From Frizzy Hair to Christmas Tidings

I turned 36 yesterday.  It was a GREAT day.  My husband took the entire family to eat at Red Lobster.  Popcorn insisted on ordering lobster.

She thought it was the scariest looking thing ever.  But she ate a few bites...And she tried scallops and shrimp cooked three different ways, none of which were fried popcorn shrimp.

She mostly ate her rice, some steamed broccoli and cheddar biscuits.

I tried not to shudder at the fact that I could feed the family for a week on what we paid for one meal.

You will be pleased to know that I then went shopping.  FOR MYSELF.  And I bought stuff for myself alone!!!  I know I refer to shopping a lot in this blog, but what my followers who know me only through blogland don't realize is that I am still wearing clothes from before my children were born.  It is a sad thing to look in my closet.  I thought of getting rid of everything over three years old.  But then I realized I'd have no clothes...

My back has been bothering me.  I feel as if my body has betrayed me.  I exercise.  I watch my weight.  I lift patients that weigh as much or more than me...And that seems to have outweighed all of my endeavors to have a healthy back...Did you know I think people who have back pain are annoying?

Well, anyway I find myself VERY annoying, so therefore I'm sure my coworkers are getting tired of my refusal to lift patients this week.

My hair is also betraying me.  I need to color it.  I haven't had it cut since late June.   It is a frizzy mess with gray roots showing.  Perhaps I shall take time from my life to get it cut.  Perhaps I have betrayed it instead of vice versa.

I feel as if I should write my Christmas letter/cards.  However, I can't decide what to say.  Should I tell them of my aging body?  Perhaps I'll mention my frizzy hair and kids with dramatic tendencies that comes from who knows where.

Or maybe I'll tell them all about our animals...How we went from two to five in just a matter of weeks.  And now we are back down to three.  Our pregnant female cat disappeared one day and we haven't seen her since.  Of course we have hawks and owls and of course the coyotes who come to my back fence and look in at our animals on a daily basis...Now all Popcorn wants for her birthday is a little kitten.  SOOoooo.  Does anyone have a kitten who will be ready to wean on December thirtieth? 

Studmuffin is finishing our Christmas shopping today.  At least I think he's finishing it.  Until I remember another gift I forgot, we are finished...

Do you need a Chesney story?

Well, as you can see from my last few posts, we have new decorations out.  She has been really good to leave them alone, as being scolded makes her tremble in fear.  Unless it involves Popcorn's socks, and then she will risk severe punishment for a taste of that delightful funk...Anyway, a few days ago I heard Bookworm yelling "Chesney, no!!"  And then I heard Popcorn's panicked rejoinder...

I came in the room to find them wresting a porcelain doll that my Grandmama gave me for Christmas one year as a child from her jaws.  My grandparents seldom gave us gifts as they had 16 grandchildren and five children...So obviously buying gifts would be a little overwhelming.  Well, one year they gave all of  their smaller granddaughters a little porcelain doll.  Here is what mine looks like:

Isn't she cute posed on the reindeer my mother in law made a few years back?  She used to have a bonnet, but it has been lost at some point through the years.

Anyway, I offered Chesney a sock, and she quickly dropped the doll with no complaints.  The girls both chorused relief, as it would be terrible if Chesney ate the doll.  I agreed whole heartedly.  Then Bookworm said, "Yes, those bits of porcelain would have cut up her insides"...And I silently thought that I wasn't particularly thinking of the harm the DOLL would do her if she ate it, but rather the harm I would do the DOG if she ate the DOLL!

The doll is now happily posed safely in a tea cup on my piano, out of the jaws of death...

 And the dog is currently safely chewing on an old sock that I have Popcorn put on every day or so, just to keep the right proportion of her foot funk in it, (okay not really, but only because Popcorn is a disobedient child and refuses to humor me) and she is quietly lying at my feet by the fire, and Kelsey is sitting with her head on my arm rest...

And I can't help but be sort of glad that we have dogs in the house.

Considering I was raised in a no pets allowed in the house family, I never thought I'd say that!

Well, I shall sign off now.  But not before I end with yesterday's chuckle courtesy of Bookworm.  The middle school Gifted and Talented children were given the privilege of going to see the Nutcracker in Norman.  AND they got to go to OU the campus and eat!  ALL BY THEMSELVES!! (We will not discuss the stress hives I had over this.)  Anyway, I asked her what she thought of the Nutcracker...Well, it seems she was too distracted by those tight tights the men were wearing.  Let's just say that she never wanted to see that many details of strange men's anatomy.

Then, she and her buddy went to eat at ChikfilA.  However, her friend only had five dollars, and they were hoping to hit Starbucks before they had to return to school...Well, Bookworm pointed out that if they ordered just a sandwich and water they would have enough left to get cocoa at Starbucks.  Yes, my 11 year old has mad money skills...

So, they ventured into Starbucks after their feast of a classic ChikfilA sandwich and filtered water...They ordered the smallest hot chocolate they had...

"And Mom, can you believe they charged four bucks for a little cup of hot chocolate?!!  You could buy a whole box of hot cocoa mix for like a dollar!  And it didn't even taste good.  They overflowed it with whipped cream and it tasted horrible!"  Of course, my kids hate whipped cream, and she didn't know to tell them to hold the whipped cream.

So, I'm happy to report I'm raising a daughter who recognizes the value of a dollar, and knows how to make her money stretch...And she values modesty...

But I have to confess that my other daughter said, "I want to go see that!" when Bookworm described her horror over them men's apparel.

So, there ya go.  My universe is apparently in balance.

More Christmas Traditions

Are you sick of Christmas posts yet?

Well, I'm sorry, but I have at least one more for you...

Brent asked me to get my tires rotated today.  I loathe doing anything of that nature...So, I quickly informed I simply would have no time to deal with such frivolities today.  No INDEED.

Instead I must do forty dozen loads of laundry...When will my children learn that their jeans do not need to go in the laundry every blessed time they remove them?  When, when, when, when, my soul is crying out.  After all, everyone else realizes you must change your underwear every day.  And a new shirt is required daily...But pants?  You can wear pants FOR.EV.ER! 

Oh, and I must go to the store for some supplies for the endless Christmas baking I'm wanting to begin.

Oh, and I'm ever so eager to get going on my annual Christmas obsessions!

Do you have any Christmas obsessions?  I have too many to count, but here are just a few I have to share with you.

Color you excited!

Hold on to your seats, Gentle Reader!!!

Every year I buy a Christmas jigsaw puzzle.  And I obsess over it.  And I sit down to finish one little area...

And two hours later my back aches from bending over and changing positions twenty times to get a new perspective on the pieces.  This year I wisely bought a 550 piece puzzle so my obsession could be a little shorter lived.  Oh, and the annual Christmas jigsaw puzzle is another reason I simply had to get out the table that Brent was so agreeable to pack away for all of thirty minutes last weekend.

I love Walter Wick books.  I love that his pictures tell a story, and I love the challenge of finding each hidden item.  I buy a new Christmas book every time I see one.  I saw a Halloween one this year and barely restrained myself from starting a new obsession.

As I sit on my recliner, by the fireplace where all recliners belong, and type a few posts to sustain my eager readers for the next several days, I'm day dreaming of making fudge.  And ginger cookies.  Oh, and I'm very eager to make some shaped sugar cookies, and get an assembly line of butter frosting going for a great big cookie decorating frenzy!

I think I will stick to a quick batch of fudge...But first I'm off to wrap some gifts!

For now.

The Prettiest Sight to See...

Is the holly that will be on your own front door!

(Name that tune.)

I always say that fall decorations are my favorite...

Until it's time to drag out all of our Christmas decorations, and then I realize that these are my favorite decorations.  I love the fall for the colors, and the change from blistering heat to energizing cool weather...But I love my Christmas decorations as they are surrounded with happy memories, and many of them were made with love by friends and family.`

 My mom made this snow man for me one Christmas.  How cute is he?

A lady at work was talking about putting her tree up yesterday.  Her theme is cowboy with hats and boots and ropes.  She asked me what my theme was.  She literally laughed at me when I said my tree is hodgepodge..."I suppose you have hand made ornaments on there too?"  I replied, "Of course!" and she laughed even harder...

I decided she had never seen my tree, so she is unable to understand the simple beauty of a tree bursting with ornaments.

Could this tree or this girl BE more beautiful?  The girl was all dressed up for her very first band concert.  Can I just say, she totally rocked some "Jingle Bell Rock."   I love my tree, and I love my hand made tree skirt from my mom!  And I love all of the homemade gifts I can see in just a glimpse, complete with all of the ornaments my husband and I've exchanged through the year.

I love this little glimpse of love.  The Santa and Mrs. Clause, who obviously takes better care of herself than good ole Saint Nick...And the tree made at some Christmas party by Bookworm in 2006.  And then I see the snowman that appeared in my stocking one year.  I was trying to remember who made me the crocheted stocking.  I know I've had it since I was a child. Any input from my mom would be helpful here. You can see that instead of sparkly tinsel we use wooden bead garlands, that I bought the year I graduated nursing school.  I know when I bought them because I had a real income, and it was the first year we weren't using a tree we got from Brent's grandma, and we had money to buy ornaments!  Our hand me down tree was hideously lovely affair with the thick stove pipe cleaner branches.

These adorable ceramic snowmen were from my Grandmama Dolly's house.  We lost her this past January, and her birthday is December 21, so they will always make me smile.

See the wreath?  My family has a homemade gift exchange tradition (which the men are trying to rebel and stop, but I vote we women stand firm and united.)  My sister made that lovely wreath for me!  The tall ceramic angel was a gift from Grandmama Dolly one year.  The tea cup was a gift from my sister Dawn several years ago, the tree cut out of old barn siding was made early in our marriage alongside my mother in law...Read here:  She told me step by step what to do, and wisely allowed me very few tasks.  Translation:  I think I mostly cheered her on!  Also, if you enlarge the picture you can see a cute little Santa painted on a piece of drift wood, again made by my mother in law!   Finally, the Nativity. I just love Nativity scenes.  I have four scattered through my house, from this ceramic one given to us on our first Christmas by my mom, to a wooden folk art Nativity, and even an inexpensive one I bought solely so my girls could have one to play with.  It is a cheap little resin affair I got at Walmart for about five bucks.  But the girls look forward to getting out every year!

So.  There is more than you ever wanted to know about my Christmas ornaments.  I have so many I find it ridiculous when I try to pack it all away, or have to hall it all out.  But then, as I start scattering them around, and packing away our "every day" decorations in order to give our house a celebratory feel, I can't help but feel you can never have too many Christmas decorations!

 

Oh, and I feel I MUST respond to KiteFlyer's comments on my previous two posts:  First of all, that TV is the largest one we've ever owned, and when we got it, we thought it was ginormous!  And by the way, that was only a few months ago.  Second, my husband DOES use antlers in all of his decorating, and his favorite character from Beauty and the Beast is most certainly Gaston.  Third, the balls are still there!

What about you?  What are your very favorite ornaments?

How We Spent Christmas

For the third year in a row we celebrated Christmas with just the four of us.

And. I. Love. It.

Here we are all dolled up ready for the candlelight Christmas Eve service...

As you can see we entered into the service with all solemnity and prayerfulness...

Surely you expected nothing less?

Christmas morning the girls slept until 7:30! I actually woke them up when I went to the garage to get out a roast and then let the dog out!

Did you know that my big brother woke me up every single Christmas morning no later than 4am to snoop in our stockings? He always insisted all the gifts had to go back in exactly how they came out. I never could understand that rule, but I knew David to be older and sneakier so I never questioned. I asked him once why he always woke me up to come peak with him. It turns out he figured he wouldn't be in trouble if his adorable baby sister was with him.

Okay. He didn't call me adorable. I added that part in. But he was totally counting on the baby of the family to keep him out of trouble. He also always sent me in to ask if we could get up yet. And Mom always said, "Nobody gets up until 5am."

So, I'd wait for what surely must have been an eternity and then I would approach Dad, again at the insistence of my brother. His answer? "Nobody gets up until 5am."

Which I thought was never going to get there! An hour is a very long time to play quietly in the dark with only the Christmas tree lights to guide you while you wait for your lazy teenage sisters and parents to drag themselves out of their cozy beds!

As you gaze around my home it is obvious we were having a relaxing, peaceful Christmas. Bookworm was so relaxed she couldn't even be bothered to get off the recliner to play Wii baseball!

Please disregard any background clutter you see. I would like to blame it on Christmas. But I won't because that is my normal. Clean but cluttered.

I always say you should never keep your house so clean that others feel the need to clean if you are dropping by. See? It's not being lazy! It's called being a good friend!

Amen.

Of course Popcorn was on her feet for the entire game. Of every game.

Oh! Did I mention Santa brought us a Wii for Christmas? That Santa is a smart guy. He knew the only way this family would move to the 21st century and actually own a gaming system was if he brought it!

I cooked dinner, and after we finished I said I was not cleaning the kitchen until I'd had a cup of coffee.

Studmuffin cleaned the kitchen.

While I had a few cups of Christmas cheer!

Just kidding. That is really only coffee, and I was supposed to be winking at my cleverness in getting my husband to clean the kitchen, which we all know is the worst part of any meal. However, I seem to look drunk.
*sigh*

After a hard day of napping, eating, playing Wii and eating some more, we all sat down to watch "Despicable Me."

We all enjoyed it. Even the dog.

And now we have plans to go to the nearest home for girls and adopt three little girls. One with a thing for unicorns, one with a permanent pink stocking hat, and one practical older girl to keep us all in line.

I need someone to keep my husband in line.

So, how was your Christmas? Calm? Restful? Frantic? Stressful? Overstuffed with food and presents? Let me know how you celebrated the birth of Our Savior this year!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot LIke Christmas!!

Wednesday is my day off, get everything done that I possibly can day. It involves bill paying, grocery shopping, laundry, and cleaning. Ugh. Strangely, it doesn't really feel like a day off. Why do you suppose that is?

This Wednesday was a bit different. I had my follow up appointment for my measles titer to see if I for sure for sure had measles. I won't have those results for several days as they have to go to California for testing.

I had to finish up Christmas shopping. I was determined to finish and not be tempted to buy that one more thing I think of...

I will confess right now that I realized I never bought envelopes to mail Christmas letters. I haven't even written a letter! I've sat down and tried, and I'm completely blank. Totally, completely blank. How weird is that?

I started my marathon off at Walmart.

I needed dog and cat food and a groceries. I was determined to walk in the door, check out their ice cream cakes as Popcorn has decided this must be on the menu for her slumber party Friday, grab some stuff and go....

Then the Christmas spirit overwhelmed me, and before I knew it I bought entirely too much totally necessary to my life and future happiness stuff.





Like new cookie cutters. And wrapping paper. And a jigsaw puzzle! Because my great great grandmother's dining room table MUST have a jigsaw scattered on it during Christmas. I also clearly NEEDED to buy an adorable gingerbread village kit. Clearly. I needed it!

Oh! A cute Rudolph coloring book! Of course every new coloring book requires a brand new box of sharp pointed crayons....Oh, the smell of a newly opened box of crayons. Simple childhood times come rushing back.

Sadly, my entire Walmart visit followed this pattern. I left with some groceries, but I fear not everything I will need to get me through the Christmas season. That is what an unprepared trip to Walmart gets you!

Remember the clever cupcake scam my youngest pulled on me Tuesday night? Well, in my wanderings I found these adorable sprinkles and cupcake picks. I decided they were a must! So I bought them! Aren't they cute!




I finished my shopping in time to run by a real grocery store, buy some perishable items and dash home to throw them in the freezer and stash a few gifts before I had to get the girls.

Only I finished that 15 minutes before time to go.

So I colored a picture. That's right. I colored a picture. In a coloring book. With my brand new crayons.

It was bliss.





Then I picked up the kids, came home, scrambled to get laundry done and these cupcakes done and dinner on the table before I had to be at choir from 7-9pm.

And now I'm heading to bed.

With pink frosting smears on my kitchen floor where the dog got into the trash last night while we were asleep. SOMEBODY didn't put up the trash before we went to bed, and apparently the smell of that grilled fish that SOMEBODY didn't carry out to feed the stray animals in the back pasture was more than she could ignore.

I've decided it will still be there tomorrow.

And the day after that if I don't get to it...And that day will be Friday, and I will have a house full of little girls, so what will be the point of cleaning my floors then?

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

This big ole ball of fluff thinks he is now a house cat. NOT an outdoor cat. NOT even the garage cat that he had established himself as previously... Nope. Since he has had to share the garage with the dogs for an entire night, he has now declared himself a house cat. Good luck convincing him otherwise. If the door is open, he will be running in it and plopping down in the middle of the floor where he will then roll onto his back and show everyone his big fluffy belly in an effort to seduce them into believing he is all that is wonderful and good and the humans simply must leave this adorable monstrous ball of flufferpants indoor....Until he scratches the couch. Then I scoop him up and toss him outside...Where he sits at the door and complains very loudly that he is cold and unhappy. Because, obviously, he is lacking in insulation... So, I relent and pick him up and take him to the garage...Where he positions himself at the garage and continues to voice his complaints....
I can't say as I blame the poor fella...He has to endure this ball of energy in the garage. Holly is bad enough outside where she will park her tail wagging self under his chair and bark and nip relentlessly until he gets VERY angry and swats her nose. Then, she trots away, happy as a lark because her game worked...She got a rise out of His Royal Highness, Lord Fluffy...

Guess what else? Near disaster was diverted with this pesky pooch last night. I opened the door to the garage to let the dogs do their business at about 7pm. I figured, it's cold, the wind is blowing 40 mph and it's snowing. They'll dart out of the garage maybe 4 feet, do their business and come back in. WRONG. Holly ran outside and literally disappeared in the snow. I called her. She did not come back. Holly has many, many flaws, but she comes when called (confession: unlike my own dog who pretends she can't hear me.) I went out in search of her. After about 15 minutes in the cold, blinding snow, I came in to confess my error to Studmuffin. He put on his winter gear and joined me. We walked the entire length of our neighborhood, (okay that's only 7 houses, but did I mention it was cold?) and there was no sign of Holly. The wind was blowing so hard, I couldn't even find her tracks where she ran out of the garage, they had already drifted in... We were unable to take the truck out to look for her because a drift had formed across our drive and into the street. I went into the house to begin supper, sick at my stomach, and feeling guilty. Studmuffin said, "Well, I would have done the same thing. Who would think the dumb dog would run off and disappear?" Obviously, he is way nicer than me, and the word "idiot," never passed his lips. Thankfully, she finally came home after about 30 minutes, completely white with snow and shaking all over. Her little pink sweater was a big clump of ice. Yes. She has a sweater. I buy them for her because she shivers when it's cold. I buy pink ones because it annoys Studmuffin. She is supposedly his dog, and apparently hot pink is not close enough to blaze orange for a hunting dog...I have yet to see her hunt, so I figure hot pink is pretty cute!

This child barely had time to glance at her presents from Santa. Yes, she was up before dawn, so in reality, she probably studied them more than I realize, as she checked everything out before waking me up...




But still, as you can see from the pictures, they were both bundled up and playing in the white Christmas snow as soon as it was light enough....Even before they dined on their highly nutritious breakfast of ginger and sugar cookies! I had baked all of those darn cookies to share with my family, and there was no way I was cooking breakfast when I had a perfectly wonderful cop out... Also, if I don't cram them down the girls every chance I get they will be eaten by yours truly, and frankly, my thighs really don't want that.


While they played in the snow, I turned a blind eye to the toy explosion on my living room floor. It is Christmas, and other than cleaning the kitchen between meals, I refuse to clean up. No company is coming. We are not going anywhere. The floors will be trashed nonstop by the endless trekking of kids, dogs, and a very large cat in and out of my house. I hate pointless endeavors, so I've decided to endeavor not to see the giant puddles at my front and garage doors. I will simply ignore the piles of coats and hats and gloves and socks, except to toss them in the dryer in anticipation of the next venture into the winter wonderland...After all, after living in South Texas, this is indeed a wonderful gift for them.... Yep, I ignored the entire glorious mess and ate cookies and drank coffee and watched them out the window from the warmth of my kitchen.


Oh, I ventured out eventually. After I was more perked up. I felt the need to check on Studmuffin. You notice there is no brace on...Apparently, he is now a super man and will not fall on the ice. I will refrain from mentioning who I saw bust it twice on the ice this morning. No, the man I observed did not have on a brace. He did, however perform an amazing tuck and roll to his left shoulder, in what appeared to be an attempt to protect his right. Nope. I'm not pointing fingers or naming names.... I'm just reporting an event that I happened to see...

By the way, it is at this point that I simply must say, that Studmuffin fully approved yesterday's post on his Man Moment. He read it before posting, and we both laughed so hard we had tears running down our faces. I have promised to never post anything that portrays him negatively, but that day was just to priceless and blogworthy, so we both agreed it had to be shared....

Returning to subject:

Now, this precious pooch did not think the snow was so wonderful. Have I ever told you that Kelsey is a dingo? I got her at a shelter near San Antonio. If you ever travel to Mexico, you will see a million stray dogs...And they all look just like Kelsey. Of course, they have all nursed a million litters of pups, so they have one slight anatomical difference from her! Anyway, she hates cold weather...And since her recent head injury I have not made her stay outside much. She has turned into my shadow. Her current goal in life is to sit at my feet at all times. She did this when I first rescued her, but now it is 20 times worse than ever before. Also, you may notice some scars on her snout. She and Holly had a HUGE battle after she was injured. I'm talking horrific, blood everywhere, horror movie fight. Apparently, some dominance issues came up after Kelsey became the weaker dog. She still is weaker physically, but I'm not sure who's dominant. I do know she doesn't like Holly to get near me. She tolerates it, but she doesn't trust her. I will say they seem to have worked out their differences for the most part. They are actually sleeping on top of each other again, so that is a good sign. Many people ask if she's the same dog. I don't really know. She is the same with our family, only she is just really tired. I don't know if she still hasn't fully recovered, or if she will no longer be a rambunctious, full of life dog again...Time will tell. Unfortunately, the best test I can think of for her involves hunting, and I don't know how to suddenly find a rodent to sick her on...

Anyway, there is picture diary/glimpse of our Christmas. Bookworm and I also worked on doll house furniture. I think she's thanked me at least 20 times for it, so I guess she likes it okay.... I will post pictures of our handiwork later...

Hope everyone's Christmas was full of cheer and fun!

A Man Moment in the Snow

Our tale begins at 4:30 am. Bookworm was unable to sleep. Apparently she was so excited about her dollhouse, she couldn't sleep. I told her to go to bed and read. Did I mention that it also happened to be the exact time that the storm hit? The windows were rattling. The rain was pelting the windows...



At 5:30 am Popcorn woke up. She thought she heard somebody knocking and she thought she saw a head in her window. I went and laid down with her.

At 6am I gave up convincing her to sleep and went to take a hot bath while Studmuffin took his shower. We already had the news on. The current temperature was 34 degrees. The rain/snow/sleet combo we have been expecting all week was expected to hit any time. Any travel at all was discouraged.


Studmuffin left for work. After all, the roads were clear. He planned to be home by 9am. I tried to explain that I still had "stuff" to do. I would not be ready to leave by 9am. I would not be through with laundry by 9am. We have very few clothes, and I had stayed up until midnight to get the girls clothes out of the dryer and folded to pack. My clothes were currently in the washer. I had cookies to frost. I had baked about 6 dozen sugar cookies the day before, along with 6 loaves of banana bread and 6 dozen ginger cookies. Icing sugar cookies got put off until this morning. I had planned on our original departure time of around noon. Studmuffin does not understand that I plan my preparations for departure until the last minute....

At 8 am I called him at work to make sure he arrived safely. "Sure! I should be ready to leave in a few minutes. Do you have everything loaded?" Remember, Studmuffin had shoulder surgery. He is not able to use his right arm except for passive motion, except to write, type, etc. You get it, lightweight stuff.

"Are you sure we should go? The news says any traffic going west on I40 will be hazardous. They are discouraging all travel if possible." The temperature was now 24 degrees.

Fast forward to 9:30am. Studmuffin is supervising me packing our bags and gifts into trash bags and the cargo bag for our trip to his parents. He had decided we should take his pickup, so we could load everything in back, then have us and the dogs up front. He looks at me as I struggled with the zipper to the cargo bag, "Any time you think this trip is dangerous and foolish let me know."

I froze.

Wait a minute....

Didn't we discuss this last night? And before he left for work this morning at 6:30? And when I called him at 8am?

We headed out at about 10 am.....


At 11am we had reached a town that is typically 30 minutes away. The visibility was 20 yards at most, with blowing snow and icy roads. Studmuffin decided it was time to turn around...

I was relieved.

Until I got home and realized I hadn't bought any food for the last week because we were leaving for 4 days today...

I climbed into my car and headed to Walmart. I arrived with little difficulty and got my necessities...

At 1pm, I walked into the parking lot to see...Nothing.

Nothing but blowing snow and huddled bodies, and cars slipping and sliding around the parking lot. The first thing I did was get my cart stuck in a drift 2 feet out of the door. I went around to the front and drug it out. Not one person who was fortunate to have a spouse pull their car to the entrance offered me assistance to unstick my cart...Is that a word?

Anyhoo, I started out in the parking lot. Where my cart got stuck in 2 more drifts, and finally a man with a ski mask and coveralls helped me get my cart to the car with him pulling the front and me pushing from the back. See, those horror movies about men in ski masks aren't all right!

I hopped in my car to get it warming, and start defrosting as I unloaded my groceries. By the time I was finished my hands were killing me (I had forgotten gloves...Derrr). I pulled out of Walmart to see a tow truck operator pulling a truck out of the ditch on the entrance ramp to the freeway. I didn't actually need on the freeway, I only had to stay in the right lane to get on then right back off to head home. Good thing. The interstate was shut down going south.

After creeping down the road and seeing 6 cars in the ditch, I finally arrived at my street with blinding blowing snow, and barely made the corner... I eased down our street and noticed my neighbor digging his drifted car out to go heaven only knows where...

I pulled into the driveway and cringed when I noticed Studmuffin had parked in his normal spot: Right next to the garage door. I crept towards the garage, where a 1-2 foot drift had formed. Of course, there was solid ice under it, and I felt the car start to slip. I cautiously stopped to avoid hitting the house or Studmuffin's truck...

I got stuck.

I drove past 6 cars stuck in the ditch on my way home and prayed aloud for safety and for God to get me home, to get stuck 2 feet from my garage door. I started laughing...

Studmuffin started griping. Apparently I shouldn't have EVER stopped in a drift. Regardless of my slipping tires that were heading me straight for the house...

He grabbed a shovel and proceeded to have a tantrum trying to dig out the car...

Remember the shoulder?

He ignored all pleas to stop...

I decided that sometimes men are idiots, and may have let the word slip past my lips as I began to unload the car... While he would get in, spin his wheels in reverse and forward, then begin to dig again, slamming his shovel against the ground every few swipes, supposedly to break ice loose...I suspect it was to vent anger....

Remember the shoulder?

He asked me if I was finished with the groceries. I said "No. But all that's left is cat food and dog food, and you can't lift that." I picked up the 40 pound bag of food and stumbled into the garage with it... I dropped it on the floor and once again demanded....Errr, excuse me, asked in my most meek and submissive voice why the car couldn't stay where it was...

"Because we will never be able to move it again!!!" Editors note: Studmuffin protests this sentence. But the author is very certain that he said if the car did not get unstuck TODAY, it would never be moved again. He says it's out of context, I say it's an accurate account of today's events... The word idiot may have slipped past my lips again.

In a moment of irritation, Studmuffin picked up the bag of dog food and flung it to the side of the garage. I think the word tumbled out unexpectedly once again...

Remember his shoulder? Remember the dog food bag was 40 pounds?

Studmuffin insisted that he could push me out of the drift...I argued, and I hate to admit it, but idiot may have been in the phrasing of my ultra submissive, meek, mild monologue, and he started to dig again...I relented. He started out in the back. I simply spun my wheels, and prayed that when I broke loose I wouldn't skid out of control and into the house...

Pushing from back was unsuccessful.

He moved to the front...

It worked!

Only, he slipped on the ice and fell down. I panicked and slammed the car into park, and it rolled slightly forward as I jumped out to check him. The car hit him in the head as he was standing up and knocked him back down...

Remember his shoulder?

He insisted he was okay...

And I pulled the car into the garage...

Simple as you please!

Studmuffin is currently sitting on the couch watching the gold bikini episode of Star Wars to salve his wounded pride and aching shoulder...Which he insists is fine, because he never raised it above his shoulder...

But he's wearing his brace, so take from that what you will.

Idiot...

Oops! Did I just say that out loud?

NOT panicking

Last year I had this wonderful idea. In an attempt to undermine the over-commercialization of Christmas, our family (meaning my siblings their spouses and nieces) would exchange a "gift from the heart." How sweet.

Houston, we have a problem. Many of you know that I am not crafty. Therefore, the challenge for me with this gift is to even come up with a craft. I actually have known what I was doing for months now. Did that mean I started it and got it done? NO. That meant that I looked at it, smiled to myself, and thought, "Finally. I came up with a gift that someone is going to love. And it isn't even food." That, Dear Reader, is a Christmas miracle.

Fast forward to this morning. I put the finishing touches on my gift. I began to assemble it. Something is missing. It is a very vital piece of the gift. It cannot be replaced. It is clear glass. I have looked high and low for it. I have even dug through the trash. Every drawer in the kitchen. The laundry. The refrigerator. The pantry. I even looked in my spice cabinet. I have crawled around on my knees looking for it. Every single member of this family remembers seeing it on my kitchen counter last night. Not one member admits to moving it.

The cat threw up in the garage this morning.

It was not in there.

Holly came in last night.

So far there is no evidence that she ingested it.

I have no idea where it could have gone to. But I refuse to panic. Instead, I will begin to bake like a madwoman, since that is my answer to all stressful situations. And also in case I can't find the missing piece to my craft. At least I can hand someone some yummy sugar cookies and banana bread. But it will not be because I didn't at least make a craft for the gift exchange. It will simply be because I am irresponsible and lost part of my craft. An irreplaceable piece of the craft.

Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to go bake.

Then, after that I have to finish Studmuffin's craft. Apparently, he is unable to do it one handed. He tried. He failed. Now it is up to me.

The Non-crafter.

I ask you: How the heck did the Non-crafter get roped into doing a dollhouse, and two gifts for exchange in one Christmas?

And yes, I will post pictures of the completed dollhouse. Just so you know, she's getting it incomplete. I shingled it last night. Guess what? I ended up short shingles. So, she is receiving it minus a few shingles. I will go to Hobby Lobby and buy some more, or will order them online if I can. Either way, she is getting it tonight. Minus some shingles. Just a very few, but still. I even created shingles out of scrap wood, and still ran out. I even assembled it exactly according to directions. Dad gum it. I can't catch a break.

About My Clothes, and Other Stuff

See those earrings? Those were a gift from my girls several years ago. The necklace? My sisters got it for me one year when we were meeting in "The City" for Women of Faith. I was still living in Texas, so I was unable to join them for the pre-conference shopping. They each got the necklace, and got one for me so I wouldn't feel left out....Ain't that sweet? (I realize, the necklace is cut off in the picture. Popcorn was my photographer.)


See that black lace shirt? It's a hand-me-up from my niece Sarah. Looooove iiiiit!!

The skirt? A hand-me-down from my Grandma Irene to my sister Dawn, to my sister Paula, and finally to me. It is a very nice quality Pendleton wool skirt. I think it has to be circa 1960s at the very latest. Probably 50s. But, I really don't know. Either way, I love it, even if it does cut me in half after eating, and I inadvertently bust the eye off of the hook and eye closure behind the button....

See those white legs? Those were compliments of my dad's family. We all have them...

See the angel growing out the top of my head? Well, that actually is part of my tree...


See these shoes? The ones on the foot at the bottom of a VERY white leg, complete with freckles? They're from my mom...

But, hey, I bought the green shirt all by myself!

Caution: Drastic topic change straight ahead!

Guess what?

Can you guess?

Can ya?

Huh, huh?

Okay, I know, you give up....

This morning headed to Walmart at 6am to buy some gifts for my girls from somebody who asked me to pick something up for them. It was no big deal since I was out of tape, wrap, and gerbil food.

So, I'm wandering around a nearly vacant Walmart, perusing the toy aisle, trying to decide what to get the squirrels, and this lady came up and asked me about Zhu-Zhu pets. I said "I have no idea about them. My daughter keeps asking for them, but I haven't seen them in any store..."

The lady in the toy aisle replied, "Oh, they have them up at the jewelry counter. You can go get a voucher right now, but you can't actually buy it until 7. They are only selling 53 of them today."

Well, Gentle Reader, before she could even finish her sentence I was wheeling my cart out of the toy aisle, through housewares, hung a hard right and skidded to a stop at a lady with a stack of cardboard boxes in front of her...

"Excuse me, are those the Zhu-Zhu pets?" I asked in the most casual voice possible for someone who is out of breath from running through Walmart like a crazed person...

"Yes! You can have a voucher now, but can't pick it up until 7am."

"Thanks," I casually replied and politely took my voucher....Only to walk away and click my heels to the side and do a little happy jig after I slipped around the corner into the party supply aisle...Only to see a man looking at me very strangely as he stocked wrapping paper...

So. The moral of the story is a very fortunate family member gets to be the lucky person to give Popcorn the much coveted Zhu-Zhu pet.

The End.

Christmas Tidings...

Okay, so maybe you think I have nothing to say, since I'm posting another video. However, I find this one so perfect and timely for the season, I wanted to share it. Get ready, here is all you need to have a relaxed, enjoyable Christmas holiday!

It's not Christmas until...

I was listening to KLOVE today, and they were discussing what made it officially "Christmas." It was interesting listening to what people said.
-Watching "It's a Wonderful Life."
-The second Thanksgiving is over, it's Christmas.
-Having your credit card rejected means it's Christmas. I hope that was a joke.
-Wrapping the first present...

And there were several more, but one lady phoned in and said, "It's officially Christmas when you have to try and take toys out of their packages." Studmuffin was in the car with me, and we both died laughing. Then, they played this song...It is so funny, I had to share it with you!



It made Studmuffin think of Bookworm's first birthday. She got an ABC caterpillar. It had 26 legs, and each individual leg was wired in place in addition to the head. Bookworm stood next to him bouncing and clapping, just dying for him to get that caterpillar out of it's "toy packaging."

What about you? Do you have any toy packaging nightmares to share?

Christmas Morning

Have you ever seen such an underfed cat? He's actually lost 4 pounds since we moved. The Starlings were dive bombing him and not letting him eat. It took me awhile to figure it out, but we've fixed the problem. So, he should be back up to fighting weight again soon.

Popcorn woke up at 2:30 am Christmas morning. She came in to see if she could get up and play with Kelsey. She wasn't going to play with toys. Just Kelsey. Promise!!

The next morning she admitted she'd checked out her toys (really? I never would have guessed that one!) She ended up sleeping with me. I got up at 5:30 because I was so hot smacked between her and Studmuffin.

They both slept until almost 7am after that. I couldn't believe it. I never slept that late on Christmas morning until I was a teenager. I still struggle with instant gratification.

The girls both got baby dolls from Santa and porcelain tea sets from us. They had great fun having tea parties Christmas day.

We had a great day as a family Christmas day, just the 7 of us. (7, you say? Yes, including the dogs and cat!!!) Bookworm got me the new Operation game (perfect for a nurse), so we played that. Bookworm got Life, so we played that. Studmuffin gave me a game called Pictureka. That was fun too. Popcorn got a game called Pass the Pigs. We spent the day playing. I didn't do a lick of house work. Unless you count 3 loads of laundry and cooking 3 meals housework. But, Studmuffin helped clean up after each meal, so it didn't feel much like work.

Hope everyone had great Christmases! I'll try to get better about posting more frequently now that the holidays are nearly over. The girls are at my parents until New Year's Eve. I have to work tomorrow, but today I'm going to tackle the abyss called their room. I tried to get them to go through everything with me before Christmas. They kept putting me off, so now they've forfeited all rights. If it's gone when they get back (they know I'm cleaning it), too bad!!!! At least that's what I'm saying now. We'll see how my story changes when I see their sweet little faces begging for something I've packed away!

Fun with Paper Dolls

The Christmas tree has a skirt and presents!

Notice the table cloth, and even a cake!

Well, it's that time of the year again...CHRISTmas time, and that has gotten me to thinking about holidays as a kid. I've been shopping for the girls, (of course, I'm dying to tell you what they're getting, but Bookworm has a tendency to want to read my blog, and I'd hate to spoil anything.) I do have some restraint. Very little, but some!

These are educated young ladies.
The teacher had extra clothes you could attach to the schoolhouse.

I love Christmas...I always have. My favorite thing about Christmas is, of course, Jesus. Without him, I would have nothing. He has given me the best gift of all...salvation (hey, you know it's free or I wouldn't have it!) I wouldn't have hope of eternal life spent in glory with my Lord. I can't wait to talk to Him. I've got lots to say, and lots of questions, and luckily for me we will have eternity, cuz you know it will take me that long to stop talking!

The kitty is curled up next to the rocker.

My next favorite thing about Christmas is...............................................gifts! Of course, I'm sure you've figured that out about me. But, you may be surprised to find it's actually GIVING the gifts that's my favorite part. I love finding the perfect present, or thinking of the perfect craft to make someone. In case anyone's wondering Christmas is my only time to even think of crafting. I'm not generally creative that way. I can cook and I can talk, and I can boss people around, but crafting? That requires patience and a certain sort of inspiration that I don't have (I think the inspiration comes when you sit and think about something, 2 things that I don't do well.)

A wardrobe for every occasion!

But, this blog isn't about making things, it's about Christmas as a kid. Wasn't it all so magical as a kid? We used to spend every Christmas Eve at my great grandma's house. She always gave us pajamas. My dad is one of 2 boys, so this was usually a nice little gathering with my folks and my Uncle Lynn's family (he had 2 kids) and of course, Granddad Marvin and Grandma Irene (the Original Prairie Woman). On the way home we always saw Rudolph's nose. We lived about 4 miles of dirt road away from her, and I was always afraid we wouldn't get home and in bed before Santa got there. Of course, I also secretly hoped we'd catch him at our house....How cool would that have been?

I'm tellin' you , these things are too cute!

On Christmas morning my brother always woke me up at like 4am to see what Santa brought us. We would sneak into the living room (the light HAD to stay off, Christmas tree lights only) and look at all of our Santa presents (he never wrapped ours) and we would raid our stockings. It was pretty dark, so if you wanted a really good look, you had to hold it up to the Christmas tree to see it well. I never understood why David would never let me play with my toys, and we had to put everything back in the stocking in the order that we took it out. David was 6 years older than me, and much wiser. We weren't allowed to get my parents up until 5:30. Of course, David would have me go ask them several times before that if it was time to get up. He never went because he said I was younger and cuter and they'd probably get up for me. Again, David was much wiser (sneakier) than I was, so I usually followed instructions. After we FINALLY drug everybody else out of bed, we'd all get to look at our Santa presents, and stockings with the lights on! After Santa gifts, we opened presents from each other.

Carrie is decorating for Christmas!

After we opened presents, my sister Dawn would begin picking up the carnage that our living room had become (she's annoyingly responsible that way) and Mom would go make this HUGE breakfast for us. If I was lucky it included bran muffins-still my favorite muffin of all time-with butter and plum jelly YUM-O! I'm sure Dawn or Paula helped in some of that preparation, but again, as the cute little one there were very few expectations of me on Christmas morning other than to put my stuff away and stay out of the way. My siblings have often mentioned the breaks I got as the youngest, and I've never denied them. Hey, someone has to fill that role, and I'm happy to oblige.This thing can provide not hours, but YEARS of fun!

After breakfast we would go to my Granddad Pat's and Grandmama Dolly's house. My mom's side of the family is HUGE and that was always an experience. My mom is one of 5 siblings, so by the time they all had families, it was quite an event. For some reason I would get so excited/nervous for this gathering that I usually got sick. I'm not sure why, but I seem to recall spending several Christmases lying on the bed until I felt better at Grandmama's. Dont'cha wish you had one of your own?

My favorite gift of all time at that celebration was a paper doll set from my cousin Isaac. I loved it. It was a Gingham Girl paper doll set, with a house and everything. It came in this giant magazine looking thing, and I got to punch it out and assemble the house, furniture, everything. I still have it. It's in a drawer in my garage, and, no kidding, I got it out and looked at it last week. In fact, my girls played with it all weekend at my parents. Aunt Patty, if you're reading this, great gift idea. I somehow doubt Isaac picked it out for me. Whoever actually picked it out, I love it, and thank you!

Bedroom furniture, a sewing machine, they each even had their own scissors and needles!

What about you? Don't you just love Christmas? I want to challenge us all, myself included to remember the magic of Christmas this year. Remember the joy we felt as children at this time, and try to focus on that instead of the expectations of what we should be getting done. Have fun, enjoy the holiday, and spend extra time reminding each other why we are even doing all of this. ....the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ, who came to bring salvation to the world.