My Sweet Valentine's Gift

For Valentine's Day, the husband and I have hired a handyman to come in and strip the hideous kitchen wallpaper. Woot! He is also going to repair the walls and prep it for paint, then we'll prime and paint as our own do-it-yourself project. I'm stoked! I'll need to do some before and after pictures.

We've cleared the countertops, the tops of the cabinets (and in fact have a load of stuff in the dishwasher now on the "china" cycle), and have taken clocks, calendars, and other assorted items off the walls. We're ready!

I picked up a goofball card for my husband and am giving him a Nacho Libre pen. It'll go with his Homer Simpson bottle opener ("Mmmmm.... beer.... yes! oh yes!"). We're so romantic. I truly find that new sitcom to be hilarious, though it's filled with predictable dialogue, etc. Ummm... Rules of Engagement? We're definitely the Puddy couple.

Meanwhile, I want to wish all my pals in computer land a very happy, romantic, fun, loving, or not-lonely Valentine's Day!

Good Idea Made Great

Remember November and the NaBloPoMoFo project? You may or may not know that I was one of the lucky ones randomly selected to win a prize and I was to get 3 pounds of coffee from the Mocha Momma.

Mocha Momma is a teacher. Teachers are a breed of people who see not just children playing, learning, talking, and socializing all day, but they also witness a lot of suffering and sadness. When she contacted me, we were in the throes of the "Christmas for the Children" project so it was fresh in my brain. I replied to her that she could take the money she was planning to spend on the coffee and turn it instead into a gift for a child at her school who needed a little extra love at Christmas. She wrote back and told me about an 18-year old former student who has full custody of his much younger cousin - it's just the two of them struggling to make ends meet. At 18-years old.

Well Mocha Momma has taken it a step further and although it's now too late to officially comment, I wanted to applaud her fantastic idea. One day earlier this week, she opened a post on her blog to comments. For every unique comment she received, she donated $1. For every person who sent her an e-Card from a specific site, she donated $3. When I looked, she had 97 comments and I have no idea how many e-Cards. I thought that was fantastic.

So this is a shout-out again to the Mocha Momma who wants to be on a nice tropical island enjoying her tasty cup of joe. You are an inspiration to me to have the courage to make a big announcement like pulling money from your own pocket to help out. You are generous in spirit. You are a very positive influence. I plan to use this comment concept throughout the new year myself to help raise money for our next year's Christmas for the Children program. Thank you, Mocha Momma, for one of the greatest ideas I've seen on the Internet in a very long time.

Eating Tips for the Holidays

Nod to my cousin Sandy who emailed these:

Eating Tips for the Holidays

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can and quickly. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an "eggnog-aholic" or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it!!!! Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand-alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello???
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, pumpkin and mincemeat - have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips: Start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.
    

Remember this motto to live by:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO what a ride!"