I've got it!

I *finally* decided on a prize for my Thanksgiveaway!!

And I hope you will like it. No. Scratch that. You will like it.

I am giving you options. If I draw your name, you can pick from one of the following:

1. Andean Nation music songs of winter: (cd) It reminds me of New Mexico, where I saw these people performing at a craft show. It is really beautiful music. No words, just a different type of music.

2. Kenny Rogers, The Gift: (cd) with my very favorite Christmas song ever, Mary Did You Know?

And if neither of those interest you, well, then...

3. Tell me your favorite Bath & Body Works scent and I'll send you something!

How is that? I know I mentioned Pampered Chef, but I have always wanted to give away #'s 1 & 2, so.... Trust me. It's a better prize this way! If you really had your heart set on Pampered Chef, we can chat. If you win. Get your entries in! I'm getting responses and I'm loving it. You can enter here, on the original post or email me at mindijo1 @ live . com. If you emailed me and I did not respond, then I did not get your entry. Thank you! As for the rest of you who haven't emailed me, don't be a stick in the mud! Join in, it's fun.

Less is more

As I shared with you before, I've been slowly purging my house.

And it feels. so. good.

Less is more. Less is definitely more.

It does, however, make me feel a little ill about how wasteful we are.

Some things we legitimately used up or grew out of.

But somethings really were a waste of money.

A waste of space in the landfill.

We reused, burned and gave away what we could.

But still.

We need to learn to live on less for so many reasons.

And by "we", I mean society as a whole.

Spending less, leaving less behind.

Waste is, well, wasteful.

Tell me your best tips on spending less and leaving less.

I know that some of you practically have a Masters in living on less whether you need to or not.

And I eat up frugal tidbits like chocolate.

Please share with me.

I'm hungry for more.

Thanks. Gotta go study for my final (yay!!) that is today. (Yikes)

Choices I can live with.

Life is full of choices. (warning: this is going to be a deep post) And if we don't own up to our bad choices, we have a hard time making changes for the better.

Which is why I'm getting bangs. I happened to glance in the mirror the other day and what I saw horrified me. Had I been wearing a dress, people would assume I was Amish. This no bangs, hair pulled back business has got to go. Seriously! I'm making myself look overly mommish. An Amish mom. (Nothing wrong with the Amish. I just don't want to look like one.) And lets face it, bangs are fab. The only thing that could make the whole look better is an infinity scarf and brown or cream leggings for more versatility with my wardrobe. That, and a little black dress to wear on dates with Zane. I mean little. Like I-hope-I-don't-see-any-elders-from-church-when-I-wear-this type dress. That would be fun. The dress, not the elders bit. Oh, and flats that jazz up jeans. I'm thinking red. Or green. Or yellow. Something to add a POP! of color when I run to Kroger. And a big, thick rockstar wrap bracelet that hugs my wrist and doesn't move. I should stop. Otherwise we will be here all day.

I told you this was heavy stuff.

And I still need to talk about my house. You know you want to listen. I've made some important decisions. My remaining kitchen walls will also be painted the same blue as my door wall. Except the wall by the laundry room. That will be covered in chalkboard paint. How fun will that be? We can write notes, quotes, grocery lists, the kids can color pictures, Zane can tell me he loves me, it'll be grand.

And. My laundry room. Remember, you voted on it a while back? I'm not completely feeling the beachy theme, I won't lie. I'll stick with the color pallette (somewhat), but I'm switching it up. I'm thinking gray and white strips. Maybe yellowish stencils on one wall. Kind of a modern look. It'll be perfect. And lots more hooks to hang up coats, backpacks, purses, etc. It'll be grand. You'll love it. I just know it. And if you don't, then go sit on a pin.

So. That's what I've been dreaming of during my homework time. One more week of class and then the final, and that's when the world starts to change. Whaddya think?

Oh. And. I really loves Jack's Salsa. Yummmm. You can really taste the cilantro.

The proof is in the pudding.

The proof that the time I have spent on Pinterest isn't all for naught:

I have a goal to clean 40 areas in my house before Christmas, thanks to the site. The idea is to burn, give away or throw out as much as possible to make more room for what will inevitably find its way into our house, come Christmas. (On account of how perfect my kids are. BWAHAHAHAHA!) I'm actually trying to discard more than they are going to aquire. Up until now, I have 26 unfinished areas to knock off the list. The two most daunting are complete. That would be the toy area in the basement and the boy's room.

It's amazing how he takes the name "pack rat" to whole new heights. And not in a good way. I was already afraid of heights, but this put me over the top. He keeps everything and treasures nothing. Amongst the most peculiar: my bracelet, a jar full of dead fireflies, a bag full of rocks, his friends brother's pants, (I don't get that one, either), a stuffed monkey I have never seen before, (and quite honestly, never will again. heh.) and a million other random thingamajigs. And to think it's not the first time that I have dared to take the plunge and deep clean under his bed and in his closet since we have lived here. My guess is, he'll make an appearance on Hoarding: Buried Alive unless he can snag a minimalist for a wife.

Soooo. That's what I love about right now. A deep-cleaner house with each passing day. And making up words and phrases.

Don't forget to participate in my Thanksgiveaway!!

Oh. And I really love bagels. A lot.

What do you love about right now?

I stumbled upon true beauty via a friend's (Kari) blog. This woman is beautiful, in and out. (You must click on her link at the top of the page that tells you where to start.) I want to be her a little bit.

Somewhere in her blog, she asks her daughter "What do you love about right now?" It's such a small question, but evokes so much happiness. How can you not only see the blessings with those words? Or at least look for them? Whether it's the music of your child's laughter or the stillness of the air outside, there is something beautiful about each moment. If only you choose to see it. Maybe it's "smaller" than whatever pain you might feel, but it's something. During a rough time I find myself doing this, but in my mind I'm telling myself to find the sunshine. Which, might not make sense, because I actually love a rainy day more than anything. It's just that sunshine is more universally equal to happiness. And I don't hate sunshine anyway.

So, what do I love about right now?

*my house is quiet, except for Zane's slow breath of sleep and Kaija's footsteps.

*and the little one with the footsteps found her way to my lap.

*our plans for watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade are made.

*I may not have close family here, but I have really great stand-ins.

*the days aren't as cold as they could be.

*I'm not in the Christmas spirit yet. Maybe I'll enjoy Turkey day this year.

*Yet, I'm almost done with Christmas shopping.

*My sink is full of dishes. It means we have food to fill our bellies. Not everyone does.

*My loves, really, are countless. Big, small.

What do you love about right now?

Haley.com

For Kylee and friends. :)

Kaija-bearsy

She's been a little stinker in her short life. I think for a long time she had a chip on her shoulder about leaving NM and her other mommy. But. She's getting better. Unless you count the fact that she colors all over anything that doesn't run away from her. And then sometimes even the things that can move.

(Just for fun, lets toss in the first day back to school.)

I think the kids all like their teachers, although Logan wouldn't want to admit that out loud.

They were just talking about Mrs. B the other day. We miss her. Give her a hug for us the next time you see her, Ky.

Maddie with her depleted stash. She has a cavity. Surprise! That's it. That's all she has going on. She is still her usual, easy kid to have around.

This is old, but I love it just so much:

And the trick-or-treaters. Bundled up for Halloween in MI.

It's a little different than NM, where you don't have to accommodate for cooler weather.

Haley has had the hardest time adjusting to MI, hands down. She misses her BFF just so much! We all do. Love and hugs.

And Logan. That's a whole story for another day. But he's doing well.

What it is.

Oh, how I love the internet. I just googled my symptoms and found out that I wasn't dying, after all. All of my symptoms fit into one small tidy package. Anemia. Duh. I've dealt with it for years now. As a matter of fact, I have never once been able to donate my blood because of it. Bad blood. Duh, Min-dizz. I've just been so over-the-top tired, but yet I've been a little insomniac-ic. Yes, that is a contradiction, until you sit in my shoes. Maybe it's because of that fatigue that my mind isn't connecting the dots. I'm just sayin'. But they connected! That's what counts, people. I'm going to go in and have it all confirmed with bloodwork, but I think this mystery that's been plaguing me is solved.

Which is, btw, precisely why I have not been exercising lately. It made me feel a little sheepish that immediately following the post where I tried to act all tough, my exercise regimen took a serious nosedive. Okay, it wasn't immediately after. But close enough. I figured I had jinxed myself. Maybe soon I'll be back to burning off those Baby Ruth's from my kids Halloween stash that I call dibs on every year. Then again, maybe I'll just keep them where they land for warmth over the winter. Save some money on the propane bill.

Sooooo, Cheerio. Ooh. Cheerios. Yum. I should go eat some. Totally to prevent high cholesterol, of course. And to save on the propane bill. Where was I going with this? Who knows. I really don't. So I'll stop while I am ahead. If I ever was ahead.

Oh. And. I got to hang out with Gram and her boring banter. It isn't that boring, after all. Oh, how I love the internet.