T-5 Days to the end of the Compact

So we are in the last week of our year on the compact. It looked like the oven was going to poop out just before we reached the finish line, but I used a little black magic, and it's back in action. This year has been a big one for breakdowns, including, but not limited to: the dishwasher, the food processor, 5 blinds, many glasses, and a few plates. Luckily, we have been able to replace everything through personal contacts (thanks Jean and Rodg!) or Craigslist. Or not replace them at all and just dwindle dwindle down toward eating right off of the table and only drinking from re-used jelly jars.

After the recent local press coverage, we've had a few people ask us what we are itching to buy when May 1 dawns. Surprisingly, I have to think quite a while before I come up with an item. Of course, the light fixture in the dining room is horrendous, but has been so for our entire life in this house and will in all probability grace the room for years to come. I think my number one desire is a good digital camera. Ours sucks. The battery lasts for .5 of a minute at a time and the shutter speed is so slow that it only captures 1/3 of Theo no matter what we do to tie him down. He moves faster than that camera can manage. Buying a used camera has me a little leary- but I may still get over that.

What I am most pleased about is that yesterday, when the kids put on their thinking caps about a present for a friend's birthday party, their first thought was to go to a used book store. They did, and came home excited to introduce their friend to two books they have loved. Then today they spent about 1 hour working (sweetly) together to create this sheild out of cardboard for their pal:

They are (rightly) proud of their effort and full of anticipation for Leland's reaction to this gift. This is so different from years past when I would be sent out to Creative Kidstuff to find something that might please the birthday child because my kids couldn't put their finger on anything particular a friend might want. When the choices are endless, it is hard to come up with something. The compact has helped immensly with this. I can only hope that we keep our compacting ways into the future. But from the looks of this picture, it seems that it is time to invest in a hairbrush.