Year End Clean-up

We've been cleaning out drawers, doing laundry and getting rid of the old to replace it with much too much new!! Not that we aren't grateful for all of the lovely gifts we have received this season-it's just...well, sometimes it's just ridiculously too much! Mick and I really felt we had pared down on the gift-giving this year and still the boys have loads of new toys and gadgets from other family members. We are going to have them go through their toys and pare the load down in an attempt to control the clutter. Much of the items we will donate to the local Christian Foundation or Goodwill and Salvation Army. It always feels good to have a neat and tidy home-But I must admit that that event seems to happen with less frequency now with two boys, two dogs and a cat;)
Earlier this afternoon we stopped our cleaning to play a little game of Life-what a great tool for teaching the boys about some of the realities of adulthood.

Yesterday, while Mimi and Papa and the cousins were still here-we went to the matinee of Night at the Museum. It was the first movie I have been to since Phantom of the Opera almost two years ago!!! I have to say from 5 years old to 60 years plus-everyone enjoyed the film and recommended it wholeheartedly. It kept everyone entertained and laughing. There was some adult humor in it but it was well over the thought processing of our boys.

Thinking a lot now about the new year and what I want to accomplish. Books I want to read. Places I want to go to and to take the boys to. Definitely want to learn much more about digital photography, digital scrapbooking and investing. I want to attempt to get published with some of my scrapbooking. I want to invest more and save more. I want to spend less. I want to spend more time reading and less time watching TV. (I don't really watch that much as it is but reading is so much more fulfilling).I want to see more sunsets and gaze at more stars (and thanks to Santa-we can do that now with our new telescope). I want to give more of my time to church and to volunteering and more of my time to my BEBZ. I can't believe Fall 07 will mean Ethan will be gone all day! What a bittersweet moment that will be....(sigh).

So here goes:

• I want to reread The Purpose Driven Life and read more of Suze Orman's Books and Robert Kiyosaki's newest ones. I want to read The World is Flat. I want to read through my new digital photography books and really understand them. Also, my PSE4 and Photoshop books.
• I hope to save up money for some new lenses for my camera and for a new desk to scrap on. Sad to say my $100.00 Target particle board one is just barely hanging on.
• Places to visit: Mexico and Jamaica,Florida, Wisconsin, Colorado and possible a trip with the BEBZ to some US landmarks. Well see about that one.
• Play more tennis!!!
• Spend even more time with the BEBZ, friends and family
• Be much more organized.
• Call a long distance friend at least once a month.
• Remember each day is a gift from God and to cherish each one given to me.
• Be more grateful, more thoughtful and more thankful.
• Be more patient, understanding and compassionate.
• Be less negative, less worrysome and less anxious.
• Be kinder, more affectionate and more consideate of my BEBZ feelings and opinions.
• Make a difference in my world and be more cognizant of others and their hardships.
• Mail merge my address book (I think that's what it is called) so that when I send out mass mailings of Christmas cards next year I have everyones' addresses ready to go and to be made into labels for the envelopes.

I'll definitely need to add to this list-but I think it's a good start!