Once in a Blue Moon

"But once in a blue moon,

I'll do somethin' right

Once in a blue moon,

I'll make her feel so fine.

'Cause I can make her laugh

and make her cry--

She hates the way she loves me sometimes.

But once in a blue moon,

I'll do somethin' right."

   ~performed by Earl Thomas Conley

     (written by Tommy Brasfield & Robert Byrne)

May your New Year's Eve be fun and safe. May your 2010 be as unique as tonight's blue moon!

Live Traffic Feed

Giving the "live traffic feed" a try!  See if it includes your city when you visit here :)

Tuesday Blabbing

Tonight I'm copying what I've seen done on some of my daily blog reads, which means posting some pictures in black and white.

Here's what the kids were doing most of the whole day after Christmas.  They had their "comfy chairs" set up in front of one of their portable DVD players, had some snacks (note the spoon, cup, cereal and chips bags), and were watching G-Force.  The quietest they've been since 4:30 a.m. Christmas morning! I love the look JS is giving CG.  What a big bubba!

Here's one of them with their beloved Zhu Zhu pets - I kept this one in color because the pets didn't look right in black and white.

Enjoy your Tuesday evening, as will I ....... as I lust again after Michael Weatherly (NCIS). 

I just realized

that Christmas has come and gone, and (dare I say it?!) I didn't get sick this year!

Knocking on my head a/k/a wood so I stay healthy throughout New Year's Rockin' Eve. 

xoxo

Funny Gift Tags Tradition

When I was still living at home, my mom started a fun tradition with the"to" and "from" tags on our Christmas presents.  I've gotten gifts not only from Santa Claus, but also from Max & The Grinch, Charlie Brown & Snoopy, Martha Stewart, Victor Newman, and Johnny Depp.  Everybody in our family does it now, so it tickles me to be able to do it with JS and CG.  A couple of years ago, I read an article in Oprah magazine about one of the columnist's mothers doing the same thing; she had saved them for the article.  Her tags were much older and looked vintage.  I especially loved the article because I'd never heard of anybody else's mom doing it except mine.

I scanned a fiew of this year's tags just for laughs. 

Christmas Night

Where I stashed the presents until the kids were asleep:

The presents after "Santy Claus" visited:

After it was all over:

A Christmas picture:

Merry Christmas!  xoxo

Edited to include closeups of my Martha Stewart-inspired bows.  I am still the gift wrapping queen, yes?!

Bedtime on Christmas Eve

Another year of new PJs, and only a few more minutes of being good (whew)!

Good Christmas Eve

It's a beautifully lazy morning around here.  Cup of coffee #2 coming up (in the holiday mug, of course).  A little more wrapping (ok, a LOT), and if the gods are with me then I'll be sneaking in a quick trip to the scrapbook store if they're open.

Our tree has more decorations now than in the last picture, and I was messin' with some of the camera settings.  Later I am going to try out the zoom lens and see how it works (never have used it and have had it over a year now).

Enjoy your Christmas Eve!  xoxoxo

On the Eve of Christmas Eve

ALERT:  This post was authentically typed on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009.  It is not backdated, nor has the posting time been altered by this blog's author.  heeeeeeeee!

Stayed up last night until 1:10 a.m. getting started on the wrapping.  I had about 12 left to wrap.  Apparently, my propensity for self-punishment has peaked...........because today I went and bought MORE to wrap.  All righty then.  Earlier in the evening I made meatloaf so we'll have something to eat in the next few days that isn't turkey flavored, turkey colored, or shaped like a turkey.

Even though I almost overslept, I cleaned up the kitchen and started the dishwasher before I came to work. I wore my festive Christmas tree earrings and I can already feel my earlobes swelling due to the extremely cheap (and probably poisonous) faux metal used to make the hoop part.  I've gotten lots of compliments on them, though!

Tonight the kids and I will go on our traditional "Christmas Lights" outing.  We make usually hot chocolate to take with us, but since it's warming up today, we might get a frosty instead. 

Looking forward to having a four day weekend.  At our Christmas luncheon last week, the bosses gave us Christmas Eve off!!  What an unexpected surprise.  I think I will sleep in and then hoping to make sugar cookies with the kids and force them into their new Christmas clothes and stand in front of the tree so I can take some MORE pictures of them pouting.  Hope Santy Claus makes a note of that (LOL).

Enjoy the next few days; it's going to be over before we know it. 

Batch Two In Da Box

The Christmas cards are completed!  I put them in the box of the main post office before 8:30 a.m.

Again, I have one more photo to support my claim, and it'll be posted when I get a chance to download (upload?) the pictures from the digi cam.

Edited: Batch 2 Photos

Festive decorations? Check!

Now..... I wrap.  ;-)

Real Life Sunday

Why is it during the holidays that all that pesky laundry and housework doesn't go away?  Sheesh, I can't stand for it to pile up, but who has time to keep it current?!  The kids are out of school for 2 weeks, so that frees me up in the morning before work.  I do errands on my lunch hour and swear I'm going to bed early, just one night, and then spring up early - you know, like at 5:00 a.m. - to finish up loose ends.  Oh yeah, THAT'LL happen.

But my snooze alarm has been working against me.  I think it's in cahoots with the cold weather.  :)

Batch One Mailed Out!

On Saturday, batch one of the holiday cards went buh-bye with our  mailman.  I do have photographic evidence of said batch one, but it'll have to be added later since I am backdating the posts.  *wink*

Batch two will be going out on Monday.  Later than I wanted, but celebrating that they're done.

Edited: Batch 1 Photo

But are we noticing some ornaments in the background that aren't hung yet? Let's overlook those!

Office Christmas Luncheon

We had our Christmas luncheon today at the office, and hooooo boy!  Pass the Alka Seltzer!  Except there would be absolutely nowhere in my body that it could go because the rest of it is filled with food and drink.  Italian catering, two dishes of petit fours and other tiny delectable desserts, plus champagne and birthday cake celebrating Oct., Nov. and Dec. birthdays.  The theme was Christmas Around The World, and each part of the luncheon was from a different country and a tradition from that country.  It was fun!  Each of us got a Christmas cracker, the paper popper with little toys inside.  They all had tissue paper crowns, and every single person wore theirs.  Mine also included a cellophane fish with a little chart.  You laid it on the palm of your hand, and depending on what the fish did, the chart told what it meant.  Some of the answers were "passionate," "fickle," "independent," or "in love." 

One of the most laid-back, fun and delicious Christmas parties I've ever been to!!!!

Christmas Book Exchange

JS is having a book exchange for the class Christmas party.  I went to Barnes & Noble on the lunch hour, and found a copy of this book

This was one of my favorite books in elementary school. I wanted to be one of the boxcar children! I hope whoever gets the book will enjoy it. I'll probably get the hardback version to read with JS and CG.

PS - Still gazing at Batch 2 of the you-know-whats ;-0

Holiday Program

Caroline's class was featured in the school's Holiday Program tonight. It was about dogs and cats learning to be friends, and she was one of the kittens.  She had 3 "lines" and got to be chased off stage by one of the puppies.  Then at the end, she was the kitten who shook hands with the puppy first.  Can you say OMG!   I got a lot of cute photos, but there are so many other kids in them, and I don't have anyone's permission to post them.  So I cropped this one of CG and hope it turns out:

I didn't post a Christmas tree picture when I posted about Granny's visit. It's not all the way decorated and it's still so pretty.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
Got home just in time to catch NCIS.  Tired out; therefore, the second batch of Christmas cards will have to wait.

xoxo

New Scrapbooking Links

 I've added some new links to my list of "Scrapbooking Websites & Blogs"

Just because I'm too lazy to list them all out here doesn't mean that they aren't fabulous!  You can click on them and check them out for yourself.  You won't be disappointed if you're looking for inspiration..... there is so much talent out there.

Hoping to be back later with pictures of Caroline's holiday choral program!

Step by Holiday Step

Got twenty - 20 - Christmas cards addressed, signed, labeled, and mailed out.  It occurred to me in the midst of writing them out that nobody would know or care if I didn't mail the entire batch all at one time.  Wonder why I didn't think of that about 10 years ago?

Fluff Post Featuring the Color Red

This is a picture of John Sam behaving when we were getting ready to go to Disney on Caroline's birthday. 

This is Caroline modeling her new birthday dress and socks.

"Life Artistes"

This scrapbook page is not an original, but is based on a Making Memories vintage kit.  I adapted this from a layout they featured on the back of the package.

Angel for Christmas Tree

Two years ago, Tokyo physically battered the Battenberg lace angel that Andrea Crews made me.  I was so ticked, but I was able to salvage some of it.  It's got dog slobber on it, and part of the purple flower is chewed off.  I still keep it, cause I love Andi, but it's past time for a new one.  I've never found one I liked until I was at (wait for it) K-mart.  Beading, ivory, and looks vintage, which I love!  They had pastel blue & green, and a white version also.  I can hardly wait to start this year's new angel topper tradition.

Birthday and Christmas in One Day

Granny came to visit us and celebrate Caroline's birthday and early Christmas!  So many presents for both kids, they were in hog heaven.  We sang Happy Birthday, ate at Red Lobster, and opened the presents.  Everybody got a li'l something! Highlights:

We've decided Caroline's Indian name is Tiger Lily.  Don't miss the clenched fist there on her left hand.  Otherwise, a very cute photograph.

So kind of you

not to inquire about the Christmas cards.  Nope, still not done.  But maybe this weekend?

Parenting

You know you're a parent when:

• You start going through other peoples' trash to collect box tops and soda can tabs for various school fundraisers.
• You stay up past your grownup bedtime to divvy up the box tops and can tabs so that each of your kids' classrooms can get the same amount of credit for donating.
• You separate the Christmas ornaments (breakable vs. unbreakable) so the kids can put some ornaments on the tree, too.  :)
• You realize that sometimes it's just better to buy two of most things.
• You're not exactly sure how, but a brand new bottle of shampoo can turn up empty after one long, luxurious bath, and it doesn't even faze you.
• If you go for two weeks without doing laundry, you will very grouchy when catching up.
• You start worrying about the lyrics in the music on the radio.
• You cheat on the blog posting by using the change the date feature, because even though you didn't actually post the entries on the exact day, you did have them in your head so that counts.
• You serve dinners like this with grilled chicken and nothing else:

Holiday Decorations

I'm about halfway done getting out the Christmas decor.  I've always loved unpacking holiday stuff.  I'm going to put all the Christmas CDs I have onto my iTunes and then the hard drive.  All the boxes are in from the garage, and the rest of it will keep 'cause now I am into bed.  Pictures tomorrow, of course~

<3 and xoxo

Tired Puppies

That's what we are after our second trip to Disney to celebrate Caroline's birthday!  We didn't get rained on at all, and it wasn't hot.  In the shade it was a little cooler than I like to be, but the Birthday Girl didn't mind. We lucked out with the lines again--the longest one was at Peter Pan's Flight and I think it was still under 30 minutes.  A few things we did this time that we didn't do last time:  riding the tram from the parking lot, Carousel of Progress, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion. Next time I'll totally pass on Space Mountain.  Also skipped Small World and Mad Tea Party. Cinderella's Castle was gorgeous in the dark!! 

Happy Birthday to Caroline~

Caroline is SEVEN!!

Happy 7th Birthday to Caroline Grace!

Her daddy noticed last night that she was sleeping with her umbrella instead of the beauty mask to block the light. (I guess I should quit slacking and get her a new lightbulb, eh?) We took turns taking pictures and Sam even arranged her purse, gloves & hat to look like she'd come home from a big social event. LOL! She didn't even think of waking up.

Later we'll go to Disney in the rain. We'll have fun no matter what! xoxoxo

Christmas Cards Day 3

Instead of starting on my Christmas cards last night, I helped John Sam with his multiplication project.  He did a good job on it!  Then after they (finally) went to bed, I checked on them and took some pictures of Caroline.  She's been using a different light for her night light, but it's too bright.  Little Green has a quick fix for that problem.

Christmas Cards Day 2

Went to JC Penney and Claire's Boutique right after work last night; got home late and kids went to bed late.  Luckily, my cards are already organized.  And still waiting for me.

Christmas Cards Day 1

Look how organized I am! Everything all in one place and ready to dig in -

Full Moon on December 1

Loving the full moon tonight--looks gauzy with the layer of fog.

6,000th Viewer of the Blog

Just so happens I'm view number 6,000 on the blog.   Monthly posts are down this month, so you know next month it's going to be auto posting time!  I believe I'm going to have a lot to post coming up.

I'm having a grand time going through the holiday flyers and checking out the doorbusters that were last Friday, ha.  Very cute stuff out there and Santa's lists from our house are getting longer, longer, longer!

See ya on December 1~

Happy Birthday Grayson!

Look who's three!  :)

Skye Nina's hair really is NOT on fire, but it looks like it was in this picture!  Funny!

It appears a few of the Littles have forgotten Santa Claus is watching!!

There are more pictures, but I am dozing off as I type... kiss hug kiss hug

Married Ten Years

I can't let a big milestone pass by without mention.  Today is our 10th wedding anniversary.  Four of my favorite photos of us are in a large frame hanging near my desk.  They span 1997-2004.  (The photo of the photos isn't that great, but the flash kept bouncing off the glass, so I had to angle the camera.)

Thanksgiving Montage Featuring Three Out of Four

The day is Thanksgiving and the year is 2009. John Sam and Caroline are ready to eat!  Scratch on John Sam's cheek courtesy of Caroline and her penchant for self-defense. 

Thankful for (who stands just like his daddy)

and for (who models brand new lip gloss)

Kids are thankful for this tradition (which coincidentally happens to be the reason they're STILL not asleep at 11:07 pm)

I am thankful for the following pictures.  The last ones I took of the three of them were in 2005 when I got my first little digital camera.  I had to cajole just a little bit - but you already know I'm not above doing that.  ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving!  xoxo

Thanksgiving Food Prep

I'm pretty handy in the kitchen, but only a select few folks know this.  Here's the *proof* I can make edible stuff! I did forget to take a picture of my Sweet Potato Casserole . . . but I hear it was realllllllly tasty!

The fruits of my labor!  Fran's World Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies!