lent ended rather uneventfully this weekend. my shopping fast is over! I was pretty excited about it all and actually kind of expected myself to maybe explode into a mad shopping frenzy, but that didn't really happen. weird, really. I've surprised even myself.

I'm kind of embarrassed to say that I kept a list going this month of stuff I wanted to buy when the 40 days was over. it wasn't a very long list, but it was a list nonetheless - mostly of yarn and patterns. heehee. but now that I guess I'm free from what may or may not have been a silly fast, I've got this weird feeling of being free to not spend money. like, under the whole lent thing, since I wasn't allowed to buy stuff, I had this burning desire to click "buy now!" all the time. but I actually tried to convince myself that I should buy some stuff yesterday and I just couldn't do it! I kept thinking, hey, I really really don't need this. I've gone a whole 40 days without buying it, why would I need it now? and then I felt kind of confused, but happy at the same time. because, look at me! I'm saving money! maybe isa will even be able to go to college someday!

anyhow, it feels nice to not really want to buy stuff. and it feels good to feel nice about that. but the whole time I was not buying stuff, someone else was busy accumulating new things. too bad she didn't really take much interest in doing her own unwrapping. luckily, we had a seasoned professional in the house to help move things along. also, cake. look who had her first birthday party this weekend!