This is a test

Every morning I seem to wake up no matter how long I WANT to sleep. 3 am, 4 am, 6 am. I hate waking up when I have absolutely no reason to do so. Once I wake up I end up staying up because one thought or another will pop into my brain. Nothing in particular, just thoughts. I guess this is a sign that I am stressed out, but I don't actually know what I am stressed about. Even though money is a lot less that in previous years, I still wouldn't call it a problem. Love life, well we know I don't have one of those, so how could that be the problem? Well then again maybe not having one is a problem, a cause for frustration, but not the end of the world. Sometimes being single is a major plus, but sometimes a major downer. That probably isn't my problem right now either. Kids fighting drives me crazy, but I don't think any crazier than any other time. School is finished for this term, so no worries there either. My biggest problem seems to be what book to read, or when to bake the cookies for Christmas gifts. That doesn't sound too complicated does it? I did start reading a book, "The Female Brain." Actually I'm reading that and "The Mermaid Chair," it seems that I can't just read one book at a time. Before going to bed I read one book and then switch over to the other for a bit before falling asleep. I did have some thoughts on the first few pages of the first book. About how hormones cause women to act certain ways. I know this all to well since about two years ago my hormones were totally out of whack. My doctor put me on birth control to get them back in order, that and a little problem I had with bleeding, well major problem. I didn't think any woman could bleed that much and still be alive. All is well now, the birth control straightened it out, but I got a taste of major hormonal issues. When I PMSed I could cry at the drop of a hat. Of course crying is easy for me to do. I tend to cry often whenever I am touched by anything sweet that anyone does, I don't even have to know the person. Of course it is like a happy cry, you know, like when you watch a Hallmark commercial. I'm bad I can get all emotional about an Army commercial. When the son is talking to the mother about his plans to go into the military. I'm goofy like that. I don't really look at this as a bad thing, I just care about people and how they are to each other. Lets see...."The Mermaid Chair"....I don't usually read novels but I am making an attempt to enjoy them. It isn't that I don't like reading them, but instead that I get so much more out of reading books that I can learn from, or take something from. Not that I can't take anything from a novel. There are lessons to be taught by them also. I have been trying to read these types of books more right before bedtime. Today I think I am going to start to make some of those cookies that we have been planning on making. The kids are excited about this, they really do enjoy it. Not sure what they like more, making or eating them. I went online and found a bunch of recipes for some hopefully delicious cookies. My mother-in-law makes some wonderful cookies, but hers I think are more about appearance than about taste. Of course I would never repeat that to anyone, I wouldn't hurt her feelings. Some are delicious, but others are too plain for my taste. I guess I like to have things with a lot of flavor, that I probably why I enjoy spicy food so much, I gotta have that FLAVA. I was told to set a timer and do this for 10 or 15 minutes, but I'm a bad girl I didn't set the timer. I went to the store yesterday and bought some pj's for my mother for Christmas, this is what my nephew told me to get her. As I was leaving I stopped and purchased a scratch off lottery ticket. I actually won $60. I rarely play so I was surprised that I actually won. So I went to the desk to cash in the ticket and I played a easy pick for the Mega Millions, and took the $59 in cash. I'm not what you call a big gambler. I'll take my winnings and run. I guess this surprises me a bit, because my mom's side of the family are big gamblers. My mom doesn't go much, but when she does get the chance she is an addict. Oh, but she is big on the lottery. I've never really been the lucky type, anything I have ever won has been from my own work, not from luck. Not that I even enter many contests. I did win a couple when I was a child. I won a Woodsy the Owl coloring contest in 5th grade, and also a young authors contest. I wrote a book and was amazed when my book was chosen over all the other choices. The other books were about creatures from outer space, or cool stuff like that. Mine was about a little girl that hid from her brother when he was suppose to be babysitting her. In the end she appeared and apologized to him, "I'm sorry Peter." Ha, ha. I guess mine had a moral and was appealing to the adult readers. As a kid I like theirs better.