Lists

A few lists have inadvertantly come to my mind lately. I don't know why, but I feel like sharing them for those of you out there that are so painfully bored that you would subject yourselves to them. Here they are:

Things I hate to do: (this list came to mind because I found myself mentioning several things recently on different occasions that I hate more than "cleaning the toilet," which I really don't mind, by the way. Also, these are in no particular order. I just numbered them for fun).
1. Wash dishes- For some reason, this is the most boring job in the world to me. Maybe it would help if there were a window in front of my sink.
2. Put away laundry, especially on hangers. I don't mind folding it, but there is something about hanging it that just seems so tedious to me.
3. Matching socks I know that this goes along with number two, but it deserves a number all its own. Every other item I fold can stand alone and requires no thought. Socks, on the other hand, require that I actually think while folding laundry, which is just wrong. Arthur likes his socks stacked one on the other and folded in half. He says turning them over stretches the elastic. He is right, of course, and I too hate to have slouchy socks. It's annoying to always have to pull them up. However, I'd rather deal with that than have them shuffle around in a drawer and always have to look for the match. Oh well, to each his or her own. I fold his the way he likes them and mine the way I like them. There's no point in fussing over it. Arthur would also like it if I would wash each type of item individually- towels in one load, jeans in another, shirts in another, and so forth. He says it would make it easier to sort and put away, but I say, variety is the spice of life. If I had to do an entire load of socks without any reprieve, I would lose my mind. Actually... it may already be lost. (Anyways, I'd rather sort when I fold since I have to handle every garment at that point anyways. I have a divided hamper, so I sort colors, whites, and denim as things go into the hamper and leave it at that. Any more is just a complication).
4. Packing and Unpacking- I hate them both equally, well, almost. I may hate unpacking slightly more, because it requires that laundry be done. See numbers 2 and 3.
5. Making phone calls- I would much rather deal with any problem either through e-mail or in person. If I deal with it in e-mail, it has the advantage of being able to reread and edit before I send it and the added bonus of avoiding the discomfort of direct confrontation. If I deal with it in person, I get the advantage of seeing the other person's body language and them seeing mine. Also, silences are far less uncomfortable in person than on the phone. There's usually some other distraction nearby. On the phone, if it's a business call I have to make, there are the long periods of waiting before being handed off from one person to the next. If you are so fortunate to finally make it to the person that you need to talk to, and if you are lucky enough to get someone that speaks reasonably good English, they may be able to fix your problem. OR, they may need you to check back with them later, which means starting the whole awful cycle beginning with the person whom you do not understand and who seems to be convinced that they are clearly understanding you.
6. Going back to the store to get the one item that I forgot I needed- I'm something of a tightwad with both my money and my time, and this is a waste of both. I do not enjoy spending time alone in the car, so this seems like the ultimate waste of my time and that 3 something a gallon gas.
7. Waiting for something to load on the computer- see the explanation in number 6

There, that wasn't so bad, was it?

Things that are worth it to buy the name brand:
1. Poptarts- I don't buy these often, because bread and oatmeal are so much cheaper, but when I do, I never, ever, ever buy generic. I like the brown sugar and cinnamon ones, and the name brand is the only one I have found that is really worth eating unless you are exceptionally hungry and there's just nothing else to be had.
2. Shoes- a good pair of shoes is soooo important. I hate achy feet. They can ruin a whole day!
3. Brown Sugar- I WILL NOT bake with the cheap brown sugar. I always buy C&H. The generic brands do not melt well in recipes and just aren't worth buying. You might as well us granulated sugar, because if you put that cheap stuff in a cinnamon roll, it will come out just like granulated. Nothing beats the flavor and texture of good brown sugar.
4. Toilet Paper- One ought not to skinch on toilet paper. One's bottom will not appreciate it. No one likes rough, transparent toilet paper. Do you want to pay for your children's therapy?
5. Tea- Arthur and I drink about a gallon of decaf. tea a day. For pennies more than it would otherwise cost us, we get to enjoy our tea very much. There is no point going through a lifetime of mediocre tea when you can have the good stuff for pennies more a day. I know that, over the course of a lifetime, those pennies add up, but for my three or so dollars a year, I will pay the price to love my tea. Good tea is important to one's sense of well being, especially if one is me. We're talking about quality of life here! One can live without good tea, of course, but if such a simple thing brings joy into your life and the lives of those you love (namely, Arthur), what is a few pennies?
6. Shortening- I have only recently discovered this. Crisco brand shortening is better for you than most generics, because it has no trans fat. Also, my cousin who does cake decorating says it works significantly better in icing.

Things that you are better off buying the cheapo version:
1. Milk- Here in Troy, Aldi's milk is generally considerably cheaper than Wal-Mart's, but it tastes oh so much better! Their cheese is better too, but at most stores, I would recommend buying the name brand cheese over the store brand. Bad cheese is waxy, yuck!
2. Eggs- An egg is an egg is an egg, so unless you are buying organic, what's the point? You will not convince me that the name brand chickens lay better eggs than the poor little generic chickens with the boring looking coop.
3. Butter- similar argument to that above... I have tried several brands of butter (real butter), depending on what was on sale, and they all taste like butter. Margarine, on the other hand, is a different story. Each tub has its own unique taste.
4. Printers- unless you're wanting something really high tech for pictures or something, get whatever has the cheapest ink. Eventually, they all turn on you, so what's the point. My most expensive printer turned on me a lot quicker than my cheapest one!
5. Dogs- The cute little mutt in the parking lot is cheaper, healthier, and just as friendly a companion as that pedigreed pooch. :-)

Things that make me smile:
1. Seeing my husband walk in the house- This most definitely ALWAYS makes me smile. :-)
2. Cookies- Who can argue with that? It makes me especially smiley if the cookies are homemade.
3. Singing in church- I love music and church music especially makes me smile. I love to listen to all the different voices, old and young singing together. There are few if any other places where you can hear so much diversity from one group.
4. Going on a walk on a sunny day.
5. Going on a walk on a rainy day, if it's not to cold.
6. Seeing all of my family.
7. Visiting with old friends.
8. New babies- Wait a second, does anyone know any old babies???
9. Whistling- I don't know why, it just does!
10. Seeing someone else smile almost always makes me more cheerful... So spread some cheer!

Kristyn's Christmas Cantata

This was the end of Kristyn's performance. This was probably the third or forth time through the song. :-D

At long last... Part II

So sorry... I know calling something "part 1" strongly implies that there is a "part 2," and I intended that there would be. I guess I've just been too busy living my life to stop and write about it, so I will try to briefly (somewhat) catch up now.


We took off from Troy the Friday evening before Christmas. Arthur told his boss that he would be taking Monday (Christmas Eve) off. Apparently, the carpenter's union does not consider Christmas Eve as big of a holiday as Labor Day. Yet another 6 hour drive and we were at mom and dad's house. We opened presents with my parents on Saturday morning. Tony and Brenda and their kids came down to open presents with us. Tony is what I call my "almost brother". He moved in with us when I was 5 and lived with us for about 3 and a half years. He lived nearby and worked for my dad until just a few years ago. Sunday morning we went to church and ate dinner at my Grandma Jane's. The original plan was to have Chrstmas with Arthur's relatives on Monday morning, but there was a change of plans because one of his aunts had to work, so we headed up to his grandparents' in Independence, which was about an hour away. We opened presents with them that night. Tony and Brenda had told us that we could stay at their house if it was too crowded at Arthur's grandparents. There was quite a crowd, so we headed that way. When we got there, the house was dark and empty. They had thought we decided against staying there, so they decided to stay at mom and dad's one more night. :-) I have other relatives in town that probably would have put us up for the night, but it was really late, and we didn't want to wake them. So, we headed back to Arthur's grandparents. We got there just in time to see his mom pulling out. In the few minutes we'd been gone, his grandpa had had an episode with his pacemaker, so they took him to the hospital for the night. They found a place to squeeze us in and we went to bed. The next day, we had Christmas dinner there, then headed back to OK to my grandma Jane's house. Arthur and the guys played paintball at mom and dad's house while we wives sat inside with the babies and chatted. We had Christmas at Grandma's with all my mom's side of the family that Monday night. Of course, it was kicked off with a huge supper. I was sooooo full of yummy Christmas food after two big meals in a row! We had to come back to MO Christmas day, because Arthur had to work the next day. It was kind of weird not to go to my Grandpa Don's house at all. We usually went there the day before Christmas Eve. Most of the family got together with his wife and two daughters on New Year's Eve, but again, Arthur had to work, so we couldn't be there. We did have a nice little New Year's Party here with friends and family.


Anyways, the weekend after Christmas was the big Schaper Christmas- for which we made yet another 6 hour road trip. As long as I can remember, that has been the highlight of my year. I was really looking forward to it this year, since we couldn't go down for Thanksgiving. It's funny, even as a kid, knowing that there would be fewer presents there than anywhere else I went for Christmas, I still looked forward to it all year. It's not that I don't enjoy the other gatherings. I really do, but this gathering is special for a number of reasons. My dad is one of SEVEN children. One of those seven, Uncle Steve, is the dean of a high school dorm. We all gather there every year on the weekend after Christmas (we used to gather at my Aunt Ruth's house, but we outgrew that long ago. The last few times we were there, people slept all kinds of places, scattered on the floor all over the house). Some of my cousins I see a lot of, but other's I only get to see at weddings, funerals, and family gatherings like this. At the family Christmas, we get 2-3 days to do nothing but enjoy each other's company and catch up. There are kids roller skating everywhere, running races, and playing school. (There's usually over 80 people in all). There is food EVERYWHERE! There are basketball games, volleyball games, and football games. There are puzzles, scrabble, rook, monopoly, and catch phrase. Did I mention there's a lot of GREAT food? There is the state of the family address, which is every bit as long as the state of the union address. My grandma used to do every single bit of it, but in recent years, we've mixed it up a bit. Two of my cousins did it a year ago and did it completely in rhyme. That was impressive. This year was really neat. Someone from each of the seven families came up and told about all of their family. You see, the State of the Family Address is where they tell a little bit about what each and every family member has been up to in the past year. It's a way to get a quick update on everyone, even the little bitty guys. This year we heard about successes in school, music classes, plays, birthday parties, new jobs, new boyfriends and girlfriends, new spouses, new babies, and all sorts of other great things.


After that comes another one of my favorite parts. We have our own little Christmas program. All the kids say their parts from their church or school programs or sing a song or share some other talent. For instance, one cousin plays the harmonica. Another is great at guitar. One little cousin, Kristyn, sang Away in a Manger again and again and again. :-) She kept getting lost, so it went something like this, "Away in a Manger no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head, the stars in the sky no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head," and so on. We also exchange presents. Grandma and Grandpa get something for everyone, and everyone gets something for them. Other than that, we each draw a name and buy something for that person, so everyone generally gets about two gifts. Overall, we just really enjoy each other's company. I don't know many other families that spend several full days and nights together a couple of times a year and actually enjoy it thoroughly. It really helps keep us all close. I know I could depend on any of my aunts, uncles or cousins if I ever needed them. We're a family, and that's what it's about. Brett, Mom, and Dad Justin, Lindsey, and Brenda
Tony, Brooke, and Sami Grandma Rogers and Chig



Valerie, Lance, and "Mom Baber"
Uncle Nate always plays the part of "Santa Claus."
He tells all the little kids who to take the presents to, and they deliver them. Aunt Diane, Grandma, and Aunt Naomi wathcing Dawson move blocks
with his new tractor. Jenna had too much fun. Aunt Della holding Megan and telling about her family. Kristyn and Hailey are
showing everyone how much the Albert Schaper branch of the family loves each other. :-) Nathaniel and Dawson are enjoying their Christmas Dinner
Kyle and Mandy brought baby Ava the day she came home from the hospital.
Here she is, obviously enjoying her very first family Christmas. Wyatt borrowed his Uncle Brad's paddle to play ping pong with his Papa Nate. Noah worked hard to pull Nathaniel, Shayla, Kaycee, Kaitlynn, and Kayli on this sheet.
One of many Monopoly games
Dawson, Wyatt, Jenna, Nathaniel, and Noah posing for the camera Who knew that foosball was a spectator sport? My Dad and Uncle Steve working on what seemed to be one of the world's hardest puzzles. One of many Rook games Jared enjoying his Papa Steve's famous mashed potatoes and gravy