Random stuff

• Yah! Only 9 days until the Twilight movie premiers. We've already bought our tickets to go to the first show at midnight. My neighbor and I are taking our daughters (age 12). This has earned us some brownie points with them, as they think we are cool for taking them to a midnight movie on a school night. I'm sure this will not last long and soon we will be un-cool again.
• Double Yah! My husband drove my vehicle to the firehouse yesterday (he works 24 hour shifts). Last night he cleaned out the entire inside of my tahoe....even all the gunky, yucky, sticky crud that was in the kids' cupholders. I love to have a clean car.
• I spent a good 6 hours cleaning out the walk-in closet in our bedroom. It was such a wreck. Once I start Christmas shopping, I start hiding stuff here and there in the closet and then I forget what and where everything is. Now, it is so clean and organized that I just want to sit in there and stare at it all day. I'm trying to be super-organized with my holiday stuff this year.
• Which brings me to Christmas cards. I love hand-made cards, but, who am I kidding. I don't have the time or energy to do that. So, I will probably try to do photo cards. My kids hate when I tell them it's time to do Christmas card pictures. They will moan and complain and fight over who stands next to who and say that I'm making them wear stupid stuff. Ahhhhh! that Christmas spirit is alive and kicking around here, LOL!
• While we're on the subject, let's talk about Christmas shopping. Since I'm trying to be super-organized, I typed up a little chart of everyone that I need to shop for. YIKES! 64 people on this list. That's not counting my kids or husband. I'm already stressed about our budget as it is, this just stresses me out even more. Of course some of these are really small gifts, such as for the school bus driver, hairdresser, neighbors, etc. But, doesn't this sound like a lot? I'm curious to know how many people you shop for at Christmas.
• Speaking of Christmas lists....my children have made out their lists. It's so funny, my 10-yr. old son typed his list. Everything was just haphazardously listed, no commas, nothing. Just one big run-on list of stuff. Now, my daughter, on the other hand, went to great lengths to organize her list. She typed up a list, complete with a VIP section (this is the "Very Important Present" - the thing she wants most, which happens to be a digital camera). Then she listed various other items and color-coded them according to who might want to buy those things for her (parents, grandparents, Santa...) She is definitely growing up, there are no toys or games on her list this year, just clothes, boots, gift cards....
• On to another subject. I recently went to the doctor for some back and leg pain. While I was there, he did a complete blood work-up. Turns out (which I already knew, but hadn't really done anything about) that my cholesterol and triglycerides are high, my bad cholesterol is bad, my good cholesterol is bad. He told me to go on a strict low-fat diet and to start taking fish oil capsules, then we would recheck it in 3 months. I'm trying, really, but if you've read any of my posts in the pasts, you know how I struggle with dieting. Last week, I did really well the entire week (well, may one or two occasions I slipped and ate chips or something), but, I did not lose a single pound. Very bummed about that. And, what a bad time of year to tell me to go on a low-fat diet. I LOVE Thanksgiving. So much! Seriously, my mouth waters thinking of the turkey, dressing, dumplings, sweet potatoes, pecan pie, and all that good stuff. I am just taking one day at a time, and I've already told myself that it's a given that I'm going to be bad on Thanksgiving. Oh, and the doc also prescribed a "stress-reliever"/anti-depressant that is supposed to also be effective in helping you lose weight. So far, this little purple pill has not impressed me much.

~Kari