Project (2009 Challenge)

What did you start this year that you're proud of?

This is a great topic for me. As you know, I'm all about the projects!

The year began with completion of one of the most significant DIY projects of my life (aside from making my kids). Bill and I completed work on our second investment house in the Fall of 2008, and in the first month of 2009 we managed to get it rented to a great couple. Even though our tired, old bodies are still suffering as a result of the work on those two houses last year, we couldn't be happier!

In spite of aching backs and arms, we wanted to buy another investment house right away, but it just wasn't to be. So I began fixing up my own house instead and - oh my - there is so, so much to do!

I've managed to get the dilapidated back yard fence replaced. Steve rebuilt the filter and waterfall for the pond. We've done a little primping here and there in the front yard, just to keep things presentable while that portion awaits more of our attention.

Over the winter, I'm focusing on the interior. I'm about halfway through repainting all the kitchen cabinets, finally covering the purple that was applied to the cabinet doors against my wishes. Now the cabinets are a beautiful, neutral cappuccino color inside and out. Voila - fresh and clean!

When that's finished, we'll repaint the purple back splash / dining room wall in a soft, mossy green. Then I'll tackle the flooring, replacing the old, ugly, cracked vinyl flooring with cork plank flooring, and, of course, the baseboards. That's an adventure in itself, since X flippin' GLUED THEM ON. You don't want to hear the blue language coming from the kitchen while I'm hacking and whittling, trying to free them from the base of the cabinets.

When this phase is complete, I'll probably start looking into new counters, sink and fixtures. With the new windows that are scheduled to be installed mid-January, I think it'll all look really great.

Thennnn....when the kitchen is done....I'll turn my attention on the bathrooms. They're both functional, but with wall coverings and fixtures that are nearly 30 years old, it's time.

Can you tell I'm all about the projects?
Didn't I warn you?

Meanwhile, I've been making drawings so that when The Universe drops about $100k in my lap (which, of course, it will), we'll dig a new pond, add a hardscape deck and hot tub, smoosh the two small bathrooms into one large one, and build out to add a new master suite and a den/office.

It'll be epic.

Warning: Very Sad Story

"At 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning, [a 27-year old wife and mother in Eastern Michigan] lost her home, her belongings, her husband, her 4 year old son and her 8 month old daughter to a fire. She was saved by a neighbor who put a ladder up to her bedroom window. Her 12 year old step daughter also made it out on her own. The neighbors tried to put a ladder up to the children's window, where their father was trying to save them, but were unable to due to the smoke and flames. The fire department was able to remove her husband and children from the home within 10 minutes of arriving, but as I already mentioned, it was too late."

I learned about this tragic story originally this morning from CakeWrecks. They linked to Kristie's Notes, where I read of this horrible loss.

Please check your smoke alarms. Make sure you have enough of them, they are placed in appropriate locations, and that they are working. And while you're at it, make sure you have at lease one carbon monoxide alarm in working order.

Kristie's blog includes a link to PayPal where you can make a donation if this moves you. I did.

New person (2009 Challenge)

She came into your life and turned it upside down. He went out of his way to provide incredible customer service. Who is your unsung hero of 2009?

If I was writing about 2008, this would be a no-brainer. But this blog challenge is all about reflection on 2009 and, for the life of me (I've been mulling this over since Friday morning), I cannot think of one person I would call an "unsung hero" in my life over this past year.

Maybe it's because of the subjective value placed on the word "hero." Maybe it's because I tend to sing out loud when I think it's warranted. Anyway, I don't think anyone's gone unsung, tra-la, tra-la.

Car ride (2009 Challenge)

What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with?

I'm growing weary of these odd writing prompts. Sorry, but "car ride"? Really? Okay, let's see...

I guess the best car ride of this past year was when I took Brooke and Koby down to Fullerton to visit with Spike. It was Brooke's first time meeting him, and it was great watching the two kids have some good, quality time with him. So the ride there, and the ride back, was filled with a sense of peace, satisfaction and loving thoughts. Plus, we got to see Landon for a quick visit on the way back.

All I Want For Christmas is...

One of the blogs I haunt all year is called CakeWrecks. Ya gotta check it out if you haven't already. As if the photos weren't enough, the captions are a HOOT!

This month, at the end of each hilarious post about baking-gone-bad, the genius behind CakeWrecks is featuring a charity. One a day. You can read all about it here. And they're asking their readers to:

Give one dollar to each day's charity.

That's it - just one dollar per person. Is there a sole among us who cannot afford $31 bucks for charity this month? And they've made it very easy to make a donation by using this site:

** After clicking that link, you'll need to type cakewrecks in the search box. **

So....please....let's all stop giving each other useless crap for Christmas and do some good with our dollars.

Shop (2009 Challenge)

Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?

Those who know me in the slightest know that I am not a "mad money" kind of girl. My financial shenanigans are about as exciting as your grandfather's story about how much a loaf of bread cost in 1942.

I am an ant. Okay, not so much with all that "working hard" or "worrying" stuff, but I do put my back into planning for the future. A number of people have graciously offered to live with me when they're old, which is fine, just so long as they make it a mutually beneficial arrangement, if ya know what I mean.

My largest expenditures this year involved real estate, mutual funds and charity. See? Told you I wasn't exciting.

Word or phrase (2009 Challenge)

A word that encapsulates your year. "2009 was _____."

Turbulent

An amusement park at midnight.

You want it to be fun but you're disoriented by an image of what you thought was yourself.

You're frozen by the scream of a roller coaster bearing down on you.

The clowns have reinvented themselves. They're no longer merely troublesome but have become utterly savage.

In the moonlight, things are not quite what they seem.

In the dark no one listens when you scream.

Tea of the year (2009 Challenge)

I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?

In the little town of Folsom, there is a Mexican restaurant we like very much. They make the most awesome Long Island Ice Tea! Best flavor, perfect size, and most bang for your buck.

Just let us know the date and time. We'll meetcha there!

Best packaging (2009 Challenge) / Update to Best Blog

Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?

This year's award for superb packaging goes to ........badadadada....(that's a drum roll)..... Soap Hope!

There are many reasons they are an excellent company, but for purposes of this blog post, I will happily tell you that they use what they call "ugly boxes." As long as the product arrives safe and sound, it doesn't matter what the packaging looks like, right? It's kind of like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree of packaging.

If you haven't checked out Soap Hope before, now's the time!

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I would like to add a post script to December 7th's entry. I've just discovered Flash Fiction 365. This blog is written by Jason Long, a youing father who lives nearby. He uses title suggestions from readers.and then rolls a pair of Dungeons and Dragons dice to come up with a number from 11 to 88. Then he writes a short story with that many words about that particular topic.

Flash Fiction 365 was born on Jan. 1 of this year. He was inspired by the six-word story, attributed to Ernest Hemingway, "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

I will most definitely read all 365 entries. So far I've read backwards only through December, but I'm taking my time and will savor every mini-story like the perfect ganache at the center of a perfect truffle.

Rush (2009 Challenge)

When did you get your best rush of the year?

How sad...and at the same time rather emo. I cannot think of a thing.