New Year...New Rules

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called "Opportunity" and its first chapter is New Year's Day."
-Edith Lovejoy Pierce

What will the gift of this new year bring? In my dreams, I wish that I am an optimistic, go-with-the-flow, creative woman of the world who carries with her a wonderfully homey vibe. But unfortunately, you can't google that and find a step-by-step how-to guide. Believe me, I've tried. After thinking hard about what I want from my life, I've created my 2010 manifesto...

Go ahead and finish. I won't leave things that can be done now. I made this goal a couple of years ago and really stuck to it. In most instances, it keeps me from being absolutely lazy. Instead of leaving the trash on the counter, walk it to the can. Instead of dropping the towel on the floor, hang it up on the hook. But where else can it apply?

Find time. I will find time to just be me. To relax. To be creative. To make memories. By necessity, I've been consumed by school since September. And while I have 18 weeks of school before summer vacation, I've got to schedule some time for myself.

Attempt. Even if I might fail. I feel like I'm stuck on a plateau, too scared to climb onward. I took a big risk with my career in 2009, but I'm frozen again. Even with the mundane.

Halloween wrap-up

"Where there is no imagination there is no horror."
-Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr.

Long time, no blog. I'm not making any promises for the future, but I did have to share photos from our "spooky" Halloween night.

While Callie did this:I did this:
Luckily the result was this (tacos with "eyeballs," if you were wondering):
and this (a spooky dinner with candy corn cakes):
Luckily for us, we didn't give the cakes out to the neighborhood kids and luckily for the boys, there were no candy corns used in the cakes. :)

While we ate, we took turns opening the door for trick-or-treaters, that is, until we ran out of candy. Then, we headed upstairs for a scary movie marathon. Another wonderful weekend in my world.

Climbing again

“I’ve learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.”
-Unknown

This weekend I earned the second "badge" for the Canyon Climbers Club. Rob and I headed out to Amicalola Falls State Park Saturday morning, in order to enjoy a beautiful autumn day in the woods. We hiked every trail in the park, even climbing the 604 stairs to the top of the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi River. Rob and I agree, although the adventure at Tallulah Gorge was awesome, the views at Amicalola were even better. The trails at Amicalola connect to the southernmost point of the Appalachian Trail. And, although we didn't venture that way this time--we spent our hike, wondering what it would be like to isolate ourselves on the trail for months at a time.

Come gather at our table

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."
-Virginia Woolf

So, our main anniversary gift to ourselves this year was a real dining room table, to fill our oh-so-empty front room. The modern tradition anniversary gift is china, and we decided we needed somewhere to place our china, if ever the day came to host a fancy party.

We'd been eyeing a table at Pottery Barn, but it was much too expensive, and probably too big for our space. So we found the next best thing (and probably in truth the very best thing!) at World Market last week. We saw it, we sat at it, we fell in love. And, then we waited a few days to make certain we were sure.

We were. So we bought it, and then it took three carloads and three people (my mom was in town this weekend!) to get it home. And, of course as soon as we assembled it, we had to run out to Hobby Lobby and Michael's to fix up a pretty fall centerpiece.

How festive we are! And, now we even have a place to eat!

Call us crazy, but...

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

FROM SATURDAY MORNING: We're out here in the rain for the second weekend in a row, hoping to catch some great deals at an REI scratch and dent sale. Maybe not my favorite way to start the day, but my husband loves it, so here I am!!

Wrath of nature

"Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella."

-Pepper Giardino

Mudslides and flash floods cancelled school today. But, not before I got up, got dressed, and headed to work. It was nice to have a day off, and by day off, I mean, I worked at school until noon and came home to work on lesson plans all afternoon.

And, they say it's the men who forget...

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
-Marcel Proust

So Rob reminded me this afternoon that our wedding anniversary is quickly approaching. In fact, the conversation went like this:

R: So, did we set a price limit on our anniversary gifts for each other yet?
J: What?!?!? Anniversary... crap! I haven't even thought about that.
R: Really? I've been thinking about it for awhile and have lots of ideas!
J: Well, then you set a budget, and I'll come up with something in that range.
R: Ok, how about 1290 dollars?
J: Sure, I think I can fall below that.

And, then my preoccupation with lesson plans quickly transformed into a preoccupation with clever, sweet, romantic, useful gifts for my main man.

The second anniversary tradition is cotton, and considering the fact that my husband works at a cotton mill, it seems like I should be able to come up with something decent. But, darn, if it isn't a challenge to think up a clever gift for a man.

Any ideas? I've got two weeks!