Works for Me: Recycling

Last year, one of my New Year's resolutions was to begin recycling. For several months, I just kept thinking about it. Thinking about how I was going to do it. I really was. But then our church started recycling and put two big bins in the parking lot.

So then I carried around the list of recyclable items for a few months. Thinking about how I was really going to do it. Really.

I even bought two big grey bins to hold my recycled stuff.

But it was only this fall that I actually moved those bins to the back of my garage and started putting my empty cans and bottles in there.

I was amazed! Man, do I generate a lot of trash!

Seriously, it did not take long until the bins were overflowing. And so I said to Mark, "Will you take the recycled stuff to church this week?"

And he said, "Umm, sure. But I thought you said you would be responsible for it."

Hmph. So I did.

I'm sure you can guess what happened next. Yep, that's right. The overflowing bins remained in the back of the garage. And now I think about how I'm going to take them to the church. I really am.

Really.

Today's Works for Me Wednesday is a backwards version, so that means it's my turn to ask YOU for some advice. So tell me, readers, how have YOU gone green? Please share your best, greenest tips and hints. 

After all, I can't just write "Take bins to church" on my resolutions list. That would just be sad.

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Top 10 Highlights of Our Merry Christmas Marathon

Whew! Three weeks of hectic holidays is a bit much! But we are blessed with lots of family nearby and a month full of celebration. And so the season tends to go on . . . and on . . . and on for us.

I have tried to write this holiday recap so many times. But for some reason, I just can’t quite get my brain organized. I think it’s a victim of too much holiday cheer.

And so I must rely on the old standby: A LIST. I’ll try to make this an abridged version, but let’s be honest: I don’t do short. So sit back, get comfy and take a tour of our crazy Christmas! (And then, please, tell me all about yours, too!)

1. Visiting Iowa for my brother’s Christmas program. We also got to spend the night with Chelley (and meet her kitty, Dinah) and hang out with Triple and Cory. The trip was too short, but the good news is we headed north after the state was hit with a blizzard.
   
   
2. My 31st birthday fell on a Friday this year, which if you know me at all, you know that means perfect timing for a wild and crazy night on the town. Unfortunately, I’m a little old for that. Mark helped Annalyn learn to say, “Happy birthday, Mommy.” Then Smitty and I went to dinner, walked around Barnes & Noble and realized that we are too old for anything wild or crazy.
   
   The following night, Mark and I enjoyed way more cheese, garlic and bread than we really needed, thanks to an Olive Garden gift card from my parents.
   
   
3. You may recall that I auditioned for a solo at church a while back. It turns out I was part of our Christmas program, and it went great. Well, I don’t know for sure. Because I forgot to have Mark bring the video camera. But lots of people said it was good, so I’m going to just go with that. Plus I got the chance to wear my super cute, found it in less than 30 minutes, got in for less than $30 on sale new dress.
   
   
4. Christmas Eve was spent with my parents, and the most exciting part of the night was when they gave Annalyn fuzzy pink slippers. You’d have thought they were Cinderella’s glass slippers! That girl LOVES her slippers!
   
   
   
   
   
5. Santa didn’t bring too much for Annalyn this year (trying to stick to the budget and all that), but our sweet girl loved each and every present. From her Minnie Mouse bowl and plate to her new sweater and jeans to a new Veggie Tales video to the Laugh ‘N Learn Playhouse she decided is actually Mickey Mouse’s clubhouse, she was thrilled with them all.
   
   Aside from the playhouse, though, I think she enjoyed watching Mark shovel the driveway most of all. (Based on the two days of heating pad and Aleve that followed, I don’t think that was the highlight of Mark’s morning.)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. On the Saturday after Christmas, we had the chance to visit with our friends, John and Katie. Since they moved across the country three years ago, we only see each other about once a year. And that is not nearly often enough! Thanks to the snow, our short visit was even shorter, but we were so thankful for the time we got to spend with our dear friends. I’m not sure what the boys talked about, but Katie and I covered potty training, discipline, whining, jobs, church and in-laws in short order. I’m really hoping we can see them for more than an hour or so later this year.
   
   
7. For months now, Smitty, Mark and I have been looking forward to The Big Day. While you might think I’m referring to Christmas – and while that would be nice of us – I’m actually talking about the release of Sherlock Holmes. We were bummed out that it didn’t come out until after my birthday, but it worked out after all, because I got movie passes for that birthday! So, the day after Christmas, Mark’s brother was kind enough to watch Annalyn so the three of us could head to the theater. The movie was great, and the company was the best. It was one great night.
   
   
8. As I mentioned yesterday, New Year’s Eve was a quiet affair. During a heated game of Taboo, I got “sweltering” after just a word or two from Smitty. We were on fire! (Ha. Get it? Heated . . . sweltering . . . on fire?! I know. This may be why my New Year’s Eve party was a small one.)
   
   
9. On New Year’s Day, we hung out at my parents’ house. My brother and sister-in-law couldn’t make it down on actual Christmas Day, so we moved our celebration back a week. There was a delicious glazed pork loin, some au gratin potatoes from a box that were much tastier than they should have been, presents (Yyay for new rugs! And a George Foreman grill! And a play kitchen for Annalyn!), board games, snacks and sandwiches. And then, even though I wasn’t sure the day could get better, my parents generously let me talk them into keeping Annalyn for the night.
   
   Which allowed Mark and me to do one of the things young parents crave most: take a quiet, leisurely trip to Target.
   
   
10. Mark’s birthday landed on a Tuesday this year, so it wasn’t quite as exciting as mine. But one Outback Steakhouse lunch, one bacon shirt and one Jim Gaffigan DVD later, I’m pretty sure he was as happy as anyone going to work on his birthday can be.

Okay, I’m stopping at 10. But honorable mentions definitely go to Christmas at Grandma’s (with green punch and a cousin for Annalyn to play with/fight with), Christmas with Mark’s family (with delicious Pioneer Woman lasagna and Blissfully Domestic bread – yum!), and Christmas with my extended family (with a jam session, three kinds of corn and my cousin’s husband Chad sitting on Mark’s lap and calling him Santa).

And did I mention our most exciting gifts: big girl panties and a Mizzou Snuggie?!

This list that lasted longer than the actual Christmas season will be linked to OhAmanda's Top Ten Tuesday.

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You know, that show with the girl with the dark hair?

We had a small gathering for New Year's Eve: Smitty, my brother and sister-in-law, and Mark and me. It was an exciting night.

We spent more time than makes sense trying to figure out exactly what TV show Smitty was talking about when she said, "You know, it's that show with the girl with the dark hair and the light blue eyes. I think it was on NBC. She was pregnant. Or something? You know which show I'm talking about, right?"

It was Studio 60. I cannot begin to tell you how relieved we were to put that to rest.

After eating enchiladas and way too much junk food than we should, we finished the night with a couple board games. Smitty and I beat James and Lauren pretty badly at Taboo, but in their defense, they've only been married for a year and a half.

And Smitty and I have pretty much been married for a decade and a half.

All in all, it was a great night spent with some of my very favorite people. Mark wandered across the street to hang out with the neighbors for a little while, but when he came back, we closed the night by laughing our heads off (I'm talking the silent, shaking laughter with tears running down our faces.) at Jim Gaffigan.

Though I'd had big dreams of a fancy party with fancy appetizers hors d'oeuvres, keeping it simple ended up being better than I would have guessed. And I did get to try a new recipe.

After reading about Southwest Corn Dip on the Pioneer Woman's blog, I decided that sounded exactly like something we would enjoy.

And we did, but oh my goodness, did it make a lot?! I guess I should have known when the recipe called for four cans of corn, but good grief! It made two HUGE bowls of dip, and we barely made a dent in one! (Luckily, I had two family gatherings the following two days to go to, so the dip went to both events. But I'm not even exaggerating when I tell you I STILL brought home one almost-full bowl!)

Moral of the story? Half the recipe. Unless you are actually feeding an army. Specifically, an army that loves corn. In that case, make the whole thing.

Here's the recipe, but you can also see it at Tasty Kitchen.

Southwest Corn Dip

• 4 cans corn (15 oz.), drained
• 1 can chopped chilies (4 oz.), drained
• 1 can chopped jalapenos (4 oz.), drained
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 whole red bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 bunch(es) scallions, chopped
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 bag finely grated Mexican cheese (8 oz.)
• ½ bunch(es) fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped (or to taste)

Mix it all together, adding the sour cream and cheese last. Refrigerate for an hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

This post will also be linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

How did you spend your New Year's Eve?

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The one with lists...lots of lists...

Cute Casey Kasem image found at New York Times

When I was in elementary school, listening to the Top 40 Countdown was extremely important to me. Unfortunately, it aired on Sunday mornings, and in my house, Sunday mornings were for church. So every week, as soon as the car pulled into the garage, I'd race into my room, turn on my radio and press my ear to the speaker.

If I was really lucky, I'd get home just in time to hear a recap of the top songs and the moment we'd all been waiting for: an announcement of the No. 1 song of the week.

Then on Monday mornings, I'd compare notes with my sometimes friend, sometimes spelling bee nemesis, Jeremie. "Did you hear the countdown?" we'd ask. And then we'd rehash the list of hit songs all over again.

I'm not sure why I like countdowns and lists so much, but that's definitely something that hasn't changed since those nerdy early days. The hours I've dedicated to VH1's I Love the 70s, 80s and 90s (and Top Rock Songs, Top Love Songs, Top - well, you get the picture) can attest to that.

However, based on extensive blog reading research this past month, I've deduced that an appreciation of lists is not exactly cool. It seems every blog in the world is recounting the top or best of something, all the while acknowledging that such an activity is lazy, annoying, boring or passe.

Good thing I've never been cool. Because I love year-end lists, and this year we got a bonus: decade lists! I've been collecting a list of lists (does it get any nerdier better?), and I've got my favorites to share. If you're not too cool for school, check them out:

• Matt Roush’s Top 10 TV Shows
• The 2000s: 20 to Remember
• Moviefone’s Best & Worst of 2009, including worst sequels, top directorial debuts, most overrated movies and top family films
• Moviefone’s 40 Biggest Stinkers of the Decade
• AOL’s Top TV Moments of 2009
• Television Without Pity’s Best of 2009, including TV’s Most Memorable, TV’s Biggest Disappointments, Big Screen’s Best and Most Hated Movies 
• Television Without Pity’s Decade in Review, including Movies That Mattered, TV’s Toughest Women, Top Reality TV and The Ones That Got Away
• 50 Worst Songs of the 00s
• 21 Things That Became Obsolete This Decade
• 2009’s Most-Recalled Product Launches
• Newsweek’s Oddest & Most Amusing Headlines of the Year
• Top Quotes of the Year from Salon
• Top 10 PR Blunders of 2009, clearly written pre-Tiger Woods incident
• The Decade’s Most Important Websites 
• The Most Useful Social Media Posts of 2009
• Best Dressed Celebrities of 2009 
• A collection of lists, including best books, best date movies, top Wii games and best TV lines
  
• TIME Magazine’s Top 10 of Everything 

How do you feel about top or best of lists? Hate 'em with a passion? Love 'em and that ageless Casey Kasem? Secretly adore them but mock them to fit in with the cool kids? Spill it.

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Giving up on perfect in every way. Kind of like Mary Poppins - but not.

Proof that my brain is fried as I finish up this year: when I read Jo-Lynne’s original post about hosting a carnival of blog recaps, I would have sworn she was doing it on January 31. Next month. I even put it in my fancy schmancy editorial calendar. Because that makes sense.

As you may have guessed, the carnival is today.

Since I’m doing this at the last minute, I am breaking all the rules. I mean, why not? To participate, we’re supposed to post the first sentence of the first post of each month in 2009. I may or may not have included more than one sentence on a few of these . . . and some of my posts included may or may not technically be the first post of the month.

But it’s still fun. And it's still a recap. So I’m still posting. Enjoy, and let me know if you do any sort of 2009 recap on your blog!

January
Lose weight. Read my Bible more. Floss daily. Resolutions made…resolutions broken. I do it every year.
When I look back at my early 2009 posts, I realize that I made a whole lot of excuses for never meeting any of my yearly goals, also called, ahem, resolutions. I'm happy to say I actually did follow through on a few things this year - look for that recap sometime next week.

February
Yes, I am aware that the Superbowl is actually a football game, and the main attraction is - or at least, is supposed to be - the competition between two teams.
I could not care less (And yes, that's the right way to say it. Think about it. What does it mean if you say you could care less? Anyway.) about football. But the commercials during the Superbowl? Love.

March (not my first post, because that was a recap of Carnival Week)
I don't mean to be sacrilegious or even disrespectful.
In this post, I questioned Lent. Yup, the whole thing. No, not really. But I did wonder - out loud and in writing - about the point of giving something up for 40 days. This spring, I imagine some of my feelings and thoughts will be different, and it will be interesting to look back on our conversation in March.

April
Annalyn has been doing things on her own timetable since, well, forever. From the day our tiny premature baby doll ripped out her feeding tube and decided to eat on her own, to the weeks I waited for her to smile, then to roll and finally to crawl, this child of mine has reached each new milestone whenever she darn well felt like it.
For a backwards Works for Me Wednesday, I asked for tips to help Annalyn start walking. Little did I know in April that it would be another four months before she walked at all and several months more of physical therapy before we could put the whole situation behind us.

May (not the first post, because this one is more important)
On Thursday night, I watched a soft rock star cry.
If you asked me how blogging has influenced me most, I would have to say it's opened my eyes to the world of Compassion and world missions. This post was one of a handful I wrote this year about the amazing work Compassion and, specifically, Compassion bloggers are doing around the world. Amazing and life-changing.

June
We’re all about equity of workload at our house. So when we reached Sunday evening of this busy weekend and Mark said he’d mow the yard, of course my contribution was taking five minutes to empty the dishwasher.
While I started this post joking about the inequity of work at our house, the rest of it was actually a recap of the great weekend we had celebrating our anniversary. We took a day trip to Columbia, ate at a semi-fancy restaurant, watched a semi-terrible movie, and generally remembered what it was like to just be together.

July
“Of course!” “I’d love to!” “Sure, no problem.” “Absolutely, yeah, I’ll do it.” I don’t know how many times I’ve said or written these words, only to realize days, weeks or months later that either I have completely dropped the ball on whatever project I agreed to do or I am overwhelmed with the stress involved in completing said task by its deadline.
I left you for a week in July. But I didn't leave you alone. Though I was enjoying the crazy humidity of a Florida summer, I shared a few guest posts I'd written for other blogs. This one included the ways I keep myself from getting overwhelmed in the world of social media. Hmmm . . . maybe I should re-read this!

August
Whew. What a weekend! And it's not really even over, although it will be by the time you read this. As I'm typing, I'm sitting on the floor in the Detroit airport, plugged into the wall, full from my sandwich and Mrs. Field's cookie, and wearing my shades to cut down on the glare from the big airport windows.
In August, I flew to North Carolina for the SheSpeaks conference. It was soooo much fun! First of all, I love traveling by myself (even though, thanks to Delta and my aversion to early morning rising, I missed my original flight). Second of all - and way more importantly - I met my fellow writers for (in)courage and made some wonderful friends (that I'm now looking forward to seeing at Blissdom!).

September
I really don’t see a whole lot of movies. Now Smitty – she’s the movie buff. And I never fail to shock her by my lack of movie experience. Like when she makes a reference to a classic – say, Goonies or Pulp Fiction or Casablanca – and I hang my head and say, “Ummm . . . yeah . . . I haven’t seen that one either.”
Sometimes I get behind. And in those cases, you get a whole lot of something in one giant post. This was one of those occasions, and I reviewed almost a dozen movies at once.

October
Last year was the first year I had to got to dress up my daughter for Halloween. And in my typical fashion, I spent hours researching and brainstorming and planning and budgeting and dreaming. And in the end, she went as a cat. With no tail. And crooked eyeliner-drawn whiskers.
In October, I began a series of carnivals and giveaways to encourage all of us to give up on perfect holidays. It was a blast, and you can just mark your calendars for next year, because we will do it again!

November
Thank you to everyone who participated in Giving Up on a Perfect Halloween! Random.org has spoken, and the winners are . . .
More of the giveaway/carnival stuff. It kind of consumed me and this blog for three months. I think I'll have to plan better for next year!

December
How does that song go again? It's the most stressful time of the year?
You know, I have to say: this December was not actually as stressful as others have been. And I like that.

Although . . . it doesn't explain why my brain was fried enough to think a blog recap would take place a month from now.

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I think I've got the Glee shakes...

I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself last night. It was Wednesday, so I should have been camped out on my couch, hands hovering over my keyboard and remote by my side.

It should have been a Glee Night.

For the past few months, see, I’ve watched Glee every Wednesday night, wide-eyed and half-grinning, holding back stupid tears as I listen to those kids sing crazy good harmonies and trying desperately to catch all the funny one-liners for the episode recaps I write for Blissfully Domestic.

It’s impossible, you know. Catching every funny line, that is. There are just too many.

Every week, I’ve sat on my couch, armed with my remote and my laptop, determined to capture the best of Fox’s high school musical show (not to be confused with that other high school musical business on Disney).

But now? Now we have to wait FOUR MONTHS for a new episode. Glee won’t return until April.

And that bums me out.

How about you? Did you watch Glee this fall? Did you like it? What’s your favorite song? Which characters do you like the most? And how sad are you to take a four-month hiatus?!

If you haven’t gotten into Glee yet, here are a few of my favorite quotes from this season:

• They’re going to throw fruit at us, and I just had a facial.
• I’m on my feet four hours a day, three days a week here! Do you see what I have to deal with?
• What’s wrong with me is that you’re freakishly tall. I feel like a woodland creature!
• When I get stressed, I work out. You can probably tell.
• Rachel makes me wanna light myself on fire, but she can sing.
• We’re dealing with children. They need to be terrified. It’s like mother’s milk to them. Without it, their bones won’t grow.
• I know I’m not like the rest of you hippies, caring about the kids’ feelings as if they’re real.
• It’s what I had leftover from my pool cleaning money . . . after I bought dip and numchucks.
• I’m gonna say this as nicely as possible, but you look like a sad, clown hooker.
• My baby bump isn’t that bad. It just looks like I had a big lunch.
• Sometimes being special sucks.

And just to help you make it through any Glee withdrawal during the long, bleak winter, you can read my recaps on Blissfully Domestic (which includes more quotes and a list of songs performed), you can buy volume one and volume two of the Glee soundtracks, and as of this week, you can get the first half of the season on DVD!


[Disclaimer: Yes, if you happen to use any of your Christmas money to purchase these items through these particular links, I will earn a teeny, tiny commission. Maybe even enough to pay for my next giveaway.]

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Watch out for that snowman!

This month, Annalyn has come up with some of the cutest toddler-isms. From singing "Jingle Bees" (Jingle Bells) to insisting that Santa Claus's sleigh is pulled by donkeys, she certainly has her own spin on the season.

On Saturday, we had plans to visit with friends who were in town. Since we hadn't seen them in a year, we weren't about to let a little thing like A FOOT OF SNOW get in our way.

As we pushed our SUV-wannabe car up the very steep hill to our friends' parents' house, skidding and sliding, I said to Annalyn, "We're stuck on the snow!"

To which she replied, "Yeah. Stuck on the snowman."

Somehow, that little phrase morphed in her little head until, later that day on the way to my brother-in-law's house, Annalyn told Mark: "Snowman gonna get us."

Mark said, "Oh yeah? What are you going to do if the snowman gets us?"

"Knock it down!"

She had it all figured out, I guess. Just like she figured out that the Fisher Price Laugh 'N Learn Playhouse she got from Santa Claus is actually Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse!

Considering that, Santa found her Playhouse on Craig's List and should such a thing as Mickey's Clubhouse actually exist, I'm quite confident Santa couldn't actually afford it, I'm not about to tell her she's wrong.

Have your kids (or students or nieces and nephews or, well, you get the point) come up with any holiday-isms?

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A big day

Today is Mark's birthday. Unfortunately, it's also a Tuesday, which means it's a work day. But I made him an apple cake last night, and we'll probably go out to lunch before he drops Annalyn off at the babysitter.

Edited to add: I did not, in fact, make the cake last night. But I did, for the record, get up this morning and make his favorite breakfast (biscuits and gravy)!

And then, of course, we have two family holiday celebrations this weekend that we can pretend are being held partly in his honor.

Most importantly is an Office-themed birthday card and bacon-themed birthday present. Believe me, even if that isn't your cup of tea, he will love them!

With two December birthdays, we never quite celebrate the big days (mine or his) like we want to. But it's not until after at least one of our birthdays that we think, "Oh  yeah! We should start celebrating our half birthdays instead!"

Well, maybe next year. For now - Happy birthday, Mark!!

How do you like to celebrate your birthday? And what do you do when your birthday falls on a *shudder* work day?

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But wait! There's more!

Isn't it funny how long it takes to wrap presents - fold the paper just so and tie the ribbon just right - compared to how long it takes our friends and family to rip them open?

Christmas is over, but our family isn't quite finished celebrating. Even though Mark and I both have to work four days this week, we have a week full of holidays left. Tomorrow is Mark's birthday, my immediate (parents, brother and sister-in-law) family's Christmas is on Friday, and my mom's side of the family (aunt, uncle, cousins and lots of kids) will get together on Saturday.

In other words, the party isn't over yet.

And so, I can't promise regular posting this week. But I do promise to be back in full force next Monday, ready to kick of 2010 with lots of resolutions, movie reviews, celebrity lookalikes, parenting stories and easy-to-master recipes.

Until then, I hope you'll share with us in the comments how your Christmas was and what your year-end plans are!

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Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas, you all! I'll be back on Monday!

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