I long for Copenhagen

I was just finishing reading my last post and looked up at my header photo. Oh how relaxing it would be just to pop into Copenhagen and just chill out. I'm sure it would be a real chill considering they are much further north and it's mid November. Can you believe it's really Mid November already? I can't. We picked grab bag names last night while at my mom's for her birthday. A bit early for her day, but it was the only open weekend for most of us.

On another happy note...I'm headed to Texas in a little over a week to see my friend Helen! I'm so excited to go. I hope the weather is a bit warmer than it is here and definetly a bit cooperative so I don't get stuck anywhere. I found a really cool project I'd like to work on but it would involve having a lot of stuff (as in scrapbooking) around and all my pictures from Europe edited. I know that isn't really going to happen. It's something I can keep in the works. I'm really not supposed to do any other projects until I get my Christmas Journal finished. That's according to Marybeth!

Speaking of my friend, Marybeth, I went to have a few hours of scrapbooking with her yesterday. I accomplished 2 things. One I finished a frame my sister asked me to make for my nephew. Second I accomplished one page in the Christmas journal. I know it doesn't sound like much but we sat and gabbed a lot about politics at the beginning. Then after getting one project done, we had a snack. I brought some banana bread I baked and a delicious Honey Crisp apple. Then we goofed around when we started discussing my new bra. We also set the date for our next scrapbook day. We'll be scrapbooking all day the day after Thanksgiving! I'm so excited, I just can't wait. I don't know if I'm more excited about scrapbooking, spending the day with Marybeth, or just being off for 5 days in a row! Anyway it's all good.

I've also found a new organizational tool for me. I found a desk divider that has 3 drawers, two mail slots and a top area. I've gotten my bills mostly organized into it along with stamps, calculator, and other odds and ends I need to write bills. Before now, they were just stacked in a pile on the corner of the dining room table or on the chest in the dining room. I have also been trying to file right after I finish writing the bills. I still have a couple of smaller piles I need to work though but it's slowly becoming an organizational tool that is working for me. Since I took over the bills, I found that if I write bills and pay them online once a week that I manage better. It was a disorganized mess when I took them over. I'm so glad that I got worked through the stuff while I was off over the summer because it makes things a bit less stressful during the school year.

So any big plans for Thanksgiving? We're not sure what we'll be doing. I'm sure we'll be doing something with my mom. My sister will I'm sure do something with her husband's family, my brother and sil will be in Florida, and that leaves us, mom and my dad. I'm not sure what he'll be doing though either. Doug will be home probably the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. NIU is playing Navy on that Tuesday. A big ESPN2 televised game and he'll take his free student ticket and go. Both teams are close to his heart. I'm sure now that he'd prefer NIU to win because that's his school, and my cousin no longer plays for Navy.

Have you got things in order for Christmas? We drew grab bag names last night at my mom's birthday. I got someone and Don got someone, but we didn't get one another. That was against the rules since we will already buy for our spouses. We should be getting lists out by the 15th. I've already started my list for what I think I might want to buy for Don and the boys. I've got ideas for my younger nephew, and sure my older nephew will want a gift card to somewhere. Trying to think of something fun to make for a friend at school as we always exchange something small or homemade. Anyone have any cute and fun little ideas?

Ok, I have to blame this on Marybeth yesterday. I've started listening to Christmas CD's. They are relaxing to me and I thought it might help me relax a bit. The radio station WLIT will start playing Christmas music 24-7 on November 20th. They even have a countdown clock on their homepage!

Ok, I've chatted about a lot of different topics. Can you tell I'm trying to avoid sitting and writing a final test for a book for the college students? As much as I like that class, it's getting difficult because it started with 8 students and now we're down to 7 and if they don't all show up, it's just a really small group that is hard to keep focused and teach. They are learning but it's hard to do groups or partners.

So here's hoping you have a great week, and I am able to get some work done, things done at school and get rid of some stress. It's been bad this weekend, it's going down my back where it usually stops at my shoulders. I need to find someone who can get me in for a massage.

Toodles peeps!