Here I am, posting again!

Inspired by my brother-in-law, Mark, and my old friend, Chrissy King, Josiah and I have started a "PICTURE CLUB" for 2008. We are taking a photo a day with our cameras and I'll try to get them uploaded to the computer every week or so. So, after get them off of the camera, I will plan to share a few of them on our blog. I'll update this post with a "Picture Club" photos later today! (Josiah will be jazzed!)

The boys are out of school today, so it's a "Jammie Day" in our house. I was going to try to run errands later this afternoon, but it's really COLD outside today, and it's snowing again, so the chances that I will actually get dressed, bundle up, and venture out of the house is slim. I think I'll just have another cup of coffee instead. :)

One of my goals for 2008 is to cook more. We eat pizza and 99-cent double-cheeseburgers more often than I care to mention with our ultra-busy schedule, and well honestly, I'm not a big fan of cooking (and cleaning up the mess) that I'm always on the lookout for an opportunity to NOT cook. As a result, we're not eating as healthy as I'd like for us to, so I'm trying to cook more. Tonight, we'll be having taco salad. Coming up with the menu is the hardest part, so I'm feeling special-sporty since I already have a dinner plan before 10:00 a.m. :)

By the way, Mark, we tried the couscous on your recommendation, and we weren't big fans. Thanks for the idea, but I think we'll stick with rice, pasta and potatoes for now. :)

If anybody has any yummy and relatively easy recipes that I can add to my two-week rotation, please post them in the comments section. :) If they include couscous, then I'll know to substitute with rice. :)

More later!

The Three Signs of a Miserable Job

I read a great book this week about how to manage employees in a way that helps them find satisfaction in their jobs. The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, by Patrick Lencioni, is written in story format, so it's a quick read, and I learned a lot. Basically, Lencioni's premise is that people are more likely to be miserable in their jobs if...
1.) they have no way to assess their own progress and success
2.) they do not know who their work impacts and how
3.) they do not feel like the people they work for/with really know them or care about them as people

It gave me some good insight into how to help motivate and encourage those that I work with. It made the idea of regular-old-work seem like something that truly can be done for God's glory. I'm starting to feel like there might be more that I can do honor Him through my work at The ScrapRoom and through my volunteer work at the church - by helping others find satisfaction in their work. At any rate, the book opened my ideas to some new ideas, and I'm grateful. :)

Christmas Vacation 2007

What a fantabulous Christmas vacation we had! Of course we've been home for two weeks now, and I'm just now updating my blog, but that's just the way it goes. :) We got to see my dad and Judy for a couple of days in Wichita. On our drive down, we hit that nasty blizzard that swept through the midwest during the week before Christmas. BAD driving weather: blowing snow on top of a layer of freezing rain and zero visibility. I praise God that He has grace when we make stupid decisions (like forging ahead in spite of the weather). It was great to see Dad and Judy and to share a little Christmas with them. :)

Arrived at Chris' parents house in Colorado on Christmas Eve and had Christmas with Chris' family that night. The boys got some fun new Denver Broncos pajama pants and Broncos hats. Our family Christmas exchange this year revolved around the theme "Growing Up In the 70s" (courtesy of my husband). Chuck and Llana gave us the first season of the A-Team on DVD! What a hoot! Christmas morning brought the Wii and Rock Band for PS2, so our boys had plenty to do for the rest of the vacation!

We got to spend lots of great time with Chris' sister and brother and their families! The boys LOVE getting to hang out with their cousins, and as much time as they were together, I still don't think the boys got their fill. Of course, Chris and I always enjoy chatting and laughing with his family, and it is always humbling when they take time out of their busy schedules and spend it with us. We missed having all of Chris' sisters and their families back this year, but it was much less hectic with fewer people. :) I did get to go to Archiver's and Barnes & Noble twice, and we made our annual pilgrimage to Chick-Fil-A to consume our standard fare Medium Party Platter of nuggets (80-100) and three large waffle fries (just the boys and I since Chris is allergic to poultry). (Yes, the boys and I are unapologetic pigs when it comes to Chick-Fil-A.) We did, however, help form the shoveling crew for the church parking lot, and I'm certain that we worked off all of those calories.

Anyway, we slept in until we woke up (no alarm clock), we stayed in our jammies until noon most days, we read, we talked, we played games, we were able to step away from work (mostly :)). It was a good trip.

Thank you Grandpa & Grandma for keeping us and for feeding us and letting us move in and make ourselves at home for more than a week. And thank you Mark & Caren and Chuck & Llana for making us a part of your Christmas vacations. And, a special thanks to sweet Alicia for giving us our biggest laugh of the trip and a great story that no doubt will be retold for years to come. I now have an excellent snarky comment to make whenever the need for one arises... "Shut up, (insert name); nobody likes you!" LOL!