A not so exciting weekend...

I'm hoping the way I feel right now is just an "appropriate" ending to 2007 because if it's a "prediction" of 2008 things aren't going t get any better.

I have been coughing for 10 days now and am on day three of antibiotics. Last night I coughed from 11 until at least 2:30 this morning. I stayed in bed until noon. I have an entire house to clean and a ton of food to prep for my New Year's Eve Party which I am hosting tomorrow night. I've laid low the whole weekend and just don't seem to be progressing. Ugh!

Friday night was particularly exciting. I got home from work at 3:30 and slept until 6:30. Then I watched Women's Murder Club followed the The Shining.

Nothing like that face to make ya feel better! Man, it really is a good movie though. While watching the dead bodies and listening to "redrum" I got my Christmas cards completed. Christmas "technically" goes to January 6th so I am not late.

Yesterday I worked on cards and scrapbook pages all day. I sat in a chair and didn't move much. I started laundry last night, watched the Giants/Patriots game and called it a night. So much for a night though...Even my cats left the room after listening to me for so long.

We'll see what I can get done today. The cat food bucket is empty so the first stop will be pet store. Then a grocery list. Liquor will have to wait until tomorrow...Minnesotans don't let ya buy alcohol on Sundays. I'm going to sleep in between all that if I can. Now for a Vicks rub and a shower!

2007 Books in Review

I'm not nearly as organized as Kelly but I thought I would make a list of the books I read this year and see how many there were. I went through some serious reading sprees this past year and at other times struggled to get through something simple. Since I rarely check a book out at the library I think I can get this list together by looking at my shelves...we'll see.

1. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
2. Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris
3. Double Bind by Christopher Bohjalian
4. Big Stone Gap by Andriana Trigiani
5. If You Lived Here I Would Know Your Name: News from Small-town Alaska by Heather Lende
6. Infidel by Ayn Hirsi Ali
7. Measure of a Man by Sidney Portier
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by JK Rowling
9. Double Cross by James Patterson
10. Cross by James Patterson
11. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
12. Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
13. Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
14. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
15. Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs
16. The Last Juror by John Grisham
17. Flesh and Bone by Jefferson Bass
18. Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass
19. Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell
20. Lost and Found by Jacqueline Sheehan
21. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
22. The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin
23. Chocolate Legs: Sweet Mother, Savage Killer by Roland Cheek
24. English Creek by Ivan Doig
25. 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey
26. Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Weiss
27. Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus
28. The Memories We Keep by Walter Zacharius
29. The Patron Saint of Lairs by Ann Patchett
30. Sea Glass by Anita Shreve
31. The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
32. Agate: What Good is a Moose? by Joy Morgan Dey
33. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
34. The Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
35. The Innocent by Harlan Coben
36. The Woods by Harlan Coben
37. Counting Coup by Larry Colton
38. Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern
39. Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs
40. Open House by Elizabeth Berg
41. Dali Lama: My Son by Diki Tsering
42. Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
43. Memoirs of a Geisa by Arthur Golden
44. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
45. The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell by Lilian Jackson Braun
46. Street Dreams by Faye Kellerman
47. Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley
48. A Seeker's Guide to Mary by Maria Ruiz Scarperlanda
49. Eldest by Christopher Paolini
50. The Innocent Man by John Grisham
51. A Time to Heal: Mediations for Healing After the Death of a Loved One by Carol Staudacher
52. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson


Well, I accomplished a book a week in spurts and there are a few days left this year with lots of reading time available. By far my favorite was Double Bind by Christopher Bohjalian. It was a good story, I had it all figured out, was ready to be done with and the last 20 pages blindsided me but good! The ending left me with a numb, what just happened awe. I loved it.

This year I hope to keep a better track of everything I've read so this list isn't so hard to compose...think I need to change what's on my nightstand list to what WAS on my nightstand. The fun part of making this list tonight though was remembering where I was or what I was doing when I was reading a lot of these books. The other fun was getting to number 31 just by memory before I had to go look at my shelves.

To all you readers...happy page turning in the year to come!

HNT...A year's favorite

This is 2007's favorite HNT I did. I think it might be the only reason I survived 2007 so I'm posting it again more as a reminder to myself than anything else. This is my mom's mom's rosary. This year has NOT been full of highlights to say the least. I'm cried myself to sleep more nights this past year mumbling the rosary myself than I care to remember.

I ended up presenting a three hour retreat on Mary several weeks ago at my church in the middle of enormous stress and I used the traditional rosary as the main focus of the retreat. It just gets me through. Whether I physically have the rosary to hold on to or not, I can still say the prayers. I'm going to keep trudging through with my prayers because right now I'm not sure what else is keeping me going...

Happy HNT!

Three Wishes

The great Os has asked us to "gift" three of our blogger friends with Christmas wishes. I typically look at all the HNT pics every week but I don't read a lot of the regulars regularly. But these three bloggers have captured my attention and been there to leave a hug, a smile, or a laugh when needed. So to them...




My first wish would be for MyUtopia. Kelly is a kindred spirit when it comes to her appetite for a good read. Soon there will be a little one in the house. She has already started reading to the baby in the womb. I would grant her a baby cozy for after the birth so she always has a free hand to hold a childhood classic or a new "grown-up" read when she has the chance.

















I've been there...it sucks. Having horses to feed and water in the subzero temperatures of the "up north" is hard work! I've had to do it alone too. So for my Montana friend Leesa, I would grant a new horse waterer with the extra powerful heater for those sub-zero mornings when it's just inhumane to have to go out and chip ice.









For a final kindred spirit...MontanaLife. He had the pleasure of hearing the sounds of James Taylor live this year. He may already have this upon his shelf but I would grant him the time to kick back, relax, and enjoy JT's latest release.








Happy Holidays to all of you! HNTer's and all my blogger friends. This year has been a rough one for this moose. I'm feeling a little beat up on this holiday season and trying to find a smile. Thanks to many of you, a quick read online often grants me that wish.

AGAIN!

5 titles in 6 years! Not a bad tradition to get use to! Today, on a muddy, sloppy field in Hardin County Tennessee the Carroll College Fighting Saints defeated the University of Sioux Falls Cougars with a final score of 17-9. Go SAINTS!

O When The Saints...Go Marching IN!

For the 5th time in 6 years, the Carroll College Fighting Saints will be playing for the NAIA National Football Championship. Did I mention they also won it four years straight?

Join me in cheering them on this Saturday on CSTV at 12:00 CST. I know Os won't be able to watch the game so we need some Saints For A Day Fans! Wear your purple and gold and go Carroll CRAZY!!!

HNT...There's a Moose on the Loose

A moose is loose in my tree! I tried to catch up with him but these tired hoofers weren't up to catching it. I'm stressed out, emotional, and just flat out busy. Lying with my feet under the tree is sort of nice. And there are actually around two to three DOZEN meese in my tree! Would I NOT have them for my Christmas tree? Duh!

Happy HNT everyone!

Random Acts of Kindness

I was the recipient of a random act of kindness today which touched my heart. A friend was sending me a Mary Kay order as she was weaning out her closet to get out of the business. I use quite a few Mary Kay products so I placed an order to help her out. The box with my order arrived today. When I opened it, I was greeted by a bag of little molasses cookies. Unbeknownst to her.

One of the things I will greatly miss every time I make the road trip to the family farm in South Dakota is my "treats" when I leave home. My mom use to make molasses cookies before I got there. She would then freeze them in a big zip lock baggy. The night before I left, she would take a bag out of the freezer and make sure they went with me when I left. By the time I got about 50 miles down the road they would be thawed just right to start eating.

Now with mom being gone, I won't have a bag of cookies to leave the farm with. These little treasures that arrived in the mail today unexpectedly put a smile on my face. A little memory of my mom in a bag in a box.

Thanks cookie_goddess for the surprise!

Makin' a list...

Checkin' it twice. Too many nice people leads to too many projects at Christmas time.

The Christmas shopping is done but that is only the beginning! Now to get all the projects done. The boss is away this week so I'll have some extra time at home hopefully to get a few things accomplished. Tell me I'm not the only one who hasn't sent out Christmas cards yet!

HNT...all to see you better with, my dear

I'm addicted to accessories. For some women, it's shoes. For others, it's clothes. Some, they do make-up. I do accessories...jewelry, hair stuff, and spectacles!

I'm blind without my contacts or glasses. I have taken to wearing my contacts most frequently because I don't have to take them in and out anymore...24/7 for 30 days at a time. But when I do take them out I typically wear my glasses for a week or so before popping in a new pair.

I work for a world-renown medical facility with fabulous medical benefits. I'm the lucky one. But our dental and vision plan is screwy...every single employee gets $1000 per year to spend on dental and vision. If you are an employee with a family though, that $1000 has to be divided for everyone in your household. If you are single, it accumulates in a fund until a cap of $4000. This month is my 4th year anniversary at The Clinic and I'm going to be capped out b/c all I use it for is the dentist and contacts every 6 months.

I made the decision to avoid reaching my cap this year. Fastest way to do that...go see your eye doctor. My left eye was getting "fuzzy", turned out I got to go back a quarter of a prescription. Since I was ordering new contacts I decided to shop for some fun.

How did I do? I can see you now :)








Happy HNT...the Coach sunglasses are on their way. Photos to come later.

Now that it has snowed....a Meme to put you in the mood

A friend at work emailed me this and it's a bit different than the usual "get to know you" meme. I'm not tagging anyone but tell me what makes you tick at Christmas time. Happy Holidays!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? Gift Bags

2. Real tree or artificial? I grew up with real but when two cats joined my house hold I switched to artificial. Easier to pick cat hair off a tree than pine sap off a cat.

3. When do you put up your tree? Thanksgiving weekend

4. When do you take down your tree? The weekend of Epiphany

5. Do you like eggnog? Yuck! But I know Os starts drinking the instant it becomes available in the grocery stores.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I still have my Miss Piggy watch so that must have meant something. It was my very first watch. It fits my big toe now.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. Found it at Gander Mountain...it's a Moose nativity complete with a swaddling wrapped baby moose and two dangling moose angels.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My dad

9. Easiest person to buy for? My sister or Heather

10. Worst Christmas gift you've ever received? Who knows, I usually find some way to use about anything.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Handmade and mailed of course!

12. Favorite Christmas movie? Its a Wonderful Life

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I typically watch throughout the year when I travel or go to new stores. I typically finish a few days before Christmas Eve.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? TURKEY! And my mom's banana/OJ slush

6. White or colored lights? I do a 'theme' each year. This year I have white, green, blue, and purple lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

18. Traveling for Christmas or stay home? Road trip to South Dakota this eyar

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes. Can't you?

20. Angel or Star on top of tree? Neither. I have a long skinny silver ornament that slides over the top.

21. Open presents Christmas Eve or Morning? Both in the past. We use to open Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa's House and then Christmas Day afternoon at our house. Not sure what we will do this year.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The people who go out on Thanksgiving weekend to go shopping and then get grumpy. You KNOW it's going to be busy, you choose to go out, so don't you dare gripe about the lines, the parking lot, and the wait. Get over it!

23. What I love most about Christmas? SNOW!