Katerbug Blue

Tomorrow I’m taking down my Christmas decorations. I’m sitting here looking at my door full of Christmas cards and I have to admit that I’m amazed at just how many picture cards there are this year. I LOVE them! You used to get a Christmas card with a photo in it, but not so much any more.

I have gotten two baptism invitations, a birthday party invite and I’ve even seen photo graduation invitations! I don’t know why I like them so much. But they give me a chance to see the child or children–and it really seems to cut down on the whole “Christmas (Keeping up with the Jones’s) letter” that comes year after year! Me likey!

I have to admit, I’ve never really thought about auto insurance quotes. You know, I go to many sites and input all of my info—and out spit the quotes. I find the smallest one—and off we go with a new policy in hand. THEN…we moved! We no longer live as close to Chicago as we once did and my insurance quotes dropped by $600! SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!!! How is this possible??? Had I just listed my cars as being parked in my in laws suburb years ago I could have saved TWELVE HUNDRED DOLLARS a year! That’s shocking to my very soul! Mind you, that would have been dishonest…and even illegal—but seriously! I lived in Chicago for 6 years…I never had an auto claim….and that’s $7200 that could have been in my pocket! Yeah…..that’ll teach me to run auto quotes on any particular city if we are ever looking to move again!

My husband isn’t bringing home his normal stash of office supplies lately! It’s gotten so bad, that I’ve had to resort to stealing pens from the school supply box. There used to be ball point pens and sharpies everywhere I turned–now, there is nothing. Mind you, I had to confiscate the markers due to little fingers thinking white walls were really great to color on. But when the time comes that you need a pen, and there isn’t one….NOT COOL! So he either needs to kick his purloining back into high gear, or I’m going to have to break down and buy a box of pens the next time I’m in Walmart!

Woo Hoo–a new year brings a new workout routine and nutrition overhaul. I can’t believe it’s been a year, and that I made it! I’m not sure I’ll be changing much, mainly because I’m not usually one for change, and I’m pretty used to my schedule, but I would like to add a nutritional supplement like Stimerex ES or a protein supplement as well. I haven’t decided which will give me what I’m looking for–but I’m looking into either one.

I may try to bump up my “at home” workout time and cut back on the gym time. Most everything I do there, I can do at home—and at a fraction of the cost. All in all–it has been a great year, and I’m healthier for having lived it!

I was laughing today as a friend of mine shared a story about Christmas morning with me. Apparently she got her two daughters those cardboard displays of the two Twilight guys. Well, it turns out in the middle of the night she was heading for a little trip to the loo, when a car came around the corner and back lit the two cutouts in the dark living room. She gasped, yelped and took off running! It wasn’t until her husband came in to check out the scene that she realized what it was. All she saw were two human shapes in the darkness, and she was just sure that they were there to steal Christmas.

When I was younger, my brother worked at the grocery store when Bo Jackson’s book had come out. He knew I was a total Bo fan–and that I had to have the cut out. When the promotion was over, he got to bring it home and surprised me with this “thing”. I was thrilled and put it down in my room against the wall. Every stinking time I walked into my room—-I jumped! My mother would bring in laundry baskets and it got her every time to. Finally I put a towel over his head, and shortly there after he was gone.

As cool as the displays look–they can totally freak you out!

There is a little boy at church who was recently diagnosed with cancer. He is 7 years old, and has tumors in his back, leg and lung. I have to tell you—he is one of my favorite little kids ever! As a church group we are serving this family by providing meals and child care for the younger kids. We’ve taken up collections to get the family some nights in orlando hotels and a few days at Disney. We don’t know what the final prognosis is for this sweet boy—but if there is any chance for miracle—we’ll take it. If not, we want him to have some fabulous outings with his family. And for his family—we’d like to offer some wonderful memories of moments with this beautiful boy!

Are you and your family big gift givers? Do you give practical (needed) gifts? Or do you move more towards the extravagant ones? We have generally tried to purchase items that are normally a little more pricey than we would get as a gift, or just as a regular purchase during the year. One year we redid the back bathroom. Another one we pulled out the upstairs linen closet and tapped into the water lines behind it to give me an upstairs laundry closet with a stackable washer and dryer (my favorite!!!) This year, we are looking at garage flooring. It isn’t that this is too expensive, it just requires a lot of work on our part to clean the garage out enough to take care of it. I’m happy just to paint it—but leave it to the “Man” to want the works!

This is the house we will probably die in—so it’s nice to spend a little more money here and there to make it perfect for us!