Dear Mom, Jason, Sue, etc....

I'm so sorry that I haven't updated since our flight. I was under the impression that since I am currently sitting across the room from you (okay, down the freeway from Sue) and one of you actually travelled with me, you would know that we made it safely and had a wonderful Christmas. But since I'm getting told repeatedly that none of you know what we're up to, this update's for you!

So, we made it!

What? You want more? Okay, fine. The night before we travelled, we stayed with friends in D.C. It was wonderful to see them, but George wasn't real interested in sleeping, so we only managed to get about three hours before we had to get back up and head to the airport. The plane that was supposed to have power outlets? Didn't. BUT, George did amazingly well. We didn't know how long the DVD battery would last, so we didn't turn it on until we had less than two hours to go. For the first three, both kids played quietly, drew pictures, and read books with us. They were great, we were exhausted!

Other than a slight delay in San Francisco, both flights when very smoothly. We were very lucky in our destinations, as many other Western airports were cancelling all their flights due to snow.

To be honest, I don't remember much from the following couple of days. We were all very jet lagged and trying to finish our Christmas preparations. We recovered in time to enjoy two wonderful holiday gatherings with family. I am so very happy to be here with them!

Christmas itself was so fun! We did the present opening in stages to accomodate children's attention spans and the arrival of more family. Other than the yummy food, hilarious conversation and family jokes, and lounging in my new pajamas all day, my newest favorite Christmas memory is, of course, my children. They did so great, playing quietly with new toys while the adults chatted, showing such joy in those new toys, and being complete angels all day. And at the end of the day, when everyone had gone home, they sat quietly, enjoying their new art supplies.

Peace, quiet, happiness, and a glass of wine....what more do you need? I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, as well!

Getting ready to go!

Today I called our travel agent with a question and, as she's looking up our reservation, I hear, "Oh gosh, I'm glad you called." Um, WHAT???? No big deal, except that our already early morning flight has been made even earlier by about 20 minutes. Since we always go for overkill, we would have been plenty early anyway, but can you imagine the adrenaline overload if I had found that out while we were checking in?? Ya think maybe airlines should be required to TELL their paying passengers when they change the flight schedule?

But, on a better note, I found out that our 5 plus hour flight is on a B757. Why do we care? Because B757's that are traveling across the country have power outlets at every seat. Can I get a big YAHOOOOOOO!!!!!!? The portable DVD player will be plugged in the minute they allow it and the Wiggles will sing us across the country!! Normally, five hours of nonstop TV is a bit more than I allow. But with George being "that kid" that tends to scream a lot on airplanes, and the fact that music filled videos calm him, we'll be making an exception. I can't tell you how much stress drained out of my body when I found that out. Life is good.

It will be even better Thursday, when I wake up in Oregon. Yippee!!!!

Christmas Questionnaire

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Um, one of those has the word "chocolate" in it, right? That pretty much trumps all other choices. Though, Jason does make a yummy egg nog for us every Christmas Eve.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa leaves one present unwrapped for each child. Usually the big, hard-to-wrap ones!

3. Colored lights or white lights on tree/house? I love icicle lights on houses, but on the tree I can go either way.

4. Do you hang Mistletoe? No.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Normally, the day after Thanksgiving. This year, we're just looking forward to Gramma & Papa's decorations!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Excluding dessert? Do people eat anything other than dessert from Thanksgiving to Christmas? Seriously?

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Going out into the woods (okay, a Christmas tree farm, but I thought it was the forest) to pick out a tree. We always got cold and sappy and bickered about which tree to get, but I loved it!

8. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We've started opening one gift, new pajamas for everyone. That way our Xmas morning pictures are that much prettier!

9. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember not knowing the truth, though I'm sure I believed at some point.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Lots of family ornaments, handed down from parents and grandparents, and lights. No tinsel or garlands to clutter it up, I like to see the pine needles!

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE IT!!!!

12. Can you ice skate? I haven't in years, but I used to manage getting around the rink without falling.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I remember getting a leather bomber jacket when I was about 13. I was sooooo cool.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Making it magical for my children.

15. What tops your tree? A glittery gold star with pearl-type thingies in the points. Sounds kind of strange when I try to describe it.

16. What’s your favorite holiday tradition? Leaving cookies for Santa. Or, as Emma has made this her duty, leaving cookies and milk for Santa, and a salad for the reindeer!

17. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Oh heck, both! I love, love, love choosing just the right gifts for each person and watching them open them. But I love seeing what other people choose for me, too!

18. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Thank you! A normal holiday food question! Fudge. Yum. And decorated sugar cookies. And 24 hour salad (see my Thanksgiving entry). And Mom's apple pie.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Any of the classics, O Holy Night, Little Town of Bethlehem, Silent Night, Joy to the World, etc.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Bleh.

21. What is your favorite Christmas special/movie? A Christmas Story. Have to watch it every year.

48 hours on the market.....

Do I feel lucky?

My blog pals are talking about luck today. And when I posted that prompt this morning I had all sorts of ideas and, well, energy. But you see, we spent most of the afternoon banished from our home (with the dog, during George's normal nap time, and we forgot hats and mittens so we couldn't go to the park), so Realtors could preview our house. And now, now I'm tired and have no idea as to what I was planning on regaling you with.

So I'll leave you with the most recent moment in my life when I truly felt lucky.

Day: Today

Time: 6:30 am

Setting: Living room, leaning over the couch trying to convince Emma that she wanted to eat breakfast.

Costume: Slippers, bath robe, no make-up, hair clipped out of my face

The words that came out of my dear daughter's mouth: "Mommy, you are so beautiful."

I am the luckiest woman in the world.

Anyone want a house?

Check us out!

The best house you can possibly buy, ever, and you know you want it, so come on over with your checkbook ready!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAck!

Let's just say that I woke up at 4 am this morning, realizing that I only have 2 1/2 weeks left in this house. Let's just say that I spent the next hour stressing about the satellite receiver and DSL modem and how my husband would have to remember to pack them up and send them to their respective companies and how the boxes for them are behind one of the shelving units in the garage and they need to be gathered up before the movers come (which, granted, won't be until at least late January, but still) and how I need to write these things down on our list so we wouldn't forget and they wouldn't keep me awake at night!!!

Okay, I needed to get that out. Since that early morning heart attack, I've pretty much been a zombie all day. Jason just laughed at me, because he had his stress attack about a week ago. It took me a while to catch up, I guess. Tomorrow, we're back to our chores: packing up closets, getting rid of clutter, cleaning, etc. Wednesday, our realtors will come to the house to sign papers and take a look around. Then, it will be back to packing so that we have what we need for the five months or so that we'll be living with relatives.

I'm exhausted. I'll try to be a bit more coherent tomorrow!

Christmas 2005 Memories

I created this for my latest Art Journal Challenge at DSP, Creating a Holiday Journal. Check it out if you want to join in!

Credits:

Blue Christmas by Elizabeth Weaver, Because I Love You page kit by Rene Bross, Paint It! Element Pack by Stacey Jewell Stahl, Floral Traditions Add On Pack by Rene Bross, Altered Journey by Beth Nixon, DSP Basics Set by Valeri Brumfield, Flossie kit by Fee Jardine, Simple Pleasures kit by Michelle Coleman, Journal from Stock Exchange, Fonts: Susie's Hand, Typewriter

Dare I say "Done"?

With my Christmas shopping, that is? No, not done, but done with everything that we need to mail. Yay!!! The fact that that only includes three families does not diminish my joy. I still have tons to do, but mostly this is going to be an Internet shopping year. Moving on December 20th means all our presents need to be at their destination when we get there. No way am I going to waste valuable suitcase space on presents, if I can help it. So, Gramma Sharon & Papa Ray and David & Family in California, and Adam & Family in Denmark, your gifts will be at the post office tomorrow. Everyone else, I'm working on it!

What if Christmas didn't require giving gifts? Would it still feel the same? In a word, no. But that's not necessarily bad, just different. I have to think that Christmas would still be a wonderful, peaceful holiday. Maybe more like Thanksgiving, all about family and friends celebrating together. I love having a reason to get gifts for people, but that does overwhelm the day. What I am really looking forward to this year is being with family and watching my kids enjoy themselves. 25 days 'til Christmas, people! Happy Holidays!

Oy, I'm getting old

And creaky. I used to laugh at Jason and all his popping, cracking, creaking parts. But I really need to stop, because I'm starting to pop and crack and creak too. So, I asked my blog pals: How old would you say you are, if you didn't actually know your age?

Truthfully? I think I would guess pretty close to my actual age (which, for blog purposes, we will call "early 30's"). I've always had friends that were older than myself and I've always felt older than my actual age. But these days, I feel like I fit. Like it's right to be a stay at home mom with two kids entering school. Like it's okay to be exploring new hobbies and ideas. Like it's appropriate that we're getting prepared to sell our first home and buy a newer (hopefully bigger) one.

And the creaking? Yeah, I guess it's about time for that to be showing up, too. Although maybe, just maybe, if I would get up out of this chair more often and get a little exercise, there wouldn't be quite so much noise.

Now, the ages of the rest of my family? Let's see. If I didn't know better, I would guess George (3) to be about ohhhhh, three; Emma (5) to be at least ohhhhhh, fifteen; and Jason (slightly older early 30's) to be at most ohhhhhhh, twelve.

A Thanksgiving Diary

6:00 am - The alarm rings. I roll over and go back to sleep.
6:15 am - I realize that I should get up RIGHT NOW if I want to enjoy a cup of coffee before the preparations begin.
6:50 am - We have begun! I'm chopping onions & celery and eying the naked turkey in my sink. Time to go diving for giblets.
7:20 am - Completely bite Jason's head off as I empty every kitchen drawer and cupboard, looking for the turkey lacers (to hold the stuffing in the turkey).
7: 39 am - Return from grocery store with new lacers to discover George at the breakfast table with his oatmeal and an obvious head cold. Excellent.
7:56 am - Stare at turkey quizzically, wondering why it doesn't look right.
7:57 am - Turn turkey right side up in roasting pan.
8:01 am - Close oven door and begin the first of many kitchen clean-ups.
11:10 am - Deviled eggs made (only one lost in the process) and potatoes peeled (only one lost in the process). Boys out driving to keep George distracted and Emma watching Sesame Street. Is it the calm before the storm?
12:45 pm - Turkey is out and looks wonderful. Four cups of drippings for gravy, and more still in the pan. Green bean casserole is in the oven. Everything is going way too smoothly. Still nervous.
4:00 pm - So. Stuffed. Can't. Breathe.
11:00 pm - We ate an excellent meal at 1:30. I finally had room for a small piece of pie at 10:30. Good day, good meal, wonderful friends and conversation. One of our favorite Thanksgivings ever. Time to go sleep off the mass amounts of food, good night all!

Unusual Holiday Traditions

Well, I have successfully completed my personal holiday tradition. I have cleaned out the refrigerator. Now that's not to say that I only clean it out once a year, mind you! But really, before I start all the Thanksgiving cooking, I have to make room for left overs!

It isn't the most fun tradition and it's not one I feel compelled to scrapbook, but it brings its own level of satisfaction. It almost makes me want to go purge some closets and scrub out some cupboards. Almost.

Tomorrow, I'll bake two pies (store bought, sorry) and hard-boil a dozen or so eggs, in preparation for deviled eggs. AND, make the family and friends fan favorite, 24-hour salad. Fruit, marshmallows, and sugar. Is there anything better than that?

Two of our good friends, Mike & Teresa, will join us this year. They have been following us around the country ever since Mike joined the Army shortly after Jason and I married, and we're so excited to resume our tradition of sharing the Thanksgiving meal. One of my favorite aspects of being a military family is sharing Thanksgiving with other couples or singles that are far from home. It brings a level of thankfulness and community to the table that can easily be forgotten in hectic gatherings and preparation.

Tomorrow, life gets busy, so I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope you are able to spend it with people who make you feel at home, no matter where you are.

Weekly Catch Up

Let's see if I can capture some of the highlights of last week.
Emma and I traveled to Ocean City, MD, to meet my good friend, Beth, and her daughter, Kate. Beth is a designer for DSP, and we've been friends for about a year. We finally found time to actually meet each other before I head back west. So yes, I spent a weekend, in a hotel, with a stranger that I met over the Internet!!! Egads!

She's really very nice, not a scary psychopathic killer at all. I lucked out.

And yes, we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. We now know everything there is to know!

Emma and Katie got along wonderfully, but by far the biggest highlight of the weekend was the Hot Dog car parked outside our window! We finally saw it drive away Monday morning. What do the people inside it do when they're not driving?

The weather was lousy, a huge storm showed up Sunday (we were there Saturday afternoon through Monday midday), so we spent many hours in the hotel. Luckily, we chose a hotel with an indoor pool, so the girls got lots of swimming time.









Yes, this is a picture of a bridge.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel, to be exact. And yes, I took this picture while driving across it. But you know, at twelve dollars each direction, I felt entitled to do so.

Long bridge+bad weather+large toll=cranky traveler!

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend. I'm so glad I got the chance to meet one of my favorite virtual friends and to spend some special time with my daughter. Good deal!

We returned home Monday evening. Tuesday morning, Jason had his surgery. That has all gone well and he's healing much quicker than expected. Thursday was a big frightening, due to an allergic reaction he had to the pain medications. Luckily, he already had an appointment for that afternoon. There they realized that his foot wasn't swollen at all and he had virtually no pain, so there was no reason to continue with any pain medication anyway! He's now walking around quite easily on crutches and is BORED!






















George started pre-school Wednesday morning. That day was VERY hard on me, I spent much of it crying. But, he did well, as expected. His teacher said he cried off and on for about an hour and a half, but recess distracted him and from then on he seemed to enjoy school. Thursday, I dropped him off at speech therapy and his teacher picked him up from there. This transition went much more smoothly and he had a great day!

All weekend he's been bringing me his backpack to put on. He seems to be excited to go back to school! We'll see how it goes tomorrow!

By the way, he has a new word: Dinosaur. He says it very clearly, "didosaur". What a change from this summer, when the only clear words were "juice" and "side" (for "outside/inside")!

Okay, I think I'm up to date. The weekend has been VERY boring, so absolutely nothing to report there. Tomorrow, we head to the store for the final bit of Thanksgiving shopping. I just pray we don't get trampled. Hope all of your weekends have been good ones!

The house is so QUIET!!!!

For my DSP Pals

For any of you that have attempted "real" scrapbooking or even hybid, you must read this blog entry by a friend of mine.

http://www.scrapbookgraphics.com/wordpress/?p=731

I am needed

How do I know? This little bugger tells me so:

(Being the kind, wonderful people that you are, I KNOW you won't mention the horrendous mess surrounding the alien detector on my desk.)

I will post weekend memories tomorrow, but first an update for family and friends on Jason's surgery. It went well and he is currently laying in bed surrounded by, propped up with, and drooling all over every unused pillow we had in the house. He is on some STRONG drugs and firmly admonished by the doctor to USE THEM!! He'll be on bed rest for the first couple of days, until the end of the week when he'll be able to use an air cast to keep his ankle from moving.

I realized that I never explained here what surgery he was having. It's called Plantar fascia release, and basically is his body's way of saying, "Enough jumping out of perfectly good airplanes already!"

So anyway, I'll spare you a picture of my loopy husband. Just know, when the little red dots on the alien detector multiply, I'm hearing, "huuuuuunnnnnnnnnnyyyyyyyyy!" (In the most pathetic, drug-addled voice EVER!)

(Anyone catch the signs reference? Jason is completely freaked out when the little red dots multiply!)

Fabulous Friday

Hmmmmm, I've been getting teased a lot about my lack of posts. So let's see if I can get better at this!

What is fabulous about today? It's beautiful outside and Jason is off of work, so we're getting lots of pre-winter yard work done. And.....

....tomorrow I head to Ocean City, Maryland to meet up with my good friend Beth for the weekend!! She's bringing her daughter and I'm bringing Emma and we're having a girls only weekend at the coast! Life just doesn't get better than that!

So Glynis and Magdalene, you are not allowed to tease me about not blogging until Tuesday! I'll be too busy!

Thirteen Things about TODAY

1. Today, Jason jumped his last official Army paratrooper jump. He was the only one in the sky when he jumped and it went perfectly (except that he landed across the street from the drop zone). I missed it by five minutes. :(

2. Today, I received the packet of paperwork that enrolls George in preschool and moved the final meeting up by several days. He'll start next Wednesday.

3. Today, Emma is wearing a purple shirt, brown peasant skirt, multi-colored striped tights, and sparkley red shoes. She looks fabulous!

4. Today, I'm having a good hair day. Hey, believe me, that's worth mentioning!

5. Today, I need to make some kind of casserole with some leftover cooked chicken. Any ideas?

6. Today, I challenged my blog pals to do the Thursday Thirteen. I didn't realize how challenging that was until I started to write my own!

7. Today, I WILL do the three loads of laundry that really need to be done!

8. Today, is a gorgeous day and I really want the kids to be outside, but it's been raining for the last couple of days and the ground is muddy and everything is soaked and I really don't feel like dealing with the mess. (Whew, English teachers must love my sentences!)

9. Today, having been home less than an hour, George has dumped out onto the playroom floor two toy boxes of blocks, his entire collection of Thomas trains, and assorted Fisher Price people. He's currently sitting up on the couch playing with a shoe.

10. Today, Emma made me walk her into the school building instead of using the drop off lane. But, after parking and crossing the parking lot with her and George, she saw a friend and ran off with a casual "Bye Mom!" Sigh. Glad to see I'm needed.

11. Today, after Jason left the house around 4:30am, Gracie (the dog) felt the need to join me on the bed. She's nice and warm, but she hogs the covers.

12. Today, I need to call my cousin and get a new picture of her beautiful baby, so I can finish a Christmas present for our grandma.

13. Today, I will make a new list of blog prompts, so I don't ever feel the need to use this one again! Who knew that 13 would be such a big number?!

Don't hate

I created and ordered our Christmas cards yesterday. They'll be here within the week. I could, conceivably, send them off before Thanksgiving. Ahhhhh, one less thing on my list!

For those of you that also like to make your own cards, Winkflash is offering a 40% off coupon right now. Good deal!

Magic Eraser Warning

For those of you that use Mr. Clean Magic Erasers or similar products, check out this blog for a scary story: Kerflop. Important information if you let your kids help you clean.

Mr. Clean, I'm ashamed of you!!!