Random Wrap-up in Pictures

Hey y'all, I have a bunch of pics I meant to show you this month that I never quite got around to posting. So, I'm doing a December wrap-up in pictures.

All these pics are clickable and
a bigger version will open in another window.
I'm not sure what prompted this.
This rainbow was amazing. The complete arc was visible.


Butterball is growing so quickly.

Gabe and his dog Jack
Gabe's papier mache volcano...a Christmas present.
I got this adorable ornament from my pal in Wistful Girl's ornamentexchange. Sadly, I don't know who to thank. Can anyone help?
The tree and gifts
Ninja Bread Men courtesy of Marty and Joey
Gabe and me during our night out
Vic and Gabe during our night out

Gabe HighPants
Gabe can spell his name and a number of other words.
Freddy is healthy and thriving. He evengave us a Christmas present...a dead mousie.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A night out via text messages...

Last night, the kids, Vic, and I went out for pizza and then went to a movie. We went to CiCi's pizza for dinner and Vic was jamming to the background music...air guitars were involved.  And, when the kids objected to the air guitar, I yelled for "More cowbells." Once I explained the "More cowbells", the kids were amused enough that they started requesting other air instruments...the trumpet, the sax, etc.  I think the music was causing flashbacks to the 70s because, while playing the air sax, Vic started sucking in instead of blowing out. As outstanding and respected a citizen as Vic is now, well, back in the 70s he didn't just experiment but he was into full fledged research and development. I was in an extremely silly mood and sent out a few texts during dinner. Initials are used instead of names to protect the innocent...

Text 1: Out with the family for pizza and a movie. Do I still remember how to behave in public?
PR re T1: LOL Have a blast!!!! :)
HR re T1: Doubtful!
MMM re T1: Don't embarrass the boys please LOL!
KB re T1: As long as you don't throw Goobers at the dweebs in the row ahead of you, you're good to go! :)
KS re T1: I know you'll be fine. Woot for getting out for a family date.
DCW re T1: Lol I always drink heavily so it goes smoothly. Works EVERY time!
Text 2: Does playing the air cowbell to the background music count as embarrassing the kids?
HR re T2: Yes yes it does but...I need more cowbell!
DCW re T2: Oh yes! As does walking in front of em doin the running man or shaking your booty lol
KS re T2: To be sure!! Do it!!
-----to KS: Already done as is confusing the air saw with the air bong
----------back to me: lmao
PR re T2: Nah...bring it on!
-----to PR: How about confusing the air sax with an air bong...is that embarrassing?
MMM re T2: Yes. LOL!
KB re T2: Most definitely. Lol
LH re T1 and T2: You make me chuckle. Happy holiday to u and your fam, Kristin.
BH re T2: No! That's awesome!
-----to BH: Then I guess you would have liked the air sax being mistaken for an air bong?
----------back to me: I would have died laughing. Tell me you have a picture.

So, do y'all misbehave like this when you go out ordo you behave?

A Letter to Santa

As y'all know, poor Gabey was sick over Christmas. On Christmas eve, Joey did something for Gabe that helped him feel a little better. Despite having figured out the secret of Santa, Joey decided to foster the the wonder and spirit of the season in his little brother. Joey helped Gabe write a letter to Santa that they left on Christmas tree. This was what the letter said...

Dear Santa,

Hi Santa! Did you like the cookies we made you? We made them homemade and frosted them by ourselves! Make sure Rudolph gets the carrots and make sure he shares them with all the other reindeer. Thank you for the presents.

Love, Gabriel

written by Joey

Of course, Santa loved the letter and he wrote a letter back and left it on the tree for Gabriel. This is what the letter back said...

Dear Gabriel,

Thank you so much for the note. Not many kids remember to thank me for the presents and it really means a lot to me. The cookies were delicious and the reindeer enjoyed their treat too. I have to hurry and finish my travels tonight. I still have quite a few presents to deliver. But, by the time you read this note, I should be almost done delivering gifts for this year. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Ho Ho Ho

Love, Santa

Maybe this will become a yearly tradition. I thought it was such a sweet thing for Joey to think of and Gabe was so tickled to get a letter back from Santa.

Perfect Moment Monday: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Welcome to Perfect Moment Monday sponsored by Lori over at Write Mind Open Heart (formerly Weebles Wobblog). Lori says that "Perfect Moment Monday is more about noticing a perfect moment than about creating one. Perfect moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between."

We had snow today. Now, for some of you, snow in December isn't a momentous occasion. Here in NC, not only does it rarely snow a significant amount in December, but it is never those gloriously wet fluffy flakes that pack together to make a perfect snowball. WE GOT THAT KIND OF SNOW. The snow started falling Christmas night and it took until about 4 am today for the snow to start covering the roads. We woke up to a winter wonderland and the snow was still falling.

Every time we get snow, the boys want to build a snowman and, every time, we manage to make a pile of snow that we can stick a face on but it isn't a real snowman and it leaves us vaguely unsatisfied. NOT THIS YEAR! This was the perfect snow for rolling snowballs across the yard and piling them into snowmen. I got to build not one, not two, but three fabulous snowmen. Even Gabe rallied long enough to join us outdoors and help on the snowmen for a little while. Not only did we get to have fun in the snow but each of my boys (even the teen) was happy to play in the snow with mom.All these pics are clickable and
a bigger version will open in another window.





Go check out the other perfect moments at this week's Perfect Moment Monday on Write Mind Open Heart.

Merry Christmas Y'all

I hope you are having a wonderful time with those you hold dear. Despite scrimping and saving and counting pennies, this has shaped up into one of the better Christmases in recent memory.


Sorry I have been so scarce these past few days but I have had a sick little guy. Poor Gabey is spending Christmas sick and pukey. I thought he was well by yesterday afternoon but he had a relapse last night. I hope he feels well enough by present opening time to really enjoy himself.

Lessons I Learned While My Kids Were Gone

While my kids were out of town visiting my parents, I made some startling observations and learned some very important lessons. In fact, I think these lessons are so important, I am going to share them with you.

1. Contrary to what Toy Story teaches us, when toys are picked up and put away, they do not climb down off their shelves or crawl out of toy boxes and scatter themselves through a room.
2. Toothpaste does not spread itself across the bathroom counters.
3. I will not drowned in the shower without close supervision from a 5 year old. In fact, not only did I not drowned, I got completely and thoroughly clean.
4. I am fully capable of going to the bathroom without assistance from kids and dogs.

So, what are some of your favorite observations (smart-assed or otherwise) about life?

Perfect Moment Monday: Peace and Quiet and Love

Welcome to Perfect Moment Monday sponsored by Lori over at Write Mind Open Heart (formerly Weebles Wobblog). Lori says that "Perfect Moment Monday is more about noticing a perfect moment than about creating one. Perfect moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between."

Today was awesome and I have the best parents in the universe. While those two statements might not always be related, they definitely are in this case. Every year, my parents take my kids Christmas shopping so they have a chance to buy each other presents and so they can buy us a secret present. While that is awesome enough, this year, they invited all 3 boys to come down to their house for 2 days. This morning at 11, my dad arrived to pick up the boys. The boys spent the early part of the day providing my parents with a not pf slave labor.  They helped do yard work and other things. Then, they got to do their shopping. While my dad was picking up the boys, my mom was driving west of here to pick up my 2 nieces. My nieces are spending tonight with a friend and tomorrow all 5 cousins are hanging out with their grandparents. I think this whole moment exemplifies a perfect moment of love.

The love and generosity my parents have for their grandchildren allowed me to have a few perfect moments of peace and quiet today. I actually had a chance to take a shower uninterrupted by "Moooooommmmmm, make him stop doing x, y, or z" or "I'm telling on you." Not only did I take a long, lovely, hot shower but I got to shave my legs too. Wooohooooo! Then, I actually got to take a nap. I drifted off to sleep and was able to sleep as long as I wanted instead of setting an alarm or worrying about what the kids were getting into.

Thank you mom and dad for the series of perfect moments you gave me.

Go check out the other perfect moments at this week's Perfect Moment Monday on Write Mind Open Heart.

A Cruz Christmas

I just realized that I haven't shown you pictures of my tree or any of the other fun holiday pictures I've taken. All these pics are clickable and will open in another window. I am thrilled with the way our tree turned out. It may not be a designer tree but each and every ornament on there means something to us.Santa Gabe
Santa Gabe, Santa Joey, and Butterball
Santa Marty places the angel
Santa Grinch and the Christmas balloon
Our tree in all its glory
our angel
our angel all lit up

Butterball couldn't resist the treeDo you have any pictures you would like to share? Leave a link, I'd love to check them out.

Crafty Christmas

I'm sorry I've been so scarce these last few days. My schedule finally caught up with me and it's taken all my energy to not crash and burn.

The snow/bad weather day we had yesterday was a blessing in disguise. Sadly, we didn't get enough snow to even go out and play in it. However, not having to drive places gave me time to get a little bit of holiday baking done and gave me a chance to get Joey and Gabe to help me make teacher presents. The holiday baking was necessary because I was ever so brilliant and signed up to bring in a special Christmas snack for Gabe's preschool class. We made the candy from the Wilton's Christmas Candy Mega Kit. So Gabe could help, I didn't paint the candy into the molds. We just squeezed it in and made them all tri-colored. After Gabe went to bed, I made sugar cookie bars and mint chocolate chip bars.The teacher's presents turned out excellently. I bought a set of clear glass Christmas ornaments. We popped the tops off the ornaments, squeezed 3 colors of paint into each one, and rotated them around until the paint completely covered the inside of each ornament. When they were completely painted, we drained out all the extra paint. We put two ornaments into a Christmas mug for each teacher.


I also made some uber-cool paper ornaments but they are on their way to my ornament exchange partner so I'll show you them later.

Have y'all done any cool Christmas crafts or baking yet?

He's eating!!!

Our kitty, Freddy, is eating on his own. He beat the vet's goal by 24 hours. He might actually make it through this! I am so excited. Thank you for all the prayers and positive thoughts.

I have a new title...

For the next few days (at least), I have the job and title of kitty nurse. Marty's kitty, Freddy, our big orange goofball, is really sick.
I ended up taking him to the emergency vet tonight. Freddy was out of sorts for a while after Max died. He was mourning and not eating much. Then, he seemed to be back to normal but, I noticed he had lost a substantial amount of weight which I chalked up to him not eating while he was mourning.  A few days ago, he was back to hiding and being anti-social. When he was out, I noticed his eyes were a bit goopy and I thought he had caught a cold. A little research told me that when cats can't smell their food, they sometimes won't eat and, over a long enough period of time, that can cause liver problems. So, earlier this evening, I went on the hunt for Freddy because it had been almost a day since i saw him out and about. I was concerned about his lack of eating and figured I could syringe feed him some liquid kitten food. I was really alarmed when I found him because he seemed totally listless and I felt something weird on his neck when I tipped his head back to feed him. Off to the vets we went. Joey went with me (Marty stayed home because he doesn't deal well with things like that).

When we got to the vet's office, we found out the poor kitty had lost over 1/3 of his body weight and, yes, their was some sort of mass near the front of his throat. The vet was truly concerned if was a tumor or serious damage to his esophagus.  Best case scenario was that it was an abscess but she didn't think that was likely.  I honestly thought we might be looking at imminent euthanasia. Joey was in almost in tears. I was near tears. And, on top of that, I was panicking about the cost. I felt like shit worrying about the money but such is my reality. We were all thrilled that it turned out to be an abscess. The abscess was putting pressure on Freddy's throat and making him unwilling to eat or drink. Freddy still isn't out of the woods.  There is a chance the infection might have spread too far or that there is another cause but, we are hoping and praying the treatment for the abscess will allow him to recover. 

So, for the next few days, I am a full time kitty nurse.  I need to force feed him a 12 cc syringe filled with food at least 6 times a day. I also have to clean his abscess (eeeeeeewwwwww) and encourage it to drain a few times a day.  The vet says that hopefully in 2 to 3 days he will be starting to do better and, if not, there is something bigger and more serious going on and we may have to consider putting him down.  Please say a prayer for Marty's kitty.

The Birth of a Volcano

We had Gabe's birthday party this last weekend. As I always do, I let him pick what kind of cake he wanted. It wasn't any great surprise that Gabe wanted a volcano cake. And, it couldn't be a picture of a volcano. It had to be a 3-D volcano.  Here is the birth of a volcano in pictures...and, of course, a bunch of words.

I made the base of the cake out of a standard 9 x 13 cake pan. The volcano was made out of a cake baked in this mixing bowl...When you are baking such a deep cake, you need a way to evenly conduct the heat to the center of the cake. Without that, the edges would be almost charred by the time the center was solid. To take care of that, get a metal can, remove both ends, wash thoroughly, and completely grease the inside and out. Place the can in the middle of the pan and then pour in the cake batter. After it bakes, slide the piece of cake out of the can and place it back into the cake before frosting it...or, if you are making a volcano, keep the piece out because it makes a great crater.Place the dome cake on top of the sheet cake and chill thoroughly. A cold cake is easier to shape.Once the cake is shaped, apply a thin layer of frosting to contain the crumbs. Then start decorating. Frosting the grass was the first decorating I did.I then made a deep brown frosting to cover the volcano.Plain brown looked too fake. I added a few drips of black food coloring around the volcano and spread it into the frosting to give it some texture.Then, I added the lava. Once again, a solid color looked too fake. So, I added a bit of yellow food coloring to the surface of the red lava and that added a bit of a sheen and a little orange. I think it looked a lot better.

Next, came the words. I was out of frosting bags and couldn't find my lettering tip. So, I cut a tiny snip off the corner of a ziploc bag and used it to pipe on the words.
Gabe loved it and had a wonderful party.

Get an autobot for your kitchen...

Actually, there are a number of blogs giving away the ultra-fabulous Tassimo T20 Brewbot. Not only will it look sleek and fabulous in your kitchen but it makes everything from coffee to tea to cocoa...yum yum. These giveaways are closing soon so check them out.

The Twinners Reviews & Giveaways

Our Kids Mom

ABCDDiaries

Whats That Buzz

The Mommyologist

That Tech Chick

In One Ear

The true story behind the angel on top of the tree

Today, I want to share with you the *true story of how it became tradition to have an angel on top of the Christmas tree.

The true story behind the angel on top of the tree or
How Saint Nick lost his Saint

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...wait a minute. That is DEFINITELY not the right story intro. Oh well, let me try again.

Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, Saint Nick was preparing for one of the first modern celebrations of Christmas. He had his elves hard at work building the presents for all the good little girls and boys. Mrs. St. Nick was working hard in the kitchen and Saint Nick, well, he was getting ready to put up the very first Christmas tree. Now, given that Christmas was a celebration of Jesus's birth, God decided he needed to send an angel down to supervise the prep work. He especially wanted his angel to watch over the decorating of the first Christmas tree since he knew it would forever after be a symbol of his son's day.

Now, sadly, history has lost the record of exactly which angel God sent down to help Saint Nick. Considering what happened, perhaps that is for the best.

Saint Nick was happily humming Christmas hymns while he was selecting decorations to put on the towering fir tree he had dragged into his living room. All of a sudden, he was blinded by a flash of light. When his eyes finally cleared, an angel, one of God's holiest messengers, was standing there. At first, Saint Nick was thrilled to have the advice of this angel. He wanted to make sure the tree was a proper tribute to the Christ child. Despite the positive start, the situation rapidly degenerated. Saint Nick would pick up a green ribbon. The angel would demand gold. Saint Nick would set the lights on the tree twinkling and the angel would demand he make then stop. E.V.E.R.Y. single thing Saint Nick chose would be contradicted by the angel. Yet, Saint Nick persevered and after hours and hours of aggravation he was almost done. All he had left to choose was a decoration for the top of the tree. Giving it much thought and much consideration, Saint Nick decided he should put a star on top of the first Christmas tree. After all, the three wise men were led to the baby Jesus by a star. What could be more perfect?

Well, that's all it took to set the angel off. From the angel's reaction, you would have thought Saint Nick's selection of a star was a personal affront to heaven itself. "A star doesn't have sufficient majesty. A star isn't what began the tale. We angels were present throughout the story of Jesus's birth." And it went on and on and on. Finally, Saint Nick had lost it. He looked straight at the angel and yelled, "Fine, you don't want my damn star. You think an angel is the only decoration that represents the majesty of this story. Then dammit, we'll put an angel on top of the tree." With that, Saint Nick grabbed the angel in one hand, the tree in the other, and he shoved the tree straight up the angel's ass.

Thus, the tradition of using an angel on top of tree began...and Saint Nick lost his right to be called Saint, forever after being called Santa Claus.



*at least the true story according to Vic

My poor, poor boy...

Oh man, last night my heart was just breaking for Joey. On the way back from TKD, he was looking sad and I asked if he was ok. When I asked him, he said no and started crying about how much he missed Max. He then asked me what word I was using when I had explained why I thought Max had died. I was explaining that I said I thought he had a congenital defect in his brain that caused him to have a stroke basically a problem he was born with. Well, he managed to get his emotions under control and, when we got home, we put the lights on the tree. Then, around bedtime, Joey was having a "missing Max" moment right and ended up sobbing and sobbing.  Then he said, "Mom, two nights before he died, I was holding Max and bouncing him in my arms. When he jumped down, he hit his head hard on the shelf. I think I caused Max's death." My poor dear boy.  He has such a gentle soul and would never, ever willingly hurt someone and he's been thinking he contributed to his cat's death. That just breaks my heart.  I assured him that the type of bump a cat would have gotten from jumping out of someone's arms would never cause damage to the brain. Joey then said "But what if he did have a congenital problem...maybe that bump could have caused it to be a problem." I reassured him that to do that kind of damage to a cat;s brain that there would have probably been external damage.  I also told him that the fact that Max misjudged a jump so badly probably meant something was already going wrong and we just didn't realize it. Joey said he still felt like it was his fault. I asked him if he had regularly played with Max like that and he said yes. I also asked him if Max usually liked that play and if he had ever fallen or hit his head when Joey played with him like that before this time.  He said no. So, I told Joey that what he did caused no harm to Max and that his playing with Max probably made him feel loved and taken care of. Joey was still crying pretty badly so I asked him if hearing this all from Vic would help (because two people telling you something always makes it more legitimate). Hearing the same reassurances from Vic seemed to help and he calmed down enough to sleep.  I feel so bad for my poor sweet boy.

WTF?!?

I tested all the lights before I put them on the tree. 2 strand worked perfectly and the third strand had a "dead" section. So, I started at the top with the ones that worked. With the help of Marty and the almost 6 extra inches of height, we got the angel on the tree and started winding the lights around the tree. The two working strands didn't quite make it to the bottom of the tree but I figured it would be ok to use the partially working strand around the bottom. We got them all on and were so excited to light the tree up. I plugged it in, stepped back, and said "WTF?!?"

The angel is lit. The partially working strand worked out perfectly around the bottom. In between the angel and the partially working strand, NOTHING...NADA...ZILCH. That's right folks. The two strands that were fully lit on testing were fully dark on the tree. Obviously, electricity was making it through...light at the very top and at the bottom. I checked all the connections and one of the two previously working but now dead strands of lights decided to join the brightly lit crew again.  Nothing I tried got the last strand working so I guess I have to go try and find a strand of lights tomorrow.

The gremlins have taken over and so far they are winning.

I am blessed...

We've been through a lot over the years. There has been a career ending injury and the devastating financial blow that produced. There have been medical emergencies (you know how docs always say there is only a 5 to 10% chance of...we are that 5 to 10 %). There has been pregnancy loss after pregnancy loss. Despite all that, I truly believe I am blessed.

I am married to my soulmate, a man who would do anything to take care of me. He makes me laugh. He makes me feel safe.  He makes me feel loved.

I have 3 fabulous children. They are kind and smart and strong and funny. I can put our losses in the background because I simply can not imagine life without any one of them.

Despite the career ending injury and ensuing financial hardship, we have always had a roof over our heads and Vic has always had a job to go to.

I have friends who would do anything they can for me and my family, up to and including arriving on our doorstep when they could tell I needed them.

Dealing with infertility lead me to find the wonderful blogging community and that has enriched my life in more ways than I can even begin to mention. 

Sure, there are days I wish I had more and could do more for others.  Overall, though, I am truly blessed and want for very little.

This is the season of holidays. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Ramadan, this is a holy season and time to recognize our blessings.  Heck, even if you aren't religious, this is a season for family gatherings and celebrations. I hope all of you can take a moment to recognize your blessings and maybe share a few of the things that are special in your life.

Random and scattered...

Not only does the kitten climb the Christmas tree but he sleeps in it. Evidently, he has spent a considerable chunk of time in it because he has a sticky, tree sappy spot on his flank.

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Just got a text message that made me grin from ear to ear. I made a dress for someone based solely on measurements, she got it today, and she LOVES it. I am thrilled. Hopefully, I will have pictures to show you of it soon.

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I'm adjusting to Vic being back on night shifts. It's not horrible anymore but it's not wonderful. On the plus side (and this is a HUGE plus), since he has been out of the office and back in front of a 911 console, his blood sugar levels have been much better.

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It's going to be a weird Christmas, schedule -wise. Vic will be working those nights but we will be able to open presents together Christmas morning.

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Remember that quilt I was talking to y'all about? It is about 90% assembled and I will hopefully have the machine quilting done by the weekend and next week I can start the hand quilted motifs (a leaf, a squirrel, a turkey, an acorn, a pumpkin, and either a corn on the cob or an apple).

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Go over to Wistfulgirl's World and sign up for the ornament exchange. I'm making some absolutely FAB ornaments for the person I get matched with.

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Anyone want to go climb up on my roof with me so I can have help putting up the Christmas lights and fixing the spot around the fan vent that is letting in water? I can do it but I get very nervous on the part of the roof with the steep slope.

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What are you baking for Christmas this year?  I make Spritz, sugar cookies, rum balls, and fattigman (a Swedish version of gingerbread).  I also make coffee cake.  I'm debating adding a new, fun cookie to the mix but I just can't decide.  And, no, all the baking isn't just for us.  When I was little, my mom use to bake up a storm and take plates around to friends.  I do that now and I try to always have a plate of goodies to take to our local fire station for the guys that are stuck on duty Christmas Eve.

The Brat

Do you see this sweet, innocent face...
Behind that face hides a spoiled, rotten brat dog. Yesterday, I was on the phone with my friend Rys and it was getting close to 3:30, school pick-up time.  I started to say good-bye, explaining that I had to go.  As I was saying good-bye, I looked down and Jolie was standing there with her patented "Oooooh, we get to go  I get to go A ride, puhleeze" look on her face. I shook my head and said "You area brat, dog." Well, evidently, my acknowledging her presence translated into "You can come" in her doggy brain, so she headed for the door.  Jolie got about half-way there and stopped to look at me as if to say HURRY THE HELL UP.  So, I started singing "Jolie is a brat dog, a brat dog, a brat dog. Jolie is a brat dog..." and she interrupted with Arooorooorooo. I haven't decided if she was telling me to hurry up or if she was telling me to shut up and be nice.  Which do you think it was?

Some animals live in volcanoes

A conversation in my living room...


Gabe: "Some animals live in volcanoes."
Me: "No, they don't."
Gabe: "Yes, some animals live in volcanoes."
Me: because I don't feel like arguing "Ok, some animals live in volcanoes."
Ben (Marty's friend): "They do? Which ones?"
Gabe: "Some cows do."
Me: "Cows live in volcanoes?"
Gabe: "Some do."
Me and Ben: "Why do cows live in volcanoes?"
Gabe ignores this question
Ben: "What do they eat?"
Gabe: "Hot lava."
Ben: "Why do they eat hot lava?"
Gabe: in a well, duh, why don't you know this tone "Because they're stupid that way."

Perfect Moment Monday: Happy Birthday to me

Welcome to Perfect Moment Monday sponsored by Lori over at Write Mind Open Heart (formerly Weebles Wobblog). Lori says that "Perfect Moment Monday is more about noticing a perfect moment than about creating one. Perfect moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between."

I'm 41 today. For a lot of people, that wouldn't be a reason to celebrate but, for me, it's pretty damned perfect. I am surrounded in real life and in cyber space by people I love. I have the tree up (not quite decorated though) and, with the exception of the house needing a good vacuuming, the house is in decent shape. Sure, I have to teach Marty today but, with that sole exception, the day is mine to spend as I please. That is a perfect moment if I ever saw one. Happy Birthday to me.

Go check out the other perfect moments at this week's Perfect Moment Monday on Write Mind Open Heart.

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Oh yeah...can y'all stop by the post below and wish Gabe a happy birthday if you haven't had the chance? Thanks a million...y'all rock!

Return to the land of the living

Can any of you explain to me why the same cold that barely slowed Gabe down has been seriously kicking my ass? I think their must be a cosmic rule somewhere that says if a cold doesn't incapacitate a preschooler then it has to seriously beat down the adults. With massive amounts of sleep, a bit of theraflu, and a few days under my belt, I think I've recovered enough to return to my blogging adventure in full force.

Until today, I got very little done this weekend. Today, we did get out today and bought Gabe some much needed shoes (omg, he has grown so much) and bought our Christmas tree. I had planned on putting up our outdoor lights this weekend but the little bit of snow and the north wind that has been whipping today convinced me to wait a few days. We did get our tree up and we're giving it a day to let the branches settle out so we can fully cover it with ornaments.


Butterball has decided to help out a bit and is adding his minuscule weight to the job at hand...

I think this is going to be an interesting Christmas season and I hope we don't lose too many ornaments to the Butterball express.  So far he's been up the tree 3 times in just a few hours.

I also did one of my least favorite household tasks.  I sorted through Gabe's drawers and pulled out everything he had out grown and unpacked the clothes that are one size up. Most of his clothes are size 6s but that means he either has to have an adjustable waist or a belt. Hehehehe, even with an adjustable waist, one of his pairs of pants was almost still to big. You know how the adjustable waist pants have the elastic with button holes in it?  Well, I took it all the way in to the 11th button hole on the both sides.  There was still a little more give than completely necessary in that waistband. Speaking of Gabe, can y'all stop by the post below and wish him a happy birthday? It would mean a lot to me and it would just give him the biggest thrill to see all the birthday wishes.

So, have you decorated for the holidays? Have you finished your shopping? What's your favorite gift you've picked out for someone?  Inspire me please.

Birthday Video

My darling Gabriel, I simply can not believe you are five years old. There were days, my boy, that I wondered if we'd ever get you here. But, then daddy and I were granted our miracle and, 5 years ago today, you came into the world squalling and screaming. You've grown into a sweet, wonderful handful and I treasure every single moment I have with you. Happy Birthday my beautiful boy!

Happy Birthday Gabeycakes!

Happy Happy Birthday to my beautiful, wonderful miracle boy!  I am working on a video/slideshow and will have it up later today.

Happy December Y'all...

It was so hard to wait when I found these delicious little video gems but I made myself wait until December because I could not join the people who jumped the gun with Christmas stuff. I was searching for Star Wars stuff for my kids and stumbled across the youTube links for these Star Wars Lego Christmas videos. They tickled my funny bone and I hope they do the same for you.

Happy December my fellow Geeks!

Random Thoughts from a Scattered MInd

I'm still not going to bed on time. When Vic is at work, it seems pointless and, when he's home, I want to hang out. The lack of sleep is kicking my butt.

Emotionally, I'm dealing better with him working nights. PMS can seriously screw with your emotions.

I am having so much fun making that dress for my friend. I absolutely adore the pattern and I am going to get it in my size. I LOVE the pattern. For inquiring minds, I'm making pattern 4790 from Butterick. I'm making it in black crepe back satin with a few small alterations. The skirt is being shortened to just above knee length. I'm adding an underlining of black organza and I'm narrowing the shoulder straps. I think I will be done by tomorrow night.

Gabe will be 5 yrs old on Thursday. I'm making cupcakes for him to take to school tomorrow. I've got a question about the cupcakes. They are completely cooked. They taste great but the look weird. Can anyone explain why they look like this...




Despite being sick, my dear, darling, wonderful husband picked Joey up from school today so I could have an extra hour or two to work on the dress I'm making. My husband is incredible and I'm a very lucky woman.

I think I'm going to put my Christmas lights up this weekend. It will be December and I'm ready to start decorating.

I'm reading Anthony Bourdain's latest book, Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook. I'm enjoying it but I don't think it's quite as engaging as Kitchen Confidential. The parts where he talks about his daughter and the effect she has had on him are so incredibly sweet and touching.

Does anyone know where I can get a dress form that is adjustable to different sizes at a cheap price? I've decided I really need one if I'm going to keep sewing clothes. One of my friends found one at a yard sale for only $5 but, over the years, her kids broke it. I looked and, sadly, the only ones that adjust to accommodate my ginormous boobage cost about $170 before shipping and handling.

I made the yummiest turkey calzones with leftover Thanksgiving turkey, broccoli left over from our vegetable tray, a can of mushrooms, half a block of extra sharp cheddar cheese, and about half a cup of my yummy homemade pizza sauce. I think I will have to spend a morning making and assembling various flavor combinations of the calzones and freezing them.

I have a huge pot (and I do mean huge) of Turkey stock cooling in our fridge so I can separate off the fat. It is going to make the best turkey soup and there will be plenty of stock to freeze.

What's going on with you  guys?