December 2009

2009: A Blog In Review

by oh amanda on December 31, 2009

in me

This is my favorite way to recap the year. I mean, honestly, a blogger recapping the year? How vain can you get? Like I don’t document every second of my day anyway. But for some reaosn it makes me laugh to see the first line of my first post of each month. Also, it always gives me incentive to write better first sentences…

So, as my tradition dictates, here is my BLOGGY YEAR IN REVIEW:

JANUARY

You may have done the big countdown last night to ring in the new year.

Ah yes…my countdown was Lostie in nature. And how many days do we have before our Losties return? Why a mere 33 of course! Anyone else ecstatic for the new season and mourning because it’s the last?

FEBRUARY

I’m taking Mac to the doctor today.

Mac. As in my lovely laptop. I had to get Mac ready for Blissdom. Speaking of which, my sisterchicks and I will be invading Nashville for Blissdom ’10. Will you be there?

MARCH

Yeah. It snowed. In Georgia. In March. You know, because of Global Warming and all that.

APRIL

This is my first and very favorite Wordless Wednesday/Retro Photo. It’s my grandfather and I cannot get enough of this picture so I apparently had to re-post it this day! Now, here it is for a 3rd time! You’re welcome.

MAY

If you were following my twitter feed this weekend, you’ll know my computer cord is JACKED and will not charge my computer.

Of course. This is my first re-cap post after my Magical Moms trip. Nothing like having your computer die on a blogging trip. Especially one to Disney.

JUNE

So, Carl Fredrickson…is not your usual leading man.

This is my UP movie review. But really I like the title better than the first line so let’s share that, shall we? Drumroll, please! Move Over Edward, There’s a New Heart Throb in Town! *snicker*

JULY

And another retro photo. This is four generations ending with my mom as a baby! I liked this one because of the very individual (and telling) expressions of each person.

AUGUST

My New Favorite Blog :: :: :: Telling Dad (hoo-boy, this guy is funny. if you’ve been following the BlogHer drama, you have to…listen to his post!)

I featured Telling Dad after running across him on the web. I finally got to meet him face to face at Nestle and he’s just as funny and charming as he is in his blog!

SEPTEMBER

TWO alarm clocks.

Well, obviously this is a Top Ten {Tuesday} post about things that make my life easier. Because TWO alarm clocks do!

OCTOBER

A few weeks ago when Nestle contacted me about beginning a relationship with them (their words), I was actually uncertain.

Ahem. I’ll just leave it at that. It’s too early in the morning for bloggy controversy. You can click if you’re feeling up for it.

NOVEMBER

Today everyone has been a little grumpy.

This post could probably wrap up my motherhood-struggle of the year. It’s the constant struggle to be purposeful, fun, focused and fulfilled as a stay-at-home mom. By far the most transparent post in this list! (Read: CLICK PLEASE.)

DECEMBER

We got a new TV on Black Friday.

And now we’re back to more light-hearted materialist posts by yours truly. This post is another Top Ten about my favorite TV shows. *sigh* What can I say? I’m predictable at least.

Thanks to my friend Jo-Lynne from Musings of a Housewife for hosting a Year in Review Carnival today! Go ahead and join—I’d love to see your bloggy year in review! Oh, and speaking of Jo-Lynne, she’ll be guest-posting for me NEXT WEEK as I begin a new weekly series called…uhm…well, I haven’t thought of a great title yet but it will be something like…GETTING READY FOR BLISSDOM: TOP TIPS FROM TOP BLOGGERS! Aren’t you excited?! I am!

Happy New Year to you!!

{ 4 comments }

Top Ten {Tuesday}: Best Gifts Given or Recieved This Christmas

by oh amanda on December 28, 2009

in me,top ten tuesday

1. Vtech Tote and Go Laptop

The way Lydia loves her new pink plastic laptop makes me wonder if I love my laptop too much! Here she is emailing my cousin from California. “Mommy! Everyone keeps emailing me because I got a new computer!”

2. Mary Poppins on Broadway

The last two years, my in-laws have decided to give us tickets for Christmas. I LOVE THIS. I really do not need another THING in my life. But experiences? adventures? Yes, please! (We’re actually just using our gift from last year TODAY! We’re going to see Cavalia!) This year they gave us money for Mary Poppins because 1) I ADORE MARY POPPINS and 2) It’s playing at THE FOX ON MY BIRTHDAY! I cannot wait.

3. Fudgie Wudgie

I am not hard to shop for. Buy me some chocolate, especially if it has a funny name and I am set! I’ve been telling my in-laws for years to just buy me chocolate. This year they finally did!

4. Sleeping Present.

Lydia gave this to her Daddy, “because he likes to sleep.” It was just a pair of pajamas, a throw, a fuzzy pillow and a book. But if you could have seen the pride in her eyes as her Daddy unwrapped and ooohed and aaahed over her gift! She was so excited!

5. Christian Survival Kit

This year my family decided to do the bring-one-present-steal-the-gift thing. We were just getting bored of the regular gift giving thing and decided to give something else a go. I gave a lovely Pampered Chef gift (thanks to Mandi!). Les decided to do a funny gift. He made a Christian Survival Kit including: a Christian T-shirt, a bumper sticker (TRY JESUS: If you don’t like him, the devil will always take you back), an car freshener (WARNING: In case of rapture this car will be unmanned.), grape juice and crackers for an impromptu communion, a PUSH bracelet (Pray Until Something Happens) and a book and CD. It was quite funny. My college-aged cousin picked the gift. We told him to pretend it was just a giftcard to the Family Christian Store.

6. Asa & Les photo

I gave this to Les’ mom. She had given me an outfit of Les’ from when he was a baby. She wanted Asa to have his picture taken in it. I did and then framed the two pictures together. She had seen the picture before but was surprised and in love with seeing both of the pictures together. I mean, how could you not love my Asey in this picture?

7. Home Depot & Lowe’s Kid’s Class Projects

This is BY FAR the best thing we did this Christmas. We were walking around Home Depot when one of the employees said, “Hey, do your kids want to make a project today?” I assumed Lydia would be too young, but she said it was perfect for her. When we get over to the project area, she receives an apron and a craft FOR FREE. This week was a trivet. She hammered it together then got a patch and a certificate for completing it. She thought she was at Disney World she was so excited.

Over the next month we hit up Lowe’s and Home Depot and made two ornaments, a gingerbread house and a snowman picture frame. Usually Les and Lydia made it a father-daughter date. Then they’d bring it home and Lydia and I painted it. We gave these gifts to the grandparents and not only was Lydia excited the grandparents were happy and impressed!

Let me summarize: FREE GIFT. FREE FUN. FREE HOUR WHILE YOUR HUBBY TAKES YOUR DAUGHTER TO HOME DEPOT.

8. Robot

Lydia picked out this awesome robot from Parent’s. (Which I think is being rebranded and recolored. Have you seen their new stuff at Target? Really cool.) She was so excited to give (and let’s be honest, play with) this robot. It actually doesn’t work very well…I think it confused. But it still lights up, makes funny noises and is REMOTE CONTROL. Asa mainly likes to pull on the antennae but I still think it is the favorite present!

9. Handmade I Spy Bottle

My friend, Vanessa and her daughter, Juliet made a really cute I Spy Bottle for Lydia. It had buttons, money and little trinkets inside a mini water bottle filled with rice. But the best part was the clue card velcro-ed to the bottom of the bottle and a little ribbon and “L” for Lydia taped to the top. We have played with it almost every day. These are my favorite kind of presents!

10. Jesus

My prayer for my children, for you and for myself in the midst of all the giving and giving is from the words of Lydia’s favorite Christmas song, “May your best present of all be Jesus! May your best present of all be God’s Son! May your best present of all be the one God gave to you. May your best present of all from Him.”

:: :: ::

Do you have a Top Ten list to share? It can be about anything from Christmas to California rolls, one word or 1000. Just post it on your blog, link it up here and share the love! You can read all the official Top Ten {Tuesday} rules for more info.

{ 13 comments }

Worst Christmas Gift Idea Ever

by oh amanda on December 28, 2009

in christmas,me

My mom has 2 sisters. One lives about 5 minutes from me. The other? About 15 hours. We rarely get to see her and her family. It’s sad because when I was born, all my aunts still lived in Atlanta. And since I was the first grandchild/niece I was quite the center of attention. So, all my aunts have big memories of me, but I have none of them.

Anyway, ten years ago, when Les and I were recently married and still in school and working at the outlet mall (yee-haw!), I had this brainstorm about a Christmas present for my aunt. See, she always sends me a Christmas present. Sometimes it might just be a Lifesaver book and other times it might be a Pampered Chef bowl. Now that I was married I felt like it was time for ME to give HER a gift.

Now, back to my brainstorm. I decided to pick up the first ornament in a series from Hallmark. It’s called COOL DECADE and features an adorable arctic animal posing with an icy-number of the year. It was especially perfect because the year 2000 was such a big deal and so Y2K that everyone had stuff with the 2000 number on it!

Cute, right? And so, I’m set. I have a go-to gift for my long-distance aunt that can be enjoyed by her entire family. So now, every year I pick up the ornament and ship it off. Sometimes I throw some stickers in the box for my cousins, or some candy, or if they are very lucky a Christmas card from us.

But then there was that one year when we moved right during the holidays and I lost the ornament. And I still don’t know to this day if I ever mailed it to her. Then there was that other year (years?) that I sent it out about 2 days before Christmas…and how long DOES she keep her tree up?

Now. It’s 2009. And I’ve been giving her AN ARCTIC ANIMAL WITH AN ICE NUMBER ornament for TEN years. Knowing when the kids see that box in the mail with my return address on it they roll their eyes and say, “Oh, I wonder what that is?” Do they hide the ornaments on the back of the tree?

This year I trek up to Hallmark (which incidently there are NO Hallmarks near my house. Are they having economic issues?) and look for my ornament. Oh, and this Hallmark is in the mall. So, I’m trekking through the MALL with 2 kids to find this ornament. And of course, they don’t have it. Well, they have one. The model. So, I take it. I mean, what if it’s sold out all over the country? What if EVERYONE wants an ARCTIC ANIMAL WITH AN ICE NUMBER ornament on their tree this year?

Asa is screaming, Lydia is asking me questions and the clerk is chatting while I buy my gift. On my way home, I get about 12 phone calls from a number NOT saved in my phone. So, I do NOT answer it. (The phone is for MY convenience. Not YOURS.) They finally decide to leave a message and mysteriously say, “Amanda, this is so-and-so-employee from Hallmark. You’ve left something here.”

Left something? At Hallmark? I look through my wallet: credit card is safe and sound. I look through my Hallmark bag: ornament box and card for Les’ birthday, check! I finally call them back and discover that the lovely cashier (who also told me she was so glad she wasn’t my age anymore because I had a screaming child and a double stroller) FORGOT TO PUT THE ORNAMENT IN THE BOX.

She put the box in the bag. But not the ornament in the box.

“So, can you come back and pick it up?”

Yeah, I’ll just pack up my 2 kids and the double stroller, hop in the car, drive 45 minutes to the mall, cart them into the mall, up to the top floor and into your crowded store to pick up an ornament that YOU FORGOT TO PUT IN THE BOX.

So, 4 days later I finally get back to Hallmark to pick up the ornament. Did they give me a candy cane as an “I’m sorry?” Some extra Gold Crown points? How about a sincere, “I am so sorry. We fired that girl.”? NO. In fact, I felt like I was in trouble for getting an empty box!

I stuck the ornament in my diaper bag and was determined to mail it ASAP. But if you’ve been paying attention at all, I bet you can guess the ending to this story.

Still in the diaper bag. Still in the bag (not box). Not on my aunt’s tree. Not even wrapped in Christmas paper.

I’m sorry I’m such a bad niece, Aunt Laurie. I really do love you!

{ 4 comments }

How to Wrap and Detangle Christmas Lights!

December 28, 2009 tutorial

I know, I’ve posted this at least once on my blog before. I can’t help it. This is by far the best packing up tip ever! If you are a REAL Christmas fan and have a REAL Christmas tree decked out with multiple strands of lights, then you need to know this! All you do [...]

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My New Favorite

December 26, 2009 linky love

Picture :: :: :: Asa in his new orange Nod Chair. Food :: :: :: Leftover Cheeseball from Heaven Activity :: :: :: Sleeping Later Than The Kids (hoping my husband gives this to me as a late Christmas gift) Blu-Ray :: :: :: Season Two of Pushing Daisies (best gift ever!!) Day :: :: [...]

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O Holy Night!

December 25, 2009 me

We sang this song at church last week. And it was like hearing it for the first time. By the time the song was done, I had tears streaming down my face. On this Christmas Day, when you have a second, would you slowly read the words? Pretend you never heard Josh Groban or Nat [...]

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Presents Without Bows Are Just Wrong (A Gift Wrap Bow Tutorial)

December 24, 2009 christmas

In case you’re like me and haven’t wrapped ONE present yet (yes, I know, it’s Christmas Eve!), here’s my favorite way to embellish a gift! I originally published this last year and love it so much I thought I’d share it again! When my dad was growing up, he and his family were very poor. [...]

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