FLYING INTO 2007

My dear next-door neighbor moved into a brand new house across town this week, and now a new family is moving in. As much work as it has been for both families, and as much as I NEVER want to move again, I envy them both just a little bit. What an opportunity to de-clutter!

My name is Susan and I’m a pack rat. There, I’ve confessed. That’s the reason I don’t ever want to move from this house; fifteen years means a WHOLE lot of accumulation. I’m helping my former neighbor to de-clutter a little bit by listing a few of her things on ebay (hey, Teresa, we have a bid on one of the pairs of jeans!). If ebay isn’t for you, or even if it is, you may still need some additional guidance in your fight for clutter control.

The most popular person online to help you take control of your belongings, helping you learn to de-clutter and organize your home and your life, is Flylady. Have you heard of her? You may be one of the at least 366,000 people who have. Flylady has an e-mail mailing list of daily reminders and inspiration with a plan to help you in taking back control of your house, and over 366,000 people currently subscribe to that mailing list! I suppose that number speaks to the need and desire that so many of us have to de-clutter our lives. It helps to know we’re not alone!

Flylady, whose real name is Marla Cilley, also helps to encourage people to take control of their health and manage what she calls their “body clutter.” In fact, Marla, along with Leanne Ely, has a new book called Body Clutter: Love Your Body, Love Yourselfnow available that addresses that topic.

This a weekend for resolutions, so if getting organized, home-wise or health-wise, is part of your New Year’s resolution, you might want to check out Flylady’s words of wisdom. You can sign up for her mailing list through a link on her website, flylady.net. You can find her new book on amazon.com. Resolve to FLY with Flylady in 2007!

(Are you already a Flybaby? I’d love to read your comments!)

SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. "
Luke 2:11

May His light shine on you and in you this Christmas season and always.

Silent night, holy night,

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin mother and Child.

Holy Infant, so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night,

Shepherds quake at the sight;

Glories stream from heaven afar,

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!

Christ the Savior is born,

Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night, holy night,

Son of God, love’s pure light;

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

Silent night, holy night

Wondrous star, lend thy light;

With the angels let us sing,

Alleluia to our King;

Christ the Savior is born,

Christ the Savior is born!

THE MATH WORKSHEET SITE

Does your child need practice with math facts? Does math time bring tears and frustration for your students? Or, does your child love math and can’t get enough of it? Either way, you need The Math Worksheet Site. From counting to word problems, algebra and exponents, to geometry and dodecahedrons, The Math Worksheet Site has math problems to suit your children’s needs.

The Math Worksheet Site allows you to create an endless supply of math worksheets. The intuitive interface gives you the ability to customize each worksheet to target a student's specific needs. Every worksheet is created when you request it, so they are different every time. Each worksheet that is created will have a new arrangement of problems, or new problems altogether, depending on the type of worksheet. This ensures that students learn the concept, not simply memorize the order of the answers on the page.

The Math Worksheet Site is not a collection of worksheets. It is a web site that creates the worksheets you want when you want them, according to the criteria you specify. This way you can add the practice that your student needs to a curriculum you already like (or their school curriculum if you’re not a homeschooler), or you can be freed from the constraints of a workbook or textbook that gives either too much or too little practice.

Check out the preview link on the home page to give the worksheet generator a trial run. If you need a longer trial, just drop Denise a note and let her know. (See the November 30th posting in her blog for details on the “test drive” offer.) Hundreds of subscribers love The Math Worksheet Site. With no obligation to subscribe, what are you waiting for? Go check it out now at The Math Worksheet Site.

COOKIN' THROUGH THE NEW YEAR

I love new calendars! One year I had so many I even hung one in the bathroom. I got a new calendar in the mail today that will go in the kitchen for sure and will come off the wall frequently because it's just filled with wonderful recipes. Ah, calendars and recipes. Two of my favorite things.

This one was a gift from Betty Crocker, not personally but from BettyCrocker.com. I signed up a long time ago there for their Dinner Made Easy e-mail newsletter and in one of those recently there was an offer for a free calendar, limited supply available. Well, I clicked right through on that link and apparently got there in time since this just arrived in the mailbox, the snail mailbox, today. There's a main dish recipe on the top of every two-page spread with a dessert at the bottom. How do they get those food pictures to look so good? I'm trying to decide which of these recipes I want to fix first. Will it be October's Southwest Mac and Cheese (ah, comfort food) or February's Italian Sausage Soup (which I suspect will be my husband's first choice).

If you want a calendar, these are available now for download on the Betty Crocker website at BettyCrocker.com/2007Calendar. The recipes are on the website and you can also sign up for a variety of e-mail newsletters while you're there, then watch for all those delightful pictures to make you hungry and keep you cookin' through the new year. Have a yummy 2007!

GOT BOX TOPS? GOT SCRAPBOOKS?

The other day I had bananas that were just perfect for making banana bread, and I was thinking about my perfect banana bread recipe. My mouth was watering just contemplating using the former to prepare the latter. :-)

What I didn't have was flour, and it was already suppertime, too late to run to the store to get more. Well, I put those thoughts on hold until the next evening after I had made yet another trip to the grocery store and bought the flour. When I was measuring the flour for the banana bread, I first used the tiny bit that was left in the old bag. As I was flattening the bag to throw it away, I noticed a pretty pink little coupon on the back that said "Box Tops for Education." Oh, good. A Box Top for Kellie.

My friend Cheri is collecting Box Tops for Education for her granddaughter Kellie's class. In fact, Cheri has set up a web page asking for your help in collecting the Box Tops and, the best part, Cheri is offering to send you, as a thank-you for your Box Tops, a free scrapbooking item.

Cheri is into scrapbooking big time and has a scrapbooking blog with oodles of great ideas and resources. She also has lots and lots of scrapbooking embellishments. If you would like a free embellishment that you can use for your scrapbook, just visit Scrapbook for Box Tops and read how to go about making the connection with Cheri. Even if you're not into scrapbooking, Kellie would be thrilled to receive your extra Box Tops for Education, so contact Cheri through her website.

And, if you're a scrapbooker like Cheri, don't miss her scrapbooking blog, Scrapbook Layout Ideas.

QUOTE FOR TODAY

"You cannot plough a field by turning it over in your mind."

Author Unknown

Wow! If you're one to procrastinate, as am I, I hope this quote speaks to you as it has to me. In fact, I could write volumes on procrastination, but if I did, I wouldn't get anything else done today.

So I will leave you with this thought and, if it applies to you, I hope you'll take action on a project you've been putting off - and do it today!

SEEING SPOTS?

Are you seeing spots in front of your eyes? Don't worry, it's just our newly remodeled look!

There comes a time that you just have to update, and that time for this blog finally came. I hope the soft shades of green of our new blog design will be pleasing to the eye and you won't miss the bright pinks too awfully much!

I'll be back with more posts soon but just thought it might be a good idea to announce the makeover so you'll know it's still us behind the spots and dots.

Talk to you soon!

Susan