Christmas Aftermath

Merry Christmas to all! I hope I've already said that to you. This year we were doubly blessed to have Michelle and her boys Nat, Mason and Todd with us for Christmas. Granted, we were like sardines, but it was so nice to have family here. It was a fun day of food, family, and above all else remembering who gave us this all to enjoy.

This is the aftermath... (from left) Michelle, Todd, Nat, Mason and Ray

Ray waking up and Eric playing Santa

It started out as a beautiful cute tree nook

The boys: (from left) Ray, Mason, Todd, Nat

Me, Eric and Michelle (the big kids)

Todd with his Chuck Norris shirt

Opening Stockings

The whole family: Me, Eric, Ray, Mason, Todd, Michelle, and Nat

The most wonderful Christmas banner ever! Thank you Erin and Charlie

Merry Christmas again! Love to all

Here's a sign...

I love the public. I love the public more when they have no clue how to speak/understand/grasp/communicate the English language. I am a firm believer that one should not be redundant, repeat one's self or even be repetitive. I always constantly tell Eric to say ATM... not ATM machine, but the public ruins that.

the elusive "automatic teller machine machine"

We discovered this gem while shopping yesterday. It's a brain bender:

can you imagine the person who put in THAT complaint???

Good Morning Martha... er Alison

I've been a baker for a very long time... I've also had insomnia for quite a few years. My husband accepts it and understands the fact that they often go together.

This morning at 345 I was wide awake. And, being one to not waste time trying to go back to sleep, I decided to be productive.... Ray needed 52 decorated sugar cookies for class, I needed to make shortbread cookies for all my co-workers, and generally get a start on my holiday baking. At five fifteen I had baked off all the sugar cookies and had the shortbread mixed and ready to go. Hopefully I'll be completely done by eight.

And, on the bright (ugh) side, now I have the whole day to ... do laundry and clean my house for company ... :(

fifty two cookies!

a dirty kitchen at four fifteen in the morning

almost done!

i'm always leery about making candy cane cookies, they can come out looking sooooo wrong lol

yay! how cute are those!

A Lesson In Auto-Save

My step-son had a project due at midnight on Friday night. Naturally, being a sixteen year old, he had completed half and was going to do the last half on the computer at home. (Thank the Lord that Microsoft has a trial option for it's programs... the bloody program cost 499$)

Needless to say, amidst Facebook, Youtube, and whatever other thing he was doing on the internet, he managed to compose a very nice looking newspaper for his project and finish well before the allotted time frame. At nine-thirty I asked him how it was going emailing the project to his teacher.... did you save it? of course i saved it! well what did you save it under? i don't know, it didn't ask.... Much looking on the computer later (after finding he had closed the program, deleted it off his email AND emptied the trash) we came to the dismal conclusion that the newspaper was no more.

After a "no, i will not write you a note to get out of a project" he turned right around and put his nose to the grindstone, er keyboard, again. I supplied all the necessary snacks, soda, whatever. We both stayed up while he worked, and finished by eleven fifteen. Saved.... and sent. Bless his heart, he should get two A's.

Yet again....

I hate goodbyes, I've never been really good at them. Eric is gone for two weeks, and I had to take him to the airport today. And now I'm bummed... I hate goodbyes.

Hopkins the (Spoiled Rotten Whiney) Cat

Well, the time has come again for me to say goodbye to my hubby for a little trip. He's only gone two weeks, and in that two weeks I'm going to spend time with our son cleaning the house, putting together a new bunk bed, decorating for Christmas, shopping for Christmas presents, shopping for more food, and preparing for four more wonderful people to move into our little abode. So, amidst all the stress, it will now be me who is the first one up in the house and I will feed our cat, Hopkins.

Let me describe the morning with Hopkins.... at five forty five he wakes up to realize that he hasn't been fed yet, at six he is walking over our torsos while we lay in bed, at six fifteen he starts in on the chorus of meows to let us know he is here, at six thirty he starts running from our bedroom to his food bowl and back to the bed to pounce on us. At that last point is when I give in... and he gets his food. Here is where he is the most spoiled cat in the world: he will only drink out of  a human glass of water, and eat out of a kitchen bowl. So, every morning, we fill a small glass with purified water, put two or three ice cubes in it, fill "his" bowl with food and let him have at it. I just happened to look at it this morning and realize that he is the most spoiled rottenest cat, but he's lovable so it's all worth it.