Don't be Jealous

What NOT to do at a Ward Party

Karaoke Night at Elder's Quorum Party:

Say "this song is dedicated to my daughters because they want to dance" and then start to sing Bust a Move and realize halfway through the first verse what the song actually says.

Why didn't anyone warn me?

Time for a Top Ten...

As Christmas approaches I have decided to throw together a quick Top 10 List of my favorite holiday activities.

Lee's Top 10 Christmas Highlights (with lowlights too)

1. Making treats for holiday gifts. I have no idea why I find such gratification in handing out our little neighborhood treat plates but it is one of my favorite parts of the holidays (but not realizing I forgot someone who I really adore or not finding someone at home in which case we end up eating the leftover plate)

2. Christmas Holiday Tunes! If you have not heard Fiona Apples' Frosty the Snowman you are MISSING out (but not all the various and sundry version of Deck the Halls and Rudolph from my kids incessant singing- will Joy to the World Barney is Dead ever fall off the charts?)

3. Knowing that my kids will get to see snow at least once over Christmas break (but not the looong drive to get to Utah)

4. Shopping for Christmas gifts (but not reporting what I have spent in the family budget discussion- ouch)

5. Online shopping! Paypal! One-step checkout (no downside here)

6. Houses all lit up with holiday decor (but knowing that as long as we spend weeks in Utah every year we don't even get a tree)

7. Sending out Christmas Cards and reflecting on the year in our newsletter (but not affixing stamps one at a time--isn't there a better way? Plus I need to get a return address stamp.)

8. Receiving Christmas Cards (but not cards without pictures! People I have a place in my house for your family pictures and when you don't send them out we have no sign of your friendship anywhere around here. You might feel environmentally friendly for sending out an e-newletter but your family lost its official place on the wall above the table. Award goes to Memzy for not only an adorable Christmas card but for being the first pic up on the wall this year! The kids fought over whether it was to be feet or faces but I won the argument and we put up faces)

9. Holiday performances--last night I was able to take part of an amazing production of Woman at the Well for Enrichment for church and it was sooo beautiful. The singing was incredible and the costumes and props were so authentic it felt really spectacular. (I am sad to report that I missed participating in the Messiah sing-holla Krissie-because I was on the road for work that night. I hope to squeeze it in while in Utah but I highly doubt I will find a sing this late into the month)

10. Holiday goodies. Everywhere you turn there is chocolate, my favorite food group. (This year I am bypassing all chocolate, white sugar, and white flour products. It is very hard but I have goals to make by January and I have stuck with it for two months now so I can't break with momentum. I am making ONE exception on Christmas Day)

Internet Junkie

I have no idea what kind of person I was before web 2.0. I am not a particularly talented or gifted individual but my one contribution to life is that I am willing to try anything. The internet allows me to do this without breaking a sweat. Have to rewire your kitchen? Look it up. Need a recipe for homemade mac and cheese without the cheese or the mac? You can find it online. You can even type in a song title or target lyric like "she's so funky yeah" and it pulls up the whole song verifying that it actually is french for games without frontiers and not what you thought you heard.

I am so sold into this culture that when people that I work with email me for help I am shocked that they did not first consult the web. In fact I rarely know answers so I am constantly looking things up-- then on a survey the teachers give me feedback later saying "Lee is so quick she always knows the answers." I chuckle softly to myself and pat my little macbook pro in awe of the world of people around me uploading all the stuff that I only get credit for knowing on a daily basis. In fact JennyESP asked about my little label cloud and you know what? I just typed in "label cloud blogger" and this little gem showed up. I experimented a few times with HTML and the world wide web made me once again look fancier than I really am. Thanks to those in the know!

Blogging is the newest part of this for me and in fact I might even refer to it as web 3.0 in which I can ask a question and have 10 people respond with advice, answers, jokes, or requests to shut this place down. And the liklihood of that advice being just as good as a trained professional is high, higher in fact because these people know me or at least know about me. So thanks for being my personal counselors, comediennes, doctors, lawyers, and yes even friends.

Division of Labor

What kinds of chores does the primary breadwinner do at your house vs. the at-home person? How did you come to that decision? If you both work, how do you divide household duties?

Kthanks.

See ya

I will be in Napa this week with junkets to check out the house and meet renters, cousins in SFO, see a friend from hs, and church in Sac with old friends. Meg is coming along for the ride..

See you next week!

Downsizing

8 people lost their jobs in my organization yesterday due to "restructuring" and it was referred to as "pruning" to allow for new growth.

If you have to be laid off, does Dec 1 sound like a good time to anyone?

Merry Christmas to those guys.