New Year's Eve Eve

Happy New Year's Eve Eve!  Tomorrow night we will ring in the New Year with a hockey game, followed by our traditional bad movies and smores.  Should be fun.  And also busy, so I might as well review my 2011 resolutions now, as I doubt there is much that can be done between now and tomorrow night!

My 2011 Resolutions

1) Bake a pie every month of 2011.  I love pie, but I have never made one completely from scratch.  I hope to have that change this year.  Here is the current schedule:
     Jan- Cherry
     Feb- Coconut Cream
     March- Pot pie AND Berry (it is Pi day afterall)
     April- Banana Cream
     May- Strawberry Rhubarb
     June- S'mores
     July- Blueberry
     August- Peach
     September- Apple
     October- Pecan
     November- Pumpkin
     December- Lemon Meringue
Done, except for Lemon Meringue.  There is a chance I may do it tomorrow.  But considering Discs One and Two of the next season of Doctor Who are waiting for me at the library, I doubt it will happen :)  Priorities people.  :)

2) Read 45 books.  In 2010, I managed 42.  I think I can outdo that this year!
DONE!  In fact, if I keep up the pack I am on, I will be at 55 for the year.  Well over my goal!  If not, 54 will do! :)

3) Exercise for 100 minutes a week.  That isn't much, but it's more than I do now.  Since shin splints have basically sidelined me from running, I'll have to get more creative. 
HAHAHA, that didn't happen.  Oh well.  There's always next year.  And I didn't GAIN anything, which is always a plus. 

4) Save money.  Our money situation is tight.  I would like to be able to cut back in areas where we probably overspend, and build up a cushon in case something unforeseen happens.
Well, I guess this happened.  We do have a bit of a savings account now.  I wish I had written down somewhere what was in there before, because I really have no idea if we are ending this year ahead or behind. 

5) Move.  Whether it is across town, across the state, or down the coast, I would like to be out of this house be Halloween.
Didn't happen.  They decided not to raise our rent, and with rentals hard to find in this area, it seemed safer to stay here.  However, there may be something big brewing on the horizon as far as this is concerned, so stay tuned (like in May or so).

Not bad really as far as resolutions are concerned.  I might still be able to do the pie, and then I would really consider this year a success. 

I already have some ideas for 2012.  I want it to be fantastic.  I will try and post the list tomorrow.

Peace out!

Holidays

I love holidays.  It doesn't even matter if it is a holiday that does not relate to me.  I still love them.

We celebrate Halloween AND Samhain.  Boxing Day?  You bet!  Yule, Christmas, and anything else I can get my hands on in December! Groundhog day is still a personal favorite.

So while we don't go to church, I still love Advent.  I figure it is good for Spud to know the basis for the hoildays that we celebrate, and Advent get to the root of the Christian form of winter holidays.

I went out and purchased a beautiful advent wreath (that can be used for other candles the rest of the year) and the necessary purple and pink candles.  Each night this week we have been lighting the first candle and reading the chosen verse.  Spud is kind of bored since there is no rhyme or reason to the verses, and we haven't gotten to the real story yet. 

However, last night's verse actually spoke to me.  It seems the antithesis of the right wing message of "Me, me, me.  Everyone looks out for themselves."  It spoke to me as the true meaning of Christmas, community, and Christianity in general.

Isaiah 58 5-8: The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free.  Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.  Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed.

Basically, help those less fortunate than you.  Stop the oppression of people and love one another.  If you do this, the world will be a better place.

I feel like we need more of these messages and less of the "everyone who thinks differently and has less money is doomed" that dominate outspoken Christianity these days.

The blog

So I am kind of at a loss of what to do with this blog.  I am pretty sure no one actually wants to hear my rants and raves (if they are being truly honest LOL), but I post on FB so much, that most of our day to day activities just seem redundant over here. 

I do want to start taking more pics of Spud, so maybe this would be a good place to post it. 

Hmm, I don't know. 

What I do know is that I want to post more, like I used to do on LiveJournal.  Honestly, I have been contemplating going back to LiveJournal, but I think I would lose the three people who actually read this thing!  :)

What should I do?!?

This post has no point.  Probably should have put that at the beginning to save everyone from having to read it!

2011 Books

With 39 days to go, I am 5 books from reaching my goal of 50 in one year.  I am almost done with one, so that is good.  I still need to read The Stupidest Angel, a Christmas tradition.  That means I really only need to come up with three more.  Yay!  I may complete a goal this year!

We are the 99%

Ten years ago, my husband and I graduated from college.  We both went on to get Master's degrees in our respective fields.  We got decent jobs, and decided to have a family.  Six months into my pregnancy, he was laid off.  We moved to a cheaper area, got new jobs, and had our son.  Money was tight, but we managed.  Then the market collapsed.  The state cut education funds to balance the budget and my husband lost his job.  Apparently football is more important that music.  It has been three years since that layoff.  He has no insurance because we have to choose between health care and a place to live.  I am in default on my student loans because when it comes down to paying the loans or paying for food for our son, food will always win.  We drive two cars on the brink of utter collapse because we have no extra money to fix them or upgrade.  I want a chance for our family to get out of debt.  I want my husband to be able to put his six years of schooling to work.  I don't want to worry about what kind of school system my son will be starting in next year.  I want another baby, but we can't afford the insurance or daycare, and so we wait. We did everything "right" and still got hosed.  We are the 99%.

Day 1: Something I Hate About Myself

Wow, way to start out on a negative note, 30 days of truth.  But ok, fine, I'll play along.

I have an overwhelming need for validation.  I need to feel important, like what I do matters, even if it is something really small.  I am certain this is true of most, if not all people.  However, I take it to another level.  I can't play a joke on people without telling them it was me.  I report to and check in with my boss more times than I should because I like him to know that I am doing a good job.  I can't buy presents ahead of time because I feel the need to tell the person that I bought them something.  And "Secret Santa" kinds of things?  Forget it. 

I wish I could find a way to give myself validation without needing to rely on others.  I sometimes joke that I have an over-inflated sense of self importance, but I wonder if it is the opposite.  I want to be important, but just feel like I am not.  I'm just not sure.  It is definitely something that I try to work on every day.  ("Just make it until 10 without checking in upstairs.  Just 10 o clock.  You can do it!"  Though I rarely do. )

30 Days of Truth

In an attempt to be more proactive on this blog, I am going to do the 30 days of truth meme that I have seen floating around the blogosphere.  We'll see how this goes.  I'll do my Day 1 post later today, but for now, here the topics that I will need to address on each day (I may not do it the full 30 days in a row, but I will eventually finish every day.  I promise.)

Day 01 Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02 Something you love about yourself.

Day 03 Something you have to forgive yourself for.

Day 04 Something you have to forgive someone for.

Day 05 Something you hope to do in your life.

Day 06 Something you hope you never have to do.

Day 07 Someone who has made your life worth living for.

Day 08 Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.

Day 09 Someone you didn't want to let go, but just drifted.

Day 10 Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn't know.

Day 11 Something people seem to compliment you the most on.

Day 12 Something you never get compliments on.

Day 13 A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)

Day 14 A hero that has let you down. (letter)

Day 15 Something or someone you couldn't live without, because you've tried living without it.

Day 16 Someone or something you definitely could live without.

Day 17 A book you've read that changed your views on something.

Day 18 Your views on gay marriage.

Day 19 What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?

Day 20 Your views on drugs and alcohol.

Day 21 (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?

Day 22 Something you wish you hadn't done in your life.

Day 23 Something you wish you had done in your life.

Day 24 Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)

Day 25 The reason you believe you're still alive today.

Day 26 Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?

Day 27 What's the best thing going for you right now?

Day 28 What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?

Day 29 Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.

Day 30 A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself