I taught at, it was well-known to the students that they didn't need to pass my class (or any non-core class) to progress to the next grade. Hence, I had a lot of students who could have done well but didn't give any effort... which pissed me off, because I tried really hard to adhere to standards and make it as interesting as possible. Come to think of it, I might not teach again!
4.Has being a MilSpouse changed how you view holidays or how your holidays are celebrated? If so, how? If not, what hasn’t changed?
There are two things that I can't do because of being a milspouse: spend every Christmas with my family (my parents and siblings) and play my flute in midnight Christmas mass at my parents' church. Other than that, it's been very much the same, but only because I make a conscious effort to keep it that way.
5.What is your favorite Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) memory?
When my sister and I were 6, we got a Nintendo DS from my grandparents. It was the most glorious toy on the face of the planet in 1986, and we knew that our parents would never purchase a video game system for us, so we were uber-grateful. Somewhere in my parents' photo collections, there is a picture of me with my mouth and eyes wide open and my sister mid-jump, arms flailing and hair all askew. That was a very memorable Christmas for me!
I would hire a sitter for the day and take myself to the outlets. My wardrobe (and my me-time) is seriously lacking.
2.If you had to choose a movie title (a real one that already exists) for your life story, what would it be?
Sheesh, that's too hard for me. But if I could pick a real movie that mirrors my life fairly well, I'd probably choose Meet The Parents. The first year of our relationship was rocky between Hubby and my parents! :)
3.If you were a teacher, what subject would you like to teach?
Been there, done that. I taught middle school chorus and general music, and I think if I were to teach again, I'd pick math. In the school I taught at, it was well-known to the students that they didn't need to pass my class (or any non-core class) to progress to the next grade. Hence, I had a lot of students who could have done well but didn't give any effort... which pissed me off, because I tried really hard to adhere to standards and make it as interesting as possible. Come to think of it, I might not teach again!
4.Has being a MilSpouse changed how you view holidays or how your holidays are celebrated? If so, how? If not, what hasn’t changed?
There are two things that I can't do because of being a milspouse: spend every Christmas with my family (my parents and siblings) and play my flute in midnight Christmas mass at my parents' church. Other than that, it's been very much the same, but only because I make a conscious effort to keep it that way.
5.What is your favorite Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) memory?
When my sister and I were 6, we got a Nintendo DS from my grandparents. It was the most glorious toy on the face of the planet in 1986, and we knew that our parents would never purchase a video game system for us, so we were uber-grateful. Somewhere in my parents' photo collections, there is a picture of me with my mouth and eyes wide open and my sister mid-jump, arms flailing and hair all askew. That was a very memorable Christmas for me!
12/2/10
My plan worked!
I weighed in this morning at 155. Whew!
It's not a terrific number, but it isn't any more than what I weighed before Thanksgiving. So I guess I'll consider that a success. It's a little ridiculous for me to expect to lose weight during the holidays. I suppose I just don't have that much willpower. So to stay constant is the best I could hope for, and it worked!
I'm sure it helped that I ran over two miles last Saturday. It's hard to believe that just a few months ago, I had a fractured pelvis. Now I feel so great, although my knees were achy the next few days, but I suppose that's cuz I'm a friggin' old fart.
So, yay me! I'm going to keep trying to lose some weight, but my expectations for Christmas (with travel and vacations and the holiday at "home") will be the same- to stay constant.
It's not a terrific number, but it isn't any more than what I weighed before Thanksgiving. So I guess I'll consider that a success. It's a little ridiculous for me to expect to lose weight during the holidays. I suppose I just don't have that much willpower. So to stay constant is the best I could hope for, and it worked!
I'm sure it helped that I ran over two miles last Saturday. It's hard to believe that just a few months ago, I had a fractured pelvis. Now I feel so great, although my knees were achy the next few days, but I suppose that's cuz I'm a friggin' old fart.
So, yay me! I'm going to keep trying to lose some weight, but my expectations for Christmas (with travel and vacations and the holiday at "home") will be the same- to stay constant.
Day 2- Shopping: Your best bargains, favorite stores, game plans and shopping team members
This year, I actually did the whole midnight to 5am Black Friday thing. My partner in crime was Hubby- in fact, I think he wanted to go more than I did. We brought the kiddos along, which was a huge mistake... next year, they'll be sleeping at Grandma & Grandpa's, for sure. We made sure to hit up Carter's, Toys R Us, Best Buy, and Target, mostly for kid stuff, in that order. Believe me, with the craziness of the outlets, I definitely had a plan.
In Christmases past, I usually put off the shopping for as long as I possibly could. I didn't hate shopping- I just didn't know what to get. My brother and sister were pretty bad at letting me know what they wanted, and my parents never asked for anything (although my dad has wised up and will now let us know which dirtbike accessory he wants... cuz it's always a dirtbike accessory... and yes, the man still dirtbikes, at 63 years old).
Christmas shopping is also pretty overwhelming when I'm on a time limit or if I'm with the kids. When I go shopping, I want to have as much time as I need (which means I usually go alone... no one to rendevous with), and I definitely don't want to be responsible for changing diapers and feeding and keeping kiddos quiet. Pretty much, I want to be selfish and care only about myself. Yeah, shopping doesn't bring out the best in me...
I don't have favorite stores year after year, and I can't remember my best bargain, but I hope (and isn't this the point?) that everyone I buy for likes what they get.
In Christmases past, I usually put off the shopping for as long as I possibly could. I didn't hate shopping- I just didn't know what to get. My brother and sister were pretty bad at letting me know what they wanted, and my parents never asked for anything (although my dad has wised up and will now let us know which dirtbike accessory he wants... cuz it's always a dirtbike accessory... and yes, the man still dirtbikes, at 63 years old).
Christmas shopping is also pretty overwhelming when I'm on a time limit or if I'm with the kids. When I go shopping, I want to have as much time as I need (which means I usually go alone... no one to rendevous with), and I definitely don't want to be responsible for changing diapers and feeding and keeping kiddos quiet. Pretty much, I want to be selfish and care only about myself. Yeah, shopping doesn't bring out the best in me...
I don't have favorite stores year after year, and I can't remember my best bargain, but I hope (and isn't this the point?) that everyone I buy for likes what they get.
12/1/10
Day 1- What are some of your Christmas traditions?
Hm, Christmas traditions... we don't have many. But my most important one is putting up the Christmas tree on Black Friday instead of crazy shopping.
This year, I did both. In fact, I think I stayed awake the entire Black Friday, from midnight to midnight. Made me very cranky for the rest of the weekend, but at least it was productive.
And yes, I said "I", because I don't get any help putting up the tree. It's not that Hubby doesn't like the tree, he just doesn't want to do it. And honestly, that's fine by me, because that means I can get it done exactly the way I want it to be done (and let's face it, the way it should be done, because if it was left to Hubby and the boys, the lights would be all clumpy, the branches wouldn't be fluffed, and the ornaments would only hang on the bottom, kid-level half of the tree).
I put on Christmas songs and unearth all my tree branches and decorations. Hubby leaves the room and lets me obsess and critique and rearrange the damn thing. It only takes me about an hour- I have it down to a science, people! And for the past two years, when I'm done, I put a nice, fugly plastic gate around it, so little hands can keep off of it (which, apparently, is all in vain now).
When I was nine months pregnant with LB, I put up that damn tree all by myself. I sat almost the entire time, with the exception of putting on the top part. I was out of breath, in pain, and completely swollen, and it took about three hours, but I was friggin determined to uphold my tradition. That's how important it is to me!
Hubby made the asinine suggestion of not putting up the tree this year, considering we won't be here Christmas Day. I think daggers shot from my eyes... He must have got the point, because this Black Friday, he quietly took the boys out shopping while I basked in artificial evergreen goodness.
Moral of the story- don't mess with me and my tree. It's my most favorite tradition.
This year, I did both. In fact, I think I stayed awake the entire Black Friday, from midnight to midnight. Made me very cranky for the rest of the weekend, but at least it was productive.
And yes, I said "I", because I don't get any help putting up the tree. It's not that Hubby doesn't like the tree, he just doesn't want to do it. And honestly, that's fine by me, because that means I can get it done exactly the way I want it to be done (and let's face it, the way it should be done, because if it was left to Hubby and the boys, the lights would be all clumpy, the branches wouldn't be fluffed, and the ornaments would only hang on the bottom, kid-level half of the tree).
I put on Christmas songs and unearth all my tree branches and decorations. Hubby leaves the room and lets me obsess and critique and rearrange the damn thing. It only takes me about an hour- I have it down to a science, people! And for the past two years, when I'm done, I put a nice, fugly plastic gate around it, so little hands can keep off of it (which, apparently, is all in vain now).
When I was nine months pregnant with LB, I put up that damn tree all by myself. I sat almost the entire time, with the exception of putting on the top part. I was out of breath, in pain, and completely swollen, and it took about three hours, but I was friggin determined to uphold my tradition. That's how important it is to me!
Hubby made the asinine suggestion of not putting up the tree this year, considering we won't be here Christmas Day. I think daggers shot from my eyes... He must have got the point, because this Black Friday, he quietly took the boys out shopping while I basked in artificial evergreen goodness.
Moral of the story- don't mess with me and my tree. It's my most favorite tradition.
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