a few things...

jeez, talk about a klepto! I found all NINE of these in my purse today when I cleaned it out. seriously wouldn't surprise me if these businesses start frisking me at the door!

cuties (and I'm not talking about Dermot Mulroney... although he's definitely a hottie) are my addiction right now ...they're super sweet, easy to peel and no seeds! quite possibly the perfect food!

my fuzzy Woolrich jackets have become my adult equivalent of a security blanket. they're so soft and warm -so, so, soooo cozy...I'm almost always wearing either my red or my black one. I need more!

my name is Leafa McBirdie and I'm a Wii-tard. we don't have many games yet but I'm totally diggin on the bowling (my high score is 242... so far.) tennis, golf... omg, I can't believe what a workout these *virtual* sports are... my body aches in places you don't even want to know about.

my entire adult life, I've resisted naps. napping left me cranky rather than refreshed so it wasn't worth the trade off -tired is better than cranky any day! recently though, I've been hitting a wall in the afternoons, can't focus on what I'm doing ...I'm just a zombie. one day last week I decided I'd just lay down and rest... not nap... rest. well, I fell asleep and the coolest thing happened... I didn't wake up in a pissy mood! naturally, the next day, I had to test it out and I was fine, so the day after that I figured I should try it again, you know, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke ...you see where this is going, right? I've discovered that it wasn't the nap that was the problem it was the length of time I was sleeping... heaven help me, I have become a napper!

tru dat

I came across a quote today that really hit home:

"Your future happiness may well depend on your ability to leave the past behind." -unknown

...if only it were that easy to dump our baggage and move on.

one little word: MANAGE

With the arrival of another new year, inevitably, comes a rush of resolutions; ideas involving things I want to accomplish/change/aspire to within my life... and so, in my quest for change and instant gratification I (also inevitably) end up setting unrealistic goals for myself, biting off more than I can chew and, before I know it, those resoloutions are nothing but a teeeny tiny dot in the rear view of my daily grind. That said, I've decided that all that resolution crap is for the birds. I've adopted a new approach to making changes in my life and it's all based on a shockingly simple concept by uber creative scrapbooker Ali Edwards.

Within her *One Little Word* project AE explains how, by examining and identifying what we really want, we can enrich many aspects of our lives; about simplifying the thought process and finding a single word that sums up our ultimate goal, and then using that word to reflect upon and use as a guide to help us tackle our challenges.

My word for 2009 is: Manage.

• I want to learn how to manage all the different aspects of my life so that I don't always feel so overwhelmed and scattered.

• I want to manage my family life better and make a concentrated effort for each of them to know how important they are to me and how much I value my time with them. I hope to encourage stronger bonds between them and nurture their sense of family.

• I want to manage my finances better so I can get rid of the stress of wondering if there's enough in my checking account to cover our expenses on a month to month basis. I don't want to pay overdraft charges or late fees any more.

• I want to manage my home better so that my family feels proud of what they come home to and we can welcome friends graciously and without trepidation.

• I want to manage my time better so that I don't always feel like I'm playing catch up. I need to learn how to pace myself and plan accordingly. With better time management, I'm hoping to be able to dedicate some of the *bonus* time I'm left with, to doing things to enrich myself.

My ultimate goal at this point is to manage from day to day with a sense of accomplishment and to look forward to the future without feeling like I'm lacking in so many areas of my life. Granted, we're only a couple of weeks into the new year but I can definitely say that the changes I've made so far have made a big difference and I feel a much better sense of balance... I'm managing. :)

...so, what's your one little word??

funny kid quote

"If I had a house made out of cheddar cheese, I'd be homeless -especially if I had a shed made out of crackers." ~Matt McBride

...is it any wonder I love this kid?!

booklist: 2008

I didn't fall into love with reading until I was in my late teens but, since then, it's been a genuine love affair. Settling in with a good book relaxes me and helps me unwind; lets me get away from the demands of reality -there's nothing like escaping into a good story. Somewhere, over the course of the past several years I got away from my reading habit -3 kiddos and family life can do that to ya I guess -lol... Anywho, I missed my books so during 2008 I decided to really give my library card a workout. I finally got back on the reading bandwagon and, once I got started, it was just like old times, one book right after another...

~The Story of Edgar Sawtelle -David Wroblewski
~The Front -Patricia Cornwell
~No Time for Goodbye -Linwood Barclay
~Sundays at Tiffany's -James Patterson
~Marley & Me -John Grogan
~Memoirs of a Geisha -Arthur Golden
~love walked in -Marisa De Los Santos
~ Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea -Chelsea Handler
~Shoot the Moon -Billie Letts
~hello, darkness -Sandra Brown
~The Secret Life of Bees -Sue Monk Kidd
~Before the Storm - Diane Chamberlain
~The Faraday Girls -Monica McInerney
~The Last Coyote -Michael Connelly
~The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes -Diane Chamberlain
~Driving Sideways -Jess Riley
~Strip Tease -Carl Hiaasen
~Savannah Breeze -Mary Kay Andrews
~Good in Bed -Jennifer Weiner
~You've Been Warned -James Patterson & Howard Roughan
~Lifeguard -James Patterson & Andrew Gross
~The Friday Night Knitting Club -Kate Jacobs
~Bitter Is the New Black -Jen Lancaster
~the bright side of disaster -Katherine Center
~The Last Lecture -Randy Pausch, Professor, Carnegie Mellon w/Jeffrey Zaslow
~The Next Thing on My List -Jill Smolinski
~The Sweet Potato Queens' 1st Big-Ass Novel -Jill Conner Browne w/Karin Gillespie
~there's a (slight) chance i might be going to hell -Laurie Notaro
~Book of the Dead -Patricia Cornwell
~Beach Road -James Patterson/Richard DeJonge
~Double Cross -James Patterson

frosty's faux pas

The Doghouse

thanks to my pal Leslie over at ScrapFreak for sharing this today ...absolute greatness! LOL!

The Doghouse