More than you ever wanted to know

So, I read All & Sundry that is written by Linda. Each year she does this questionnaire and I decided to do it this year. Read on to find out more about me! (Like there's anything you don't already know about me!)

**If you don't read All & Sundry you should. She is a terrific writer with two ADORABLE boys. She also recently committed herself to getting healthy with amazing results!

**Feel free to copy this and do it on your own blog - or in the comments section of my blog. If you do put your answers on your blog, will you let me know?

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?


Got a job as a reading specialist, took the kids to Houston on vacation

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?


I don't think I even made any resolutions last year. I might make some this year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?


No

4. Did anyone close to you die?


No, thank goodness

5. What countries did you visit?


None

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?


patience with my children

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

several that are school related - July, November, December all having to do with changes

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?


Getting the new job!

9. What was your biggest failure?


not being patient with my children

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

No, Garrett struggled with sinus issues though.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I'm thinking it will be the new camera I just bought but I haven't learned enough about it yet!
I dropped my old one : (

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Jimmy's for putting up with me!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

No one that I can think of.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Bills, eating out

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

My new job! Garrett and Meagan doing well in school.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

???

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

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

exercise, try to stay organized

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

be negative/complain

20. How did you spend Christmas?


We stayed in town as usual and had my parents over on Christmas Eve and then went to Jimmy's mom's house on Christmas Eve and for Christmas Day lunch

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

I fall in love a little more with Jimmy each day. He is always doing something for me. I mean the thoughtful things that he does like bringing stuff to me that I forgot at home, making sure I unplugged the iron for me (I call him almost every morning to ask that question!)

22. What was your favorite TV program?

LOST, Bones, House (I'm sorry, was I only supposed to name one??)

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No

24. What was the best book you read?

Schuyler's Monster by Robert Rummel Hudson (I found his blog through All & Sundry too!)

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

David Cook

26. What did you want and get?

lots of stuff - hubby spoils me

27. What did you want and not get?

nothing - see #26

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

I'm not a big movie person.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 31 and I don't remember! I'm going to guess that we went to Chili's or my mom made roast and all of the trimmings - my two favorite dinner options. (In my defense my birthday is January 8th so I'm gearing up for my next one already. Last year's birthday was a long time ago!)

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

to stick to a healthier eating/exercise plan

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
What's clean and doesn't need to be ironed.


32. What kept you sane?

Jimmy

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

???
34. What political issue stirred you the most?

The election. It was very interesting to see so many people finally get involved with something EVERYONE should be involved in all the time (voting) Of course, I am a total loser when it comes to understanding politics but I do vote each time an election rolls around.

35. Who did you miss?


My friends Amy and Emily who moved away in last few years.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

??? I have no idea. I'm sure I met someone new this year but I am drawing a total blank!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.


See #38

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Home by Chris Daughtry - I tend to be a "grass is greener" type of person. I need to remember that what I've got is better than anything out there! (This is in relation to material things - nice houses, fancy cars, etc. The people I have in my life are more important that any of that stuff.)

My kitchen must hate me

I love to cook but HATE to clean up.


Last night I made a Paula Deen recipe that actually did NOT call for a stick of butter. (If you've ever watched any of her shows you know that almost everything she makes starts with "melt a stick of butter" and then continues to be a high fat, rich something or other! The only thing I do different for this recipe is not cook it as long as it says to after adding the macaroni. I also add a jar of mushrooms (drained) because I LOVE mushrooms.

My kids even ate it!

I also made corn muffins from a box to go with the goulash.

As I was making the goulash I also made biscotti cookies from scratch. They are good but seem like they are missing something. I thought I would look around on the internet at other recipes to see if I could add anything else to them to make taste like the ones I buy at Half-Price Books.

Tonight I made hash browns (from scratch) for the first time ever. They were good but I think I started with too much oil so they were a little greasy. They were crispy on the outsides but in the middle they were mushier than I would have liked them to be. They did have a really good flavor though!

I also made waffles, bacon, and scramble eggs tonight for dinner.

Needless to say, my kitchen is a HUGE mess.

(I even had to wash forks so we would have something to eat dinner with tonight but shh . . . don't tell anyone!)

Christmas Day pictures

Christmas Eve Pictures

I already wrote about our Christmas Eve but I wanted to show ya'll the pictures we took.

I finally went to my mom's house and burned the pictures to a CD. (Remember how I dropped my camera? Because of the screen on my camera being broken, all of these pictures were taken on her new camera. But don't worry, I also got a new camera. More about it later!)

My pictures of Meagan's baptism came out too dark so I am waiting for Jimmy's sister to send me the pictures she took.

The funny look on Garrett's face is partly his smile and partly his face being swollen. Thankfully, the swelling went down on Christmas day. He's feeling better now but still has lots of congestion. Darn those fronts!

Here are my parents with the kids.

Garrett shows off one of his gifts. It is a 60 piece puzzle of a farm scene. He was able to put it together all by himself today. Someone (not me bacause jigsaw puzzles drive me nuts!) has taught him the proper way to put a puzzle together.

Grandpa helps Garrett open a breakable gift. It is a figuine of a fireman.I have lots of other pictures but they are turned the wrong way right now. I'll post them as soon as I figure out how to get them turned the right way!

Profoundly Seth

So, it's Christmas break for me and instead of cleaning and organizing my house the way I should be, I've been spending some extra time on the computer. I know, you are shocked at this revelation of mine!

Anyway, I recently found a blog called Profoundly Seth. I found it through the Not Me! Monday blog post on MckMomma's blog (click on the black and white picture on the right of the screen to see that blog).

The blog tells the story of Seth who is profoundly deaf. His mom writes about her life with him and his brother and sister. Seth is a candidate for a cochlear implant.

I have been interested in implants since hearing about them on ER (Ok, Ok, I know TV shows are not good medical sources, anyway) and reading about a micro-preemie twin who has an implant on a different blog.

Also, I'm nosy and reading other peoples' blogs allows me a glimpse into their lives okay??

Anyway, check out Profoundly Seth! She's currently hosting a give away to celebrate her site receiving 10,000 hits!

Watch out Chef Duff

Mom came over last week with one of those pre-made gingerbread kits. Even the icing was easy to make - all you had to do was add water.

We started at the top of the house where Garrett insisted on making a pattern with the gum drops.

Grandma Silly

(my mom)

A pastry chef in the making??
Meagan has a try with the icing. She realized that it isn't as easy as it looks!

Brotherly and Sisterly Love

Please ignore all of the junk on the desk behind the kids!

Our finished gingerbread house
We copied this wreath from the picture on the box - not exactly the same - but close enough!
Thanks Grandma Silly!

We had lots of fun!

Christmas Day

Christmas Day was also really good at our house.

Meagan woke us up at 6:59. "Mom, it's seven! Can we please get up now??" (She was under strict orders to wake us up before she went into the living room to see what Santa left her. A few years ago she woke up, took all of her stuff to her room, and was getting toys out of their boxes before we woke up!)

Garrett was still asleep so we left him alone and went with Meagan into the living room.

She was thrilled with her gift from Santa. (I would be too for that matter!) She received an iPod Nano and an iTunes gift card. Her stocking was also full of goodies. She got a High School Musical 3 game for her DS, some bangle bracelets, socks, some candy, and lots of other little things.

In his stocking Jimmy got a new equipment bag for kickball, some duplicate line-up sheets for kickball, Reece's Peanut Butter cups, and other odds and ends.

In my stocking I got new socks, the new David Cook CD (which is awesome!), some new pens, an iTunes gift card, some candy, and various items.

Garrett finally woke up around 8:00 or so. Santa left him a silver Nintendo DS and a Mario game. In his stocking he got an M&M racing game for the DS, a cover for the DS, a small lego kit, and lots of other goodies.

I made homemade biscuits and bacon and eggs for breakfast. After we ate Jimmy broke out the Batman Lego game for the Wii that the kids got the night before and I spent a while on the computer figuring out how to download music into the iPods Meagan and I received. Meagan bought Taylor Swift and Jonas Brothers songs with her iTunes gift cards.

We went to Grandma and Pawpaw Blair's for Christmas lunch and enjoyed visiting with family. We also opened our stockings that Santa and Grandma Blair fill for us there.

Elaine came by and visited with us before she went back to Houston last night. (She is very busy with preparations for her show which opens on January 9th.

I also talked to Crystal who is in town for the holiday. We made plans to get together today.

All in all, Christmas was great!

I'll post pictures once I have a chance to download them from my mom's camera.