In case you were wondering...

what I've been doing instead of blogging, this post is for you.

I had to work Friday, Sunday and Monday so that I could be off the rest of the week in preparation for Isabel's birthday party coming up this weekend. The hospital is busy, full of super-sick patients (unrelated to H1N1, though). I worked my tail off last night; I'm so glad I'm not back until Sunday night.

We've been decking our halls...

(notice Autumn's favorite spot beneath the tree)


Gabe has been "helping" me make cards. Nearly all of my Christmas cards have been signed, sealed and delivered (just need to make one more batch and then I'm done)...


Some of these cards were made on my bloggy-retreat back in November (recognize any?)...


Gabe had his "Breakfast with Santa" program at preschool. He sang AND did all the motions for the songs this year (unlike last year, when he barely stood still and refused to sing one word)...

We tried to get a good photo for Christmas cards. Gabe was done being cooperative...

In keeping with a new yearly tradition, we spent an evening at the local winery with our friends, Catherine and Kipper. They brought their friends, Julie and Ray, and we spent hours drinking, laughing, eating, drinking and talking. It was a great time!

Catherine was the first blogger friend I met in real life; since our very first meeting, we've become great friends, as have our daughters and our husbands...amazing what the blogworld can do!

Don't even ask (I'm pretty sure we were only on our first bottle of wine at this point)...

Thanks to an extremely loud company party going on in our room of the winery, we received complimentary bottles of wine from the owners. Merry Christmas from Valley Vineyards :)

Only ten days left til Christmas. The kids are chomping at the bit; I am trying not to panic.

That extra bottle of wine is going to come in handy, I have a feeling.

So, what have you been up to?

December Minutes

When I was a kid, I distinctly remember December being the longest month of the year.

When did that change?

When I had kids of my own?

'Cause now December is the shortest month of the year. Packed full of shopping, Christmas card making/mailing, gift-making, work parties and friend gatherings, Santa breakfasts and family traditions. Not to mention putting up the tree and all the decorations and outside lights... Combine that with trying to work to earn enough money to pay for Christmas, and you have a month that flies by faster than you can say "Feliz Navidad!".

Time is standing still for Gabe and Elijah and Isabel, though. Even though we count down the days on our advent calendar, to them it seems that December 25th will never get here. To me, I see "14 days til Christmas" and I get a little panicky inside.

I suppose when the kids are grown and out of the house, December will be back to being like any other month. For now, I guess I'll strap on my seatbelt and try to enjoy the ride!

I may need a bottle (or three) of wine, though. Just sayin'.

Blast from the past...

Isabel is turning ten on the 21st of this month.

This will (probably) be her last big party until she turns sixteen.

We sat and brainstormed about the guest list, the date and the theme.

She's too old for a tea party (done that), she doesn't want to go to Run, Jump 'n Play (done that, too), and the thought of a dozen girls sleeping over makes me want to drink.

After a bit of thought, Isabel came up with an idea (all on her own).

An Eighties Themed party!

Really? What do you know about the 80's? Enough to know it sounds fun, she said.

She googled the 80's. (Um, they didn't even have the internet then, I told her. We should be using an encyclopedia, like I had to do!)

We made the invitations, came up with some food ideas, and now we need to shop for 80's stuff. It's a costume party, so we're on the search for leg warmers, neon colored shirts, and jelly shoes (do they even make those anymore?).

All this planning has brought back so many memories. I think I'm going to have more fun than the girls! Take a little trip with me, and see how much you remember...

*sigh*

Jon Bon Jovi, in his big hair days. We were all "Living on a Prayer", weren't we?


My kids still love the Rubik's Cube! I'm gonna see if I can find some mini ones for party favors...



Still remember the theme song from this show? I loved the Love Boat!

And who didn't want to date Mike Seaver? Or be a member of this family? (Although Carol bugged the hell out of me, I have to say.)

My favorite movie of the 80's, and maybe all-time. I still remember seeing my dad wipe a tear away when we thought ET was dying, sitting at the theater in Northgate. (And I still have that lifesize ET doll; he will SO be at the party!)

I'm sure you've seen this "You know you grew up in the 80's if..."; here's just a snippet:

*You know all the words to Bon Jovi - > YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME.

*You just sang those words to yourself.

*Homemade Levi shorts, the shorter the better (hello, see Jon's photo above).

*You remember when mullets were cool!

*You had a mullet!

*You still sing "We are the World".

*You tight rolled (pegged) your jeans.

*You owned a banana clip.

*You remember "Where's the Beef?".

*You used to (and probably still do) say "What you talkin' 'bout Willis?".

*You had big hair and you knew how to use it.

*You're still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren't you?

Can't wait to share photos of the party with you! If you have any great ideas, please share.

And you're welcome for putting that song in your head. Hey, it's better than "Feliz Navidad", right?

Snow Day!

(NOT.)

We woke up to a light dusting of snow on the ground this morning.

The first of the season, which explains the excitement.

(And perfect timing, since I just finished the Christmas decorating last night.)

Elijah and Isabel ran to the computer, convinced that our school's website would announce a Snow Day, or at least a delay. To their dismay, and my relief, school was most definitely in session.

I'm not ready for snow days yet. I have presents to wrap, shopping to do, and coffee to drink, folks. We just spent two days together, doing family Christmas stuff (which was great, don't get me wrong...I simply need a small break, that's all).

So, bundle up, kids, you've got a bus to catch and Mom's coffee is calling her name!

She does me proud...

Isabel is such a sweet girl. Does well in school, is kind to her family, and is generally just a pleasure to be around.

Take this for example:

When I had to work on Wednesday night, the first thing I thought of was that we would be missing Glee. (Elijah, Isabel and I have been watching it together every week; this was the second-to-last episode of the season, and I was bummed.)

Leave it to Isabel to come up with a plan, reminiscent of Lula's notetaking process during Lost.

When I finally got home from work (around 1am), starving and exhausted, I sat down at the table with a bowl of Cheerios and my book. A note from Isabel caught my eye, though, and I read that first.

It was a play-by-play account of the missed Glee episode! Joe said she took notes throughout the whole thing, just for me. Awww!

Some of the notes:

"1. Sue got her tearduct pulled out. Eww..."

"4. Jocks make fun of Finn because he's gonna get his pic in the Glee Yearbook."

"6. Mr. Shuch finds out Terri isn't pregnant. He got very mad, she told him that she was gonna take Quinn's baby and he left Terri. He slept in the classroom so now he is banned from Glee club."

She had a synopsis of the whole episode...that girl rocks!


Still not watching Glee? Go catch up on the back episodes on Hulu, like we did. Then go buy the soundtrack. You'll be crooning along to "Defying Gravity" before you know it (much to the chagrin of your children).


There is much debate about the hottest guys on Glee. Although Finn is cute, he's a bit wimpy for me. I admit to having a bit of a schoolgirl crush on Will, the Glee club teacher...

Lots of girls fuss over Puck. He's hot, I admit, but he's a player, and that just doesn't do it for me. When it comes to choosing Puck or Will, I'll leave Puck to Lula and Heather:

and I'll take Will. (Still singing to Sting's "Don't Stand So Close to Me"...I loved that episode!)

C'mon, wouldn't you have crushed on him if he were your teacher?

Thanks again, Isabel. You've done your momma proud, once again.

A poll: real or fake

And I'm talking about Christmas trees here, not implantable silicone enhancements, just to make things clear.

My childhood memories include both artificial trees and the real deal. One year we even went and cut down our own tree (I seem to remember a lot of cursing coming from my dad as he sawed the thing down). The last few years at home we used the artificial tree; I'm sure mom was tired of vacuuming up the fallen needles.

Our first married Christmas, I really wanted a real tree. We got one. It was beautiful.

Then we had babies, and were worried about allergies and fire hazards and sharp needles poking tiny hands. We bought an artificial tree and used it for a few years.

For the past three years, though, we have had real live Christmas trees. Our Home Depot tree (which was probably cut in October) lost so many needles that it looked like a pine forest on our carpet each morning. Last year, we handpicked our tree from the local nursery in town, and it was the best tree ever. The kids had a great time picking out just the right tree, and it made for a great memory.



The only disadvantage is that we have to buy a new tree every year, and we must wait until December to put it up, to avoid the needle-dropping experience of Christmas-past.

We are getting a real tree again this year, and probably will for many more. I love this part of Christmas, and the kids do, too. But I thought I'd take a poll...

Which is it for you? The Fraser fir or the artificial pine?


Curious minds wanna know!

When a song gets in your head,

and you can't get it out, sometimes you just write a post about it, hoping it will hop from your brain onto the computer and STAY THERE!

Our local Christian radio station has started to play Christmas music around the clock.

It's a great way to kickoff the season and get in the mood to drag dozens of boxes from the dusty storeroom in the basement and spend hours unpacking each and every item and try to find just the right spot for said item.

I digress.

The point of this is that a song has found it's way into my head and it won't get out. If my blog still had a musicplayer, it would be playing right now, and then it would be in your head.

Imagine The Sound of Music. Imagine Julie Andrews. Singing about a few of her favorite things.

Yep, you got it. A sweet little song. Nice to listen to. Brings a smile to your face, thinking about kittens and snowflakes and all.

Until it's stuck on "play" and "repeat" in your head for days on end.

Then it's not so sweet.

I thought maybe if I focused on a few of my favorite things, it might help stop the music:

Taylor Lautner, all grown up. I know he's only seventeen (I hear Kings of Leon crooning now...this is working!) All I can say is, holy abs, Batman! I'm still Team Edward, but oh my word...



Christmas lights. Even though some people have had them turned on since before Thanksgiving in my neighborhood... (Now, the musical version of "Sleigh Ride" is twirling around in my head. One of my favorites when I played flute in the school band.)


Ah, a bellini. Peach nectar, champagne, with a cherry in the bottom. Pure delight when enjoyed with co-workers after a long night (yes, we drink alcohol at 8 in the morning...don't judge until you've worked a night shift or two). Now, I'm hearing "Pour Some Sugar on Me"...

Card-making. I love to sit in my craft room and make Christmas cards. I have fifty to make this year, along with another fifty all-occasion cards I'm making for teacher gifts. Gabe and Isabel both love to create alongside me, usually jamming to the soundtracks from Glee and New Moon. "Defying Gravity" is one of my favorites. Not watching Glee yet? 9pm on Wednesday nights on Fox. Don't miss it!

Ahh, now I feel better. No more raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens whirling around my head.

Although, I'm strangely in the mood for some schnitzel and noodles...

What Christmas song stays in your head until you want to scream? What are a few of your favorite things? Wanna meet us for bellinis next Tuesday morning?