Too much snow!

I'm not so crazy about this snow. I know we need it and all, but did it have to come all at once? I went out shoveling and my back is not so happy with me. That's a great workout plan too, by the way. I'm sure I burned off lots of calories that way. Which is good, because I made cream cheese fudge last night and I had to try some today and make sure it was good. It was!

I also did a bit of shopping. If you haven't heard, Mervyn's is going out of business and Christmas Eve is their last day. I stopped by to look for bargains, but it's pretty picked over. There's some clothes left and some pink towels (um, not my color), and some children's clothes. I always keep an eye out for boy's jeans, since Will is so hard on his pants. But they didn't have much in his size, and what they had was fancy Levi's that had been $42 a pair and were now $12. Without him to try them on, I didn't want to take a chance. Honestly, no wonder they went out of business. Who pays $42 for a pair of jeans for an 11 year old? I'm sure there are a few people with money to burn, but for most of us, that's just nuts!

Sarah's Christmas Concert

I wanted to open this post with a picture, but for some reason, I can't get my camera to upload any pictures. So let me just say that Sarah had her concert last week and she looked very pretty, if you could ignore her ugly choir dress. Apparently they were supposed to look like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, who despite their amazing voices always wears the ugliest dresses you could find.

Now for the music. Sarah is in the Advanced Choir and they sounded good. Sarah practiced and practiced until she couldn't get the songs out of her head. My favorite one that her choir did was "Were You There on That Christmas Night?" More about that one later. Then we heard other choirs and the guitar students.
.
I just want to say that yet again, Mr. Blackburn chose some odd songs for the kids to sing. They did "Silent Night" in Hawaiian, complete with hula dancer. If you want to sing that song in another language, what's wrong with the original German? And he had the Beginning and Advanced Girls sing the Hallelujah Chorus. Great song, but maybe not the best choice for 13 and 14 year olds.

The best song of the night, by far, was "No Time." I wish I could have found the lyrics online, but none of the sites I checked had the right words. It's all about the Second Coming and how there is no time left to tarry or wait for anyone else. It brought me to tears, but I have to admit that I'm easily moved by music.

Sarah was especially glad that her grandparents got to come and hear her sing. My dad used to be a professional musician, so he was not easy to impress. But he thought Sarah's choir was one of the best of the night. Oh, and they gave 2 concerts that night. We went to the second, and that was the one that had most of the lights in the auditorium malfunctioning. Sarah said they sounded better in the first concert because they strained their voices and weren't at their best by the late concert. But I couldn't tell. Nice job, Sarah!

Product Review: Dryer Balls

I have to show off my newest purchase. I heard about these Dryer Balls that are supposed to cut drying time and eliminate dryer sheets. Since they were only $5, I thought it was worth a try.

So far, I like them! I cut about 10 - 20% of the time on my dryer. If I use them every time, that would reduce the amount of electricity needed for my laundry. After reading it up online, I wouldn't recommend using them with your delicates, as they might be little rough on the fabric. But for most items, it is safe and effective. I got these at Wal-Mart by the laundry baskets and stuff.

Tips on Holiday Shopping

As one of those lucky folks working retail during the holidays, I want to share a few hints and experiences with all of you.

1. If you want to avoid the crowds, shop early. Early in the season (meaning now) and early in the day. Get there as soon as the store opens.

2. Do not shop on Saturday. From now until Christmas, weekends are going to be crazy. Stay home.

3. If you have to shop on the weekend, plan on it being insanely crowded and on having to park WAAAAAAAY out there. I have to leave about 30 minutes before work to make sure I can get through the traffic and find a place to park.

4. You have a right to expect employees to be courteous and efficient. But please, keep your efforts at comedy for someone else. I do not want to hear your jokes, no matter how funny you think you are. I do not want to see your fake million dollar bill. I do not need you to help me do my job while you loudly and enthusiastically recommend your favorite candy to everyone in line, expecting me to give them all a sample of your favorite. Save it for some other time. Really.

5. You expect me to be quick. Please return the favor. Do not wait until you get to the front of the line with a dozen people behind you to finally decide after 5 minutes wait exactly which candy you want and then buy exactly two pieces.

6. I am a great employee. I am always on time. I am always polite, friendly, and make an effort to get my customers exactly what they want. However, I am not a machine. I get tired too. My feet hurt. No matter how long you have waited in line, I have been there longer. And believe me, I'm not getting rich at this. I love my job and I love helping people. But don't push it - keep your temper tantrum for someone else. I am not paid to be abused.

Can you tell I'm just a little cranky? It's more funny than annoying, most of the time. People are just funny! And I've noticed that every day we have a candy of the day, the one or two pieces everyone seems to be buying. One day it was key lime truffles and butterscotch squares, which are Ellen's favorites. Yesterday it was lollipops, marzipan (eww!), and milk caramel patties. I packed pounds and pounds of those. I was so thankful to get off a little early. My feet really are sore after several hours.

Good luck with your shopping! I still have some to do myself.

Which Jane Austen character are you?

I found this fun quiz I thought I would share. I'm having trouble getting it to look right, but if you want to take it, here's the site.

You Scored as Marianne Dashwood Most girls can relate with Marianne on a more personal level than some of Austen's other characters. She represents the emotional longings and struggles that seem to attack and bless us at the same time. Loyal to a fault, passionate for experience and life, and a bit over-emotional, Marianne matures and grows (making her so beloved). Marianne Dashwood 66% Elizabeth Bennet 59% Emma Woodhouse 56% Jane Bennet 56% Elinor Dashwood 56% Charlotte Lucas 34% Lady Catherine 16%

I never would have seen myself as Marianne Dashwood, but I have to admit that the description above does sound a lot like me. Take the quiz and post your results. I'd be interested to see what others get.

Too Many Books? Nah!

Randy has decided we have too many books. Will had a book report due but he forgot his book. Fortunately, it was one we owned a copy of. Unfortunately, we couldn't find it. We looked in every bookshelf, but it was nowhere to be found. The guys went to the library to check out the book, but Randy decided the trouble was that we have too many books. 

I am not convinced. After cleaning up for Christmas, I did find a lot of books. Some were ones I was planning to Book Cross, some were ones I was planning to give someone. So I gathered up a stack and took them to the library to donate. But I think the problem is that we have too much other stuff and I can't get all the books on shelves. I did try! I wrapped several books and gave them to friends for Christmas. (If you didn't get one, you may still be on the list!) But somehow when Ellen and I went to the library, we brought home more books from the book sale. One of the books I was sure we already owned, but Ellen was equally sure we didn't. So I bought the book. Guess who was right. Yup.

You know, I think the real problem is that we don't have a library. We need an extra room full of shelves top to bottom. Then we can keep all the books in that room. I can organize them all and make everyone fill in a checkout card when they get a book. That way I will know where all books are at all times. I'll just have to tell Randy that we need to build a new room.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

I'm trying to get ready for Christmas. Does it seem a little early for any of you? Maybe it's the weather. Not that I'm asking for snow, absolutely not. But it doesn't look quite like Christmas. It looks like October, minus the fall leaves and pumpkins. And Thanksgiving was late this year, a little. Whatever the reason, it seems a little harder to get into the Christmas mood for me.

I'm doing my part. Last night we got the tree up and the lights on. Today I've been putting Christmas songs onto my iPod. (Did I mention that I got an iPod for my birthday? Just checking.) And I've got some decorations around the house, ordered a few presents. I worked on my neighbor gifts today.

But it still doesn't feel like it's really Christmas. Maybe once I get to work and see the crowds. If not, I guess maybe I do need snow. Just a little bit.