anatomy of a tree

HOMEMADE ORNAMENTS, YO.







WE HUNG A WREATH AND SOME LIGHTS IN THE BACK...





AND I GOT OUT THE NATIVITY SCENE GRANDMA GAVE ME:




M has taken to arranging one single light from that lamp over the nativity... eastern star and all. :) as a piece of trivia, when I was in second grade I was moved to get out my little new testament bible and memorize Matthew chapter 2, the whole chapter. just because I wanted to, and I liked the story of Jesus' birth.

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why is this holiday season so flipping FAST?! we got a really good jump on our christmas shopping Sunday, which takes a bit of the edge off. here are some scenes from Garage Sale - Round One from this past Saturday:




GOOD MORNING, STARSHINE!







I MADE A GOOD SOUP (IT WAS 'SUPPOSED' TO BE A CHILI - BUT I ADDED TOO MUCH STOCK SO WHATEVER). HERE'S J.B. ENJOYING IT!



MEANWHILE, THE DOG WAS INSIDE SLEEPING IT OFF...




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that night we headed to Sagemont for their Christmas Carnival... here's M with L.B., who sang her heart out in perfect pitch in the choir:



and us and the B's:




they really put on a show, with Christmas songs and aerial performers and a real camel! what hit my heart like a ton of bricks, however, was the image of Jesus (I loved that he was backlit), walking out and talking to the children. the message of Him. the trite-sounding sentiment about God loving me. it stopped my momentum and made me cry and I realized how desperate my need is, how much I miss my meetings lately, how drifting and busyness and lack of sleep and exercise and prayer can shorten my fuse and set me so on edge. our class Sunday morning confirmed in me that I need discipline in these areas to be the kind of person and wife and friend and worker I'm meant to be, and want to be.


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I'm currently enjoying a holiday tradition from my childhood - hot chocolate w/ marshmallows, made from a mix my mother used to whip up every year and keep in a tupperware container. I mixed powdered milk, powdered creamer, and Nesquick, and added some salt substitute for a twist. I also considered adding a dash of cayenne pepper, for a kick, but the cupboard was bereft of cayenne. as is, 5-6 heaping tablespoons in a Christmas mug with some hot water and a small handful of little marshmallows, and it tastes like I'm 12 again.

-m.y.

thanksgiving 08

family. food. more family. more food. mo-mo!

I *just* got back in town - after the holiday, I stayed up in the metroplex to work while M flew home to pick up the furries from g'ma L's house (THANK YOU, G'MA L!). we had a lovely holiday. this may sound silly, but I feel more in a celebratory, holiday mood as a married lady. not that I was sad or down on holidays or anything when I was single - on the contrary, I still enjoyed myself immensely. I just wasn't as into it 'personally', was focused on work and finding presents to take to people and less interested in putting up a christmas tree and playing Bing Crosby Christmas Classics (though White Christmas MUST be watched. it's a non-negotiable.). this year, however, it's a different world. tonight we're going to find our tree. and I'm already humming christmas tunes.

there is more to muse about, but I've got a full plate and have to step it up. enjoy some pictures of our weekend, which are unapologetically niece-centric. :) aunt L and uncle M got her a new tutu, and we love that she loved it.

TUG-O-WAR!






CRAYON KING-PIN


SHE CAN OPEN THAT DOOR NOW...


MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE TEXAS SKY CONTINUES

fattening him up...

Chino has been doing pretty well, as far as we can tell. he still doesn't seem to have any cancer-related issues. however, we decided a couple of months ago to give him doggie disneyland while we have him, so he gets a teensy drizzle of bacon grease over his senior's dog food, or a package of wet food mixed in. we give him bones at every opportunity, which he LOVES. he never was one for regular dog treats. and though our lack of scheduling a haircut certainly helps him look fluffier, he seems to be getting a little, um, 'husky'. not fat - the kid's never been fat in his life'. he just seems... more solid. full. but he still has bouts of puppy-like playfullness, and I love that. I think M is his favorite playmate, but he'll take me in a pinch. these were from yesterday:


STALKING THE KNUCKLE





FACE-OFF!





"I'M DONE. SCRATCH MY BELLY."




he's curled up sleeping on the floor five feet away from me right now. we think his hearing is going, and he doesn't see as well as he used to, but we're enjoying him so much. I'm glad we found out about the cancer, so we could really appreciate this time. I don't remember where I heard or read it, but to the question of 'do animals have souls?' someone once said that living things glorify God by being a wonderful representation of what they were intended to be. I'll say it... I think Chi glorifies God by being a really good dog.

m.y.

what a great week so far!

yesterday I made a long list of things to do, and actually crossed off most of them. I was so thankful to have a day 'off' to tackle this stuff! the desk is cleared off, bills paid, the car drives much better with new struts and an alignment (she's at 140,000 miles... hang in there, girl! we've got a ways to go!), money was moved around to accomplish today's coup (more on THAT in a moment), afternoon bubble tea splurge, and VHS-tape-living room-YOGA! the husby and I watched the DVR'd 24 2-hr movie last night, and it was almost more fun for me to watch him watch it than enjoy the actual movie - he does love his 24, and the trailer for the next season totally lit him up.

I was supposed to hit the studio early this morning, but our session got pushed back 'til this afternoon so I did a lot of girly things that got pushed out of the way yesterday: the hair is freshly colored! woo-hoo, thank you Loreal Preference!! the toenails were trimmed, buffed, and painted Beautiful Berry while watching '13 Going On 30'... I forgot how fun that movie is. I'm sipping delicious hot green tea while downloading episodes of an anime series I'll be writing. and... drumroll please... I just scheduled our last payment on our second mortgage. TAKE THAT, debt-snowball!! We've been so blessed, and are excited to add this to the list of things we're thankful for this holiday season.

I was thinking this morning of some of the things I've/we've done this year while watching our budget and trying to be intentional with money... here's a sampling:

* I stopped getting my nails done at salons. except before I got married.
* I have a love of lip product. it's true. but I vowed to not buy anything NEW while I still had tubes laying around. and that's how I discovered how much lip balm/lipstick I already own. that goes for lotion, too. *edit* and shampoo. and soap. in short, I've realized that I have a lot of most things if I just look around to see it.
* I started ordering water when eating out. it's become such a habit that now, to order something else, is a treat.
* I make more coffee at home and take it with me, rather than just hit up Starbucks for a grande soy latte. which I love. ;)
* I cut some travel expenses by taking my own food and being a part of a hotel reward system that lets you earn free nights.
* I remain gym membership-less. I miss it... I'll look forward to having one again soon.
* I cut my personal shopping a lot this past year. Not that I didn't go get something when I needed it or anything.
* I married someone who likes to cook, so we eat at home way more than we go out to eat now. that is a total score.

do you guys have ways you like to save money?

I've got to head out. hope everyone is having a good day!


-m.y.

campfire

we just got back from a really great night of hanging out, sharing ideas, cooking hotdogs, and eating s'mores in Memorial Park with friends. such a good idea, T & W! I'm really enjoying our small group, you guys. at some point I put my camera in my pocket and forgot to take it out again, but I did manage to grab a few shots:









next time, there WILL be kum-ba-ya. oh yes.

oy.

oh my gracious. what a week it's been. we've continued our 'Couch-to-5K' routine, and all I can say is wow. Ow. I mean, good and all but holy moly what has happened to me?! I've apparently seriously neglected my body in the past... oh, year and a half, and much like a friend who's been blown off one too many times, this girl is ticked. and rickety. I'm not kidding, between the running and reading who knows how many pages of narration to accompany economics and accounting courses this week, as well as a training course on 'fatigue prevention' for an energy company thrown in for good measure, my body/mind is having a tough time of it. I should invest in aspirin. and then we bowled today with a group from church, which was a great time and I loved it. except for the part when, after I'd thrown a killer strike, I did a super-cool, excited, dorky pseudo-cheerleader jump with a twist of exultation... and felt something in my back say 'Hell No.' um, yes, I heard it CLEARLY. of course, I'm way too cool to be the old lady who grabs her back and starts moaning and causing a scene. so I jump around some more to convince everyone how awesome and young and spry I am. that sounds so sad, but it's true! I just sucked it up, affixed a smile to the front of my head, carefully sat down, and nonchalantly felt around to make sure a rib wasn't poking out of my back or anything. and then, because I am a genius, I bowled some more. see how tough I am, Coach Daddy?! I can totally play hurt! my second game was definitely not as good as my first, but HELLO. I was SECRETLY INJURED.




we left the bowling alley and came home. I grabbed one of those fantastic aromatherapy hot pads you heat up in the microwave, and hobbled to the bed. where M wanted me to rub his knee. Knee was apparently also surprised and a little peeved at being asked to bowl today. M eventually proclaimed that we had to go do our run for the day. we were supposed to do it this morning, you see, but the alarm went off and cuddles & pancakes just sounded better to us back then. lesson learned - though I am NOT a morning person, it really is good to get the running portion of the day over with early, before you're tired and broken down. check. mental note made and circled in red. we went to the park, where I gingerly stretched and wondered if I would make it a lap. walking. it's a valid concern - I'm telling you, communication between the body and I has been pretty hostile the past five or so days. we took off around the track... and though it wasn't easy, or pretty, I did the whole thing. and my back seemed to loosen up the more I breathed (gasped for air) and relaxed into it. at the end of our 20-30 minutes of alternating walking/running - that may not seem very long, but it is a 'Couch-to-5K' and we're working our way up - we high-fived and staggered to the car. I forget how it came up, but the words 'hot tub' were mentioned and then there was a lot of affirmative grunting and before we knew it, we had plans to meet M's parents for dinner and then go back to their house for the bubbly soak. I had a delectable veggie plate... that wasn't as healthy as it sounds, but whatever, there was bowling AND running today, and the Bells have a flipping fantastic hot tub. as the jets hit my back, my eyes rolled around in my head and the word 'riches' tumbled out toward my husband, who was angling around to get his hips worked out.

now we're back home - he's in the bedroom reading, and here I am blogging the discovery of physical limitation and age. sigh. I'm sure I'll have some very wise observations to make as all of this continues and we keep on 'keepin' on' in search of good health. the truth is, it was a really wonderful day, and I love my life. but no joke, I need an aspirin and the bed.

*whisper* and the heatpad*

another story of "excessive debt and overly rapid expansion"

from Wallet Pop... but I think the original story is from the Wall Street Journal:

Steve & Barry's set to throw in the towel

Posted Nov 18th 2008 7:15AM by Zac Bissonnette
Filed under: Deals, Bad news

After a meteoric rise followed by a swift decent into bankruptcy, Steve & Barry's caught a lifeline when Bay Harbour Management LLC agreed to purchase the company's assets back in August. Bay Harbour hoped to keep 150 of the company's 276 store open. But the sagging economy appears to have dashed those plans.

The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) the company "is set to announce this week it will go out of business, according to two people familiar with the situation." All 5,000 employees will be let go after the liquidation, and the company's brand will probably be sold for next to nothing and live on in a much reduced capacity. For example, I could see Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) acquiring the brand to bolster its value-oriented fashion proposition.

What's disappointing is that the Steve & Barry's concept -- reasonably fashionable apparel at ridiculously low prices -- resonated with consumers and was delivering strong sales growth in an extremely difficulty retail environment. With a less ambitious expansion strategy, the company might well have survived and had a bright future.

For now, it's a case study in the dangers of excessive debt and overly rapid expansion.



this is a sad day for fans of S.J.Parker's 'Bitten' line, which was cute and super cheap. does she sell out of another store? anyway, it caught my eye, because of the last few lines. Steve & Barry's was doing well... they just had a lot of debt and had grown too fast to ride out this rocky time. which brings me to my comments/question: I get that the gov wants to prop up certain sectors to keep the economy going, keep people employed, and boost consumer confidence. however, it stands to reason that businesses need to re-evalute what has apparently become The Way to do things. as unsexy as it sounds, why don't we try Growing Slower. Keeping Enough Capital At The Ready. Not Building Our Lives On Credit. I've read and listened to people poo-poo such ideas, saying that such business practices would slow things down horribly. but honestly, do I want to grow my business fast, or well? do you trade steady, sustained progress for the stress of all of your profits going to debt payments while you finance employee paychecks? I understand that banks need to be able to lend, both to consumers and to businesses, but the largest lesson from this whole debaucle is that people across the board were carrying too much debt, without the funds to back it. it seems as though Those Who Are Spending Our Money To Fix This are so... well, fixated on trying to create credit streams and encouraging people to rush back into using them that they're skipping the part where we acknowledge that rampant credit use is part of what took us down to begin with. and THAT omission, in my opinion, has as much to do with current consumer confidence as anything. it's hard to have confidence in these guys... even now, Mr. Paulson and Mr. Bernanke are defending what they've done so far to Congress. people are befuddled. meanwhile, as the media continues to try to scare the fire out of all of us about everything 'plunging!', I choose to believe there's a bright side. maybe consumer numbers are down simply because people realize they don't need as much, maybe they're choosing where to put their money more carefully. in short, maybe Americans are acting wiser than the Fed. which gives me hope that there may actually be good fiscal change in this rough time.

I'll close with a real display of my ignorance. I am completely perplexed about the recent stories of Houston's looming economic troubles due to a dwindling 'energy cushion'. were energy companies not make record profits just two months ago? are their bottom lines THAT affected by monthly trends? when companies are that large, is the concept of 'laying aside excess, or building a huge emergency fund for a rainy day so you can have some stability, run your business and pay your employees in the event of 6 months of rockiness' just a ridiculous idea that doesn't translate when you're dealing with markets and billions of dollars?