I'm In The Money!

Several months ago, I could not get my checking account to balance.
My check register said one amount, and THE BANK said another amount.
THE BANK said I had $145.00 more than my check register said I had.
Could it be TRUE?!?

I went back through my check register and re-added, and re-subtracted all the deposits and debits for the previous several months and did not find any errors - I STILL ended up with the same balance that I was showing in my check register.

(These kind of discrepancies almost make me go BONKERS!)

Something my friend, who used to work at a bank, once said came to my mind; "The bank balance is right!  The bank's not going to make an error."  (Something to do with scanning all the routing numbers, account numbers, and using high-tech calculations.)
So, going off of that.....fortunately, the difference was in MY FAVOR - and I just added that amount into my register.

Cha-Ching!

THEN tonight, again, as I was going through my checking account, I found the balances were OFF again!
THIS TIME, the bank said I had $375.00 more than my check register said I had.
It couldn't be TRUE twice, could it?!?  I couldn't be THAT fortunate, could I?!?  My friend says THE BANK isn't wrong, so it must be my money.

So, again, I double checked, and triple checked all the addition & subtraction I had done in my register over the last several months since the last "incident."  And again, I STILL ended up with the same balance I was showing in my check register.

How could it be?

I started to really wonder if the "Christmas Elves" were secretly padding my account.  I've heard of that happening with other people before.

How exciting!  Cha-Ching!

But, I pulled up my online banking and carefully looked through the list of transactions, and saw no "mystery deposits."  THE BANK would have to show these even if it was an anonymous donation, right?

(AGAIN, These kinds of discrepancies practically make me go INSANE!  I'll spend hours on it trying to figure out the error.  I like the Math to work out just perfectly.)

Should I just add the extra money into my register and let it go?

No.  I HAD to figure it out.  It was after hours, so I couldn't call THE BANK - I would have to figure it out on my own.

I did have one check, still in my possession, that I had written out, but hadn't actually given it to the corporation I was paying, yet.  But, it's amount did not equal $375, so that wasn't the answer.......

.......but it DID get me thinking.......Were there other checks in this same situation?  Checks that I [unknowingly] still had, or the corporations still had, or had been dropped, taken, lost, forgotten in a pocket somewhere?

Frequently, I will write out my tithing check sometime during the week, and then I set it in a certain place on my desk, ready for Matt will pick it up on Sunday, so he can submit it with his tithing/donations check when we go to church.  He keeps all the receipts, so when I asked him if he has submitted all my checks, he went back and looked through his receipts.  He found there were "gaps" of time where there weren't any checks from my account.  Strange, because I wrote a tithing check EVERY month.

Long story short, we scoured my whole desk; lifted up the computer keyboard, the mouse pad, computer tower & monitor, the lamp, the speakers, went through files and stacks of papers, etc.

AND we found THREE checks that were "hiding."  Checks that had somehow fallen back behind the computer equipment and were out of sight.  Including one dated back in July from when I first discovered my "bonus" $145.  

So, THE BANK really was right.....my checks just hadn't ever cleared.  But, they WILL when we MAKE SURE to give them at church on Sunday, and my account balance will be quite unexciting once again.

So, unfortunately, the FANTASY of the "Christmas Elves" is over.  It was good while it lasted!  ;)
Instead it was a case of inattention, distraction, and disorderly confusion.

I'm a Creature of Habit

Is this O.C.D. or just second nature? 

Do I need professional help or should I be teaching lessons on efficiency?

EVERY SINGLE TIME I empty the dishwasher, I start with the lower rack first and get out the large plates, then the medium plates, then the small plates.  Next, I move to the upper rack and grab the big glass bowls, then the regular-size glass bowls, and finally the plastic/melamine kids' bowls (because they go in the same cabinet as the plates).  Then, while I'm still on the upper rack, I empty out the mugs, then the glasses, then the plastic kids' cups.  Then there's still an order to the measuring cups, lids and large cooking utensils.  I go back down to the lower rack for the cutting boards/tupperware containers/pots & pans and any other random stuff.  I always finish very last with the silverware tote.  I do it like this EVERY time.  I never depart from this routine.

EVERY SINGLE TIME I put on my lip balm - and if you know me, you know that is about 12+ times a day - I start on the lower left lip, slide over to the right lower lip, and then swipe back to the starting point.  Then I move to the upper lip; starting on the right side, sliding over to the left side, and finish up by swiping back to the upper right side.  I ALWAYS apply my lip balm this way - no other way.

Face.  Neck.  Left arm.  Chest.  Right arm.  Stomach/torso.  Right leg.  Left leg.  "Down South."  Rear end.  Back.  Hair.  Make a turban for my head.  THIS is the order that I dry off EVERY SINGLE TIME I get out of the shower.  It's like I don't even know how to do it any other way.  I'd surely forget a body part if I did it "out of sync."

Do YOU have things you HAVE to do a certain way?!?

Resolutions Report

I know, I know.....January is already A THIRD of the way over and I haven't even made my New Year's Resolutions for 2014, yet!  What a slacker.  ;) 
I'm hesitant to do it.....and I think I know WHY.  It MAY have something to do with the fact that I already KNOW I wasn't even 100% on my last year's ones!
I wrote them on this blog o' mine, to hold myself accountable, so it's not like I could just "forget" about them ever existing!  {darn}

But, maybe I have to "close out" 2013 before I can move on to 2014???
So, here's the "Report."

1. Invite another couple to go out to dinner with us every month 
THIS one was suppose to be a FUN goal!  And it was......when we could get another couple to accept our invitation, that is!  ;)

THANKS FOR THE GOOD TIMES:

Page's

Sears'

Maxwell's

Knudsen's

Badham's

Lacy's

Waters'

Peterson's

Bryson's

Wood's

It actually turned out to be really tricky....and I hadn't expected it to be!  

At times, I had a High School Flashback - like I was getting turned down for dates, and all!  (Not that I asked too many people out on dates in H.S., but all those awkward/vulnerable/rejection/uneasy/wanting-to-be-accepted gumbo feelings are all related)  Matt, the eternal optimist, would try to tell me that people's schedules are just busy and it's hard to always match up with ours.  And, also, that a surprising number of couples are not even used to going out on weekly, or even monthly, dates.  I, on the other hand, assumed it meant that all these people who had excuses weren't able to go would rather poke needles in their eyes than go out with US!  (Is it ME?  Is it MATT?  Or is it the combination of the two of us?)  We take showers, and Matt wears cologne!!  (maybe THAT IS the issue? ;))
Report:  So, we actually were able to go out with another couple 11 out of the 12 months this year.  
BUT, I will confess; one month, we got invited - by relatives - and we "counted" it anyway.  The other month we missed, we happened to be at Station Park on the very last day, and we ran into some others we knew, and we sat together at an outdoor table to eat our treats, and talked for just a little while.....Matt thinks we should "count" that, too, and call it 100% accomplished!  
But, I'm more.....shall we say, "exact" in observing the rules, so if you ask me, I don't count either of those, and we only had 10 out of 12 for 83%.  
BUT, on the other hand, if you read the wording in the goal, it actually says TO INVITE another couple out, not actually TO GO (I just had the misconception that the two would go hand in hand).  So, looking at the goal LITERALLY, we WERE 100% in our inviting - even 110% - because sometimes we invited multiple couples before we got any takers.  So, YEA, check that one off, after all!?!

2. Get ready IN THE MORNING
I thought this one would be hard....and it was.
There is such a PULL for me to just hit the ground running in the morning to get things done - and getting ready just seems to get in the way of all that!  So, I really had to force myself to do this against my own natural urges.
Report:  I did this usually 5 out of 7 days (with Saturday frequently being the day I didn't)  So, I was about 71%.  Which is 5X better than it was before I started this goal! says Matt, the eternal optimist.  But, it's still not an instinctive habit.  {dang}

3. Write more on my blog
Even thought I really enjoy this one....it was hard to get it done!  There were too many days that had no blogging time in them. 
Report:  I had a frequency in my head, that I kept quiet - AND was super lofty, of how often I wanted to write on my blog.  Did I reach that number?  No.
BUT, again, if you read the wording in the goal, it actually says to write MORE.  So, looking at the goal LITERALLY (and the yearly count blogger so conveniently adds up for me) I did indeed write more than in 2012 and in 2011!  So, check it off?  Sure! says Matt, the eternal optimist.....or is that defined as a "short cutter?"  ;)   

4. Healthier Lifestyle
OK.....remember how I was going to introduce a new healthy thing per month and write on my blog about it?  Well, I did it in January, February, and March.....and then STOPPED!  Well, I stopped writing about it after March, and I stopped doing anything new one month later, in April.  I didn't even get to the "eat breakfast" month or the "reduce soda" month, let alone the "control your condiments/toppings" month or "more sleep" month.  (Probably because I knew they were too lofty?!?)
Report:  I sucked it up on this one.  Even though, I planned and announced my new thing those first few months, I never did do well at weight lifting in February, so I give myself a 16%.  And that's not even me being my usual "hard on myself/holding myself to high expectations" self!  That's the cold, hard truth.  Matt even has no comment.

5. Make new recipes out of ward cookbook
This totally should've been easy, and yummy....but I kinda forgot about it for the majority of the year, AND I had a heck of a time finding coconut pudding mix! (pina colada dip)
Report:  Buffalo Dip - check!
Famous Dip - check!
Pina Colada Fruit Dip - not until just last week, so it was already 2014....and since this was a 2013 goal, I was 66%.  (But, Matt would tell me to "count" it, of course!)  ;)

Final Verdict?  According to me:  I flopped!  According to Matt:  I achieved!
So, now that I've analyzed it all and "talked through" the rulings some, MAYBE I CAN do something for 2014.....

It is with great reluctance, I present to you my goals for the new year:
 
I saw THIS on Pinterest which I'm interested in, so here goes:

5 BOOKS I WANT TO READ:
(Let's go with the ones that are on my shelf right now)
She Got Up Off the Couch (a sequel to the one I was reading back here)
Reached
Fairy Godmothers, Inc.
The Book of Mormon (before our "Moroni's Quest" Youth Conference in June)
My Story (Elizabeth Smart)

4 PLACES I WANT TO SEE:
Nauvoo, IL
Cape Canaveral, FL (specifically the Ron Jon Cape Caribe Resort)
the different islands in Hawaii (via cruise?)
Disneyland

3 THINGS I WANT TO DO:
Be in the family cast of the Nauvoo Pageant
Finish Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with Brookelle
Fill those empty spaces in our home with furniture & finally hanging things on the walls.

2 THINGS I WANT TO LEARN:
Gluten-Free baking/cooking
How to do a photo slideshow with music

1 THING I WANT TO CHANGE:
Give more compliments/encouragement to others.


There was also THIS ONE on Pinterest that I thought I'd do.  (some things are the same as above)

A BAD HABIT I'M GOING TO BREAK:  Staying up late (when I don't HAVE to because of work)...just to do [sometimes frivolous] things like surfing the internet, late-night T.V., and "getting one more thing done."  {Don't look at the time stamp of this post!} ;)

A NEW SKILL I'D LIKE TO LEARN:  See questionnaire above

A PERSON I'D LIKE TO BE MORE LIKE:  Jesus Christ - particularly His attributes of being calm, non-judgmental, & patient.  (Did I just describe Matt?  I believe I did!  Opposites attract?!?)

A GOOD DEED I'M GOING TO DO:  Keeping this one to myself....I want it to be anonymous!  ;)

A PLACE I'D LIKE TO VISIT:  See questionnaire above

A BOOK I'D LIKE TO READ:  See questionnaire above

A LETTER I'M GOING TO WRITE:  Maybe my OWN MISSIONARY SON? (possibly at the end of the year?)  If not, my Young Women at church or my children's Primary teachers - ANY or ALL.

A NEW FOOD I'D LIKE TO TRY:  Korean or Indian - our neighbors said they know some good places to take us!

I'M GOING TO DO BETTER AT:  Exercising in the winter.  My friend has recommended Bikini Body Mommy.  Apparently, it has a work out every day - and it started on Jan. 6th.....and I am going to start sometime....anytime now!  ;)

I shall look back on this post next year and either be really proud of myself....or extremely disappointed...

WHAT 2014 GOALS DO YOU HAVE?

BUSTED!

A friend of mine came over the other day with a house warming gift......and it led to her seeing our new home.  REALLY, I will let you have a tour FOR FREE - you don't need to feel like you have to bring over a gift to "get your foot in the door!"  :)

So, I took her into the Laundry Room.

Here it is:

She looked at those upper cabinets for a while and admired them.....She commented that it would be nice to have some in her own laundry room.....Then she stalled a bit....Then she asked if she could open them and take a look inside to see if I was obsessed with laundry detergent and had filled them all up with a 12 yr. supply of it what I stored in there.  I agreed.  After all, I'm a pretty curious person, myself.  So, she opened it, and that's when I remembered my little "stash" I have in there.....

It was right at her eye level -- and she DID NOT miss it!  Ooops!  How embarrassing.

Here, have a closer look:

Hey! Sometimes, a girl's gotta do whatever it takes to get through and cope with the laundry that a family of 7 produces!!!  ;)

BUT, just for the record, those are from my JUNK BOX I got for my birthday, which was Sept. 14th, so I have made them last more than 2 months! 

It's the Day After Palm Sunday

Do you know what that means?
It means Lent is over.

I made it 40 days - and was 100% on my "No Candy" resolve.

Did I notice a difference? you ask?

Why Yes! (thanks for asking!) I got on the scale this morning......

AND it had changed by 5 pounds.....in the upward direction!

What the ???????????

So, if it doesn't even matter anyway..... I just went ahead and helped myself to a couple of Caramacs my in-laws just brought us back from Hawaii.

Is There Something I Don't Know?

According to the contents of my mailbox today....

The Pampers company is telling me I have a 9 - 11 month old infant.

(notice the upper right hand corner of pamphlet)

Son or Daughter? I don't know.

But, THIS I do know....if they are RIGHT - I've lost that baby! I have no idea where she/he is.

AND, I don't RECOLLECT at all EVER giving birth to him/her. Or even being pregnant.

Let me jog my memory....
9 - 11 months ago, THIS is what was happening in my life...

OK - all the children I KNOW about are accounted for in this photo. Or could the baby just have been left sleeping in the car seat in the warm van?

OK - here's proof....Great-Grandma Darley is holding my baby - the only one I know about - the one who's now 32 1/2 months old. Surely if I had another [babier] one, she'd be holding that one, right?

OK - here's a family photo....no baby in it. Whew! That solves it. But, apparently I'm also missing one of the children I KNOW I have, so this photo can't be considered reliable, afterall.

I have divulged the unfortunate phenomenon of me LOSING MY MIND before.....

BUT despite the fact that I missed my daughter's Dr. appointment, failed to remember to pick my son up from school, set my alarm for the wrong time, found my dinner in the microwave 2 hours after I'd heated it up [and only then did I recall I'd never eaten], and forgotten I left the shopping cart right by my car until I heard the most unnerving scraping/crashing noise while backing out of my parking spot at the grocery store -- ALL in the last few days -- I'm pretty SURE that Pampers must be the one who is losin' it this time. NOT ME!

Please tell me I'm correct.

PLEEEAASE.

OK - Just flat out LIE to me about it!!!

Thank You.

Oh, well...at least there were some diaper coupons in their pamphlet - that I STILL need! (sigh.)

*****

But, WHY do a lot of the diaper coupons make you buy the diapers AND the wipes to get the savings? One more of my gripes. I just don't need 59,412 wipes, people!!!

To My Neighbors, Laura and Heidi

Hello, my name is Suzanne, and I am a yeller.

(Is that even a real word?)

There. I said it.

It's out in the open now.

I know you've heard me.

And I am sorry.

My husband asks if this doesn't embarrass me (as if that will motivate me to stop.)

Yes, it does.

You no longer have to pretend like you don't know.

Or walk by sheepishly when you've "caught" me.

Or skittishly dance around the subject when you're talking to me.

We're getting rid of the "elephant in the room" right this moment!

I know I have a yelling problem.

My husband and kids have repeatedly told me as much.

But, I already knew even without their "observations."

Do you know how many times I have read Proverbs 15:1? "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." (a ton)

I've marked that scripture, and re-marked that scripture, and re-marked it again and again. I've done it with every color of scripture highlighter pencils I own.

My kids have asked me why I always yell.

The truth is, I don't always yell. (shocker for you?)

The first THREE (or 10) TIMES I said it to them, I was speaking in a normal voice. (which my husband thinks is still louder than "normal.")

But, with NO response. NONE. NADA. Nothing happens.

And, then I fall back into my ol' standby method -- I yell. (cringe)

And, boy, do they hear me then! They [finally] kick it into action...and then ask my why I always yell.

I'm just like the dogs in Pavlov's law - but I am a dog, as far as the Chinese new year goes - or maybe it's the rat I am - or some other equally undesirable animal.
Back to Pavlov's: I've learned, talking = no response, yelling = response.

At times, I have consciously made the choice to SAY NOTHING.
And I don't.
And I watch my family NOT doing what they should be doing. (This irritates me so much.)
I refrain from saying anything. I hold back. I remain silent.
Family still not doing what I expect.
I bite my tongue. I fight the "yelling monster" that wants so desperately to come out.
Still not getting the results from them.
I stew, and I stew, and I stew....but what happens to the pot of chili (blah!) when it stews for so long, with the heat getting increasingly higher?...It boils over!!
As is the same with me...I Yell - even though I wasn't going to. I'd chosen NOT to.
And the family's like, "WHOA! Where'd that come from? What's gotten into her? What's her problem?" (I'm telling you my problem right now!)
I resort back to my weakness. Just like the dog to his vomit.

I want to stop. I need to stop.
Saying, "Please forgive me" doesn't seem sincere or believable enough, since part of repentance means I will never do it again. And, so far, I keep doing it.
I have listened to our Church Leaders speak about this and have studied their General Conference talks. I have prayed about this. I have fasted about this. I have continually beat myself up about this.
Why can't I change into a "Non-yeller?" (Is that even a real word, also?)
Is this just a part of me? Is this who I am, unable to be altered? The ol' "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" case in point?

Here's the root of the problem:
There's a very short supply of patience in my entire being.
There are some things that I have little or NO tolerance for.
Things like:

disobedience
not listening
disrespect
irresponsibility
laziness
undependability
dishonesty
unwillingness to serve/help
"free-loaders"
thoughtlessness
being oblivious to the needs of others

And that's my problem I have to work out.

So, I say to my neighbors, I apologize to you for ever having to hear me yell. I don't want to run you out of town. But, is it any coincidence that in the 8 years, 10 months that we have lived in our current home, we have had SIX different next door neighbors? Yes, it's true - THREE different families have lived in each of the houses both on the left & on the right side of me.

And to my family...well, I've got ongoing repenting to do with you, in private.

I didn't realize it before, but it turns out, with all these references, I really am a dog!!
(Although, "bear" is the word my husband used.) :)