The Six of Us

I know that New Year's Resolutions are so predictable.  But I like to do them any way.  So here they are for 2011. 1)  Pay off all medical and credit card bills ( That way I can tackle the student loans once I graduate) 2) Get organized with the help of Flylady. (We did super well the beginning of the year but being in survival mode starting in June changed that) 3) Drink more water ( 8-10 glasses) 4) Eat more salad (one a day) 5) Laugh more ( obviously) 6)  Find Peace ( I am sure he is out there somewhere) 7)  Graduate (so I can pay the student loans) 8) Play more (say no more) 9) Read one non-text book a month (turn off the tv more) 10) Complete our wills. (We have struggled with this one because of the question of who to leave our children with I think we have finally resolved that issue) Here is to a great 2011.  Okay there are other more specific goals but this is just an overview.  Plus I like to break down my goals, yearly, monthly, weekly and daily.

So after pulling credit reports last night and totalling student loans ( the number was more then scary) I have decided to start getting creative in making some extra money.So I am selling books on line.  Not sure how it will work but I am thinking it is worth a shot.   Not only am I hoping that it will make a few dollars but it will give me some book case space to buy new books.  I love books.  But we are running out of space. Maybe one day we will have a house big enough to have a study/library but this just isn't the time in our lives for that.   One of my goals for 2011 is to pay off Lee's medical bills as well as our credit cards. It is a huge undertaking for sure. In addition,  I have some other ideas for making money as well but I am not sure if I have the time I need to really give it a try.  So for now I am shipping off a box of textbooks and listing others online.  If it works I am going to start selling more.  If doesn't work I will send the rest to good will. 

I came up north to celebrate Christmas kicking and screaming.  I love love my husband's parents but I wanted to spend Christmas morning with my children in my own house.  My compromise was to drive up Christmas morning and have dinner and spend a few days.  This is the eleventh Christmas I have been married and only the third Christmas we have spend with his family.  My compromise got vetoed and Lee and the children have been here since the 22nd and will come home the 30th.  I drove up the 23rd and will be heading home tomorrow.  Coming here was a great decision.  The children have been playing non-stop with cousins and there has been good company and good food.  Plus it forced me to be prepared for the holiday.  There was no last minute shopping. My in-laws live in the middle of nowhere it is at least a 90 minute drive to a town that has Walmart and two and a half hours to the nearest Target and Fred Meyer which is where I normally shop.    Besides we cut way back this year.  The

I am so grateful for our friends lately.  We have been amazingly blessed. We have several times in the past few months where we have needed some help. It was our friends who came through with out question.  I have been annoyed with some family members due to some things that have gone on. Through it all our friends have been there to listen to laugh with us to cry with us.  Lee and the kids headed North today.  Because I am oncall I had to stay here and will be heading up tomorrow. The whole day has made me notice how entitled some people are. Lee had an interview and we found out today that he didn't get the job. It has all been so frustrating.   I did well this semester and I feel pretty stress free about Christmas.  A nice relaxing weekend in the snow sounds good to me.

I love the end of the semester.  I feel like I accomplished something.  That I am now 13 weeks closer to a degree.  School goes back on the 6th but due to me being in Seattle I won't start back to school until the following week.  So I have four weeks to get the house clean, spend four days up North, and read and work out..  I am now "blogging for books".  So far so good.  I love to read but can't always justify spending the money on the books.  I am planning on getting two books read and blogged before the semester starts.  Lee's brother is coming into town Monday and then they are leaving Wednesday for Lee's parents' house.  I will drive up on the 23rd with Lee's cousin and back home on the 26th.  Lee and the kids will get to stay almost until the new year.  But I am not sure if they will stay that long.  They may miss me and want to come home sooner. ;) I am looking forward to Christmas in Kamiah despite the logistics of the whole thing. Dragging

I read Chazown by Craig Groeschel.  I loved this book. It was just what I needed to read at this moment in my life.  I felt as though I had been losing direction between school and work.  The author writes about how we all have our own legacy to leave. We must find out what that legacy is because for each person it is different. I have heard often that being a social worker is a calling. We must each find our own calling.  Great book. I was given this book for free fromthe publisher.