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......

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas

Well, it appears in spite of my denials to the contrary, winter is finally here. At least for now. Now, will someone please make it stop? I've already shoveled about 6 inches this morning and it is still coming down. Enough already. Have I told you how much I really hate snow? Well, I do.....

TLC update

I thought I would share a "new" photo of our latest family member. He is now 5 months old and quite a terror. He is shown here with one of our other cats, Caesar, who was my mother's cat that we "inherited" when she died. Caesar hates all his brothers and sisters and TLC is just about to be properly reprimanded for breathing in "his space". Pretty much all it takes to cause a real showdown with him. Silly cat is doing quite well for only having 3 legs, but I am positive we will have to resort to tying the Christmas tree to the wall again this year or it will be a disaster waiting to happen. Last night his new favorite toy was my tablecloth that he found fascinating until he brought everything on it crashing down on top of him. Lucky for him I had actually cleaned off the table recently!

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?

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Prince Charming! I hope your day is filled with love, excitement, and fabulous food! I am so lucky to have you in my life! I love you!