gift giving made easy

As much as I love Christmas, the gift giving aspect of it can get a bit stressful. We've all gotten gifts where you know the person was really thinking of you and trying to be thoughtful but the size was wrong, or they got your favorite team mixed up, or they had no idea you were allergic to wool. It happens and the gift in question either gets returned/ exchanged or tucked away in the back of a closet until the next yardsale comes along. While it is the thought that counts, it feels so great when you find a gift the recipient truly loves. You know that whenever they use it they will think of you.

Well, I've got some good news. This year the guessing game ends and the likelihood of giving (or getting) something destined for the yardsale pile has been significantly reduced.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Kaboodle.

This website has taken the idea of a wish list and combined it with the accessability and convenience of social networking sites. You create a profile and then, when you are browsing online, add things to your kaboodle wishlist with one click. You can even specify color, size and any other important details. Next, you invite your friends, relatives and anyone else you find yourself shopping for, to make a profile too and become your friend. You are able to look at all of your friends' wishlists and purchase gifts directly from there! Ta-Da! Guessing game over, confusion avoided.

What makes it even better, there is an option for you to list your favorite stores/brands within your profile. That way, if someone doesn't see something in their price range on your wish list, or simply prefers to give you a gift card, they know exactly what stores you shop at. Woo-hoo! no more wasted gift cards (read: no more wasted money).

I will be able to buy the latest geek-tastic gadget for Steve without getting a headache from the technical details and Steve can get me the beautiful vintage jewelry I love from Etsy.com without fear. It truly is a win-win situation. :)

faith the size of a mustard seed

This morning I did something that three months ago, when I began my job search here in Savannah, I never thought I would do. I turned down a job offer. Even now, as I type it out, part of my brain is screaming at me to change my mind. This economy is rough and something is better than nothing, right?

I thought so for the longest time but then I got some very wise advice from my old sunday school teacher. After finding out I didn't get one of the jobs I interviewd for, she told me that God has a great opportunity planned for me and she is praying that I don't overlook it.

Those words really resonated with me and when I got the job offer yesterday they kept ringing in my head. The job was something that I enjoy and am good at, but in no way helps me build skills that will help me in my future career. It would have brought in a small paycheck that would have allowed us a bit of breathing room in our budget, but there was no real opportunity to leave if a better offer came along (at least not one I could feel good about).

When I took the time to really think and pray about the situation I felt convicted. It was as though God was calling me out for a lack of faith in him and his ability to provide for me. I had trusted him and thanked him when times were good but when I found myself back in times of difficulty I wanted to take back control instead of leaning on him. I wanted to hide in my comfort zone instead of allowing him the opportunity to push me forward.

My dad and I have talked a lot lately about having faith and trusting in God to give us what we need. It reminded me of a scripture we used to talk about in small group at church:

Matthew 17:20 - He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

That was the last little push I needed to make my decision.

As mentioned in the post below, I had an interview yesterday for a really great job. While I would be thrilled to be chosen, it is truly an amazing opportunity, I'm holidng onto my newly found little mustard seed of faith that no matter what, Steve and I will be provided for. It isn't easy surrendering control and trusting in a plan I can't see, but I have to believe that if he can keep me safe while my work group is being bullied by federales in Mexico then he can care for Steve and I in this economy.

menu planning monday... or not

I feel a bit lazy about not planning a menu this week but I know that even if I do I am going to end up eating ramen noodles most nights instead of whatever I have planned. I really don't like to cook when it's just me at home. Something about planning a menu and grocery shopping for only myself makes me a bit sad.

Instead of making a menu today I went on a job interview instead!

The job I interviewed for is, in a word, amazing. I'm not going to give any details, just to be on the safe side, until I hear back from them but really, I would be ecstatic if I got this job. Please note that I will be sitting at home with all my fingers and toes crossed until a decision is made.

my husband rocks!

Look over to the righthand column for just a minute... see that new ticker over there? That little beauty is all about Steve and his awesomeness. He ran out of cigarettes one week ago today and instead of running out to get more he chose to quit! He has been completely smoke free since Halloween. :)

Even more amazing is that he is doing it pretty much cold turkey. He's got some Nicorette gum that our health insurance paid for just in case he gets a bad craving but he hasn't needed it since Tuesday.

I am so proud of him. We had discussed him quitting a few times and agreed that he would do it sometime before we had kids but the specific timeline was up to him. I was completely shocked how quickly he made up his mind to quit after smoking for nine years but I'm so happy for fim!

This week my husband rocks because he finally decided to stop smoking and has been smoke free for almost a week!

all of my english teachers were right

This morning I had a job interview. I know, amazing right? I was really excited about it and I feel like it went really well. Now I'm just playing the waiting game for their decision.

It was a typical interview really except for one thing. They asked me to take a writing test. As in, here are my notes on what I want in the letter (some of which were in shorthand)... please sort through it all and give me back a professional looking and intelligent sounding letter that I can send out.

Granted, I have been writing professional letters for a while now but never under so much pressure and usually not without some sort of reference guide to make sure I have the technical aspects right.

The guy literally handed me a page of notes and told me when I was done he was going to go through it with a red pen to see how many mistakes I made. Uh.... holy intimidating skills test batman!

I pushed through it and I think I did well but all I can think about is how english teachers across the country have been vindicated. Yes, you really do need to know proper grammar and usage as well as how to write professionally.... you never know when you will be tested on it!

menu plans for this week

I meant to get this out earlier this week but, long story short, I forgot.

Since Steve has been home a lot more I have been trying to make meals that reheat well so he can take the leftovers for lunch. I've also been doing more experimenting with new recipes. Next week Steve will be gone on business so he has requested some of his favorite foods.

Sunday: we ordered chinese for dinner

Monday: echiladas

Tuesday: chicken pot pie

Wednesday: lasagna

Thursday: greek chicken

Friday: leftovers

Saturday: breakfast

remembering loved ones

Part of el dios de los muertos is remembering loved ones who have passed away. I have been thinking a lot about loved ones Steve and I have lost since this time last year and, as today is the last day of the holiday, I decided to share a little bit about them with you.

This past spring my great grandpa Smith passed away. I'm sad to say that although I loved him very much I don't know a lot about his life. What I do know is that he was head over heels in love with my great grandma Harriet and that we started losing him very soon after she passed away. I also know that he was in the army and served in Alaska during WW2 and my great grandma trekked across the entire country with a baby just to be with him. I miss him a lot but knowing he is finally with my great grandma again makes me feel better. Here are some of my favorite pictures of him:

In looking through my pictures of my great grandparents I came across this one as well...

Those are my great grandparents on the right but the woman between them and me is my great great grandma Smith, or as we called her, Grandma Nora. She passed away when I was in the 5th grade but I still think of her almost every day. She is in my thoughts today especially. I won't list out all of the amazing things about her here since that would make for a very long blog but I will say that she is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. I was named (my middle name) after her which is a huge part of the reason why I did not change my middle name to my maiden name after I got married. She is also a very large part of the reason that I am bound and determined to get my degree no matter how frustrating it gets. Education was incredibly important to her and if she knew I left school and didn't go back she would probably find a way to come back just to kick my butt.

Finally, as we remember loved ones who have passed on Steve and I find ourselves remembering his dog Spankey who passed away very close to this time last year.

Spankey was a complete sweetheart. He was incredibly old for a dog (passed away when he was 19 and a half years old) but we loved him. The day we took him to the vet to be put down was the only time I have ever seen Steve cry.

These are not the only people I am remembering today... some of my friends have recently lost loved ones too and they are certainly in my thoughts and prayers today. However, I want to be clear that today, and this entire holiday, is not about being sad. El dios de los muertos is about celebrating life and remembering all of the wonderful things about loved ones who are no longer with us.