Four Favorite Things I Love Right Now! Part 24

How about a Four Faves -- Christmas version?

Isn't that all we're thinking about today?  Christmas -- or as the Real Housewives of New Jersey would say -- baby Jesus's birthday?

I'm ready to go with gifts and have been for about a month.  I know some of you may be jealous, but I went to Europe a couple of times this year, so I started early, plus I did shop a little yesterday for a few Christmas Eve gifts for the family.

Without further ado, here are my Four Faves Christmas Style!

1. Blue Bell Peppermint Ice Cream is the best!  Good luck finding it in Dallas today, as I only left 4 at the last store -- and I would bet $100,000 that they are out now. 
   
2. These new Pajamas from Soma are the cutest, most glam things ever.  LOVE!  I feel like Lady Gaga and Sia would approve, don't you?
   
3. This sweet book brings me to tears every year.  The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado is part of my personal tradition every year. 
   
4. Everybody knows my a Chex Party Mix (called Trash in my family) is the best -- despite the flawed result of a party mix contest at Community Partners of Dallas a few years ago.
5. Recipe:
6. 2 C Corn Chex
   2 C Rice Chex
   2 C Wheat Chex
   Plus 2 more cups of your fave of the above -- I mix it up.  My niece Lina loves Kix, so I throw them in here too sometimes
   1 C pecans
   1 C pretzels
   1 T soy sauce (I add a little more here)
   1/2 C butter
   1 1/4 t season salt
   1/4 t garlic powder 
   
   
   Melt butter in electric skillet at 250 degrees.  Stir in seasonings and blend well.  Add all and stir to coat.  Cover with vents open.  Heat for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.  Cool on paper towels.  Enjoy!

Hope you are spending lots of time with family and friends.  Merry Christmas!

First World Problem Hodgepodge

New Hodgepodge this week!  Thank you, Joyce, for always coming through with thought-provoking questions for the weary bloggers out there...

1. What's your biggest 'first world' problem?
I have no garage. I don't really miss it for the car -- I have a circular driveway -- but it is at holiday time that the storage for decorations is nil/packed in the attic.  Makes it so inconvenient to access. My other option is to take my only guest room and store it in there.
2.  Each year Time Magazine names a 'Person of the Year', someone who has 'for better or worse...done the most to influence the events of the year.' It was recently announced they've named Angela Merkel Person of the Year for 2015. Your thoughts? If you were in charge, who would you declare Person of the Year? 
Since this is the time of year that we give out 10,000+ toys to abused and neglected kids, I'd give it to the donors and volunteers who make children's dreams come true.
3. Do you have a nativity set in your home? If so share it's history and how you display the pieces.
Yes!  I have quite a few!  I have a few small ones that stay out year round.  I love this one (the first one) and it is fun to collect the pieces, but my favorite is the one Joe gave me (it's the second one). It is the most beautiful, I think.

4.  Do you make an extra effort to give back in some way during the holiday season? How do you encourage those who need encouragement this time of year?
I love volunteering at my church during the holiday -- this year I'm not attending on Christmas Eve in order to have more room for visitors. I'm attending the travelers service and ushering.
5. Who is your favorite person to shop for? Why?
My mom is tough because she buys everything she wants for herself and she has spectacular taste. When I find something for her it's a Christmas miracle!
6. What's the last delicious thing you ate?
My homemade chicken salad.
7. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is________________.
Tell strangers that they are beautiful/handsome. Smile and laugh a lot.
8. Insert your own random thought here.

Three cheers to Willard Scott upon his retirement from The Today Show today. My grandmother always called him her secret love.  He is mine too. 

A Christmas Hodgepodge

Christmas Hodgepodge!

1.  Many families have a story they love to tell every year around a holiday. Does your family have one? Are you the star of that story, or does another family member take center stage? Share your story if you want.
I can't think of a story, but I usually do bring up the time I saved my brother's life when I pulled him out of the ocean. The entire family needs to know why they exist.
2. Are you afraid to speak your own opinion?
No.  Who're you looking at?  Huh, huh?
3. Pantone has announced the color of the year for 2016, and for the first time have chosen two shades-rose quartz and serenity. Hmmm...did you know serenity was a color? You can read the thought behind their selection here, but essentially it's blending the warmth of rose quartz with the tranquility of a very soft shade of blue. So what do you think? Are these colors I'd find in your home or wardrobe? Will you add something in these shades to either place in the new year?
They are currently in my wardrobe and yes, I'll buy more.  Love both and think it is interesting that the choices are pale -- like me. My skin tone is pretty rose-quartz -y, so maybe I don't need to buy it after all!
4. If you could be in a Christmas carol, which one would you choose? Why?
Joy to the World.  It has always been one of my faves. When I was a teen, our church always let the high schoolers do a service (sermon, read the verses, congregational song choices, etc.) in the summer and I always made them sing Joy to the World -- breaking rules and creating scandal ever since.
5. December 9th is National Pastry Day. Will you celebrate? When did you last purchase something from a bakery? What's your favorite treat that falls under the heading of pastry? Do you make it yourself or buy from the professionals?
Buy it. Even if I make a pie, I always use the Pillsbury refrigerated crusts. When you can buy something that tastes that good and is so easy, why not?
6. When it comes to holiday decorating_____________________________.
More is more.  I hired someone to help me this year and she came up with a lot of new ideas. Moved the tree to a new room too.
7. When did you last laugh so much it hurt? Explain.
It wasn't painful, but I cracked up the other night watching SNL -- the sketch where Ryan Gossling was cracking up too.  Kate McKinnon is just hilarious.
8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Christmas card addressing is looming, so I'm out.  Happy to be back with Joyce and the Hodgepodge!

Dream Interpretation Hodgepodge

I'm answering the Hodgepodge again this week.  Hope you'll give me some suggestions for several of my dilemmas! 

1. It's hard to believe, but next week's Hodgepodge will find us in the month of September. What's one thing you want, need, or hope to do still before summer officially ends?

I usually take a day each summer (usually in July) and clean out my office at Community Partners of Dallas.  I hate to admit it, but I think I may have skipped a couple of summers lately...

Here it is:

Anyway, I would love to get this done, but I doubt I will.

2. When were you last at 'your wit's end'?

Week before last.

3. Describe a time you were figuratively thrown into 'the deep end'?

I was in charge of decorating a big building for Christmas once.  Believe me, decorators should be paid like kings for doing that work.

On a related note, I just hired someone to decorate my house for Christmas this year.  It will be the first time that I haven't done it myself.  I cannot wait to see how it looks!

4. Does the end always, ever, or never justify the means? Explain.

The end sometimes justifies the means.

I would never again do one bit of exercise if I didn't think it was going to help me get healthier.

Did I say never?  I meant NEVER.

5. What makes your hair stand on end?

I don't think classrooms have them anymore, the squeak of chalk/nails on the chalkboard still gets me.

I'm grossing out right now just thinking about it.

6. I read an article on the website Eat This! Health, that listed 11 foods we can eat to help end bad moods. Basically it's a feed your brain so you're less anxious, grouchy and lethargic. The foods are-mussels, swiss chard, blue potatoes, grass fed beef, dark chocolate, greek yogurt, asparagus, honey, cherry tomatoes, eggs, and coconut. Which of those do you think would most help end your own bad mood? Which do you fear, if forced to eat, would put you into a bad mood?

I actually like all of these things, so it's hard to pick just one.  Probably mussels in a buttery wine sauce with saffron and pomme frites on the side would be my first choice.  I love asparagus too and we could use the egg to make hollandaise.  Guess I know what's for dinner.  Yum!

I don't think any food could put me in a bad mood if I wasn't already in one to start with.  Not saying that I like all foods -- I hate cilantro -- but it wouldn't put me in a bad mood if I had to eat it.

7. What project around your home, office, or life in general feels like there is 'no end in sight'?

This is not a project, but I absolutely hate putting on mascara every day.  I even dreamed about it the other night -- that I had to keep applying and applying, but no mascara was getting attached to my lashes.  Of course, the mascara did go everywhere else on my face.  I may need an interpreter for this one.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I started back up exercising (walking) today and decided to take the advice of my friend Joanna and get a book on tape to listen to while walking.  How do you know what audible books are good?  I read so much that I have already read a lot of the popular ones.  Anyway, I ended up getting a book I never even heard of called Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter.

I've only listened to about 20 minutes of it, but I think it may be good.  I'm looking for suggestions on the next one, so fire away friends.

Christmas Eve Gift! I Got You!

If you know what the title of this post means, then you've known me for a very long time.

Our family plays this game and has forever.  It is supposedly a throwback from long ago -- the basic idea is that if you are the first one to say to someone "Christmas gift!", then they are supposed to give you a gift.  I believe that it was originally played on Christmas Day only, but our family plays it for every holiday, including Christmas Eve, birthdays, Valentine's, Martin Luther King Day, etc.  We have never followed through with the gift giving part -- the first person to say it just gets the pleasure of winning and lording it over everyone.  

My personal favorite is when you can catch someone totally off guard and say "Oh, John?"  Him:  "What?"  "I just wanted to say Christmas Eve Gift!"  This is naturally followed by lots of disgust and drama, etc.  It's tons of fun to win.

I like to win.

The downside of this game is that on holidays we don't call one another because the other person will invariably answer the phone "Christmas Eve Gift" and then they got you.  In the pre-caller ID days, we would answer every call this way, so then explaining went along with the game, which is why lots of my friends play the game with us too.  Joe particularly likes to get my mom.  Let's be honest -- we all like to get mom.

Anyway, it is now 1:37 pm on Christmas Eve and I haven't had a single phone call and won't unless someone decides they are throwing in the towel -- and I'm waiting to pounce if they do.

I like to win.

I'm truly grateful that I have a family when so many in Dallas do not.  Lots of kids served by Community Partners of Dallas would be happy to let someone win the game every single time if it meant they could have a family to be with today and tomorrow and forever.

I think I'll give mom a call and give her a thrill since I know how she'll answer the phone.

But I'll get her tomorrow. 

Family.

Christmas Cards and Why I Hate Them

Do you send Christmas or Holiday cards?

I started sending them when I was a kid and even on into my twenties, but then I quit doing it for a very long time.

NOTE:  I still have an example of one I sent as a kid -- it's pink and has a Bijorn Wiinbladt-looking angel on it. Purchased at Neiman Marcus, natch.

NOTE to NOTE:  Remember when Neiman Marcus put their name on everything they sold?  Even designer clothing got an additional NM tag sewn (later stickered) inside.  I loved that.  Wish they still did it.

I'm not sure why I quit sending them in my twenties and thirties. Of course, it was more difficult to send a card then since it cost more to have them personalized and of course there was no such thing as excel labels.  Plus, I guess my friends quit sending them too.  Let me make it clear that I never stopped loving Jesus and continued to shed many tears over Its a Wonderful Life and Charlie Brown. I just quit sending cards at Christmas.

Anyway, probably 10 years ago I started sending them again.  I think that it was because I loved seeing the photos of people's families on them and (being a theatre major) I have never minded putting out "publicity" about myself -- so I liked the idea of having an excuse to send out a picture of myself that I got to choose and "sentimize" myself.

NOTE:  Not sure that sentimize is a word.  If not, I need to sell it to Tyra Banks.

ANOTHER NOTE:  By the way, Joe hates this publicity-seeking side of me, but cry me a river, babe. I think I'm hilarious and I am unanimous in that.

NOTE to ANOTHER NOTE:  Mrs. Slocum reference -- I got a million of them!

So you're probably thinking "Get to the point -- why do you hate them?" and I don't blame you.  I hate Christmas cards because I have a terrible time throwing them away.  I keep them for years.

Need to know what your card looked like 5 years ago?  Come over to my house.  I have them in scrapbooks, hole-punched and tied with a ring, in a silver bowl in the living room, just everywhere.

The photo above is this year's display and this is early on, people -- I'll have to get out the ladder in a week in order to display them around the den.  You did this to me.

Also, the cards and how they come to me kinda piss me off because it makes me realize what a shallow person I am, yet they also make me feel guilty.  Don't understand this?  If people use labels instead of hand-addressing them, I judge them.  If they actually write something to me inside the card and hand address them,  I know they are judging me.  Ugh.

Hey, not sure why I'm telling you this, but I'm having lots of fun at home this morning receiving Community Partners of Dallas' Toy Drive wishes, so I guess since I'm having so much fun "working", I felt the need to confess something to you all.  

Merry Christmas, friends -- and keep those cards coming!

Where Has All The Customer Service Gone?

I am a shopper.

I have a shopper's car (small SUV).

I buy a Partners Card from The Family Place every year without fail.

But most of all, I love Amazon.

I love Amazon, but I hate what it is doing to customer service.  Now, Amazon actually does a pretty good job when needed -- IF you can find out how to let them know your package wasn't delivered, they'll send you another one, no questions asked.  They don't care if it's UPS's fault or if it was stolen, or whatever the reason, they'll send you another.

This is volume business at it's finest -- just send another one and eat the cost to keep the customer happy.

And it works -- I am happy and pretty much order everything I can from them.  Not sure if I'll use their grocery service when it comes out, but I might.  I love them that much.

NOTE:  I do love Matt & Al and my TV more, but Amazon is right up there.

But here's the rub -- there is no customer service anymore.  The Internet has trained us to not expect much.  It is difficult to even find a phone number to call nowadays.  You have to search and search to find it.  I just searched for a local charity's phone number this morning on their website and finally gave up after about 5 minutes of searching.  Their site wouldn't even let me email their CEO directly or provide me with her email.

NOTE:  This is NOT how we do business at Community Partners of Dallas.  We truly believe that a big part of our success is personal service.  You can call me right now at 214-624-7557 and anyone else here.

But back to my point -- customer service is dead.  So that is why when a company does something extraordinary now, it really means something to me.

My first example is an experience I had with Shutterfly last Christmas -- and I am still thinking about it 10 months later, so that tells you just how extraordinary it is.  I order my holiday cards from them online every year and they do a great job.  This year the return address labels I ordered to match my cards didn't arrive.  I thought, UGH -- I'm sure I won't be able to find a phone number to call or a way to report this easily -- and fired up the desk top (which gets little use now with my I-Phone and I-Pad in the den at all times) and started looking for a way to report the missing package.

Well, what to my wondering eyes did appear but a phone number for Customer Service!  I called and the guy I spoke to was super nice and said they would expedite new labels to me at no charge.  So nice.  But what really made it an amazing experience is that the guy I spoke to SENT ME A HAND WRITTEN THANK YOU NOTE apologizing for the error.

Can you believe that?

The error wasn't even theirs -- the labels came the next day and I called them, but they said to just enjoy the duplicates. 

I have more examples of surprising service -- coming soon! 

Hope you have a great week of super customer service!

4 Favorite Things I Love Right Now! Part 6

Since it's almost Christmas, I know you are all freaking out while waiting for the latest 4 Favs!

NOTE:  That is if "all" really means my mom and Cynthia...

I usually start shopping early for my friends and actually chose many of their gifts last year before Christmas, but they didn't arrive in time to give them in 2011.  Of course since my friends read this blog (You better be, ladies!), I can't tell you what I got them; but suffice to say I love all of their gifts and I think they'll be happy to receive them.

So this got me thinking about some of my favorite gifts that I've received, thus this month's 4 Favs (check previous posts of my 4 Favs by clicking here http://blog.paigemcdaniel.org/2012/10/four-favorite-things-i-love-right-now.html ):

1. Red Leather Cole Hann Gloves:  Joe gave me Cole Hann gloves like these http://www.colehaan.com/colehaan/catalog/product.jsp?catId=100&productId=697727&productGroup=697723  many years ago and they still look just as good as the day he presented them.  Buttery soft leather and cashmere lining.  Would I like them in more colors?  Yes, please!  You'll want them too!
2. T3 Featherweight 2i Luxe Hair Dryer:  For many years I have been praising all of my hair products and how they really tame my extremely curly and frizzy hair.  I neglected to give credit to this modern miracle.  This hair dryer http://www.zappos.com/t3-featherweight-2i-luxe cuts drying time and smooths hair so much better than regular hair dryers.  I had forgotten it's amazing power until I didn't have it on my Thanksgiving trip to Fredericksburg.  Have you seen a photo of me from that trip?  You won't.
3. Thymes Candle in Frasier Fir Scent:  This is always a winner and since I put up a fake tree, the smell really puts you in the holiday mood http://www.candleluxury.com/thymes-frasier-fir-candle.html.
4. Scojo Reading Glasses:  You know you're getting old when reading glasses make your Christmas list, but since my brother's dog Tanner (best dog in the world, bar none) ate 2 pairs of mine a few years ago, Tanner then gifted me with these as replacements.  They are the best http://www.scojo.com/women/womens-gels-collection/gels.html.  Extremely lightweight and come in a million colors.  I have pairs of them all over my house and office.  Love them. 

And since it's the time of the year for abundance, I'm giving you a 5th Fav this time:

A holiday honorarium card to CPD:  We would love for you to honor your friends and family with a donation to CPD!  For a minimum $10 donation per card we will print a darling personalized card to your honorees -- and if you want, we'll even mail them for you,  It is the easiest way to show someone you care AND help an abused and neglected child in Dallas County have a great holiday with a toy from our toy drive.  Click here to purchase now http://www.cpdtx.org/default.asp?contentID=77

What are your 4 (or 5) Favs?

I feel so lucky.

I'm finished with shopping, wrapping (well, to be honest it's mostly "sacking and tissuing"), and now I'm just waiting for Sunday. I feel so lucky. I know that there are children in Dallas who are hurting. Families who are separated due to military service, distance, and just strife amongst themselves.

My family is here. We have enough money to give gifts, pay the mortgage, and have food on the table. I feel so lucky. I know that there are children in Dallas who are hurting. Some who won't receive a visit from Santa, lay down their heads on a clean bed, nor have a decent meal.

To our donors at Community Partners of Dallas, thank you. You helped 5,304 children feel lucky this year at our big Toy Drive.

And you helped me feel lucky too.

Running the Traps

Tomorrow (Wednesday, December 14, 2011) is the wish distribution day for our 5,000+ kids.  It is my 9^th toy drive distribution day and it has gotten easier and more efficient each year, even though we serve a lot more kids than we did 9 years ago.  Anyway, as I said we’ve been doing this for a long time now and we have a basic formula that we tweak each year to improve.  Thanks to Peacock Alley, our staff, and our great volunteers, the distribution formula works.

But this year we’re scared.

Scared to death.

The weather report has been saying for a week that we are looking at rain and thunderstorms tomorrow and since our formula says that the most effective and fast way to get the toys into the vehicles of the caseworkers is to set up in the parking lot – LIKE WE ALWAYS DO – well, I have had lots of sleepless nights the past week trying to figure out the best way to make adjustments.

The staff here is getting pretty sick of me saying things like:  Well, what about this?  What if this happens, then what?  I’m worried about this, let’s talk it through.  I think we need to look at changing this if this happens.  Blah, blah, blah.

Yes, my co-workers are sick of me trying to think every detail though, but I have to do it.  It’s my job.

We’ve made a rain plan if we need it and now I’m letting go.

I f'd up the Secret Santa.

I f’d up the Secret Santa today.  Well, actually I f’d it up last week, but I really don’t even believe that I did it, I think I was perfect and Ann was the one and, well I digress.  Here’s the poop:

Each year the staff at CPD does a Secret Santa and we have 2 or 3 days of secret gifts and then the final “reveal” is the night of the holiday dinner at a restaurant.  It is fun and during the toy drive it is about the only thing we have that is not moving at a maniacal and frantic pace.

Anyway, today was the first day of the secret phase.  When I arrived at the office this morning I had a lovely gift of a tin of Two Sisters Spiced Tea Mix (Theirs is the BEST, bar none, you will be spoiled for any other, highly recommended!).  Yea, I thought – my Secret Santa is a good one and they know what I like.  Then I went out for a meeting at 10 am and returned about 11:30.

Low and behold, I find another Secret Santa gift on my desk!  Super cute – a darling pot scrubber thing designed like a cute girl with red hair (you know that I loved that, especially if you are a regular reader of this blog) – but I was puzzled.  Why did I get 2 gifts on the same day?

Of course I immediately go to Joanna and tell her what has happened and we discuss.  I decide that my Secret Santa is Renee and she doesn’t work on Thursday and Friday, so she just decided to rush the Secret Santa season.

About an hour later the plot thickens – Joanna has found out that my Secret Santa did not give me the pot scrubber. 

Oh no – this means that I must have 2 Secret Santas which means that someone else ain’t gettin' squat.  I then send an email to find out who has done what and who has not given anyone anything, another staff member on her own goes out and buys for one person who hadn’t yet received anything, but that was in error, her Santa just had not yet delivered, well suffice to say that

I f’d up the Secret Santa.

Pray for me.

P.S.  Of course my friend Cynthia said that if I was going to give myself 2, why didn’t I just put my name on everyone’s little piece of paper so I’d get 10 gifts on day one, but my co-workers would have figured that out too quickly.

Does Your Hair Color Matter?

I was super excited this summer when Alyssa Campanella won Miss USA.  I didn’t watch the Miss USA show – although I used to when I was young because my grandmother and I always watched together – but the next day I saw Alyssa on The Today Show.  Why was I so excited?

SHE WAS A REDHEAD.

If you are not a redhead, you probably don’t get it.  Redheads are different.  We have freckles.  Patti Stanger (The Millionaire Matchmaker) hates us.  The most famous redheads are Lucille Ball and Carrot Top.  Bozo the Clown and Pippi Longstocking come to mind as well, and not that there’s anything wrong with them, but well, they’re funny – not necessarily considered beautiful. 

NOTE:  I know that you’re thinking about Nicole Kidman and yes she is beautiful, but the new lips really bug me now – don’t they you?

For me, there were always jokes about the milkman since I am the only redhead in my immediate family.  And being a pudgy redhead at Highland Park High School was not much of a draw for dates to Homecoming – I went once in 4 years and my date and his husband are currently very happy together.  And I still bring it up to Joe that he took a sophomore girl (a blonde) our senior year while I stayed home, but back to my story…

The other thing that made me feel different was that it was almost impossible to find a redheaded doll.  Raggedy Ann was in there, but other than that the choices were few and far between.  And certainly very few of the redheaded dolls were beautiful.  My mother searched and searched, but to no avail.  Doesn’t every little girl want to have a doll that looks like she does, but better?  Of course, as I gave up playing with dolls, this issue became less important.

Fast forward to about10 years ago when I started working for Community Partners of Dallas…

Our annual Holiday Toy Drive serves 5,000+ CPS kids with toys.  We rely on donors to fill wishes for individual kids and we also collect money from donors who don’t have time to shop but still want to make a child’s dream come true for the holiday.  In other words, lots of us (both volunteers and staff members) are out shopping for toys in December.  And that first year that my mom and I went out shopping for our wishes (my mom loves to do this with me each year – we always take my nieces too) – every bit of my redheaded doll problems came rushing back to me in a flash. 

It is very difficult to find African American dolls.  And since about 1,250 of our kids for the Toy Drive will be African American girls – this is a problem.  At first, I thought I just must have been shopping in the wrong store, but no.  This is universal – no matter the type of store, the neighborhood, etc..  I asked some of my African American friends about this and they confirmed it.  Why is this the case?  I don’t have an answer, but I think it hurts our little girls.  To not have a doll that looks like you confirms that you are different or at least maybe not what the world thinks is beautiful.

And we all need to think that we are beautiful – whether we’re 5 or 50.

So, when you are out and about during the holiday season, we sure would appreciate your purchase of any African American dolls to donate to us.  And if you have any influence with any mass-manufactured doll makers out there – I’d love to have a conversation with them about this problem.

Oh, and that thing about redheads having a temper?  It’s true.

Top 10 Toys for Christmas

I know that it is early October, but we are already well into Christmas here at Community Partners of Dallas.  Each year we do a Toy Drive for about 5,000 children who are involved with Child Protective Services.  CPS caseworkers find out what the children on their caseloads would like and we make wish cards (similar to the Salvation Army Angel Tree) and send them out into the world to be filled by donors.

This year, we have requests for 15% more children than last year, so we are currently searching for 752 extra donors.  If you can help, please call Marjorie at 214-624-7588. 

The kids who you will be helping truly need some joy in their lives.  They have been battered and bruised and told by those who were supposed to love them that they are stupid and worthless. 

The kids are not asking for the moon either.  Here are our most requested items (in no particular order):

African American dolls
Buzz Lightyear Action Figure / Toys
Vtech Learning Toys
Barbies
Sports Balls (Soccer Balls, Footballs etc)
Wrestling Action Figures
Bath and Body Gift Sets
MP3 Players
Dora Dolls
LEGO Sets
Bikes with helmets
Tonka Trucks

You can make a child's dream come true, for as little as the cost of a barbie doll.  And yes, I know that I listed 12 toys, not 10 -- I was a theater major.