Winder Wonerland

Merry Christmas everyone. We have experienced our first White Christmas in such a long time and it was well worth the wait. Because of this:

and this:

and this:

and finally, this:

Get ready for the makeovers Mommy! Can't wait my fiery little redhead!

Feeling Blessed

This past month has been amazing for me. I feel blessed in finding new friends and reconnecting with old. I've had a great time going out and getting to know two AMAZING women from my little girl's kindergarten class. Moms who I can learn from and who inspire me. It's funny, I feel like I've known them for much longer than I have. The are funny, laid back and incredibly accepting. I'll be joining one in a bible study group that I am so looking forward to!
I've also been able to spend more time with another friend who invited me to a mom's group at her church. I decided to go, though in the past I've struggled with my beliefs about religion and churches in particular. I've always been spiritual, just never connected. I felt so welcomed at the group and inspired by the brief words a mentor mom spoke, I decided I to go to the Sunday service. We went as a family, and again I felt welcome and inspired. These friends are important in our lives and I look forward to spending more time with them.
And then Facebook popped up. I never thought to even look into it...then I checked it out just for fun. I have reconnected with so many people from my past. In particular, my friends from high school who I treated poorly when I fell in love with my fixer. At 16 we had a hormone fueled obsession with each other that left no room for others. Through Facebook I've been able to reach out to some of the friends and say...hello, I've grown up, do you forgive me?
My Washington b/f just returned from vaccation and now I get to spend more time with her! Thank you for my necklace marathon chick! (I think that will be your blog name from now on!)
But through all my blessings of friendship, I am missing one terribly. You know who you are. My Colorado friend. Too far away. I miss you.

Coupon Ecstacy

My Washington b/f and I have jumped into the world of coupon clipping with a vengeance. We make it a little game to see how great of deals we can get and then share our success stories and tricks with each other. We talk regularly about the Sunday paper and how to combine sales, store coupons and manufacturer coupons for the best deals. We literally have cut our grocery bills in half. Last night I had the ULTIMATE coupon buying experience. I went to Walgreen's with my mother in law to help her pick out some lipstick for a dance she's attending. I had a coupon, the product was buy one get one free and I had register rewards. We bought 15.00 worth of product and spent .88 cents. Life's little pleasures.

Credit Woes

Unbelievably I began getting collection calls and letters in the mail last week. "The Fixer" and I have near perfect credit so I could not even fathom what was going on. I began to investigate. My first instinct was that my personal information was compromised through my job...the company sent out letters stating 95,000 names, addresses and soc sec numbers were lost on a laptop. I didn't receive the letter, but still.... I called and they confirmed I WAS NOT compromised. Step two: I began calling the collection agencies and the companies who hired them to get to the bottom. They kept hanging up on me even though I was being REALLY nice. I began to panic and put a fraud alert on my credit to stop any activity. My points went from the 800s to the 600s in a month. Then I began on the credit reporting agencies. You can not get ahold of a live person UNLESS you buy a credit report. Luckily I still had one free annual report left to me this year so I printed it. 13 collections on it! AHHHH. I called the 1-800 number for disputes after searching the report and finding a name and soc sec number NOT MINE attached to my report. The name was very close to my maiden name, her current address is an old apartment building I lived in 15 years ago. That is where the similarities stop. As soon as a live person got on the phone and I began to explain my problem she stopped me and said she saw the problem clearly and deleted all the collections, the wrong name, the wrong soc sec number and the wrong addresses. She said my credit was fixed. Seems too easy and I still feel very afraid. I think I'll bite the bullet and pay for a years worth of credit watch...

Am I?....NO...I AM Possessed

So here is a secret that might change the opinion you may or may not have of me. Last night I went to see Twilight for the SECOND time! True, I went with girlfriends and at first was more excited about the prospect of a night out than the actual movie, then it started. Having read much more of the series, the movie was more meaningful to me the second time around. I was literally holding my breath and my stomach to keep the butterflies in as I watched Edward and Bella's love unfold again. I FELT the thrill of first love through the entire movie. I remember that feeling of dying if I was not with my Fixer every second of every day. I turned into a gushy, infatuated teen and my girlfriends and I talked over why this happens to a grown woman. Edward IS the ultimate man every woman thinks is perfect. 1. He has nearly 100 years of maturity. 2. He is giving and selfless. 3. He is a protector. 4. He is highly educated. 5. He is artistic and sensitive. 6. He could kick the ass of anyone but doesn't! 7. He is beautiful. 8. He always smells sweet. Sound like any mortal man you know? That is why it happens to a grown woman. He is a fantasy...it just doesn't exist. Sure is fun to read about though. Love you Fixer...don't worry. There is no threat from a fictional vampire.