Oh, you shouldn't have asked, Blooie. You're in for a long one!
I'm sure I'll catch up over time. I'm working on lots of adverts and billboards, so I'll read while I'm waiting for feedback. There are so many pages to read through, haha!
I'll be honest, I'm kinda tired. The holidays mean everyone comes home and since I don't have a proper job, I'm stuck with everyone. I love my family, don't get me wrong, but less gets done when they are around. I got a cold right after Christmas, so I am still recovering from that. Also, having my little brother back from college reminded me how incredibly entitled he acts when he's around us. He sent us a CHRISTMAS LIST! You know, that thing children send Santa? Yeah, he sent that to our MOTHER and finished it off with "I'll add stuff when I think of it. Sorry for the late notice."
My mother took out a $5000 loan in her name for his education and he sent us a list. Honestly, I was infuriated. My sister had already gotten him a gift and was worried he wouldn't like it, but I told her to just give him the sweater and to not give him a gift receipt. What a punk. Ugh, I am still kinda reeling from that. After all the scrimping and saving my mother and I have been doing to get everyone something nice for Christmas, Steve sent us that list that would have totaled hundreds of dollars. We ignored most of it and used Mom's Bealls over 50 discount to get him a nice cologne. He ordered himself some gifts, the little jerk. I probably would have let that go as well, had it not been for his overwhelmingly annoying reaction to the house when he first came home.
With all the scouring through estate sales and low-end thrift stores, we gathered a small collection of things in the house. Most of it kinda just fits under our permanent furniture but there are a few more chairs and a good size coffee table. It's not awful and pretty much anyone else would say it is a tad cluttered, but it looks homey.
The first thing Steve says when he comes home? "God, this place is a mess. I don't even know what to think."
Mom and I were hurt, of course, and didn't say anything. I just assumed it would take him time to adjust after living in a dorm for months. But nope, he continued acting this way. He spent a couple hours cleaning a couple days after he came home and he acted so put out that we weren't helping him "fix" the mess. Um, hello? I clean the house all the time.
I don't throw myself a parade after mopping. But Lord forbid we don't throw flower petals and worship the ground he walks on when he sweeps and cleans the fan. But Dad
encouraged this nonsense by thanking him furiously once he came home from work because
thank God someone gave a hoot about the cobweb dangling from the doorway.
But other than that annoyance, I'm doing good. My other siblings have been saints this holiday season. My older brother gifted me with $30 and said, "This is for chicken feed. I didn't know what kind you wanted but I know you were getting ducklings, so I figure this will help." He's been so nice now that he is working AND going to school. He stays plenty busy, which is great for everyone.
My little sister, Nivia, only wanted a puppy and a couple shirts for Christmas. We adopted her favored puppy from the shelter (half price adoption day kept our costs down!) and he's the most adorable little bundle of cuteness I've ever seen. He's a little Cocker Spaniel/Collie mix. He looks like he'll be on the small side but he'll fit right into our family. We, too, are short and lazy, haha! My older sis, Olivia, was needing towels, so we got her some fancy ones and I crocheted her a hanging bag for her to put them in. I think we also gave her boyfriend some nice shirts for work. For next Christmas, I'm thinking about stocking up on clearance items that everybody needs and using them as big stocking stuffers. We needed more little things but the expenses add up quickly if you buy them at the last minute.
Need I mention my New Year's resolution? Despite the cliches of losing weight or getting healthy or getting into a relationship that most people would tell me I should aspire to, I've decided to give myself a more broad and possibly harder resolution.
This year, I want to say "Yes" more. I thought back on it and realized that I say "no" so much. I've missed out on loads of things. I didn't go to the gym trainer with my Mom last year. I still don't drive because property damage and driving fatalities terrify me. I ignored a "You're cute" message last year because it was on my list of unknowns. I talked MYSELF out of selling stuff during out downtown Market Days because I was convinced I couldn't get a table....and I hadn't even called to ask about getting a booth!
I mean, don't get me wrong, there are some things I should trust my gut on (like the creepy guy who messaged me even though my only contact with him was through work and jeez, guys, what happened to professionalism) but I need to say yes more. I need to have more fun and put myself out there. Most of the time, these experiences are had just by saying yes to a passing suggestion. It'll be hard (I've already caught myself nearly saying no to little adventures), but I am going to try my hardest to override that reaction.
So this year is to be a "Yes" year.
