Joy Shared Is Joy Doubled

Okay, so here's the deal.

No Andrea, I did not win the lottery. *chuckle*

Last month, Keebler's hard drive crashed. With ALL of my data on it. Everything. Product labels, family pictures, stock photos, product images, recipes, a million text and document files, and everything I had managed to salvage from other crashes. I should have known to back up, especially after this has happened three times, but, alas, I had not managed to do it yet when the drive crashed. Woe is me!

Over a couple of weeks (after I finished mourning the losses), Keebler found some of the product label images on CDs we had written for Kinkos to print for us, and I found my old website backed up on my hard drive, so some photos and the product descriptions were all still around to copy onto the new site. Then, yesterday, a friend I had taken the drive to to see if anything could be done with it, found all the data. Everything is retrieved! Soon I will have all of the items back, in one piece, and I will be able to back it all up!

Littlebit has taught herself how to read using her fridge phonics and word whammer fridge phonics toys. The other day, she asked "daddy, when can we go to the" then drew the letters z o o in the air. So she can read. Just one word are we sure of right now besides her name and zoo, but she's doing it, at least with sight words. Next step: sounding things out!

I have amazing new unschooling friends who invited us all to dinner for T-day, and the kids like each other (and us parentals) so much they want to do a kid swap so they can spend weeks at each other's houses!

The Radish is having potlucks again, with lots of great peoples, wonderful food, and fabulous conversation.

My mechanic gave me a fabulous gift early for Yule, that I don't really think anyone will be able to beat. (no, I'm not telling, it's a secret)

Littlebit Lost her first tooth in a really intriguing way that's story will have to wait until I get a picture of her face for the post.

I was featured on the front page of Gather.com, and I'm about to the point in my Gather points that I can cash out for a $50 check.

The greehouse blew down and Keebler found a new way to make the plastic stick together better, and I thought of a way to keep everything anchored more efficiently, so that when we put it back up it will be, again, even better than before.

My mother is feeling better about herself, helping out my grandparents, and slowly paying off the big debts that have plagued her for the past four years.

I've been loosing a little bit of weight again, slowly but surely.

We're almost done paying off all of the bills that we don't want "revolving".

I've developed a new cootiecide routine that works perfectly the first time.

The girls have woken me up every morning for the last two weeks screaming with glee and running through the house giggling. (not what I really endorse as inside play, but they're exceedingly happy playing together, and that's something we've never had. I guess they are truly sisters now (yes, they still bicker, boss, whine, and fight, so it's not a passing phase))

The house is, miraculously, staying mostly clean.

We're spending more time having fun together as a family.

I'm getting scads of freebies in the mail all the time now that I've started signing up for them every week.

I've already delivered my first Yule gift.

IA dropped off an ancient electric sewing machine the other day, right as I was getting ready to leave for the store.

My mother has taken the kids for most of the week this week.

Snow is predicted for tomorrow, lots of glorious snow, and we have snowsuits, a sled, snow boots, gloves, and plenty of food and hot cocoa stored away.

The ArtFoodFun website is starting to move in a forward direction due to a good friend having a spare moment and Keebler finally got a tiny bit motivated.

Keebler is finally a tiny bit motivated!

I have nearly $100 in Amazon.com gift certificates saved up that I earned for just being me.

I have some solid evidence against the being who has been making anon comments on the blog for the past several months (that you never see because comments are moderated) in some vain and useless attempt to try and make me feel bad (about what, I'm not sure) so I can file the police report. *grin*

I have about twelve blog post ideas set up in advance either for a specific date, or for when I can think of nothing to write.

My female rabbit kits are 6mo soon, and I will be able to really start in on production of rabbit meat.

I just heard about a new drug on the market called Modafinil that makes you not need sleep for up to three days in a row! It's non habit-forming, and doesn't cause the ups and downs that stimulants do. It's also over the counter! I so want to get some of that, oh the productivity that awaits me! *grin*

We moved the pond inside and the fish and plants are exceedingly happy with the arrangement.

Received an email from a really good friend who is usually so busy travelling that we don't see him often, asking us to come over and visit... Right after we had finished making a pie and were looking for a friend to visit! We spent several hours over there visiting,, watching films on his image wall, and making plans.

I've been invited (and agreed) to be involved in next year's Midwest burn. (like Burning Man, but here in Missouri).

Our electric bill just came in today, and they owe us $11.00 ! (that means the winter heating assistance has come in for this year)

And it just keeps getting better every day!

To top it all off, some annoyances have come my way, and they haven't even phased me! Now that I know it's not unreal and "too close to perfect" I'm so full of bliss that the only thing keeping me from jumping out of my skin for happiness is my clothes!

I'm no longer afraid to let myself be happy! YAY!!

It doesn't have hardly anything to do with money, but it sure feels like winning the lottery!

Tags: Joy happiness bliss good things win lottery data recovery unschool reading unschooling The Radish loose tooth Gather.com Gather gardening garden greenhouse business home business success self esteem loosing weight cootiecide cootie lice treatment bolls weight loss children family quality time family time togetherness freebies free stuff yule website web site antique sewing machine sewing machine snow artfoodfun winter sledding snowsuit motivation amazon.com gift certificate modofinil blogging advance blogging no sleep sleep deprivation rabbits rabbit pond burning man midwest burn lottery christmas heating assistance winter electric bill free utilities winning the lottery friends