Dear So and So...

I'm participating in Kat's weekly opportunity to address some things that I need to get off my chest. It's a fun way to let some stuff go, so pop over to her place and link up...if you dare!

---------------

Dear School System,

Please...I beg of you. No more snow days. If I personally volunteer to drive the staff to school, will that help?

Warming up the car,
Angie

---------------

Dear Mother Nature,

Hardee har har har. Point taken. Enough already.

Refusing to buy a sled,
Angie

---------------

Dear Consignment Sale Operator,

Can I take a reduction in profits if you just do all this nonsense tagging for me?

Bandaging another papercut,
Angie

---------------

Dear Lady Gaga,

We get it already. You're outrageous. Can you please wear something normal now? Please.

You're welcome to borrow anything from my wardrobe,
Angie

---------------

Dear USA Olympic Snowboarding outerwear designer,

Homeless chic is not a good look for anyone. I mean, I love plaid, but come on.

Thinking even Lady Gaga could've done something better,
Angie

---------------

Table Topics Tuesdays

My buddy Shannon hosts Table Topics Tuesdays each week and I'm finally joining in. Yay! This week's topic is "what was the most fun you had at a party?"

This is a hard one for me because frankly, I'm not much of a party-goer. I'm such a home body and usually end up hanging out with my girlfriends in a much more casual scenario. However, there is 1 memorable party that I'll not soon forget.

It was late August of 2004 and the temperatures were blazing outside. Hubby & I have birthdays that are 3 weeks apart and I had decided that I was going to throw him a surprise 30th bday party. We were about to become parents and I felt like all the attention had been thrust upon me since I was the one who was VERY pregnant at the time. I wanted him to have a special event where he was the center of attention and with friends who totally adore him.

With the help of some good family friends, the surprise was pulled off without a hitch and I'll never forget the look on his face as we drove up and all his friends were standing there to welcome him to the party. That was definitely my favorite moment at a party ever!

So, how about you? Would you like to play along this week? Click over to Shannon's and link up your post about your favorite party fun.

Mamarazzi's Favorite Things Swap

It's that time of year again! I participated in Mamarazzi's Favorite Things Swap last year and am so excited that I will be participating again next month!

This swap is all about packaging up your favorite things and sending them to your partner who might be completely across the country. It's about making new friendships with another blogger out there and sharing things that mean a lot to you. I can't wait!

If you would like to participate in this year's swap, hurry over to Mamarazzi's blog and read the rules for signing up. Her swaps fill up very fast and she does a great job at organizing them. Enjoy!

Angie's Book Review Corner

Lost & Found
by Jacqueline Sheehan

I have picked up and put down this book for MONTHS. Part of it is the book's fault because it just didn't grab me right out of the gate like others have. To be fair, this one was competing with the Twilight series for a while, which wasn't exactly a fair fight. (please tell me I'm not the only person out here who reads multiple books at once?)

As you can tell by the cover art, this is another novel that falls into my "canine lit" genre. However, even though the dog is a central character, his voice isn't expressed until the very end of the book. Our main character, Rocky, is a recently widowed psychologist who drops everything to move to a remote island off the coast of Portland, Maine. (HOLLA!!)

Rocky meets some eccentric locals, takes on a brand new job and begins a journey of self-discovery that challenges her to find the strength within herself.

Overall, the book was decent, but I felt like it moved really slow until I got to the midpoint. And I did not like how quickly the pace moved during the last 4 chapters of the book. I felt like the author was nearing the "end" of the story and made a mad dash to get in all this final action to wrap up everything in a neat package.

My final assessment is 3 out of 5 paws.

One final note is that I was not surprised to discover that this book has been optioned for a movie. While reading the last half, I kept imagining these characters on the big screen and could totally see it. I think as a movie, so much more of the story could be expanded and I think the story could flow so much better.

Don't be tardy to the party

But if you're a mere 3 and a half months posting pictures of the event, well...yeah.

So, back in October (hangs head in shame), Big A had a big birthday. Number 5! We celebrated like gangbusters and then came 3 major holidays, an anniversary, a big trip and well, here we are. Let's take a step back into yester-year to recap the celebration.

My birthday girl. She loves some polka dots.

For those of you just joining us, hubby gives the birthday girl roses for her birthday. One rose for every year we're celebrating. And he's done this since they were born. Yeah, he's a keeper.

Big A and her birthday roses

For the home celebration, we picked up a few cupcakes and had a mini-party before bedtime on her actual birthday.

And this is the look of getting EXACTLY what you asked for.

A cake fit for a princess

I really have to say that our parties are a lot of fun. We have a lot of GREAT friends who are not afraid to get down and play with all of the kids. It's a blast to watch!

Big A with a new friend from school

Despite Little A's look of horror, the party was a big success and we were so glad to share it with everyone. It's so hard to believe that I've got a 5 year old. They grow up entirely too quickly!

My 2010 "To Do List" Monthly Update

It's hard to believe that January is already finished! Where does the time go? My grandma used to tell me how much faster time moves as you get older. Now I know that she wasn't kidding at all.

To help keep me on track with my goals for the year, I'm committed to reporting my progress here once a month. Let's see how things are going so far!

Family Finances
1. Construct a budget and post it on the computer cabinet monthly - Check!
2. Get debt snowball plan created and posted - Check!
3. Get emergency fund completed - We got the first phase done. Yay!!
4. Get plan together for next year's Christmas - Check! And phew!

Hobbies
1. Finish the Patten Chapel cross stitch - Haven't picked this back up yet.
2. Finish the Bambi cross stitch - Haven't picked this back up yet.
3. Finish the 2008 Disney Album - Planning to complete this month.
4. Keep family album up to date - Hope to work on this month.
5. Try to read a book each month - Check! So far...

Blogging
1. Get my review blog up & running - First post will be up tomorrow!
2. Save up to redo my primary blog - Working on this
3. Post at least 4 times per week - Pretty close
4. Be a better commenter on others blogs - Need to work on this in February

Personal Goals
1. Get in 3 workouts per week - Doing this most weeks
2. Do weekly meal planning - Um, still working on this one
3. Shoot for a size 6 jeans by December 1st - Making progress! Lost 5 lbs so far!
4. Spend more time outdoors with the kids - Making progress

Anything you would like to report on for the year? Progress is progress!