Happy New Year...

and may 2009 be the best ever.

Thanks be to God...

I know that 'officially' Christmas is past and everyone is moving on to shopping sales, making returns and planning for the next celebration - New Years, but since I am up so late (2:07am), I wanted some time to reflect.

I am thankful for the many who have supported me through my unemployment and family struggles that seemed to consume most of this year. Without all of them I don't think I would have gotten this far.

I am thankful for employment that begins January 5th.

I am thankful for the severance and unemployment that has allowed me time to address personal needs before financial needs became overwhelming.

I am thankful for the loving, giving spirits of my kids (most of the time ;) ).

I am thankful for my spouse who is trying...

I am thankful for a fairly new family member who has helped by just connecting.

I am thankful for my health - though I think I should start taking better care of myself!

I am thankful that I live where there are 4 seasons - truly God's work.

I am thankful for my cuddly puppy (all 55+ lbs) when she snuggles up to me early in the morning.

I am thankful for family, near and far, who have helped, even with just a phone call.

I am thankful for a home, working furnace and the ability to pay my bills.

I am thankful for a church family who are supportive, fun and keep my eyes on Jesus.

I am thankful for knitting - keeps my hands busy and out of mischief and snacks and has connected me with some wonderful people.

I am thankful for neighbors who see a need and step up to help and are always available when a shoulder is needed to cry on.

I am thankful for Jesus, joining us here on earth as a man and dieing on the cross for my sins, and his resurrection, that I may join him for eternal life.

Though this year has had some really tough times, and many are still unresolved, I am amazed at all there is to be thankful for. Praise be to God.

Wonderful Pre-Christmas Weekend

Wow - had fun this weekend! Friday was just relaxing.

Saturday, though quite snowy, was shopping, wrapping, knitting, live nativity, petty zoo, meeting camels and a Christmas open house. All that and I was still home by 10pm.

Today was primarily spent at church, though not all church stuff. Went to Jr. High Gathering, big church for a sampling of the concert/drama. Ate Chipotle there for lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon knitting with 'my girls'. We all were trying to finish up Christmas gifts. Ran home for dinner and returned for the 'full' version of Christmas Rewind - we have such talented people at our church!

Now relaxing, knitting and happy to be able to sleep in tomorrow!

BRRRRrrrrrr!

I am sitting here at home, under a heated blanket waiting for the furnace repairman to come. The appointment is for between my call (much earlier) and 4:30pm today. What is the most frustrating, is that I thought I had done everything to avoid this type of issue - my furnace is just 1 year old! Thankfully the high today is actually supposed to be above zero!

I will be knitting with my gloves on!

All of my 'must have' knitted Christmas presents are completed. I have 2 'commissions' that I am now working on. The first is about 75% complete, the other I just received yesterday - got some fast knitting to do - good thing it is hats, mitts and scarves.

Also while sitting under the covers I am watching the news. It is scaring me! There is a huge number of accidents during the commute and many of them are on the different routes I will have to take to get to my new job. I think I will have to make a test drive this week to see just how long this commute will be.

Stay warm!

Employment At Last...

Hello All!

As of today, I have accepted an offer of employment as a Project Manager - Marketing Applications at SuperValu. My official start date is January 5, 2009 (yea, I took the Christmas season off).

I am excited and I can now focus on my Christmas knitting so that hopefully I will complete all the projects I have on needles and in queue.

On another note, I have entered into a new season of life with my teen - cell phone with texting. I hope that the first couple of days was just the excitement, but I don't think I can handle being texted from the basement while I am upstairs - just to chat! Teens! The great thing is she had to get a 3.5 gpa or above to get the phone. Now she has to maintain that to keep it.

Off to my knitting!

And the answer is...

Check back often to find out.

See answer on the December 10th post - I made a decision on which job offer to take!

My plagiarized thoughts on FORWARDS...

This is from Michaela and I think it really does say it all about e-mail forwards.

I just want to thank all of you for your educational e-mails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.

I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel or have them put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.
I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.
I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.
I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking ones nose (although cell phone usage may be taking the number one spot).
Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.
I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom.
I MUST SEND MY SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.
ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.
I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.
I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.
I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's Novena has granted my every wish.
I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.
I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.
THANKS TO YOU I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.
BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.
I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.
I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.
I no longer use Saran Wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.
AND THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face... disfiguring me for life.
I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.
I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.
I no longer receive packages from UPS or Fed Ex since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.
I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.
I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore , and Uzbekistan ...
I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.
THANKS TO YOU I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.
AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.
I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!
I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the brown recluse and my hand will fall off.
If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician. (Or so I was told in a forwarded e-mail.)
Oh, by the way.....
A German scientist from Argentina , after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.
Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.