Eureka!

This Christmas I asked for only 3 things:  a new non-stick 12-inch skillet with glass lid (of which I got 3 - thank Heavens for gift receipts!), a new bike, and a new vacuum.  Asking for the bike made me feel like a 5 year old, and asking for the vacuum made me feel like a 50 year old, so I figure with the skillet included in the mix, I average out to somewhere in the upper 20's, which is just about right.  :)

I received money and purchased my bike a couple of weeks ago at Walmart thanks to the help of Assembly man James.  Seriously - if you have to buy a bike, you should check reviews of things online, but then talk to the person who puts together bikes.  He had good advice about what the bikes were capable of, what kind of riding they were made for, and what brands hold up/don't hold up for different kinds of riding.  He also whipped out his tools and adjusted the bike seat and handle bars to fit me right there in the store so I could take a lap around the bike display.  It was AWESOME!

After my bike purchase, I still had enough left to order my vacuum, so I hopped on Amazon and ordered it.  Being such a popular vacuum and all, it was on back order.  :(  Boo.  But it finally came!!!!  May I introduce to you THE BOSS.  It's a Eureka Boss Smart-Vac (found on Amazon here), and I have to say I love it.  I vacuumed the living room twice because it was just so lovely to feel like it was actually getting good and clean!

You'll notice the old, but exceptionally clean carpet on which the vacuum is sitting.  It's a heavier vacuum, but my favorite feature about it is its BAG!  I've had a bagless for the last 7 1/2 years, and I HATE the dust and filters and dirt and yuck that one always has to deal with when running a bagless vacuum.  With this one, I'll just pull the bag out, put a new one in and avoid the whole filthy, dusty mess.  It was getting to be such a frustration that I only vacuumed when ABSOLUTELY necessary.  Even with it just sitting here beside me as I type, I can feel my house getting cleaner.  :)

It's such a good vacuum that although it is a bit loud, this is what my little Lily did while I vacuumed:

Yep, she napped.  :)  And I'd like to point out that her little dolly napped right along with her.  (*sigh* I LOVE that my little girl loves her dollies - it does this mommy's heart good!)

In other news, Lily and I have been cooking a lot lately:

This last week, we got out Lily's little kitchen set that I found last summer on a garage sale.  We put on our aprons and "cooked" up a storm!  Yet even with all her cool cooking toys, she still finds my pantry has the best ingredients...  Oh well.  :)

You know, motherhood certainly has its difficult moments, and with the flu going around, I know some of you are in the midst of difficulty with your kids right now.  But I try, as much as is humanly possible, to cherish each moment, good or bad.  And today, I'm cherishing clean carpet and a well-rested daughter.  What more could a mommy ask for?