Subway Employee #1- “I need to put up the sign with our hours for Christmas Day.”
Subway Employee #2-”Are you going to spell it ‘Christmas’, or ‘Xmas’?
Subway Employee #1-”Um…both?”
Awesome.
seen outside Subway at Waverly and West Saginaw in Lansing
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So This Is What Calm Feels Like
December 21, 2009 · by · 6 Comments
- Image by Elizabeth/Table4Five via Flickr
Sometime last month, around the same time I mustered the courage to call my doctor and say HELP, I’M LOST IN A BLACK FOG, GET ME OUT, I made a decision. All I had to do to convince myself that it was the right decision was think back to Christmas 2008, when I was an anxious, nervous ball of stress every single day. Christmas is always stressful for me anyway, so the last thing I need to do is make it harder for myself.
So I decided this year that after a certain point in December, I would allow myself to stop worrying about my blogs all the time. I saw how I had been living more of an online life than a real life, and I saw everything I was missing. I decided that I was going to make my husband and kids the number one priority. I began choosing to close my laptop and actually LOOK at my kids when they talked to me, instead of listening halfway while continuing to type. I started actually watching TV with Chris instead of half-watching while continuing to type, then looking up every couple of minutes saying “wait a minute, what did that guy say?” and making Chris rewind, which drives him nuts.
I’m a lot happier this year, my friends. The combination of the Effexor plus turning off the panic switch in my mind has made such a huge difference in my life, I can hardly explain it. I feel like I’m HERE, like I’m really being a wife and mother.
I’m still feeling a little bit of stress, mostly related to the fact that I STILL didn’t get cards sent out before Christmas, or do the baking I had planned to do, or get any presents wrapped yet at all, but I don’t lay awake for hours every night composing lists of posts I have to write. I don’t jump out of bed in the morning in a panic about the state of my email inboxes (which is pretty major since it used to be a daily source of stress for me). I don’t feel overwhelmed, I feel…calm. I just wanted to share that with all of you. Thanks for reading!
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Wordless Wednesday-Holiday Photo Fun
December 9, 2009 · by · 4 Comments
Leave the link to your Wordless Wednesday photo!
How many weeks until Christmas? FIVE
November 23, 2009 · by · 18 Comments
If you look at my Christmas Countdown ticker at the bottom of the right sidebar, it’s 31 days until Christmas. So I suppose mathematically, that’s four weeks plus a few days, but the way I look at it, there’s this whole week (Monday to Friday), and then four more weeks of Monday to Friday until Christmas. Okay, it’s weird math, but it’s MY weird math, LOL.
So, has anyone else started shopping for gifts? I’ve had three text documents saved since the beginning of last month, one for Kaitlyn, one for the boys, and one for Chris, and in each one, I make a note each time any of them say “you know what I’d like for Christmas?” Of course, Kaitlyn’s list changes pretty much daily, so anything she only mentioned once gets deleted from the list. The few things she’s mentioned over and over got bumped up to the top.
Last night I went to bed at about 11:30, and at 12:45 AM, I was still laying there wide awake. I realized that what I was thinking about was all of the people I’d like to give Christmas presents to, family as well as close friends. I was trying to think of a way that I could accomplish two goals: 1. find Cheap Christmas Gifts and 2. not have to run around to multiple stores dealing with huge crowds. What works best for me is coming up with one gift that works for everyone. So there I am at 12:45 in the morning, and I realized I had just thought of the PERFECT gift that works for everybody!
So, I jump out of bed, turn on the lamp, put on my glasses, pick up a pen off the floor, find a little notebook on my dresser, get back in bed, and start making a list of the families and friends I want to give gifts to. I made that list, then I made a list of people to make sure to send Christmas cards to. I was done in about fifteen minutes, and when I finished, I put the pen and notebook down on my nightstand, took off my glasses, turned off the lamp, and fell sound asleep! Apparently, all I need to be able to sleep is to write down all the thoughts swirling around in my head in a notebook!
Have you made your holiday gift list yet? Done any shopping? Tell me in a comment what’s going on with you!
disclosure: this post contains a sponsored link
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It’s How Many Weeks Until Christmas? – FIVE
November 16, 2009 · by · 6 Comments
Yikes! It’s only five weeks until Christmas! It’s probably too late to start putting $50 a paycheck into a Christmas Club account at the credit union, right? Dang it. Every single year, I tell myself that NEXT year, I’m going to start saving right away, and every single year…I don’t. A couple of years ago, Chris and I instituted a policy that each kid gets two gifts – one from us and one from Santa – but I almost always break that rule by sneaking in a few extra gifts here and there. I can’t help it! I just love that look on their faces Christmas morning when they see the packages under the tree.
I haven’t even thought about gifts for my parents, my brother, Chris’ sister, all of their kids, our Grandparents. And now I just realized I haven’t even thought about Christmas CARDS…GAHHHHH. I’ll just try to forget the fact that last year, we posed for a Christmas card, I got a bunch of photo cards printed out at Walgreens, and then NEVER SENT THEM. Ahem.
So I decided I’d better find a way to get organized, so I did some Googling. Here’s some links I found that might help me (and you!) stay on top of everything between now and Christmas:
Six Week Christmas Countdown from Organized Christmas (okay, so we’ll have to skip ahead 
)
Facebook Christmas Countdown App (38 DAYS? Somehow five weeks sounded longer, yeeesh!)
WordPress Christmas Countdown Plugin
How about all of you? Have you started shopping for gifts? Thought about cards? FIVE WEEKS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!
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Gotta Catch Santa Claus
October 23, 2009 · by · 3 Comments
From Amazon.com: Funky music, holiday magic and a supersonic sleigh are all wrapped up in this CGI-animated family adventure starring William Shatner as the voice of Santa! Trevor is a true believer in the holiday spirit, so his skeptical best friend, Veronica, challenges him to show the world actual proof that Santa is real! Trevor and his friends embark on the adventure of a lifetime to catch Santa in action and reveal the true magic of Christmas. But they’ve got to find Santa before LeFreeze – a dim-witted monster who’s carrying a serious 100-year-old grudge – and his snowman minions put Christmas on ice forever! Join the race to save Christmas in Gotta Catch Santa Claus
Kaitlyn has watched this DVD every day for the last week. She loves it! The movie isn’t rated but I found nothing at all objectionable. The “monster” is much more silly than at all scary. This is a fun Christmas movie for the whole family! Here’s the official trailer from YouTube:
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Pizza Elbow Blogroll
January 9, 2009 · by · 17 Comments
I’m so glad it’s Friday! Tonight is Pizza and Video Games night, and Chris got Xbox Live credit from a friend for Christmas and used it to buy a bunch of new albums for Rock Band. We’ll be jamming to Rush’s Moving Pictures right after we have our new Naturals Pizza from Pizza Hut, courtesy of the fine folks at the Zeno Group, who would like me to review it
I have a big jumble of thoughts in my head today, they are like a tangle of vines keeping me from staying focused on any one thing. I keep bouncing back and forth from Gmail to Outlook to Bloglines, to…oooh, look! something shiny! Be prepared for a bunch of randomness:
I’ve been actually reading feeds in Bloglines today, instead of just marking them all as “Read” and feeling guilty about it. It’s been like catching up with old friends, although I hope when they see my comments they don’t forget who I am. Elizabeth? Who? Didn’t she stop reading my blog 3 months ago?
Yeah. Guilty as charged. I got so swept up from about the beginning of November until well, just now. Like I’ve been stuck behind a curtain and now I’m peeking my head out to see if anyone notices.
Hey! Guess what! I can’t stand this blog theme anymore! I know, BIG FREAKING SHOCK! Table for Five is changing her theme AGAIN. What is that, five, six, seven themes? Frankly, I’ve lost count myself. Actually, I’ll be getting a professionally designed theme thanks to my new gig as an IZEA Insider, I’ve steeled myself to accept what they come up with even if it looks completely different than what I usually choose. As long as it’s not orange. Or black. Or too purple.
Have I told you about my elbow? I haven’t, have I? I woke up on December 26th and my left elbow hurt. Like, ached. I thought maybe I had slept funny, with my elbow bent under me or something. I took some Advil and figured it would stop hurting. It hasn’t. It hurts all the time.
There are no lumps around it, it’s not discolored or swollen, so I don’t think there’s a fracture and I don’t think it’s a tumor. My husband suggested arthritis, because my left arm also feels weaker. Like, it hurts to try to lift up Kaitlyn’s high chair tray, or pick up a full 32 ounce pop cup from the cupholder in the car, which is what I was doing when I said to Chris, have I told you about my elbow?
Arthritis. Next thing you know I’ll be buying a condo in Del Boca Vista and eating dinner at 4:30. hey! you kids! get off my lawn!
Guess what else? I’m reviving the “They Link To Me, Therefore They Are Awesome!” blogroll! At least I will be as soon as I find where I saved the document I copy/pasted it into the last time I changed themes. But could you do me a favor? I’m hoping those of you who subscribe to my feed will see this post, and if you also have Table for Five on your blogroll or links page or whatever you call it, could you let me know? Leave a comment on this post or email me at elizabeth(at)table4five(dot)net. I want to make sure I’m linking up everyone who is linking to me. It will probably be on a separate page if it’s as long as I think it is
I’ve been feeling dull lately. Like I’ve lost my ability to poke fun at myself and the world around me, like I’ve become this blog robot. I have a whole category called “Well, it’s funny to me” and it’s woefully underrepresented. I’m going to try to find that again, that spark that I feel like I lost. I’m actually kind of funny, and really sarcastic, and I feel like that person isn’t always the same one who posts here. I’d like her to show up more often.
Whoa, that got kind of heavy there. And long, this post is very long, thanks for reading all the way to the end. Coming up next, more DVD reviews and a giveaway of some KN Karen Neuberger chenille socks and some bath stuff, so watch for that one. Please to enjoy your weekend as well.
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I Survived Christmas 2008!
December 27, 2008 · by · 5 Comments
You know what doesn’t seem fair? That stores can start putting out Christmas decorations in October, that we can spend months buying and wrapping and decorating and baking, but then Christmas itself is over in a snap. Shouldn’t Christmas itself last about a week for all the work we put into it?
My husband deserves a medal for going to Meijers (our big grocery store) on Christmas Eve morning to get groceries for dinner that night plus food for Christmas Day. He called me while standing in front of the refrigerated case that normally holds all the Pillsbury products to report that there was not a single can of Grands! Cinnamon Rolls left in the entire store. And that every one of the 25 checkout lanes was being used with people lined up waiting. This is a man who hates crowds, so he got major brownie points for that.
We went to my Dad and Stepmom’s on Christmas Eve, where we were showered with new clothes from Macy’s and Kaitlyn got this ginormous, super-soft teddy bear from my stepsister Lori:
Christmas morning was lots of fun, highlighted by our big family gift:
I guess I dropped enough hints, because I got the gift I wanted!
Plus a pink carrying case and the Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass game. It was so sweet of Chris and the boys to brave the crowds at Best Buy to surprise me with it!
- Image via Wikipedia
Amazingly, our Christmas tree is holding up, even though it stopped taking water a week ago. We only turn the lights on at night and only for a few hours at a time. And as soon as Waste Management starts picking up trees we’ll put it out for them. Don’t want to have any fires now.
Today we are headed to Macy’s to exchange most of the clothes, hopefully we will get through it without killing each other or anyone else. I’m glad we don’t do anything specific for New Year’s, I don’t think I could handle making any more plans right now. I’m working on getting reviews done and attempting to clear out my inboxes, and here at home I’m trying to figure out where the heck to put all the new toys.
Chris says I have to stop now, so I’ll catch up with you all later!
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Enter the “Got A Wish?” Sweepstakes
December 12, 2008 · by · 2 Comments
How would you like to make a video that gives your spouse or significant other a suggestion for what to get you for Christmas, AND gets you an entry into a sweepstakes with 29 daily prizes of $500 each? You can make a video that shows you, what you want for Christmas, plus Santa and an Elf by visiting SitOnSantasLap.com! The video is cute, and about 3/4 of the way in, you are prompted to type in your name, what you want for Christmas, and then upload a photo. After doing that, you’ll be able to enter the got a wish Sweepstakes, too. Here’s mine, you’ll need to watch all of it to spot me towards the end:
There’s also a space to email your video to someone, I sent mine to my husband. Hope he takes the hint! The site is sponsored by CEIVA, to promote their Digital Photo Frame that plugs into an existing phone line and lets you send photos right to the frame. Whether your loved ones are near or far for the holidays, CEIVAshare Digital Photo Framesâ„¢ are the perfect gift for staying closely connected all year long.
CEIVAshare™ together with PicturePlan®:
* Photos sent directly to the frame from family and friends located anywhere in the world
* No PC or internet required — great for parents, grandparents and everyone else
* Connects to an existing phone line —
just plug, play and enjoy!
Perfect for Grandparents or anyone who would love to see a new photo “magically” appear in the 8 inch high-def display of the frame. The regular price is $229.99, but right now you can get the frame with PicturePlan Lifetime Warranty for only 129.99!
Books from Candlewick Press make Great Gifts!
December 10, 2008 · by · 1 Comment
Candlewick Press is one of the largest independent publishing companies, not just in the country, but in the world, and it’s 100% employee owned. They are committed to publishing only “those books we believe in, only those books that speak to children, and only those that have both words and art of the highest quality.” And that is exactly what I have found to be true every time I review a Candlewick Press title. Two books I’d like to share with you today are Moon Landing, by author Richard Platt, with design and paper engineering by David Hawcock, and A Present for Santa Claus by author David Wood, with illustrations by Dana Kubick.
In A Present for Santa Claus, young Sam wakes up on Christmas morning to find that Santa has brought him just the present he had asked for. That night, he dreams that Santa is back at the North Pole, sad because no one gave him a present. So Sam decides to save his money and buy something for Santa for the next year. He writes Santa a letter and much to his surprise, Santa shows up on Christmas Day! The book has a fun, colorful pop-up on almost every page, and at the end, a magical house with holes to look through to get a special peek inside Santa’s house! Candlewick Press recommends it for ages 4-8, I think it could be for younger children as long as you supervise to make sure they don’t tear out the pop-ups. And the story tells an important lesson about thinking of others during Christmas!
Moon Landing is an amazing pop-up that celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. With a history of the space program, details about rockets, and bios of the astronauts, this book is part history lesson, and part really fun book for older kids. My 12 year old son gave it two big thumbs up! Acclaimed author Richard Platt focuses on humankind’s dreams of traveling to the moon, the race to conquer space, the technology needed to reach the moon and sustain the astronauts in space, and the moon landing itself. Re-creating the excitement of the expedition are extraordinary pop-ups depicting a rocket, the lunar module, a spaceship, and a spectacular spherical moon, while booklets and flaps offer readers a wealth of intriguing facts. For ages 8 and up.
For information about ordering these or other titles, please visit the Candlewick Press website.
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