Mm-mmm Good!

There was a Girl Scout cookie order form taped to my office break room door today. I ordered 34 dollars worth of cookies. Indulgent? Maybe. Frivolous? Absolutely not!

Here is what I got:

• Lemon Chalet Cremes, 2 boxes
• Peanut Butter Sandwiches/Do-si-dos, 2 boxes
• Samoas, 3 boxes (because they don't have enough in each box)
• Thin Mints, 2 boxes

What can I say? I love Girl Scout Cookies!

Thing I'm thankful for: being at work, but out of the office.

All Hail to the Maker of Long Johns!

That's right. I'm wearing long johns under my jeans today. That's the benefit of wearing jeans that don't fit tightly; you have room for long underwear on cold days. And it's cold here in Georgia. Now would not be a good time for the Devil to come down.

I bought a red and blue pair of thermal long johns several years ago. In fact, I think I was in 12th grade . . . (Fancy that! I still fit into them! Yessss!) Whenever I put them on, my jeans would make them bunch up at my calves, so I would ask my sister to pull them down to my ankles. She simultaneously laughed and got annoyed that I asked her to help me because I'd wake her up about it. There I was, waking her up at 7:00 a.m., when she was in college and probably didn't have to get up until 10:00.

I say this to you, though, Lexia: Thanks. Thanks for keeping your little sister warm on cold mornings. I didn't have anyone to help me today, and it was a bummer.

:)


Thing I'm thankful for: Hawaiian barbeque pizza from Papa John's. It's very tasty.

Yikes! I Need More Sleep!

I just read an article on MSN.com called Sleep: Strange Bedfellows. It lists the facts about what happens when you don't get enough sleep, which I don't. I knew most of these things already because I always, always read articles about sleep deprivation. And why not? I may as well know what my body is up against . . .

I feel like getting enough sleep is a never-ending battle for me. Maybe I'm one of those people the article refers to as having a genetic mutation. I do feel like I can survive on less sleep than most, but I also still feel like I am deprived.

Most people want to know what I do when I stay up late. I will tell you:

• Browse the Internet.
• Read any kind of book, but mostly church books.
• Watch a movie, usually a chick flick.
• Pay bills.
• Shop online (but not anymore because I'm paying off debt).
• Bake.
• Talk with another night owl.

Tell me, readers: Are you night owls? Is getting to bed or getting restful sleep a problem for you? How do you fight the urge to stay awake? How do you go to sleep when you're mind is restless? How do you get yourself to get into your bed?!?


Thing I'm thankful for: apples with peanut butter.

2009 Resolutions

Uh, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
(I'm a little late on the salutations . . .)

I'm normally not a New Year's resolutions type of person, but I figure I might as well try it this year, if only to give myself a reminder of the kind of person I am right now. Who knows? Years from now, I may look at this list and think, "Wow! I actually accomplished some of those goals!" or "Whoa, I can't believe that was important to me then!"

Anyway, here are my resolutions for 2009:

• Reduce my credit card debt by at least half by finally going paperless, making my lunch each day, not making dining out the focus of social activities, and keeping track of my pennies.
• Lose 15 pounds by walking at least three times a week and keeping track of my calories. No, I won't count all of my calories, but I won't splurge on something that's really not worth eating, like the yucky store-bought desserts people leave in the office break room.
• Get more sleep by going to bed when I'm tired, even if it means saying "no" to people. I don't think the weekends count as much, but during the week, I need to get more rest.
• Read scriptures daily by taking MARTA to work. That puts at least 30 minutes of reading time into my day.
• Get healthy by drinking more water and taking a daily dose of Metamucil. Call me old, if you want to, but my body needs a fiber supplement each day. Green leafy vegetables are incredible, but they are just not enough all the time. ;)
• Learn how to cook something new every month by well, cooking something new. And by organizing all of my recipes.
  
• Make my apartment a home and not just a transitory place I live in until I am eventually married. Put pictures of my family on the wall, organize everything . . . stuff like that.
• Read a book every two months at least! Since I've graduated from college, I haven't done enough reading. It's probably the other way around for a lot of people, but remember, I was an English major. What happened?!?
• Draw again. I'll start by sketching . . .
• Study for the GRE by reading and taking a continuing education math course at a nearby university.
• Calculate how much money it takes to bake and frost a batch of sugar cookies. I've gotta get started on my goal of opening a bakery at some point!
  
• Upload pictures onto my blog by first re-sizing them in Photoshop. Argh.
  

Okay. Those are the big ones. I left some room for a few "non-essential" things, but basically, this year is going to be a year of organizing and prioritizing for me. I plan on using this scripture from Doctrine and Covenants (Section 88, verse 119) as my theme:

Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God[.]

I think it's a do-able list. We'll see . . .

What are your resolutions? Do you normally make them? Why or why not?


Thing I'm thankful for: Such a long vacation! I had a full week and a day off! Eat that, CDC sub-contracting companies! :)