100 Questions Nobody Ever Asks

Well, the plan was for me to stay up late and work on Jack and Daisy's room (which has to be done by next Sunday or there's going to be some serious repercussions), but Jack is playing hard to get with the sandman, so I thought I would do this meme I found on SNP's blog. But I saw that it was actually longer, and I think memes are kind of fun, so I tracked down the whole list. Here goes:

1:Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?

      Closed, although Nick's (we each have one) has one door that refuses to stay shut unless there's a door stop in front of it. It's one of those random things that you need to fix around the house but never seem to remember when you're at the hardware store.

2:Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?

It's a pretty rare thing for us to stay at a hotel, but if we do, pretty much always. I figure that's part of what you're paying for with the room rate. I don't raid the maid's cart or anything though -  I just take those that are put out for us. 

3:Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?
Well, the fitted sheet is tucked of course, but the top sheet is not. One a side note, I do make the bed nearly every day. I never bothered with it when we first got married, but I started doing it just as an act of respect and caring some time after we started DD. Now I do it even when Nick has to be away overnight just because I love how it feels to slide into a made up bed.

4:Have you ever stolen a street sign before?
 No, but Nick took a couple in high school. In fact, they're hanging in our garage (not sure what else to do with them - it's not like you can just drop them off at the county dump).

5:Do you like to use post-it notes?

  Not as much as I used to. When I worked in a call center I used them like crazy, and I was forever picking up cute ones at Target. I even made quite a bit of origami out of them, but I don't really have much need for them now. We do keep some around the house though, and I will occasionally leave one on the bathroom mirror or inside the front door for Nick to see before he leaves in the morning.

6:Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?

Sometimes. I'm not a hard core couponer by any means, but I do try to use them when I can. And I never, EVER go to the Michael's, Joann's, or Hobby Lobby without one.

7:Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees?
 I'd have to go with bees. I'm not allergic to bees, but I am a super lame runner, and I can't see me surviving a bear attack.

8:Do you have freckles?

Not really. My arms are a little freckled. Morgan on the other hand has quite a few and she hates them (although I think they're adorable).

9:Do you always smile for pictures?
I generally try to avoid being in pictures, but I smile for them if I can't dodge them.

10:What is your biggest pet peeve?
Super slow drivers. And people who talk on their cell phones in a public restroom. And people who take the bathroom stall right beside me when the rest of the row is free. Basically don't invade my space in the ladies room.

11:Do you ever count your steps when you walk?
I do, probably when I don't even realize I'm doing it. I'm a little OCD.

12:Have you ever peed in the woods?
A time or two when camping, but I hate it and will do almost anything to avoid it.

13:What about pooped in the woods?
Um, no.

14:Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing?
Sometimes to make Jack or Daisy laugh. Daisy has just about gotten potty training down in the last week, and I've done quite a few happy dances for her. :)

15:Do you chew your pens and pencils?
No

16:How many people have you slept with this week?

This week two, counting Jack. It's usually three though, because Daisy comes and crawls in bed with me and Jack after Nick and Morgan have left for work and school.

17:What size is your bed?

King, and I love it!

18:What is your Song of the week?
None really, although I can't get the theme song to Psych out of my head.

19:Is it okay for guys to wear pink?
I think so, but Nick rarely agrees.

20:Do you still watch cartoons?
As a mom of three kids, all the dang time!

21:Whats your least favorite movie?
Hmm, Bringing Out the Dead, was pretty awful. And Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

22:Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?
Wouldn't you like to know!

23:What do you drink with dinner?
Almost always sweet tea, although sometimes milk, and if we happen to go out, usually Coke.

24:What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
McDonald's Hot Mustard or Sweet and Sour Sauce, or if I'm at Chik-Fil-A (which I prefer), Polynesian Sauce.

25:What is your favorite food?
Well, my dream birthday menu would be Chik-Fil-A chicken minis for breakfast, Jet's 8 Corner Pepperoni Pizza with Turbo Crust for lunch, and The Chop House's Prime Rib Sandwich with Spinach Maria and blackberry cobbler for dessert for dinner. And maybe a slice of Godiva chocolate cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory thrown in there somewhere.

26:What movies could you watch over and over and still love?
The Notebook, The Hunger Games, Office Space, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

27:Last person you kissed/kissed you?
Jack

28:Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
Nope

29:Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?
Nope

30:When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
I wrote an absence excuse for Morgan to take to school a couple of weeks ago, but that probably doesn't count. I used to write Nick letters a few years ago when it was harder for me to have a face to face conversation about DD, but it's been a while since I've done that. The last letter I wrote and mailed was probably 10 years ago to my friend Ann.

31:Can you change the oil on a car?
Nope, but I was smart enough to marry a mechanic!

32:Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
A few times.

33:Ever ran out of gas?
A time or two.

34:Favorite kind of sandwich?
Prime rib, or less expensively ham and Swiss on light bread with mustard and a little honey.

35:Best thing to eat for breakfast?
Chik-Fil-A chicken minis.

36:What is your usual bedtime?
It's supposed to be no later than 2, and I'm allowed to read or play on my Kindle for a little while longer. But sometimes it depends on when I can get Jack to go down.

37:Are you lazy?
I'm afraid so, although I try hard to not give in to it.

38:When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?
One year a witch and one year Lucy from the Peanuts (with one of those cheesy plastic masks held on by a piece of elastic). Other than that, I don't think I got to dress up much because my parents weren't big on Halloween.

39:What is your Chinese astrological sign?
The Snake - I had to look it up.

40:How many languages can you speak?
English. That is all, unless you count my fluency in toddler and Dora the Explorer.

41:Do you have any magazine subscriptions?
About 6, although I seriously never have time to read any of them. I got a bunch free through Recyclebank, but I end up giving them mostly to my mother-in-law for her beauty shop waiting area.

42:Which are better legos or lincoln logs?
That's a tough one! I'd have to go with Legos though.

43:Are you stubborn?
Little bit.

44:Who is better…Leno or Letterman?
Conan O'Brien and Craig Ferguson. Not a huge fan of Leno or Letterman.

45:Ever watch soap operas?
Nope

46:Are you afraid of heights?
Kind of. I like being up really high but am terrified at the same time.

47:Do you sing in the car?
When I put music on yes!

48:Do you sing in the shower?
Rarely, although I used to. Not sure why I stopped.

49:Do you dance in the car?
Not often but sometimes

50:Ever used a gun?
Yes

51:Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?
At Nick's work Christmas party in December.

52:Do you think musicals are cheesy?
Yes, but I not so secretly love them. Glee is our Thursday night guilty pleasure.

53:Is Christmas stressful?
Terribly so, which I hate. I spend so much time trying to make everything so that we can afford gifts for everyone that it just wears me out. I need to find a better balance, because it's truly my favorite holiday.

54:Ever eat a pierogi?
Yes

55:Favorite type of fruit pie?
Blackberry.

56:Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?
Mostly just a stay at home mom. Oh look!

57:Do you believe in ghosts?
No, but I believe in demons and angels.

58:Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?
Yes

59:Take a vitamin daily?
No, but I need to.

60:Wear slippers?
No, but I wear flip flops pretty much all the time at home.

61:Wear a bath robe?
No

62:What do you wear to bed?
Usually a t-shirt and panties, sometimes just panties.

63:First concert?
Metallica

64: Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart?
Wal-Mart for necessities, Target just for me.

65:Nike or Adidas?
Nike

66:Cheetos Or Fritos?
Cheetos

67:Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?
Sunflower seeds

68:Ever hear of the group Tres Bien?
Can’t say I have

69:Ever take dance lessons?
No

70:Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?
Nope, I plan on keeping the spouse I've got!

71:Can you curl your tongue?
Yes

72:Ever won a spelling bee?
Yes

73:Have you ever cried because you were so happy?
Yes

74:Own any record albums?
I have a couple in my craft closet, but they're for projects.

75:Own a record player?
No, but we used to.

76:Regularly burn incense?
No but I used to.

77:Ever been in love?
Yep

78:Who would you like to see in concert?
Pink, My Chemical Romance, The Avett Brothers

79:What was the last concert you saw?
Sick Puppies I think.

80:Hot tea or cold tea?
Ice tea

81:Tea or coffee?
Tea

82:Sugar or snickerdoodles?
Snickerdoodles

83:Can you swim well?
Enough to keep from drowning, but I wouldn't say I'm a strong swimmer.

84:Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?
Yes

85:Are you patient?
Not very, unless it's with little kids.

86:DJ or band, at a wedding?
DJ

87:Ever won a contest?
Yes, a few.

88:Ever have plastic surgery?
No

89:Which are better black or green olives?
Black, but I like them both.

90:Can you knit or crochet?
I can knit on a round loom. I used to be able to crochet a little.

91:Best room for a fireplace?
Living room

92:Do you want to get married?
I used to, so I did!

93:If married, how long have you been married?
Almost 15 years.

94:Who was your HS crush?
A bunch of guys who weren't worth it.

95:Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?
Nope. You can imagine what that would get me.

96:Do you have kids?
Yes

97:Do you want kids?
I sure do, and it's a good thing too!

98:Whats your favorite color?
Pink

99:Do you miss anyone right now?
My friend Ann

100: Something that happened in the Middle School:
I can't remember back that far!

Blessings (and a spanking)

Hello, everyone. Did everyone have a nice Valentine's Day? Ours was low key but nice. Our cable remote had been dying on us for a while (not a battery issue), and Nick had been wanting me to pick up a new one. So I ran out and got one and had it waiting for him with a big bow on it. Other than that we just let the TV and the Kindle be our Valentine's gifts (not that we normally go anywhere near that big). 

Today was full of blessings. Morgan had the day off from school (President's Day), so it was nice to have her home. Nick had to work, but they had a productive day, which was good. I was working on laundry when I noticed that our washing machine had quit too early. I opened it up and saw that it wasn't draining. I kind of freaked out a little, because isn't that always the way - you buy a new TV and something like your washing machine tears up? I got online and tried to research the problem, but it quickly became clear that any solution was beyond my skill level. I called my dad, who has wrestled with his share of washing machines over the years. He came down to give it a look and was fortunately able to fix it with what we had on hand.

Some really exciting news came from Nick. Kate texted him today to let him know she had shipped us a car seat for Jack along with my Christmas gift. About six months ago when Kate came in for Kelly's baby shower she told me that she was going to give us the car seat she had brought with her to use for Maddox while they were in. Apparently it was an extra, and I was really excited about it. Not only would that eliminate an upcoming expense for us (buying a new one for when he outgrows his infant one), but it was a super nice one too, a Britax, which is about $200 out of our price range. Unfortunately it didn't work out for us to follow her to the airport when they left, so she had to take it back with her. Nothing else was ever said about it, so I assumed we would be buying our own.

But the Christmas gift news is what has me really excited. Right after Christmas Kate called Nick and told him that they had been planning to buy me a new laptop. But when Will went to order it (off Home Shopping Network I think), they refused to ship it anywhere other than his address, so he just cancelled the order entirely. She told Nick that they had a practically new Macbook that they ended up not using once they bought it (can you imagine being able to spend that kind of money for something you don't need and probably won't use?), and that they might send me that instead. 

But it's been nearly two months since Christmas now, and I had honestly given up hope of getting anything. I have to admit, I got pretty excited about the idea of a replacement for my poor, limping along laptop, so it was pretty disappointing to watch the weeks go by with no mention of it. But I just assumed that they had decided that with Nick's bike (which was an impulse buy for Will) they had spent enough on our family for Christmas. And they really, really had, and it was thrilling for me to see Nick get such an awesome Christmas for once. But....I confess to being a little hurt, mainly because very nearly everything we gave them was handmade by me. I put a lot of love and work into their (and everyone else's) Christmas, and it wasn't to get anything back, but I did feel a little...forgotten.

Anyway, they're sending the Macbook, my very first one, and I'm so excited!

I got punished last night for the laundry issue I mentioned the other day as well as the generally chaotic state of the house right now. With the girls asleep and Jack entrenched with a bottle of milk and Yo Gabba Gabba larger than life on the new TV, he took me upstairs to deal with me. He rummaged around in the chest at the foot of our bed and finally chose the Patty Paddle from Cane-iac. He then gave me a very stern talking to for the better part of an hour, followed by a spanking that was much more merciful than I deserved. I was teary before the first swat landed, which I think is probably why he let me keep my jeans and panties up and only gave me 20 licks. 

Today I was better focused, and I got more than usual done, even with the time out to deal with the washing machine. Anyway, Jack's almost asleep, so I'll say goodnight.

Happy Valentine's Day!

So how has everyone been? Things have been going well here. We got our income tax return in, and I'm happy to report that we are all caught up on our bills! We even had enough left over to get a new TV, something that Nick was fairly desperate for. Three years ago for Christmas my parents bought us a TV. It wasn't a very big one as far as they go, but it was our first flat screen, and we were beyond thrilled with it. I wouldn't say we're glued to the television by any means, but we watch our fair share, and Nick and I have a few shows that we really enjoy together. And he's not so secretly addicted to cheesy 80's/90's movies. On Sunday afternoons after church I take a nap and he stretches out on the couch and finds something featuring Steven Seagal or an unlikely plan for a bank heist. So a few weeks ago when our TV suddenly went on the fritz, Nick was pretty devastated. The bottom half started out flickering, then quickly  got worse. Soon it was almost impossible to watch (although it didn't seem to diminish Jack's enjoyment of Yo Gabba Gabba lol). 

On Friday Daisy, Jack, and I went and had lunch with Nick, then we all went to pick out the TV. He went back the next day to buy it. It's quite a bit bigger than our last one, and he's been positively giddy with it. So much so that when we had to go back to Best Buy Sunday to get a wall mount, he bought me a Kindle Fire HD! I'm so in love with it, and I've been having so much fun finding free books to download on Amazon!

Monday I took Morgan to the eye doctor. She's worn glasses since she was eight, and she's been pestering us for contacts the whole time. Nick and I have always put her off because we felt she was too young and immature for them. But we recently found out that she needs braces (another expense we'll be trusting God for!), and she was devastated by the idea of being the girl with glasses AND braces. She'll be twelve in a couple of months (!), and she really has been responsible with her glasses for the last year, so we decided to see if her doctor thought it was time. He was on board with it, presuming she follows his directions religiously, and we go next week to pick them up. She's thrilled and can't wait. Sigh...I suppose letting her shave her legs is next.

My in-laws watched Daisy and Jack all day for me about a week and a half ago while Morgan was in school, and I got their room almost done. Unfortunately all three kids and myself got sick the next day, so I still have some to get done on it. It's crazy how fast the house gets out of shape when I'm down for a few days. I'm not going to pretend that it's ever immaculate, but I'm definitely playing catch up right now. In fact, Nick has promised a punishment over a pile of clean laundry he's asked me to take care of for three days. I've gotten most of it done tonight, but it seems to be a case of too little, too late.

Anyway, Jack's finally gone to sleep, so I'm going to wrap things up. I've got a couple of product reviews coming up next. Good night, all!

Tax time

So it's been a day or two since I posted. Things are good here. God has been blessing us and providing as always. I'm not going to lie - money has been CRAZY tight. Winter in general is always a little pinched just because work slows down at my husband's commission based job. And with Christmas and New Year's Day his check(s) for those weeks always take a hit because they get a flat amount for the day that is always smaller than they would have made on a normal day. 

Winter 2011-12 had some unexpected blessings. In late 2011 Nick and I shot a wedding together, which was $1200. Also in late 2011 Nick totaled his car, which was paid off, and we got an unexpectedly large check from the insurance for it. And when I was in the hospital, one of my very favorite blogger friends sent us a Christmas card with some surprise cash inside, right when we needed it (she was one of my very favorite bloggers even before that ;)). Then, when we filed our income taxes for 2011, we got back a nice tax refund. And just a few weeks after that we unexpectedly got some extra money back from our home insurance on our roof replacement.

But Winter 2012-13 has been harder than most, and certainly harder than last winter. To start with, his pay for the year was almost $5,000 less in 2012 than in 2011, just due to the available work. Most of that shortage was the last quarter of 2012. This was also the first year since we went to one income that Kate and Will didn't send us a nice big check for Christmas. Not, of course, that they owed it to us or anything, but let's be real, it always really helped, and we definitely felt the lack of it this year. And of course we've had an extra person to feed, clothe, and diaper this year.

All of these things combined to take us to the point where we've not just been struggling to keep everything less than 30 days past due, but occasionally writing a check we couldn't cover, because the bill had to be paid and letting the bank's overdraft protection kick in, something we HATE doing. That said, we've  certainly not gone hungry, and many times, just when we didn't know what to do, God has sent just what we needed, whether it was a sudden request for Nick to work on someone's car, or a sale in my Etsy shop, or a photography client buying a larger CD than they originally planned to, or my mom slipping me $20 for gas at church, or my parents showing up with a pack of toilet paper, a gallon of milk, and a bag of oranges for my fruit-loving girls. Just this Sunday we had a Praise Night at church followed by a chili dinner, and all of the leftover chili was sent home with us. We ate it for 3 days, and I still had a gallon of it left to stick in the freezer today. And in the last 2 weeks we've sold 4 things we had listed on Craigslist, one of which we'd listed several times in the last couple of years with no interest. 

I had just come to the conclusion that while last year God was teaching us all about how He could move in BIG ways, this year's lesson was all about trusting Him on the thin edge of no other options, and we wouldn't be getting any "big" blessings. Then I filed our income tax tonight. Income tax time has always been the time when we caught up on anything we were running behind on, as well as took care of things like new glasses, dental work, replacing worn out shoes, etc. And if we had anything left, we could buy something big, like my camera, or our living room furniture.

This year though we were honestly just hoping that we would get back enough to pay my parents back what we owe them, and we were kind of afraid we might actually have pay something. See, we've always set our paychecks up so that we didn't claim any dependents all year so that we got more back at tax time. One year I messed up and claimed 3 people (me, Nick, and Morgan), and we ended up having to pay about $100 that year when we filed. So since then we've always tried to not take the deductions throughout the year.

When Jack was born on January 2 we joked that if he could have just shown up a couple of days sooner we could have gotten a nicer tax return, although truthfully we were glad for him to have the extra couple of days inside. But we were almost giddy thinking of what an awesome tax return we would have with 3 kids this year. Much to our dismay though, we quickly found that we could no longer pay our bills on the amount Nick was bringing home after taxes, so with a sense of mourning for our much anticipated tax return, he reluctantly adjusted his withholding to reflect all of our dependents. 

Tonight Nick brought home the last document we needed to file, and I took a deep breath and decided to get it over with. Much to our amazement and relief, we'll be getting back almost as much as we got last year! I just want to thank God for the little blessings AND the BIG ones!

Spam and spankings

Okay, first of all, about the word verification. I've gone back and forth with it over the years. It's no question that it's a huge pain in the butt. I honestly hate it as much as you do. But when it's not on there there are floods of spam comments. FLOODS. Now they don't generally show up on here because Blogger's spam filter is pretty good, but they do overrun my email inbox. 

All that said, I don't want to discourage comments, so for now at least I'm going to try comment moderation on some posts instead. Hopefully it will discourage all but the first comment per spammer per day.

Anyway, enough about that. I finally got that spanking Thursday night. The stars aligned, and the kids were all three asleep at a decent hour. Nick took me upstairs, taking his belt off as we went. I really had to pee, so he let me go to the bathroom. When I came out he was lying on the bed, so I crawled up beside him. He held me a little while, and talked to me about why he feels that it's important that I be in bed at a decent hour. He told me that he understands that I need some time alone after all the kids are in bed, and that he wants me to have that. But as a family we need to be able to function on somewhat of a cohesive schedule, and if we can get everybody on the right schedule, then that free time is going to be there for me. And he's right, of course, and I do appreciate him being the voice of reason when I just want to stay up all night and play on Pinterest.

He really did cut me a break on the spanking, mostly because it had taken a few days for us to get to it and I had really been trying to get to bed on time for the least few days. He spanked hard, but I only got about 25 licks, and he let me keep my jeans on. After it was over he held me again for a while, and we talked about some of the things we'd like to see happen this year as far as schedule and organization. 

I'm glad to have it behind me, but I do want to say how much I appreciate him following through with me. He's really been there for me lately with DD, and it just makes me feel so very loved.

Followers

I had a comment earlier from an early blog reader who had lost my blog and just re-found it asking why there was no easy way to follow my blog. At one time I did have the followers widget up, but I took it down when I started to take the blog dormant a few months ago and never put it back up. Well, I started to put it back up tonight, but I ran into something that I need some reader advice on. 

Obviously, because this is a DD blog, a good portion of my followers are going to be interested in spanking. Because of that, maybe half of them have a profile picture featuring a bare bottom. Now if you are one of those people, that's totally your prerogative, and I'm not judging you at all. But the thing is, I make it a point not to feature any nudity on this blog, even on the sidebar. That was not always the case (although I always tried to not have anything gratuitous), but several years ago God really got hold of me about the content I put out there, and I changed some of the things I posted and featured. Beyond that, my brother (and pastor!) has the link to this blog, and I wouldn't want him popping in to see anyone's naked butt.

So here's my dilemma - I'm glad to have followers, but I need to not have everyone's profile picture appear on my sidebar. I've done some quick research to try to figure out how to create a text only Follow Me link, but so far I've not found a way. For now I'm just going to do without the widget, and I know that at the very least you can add me as a subscription in your Google Reader or (should be) any other reader you use with just the blog URL. But if anyone can come up with the correct HTML for me to add a text only Follow Me link, that would be great. Thanks!

Oh, and I got that spanking, but it's bedtime, so I'll tell you about it later!

Just checking in...

Hey, guys. Not a whole lot going on here - just checking in. We're getting settled into the new year. Morgan went back to school today. It was a busy Christmas break; her best friend next door spent the night 4 or 5 times, and she spent the night over there once. Also, her best friend from her old school spent the night here on Friday, and she and Daisy spent the night with my parents one night last week. 

Jack's first birthday was last Wednesday. I really wanted to do a party for him, like I did for Morgan's and Daisy's first birthdays, but it just wasn't in the budget this year. But my mom got him a cake and bought some ice cream, and we had that after church that night, so that was nice.

It's my intention to establish some better eating/exercising habits this year. I'd love to join a gym; Nick belongs to one and goes almost every day on his lunch break. Unfortunately we've not had the money to add me as of yet. 

I'm also trying (without great success) to get myself in bed earlier. In fact, I'm supposed to be spanked for ignoring my curfew a couple of nights last week, although it hasn't happened yet. I thought he was actually going to let it slide, but he says he still plans to do it. He got a new belt for Christmas, and I think he plans to take the opportunity to break it in. Jack has gotten his days and nights flipped, so that's made it difficult to find time alone.

I had a photo shoot yesterday, which helped tremendously money-wise. It wasn't a huge payout for the sitting fee, but it did get us diapers and gas, which were our two most urgent needs.

Anyway, I'm off to work on the house - Happy New Year!

An Anniversary...

Today marks the nine year anniversary of the day Nick agreed to try domestic discipline in our marriage. It was 15 years ago that he first spanked me for fun. I know it's not always been a smooth ride, but I really appreciate you sticking with me, Babe. Love you!

New Year's Meme 4

I've done this meme 3 years previously, and I always enjoy it, so here it is for this year:

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?  I gave birth to a baby boy, I took part in a craft show, and I vacationed at a 5 star resort to name a few!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? We wanted to get a bit more organized, and we had some small success at that, although we could have done better. I have to give a shout out to Nick who resolved to lose weight and get healthier, and he's done phenomenally well at that. I know that his resolution is to continue with that, and it's my plan to work toward the same thing myself. I do also want to get the house in really good organizational shape, and just do better at housekeeping in general.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Me! Me! And my sister-in-law Kelly.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Nick's grandfather and my uncle passed away a day apart this month.

5. What countries did you visit? Just this one.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? A bigger house! And if we're dreaming, a new HE washer and dryer, as well as a new laptop, Photoshop, Lightroom, and a decent lighting setup. Oh, and a new camera bag! :)

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? January 2, the day Jack was born, January 13, the day we brought him home, and October 10, the day Logan was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Bringing a healthy baby into the world, although really that was God's accomplishment, not mine. Also, moderate success at my first craft show, and getting all the Christmas gifts done and delivered on time!

9. What was your biggest failure? Oh, this is terribly embarrassing, but Jack's room is still kind of a storage area.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing major. I did get a little sick in August. And with running back and forth to the hospital and playing catch up with Morgan and Daisy I didn't really give myself time to recover from Jack's birth, and I got pretty run down in January.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Well, we love our Samsung Infuse phones we got back in January, but since they were free with our contract renewal, I don't know if that counts. I bought a Lightscoop, for my camera, which I really love. I also got a dual temp glue gun and a wood burning tool to cut ribbon, and both of those have really revolutionized my crafting.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Nick has worked so hard at exercising and losing weight, and I'm so proud of him! Morgan and Daisy have also done wonderfully with their new baby brother. :)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? My friend Elizabeth's ex-husband, along with his girlfriend (also an old friend of ours) pulled some pretty dirty tricks to try to get full custody of his and Elizabeth's kids, although he later had a change of heart. I also recently found out that Morgan's old soccer coach cheated on his wife of 12 years. Less personally, the story of Sandy Hook Elementary was heartbreaking, and I can't even begin to understand the young man responsible.

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, diapers, formula.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The birth of our son, and our trip to Sea Island, Ga.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012? "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. Morgan wore us out on anything One Direction, but Daisy sings this particular song all the time, and it is So. Stinking. Cute.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? Probably happier - money is tighter, but I'm not in the hospital. :) b) thinner or fatter? I'm going to have to say thinner since I had a baby inside me this time last year! c) richer or poorer? Definitely poorer, since we had just gotten a nice big Christmas check from Kate and Will this time last year.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Creating

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? aimless online surfing.

20. How did you spend Christmas? With family, eating, opening gifts.

21. Did you fall in love in 2012? Yes, with my husband, my daughters, and my son!

22. What was your favorite TV program? Sons of Anarchy, Criminal Minds, Glee, Haven

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nah

24. What was the best book you read? I've actually not gotten to read very much this year, which is a lifetime first for me.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? I'm afraid I don't have an answer to this one. 

26. What did you want and get? A healthy baby boy!

27. What did you want and not get? A bigger house, a new laptop.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? The Hunger Games (which was awesome, but come to think of it, I think was the only movie we saw in the theater all year).

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 35, and I stayed home and watched Jack and Daisy. That evening we went to church, and Nick took us all out to eat afterwards.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? More money? More money certainly would have made it easier, but we were inordinately blessed.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? Same old jeans and cute shirts I'm afraid.

32. What kept you sane? trusting God to take care of us. Also, Nick has shown tremendous spiritual growth over the last year, which has been wonderful for our marriage. He's also made a genuine commitment to leadership in our marriage and disciplining me when I need it in the last few months, and it has helped me tremendously.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Ok, for the last month or so I've been watching The Young Riders on Hulu. When I was 12 and watching this I was all about The Kid, played by Ty Miller. This time around though I'm finding myself much more drawn to James Hickok, played by a 21 year old Josh Brolin. Does it count if it was 23 years in the past?

34. What political issue stirred you the most? I'm more than a little irritated with the continuing health care fiasco.

35. Who did you miss? My friend Ann

36. Who was the best new person you met? Jack!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012. If I focus on doing what God wants me to do, He will take care of everything else.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I can't really think of a good answer for this one. 

It's hard for me to believe the year is almost over. Jack will be one in 4 days. FOUR DAYS! Monday will be our 9 year anniversary with DD, which is a little surreal to me. 6 years ago Nick commemorated the day with a long hard spanking and a firm lecture, not as a punishment, but rather to wipe the slate clean on the year, give me a fresh start, and discuss the things he wanted me to concentrate on and expected me to do. It meant a lot to me, and part of me would really like for him to do it again, although I'm also very aware that you should be careful what you wish for!

'Tis the season to...breathe

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday. 

Morgan's school didn't let out till Friday, and Nick had to work a half day on Christmas Eve, so it was a little hectic. It's been really, really tight money-wise, which has added to the stress. Saturday Nick did some work on my brother's car and made $60, which literally kept our lights on for a few more days. We're praying it will hold them off till Friday at least. For the last 3 years Kate and Will have written us a very nice check for Christmas, and it's allowed us to catch up on the bills that are inevitably running us down by the end of the year. This year they did not do that, which is of course absolutely their prerogative and totally fine, but I do admit that we were hoping they would. But that just means that God has another plan for provision.

Not that Kate and Will didn't absolutely spoil everyone for Christmas. Morgan got a bunch of clothes, a One Direction poster, a Smash Book, and a $150 Itunes gift card from them. Jack got a bunch of clothes and a couple of pairs of shoes. Daisy got a bunch of clothes, a couple of pairs of shoes, and an iPad mini. (You might remember they got Morgan an iPad 2 for Christmas last year). Nick got a VERY nice road bicycle, custom fit for him, all the necessary accessories like helmet, shoes, riding shorts, etc., along with some workout clothes, Titleist golf balls, water bottles, socks, and pajama pants. They didn't actually get me anything yet, although they said that they did order something, but there was a problem with the order, and they'll send something after Christmas. 

Nick's dad and stepmom got clothes for all the kids and Nick and shoes for Jack and Daisy. They also bought Jack a couple of toys, Morgan a magazine about One Direction, and Daisy a toy horse. They got me a storage box and a storage bag for some of my craft supplies. Kelly and Grant got Morgan a purse with some stuff in it, Jack and Daisy both some clothes, Jack a little soft taggie baby toy that Kelly made, Nick some dress clothes, and me a measuring cup, some cookies, a calligraphy set, and a bleach pen (to craft with).

My parents got Daisy a VTech Innotab tablet, a Vtech kids laptop, a doll, some sort of mini doll set, and a bean bag toss toy. Morgan got a One Direction video, a One Direction calendar (are you sensing a them with her gifts this year?), a Wii game, and a Crayola airbrush toy. Jack got clothes and a couple of baby toys. Nick got some work out clothes, a shirt, some pajamas, and a shop vac. I got a couple of purses, a little tool kit, a single serve brownie pan with a brownie mix, and a little clock made like a sewing machine. 

James got Nick a leg lamp, me a $30 McKay's gift card (score!), Morgan some glitter tattoos and a light up pillow, Daisy some kid craft stamps and a flower alarm clock, and Jack a little ATV style riding toy. Robert and Faith got clothes for Jack and Daisy, a leather journal that Faith handmade for Nick, some coffee and a bottle of olive oil for me, and something, although I can't remember what, for Morgan.

I got Nick some pants, a shirt, a belt, a card game, a watch, some fire starter wafers, and some framed black and white shots I had taken. He got me a very nice pair of sunglasses, although I've had them for a couple of weeks.

Our stuff for the girls was mostly handmade. I made Morgan a hat, a I (heart) 1D pillow (as well as one each for her two best friends), 4 shirts done with freezer paper stenciling, a woven headband in her school colors, a corn bag (like a bean bag, but filled with corn, for heating in the microwave to make a hot pack), several pairs of Shrinky Dink earrings, a leather rose pin, and a Christmas tree pin. I did buy her a One Direction doll and board game, a stuffed animal, and a couple of pairs of pants. I made Daisy a hat, a corn bag, two bracelets and a rose pin, several hair bows, and a matching game. I bought her a doll, a set of LaLaLoopsy mini dolls (her only request), and a stuffed animal. For Jack we had a couple of new stuffed animals and several toys passed on to us by my cousin. Also a little Christmas blankie. 

So as you can see, we had a wonderful Christmas and got way more than we deserve. On Christmas Eve, when I was still neck deep in crafting, I got up to find that Morgan had decided to surprise me by cleaning off the kitchen table. Say, today, that would have been the awesomest thing ever. That day, however, said table was loaded with half finished gifts, and it stopped me in my tracks to see everything loaded off into several different laundry baskets. I did my best to not show it though, and I thanked her profusely for all her help. By the time we had less than an hour to go before we had to be at my parents' house though I was really feeling the added stress of nothing being where I left it, and I found myself getting short with everyone. Nick got my attention and very quietly threatened to take me upstairs and spank me if I didn't get it together. I have to admit, it had the intended result of straightening me right up. 

Anyway, now that it's all over, I intend to take a day or two and just...breathe.   And then I've got to get this house back in shape.

Loss

It's been a rough week. That's probably a bit of an understatement.

The day after my last post, things were going okay. I was just taking a minute to breathe after the chaos of getting ready for the craft sale. A girl who was at the sale messaged me on Facebook and asked if we could meet so she could buy $30 worth of merchandise. And Nick was coming home that night. 

Then about 2:30 the phone rang. It was Nick, and the sound of his voice made my heart jump with fear. 

"What's wrong?"

He couldn't find the words for a second, then, "Papaw just died."

"What? How? Oh, Honey, I'm so sorry! What happened?"

His precious grandfather, the absolute rock of the family, the man who spent last summer mowing yards for 5 different people on his street, the man who should have lived to be 100, was gone of a heart attack. He was on the phone with Sears, trying to find someone who stocked the fish finder he wanted for Christmas when he fell out of his chair and hit his head. Nick's grandmother called the paramedics, and when they came he was both responsive and lucid, clear on the day, the year, the president, all those questions they ask. He didn't, in fact, want to go to the hospital, but they insisted, and thank God they did. He coded in the ambulance and passed away at the hospital, stunning everyone.

Nick's dad and stepmom were at the hospital when he died, but neither they, nor Nick's grandmother got to see him before he passed. Nick's aunt arrived knowing only that he had been up and talking to the paramedics before they took him to the hospital, so it was especially devastating for her to get there to find him gone.

Nick headed home as soon as he got off the phone with me, and I got on the phone with Robert so that he could go be with the family (as Nick's dad's pastor), and my parents to tell them the news. My dad has always been especially fond of Nick's grandfather, and he took the news hard.

When Morgan got home from school I had to break the news to her, and she was heartbroken. There wasn't a whole lot we could do until Nick got back to town, so we went to meet the girl who wanted to buy some of my merchandise. By the time we finished with her, Nick was back, so we met at his grandparents' house to be with the rest of the family.

Kate, Will, and the kids flew in Thursday morning, the one bright spot in the week. We were not going to be able to see them for Christmas, and I feel like this was one last gift his grandfather gave us. 

That afternoon my dad called with the news that my uncle had just passed away. This was not unexpected as he had been hospitalized for most of the last six months, but it was still very sad news, and my heart hurts for my aunt and cousins

Friday we were at Grant and Kelly's house. Nick was checking his Facebook, and he said, "Did you know there was another school shooting?" We'd been so busy with family that we hadn't had any opportunity to get online or turn on the news and had no idea of the tragedy that had befallen Sandy Hook Elementary. Honestly, I tried to go online later on to find out more about the story, but I just couldn't. My heart is already too full of heartbreak, and there's just no room right now for dead children and Christmas gifts that will never be given. That probably makes me sound awful, but I just can't.

Saturday we attended Nick's grandfather's funeral. He was an avid fisherman, and in his honor we each wore on our coats a fishing fly that he hand tied last year. It was a beautiful service, and a comfort to see how many lives he had touched. That night we had a Christmas gathering to attend at my cousin's house. I missed this one last year because I was in the hospital, so it was good to get to be able to be there, but there was a somberness to it for some of us.

Sunday after church we went back to Nick's grandparents' house to spend the afternoon with his grandmother and with Kate, Will, and the kids. I had managed to finish up all of their Christmas gifts, so I sent them home with them, and they seemed to like them all. After they left we stayed with his grandmother for a while and read her the entries people had left in the online guest book for his obituary. 

Monday night we attended my uncle's funeral. Afterwards my dad took us out to dinner, a very rare treat for us these days.

Since then I've been trying to finish up the rest of the Christmas gifts. I'm getting there, slowly but surely. 

Anyway, that was our week. I'm off to bed now.

Priorities

Sorry for the radio silence the last couple of weeks. I've been busy crafting for a trade show I was in tonight. I'd say it was a decent success, even though I only made $68.00. Not that $68.00 is anything to sneeze at - it put gas in my car and will pay for diapers and lunch money, our main concerns this week! I had a number of sales, but mostly of hair accessories and pins, which were pretty small ticket items. Still, I sold about 20 things, which I'm proud of, and I learned a lot for the next show, which will be in the spring.

About a month ago, right after the last time I got spanked in fact, Nick warned me that he didn't want me letting the house go in order to work on Christmas gifts and crafts this year, something that definitely happened before I went into the hospital last year. I did pretty well for a while, but in the last couple of weeks, as the show got closer and closer, I started letting things go. A few days ago he brought it to my attention and told me he was going to spank me for it. It's a rare occasion that a spanking happens on the same night, so I wasn't surprised or offended when it didn't happen right away. Yesterday morning however, I got a text from Nick:

"You're going to get it when I get home...be prepared."

Now that's the first time that's ever happened, and I have to say, it had me nervous and thinking about it all day. If that's what he meant by "be prepared", mission accomplished. What I was not prepared for, however, was the fact that he walked in the door nearly an hour early, right at the time he normally leaves work. There was a church youth group function that he was helping with, and I had kind of assumed that "when I get home" meant when he got home from that. Morgan was across the street at the neighbor's as she usually is around that time, so I said I would call over to let her and her friend know they needed to get ready for the youth event. I reached for the phone, but he stopped me and said, "First we need to go upstairs." Oh. "I thought you meant when you got home after the youth thing tonight..."

"What did I say?" he answered in that no nonsense tone of voice I know better than to argue with. "Yes, sir. May I go get Daisy settled in?" He nodded permission, and I got her occupied in her room with SpongeBob. I trudged upstairs to meet my fate, which came swiftly. He made me bend over the bed and pulled down my jeans and panties. "Please don't," I whimpered, but down they stayed. He opened the lid to the chest and pulled out the Cane-IAC Jr paddle. 

I don't know what my problem was, because I could tell he wasn't actually swinging that hard, but my bottom was instantly on fire. I honestly do try to stay still when I'm getting spanked, but I was dancing and howling from the first swat. So much so that he stopped after the first 11 and pulled out the doggin bat instead, but that lit me up almost as bad. After a few with that he got out a crop, which I was sure was cutting me in two. Next up was the AngelBrat paddle, which I think is what he finished with. I think I got 60 licks in all. 

After he finished he lay back on the bed and let me show him just how sorry I was and what a good girl I could be.

Tonight he's out of town for work, so it's just me and the kids. He'll only be gone until tomorrow night, but I miss him already.