Five Things

It's been a while since I've done a "Five Things" post! Here are five little things...
1. Kitchen Update! We've got new furniture in the house! World Market is having a great furniture sale right now, and we bough a table, four chairs, and a bench for our kitchen! Once we took advantage of the sale, used a coupon, and spent an AmEx gift card leftover from a rebate on my new camera, we only paid $135! Ah-mazing.

(source)

It'll replace our hand-me-down kitchen table and chairs from my parents (which will be handed down again to my sister). I love how rustic it is, and I've wanted a bench for our kitchen table for a long time (actually, I've wanted a new kitchen table & chairs in general for pretty much ever). 

The old table and chairs

We were so excited about our purchase that we failed to consider how we would get the giant boxes out of the car (you know, with me operating with only one hand thanks to the giant gash in my index finger). That was a fun time. 

I can't wait to share photos once it's all put together!

2. My Husband Jeff really is my best friend. I just have such fun with him, and we're constantly making each other laugh. This was the other day... we had just made dinner (and Jeff took off his ring to de-bone a chicken for me), and then we went to run a few errands:
Jeff: I forgot to put my rings and watch back on!  Me: Oh no! Now no one will know you're married to me! Jeff: I'll just have to make out with you continuously. Me: Oh yeah... making out does mean you're married. Jeff: Of course.
I love him. 

3. Falling in Love vs. True Love
Speaking of marriage and love and such, I adore this quote from Pope Benedict: "Falling in love, being an emotion, is not eternal. The emotion of love must be purified,” he said. “It must undertake a journey of discernment in which the mind and the will also come into play. … In the rite of Marriage the Church does not ask whether you are in love but whether you want, whether you are resolved. In other words, falling in love must become true love; it must involve the will and the mind in a journey (which is the period of engagement) of purification, of greater profundity so that it is truly all of man, with all his capacities, with the discernment of reason and the force of will, who says: ‘Yes, this is my life.’”
You can read the rest of the article about it here, but I just love that quote. The Church doesn't ask whether you're in love, but whether you're resolved. This is completely how I see love and marriage, as a commitment rather than an emotion that constantly overcomes you. I mean... sure, the emotion is there... it's often romantic and lovely. But there are days when you don't really feel very head-over-heels in love, and on those days, true love is a commitment. It's a choice. Jeff makes it an easy choice for me most of the time, but if there ever comes a time when it isn't an easy choice emotionally, I'll be able to say based on my mind and my will that I'm "resolved" anyway, and I can confidently say "Yes, this is my life." That is love.
4. Scissorophobia Ever since the finger incident, I'm afraid of scissors. Not regular scissors, but the kitchen kind with the black handle. I use them very, very slowly and carefully, which I guess is good (considering I apparently used them without enough care before). But really, I try to avoid them whenever possible. I used to open things like bags of frozen veggies or powdered sugar with scissors, but now I'd rather just tear them by hand (even if it results in powdered sugar all over the kitchen). Plus, every time I see them, the image of the insides of my finger flashes through my mind. How long do you think that will last? I'd like to feel safe in my kitchen again!
5.  Christmas in January I finally took our Christmas decorations down last weekend. We always leave our decorations up through January 6th to celebrate the Epiphany, but usually I get them down right after that. I don't know what happened this year!
Anyway, after we got everything put away, we put up a Christmas tree. Yep, you read that right! We bought a new tree a few days after Christmas (a 9-foot one that will look more proportional in our two-story living room), and we had to test it out to make sure all the lights worked and all the pieces were there. Here's our pretty new tree for next year! I think it will be just perfect once we fluff out its branches and everything!

That's it! Anyone else putting up Christmas trees? Or covering your kitchen in powdered sugar? Or are you terrified of scissors? Let's form a club.