Christmas Loot

What I got for Christmas:

a statue called "Mother and Child"
a DVD player
a pair of heart earrings
a manicure
a Sugarland CD
a DVD of French Kiss, Never Been Kissed, and One Fine Day
a Sonic card for $20
a pizza pan
a cookie sheet
a PURPLE coat
a Kohl's card

I raked it in, didn't I?

Cold Turkey

I did a stupid thing. I thought I had one more refill on all three of my medications, but I don't. Numerous calls to the doctor for an appointment last week but to no avail. Called the pharmacy, which faxed a request, but the doctor (or most likely his witch of an assistant) -- forgive me -- denied the request. So that means I have to withdraw cold turkey. Anyone who has gone through withdrawal knows it is not fun. And just in time for Christmas, too!

I was going to close the store today at 1:00 o'clock due to lack of customers, but now there is a lady in here buying tons of toys and games for her grandchildren! Good thing I stayed here! If I leave early, I am going to Burlington Coat Factory to look for a coat.

Ha ha! A couple just came in looking for carbon paper! I didn't even know they made that stuff anymore! Guess I'll stick around here a while longer to see if any more customers show up.

Merry Christmas!

10 More Days Until Christmas

I always loved pictures of Jesus laughing. I imagine him laughing with the children or at a good joke. Or maybe he had prayed for rain and it started pouring down.

Thursday night the family went to a barn dance. I had hurt my back so I couldn't dance, but R danced with each of the girls. They danced with their friends and (GASP) boys! There is nothing weirder than seeing your teenage daughters dance with boys. They both had a lot of fun but K14 found waiting for a boy to ask her to dance pure torture.

Our pool pump went out and R is at home fixing it. It is slow here today at the store; I guess everyone is out Christmas shopping. I still have several gifts to get. Our tree isn't even up yet. Next week will probably do limited school and shop and wrap.

I feel like there are ghosts here today at the store. The doors keep opening by themselves (with the wind's help) and I keep hearing noises all over the place.

Thoughts about the store

A long-time customer walked into the store today and said, "Wow! Look at all that God has blessed you with!" My gut instinct was to say, "Yeah, and look at all he is about to take away!"

You know, I don't really believe that God gave us all of this to "take it away." I believe that we all have seasons of our lives, and the season for us to own this business may be about to pass. That doesn't mean that our next season will not be rich with blessings. The business has TRULY been a blessing to our family. It has allowed my kids to see their grandparents at least once a week. It has brought our family closer together, although there are times it keeps us apart and distracted. It has allowed me to be with our wonderful daughters daily and homeschool them to boot! It has allowed me to meet some of the neatest people in the world and to call many of them my true friends. It has taught the girls how to work hard, how to treat people nicely, even when we don't feel like being nice. A good work ethic is very important. It has introduced me to some awesome curriculums for my daughters, some that actually do the job. It has paid for my daughters' outside classes. It has given me the privilege of employing some of the best employees by far. It has taught me how to multi-task, given me a stiff upper lip (although I could use a little more backbone). It has allowed me to express my creativity, my interests, upgrade my people skills, my research skills, my computer skills. So, you see, it was not for nothing. Whether the store lives or dies, I have come out of it a better person. I am not a failure. I am a survivor, and I will survive the next season of my life, as well.

Many of you have asked how you can pray for us. Pray that the website will take off if it is meant to be, pray that we will be open to hear what is truly God's direction in our lives. Worse case scenario is that I will have to go back to work full-time. If it is meant to be, we will work through it. God brought me into this business kicking and screaming. Pray that I don't leave it the same way, that I will be at peace with his decision.

I have not cried yet because I know that there is hope, that we have not tried everything we can do. If it gets down to that, I probably will. But like they say in The Sound of Music, "When God closes a door, he always opens a window."

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us."

"I do not want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well."

More OCD Funnies

The Golden Compass

All the hype about the movie has made me a bit curious. I kind of want to go see it now. But there are so many others I want to see - National Treasure, August Rush, Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Great Debaters - that I may just wait for the video.

Last night was spent watching the end of the Monk marathon, watching Santa Claus is Coming to Town, new holiday episodes of Monk and Psych.

Tonight R and I are going to the Christmas party for our Bible study class. We're taking a chocolate chip cheeseball and buffalo wings. I don't know what the girls are going to do. K17 is at work right now; K14 is at a service project for the Salvation Army.

The store has been super slow today, despite our sale. My friend R is going to stop by the store, so that should liven things up.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Some Christmas Funnies

Christmas is Coming!

I thought this was a cute Christmas picture. We have not done much school this week. K14 is not feeling well, and we are ready for the holidays. I may go to the mall tomorrow night with a friend. Would love to go see a good movie. I hear August Rush is a good one.

Please pray for my sister-in-law, C (R's sister). She just called to tell us that she has been diagnosed with lymphoma. Chemotherapy is kind of risky because she only has one kidney.

It is already dark outside, the store is decorated for Christmas, and I just want to curl up with a good book and read. I need to be working on the website more (maybe on my days off during the holidays.)

Things I would like for Christmas (hint, hint): earrings, cookie sheets, Sonic cards, a food sealer, a DVD player for the living room, a Best Buy card, free rent.

The store has been sloooooooow today. We all had Chinese food today. It was delish.

Happy December!

I've never seen an upside down Christmas tree IRL, but I would think it would be difficult to water if it is real.

If I hear Hillary Clinton say "Extraordinary" one more time, I'm gonna barf.

It's 10:45, and so far I've had one customer requesting Daisy petals, which we can't sell and one whistling man who talks outloud to himself. The icicle lights around the kiosk keep going out, so they just look stupid. I have reports to do and over 600 emails to send out. It's going to be one of those days.

Yesterday the girls and I went to Garden Ridge and purchased presents for their teachers. All of their Christmas items were on sale. We also got a special gift for a family member who shall remain nameless. We left Garden Ridge and dropped K17 off at the movies (her 3rd time to see Enchanted). K14 and I proceeded to Barnes and Noble for some book shopping. She got a Pop Star magazine. We then proceeded to the mall to meet R. We had mainly gone to buy R's family some gifts, but K14 found a sweater and cami on sale at Aripostle. We then went to the food court for a bite to eat. Picked up K17 from the movies and that was our Friday night in a nutshell.

Am currently reading a Harry Bosch novel called Angel Flight. I need to get started on that homework!!!!!

We are starting a major advertising campaign RIGHT NOW! We will run a newspaper ad once a month. We are purchasing a sign at the local high school and possibly at the Little League field. My friend D is going to start going to the Chamber of Commerce luncheons to network. Also, she is going to visit some preschools and nursing homes, offering them a chance to set up an account with us. We're going to try to be more active in the community next year, including having a float in the Holiday Parade.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. -- Luke 2:11