It beginning to look a lot like Christmas

As I write the dreaded white stuff is piling up outside my door and making mayhem of the local roadways. Blogger won't let me share photos today, so you will have to take my word for it instead :(. My plans were to finish my Christmas shopping tonight, however I will wait and take my chances next week in the floods that are expected instead.

I still have all my Christmas baking, candy making, and general kitchen mess to do so it will happen this weekend instead. Can already smell that peanut brittle and fudge can't you? Hoping to get a few dozen rolls in the freezer too if I get time.

Mostly have the presents wrapped except for those last minute items currently showing in transit tracking numbers but still have stocking shopping left to do. Think I will go the Dollar Store route this year for something a bit easier on the pocket book.

We have a new housemate for a indefinite period of time as Prince's daughter has moved in with us. Not exactly what I had in mind, but what's a girl to do? Will muddle through one way or another.

The new baby Princess is growing like a weed, already up to 10.5lb and had her first shots with Mom shedding more tears than baby. She LOVES the lights and all the sparkle at Grammy's house so that helps a bit with the lacking Christmas spirit here for sure. Prince and his new wife are flying in next week, which will be a surprise for Princess as she was told they couldn't afford to fly this year. Rotten liars we are, but it will make our Christmas a bit more special.

In case I get lost in a drift, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. May you be surrounded by love, peace, warmth, and safety wherever you are this season!

Happy New Year

I wanted to slow down and write for days now, but as always the time seems to fly away. Our Christmas holiday was delightful this year. Rather sedate and mellow compared to years past but that was just fine with me! My son and his fiance flew in and my daughter and her husband joined us as well. Good food, good company, good times!

Santa was rather good to me this year in spite of everything. Good thing he is a bargain hunter of greatest measure and hunted sales early this year for hiding away gifts. I could only find photos of two, but ones that make my heart go pitter patter for sure.

First off is my new shiny red mini processor! I needed more counter space (you will see why in a moment), so this replaced my larger model for every day use.

For years now, Prince Charming has offered and even begged me to get a Kitchenaid mixer. I held out being frugal with my old trusty hand mixer, and on a rare occasion hauled out my "old as me" Sunbeam stand mixer I got when my mother died. Well, after years of cussing, hand mixing, kneeding, etc, I finally bit the bullet and caved in. Be still my heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, with all the company and cooking, she just sits proudly in her place of honor yet unused. I must remedy that situation this weekend! Whole wheat bread, oatmeal bread, and cinnamon rolls here we come! Of course Prince Charming is not so subtly hinting for oatmeal cookies first....

I also got the most awesome compact HP photo printer. Highly functional and adorable with its cute little matching tote. Can't wait to start photos flying and printing for more scrapbooking weekends. Maybe I should just use the room full of prints I already have first? Nah, new is always more fun!

Now, I must rush and find some quick and easy decor for our annual board game gala tonight. I am ashamed to admit our living room resembles a disaster area still which will require a massive cleaning just to allow visitors to enter.

I love this simple idea, and even better if you set all the alarms to ring at the stroke of 12!

This is a simple, easy way to have those favors ready to grab at the final minute to ring in the New Year!

And we all need a little treat to celebrate the New Year after the night of fun. Clever way to present your family with the new year ahead.

May you have the Happiest New Year of all!

I'm late for a very important date....

OK, I have no idea why these are all showing blurry on the blog, but too busy to worry. Work is wild, laundry piling up, baking to do, presents to wrap, more presents to track that are now lost in UPS black hole, still no word if my son is coming, stocking stuffers to buy.......................

My most treasured ornament, a bell no larger than 1 inch, metal with glitter flakes. Was my Mom's at one time. Always loved it.

A very blurry nest, but oh well, a nest just the same. Went with all of Prince's ornies this year so only snuck in a few of my own touches just to annoy him, worked too!

OK, off to resume the labors of love. Stay warm and safe!

Where is the time going?

Seriously, where in the world has the time gone? The first week of December is gone and I have not even remotely finished my shopping, haven't even started to decorate, groceries to buy, cookies to bake, OMG!!!!!

Prince and I whacked down a sweet little baby tree on the dirt road coming home last weekend. It was supposed to be a joke for the Princess who is cutting her own tree this year and demands a monster. I am thinking I better just keep the darn thing, stick it in the living room, hang up a couple of dirty socks from the laundry pile and call her good. Maybe?

Well folks, OBVIOUSLY Martha the great doesn't live at my house now does she?

Its all over but the cleaning up

Well, Christmas has come and gone, leaving nothing but leftovers, trash, and massive messes in its wake. I don't know about anyone else, but I can honestly say I'm darn glad it is over this year. I usually get into the "spirit" even if sometimes it comes to me as late as Christmas eve. This year it just seemed such a chore at every turn. Still have presents I ordered for guaranteed delivery straggling in via mail and UPS. Still have bits of paper, tape, and other sharp packing pieces littering the floors. Yeah I know, get out the vacuum and clean it up. Please, I am so exhausted it is taking every ounce of energy just to work.

I think everyone did enjoy the gifts from Santa though. Princess Daughter got a new car stereo that we still have to schedule time for installation, Prince Charming got a new Black Hills Gold band and tons of clothes he needed badly, Prince Son got large air power tools needed for his new auto body job. I got mostly things I ordered for myself as Prince Charming was stuck at the ranch for so long he had no time to shop. Then he did run out and get me new cookie sheets and a food processor. Problem is I specifically told him to get the medium size model as our kitchen is VERY small and limited storage. Oh no, he gets the big daddy size that will NEVER fit in any of my cupboards and since I have no counters either, it will likely find a small burial plot in the garage. Oh well, just keep reminding myself it is the thought that counts.

Anyway, now on to New Years preparations. We refuse to go out that night due to the massive amount of visitors that take over our small corner of the world. Instead, my best friend comes over, we have a lovely candlelight dinner (this year is steak and crab/lobster cakes), then the fun begins. We change into comfy clothes, break out the massive array of munchies, break open the booze, put on movies or seriously old tunes, and play board games until at least 5 am the next morning. I mean this is some serious fun folks as we are all so competitive it gets down right heated at times. Then the alcohol takes over and we can't even count the cards in our hands let alone remember the rules to whatever the game is, so we make up new ones.

We play anything and everything. Our collection has grown a bit over the years for variety. You name it, we will try it. Always have to do Monopoly, checkers, dominoes, Jenga, scruples, Trivial Pursuit, Uno, and a million others I forget. Did get a new one this year from the brother's family. Its the card game for Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?, yikes, now my daughter will know that I am not! Oh well, pretty sure she already knows that anyway. Prince Charming gets to join the fun this year. Before he always had to work day shift so would go to bed at 8pm and get up to toast at midnight, then back to bed and we'd wake him up at 4am. Now that he is retired he has no excuse not to play with us!!!! The kids think my friend and I are nuts and usually crap out on us well before morning. Teach them to mess with us "old folks"!

What about you? Any great plans for the New Year? Any great suggestions for new munchie type foods we can try? Let me know! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

All is calm, All is bright

At last, Prince Charming has returned home. He had a very hazardous drive, but lucky for him only slid of the road once and was able to get out easily. 500 miles of snow and ice can really take a toll on his old bones. Had a nice warm pot of Turkey Taco Soup waiting for him and got him tucked into bed. Now maybe I can begin to enjoy this Christmas season.
I believe tonight will have to be the deadline for decorating our poor tree. The on to the wrapping and cooking. Now that the weather is just plain cold, will be nice to relax in our warm home and enjoy spending some good family time together.
Not sure if I'll have time, so want to wish every visitor a very Merry Christmas. May you be surrounded by family, friends, and love. Best wishes to everyone! Happy Holidays!

Christmas continues

Well, now Prince Charming has decided to wait until Thursday to begin his journey home, which is appears will be smack dab in the middle of our largest storm predictions. How is it men suddenly think they are immune to weather and roads? Or is it I made the mistake of telling him under no circumstances should he attempt the trip on Thursday, so he wants to do it to prove he can? GGRRR!!!
Oh well, I was able to get two batches of fudge made last night. One plain ol' chocolate, and a vanilla with cashews. Why must I experiment with new things in the midst of chaos? The damn vanilla one suddenly seized up with stirring and now is a large crumbly mass of white goop with a generous dose of cashews in it. Oh well, maybe some poor fool will eat it any way. Now I only have 2 batches of peanut brittle, 3 batches of coconut brittle, buckeyes, and sugar cookies to make. Oh, and I got a wild hair to make gingerbread houses from sugar cubes instead of cookies this time. What kind of idiot am I you ask? Well, no logical explaination I'm afraid...
Then there is the fact that my office appears as though World War Three has arrived. Work files piled everywhere, unwrapped gifts tetering on the edge of a major land slide, tree still looking forlorn in the corner....
Oh well, I guess it will get done or it won't. Only time will tell.

Time passing too quickly

It seems this month is moving so rapidly I can't keep up. Too many tasks and not enough hours in a day to complete them all. Gifts to buy, packages to wrap, cookies to bake, candy to make, places to go, etc etc etc. I have managed to get the house decorated for the holiday at last. That is all except the Christmas tree which sits very lonely in the corner awaiting the return of Prince Charming to help us. Yeah, I could put the ornaments on and all would be well, but it just isn't the same without the family around to help, complain, rearrange the ornaments, you know the drill. See, whether they like it or not, it is a lifelong tradition for me that we do it together, Christmas music blaring, it just has to be. It's bad enough that my son is too many miles away to do this, the rest of them are just going to have to humor me. Now, if the weather can just cooperate long enough for my Prince Charming to drive home sometime this week between storms I will be content.

I'm pretty sure that if we ever hung all the ornaments we own on the tree at the same time, it would collapse from the weight. I'm not one of those "theme tree" kind of gals. No offense to those who do this. My mom did that a few times when I was growing up. One year all blue, or all red, or all silver, whatever struck her fancy at the time. I do have a vague recollection of the blue tree year, pretty sure I must have liked that one since I do actually remember it. I tried to do this last year, one with a country/bird theme. KIDS HAD A FIT!! What do you mean we can't hang our ornaments on the tree? You suck, this is stupid, and on and on and on.... Needless to say over the next few days more and more of the old favorites magically appeared on my designer tree. Pretty sure this will have been my one and only attempt at this seriously punishable offense.

So instead, out will come the old favorites, (some not so favorites), and the artificial limbs will be screeching protest of the massive weights nestled among them. I have this crazy blue felt/plastic bendy elf ornament that I have had since I was a kid. I didn't even know it still existed until my mother passed away a few years ago and I found it while dividing up all the Christmas ornaments with my siblings. Ugliest damn thing you have ever seen according to the rest of my family, but in my eyes is the most precious thing I own. A tiny sliver of days when it was ok to believe in Santa Claus, it was ok to play all day in the snow knowing a cup of cocoa was waiting, it was ok to curl up with Mom or Dad because everything was right with the world.

I have likely got the most bizarre collection of ornaments ever assembled in one place. Every year I get new ones to add to the old mix. There are ones from the kids soccer days, the bowling days, the prima donna phase, the fisherman phase, my cow obsession, and a large quanity of western theme ones. I love the glass birds that clip on the branches too. No lie, three huge Rubbermaid tubs full of ornaments. A mirror-tiled saddle (weird huh?), a hand sewn donkey from when Princess was like 7 and learned to sew, glass balls, metal pieces, Hallmark ones like Rudolph, the record player, etc. A hot air balloon that lights up, ok, maybe I have an addiction that needs to be addresssed.

Anyway, traditions are important to me. I simply can't do things any other way and I don't really think it's a bad thing. See, I hated being "made" to do this crap when I was little. Pitched the biggest fits you can imagine every time. Now, what I wouldn't give for just one more of those precious times with my parents to savor every last moment. So, I'll keep making my family do this. I'll let them pitch a fit, stomp their feet, moan, cry, whatever. Pull out all the stops guys, I'm ready for you. WE are decorating the tree together because some day, some where, you too will sit and wish you could have just one more time.

Enough with the serious! Bring on the snow (later in the week please), heat up the cocoa, stoke up the fire, gather your family and make memories. What about you out there in blog land? Do you have traditions with your families? Do you knock yourself out trying to do way too many things in too little time for the sake of tradition? Inquiring minds want to know......

Bah Humbug

Well, here you have it folks, the full extent of my Christmas decorating so far. See, I even have the pine cone ornament up. (OK, so I had to hang it somewhere until the tree is up or the cat would have it all over the house and broken.) I figured as long as I was washing the remaining Thanksgiving Turkey from the chalkboard wall, I may as well add the Christmas art. Then I took one look at the calendar and freaked out seeing the doomsday countdown is once again way too far along for what I have to accomplish.

OK, so I know Monet and Rembrandt won't be calling me anytime soon to scope out the competition on my dining room wall. No photographers will be loosing revenue from my skill either. My family thought I had lost what little mind I have left when I announced last year I was going to paint the dining room wall with chalkboard paint. I'll spare you the variety of rather negative comments I received, just say it wouldn't make family hour.

See, my kitchen is completely done in black and white. Walls, floor, cupboards, appliances, dishes, cow-spot accents, etc, etc. Our house is VERY small and rather dark since we only have one large window in the living room which connects to the dining room etc. When we moved in I had Prince Charming attach a picket fence to the lower part of the dining room wall, and we used a section of lawn edging to make a shelf for above it. I have loved it ever since. That is until I got the bright idea to paint the upper portion with chalkboard paint while he was out of town. Black chalkboard paint. See, safer that way, just do it and suffer the wrath later. Joke was on me trying to paint around all those points on the pickets as he had taken the power tools with him that I would have needed to remove the board to make it easier to paint.

Well, I digress. I did it and after I started drawing on the wall the critics decided it wasn't so bad after all. See I have this neurotic habit of hanging banners for birthdays, New Years, Christmas, whatever from the shelf. Now all I have to do is write the messages in chalk, draw a dorky picture, and hope one of the critics erases it before it is over 3 months outdated. It always gets a good laugh from my adoring family as they try to figure out what the heck it is I was attempting to draw in the first place. I have finally discovered why I never became a teacher though, chalk plain sucks to write with, let alone draw with. I can draw a decent stick figure with pen/ink, pencil, watercolor, even crayon. I can paint with acrylics and oil (hate oil). Overall, a piece of chalk becomes a weapon of mass destruction in my hands. I brake it. I drop it. I erase, and erase, and erase. Well, you get the picture. Not to mention the fact we have textured walls that Prince Charming told me from the first idea that it would never work for that fact unless we spackle the wall flat again. Good grief Charlie Brown! Never one to back away from a challenge, I did it anyway. By God, I like it and I don't care what the critics think.
Chalkboard paint, its a good thing. Decorating and getting in the Christmas spirit this year, Bah Humbug!

Dear Santa

( Photo from House Beautiful)

Dear Santa,

I have been a very, very, good girl this year. Please bring me this chair. Pretty Please?

Thank you Santa, I know you won't let me down.

Love,

Lisa-Lou-Who

PS, I will even leave you extra cookies and milk if you fill my Christmas list!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, NOT!

As I visit Blogland daily, others are busy getting in the spirit of the holidays and decorating anything that will stand still. There is so much inspiration to find with every mouse click that by now I should be fully ready to begin my own journey to the attic to retrieve my hidden treasures. Well, I said I should be, but I am not. No clear reason, just flat not up to the chore right now. See, I don't really have an excuse for not doing it, other than it just feels like one more thing I need to do right now that isn't real high on my priority radar. Period.

Most years I can barely contain my excitement to take the dangerous trip to the attic to retrieve my stash. It is no small endeavor for the weak. Literally. See, I must confess that I have an addiction. It remains hidden from view for 11 months of the year, only to make its presence known for 30 days each year. Much like an alcoholic living in a liquor store, my addiction only becomes public during that fateful trip to the attic to retrieve the Christmas box. I mean boxes. I mean boxes and bags. I mean boxes, bags, and bins. I mean boxes, bags, bins, and barrels. Did I mention BIG boxes, bags, bins, and barrels? Did I also mention the multitude of plastic storage bins too? Did I mention the items that are too large or bulky for boxes, bags, bins, and barrels? Did I mention that they are all heavy boxes, bags, bins, and barrels? Oh, and did I mention they are kept in the attic only accessible by the fold-down-narrow-tiny-steps leading to the secret Christmas Cave? Narrow as in you have to tilt every darn box, bin, bag and barrel sideways and lower it precariously from atop the stairs into the waiting-so-impatiently-arms of your yearly victim below. Did I mention heavy and bulky making it impossible to grasp for any length of time by the tips of your fingers while screaming to the victim, "have you got it? Don't drop it! This one is a little heavy......" Did I mention that the Christmas Cave is at the far end of the attic, (aka, short- fiberglass- insulation -filled, roofing- nails- poking- you- in- the- head, wacking-your-head-on-the-rafters kind of space)? I have given up counting the boxes, bins, bags, and barrels that make the yearly trip. See, each year finds new treasures in the after-Christmas-sales-won't-this-be-cute-next-year-because-it-is-only-$1 boxes are added to the mix.

Now in all fairness, many years I leave a large portion of my stash in the dark recesses of the Christmas Cave. Sometimes by choice, often by the pure fact that my yearly victim pleads total exhaustion compounded by a head injury or shoulder injury from one too many "this one is a little heavy" boxes. This usually puts an end to my treasure hunt, or my need to find bandaides for the blood gushing from my forehead after one-too-many-hits to the rafters or nails. Then, it always happens that the I-must-have-this-one-item-box is usually the one that I have left behind. So, I must make the journey alone, box and all decending the stairs while perching-box-on-head down to safety with my treasure. Once they are all safely stacked (well-sort-of) in the living room, I have to begin the process of opening each box and fondly recalling each and every piece contained within. By this point, the family has left the building, mostly because there is no longer anywhere to sit or stand without risking bodily harm. Then comes the dreaded chore of actually "cleaning" the living room to prepare for the treasures. Daily treasures to stash in dark corners, furniture to move to accommodate room for the tree. This includes moving my free standing-wanna-be-fireplace from its usual spot to another. Dusting, vacuuming hair balls, finding lost gum wrappers-dog balls-cat toys-unidentified objects, etc.

So you see, Christmas decorating for me is not something to be taken lightly. Kind of like training for a marathon. Well, not that I would know about that since Christmas decorating is likely the most physical exercise I participate in all year long. It is not for the weak or tired. It is not for the faint of heart. It is not for those who won't utter a simple "OHH, look, the plaster christmas-tree-napkin-holder-thingy-my-son-made-in-third-grade". It is not for those afraid to empty the canister of the Dyson Pet Hair Vacuum no less than every five minutes to remove the hidden piles of cat hair lurking behind and under furniture. It is not ANYTHING my Prince Charming understands or supports. It is not Anything my children pretend to care about. Until I declare I am finished and it is safe to reenter the former building know as our home. Then, it starts. "But Mom, where is the ceramic Christmas tree Granny made? You know the one we hate that plays the cool music box and lights up?" "But, Mom, where is the string of lights that looks like lanterns that goes in the kitchen?" "But Mom, when are we going to do the OUTSIDE lights?" "But Mom, when are we going to decorate the ugly fake tree you bought so the house wouldn't burn down from the million lights we put on it?" "But Mom, when are we going to make cookies, fudge, and peanut brittle?" Or better yet, Prince Charming says in his very cute cowboy way, "Gee honey, you worked your butt off. Place looks pretty damn good!"

So, for now the house looks nothing like Christmas at all. I just can't bring myself to begin the journey. Lazy? Tired? Stacked to the rafters with work? Not sure what my excuse is, I'm just not ready. Are you?