I really enjoy visiting with my in-laws. It’s always a very relaxing trip. The only downside is that the sleeping arrangements are uncomfortable. The guest bed is old and really needs to be replaced. A nice foam mattress would have made a wonderful Christmas gift for them and indirectly us since we sleep on this bed when we visit.

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older but no bed is as comfortable as my own. I use to could sleep on practically anything and get a good night’s sleep. Now I almost have to be at home to really feel rested after sleeping.

I’m glad we came home a few days before we had to go back to work since this has allowed me to get some sleep before heading beginning another work week.

One things I miss about not working in computer networking is keeping track of the latest computer products. It was always fun to research products or to find a product to meet a certain need. From buying used cisco products to finding an adequate photo software, no matter what the challenge, it was fun to do some online browsing.

Our computer network at home consists of a router. It doesn’t need much attention, so there isn’t a lot of tweaking or tinkering I get to do these days. Since I do plan to go back to the networking field once Rae is in school, I need to stay current on trends and products. It is just not as challenging when I am doing it for fun and not for a project. Still I will just have to find a way to make it enjoyable so I can keep up with the computing world.

With 2008 right around the corner, I’ve been thinking of all the home improvement projects I want to tackle and complete this year. We want to add to our deck and screen it in. We also want to redo one of our bathrooms. I’ve already begun looking at Kohler sinks and garden tubs even though it will be at least the summer until we tackle that project.

It’s nice to think of what we want to do, make a rough budget, and put a time frame on getting the project done. Hopefully this will help us save the money and get it done. We always have big plans at the beginning of a new year but with some planning and patience, we can reach our goals for 2008.

For Christmas, I received a lovely sterling silver bracelet that reminds me of a gold bangle bracelet I had when I was a teenager. I have become quite the fan of sterling silver jewelry in recent years.

When it begins to lose its luster, I use Wright’s silver polish to clean it. I have also used plain toothpaste before with good results. I just take an old toothbrush and apply a dab of toothpaste. Then I proceed to gently rub the jewelry.

The Wright’s silver cleaner is sold in the jewelry section and works well. Plus there is no minty fresh smell when you clean your jewelry compared to the toothpaste. But toothpaste works good in a pinch that’s for sure.

I had wanted a digital picture frame for Christmas. So, my husband spent most of his budget for me on getting me a really nice one. After reading all of what it can do, it will probably turn into more than a way to display pictures.

The digital picture frame will play videos, so I’m thinking this might be a way to keep the little one entertained especially at bed time. We might be in the market for a tv mount since the picture frame does have a mount to hang it on the wall, but I would feel better with something more sturdy.

I can’t wait to really delve into what all it can do. It’s a Kodak digital picture frame. It’s not the version that has built-in WIFI but is still a very neat digital picture frame.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!

Products that have made it into my house this year that I have been most impressed with.

8. NeatReceipts - Scan all of our receipts and use the software to manage your expenses.

7. Pit - Fun card game that is great for four or more people. The object of the game is to corner the market in one commodity. You might try to go for sheep, so you would keep your sheep cards and then try to trade your other cards with your fellow players. It’s fast, fun, and easy to learn. One of the best times I’ve had playing card games this year has been playing Pit.

6. XShot - Are you the photo taker in the family? Get an XShot and never be left out of another family photo again.

5. Reynolds Parchment Paper - This has made baking clean up a lot easier especially during the holidays. Also, it is very easy to lift cookies, dipped pretzels, or anything really off of it.

4. Portable DVD Player - This has been very useful on long car rides with a two-year-old.

3. Ziploc Reusable Storage Containers - I bought these a few months ago and have been really impressed. They work well and were so cheap that I don’t worry if my husband takes them to work only to forget them.

2. Alarm Clock displays time on ceiling - We needed an alarm clock and so we bought one that displays the time on the ceiling as well as on the clock itself. Since the clock is on my husband’s side of the bed, I usually have to at least sit up to see the clock. Most of the time, I have to first retrieve my glasses and then look at the clock. Now when I open my eyes, I can see the time without my glasses or having to move a muscle.

1. Nintendo Wii - The most fun I’ve had playing video games in quite a while is because of the Wii.

Honorable mention(and just because I received it within the past few days so haven’t used all of the functions) is the Insignia shelf system. This little unit does a lot. It’s a radio, CD player, DVD player, MP3 player and more. We watched a movie last night using it, and it played beautifully. I can’t wait to see what else it does.

Today is our Christmas at my parents’ house. Last night I did find the missing presents right after I had bought replacements. Good thing I still needed to buy a few more items for our Christmas with my husband’s family.

I have so much wrapping to do. I also want to bake a cake, so it will be a busy day here. It doesn’t matter how early I begin to prepare for Christmas. I still have so much to do at the last minute!

I’ve been so good this year to buy presents early. Looks like I’m learning the hard way why I don’t do this. I’ve misplaced about three or four, possibly more, Christmas gifts.

Tomorrow I will try to remember just exactly what I did that day with my presents. I’ve been stashing them all in the same place but with shuffling items around it is possible they were moved somewhere else. It’s incredibly frustrating since I really need them this weekend.

Usually when I can’t find something, I say a little prayer to Saint Anthony. It seems to help sometimes. At least it calms me down when I become really frustrated with searching for something.

Hopefully tomorrow will be the day that I remember just exactly where I put the lost Christmas presents. That or maybe I can wrap the ‘IOUs’ really nice.

Apparently it was predicted that today would be an extremely busy day for the post office. Some deadlines have already passed to get those holiday packages in the mail to secure that they will get there on time. Here is a list of the post office deadlines:

Dec. 4 Military mail destined for Iraq or Afghanistan

Dec. 11 Military mail to other international destinations

Dec. 15 Parcel Post, the most economical service

Dec. 20 First-Class Mail

Dec. 20 Priority Mail

Dec. 22 Express Mail

So, it’s not too late but it soon will be.