I stole this list from Jean, and I am using it in response to Bridget's tagging me since I have already done the random things.

How many of things have I done? Only the ones in green. I counted, and I got 39. That's not too shabby! I thought it would be a lot less!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (I was married, so it's okay, right?) (shh...don't tell my mom!)
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (if my grandparents count)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to the drive in
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee .
100. Read an entire book in one day
Thanks to The Teenager for killing my January.

Last December he came home and said his Seminary teacher was challenging them to a 40 day sugar fast, starting in January. I thought this would be an awesome thing to do as a family. So we did. And we are.

And I want to die.

I had no idea how hard it would be. We are on day 29. I feel like it's year 29. We still have sugar on our oatmeal and stuff like that, but no ice cream (even on Fast Sunday at Grandma's house), no cookies (that my sisters made for our dessert of the month gift from Christmas) (which we let the 3 younger kids eat because they don't have to do it and they have been so good), and no brownies (even when they have been blessed at Pack Meeting).

More importantly, no chocolate when it's that time of the month and I want to rip someone's head off. Two weeks ago, I was having a really hard day, and I would have sold one of my children in exchange for the right to eat some chocolate.

When we started this, we gathered all the sugar up and bagged it and I put it under my bed. Yes, there is sugar and chocolate in the house. But I haven't touched it. I even have some in my purse. Every now and then I look at it and sigh. But I have been so good. I am really proud of myself.

Last night, The Chocoholic was in tears because he couldn't have the brownie at Pack Meeting. We have been having frozen yogurt, but it wasn't good enough for him. I just held him. I totally understood how he was feeling.

12 more days.

I can make it. I know I can. But I am getting really cranky!
Shabby Baby is having a contest to find the next Shabby Baby Girl. I think The Princess would be a perfect "Picture Princess" because she is so darn cute, and she is the epitome of a Princess! She loves clothes and as we are entering spring, I need to buy her all new stuff. This dress would be absolutely perfect! The Princess loves to wear dresses and to look pretty.



So I think it's that time of the month...for The Princess. She is only 4, but she has been moody this week. Whining and crying and every little thing has become a huge thing.


Is this normal for a 4 year old girl?


And because I have had a hysterectomy, I don't know when my time of the month is anymore. So I think I might be overly sensitive too.


All in all, it's been a really hard week. And it's only Wednesday morning!


Help!
I am a picky eater. There are many foods that I do not like.

But I LOVE shrimp and crab. Love them. Love, love, love.

Last month, The Doctor and I went to Sizzler and I had the steak and shrimp. About 15 minutes after eating the shrimp, my tongue felt all rough and swollen and my ears were itching. I took an antihistamine and it went away. So we figured that I was allergic to something in the breading because I eat shrimp all the time and have never had a problem.

A week later, I discovered a bag of shrimp in the freezer. So we were eating it and my tongue started feeling all rough and swollen and my ears were itching. I started eating as fast as I could because I knew this would be the last time I could ever eat shrimp again.

Yes, I am allergic to shrimp. I was, and still am, so upset. Why couldn't I be allergic to salsa (which I hate) or pickles?

So I have had a gift card to Red Lobster, which is my favorite place to eat in the whole world. So we went there Friday night for dinner. I knew that I couldn't have shrimp, which really limited down my choices. I decided to splurge and get the king crab legs. I always get the snow crab, so I thought it would be cool to upgrade.

Well, about halfway through eating them, my tongue started swelling and my ears were itching. I was ticked. I sent The Doctor out to the car to get my antihistamine and I was eating as fast as I could. By the time we left, I was feeling better, but I was crying. I knew that was the last time I would be able to eat at Red Lobster.

Why? I love it so much, why? It's not fair.
...new blog!

Things That Make Me Laugh otherwise known as http://seemelaugh.blogspot.com/

Come on over and check it out. Read my welcome, then start sending me your funnies!

Please?
Okay, today we will finish the tour.
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Again, I apologize that there is mess all over. I am in the middle of that project, remember? You can see my ancient hand-me-down laptop that works just fine because I only use it for printing my pictures. Yes, I print my own. I have a program where I can make them nearly any size I want, from 1" x 1" to full page. And if I goof up, I can reprint the picture. And someday, when they fade, I can print them again. The cubbies help me keep things organized. I also use containers in the cubbies to help. Behind the white binder, can you see those clear plastic holders? Those are all my eyelets and brads. They are inside the holders in little cases that look like TicTac containers. They work perfectly! You can buy them at Walm-Mart. My dad made the cute clock.
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This is the other half of my desk. I keep the desktop calendar there to use for scratch paper, and to do stamping and such. When it gets too grungy, I just rip off the top sheet and I have a clean one underneath! More cubbies to hold more embellishments.
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This is under my desk. Top drawer is pens and pencils. Second drawer is glue and tape. Third drawer is scissors and cutters. Fourth drawer are Sharpies. I have a slight addiction! Fifth drawer is my small Cropodile and punches. Bottom drawer is colored pencils and glitter glue. I also have a bunch of stuff under the desk.
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Okay, the drawers in the front have all my paper scraps. I keep everything that might be big enough to use. They are organized by color. Behind those drawers are more drawers! LOL These hold more embellishments. The drawers on the bottom hold more practical things like batteries and flashlights. The top 3 drawers to the left hold more embellishments. The bottom 3 drawers hold my cards (I am in a monthly card exchange group with my Mom). They are organized in gallon Ziplock bags according to category (Christmas/Winter, Love, Thank You, etc.).
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These are bookcases that I got at a garage sale for a steal! They hold lots of things. I will name off what I can see. Oh, I know...let's play I spy! I spy...sticker letters, stamp pads, stamps, glues, stamps, page protectors and binders, stamps, binders, paper and notebooks, paper, craft sticks (more commonly known as popsicle sticks and tongue depressors), binders, ribbon, tea lights, scotch tape refills, Wish Bear, ribbon, and more organizers. LOL A star on the forehead of the first person who can find it all! :)
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On top of the bookcases, is my 12 x 12 paper. I love paper. I have a hard time resisting. But there is a lot of paper out there that makes me think, "Really?" The boxes on top are from a monthly scrapbook kit club that I used to belong to. I was in it for 7 months. And how many did I get done? Well, you count. On the left are more organizing bins. Starting at the top and going clockwise, you can see my sewing stuff, paints, hot glue guns and glue, school supplies, and a bin holding fabric for aprons that are needing to be sewed.
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On the back of the door, is my ribbon. I love how I organized this. That is jute they are hanging from. It is so easy to see what I need. And easy to get to ones in the middle too. They just slide right off.
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Finally, this is the closet. In here is vinyl, gift wrapping ribbon, house decorations, boxes, my scrapbooking totes, old backpacks, baby blankets for gifts, a playpen, my game box, and lots and lots of gift bags.
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This is how I organize my ribbon in the closet. They are just loosely tied around a hanger. Easy to see, easy to get off. And yes, those are shirts that need to be ironed. I hate to iron. I have broken my pinky toe ironing. These get ironed about once a year. The Doctor thinks it's such a treat when they show up in his closet! LOL
You have to realize that all the stuff was not bought all at once. I shop the sales only. I don't think I bought anything in there at full price. I can't. I don't have that kind of money! And remember, I have been married for 16 years. It wasn't until 3 years ago that I got this room. I started with just one corner of our family room and taught the kids not to touch.
So that is my scrapbook room.
I have had several requests from people wanting to see my scrapbook room. So I have taken pictures and will take you on a tour. I will show you the room in general, then go section by section explaining how I organized it.
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This is my room, looking in from the door. I realize now that I should have cleared off the desk, but I am in the middle of a project and that is the beauty of having a scrapbook room. I don't have to clean up the project when I need to go do something else. I can leave it and come back to it later.
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The is the room, part 2.
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This is the room, part 3.
Okay, now for the tour. We will start by the door and head left.
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This wonderful chest of drawers holds...movies and CD's. Nothing to do with crafting, but it's the only place for it. I hate it there, because I could really use that space! The cubby's on top hold embellishments. All the CD cases you see are my pictures on CD. When I dump the pictures off my camera, I IMMEDIATELY back them up onto not one, but two CD's. So I have 3 copies of them at all times. When we moved here, my hard drive died and I lost 4 months of pictures, including the last day of school at the old school. I learned my lesson! Sitting on the floor are papers to be filed, and a gift for a special girl in our ward who is going through a really hard time right now.
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These are file drawers. I have my 8.5 x 11 cardstock filed by color, all my stickers and patterned 8.5 x 11 paper filed by category (baby, animals, family, Halloween, etc.). I do scrapbook in 8.5 x 11 because it is cheaper. I buy just the simple white 3 ring binders from Office Max and then using paper, I embellish how I want. I also use the clear page protectors from Office Max. Much cheaper! Each person in the family also has a file. There I put their awards, school papers, scout patches, etc. Then when I scrapbook, I just go and grab their file and I can put the papers with the pictures.
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My dad made these shelves. Aren't they cute? On the bottom shelf are all my journals. I have written in a journal, nearly daily, since I was 14. I love to go back and read them. The next shelf up has embellishments. The pink box has all my double sided tape refills. The middle shelf has my Cricut cartridges. Also The Doctor's and my diploma's. That is another project...to get them in cute frames. The other two shelves have embellishments and decorations.
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Top shelf has my printer and extra ink and photo paper. Also some old dried up flowers that I really need to get rid of. I dried them and now I don't even remember when I got them. The middle shelf has my Cricut, my big Cropodile and my light table. The floor has my Sissix and my tools. Yes, MY tools. And the boys all got their own toolboxes and tools for Christmas so they better stay out of mine! You can also see the TV and DVD player to the left. I love to come in here and watch chick flicks while I scrapbook. I shut the door and no one cares that I am crying!
Okay, that's enough for today. We will finish the tour tomorrow!
So I have a huge long list of blog ideas I want to post about.  This one has been on the list forever, and I need to get it out so I can move past it!  It has been haunting me.  LOL
I need my sleep.  I do not function well without it.  I am mean and nasty.  Really.  Ask my kids.
So when I have a baby, I have a hard time.  I really wish it were different so I could enjoy them while they are little.  But getting up so much and being so sleep deprived is hard.
So I very much encouraged them to sleep through the night as soon as possible.  And they never slept in the room with me.  The Teenager did one night after he was born, and I didn't sleep at all because every sigh woke me up. 
I had them sleeping through the night by 3 1/2 months.  The Princess was one day shy of 2 months.  It was heavenly.  Oh, and sleeping through the night is 7 PM to 7 AM.    A full 12 hours. 
I hear moms say that at 1 year their child still doesn't sleep through the night and I just shudder.  That's not good for the child or the parents. 
Okay, so now on to bedtimes.  My kids went to bed at 7:00.  They need sleep.  Most children do.  The Artist doesn't need quite as much, so when he went to bed at 7:00, he would get up at 6:00.  But I would rather have them in bed at night so I can have my alone time and time with my hubby.
Now that they are growing up, they don't need quite as much sleep.  The Princess, age 4, still goes down at 7:00.  The Chocoholic goes to his room for reading at 7:00 and reads for an hour, then bedtime is 8:00.  The Artist has reading at 7:30 and bed at 8:30.  The Teenager has reading at 8:00 and bed at 9:00. 
We all get up at 5:45 to have family prayer before The Doctor leaves for work, and then we read scriptures from 6:00 to 6:30.  So our house is rolling pretty early.  Sometimes The Princess gets up and sometimes she doesn't.  Next year when she starts school, she will be getting up with the rest of us.
Oh, and the 3 boys have to use their alarms to get up.  I will not call them.  If they sleep in and miss family prayer, they are grounded from all video games that day and have to go to bed an hour earlier that night.  And they still have their chores and piano to do.
My mom did the same thing, and she said that people thought she was being harsh.  But she was teaching us responsibility.  She wasn't going to be there with us in college or on our missions, so we needed to learn.  And we did.  And so will my children.
And yes, it all sounds harsh.  But I  am teaching them a good thing.  And they are learning. 
So I was asked what I do in my secret quiet time when the kids are all gone to school.

LOL

LOL

LOL

LOL

LOL

Sigh

I work. I am very blessed to be able to work at home, but that means that I am working when the kids are gone so when they are home, I can give them attention.

I love my job. I don't love working, but I love what I do. I cannot imagine having to work at a job that I hate. I have a hard enough time leaving for work! When I get there, I enjoy what I do and I am happy. Next year will be easier because The Princess will be in kindergarten and I won't have to get a babysitter. I am really looking forward to that.

When I work at home and The Princess is here, she has learned to entertain herself because I can't play with her. I just can't. Work has to be done. My clients aren't going to understand that they didn't get their payroll because I was playing Barbie's!

So on Monday's, my sil watches The Princess. She has a little girl that is only 1 1/2 months younger that The Princess, so they play together. They have their moments, but they do well together. I drop her off at 8:15 and pick her up at 2:30.

Tuesdays' she is in preschool in the morning, so I work here while she is gone. We have lunch, then she goes down for a nap while I work some more.

Wednesday my sil brings her daughter here and I watch them while I work.

Thursday and Friday is preschool, so same schedule as Tuesday. However, I try to have my work for the week done on Thursday so I can play on Friday. That doesn't always happen, though.

All in all, it is a pretty good schedule. Except in the afternoons I get really sleepy! I sometimes end up taking a nap instead. Have I mentioned how much I love naps? LOL

So there you go. More info than anyone wanted to know.
Did anyone hear me shout for joy yesterday?

The Doctor left for work at 6:00.

The Teenager left for school at 7:00.

The Chocoholic left for school at 7:45.

The Artist left for school at 7:50.

The Princess left for school at 9:15 (well, technically I took her to school!).

At 9:40, when I got home, the house was so quiet. I was in heaven.

The kids were worried that I would be bored.

I DON'T THINK SO!
I have a map on my sidebar that shows where people are from when they come to read my blog.



I have been facinated to watch as those little hearts appear and where they are. Especially the one in Europe/Great Britan!

So I would like everyone who reads this post to chime in and tell me where you are from. You don't have to leave specifics because I know we are all protective of our identities. But just a general idea.

Thanks! I can't wait to meet you all!
So I wanted to post some pictures of things I have done with The Princess' hair. I have found wonderful hair blogs like The Story of a Princess and Her Hair and Girly Do's by Jenn and Babes in Hairland just to name a few. It has been so fun, and I can see us doing it more and more in the future.
The mom's on the hair blogs talk about how much fun it is, and what a wonderful time to spend with their daughter. She has to just sit there and can't get away, so they talk and have actual conversations.
Anyway, on to the pictures:

This was my first one and I loved how it turned out. Who knew you could do so much with hair? LOL

This one made her look just like a princess.

This is the headband, and continues all the way back. So her hair could be down, but not in her face, and the "headband" didn't fall out!

I thought this one looked so classy and elegant.

This one is harder to see, but I did two corkscrews, and then twisted them together.

Lots of curls! This hairstyle took forever!
So that is just a sampling of what we have done. I just realized you have a lot of pictures of the back of her head, so we will end with a cute picture of her face, so you can see how happy she is and how much she loves her hair.
[honest_award.jpg]
Whoo Hoo!  My first award!  Jean at WorkingMomma247 presented it to me. 
I would like to take a moment to thank...Oh, sorry, I got a little excited there!
Here is how it works:
* Write a post about the award, link back to the person who gave you the award.
* Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
* Add links to those blogs on your blog.
* Leave a message for the nominees on their blogs.
* Name 10 honest random things about yourself.
I nominate:
  1. Aprill
  2. Ashlee
  3. Jen
  4. Frank
  5. Liz
  6. Kelly
  7. Angie
Okay, so here are my 10 random things:
1.  I have been on the Oprah show.  Not a subject I am proud about, but I am a better mother because of it.
2.  I have done Baptisms for the Dead in another country.  Canada, that is.  Cardston Temple.  We lived in Great Falls, Montana, and that was our temple district.  It was an overnight trip because it was so far away. 
3.  I have eaten frogs legs.  I was young, like 10 or 11, and my dad brought them home one day. We all ate them. They tasted like chicken. I would really like to find when I could buy some so my kids could taste them too.  Anyone know where I can get some?
4.  I have horrible road rage.  I have screamed at people, and then wonder what the heck I am doing. When The Teenager was 4, a car cut me off and he shouted, "You stupid idiot!" I knew then I had a problem! I now try to drive on or just under the speed limit so that I don't get angry. Then I can laugh at the people trying to speed around me. And don't get me started on the parking lots at the schools. I am just glad that my kids walk so I don't have to deal with it on a daily basis. I would be nuts otherwise!
5.  I have 14 bins and 8 boxes of Christmas decorations.  It's not that I have a lot, it's just that there are some big things.  Okay, I do have a lot.  Especially in my living room which is decorated in pink...including the decorations on my tree.  I have stopped buying the pink and now buy stuff to decorate the rest of my house!
6.  I have pooped my pants in the mall...and I was married with 3 children at the time!  Not my proudest moment!
7.  I suffer from allergies and they are getting worse all the time.  I never had allergies until my freshman year at Ricks College.  Then they were just in the summer.  But over the years, they have gotten worse and lasted longer.  I am also allergic to pets, especially cats and dogs.  When I go to the in-laws, I have to take antihistamine the whole time I am there, which knocks me out.  I am such a fun guest!  And last month I developed an allergy to shrimp.  I am so sad!  I really need to go to an allergist.  It's on The List.
8.  I have used a planner for years and years and years.  It is my lifeline.  I lost one once and cried for weeks.  I keep everything in there.  However, I am not using it as much as I used to, I think mainly because I am so busy, I don't have time to make lists any more.  But I have The List.  I just keep writing things on it and when I have time, I go to The List and see what I have time to do. 
9.  I hate onions, peppers (hot, green, red, etc.), salsa, Mexican food, olives in food (especially pizza), avocados, chicken hearts (yes, I have tried one and it was nasty!), black pepper, raw fish (sushi...eew!), canned peas, lima beans, anchovies...the list goes on and on.  I don't do gourmet!
I love red meat, pork, potatoes (mashed, boiled, baked, etc.), fresh corn, Jell-O...basically comfort food.
10.  I love getting comments on my blog posts, but I rarely get them.  Please love me!  I want to feel popular!  LOL
Tag...you're it!
I am going to start another blog soon. Yeah, I'm not busy enough, and I post on this one soooo much!

But seriously, I am.

Stay tuned for more details!
Again, I am ignoring the fact that I have at least 4 hours of work sitting in the bag next to me.

Instead, I am trying to find things to make me laugh.

The Doctor and I recently discovered the hilarity of The Office. How have we not been watching this all along? We are probably even going to buy them on DVD. Try the following video. We laughed for days every time we thought about it!





Then go here but be careful, sometimes the videos aren't very family friendly. We have a filtering system, so it usually blocks them for me.


I also love Cake Wrecks. They always give me a giggle. I mean really, who thinks up these things?


And my kids make me laugh all the time. I have begun the habit of saying, "Really?" to everything (thank you Saturday Night Live). So the other day The Teenager (age 15) did something, and The Princess (age 4) went up to him and said, "Really? Really?" It was so funny, I thought I would pee my pants.


And of course, the ultimate "Make me laugh until I can't breathe" is The Poopie List. Just thinking about is causing small giggles to erupt!


So I want to know what makes you laugh? It could be a website, a blog, a great joke, whatever. Just make me laugh today!
I normally work between 13-15 hours a week.

This week I got 26 1/2.

That is twice the normal hours. And next week will be just as crazy, plus I have to go into the office on Saturday and spend all day printing W2's.

So when you get your W2 in the mail, think of the poor sap who worked all day away from her family to get it out to you.

Speaking of W2's, between The Doctor losing his job and working temporary jobs and such, and with my W2's, we will be getting 7 of them!

Can anyone beat that?
So I have told you about my love of Donny Osmond.

First go here and watch for a cameo by Donny.

Then watch this:




People are amazing with what they can do!
So I just found out that 3 of the contestants on this season's Biggest Loser are LDS!

Blaine and Dane, the black team, and Sione from the blue team.

Not that it should matter, but I am going to root for them just a little bit harder.

You can go http://lorinandkristyn.blogspot.com/2008/12/watch-biggest-loser.html to read more, but be careful. She gives a little spoiler.
Have you heard about Reflections, the program sponsored by the PTA? This year's theme was "Wow."
Both The Artist and The Chocoholic entered several projects this year.
They each won for one of their projects on the school level.

The Chocoholic got an honorable mention for his picture of a green tomato, but won for his story, "Lightning."

The Artist won for his picture of the moon.
So both projects were sent on to the council level.

Unfortunately, The Chocoholic did not win for his story. But what a good story it was!


The Artist did win! That is his beautiful picture of the moon. It was very cool. So now he goes on to the Region level.
So here was my dilemma. I was SO proud of The Artist for winning, but I felt so bad for The Chocoholic. He was so sad that he didn't win.
So I sat there, going from child to child trying to be happy for one and consoling the other. It was a very gut wrenching evening.
It's January.

For most, that only means cold weather and depression (by most, I mean me).

Now it means quarterly taxes and W2's.

I have 46 payroll clients. I have to file all of their quarterly taxes before the 17th. I also have to print all of the W2's for all of my client's employees on the 17th.

And I still have to do all their regular payroll and my other projects.

Plus my boss is doing her billing a little differently, which means more work for me every payroll.

I am freaking out a little bit.
I know, I know, I need to post. I am feeling the withdrawl!

Because of me having to work and everything else that is going on, I just barely got my Christmas decorations put away yesterday. I am the type that the day after Christmas, I am ready to put it away. But this year I wanted to relax because I knew I would be working this past week. Well, I should have done it earlier because it has just grated on my nerves to have it all out. I love my decorations, but when Christmas is over, it's time to put it away.

I will blog more next week, and I will post new pictures too. I need to dump the pictures on my camera so I can share!

So please don't go anywhere. I promise I will be back. Soon.