Balancing Beads

I balanced the checkbooks last night. Ick. I hate it. Everything is slick, considering it is all in Quicken and all categorized into spending and tax categories, and the computer remember which vendors belong in which categories, and it remembers the vendor's names so I only have to type in the first few characters. Then I download to history file from the online banking, and synch and match it with my quicken file. It really is smooth, but it's the CHA-CHING of money sliding out of the checkbook as I pay bills that I despise. Things are looking good, however, for being able to pay all the bills and still purchase the rest of our "secret project" and also the remaining Christmas Gifts I have been holding out on, especially the "surprise" for husband. I am just full or surprises this year, eh? It's a good feeling to have that all done and not be so stressed that I will make all the ends meet by Christmas.

Today at lunch I have a "date" with Cari, she is teaching me to put together the necklace and earrings I bought from her "bead retreat" with consultant Renee Carlson. I couldn't go because I was in Chicago, but I did the thing I should and bought something- but not because Cari asked me to, because I wanted to make my own and because I LOVED the necklace and the matching earrings (the green bracelet and earrings shown at left and featured on page 11 of this online catalog) and I knew I would wear them to work lots. I can't wait to put them together.