a fresh start...

At least that's what I'm hoping for. I have to admit that I have just been in a horrible funk the past week, and despite the fact that I knew I needed to snap out of it, I just couldn't. I've been so unbelievably stressed about school...I was already behind for the quarter, and losing everything on the computer made things exponentially worse. And our go-to computer guy let us know on Friday that he was unable to retrieve anything. He did give us the name of the one place he knew of that probably could...but I don't think we can afford it. Anyway, on top of that, it seems like we're dreading the phone ringing...worrying that it's the call saying that my BIL finally succeeded in his suicide by alcohol.

Okay, all of that sucks. But it's time to stop letting it drain the joy out of daily life. Heck, Annie decided Friday evening that she wasn't going to let loosing her novel keep her down...so with half the month gone, she decided to start NaNoWriMo all over again. You know, maybe she won't reach her 50,000-word goal, but I'm damn proud of her for trying! And with that kind of role model, how can I possibly keep moping around here, right?

So, Happy-Thing-#1:
The Book Bloggers Christmas Swap.



Nymeth is once again hosting the swap, this year with help from Dewey. (Two of my very favorite people!) I know most everyone has already signed up, but if you haven't go check it out. But hurry...the deadline to sign up is November 18th. It really was such fun last year. As much fun as receiving a package in the mail (thanks again, Lynne), was reading everyone's posts as their gifts arrived! So festive!

And Happy-Thing-#2:
Bellezza tagged my with the Kreativ Blogger Award.



Along with the award comes a meme of sorts:

7 Things I Did Before:

1. Made crafts to sell in a craft mall.
2. Hiked a piece of the Appalachian Trail on my honeymoon.
3. Felt as if I had a well-functioning brain.
4. Read almost exclusively thrillers.
5. Kept an immaculate home.
6. Smoked.
7. Worked as an optician.

7 Things I Do Now:

1. Home school my daughter.
2. Read just about anything.
3. Am thankful that I manage to keep the bathroom clean.
4. Wonder a great deal about what has become of my previously well-functioning brain.
5. Spend too much time on the computer.
6. Get up between 4:00 and 5:00 each morning.
7. Count my blessings!

7 Things I Want To Do:

1. Make more time to do the things I love to do, like reading and scrapbooking.
2. Sleep through the night.
3. Lose weight.
4. See my children grow into happy, responsible, caring adults.
5. Continue learning.
6. Remember to find the joy in every day.
7. Grow happily old with Rich, the love of my life.

7 Things That Attract Me To The Opposite Sex:

1. A genuine smile.
2. A kind heart.
3. A love of learning.
4. A willingness to be goofy.
5. A down-to-earth manner.
6. A supportive nature.
7. A love of all his fellow creatures on Earth.

7 Favorite Foods:

1. Rich's awesome stir fry
2. tortilla chips with queso dip
3. my SIL's chocolate raspberry bars
4. stuffing
5. brownies with vanilla ice cream
6. chicken and dumplings
7. homemade waffles

7 Things I Say Most Often:

1. "I love you."
2. "Thank you."
3. "Enough!" (Baker's command to stop barking...it does little good.)
4. "Sweet dreams."
5. "You're so cool!"
6. "What do you guys want to eat?"
7. "Wash up."

And, now, 7 people to tag for this award:

1. Annie, who is such a talented creative writer...just wish she would share more of her writing on her blog.
2. Nymeth, who writes the most exquisitely beautiful book reviews I've ever read.
3. Carl, who writes more passionately about the creativity of others than anyone I've ever read. You cannot help but be inspired when you read his posts.
4. Jean, who has all kinds of creativity spewing forth from her, but I'm going to focus on her gorgeous quilts as she shares them on her blog.
5. Dewey, who is the most creative community-building guru in the whole of the bloggy universe.
6. Quixotic, who designs and make beautiful cards.
7. Ali Edwards. Okay, her blog is not one I've ever commented on, yet I read it faithfully. She has long been my biggest creative inspiration. And it's more than her amazing life art...it's her whole outlook on life, her personality, her willingness to share her gifts with the world. I absolutely adore this woman!

(By the way, I know some of you don't really "do tags"...and that's just fine...I just wanted to share those blogs that inspire me creatively.)

And finally, Happy-Thing-#3:
We finally started putting our "library" together. We've had the room emptied for the past couple weeks, and we'd been waiting for me to paint it. But I finally had to admit to myself that I just didn't have time to do it now. And I couldn't stand having bookcases and boxes and bags and loose piles of books stacked all over the house waiting to be put in their new home. So we hauled in all the bookcases, and started filling the shelves. Rich is going to put up some more shelves today, so we'll be able to make even more progress. But we need to get a few more bookcases before we'll be able to move everything in. Then we'll need chairs, if we actually want to sit in there to read. :) And we have a rug all picked out, and we want to find some bamboo-type blinds, but those things will probably have to wait a while. Anyway, it's just so very exciting to finally have it coming together! And hopefully, I'll have some pictures to share soon.