DO U TXT?

We upgrade phones just before Christmas to these fun and text worthy phones -- the LG enV2.

Yep...all seven of us (that includes my parents, who are also on our plan) trudged into the Verizon store on a blustery day to satisfy my texting needs.

Okay, no, it wasn't all just for my texting needs. We were actually at the point where we could sign a new contract, and then with Eric's discount from work and Verizon running a deal at that time with buy one enV2, get one free, it just seemed like the thing to do.

We did go with a higher plan, but this was for a frugal move. We were on a plan that did not include free texting. Not a big deal, really. Except that with just a text or two a day between Eric and I (usually a "can you pick up milk on your way home?"), we were often paying $10 extra a month on our bill for just a handful of texts. Now, for just about $10 more per month, we get unlimited texting.

The benefit of unlimited texting for me?

Well...besides the ability to send Eric a quick message while he is at work without having to actually bug him, I get to wake up many mornings to the following message, "Good morning, Starshine. The Earth says hello."

And, darn it, that just makes me laugh every time. (Bonus points to you if you know what movie that is from.)

So...do you text? What are your texting habits (only a few per week or hundreds per day, mostly to a spouse or close friend or are you texting a guy you met on a bus once and his aunt in Phoenix)?

Even St. Thomas Becket thinks I'm an idiot

On my iGoogle page, I have the Saint of the Day gadget. I like this gadget, as it tells me what the feast day is for the day.

As the day changed over after midnight, I noticed that the saint of the day had changed to St. Thomas Becket. Immediately, I was surprised.

"Hey," I thought, "St. Thomas Becket's feast day sounds so familiar."

Hmm...I thought about it some more as I noticed it on the iGoogle page again.

Then it dawned on me, I knew that it seemed familiar because his feast day is on my birthday.

"Huh," I thought. "Isn't it funny that it's on there right now?"

"Oh yeah, um, duh," I said aloud. Continuing, aloud, as I am disgusted with myself, "Have I not been walking around telling everyone that my birthday is on Monday?"

(hanging head in shame for being so forgetful)

I suspect at this point even St. Thomas Becket must think I am an idiot. Because, you know, besides this forgetfulness, Eric also pointed out that it was pretty sad when I had to do math at the dinner table to remember how old I was about to be.

This does not bode well for my sixties, if this is what my early thirties are looking like.

picture from Google Images

Can you name that tune?

I found this fun meme on my online friend Mimi's Blog (Bigger than a Breadbox), and I just couldn't resist trying it out on my blog too. It reminded me of when my friend Christine and I used to make tapes with just snippets of songs and try to "Name that Tune."

Here are the rules:

Step 1: Put your music player on shuffle.

Step 2: Post the first line (unless the first line reveals the song title) from the first 25 songs that play. (Okay, I'm a cheater and often gave the first couple of lines.)

Step 3: Strike through the songs when someone guesses both artist and song title correctly.


1. Alligators snap at your ankles, and branches snap at your brain; If I ever get through this swamp alive, I'll nevermore pray for rain.

2. My sister got lucky, married a yuppie. Took him for all he was worth. -- Mimi (Yer So Bad -- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)

3. (Title of song). Since you've gone you know that noone's really missed you. (Title of song). And now your friends watch over everything that we do.

4. I come old friend from Hell tonight, across the rotting sea. Nor the nails of the cross nor the blood of Christ can bring you help this eve.

5. Ladies and Gentleman, It's my pleasure to introduce to you...he's a friend of mine...and he goes by the name...Justin.

6. She set your goldfish free and now she's sighing, blew out your pilot light and made a wish. -- Stephanie (Twisting by They Might Be Giants)

7. I'm so alone tonight my bed feels larger than when I was small, lost in memories, lost in all the sheets and old pillows.

8. The flower said, "I wish I was a tree." The tree said, "I wish I could be a different kind of tree."

9. Don't believe the devil. I don't believe his book. But the truth is not the same without the lies he made up. -- Tim (God Part II by U2)

10. Will you let me be your servant? Let me be as Christ to you.

11. Once there was a way to get back homeward. Once there was a way to get back home. -- Mimi (Golden Slumbers by The Beatles, though the particular version for #11 was Ben Folds)

12. Take off your top coat. Put on your rain coat.

13. If you kiss me, I will feel nothing. You can do what you like to please me. -- Stephanie (Sexy Mistake by The Chalets)

14. We want to multiply, are you gonna do it? I know you're qualified, are you gonna do it? -- Mimi (Some Like It Hot by The Power Station)

15. Even Old New York was once New Amsterdam. Why they changed it, I can't say. (Note: I had to go decently far into the song to not have the title mentioned.) -
-- Mimi (Istanbul (not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants)

16. I can't explain glacial motion or why Los Angeles don't drop into the ocean.

17. (Title of song) the way she loves me, then maybe you would understand why I feel this way about our love and what I must do. -- Kelli (If You Could Only See by Tonic)

18. Hans plays with Lotte, Lotte plays with Jane. Jane plays with Willi, Willi is happy again. -- Tim (Games without Frontiers by Peter Gabriel)

19. Can you feel it, see it, hear it today? If you can't, then it doesn't matter anyway. You will never understand it cuz it happens too fast. -- Tim (Epic by Faith No More)

20. You and me, we used to be together, every day together, always. I really feel that I'm losing my best friend. -- Mimi (Don't Speak by No Doubt)

21. When I was a lad, I was a little bit shy. Something came along and caught my eye. When I heard the jazz band strike up... -- Tim (Got My Own Thing Now by Squirrel Nut Zippers)

22. Well tell me do you think it'd be all right, if I could just crash here tonight? -- Mandy (Hey Jealousy by Gin Blossoms)

23. Here I am again, now my boy is ten. As I pray for him each night, my heart remembers when he was very small, now he's grown so tall...

24. I wanted to be like you, I wanted everything. So I tried to be like you, and I got swept away. -- Tini (All You Wanted by Michelle Branch)

25. Let me take your hand, I'm shaking like milk. Turning, turning blue all over the windows and the floors. -- Mimi (Let's Go to Bed by The Cure)

Many Little Links: The Christmas Edition

Christmas found me taking some unplanned time off from blogging. It was a nice little break, although we certainly kept very busy.

I spent quite a bit of time on the 23rd and 24th finishing up baking for my last set of homemade Christmas goodie baskets.

We then attended a Christmas Vigil Mass. Let me just say -- it's not a good idea to show up five minutes before the Mass starts. It was packed, and we lost Eric for about 3/4 of the Mass. The kids and I sat on the steps that went up to the choir loft. It made us appreciate having a pew at Mass tonight, that's for sure!

We spent Christmas Eve with my family at my parents' house. It was such a yummy dinner, and we all ate and ate! Eric also received his big hit of a gift -- an Air Hogs helicopter.

On Christmas Day, we traveled a little over an hour away to Eric's sister's new house for lunch and presents. We had a nice visit, and I could tell that his sister was pleased to get a chance to host Christmas this year. We were pleased that not only did we get to visit there, but one of my sisters lives less than four miles away from her (and her husband)! So, we also got to go visit there for about an hour.

The day after Christmas found us cleaning the house from top to bottom. So, needless to say, we're beat! So, while I put up my feet, you can visit some links that I enjoyed this week:

Arts and Crafts

Christmas Satchets -- Chasing Cheerios

Easy Fabric Gift Bags -- The Happy Housewife

Handmade at Home: Keeping the Skills Alive -- Simple Mom (definitely check this one out!)

Make a Christmas Button Wreath -- Dollar Store Crafts (posted at Blissfully Domestic - Blissful Kids)

Finances

Establish a Christmas Savings Fund for Next Year -- Frugal Dad

Miscellaneous:

What is Black Tie? (a guide to what is acceptable attire at different events) -- KathyFriend.com (posted at Blissfully Domestic - Blissful Style)

photo titled The Nativity Scene