A cut above

In recent years, I've taken a very practical approach to my Christmas wish list. Specifically, I like to ask my parents for things that I need but don’t want to put the time into researching myself. I’d rather just trust their years of expertise. This year, I asked for and received(!) a nice set of knives. The cheapy ones I bought from Target a couple years ago just weren't cutting it anymore (literally and pun intended).

Before. Rusty, lousy.

After. Don't they look sharp?!

White out

Christmas was a blur! The five days I spent at my parents' house seemed to pass much more quickly than a typical work week. The weather was all kinds of frightful while I was there, but my travels to and from my parents' house were uneventful. Feeling reckless, I snapped a picture of the snow blowing across the interstate on my way to the farm Christmas eve. I thought it looked cool (in particular, it made me think of the steam that would roll off a witch's cauldron).

Mystical snow. Reckless driver.

It's in the cards

Christmas cards have always been one of my favorite things about Christmas. Growing up, I particularly liked taping them around the kitchen doorway in our house. My parents always received a ton of cards, so the doorway was usually completely framed. This year I'm continuing the tradition and taping my cards around the little peek-through in my dining room.

You should send me a card. Then, you, too, could be part of this amazing display and rich holiday tradition.

Keep the cards coming! For a small donation, you can even specify the spot on the peek-through where you would like your card displayed for the next three weeks. Spaces are limited, so reserve yours today!

This sucks

I got my vacuum! It was waiting on my doorstep when I came home from work Thursday. I'm pleased to report that it works like a charm just as Consumer Reports and the Amazon reviews promised it would. Best of all, it only cost $60. And the price just dropped another $2. What a steal.

I should have made this purchase a year ago. I haven't owned a vacuum since I've moved into my house which means my area rugs haven't been cleaned. Ever. Sometimes I would take a lint roller to the one in my bedroom, but something tells me that doesn't really count.

Power. Buy yours on Amazon.

First items of business

Now that Operation Whip-My-House-Into-Shape is in full swing, it's time to make some strategic purchases that I have been putting off for no good reason at all:

• This magnetic paper towel holder to free up a smidgen of counter space
• This vacuum to clean my area rugs (Or lull babies into complacency. I've seen this work!)

Curious what sold me on this paper towel holder? That little cartoon horseshoe magnet, that's what.

I pledge...

On Thanksgiving day, two of my cousins and my sister hosted a little tour of their new homes. All of their houses were so put-together and organized that I couldn’t help but feel a little sheepish about my own, especially considering that my cousins have only been in their respective houses for two or three months! I, on the other hand, have been in mine for a year and a half and it’s still got that just-moved-in quality to it (a certain je-ne-sais-quoi, if we want to put a positive spin on it).

So, I pledge, in the next six months, to really take action with my home. That way, when the extended family treks to town for Easter, I can offer a tour of my home without a litany of excuses for why things look the way they do. Wish me luck.

Bring it. I pledge to whip my house into shape. (Image source)

Homegirl got glasses

Hey, look! Homegirl got glasses! These are just a cheapy temporary pair to tide me over until my beefed up vision insurance plan kicks in in January and I can spring for pricier frames. The ones I'm currently sporting came from Zenni Optical, a super-discount online glasses retailer I learned about from Ashlynn's blog.* These bad boys only cost $8! With the added anti-glare lens coating and shipping costs, my grand total came to $17.50.

The one tricky part about ordering them was measuring my pupillary distance, which is the only necessary figure not considered part of the prescription, and therefore not provided by my eye doctor. So, I had a friend measure the distance between my pupils with a metric ruler about a dozen times until we both agreed that 53 mm did seem to be the correct measurement.

$17.50 never looked so good! With glasses, it's like I'm now viewing my world in high definition.

*Although it might sound as though Ashlynn and I are chums, I, in fact, do not know her. I just like to read her blog.