Where did March go?

Wow it really is true that the older you get the faster time flies! This month has just whizzed by. I hope April goes as fast and then it can slow down for a couple of months. There is only 7 weeks of school left. Speaking of whizzing by this school year really did. Must be a sign that I'm enjoying it.
Well we're in a winter storm watch again. Golly gee will this winter ever end. It's not that its been a terrible winter just long. And actually that's not true, because some years it's really nasty by November and this year it didn't start until January. Well one thing is for sure no matter what, it can't last long. But I'd much rather have a severe thunderstorm watch than a winter one anyday.
Haley came over yesterday and dusted for me. Her challenge center is doing a service project to raise money for the monkey section of the zoo. They have to earn money by selling or doing chores. She is quite the duster. I might have to have her come over more often.
Next Saturday is Hannah's first soccer game. I love to watch that girl play soccer. I hope she is just as enthusiastic this year as she has been in the past. After her game, she and I are going to go have a little grandma and Hannah time. Being a middle child and having Haley as an older sister, I think Hannah needs a little TLC.
I really cleaned my kitchen today. I didn't clean out the cupboards or anything but I did clean the grime off the top of the refrigerator and wipe down all those little areas that don't get cleaned on a weekly basis. Maybe next weekend I'll do the cupboards. Ha.
Well that's about it for today. I should get ready for our weekly trip to Sams. The highlight of my week.
TTFN

Hey You! Who said you could blog again so soon?

What some people won't do to get out of doing thing! I'm sitting here thinking I should go spend 10 minutes working on my closet in the spare bedroom, but instead I decide hey I should blog. Like I have anything to talk about. Of course that has never stopped me from talking so why should it stop me from blogging.
We're in a snow advisory and the way it changes from hour to hour I wouldn't be surprised to wake up to a foot of snow or absolutely nothing. Right now its a nice spring evening, cloudy and chilly but not anything that would make you think it would snow. Oh well whatever it does it won't last long.
Yesterday was a busy day for me. I left home at 7 to take Kyra to practice. After school I had a hair appt. Finally no more gray streak. And then I went to neighborhood coffee at Carols. For about 25 years a group of us in the neighborhood have been getting together once a month. It is truly amazing. We laugh, we share stories about our families, we've lost friends together. There are times when it isn't something you want to do on that particular evening, but once you're there its always a good time. What's amazing is that in this mobile world we live in there is still a bunch of us who have lived in the neighborhood for over 30 years. Probably something newer generations won't have.
There is only 36 more days of school left. This year has flown by. A definite sign I'm getting older. It's been a fairly good year with good kids. After last year we deserved a break. Next year looks to be ok too. We're losing 15 kids and only getting 7 incoming 6th graders. We've had over 30 kids for so many years it would be nice to have a small group for a change.
Must get ready for bed and watch a little tv.
TTFN

Is it summer vacation yet?

Well today is the last day of my 4 day weekend. I don't have another official day off until May 17th, that's not counting my one personal day I have left. I really don't want to go back to school. I'm just starting to enjoy my time off. Sometimes it seems like a person need a vacation before they can actually start enjoying their vacation. If that makes any sense. Anyway today was one of those days where I'm like " Hey I could start summer vacation now".
Amy and I took the kids to see "Horton Hears A Who". It was a adorable movie and I liked the way they portrayed the book. BUT there was a woman behind us who was just slightly distracting to say the least. She laughed at all the wrong places and was way more into the movie than most of the kids in the theater. I couldn't wait until the end of the movie to see who this weird woman was and lo and behold she looked like your average person. I've never been to a kids movie where an adult was more of a kid than the kids.
I finally loaded pictures to Winkflash so I can get some pictures printed. I got sick of looking through pictures and went oh what the heck lets just print them all. I have to go back and check to see if I have all the pictures from 2007 that I want in there and then I'm going to have them all printed.
I should really go and see if I can get back into my knitting. I've been on a hiatus it seems lately. Typical for me. Gung ho one week and nothing after that. Theres a goal to work on.
Easter was nice. Bill and Joy and family were there, Mary and Butch came too. They hadn't been back for a holiday in quite a few years. I'm glad they could make it. Holidays are an everchanging thing and every year one never knows who will be able to make it and who won't. Anyway the food was good and the company even better. Who could ask for more
TTFN

Happy Easter

I can hardly believe its Easter already. True it is earlier this year than most but it still doesn't seem like it should be today. Maybe that explains why I can't get into getting the grandkids Easter gifts. It was really a struggle this year. I didn't want to buy them cheap junky toys and lots of candy. Let the Easter Bunny do that. But having grandkids with ages 14 to 2 it's hard to come up with a common theme. So what did I do. I bought beach towels. Now theres a Easter gift if ever there was one. If I could have found one with a bunny on it I probably would have bought 5 of them. Since we're not getting together today, I don't know when I'll deliver them.
Steve and I are going over to his mom and dads for Easter dinner. Shock of all shock, I'm not bringing anything. It took me by such surprise when his dad called and said that he and Lori were going to cook Easter dinner that I didn't even offer to bring anything. Now of course I'm feeling guilty. I shouldn't really since I've cooked and brought over many holiday meals the last few years, but that still doesn't stop the guilt. Steve's mom is going to the nursing home tomorrow so this will be a bitter sweet holiday. Even though in reality she hasn't been there for the last couple of holidays it will seem weird to go over there and she won't be there phsyically. And a time will come when we will spend part of every holiday going to see her in the home. The last few years has really made me aware that time marches on and waits for no one. I don't think I like the idea of getting older. I like the age I'm at and would like to stay there for awhile thank you. Of course thats not possible, but it should push me to make the most of today. I'm a great procrastinator, always waiting for tomorrow. Not that I don't appreciate everyday and every moment, but I don't do alot of things because of the old " I'll do it tomorrow" .
I just looked out the window and there doesn't appear to be a cloud in the sky. Should be a nice day. Cold but nice. Yesterday we had snow showers all day and this morning there is frost everywhere. Spring right!
TTFN

March 3?

Goodness gracious, how did it get to be March 3. I am ready to be done with winter, but somehow I'm not ready for it to be March. Is that even possible? We've had just little tastes of spring like weather lately. You know those days when it gets to 39 degrees and you throw caution to the wind and not wear a coat. Unfortunately mother nature says don't get too cocky and threw us back in the deep freeze this morning. The wind is just a howling out there and the wind chill is -7. Guess I'm back to wearing a coat.
On the home front not much is happening. It really is the "I'm sick of winter" doldrums. Tired of being always in the house, but there's nothing to do outside. And outside is getting darn ugly. The pristine white snow is now black. The dog poop in my back yard is starting to show through. Yuck. All weekend we sat in the house and did nothing. I knitted most of the weekend. I went with Amy to take Kyra to get new glasses and her talent show practice. Other than that I didn't even leave the house. Pathetic. Not much on the horizon for the week either. I have a dentists appointment today. Haley has a play thing at school tomorrow night. Otherwise it's pretty dull.
I don't have any pictures, but I have three knitting WIPs. A new pair of socks, a scarf and a sweater. Any bets on getting all three done? Well enough with this pathetic post. It sounds down right depressing and really I'm not depressed just bored with winter. Can't wait for baseball season.
TTFN

Why is the perfect sunrise photo today?

I never take my big camera with me when I go to work. I don't like having it at school and leaving it in the car with extreme temperatures doesn't sound all that smart. So I carry with me in my purse a small little digital camera. Unfortunately I'm not all that pleased with this camera, so I hesitate to take it out to take pictures that require a good telephoto lens. It takes fine pictures of people and kids but I don't think it would do the sunrise any justice. Hence on mornings like this when the sun is hitting the buildings with the absolutely most beautiful light I just keep on driving and harassing myself for not stopping and trying to take a picture. This has happened a number of times when I take Kyra to Special Edition. Today was one of those days. We have a beautiful catholic cathedral close to downtown. The sun was illuminating the spires perfectly today. I will never know if a camera could even capture the beauty because I didn't stop today to see. You see besides not having my big camera with me, I am a wimp. It was cold this morning. Brutally cold. Shivering handshaking cold. I can only hope that one of these mornings I will see the same beautiful light and the temperature will be warm and I WILL stop the car and try to get a picture. Or on an evening like tonight when the temperature is above zero I WILL STOP and get a picture of the most amazing jet plumes floating in the sunset. I WILL STOP and take a picture. Because words cannot do justice to the beauty of this world.

One finished sock

I finished a sock. It fits and there's not any major mistakes. Now of course I need to make another sock, because while being different is something I aspire to, wearing one sock is too different for me.

So I'm half way down the cuff on the second one. If I just didn't have to work or clean or cook I could whip out tons of socks.

Has anything else exciting happened lately? Of course not. We lead a quiet existence. Its mostly work and hanging out at home these days. The weather has been cold. Can't say I want to get out and do much once I get home. I did take the grandkids shopping for Valentines day. Took Haley and Hannah the day before Valentines to the mall. They bought Webkinz for their Valentines present and we went to Dairy Queen for a blizzard . Beats a card and candy in my book, but when I made that comment to Haley she gave this look like "what! you're not getting me anything for Valentines Day". So Valentines Day I took Amy and the kids to the mall. This time we had lunch and then went Webkinz shopping. Of course Kyra is not into Webkinz, so I took her to Hot Topic. Later we went to FYE and I bought her some used cds. She must have thought I spent too much money on her because she snuck a 20 in my purse while we were at Target. What a kid!!!!!

On the Grady front, he's becoming a much better dog. He still steals things out of the sink but over all he's settling down. He still dislikes his crate and has separation anxiety. I've been home with him for 6 days now, so I'm sure tomorrow will be traumatic. I can't wait until the weather is nice and we can take him out to play. That should help wear him out.

I need to go make some brownies and a pot of sausage and bean soup for the week. I also am planning on making a low calorie lasagne for supper tonight. Leftovers for lunch the rest of the week for Steve. Should make him happy. I thought about making more bread but, then I realized that I would eat way more than my fair share so I shelved that idea. Maybe next weekend.

Off to finish the housecleaning and cooking so I can knit more on that sock.

TTFN

Cold Continues

It was another good day to just stay indoors. I don't think it went above zero today. Yesterday the wind blew 40 miles an hour and made it just miserable. At least today there was no wind.
We did go to Walmart, but otherwise it was just a good day to stay in and make soup and bread. And thats exactly what I did. I made 2 kinds of soup. Both new recipes and both are quite good. One was a broccoli wild rice soup and the other was a ham and bean soup. Then I made Herbed Oatmeal Pan rolls. Can we say yummy? I'm hoping they freeze well. But of course my diet went out the window this weekend. Kirby's birthday was yesterday. He turned 10. Thats so hard to believe. I still remember Kyra, Steve and I going to Perkins after going to see her new brother. Somedays that seems like only yesterday and other times it seems a lifetime away. Anyway we went to Royal Fork for supper. Buffets are no place for a dieter with little or no will power. But I am ready to get back on the wagon tomorrow, so thats a change from days past. Normally I'd think I had blown it and might be six months before I could get back at it.
We only have two days of school this week. I have so many things on my want to do list that I'm sure the time will slip past and I will have only accomplished a little. They're talking snow tomorrow. It would be nice to see some clean snow, but I'm not sure about driving in it. The last snow we had was not fun to get around in even though it wasn't that much. I also have to go pick up Will and Hannah at Amys tomorrow and go to their house. Really hoping the weather isn't too bad.
Well must go back to knitting and watching the grammys.
TTFN

Short and Sweet

Just a short post tonight. I want to get back to reading Pillars, only 100 pages left. Then I don't know if I should go on to World Without End or read something else in between. Decisions, decisions. I probably should just keep with the same story, but this has taken me so long to read that I'm not sure I want to spend another month building cathedrals.
On to the diet front. Well 3 days into it and so far so good. I can't say I have been perfect, but I am doing so much better than before. I'm hoping the scale will go down some and that will be the encouragment I need to really get it together and keep going.
We went over to Scott and Wendys tonight. We hadn't been over there for a month I bet. Hannah clung to me as usual. Haley had a headache and was pretty quiet. Will was just his usual goofy self. Unfortunately he was running to his room and took the corner too soon and crashed his head into the corner. One nasty bruise on his earlobe. Hannah kept saying "He has something blue on his ear" and sure enough, on the top of the ear is one nasty bruise. Poor little guy. Of course it didn't stop him for long.
Grady is still sleeping in our room at night. Other than he and I both have to go to the bathroom about 4 in the morning he's doing really well. We've started giving him a kong with treats and peanut butter when we leave him in his crate during the day. I think he's doing better there too. So far none of the neighbors are complaining about him barking all day.
Well off to read and maybe finish Pillars.
TTFN

Superbowl Sunday

Who's winning? I really don't care I guess. The game is on two tvs in the house and I don't even know the score. It's been a quiet weekend. Most of ours are. We went to Sams yesterday and Walmart today. That is as exciting as it gets around here. I did read a little today on Pillars. My goal is to finish it this week. Its a great book but a slow read for me.

Well we finally broke down and let Grady sleep in our room last night. He did great. Unfortunately he has taken to barking whenever he's in his crate. Could make for a long day for him tomorrow. Besides drugs, I wonder how you get a dog over seperation anxiety. You can't just sit down with them and explain things to them. "Yes we will come back. It's really only for a couple of hours. Just sleep and then we'll be home." Nope none of those little pep talks works for dogs. Maybe this is just a stage and he'll outgrow it soon. Hopefully.

Well tomorrow I'm going to get serious about dieting. I've said that now for a gazillion Mondays, but I am as ready as I'll ever be. When you're not even comfortable in your own skin its time. So I'm going to try to blog everyday about my dieting as a motivation. Maybe if I feel I have to be accountable to my blog it'll keep me going.

We're supposed to have freezing rain and snow tomorrow. I'm hoping more for the snow. I'm not even sure I want a snow day. I definitely don't feel like going to school tomorrow but I don't want to have to have a make up day in May. Next week we only go 2 days, so I can wait for that. Well off to read more Pillars.

TTFN

One Month Down

January always seems like the longest month. It seems way longer than a month ago that it was Christmas. But here it is the last day of good old January and I wonder where did the time go and wow its February tomorrow. One things for sure this month. It's definitely felt like January. It's been below zero at least a day or two a week all month. Tuesday the temp kept falling all day and the wind blew like a son of a gun. Just one nasty day.
Well Grady is taking to not sleeping at night. He barks and barks. I'm sure he has separation anxiety, but how do you cure it on a dog. I don't want to get into the habit of bringing him upstairs to sleep in our room. I don't think that would solve our not sleeping problem anyway. I guess we just keep our fingers crossed and hope he outgrows it.
I started knitting another pair of socks. I'm down to the foot on one but I haven't knitted in a week. I think a full night of sleep so I could stay up past 8 would be a big help. I ordered new needles from Knitpicks and hopefully they'll come soon. They're made from harmony wood so they should be pretty. And I'm sure they will inspire great knitting.
On the grandkid front, Kyler broke two bones in his hand last week. He was running in the hall to get ready for bed and fell and landed on his hand. That makes for 3 broken bones in the Wolff household and the boys are only 8 and 9(almost 10). Amy and Scott never had a one. Haley's doing a report on Emily Dickinson. I hope she emails me a copy of it. Kyra is having some girlfriends over Saturday night. I think that is a first for her. Kirby's birthday is less than 10 days away. Wow hard to believe he'll be 10.
I'm still reading Pillars of the Earth. I'm over half way done, but man is it along book. Good but long. There again if I could stay awake longer I might make more progress.
Thats it for now.
TTFN

Best son in the world or I have a dog why?

I have always thought I have the best kids ever. I hope they know that I think they're terrific everyday. But today qualifies as a give the kid a reward day. Grady (better known as Now What Did You Do dog) had diahrrea today in his crate. Scott not only cleans up Grady's crate but he cleans up Grady and even throws in the blankets and things into the wash. What a kid. Some kids would have just left it for someone else to do. Anyway I do have super dooper kids. I hope they know how much I appreciate them. Not just for things like this but everyday. My hope for my family has always been that we'd be a close knit group and be there for one another. So far so good.
Well the cold has struck. It is supposed to get below zero tonight and into the weekend. Just give me a snow storm and warm it up a little. This cold is awful. I just want to stay in and hibernate. School of course won't let me do that.
I went with Amy and Kyra to Washington High tonight. High school is just looming around the corner for my little Kyra. Seriously where does the time go. I try not to think too hard about it, because it really could be depressing to think that in just four more years she'll be out of high school and figuring out what to do with her life. She's such a great kid, I hope she continues to do well in high school.
It definitely is the winter doldrums. I started knitting again. I almost had one whole sock done when Grady got into my knitting bag. Destroyed the sock. Broke the needles and shredded a $8 skein of yarn. Note to self - do not leave dog unattended. Lesson learned. I just wished I had taken a picture of it. Oh well.
TTFN

What a do nothing Saturday? I have spent most of the day on the computer. I did accomplish quite a few computer tasks though, so the day wasn't a complete waste. We hardly even left the house and it was such a beautiful day. I think the high was 39. Definitely not the usual weather for the fifth of January.

I don't think I could even do a blog challange today, that's how little I did. Scott and Wendy and the kids came over to sled on the hill. Poor Will. He rode with Haley more than with anyone else and she kept wiping out. Once they went flying into the street and crashed. The snow is definitely packed down. We need about 4 more inches of the fluffy white stuff.

I need to go to the grocery store tomorrow. If ever there was one chore that I put off, grocery shopping would be it. I think I would even cook more if I just didn't have to shop. Even with the prospect of a Starbucks to shop with doesn't do it. Luckily we go to Sams on a weekly basis and buy meat and produce, otherwise it would be slim pickings around here.

Well I could ramble on about nothing but I think I'll call it a night.

TTFN

It's All Good

Have you ever thought you could write the next great novel if only you had a title? Well that's how I feel about this blog. If only I could come up with a great title I could blog. I know some people blog first and then take their title from the blog. I tend to like to do things in order. At the top is the title and then the body, so..... you have to have a title first. There must be a condition and a drug for this problem.
Well tomorrow it's back to work. It seems pointless to go back for 2 days, but as Amy pointed out it gives the kids a chance to ease into it gradually. It's been really nice to not have to go outside these last few days if I didn't want to. It's supposed to start warming up tomorrow and we could even have a little melting. I like the snow though. It could keep dumping fresh snow down every so often. Just none of this really frigid temperatures thank you.
I'm ready for tomorrow morning. I grilled a couple of chicken breasts and cut one up into pieces, cut up some peppers and put some greek yogurt into a container. Lunch is done. I even made Steve a sandwich. Now if I can locate my black pants I'm set. I think they are in the closet. Better check tonight.
I thought I would start dieting Jan 1, and I have made an attempt at it. I have eaten better than usual the last couple of days, but not as good as I could. Maybe being back at school will help. I hope so. I know I really need to get serious about this and follow through. I've been practicing at this dieting long enough. Last time I did weight watchers online and it worked really well. This time it isn't the motivator I need, but I still think its the best plan out there. I'm going to keep at it and this weekend really plan out what I need to do for the following week. In my case, no plan means no diet.
Along those lines, Amy, Steve and I went to Sam's tonight. I bought lots of fresh food, some teriyaki salmon, sugar free hot chocolate and chicken breasts. Unfortunately my spinach ended up at Amy's house. My plan for tomorrow is to have oatmeal for breakfast and a half a grapefruit. Lunch will be grilled chicken, pepper strips, greek yogurt and 2 clementines. Supper is going to be teriyaki salmon and baked sweet potatoes and some other vegie. Snack of sf hot chocolate and some other fruit. Maybe if I list my foods for the following day I will stick to it better. Can't hurt.
I need to get back to knitting. I have one sock close to done and the other one nowhere near even started. I started a sweater earlier too. They won't get done if I don't get back to them. Reading is going slow too. I started Pillars of the Earth. I think I just need to turn off the tv. With that note I think I'll work a little on the CPU as Haley calls it and then turn in and read awhile.
TTFN

Happy New Year

Well it's 2008. My motto for the year is: All things great in 2008. I should work for an ad company huh! Now if someone starts putting that on all their things you'll have seen it here first folks. Start sending in the royalties.

We had a great time last night. For the last few years we have spent New Years Eve playing games at my house. As the kids get older it becomes even more fun. Sorry about the sideways picture. Somehow I thought it would right itself. It does in some programs. Will made me think of Scott so much. Even though it wasn't Will's idea to take off his pajamas, Scott always ran around the house in just his diaper or underwear. Couldn't keep clothes on that kid.

I have made so many resolutions in all the years past, that if I had followed them all, I would be a perfect human being. Of course since that is not true, I'm making only one resolution this year. Drum roll please. I resolve to: Be happy with what I have and not wish for all the things I don't have. For example, I'm always wishing for a bigger house. Well really this house suits us just fine most of the time. I know many people who entertain in much smaller houses and do it well. So I resolve to be happy with my little house and entertain more inspite of it. I could go on and on but that's really not the point. The point is I have a really wonderful life and I'm going to focus on the nontangible things and quit worrying about tangible things. Off soapbox.

Now of course there is a difference between a resolution and a goal. Am I going to set goals for this year. Duh!!! So here is a list of goals for 2008.

1. Lose weight. I know this is one everybody does, but it has to be my top goal. I just don't want to have another year of being overweight and all that goes with it.

2. Declutter my house. I think the overweight and the clutter go hand in hand.

3. Knit more.

4. Scrapbook more

5. Stay up until 10 most nights. I could get more of the other two done if I didn't fall asleep so early.

6. Watch less TV

7. No Diet Coke

8. Blog regularly. It was nice to go and read the few entries I had over the past year.

9. Have more family dinners

10.Give more

I'm sure the list will change over the year, but that's the beauty of goals. They are something someone strives for and they can come and go with out all the guilt of a resolution.

I'm off to dry my hair and see if I can't accomplish something this first day of the year.

TTFN

Another day in Wonderland

Man I wish I had taken pictures today. Just when you think it can't get any prettier it does. We had another inch or so of snow today. With absolutely no wind outside the snow stays on the trees and makes for a magnificent landscape.

We had to babysit for Scott's kids today. It was a short day so that was nice. It's also nice that Will is almost two and not near as needy. I love that he talks, even if sometimes I don't catch what he is saying. Summer should be fun with him and the girls. The girls always come up with games for Grandma to play. Mind you these are not your usual games, like Monopoly or Sorry. No siree. We have to have a Princess Party and I had to graduate from Haley's school for the Creative Mind. I laughed so hard at the Princess Party. Haley made Hannah a bra out of paper. Hannah was Ariel mind you. Hannah being the ham she is kept saying "my bra, my bra" and doing this weird dance. You had to be there.

My Christmas tree is coming down tomorrow. Grady has rediscovered it and the ornaments are now new chewing toys. So before anymore are chewed, the tree is coming down. And all the decorations around the house. I will probably leave my village out for a little longer, but I'm even ready for that to be gone. This is definitely a first for me.

I have just been a scrapping fool these past couple of days. I could do one layout after another if I didn't have other things to do. I came up with an idea that I'd like to work on for the coming year. A book about the great grandparents for my grandchildren. They will know so little about them, that I thought this might be a fun idea. Kind of keep the family history alive, kind of thing.

Well even though today wasn't too tough. I'm tired and ready for bed. Hard to believe I've been off from school for a week now. 5 days left of vacation. yucko

TTFN

Living in a Winter Wonderland

I just thought yesterday was beautiful. Today we still had all the snow on the trees, but we had some fog too. The fog made the trees even more wintery and then the snow was like someone had put cotton balls all over the trees. It was totally gorgeous. Of course I didn't take any pictures. And it wasn't even extremely cold. I don't mind the snow so much but I hate the bitterly cold.

I did two layouts today. I finally have the pictures and the time. It was nice to do it. I forget how much I like doing it. And when I don't worry too much about it I can actually crank them out pretty quickly. I loved this picture of Will and Hannah. I'm not sure this is the final layout. I want it to be special just like the picture.

Other then being on the computer it has been a couple of lazy days. I had visions of really deep cleaning out the spare bedroom. Unfortunately the after Christmas doldrums have hit. Still have a few days for some spark to strike me. Steve and I went and looked for dressers for that room. I would like a nice one (but not too expensive), so I can put my seasonal clothes in it and even have some room for toys. We found one but I think I'll wait awhile. I would like all my clothes purging done first.

The Christmas tree is still up. I almost caved and had Steve bring up the boxes. Tomorrow we babysit, but Saturday I think it's going. Why does the tree always look fine until the day after Christmas and then it starts to look disheveled and tired? Mine is even an artificial one. One of the major mysteries of life.

We've had two tragic car accidents in the area this week. One was a young father. He and his wife and 10 month old baby were heading to Huron for Christmas. No seatbelt. Just sad. The other one was last night. An eight year old was killed in a two car collision. An unbearable tragedy for some family. So heartbreaking at this time of year. These should be reminders to us all the appreciate what we have each and every day. Give everyone an extra hug today.

TTFN

Christmas Recap

Christmas was wonderful, weird, funky and a bit sad. I'm not sure how else to describe it. First and foremost it was wonderful. It always is in my book. Christmas couldn't be bad no matter what, because Christmas is in the heart. So no matter what any of the other variables are, if Christmas is in your heart nothing else is important. I love every aspect of Christmas.

So this years Christmas was great. We all sit in my uber tiny living room like a full can of sardines. We laugh, we eat, we open presents, and then we laugh some more. Just fun stuff. This year Kyra added to the hilarity. She bought her uncle Scott underwear. Not just any underwear, but underwear with words and a zombie printed on the butt. Too funny. (on a side note he wore them later at the great grandparents and displayed them for her). Christmas was weird and funky because I didn't label the kids presents and then forgot which paper was Kylers and Haley's. And the presents I gave this year were not the best. I'm not sure why. Maybe they'll be better next year. The bittersweet aspect of Christmas this year was at the great grandparents. It was so evident this year that Grandma won't be there next year. Her alzheimers is getting to the point that I think she'll be in a nursing home next year. It makes me nostalgic for the old days and grateful for one more year to be together. I think once we can't go to their house anymore, we won't be able to get together as easily.

Mother nature cooperated beautifully this year. We had 4.9 inches of fluffy white snow. It came down so nice and gently all day. It was absolutely gorgeous. Of course we didn't have to drive any further than across town. I took this picture today. It really was a Currier and Ives scene.

I'm experiencing a little of that Christmas letdown this year. I have the urge to take down all the decorations and return things to normal. But I'll resist. I know I'll be sad if I do. I hate when everything returns to normal and those blah and gray January days take over.

Scott brought the kids over today to go sledding on the hill across the street. We let Grady go over and sled with them. What a riot! But how cool is it that you can take your kids to the same hill you went to all the time. And that hill is just across the street from Grandma and Grandpa. When I think I want a bigger house, I need to remember these small details. Maybe they're not so small.

TTFN

Hard Work Often Pays After Time, But Laziness Always Pays Off Now

My new mantra.

Hard to believe there is someone else out there who shares my philosophy and had the wherewithall to make a picture of it.

Christmas is progressing along nicely. I've wrapped about 7 presents and have 30 more to go. Christmas cards are being shipped here waiting for me to get the letter written and the stamps bought. April 15th seems like a good deadline for those. I made a wonderful white chocolate popcorn concotion. I'm sure that will be gone by Wed. I've come up with 2 projects that should only take a week or so to finish. So you see things are right on schedule.

On a serious note, we had major fun Friday night. We rented a 14 passenger limo bus to go look at Christmas lights. It was so nice to be able to have the whole family together to do it. It wasn't even about the lights. Of course I didn't take a picture nor did Scrapbook Amy. I hope the kids will have a wonderful memory of it anyway.

For some reason bed is calling my name. I think I'll listen to it.

First Big Snow

I wish I had taken pictures yesterday. Grady had such a good time playing in the snow. He would find an apple and then throw it in the air. Then he would dig to find it and start the process all over. Of course for a dog any excuse to dig is a good thing.
We had 4 inches of snow. Just the right amount if you ask me. Enough to turn everything white, but not enough to stay forever if we get some warm days. Snow's great if it doesn't last all winter. I hate it when we get a big blizzard in November and then the snow stays until March or April. Makes for one long winter. This is just perfect. It adds the right touch for the Christmas season.
Speaking of Christmas, I seem to have lost the umph. I finally put all the decorations on my tree and Steve put up my village, but otherwise I'm not psyched to do much other decorating.
I hope I haven't hit that old age, Christmas bah humbug age. I always thought even if it was just me I'd still do all the Christmas hoopla, but sometimes it really does seem like alot of work for such a little time. I haven't even worried about the shopping. Now that's a good thing actually. Sometimes I obsess over that too much.
At school we go to Sertoma tomorrow and then we're taking the kids to the mall. That should be interesting. When we used to go to Target with all the kids that always put me in the Christmas mood. So hopefully this will too.