Valentine's Day Approaches

Everywhere I turn lately I see another reminder that Valentine’s Day is approaching quickly. I am even wearing Valentine’s socks with lipstick kisses all over them for my Funky Sock Friday. When I saw the socks for only $1, I just couldn’t pass them up.

While DTTF usually has no problem finding a gift for me regardless of the holiday, I have a hard time finding a valentines gift for him . Since he really doesn’t care much for candy and doesn’t wear boxers, which seem to be the most common V-Day gifts out there, I’ve had to be rather creative in the past, from t-shirts or coffee mugs to coupons for “special” treats.

Since everyone needs a bit of pampering every now and then, I think this year I’m going to go with a spa set like this. I love the chest, and amber spice-type scents smell really good on DTTF.

Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? If so, what are you getting for your special someone?

2007 in Retrospect

This year has been a year full of changes. The birth of my daughter brought on many changes in my schedule, my environment, and my mental and emotional strengths and states. The most profound change, however, has been a change in perspectives.

This past year zoomed by. The progression of time overflowed with milestones and firsts. We made it through birth, breastfeeding, a RSV-related hospital stay, shots, injuries, illnesses and sleep deprivation. The first breath, the first smile, the first giggle, the first kiss, the first crawling step - all were celebrated briefly before the next milestone overtook the last. Never before have I felt so much like I've been in constant motion.

When the year started, time seemed to move at a much slower pace. A week strolled lazily by, a month trickled away, and a year crept at a snail's pace. As the year progressed, the week went from strolling to a trot to an all-out run. A month's trickle became a full-force flood. A year's snail-pace revved up into a cheetah-sprint. The year passed by so quickly I feel I forgot to blink!

I've learned to appreciate the quiet, somewhat still moments when they happen. I take them as they come, allowing myself to just stop and enjoy the moment. No matter how many things are on my To Do list, I always stop for a hug, a snuggle, or a kiss. I tell my daughter and my husband how much I love them as often as I can. The dishes can wait a bit while I play with Tree Faerie. The laundry won't go anywhere while I take a moment to stop and hug DTTF.

The most important thing to me at the closing of the year is my family. My family comes before everything else. I have made it my goal in life to ensure my family knows how precious they are to me and how much I love them. They make me want to be a better person. These perspective changes have been wonderful for me. I feel stronger and more flexible. I have found peace and excitement, sometimes in the same moment. 2007 has been a wonderful year.

Have a Happy New Year! I hope this next year is more wonderful than the last!

Gifts Galore

Yule and Christmas were both fabulous! There are tons of stories to tell, but I figured the gifts would be a great starter post, especially since some of you are chomping at the bit to know why I was so excited about the gifts I got for DTTF. Because there is a back story behind each one, let me break the gifts down in the order of their unveiling.

The Book

My dear husband is a huge fan of James Bond. He often boasts about his knowledge of the Bond movies and insider trivia. A couple of years ago we invited Deborah Lipp, the author of several Pagan books, to speak at Festival of Souls. While she was here we discovered she was publishing a book on the James Bond movies. The book was titled The Ultimate James Bond Fan Book. Of course DTTF was very interested in the book. Well, the book was released about the same time as the movie Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig, which was last November. We saw the movie in the theater, and though I had to get up several times to visit the bathroom due to a very active Tree Faerie kicking my bladder (I was almost 8 months pregnant), I LOVED the movie. Nothing more was said about the book until we were discussing ideas for birthday presents for DTTF.

When he mentioned the book, I loved the idea for a Yule present. I really wanted to have the book signed by the author, however contacting Deborah Lipp would be a big step for me because I was harboring a little bit of animosity over a comment she made to me. I have since come to better terms with the comment and know why I took offense to it, so I'll save the story behind that for another day (though I should also add that I don't BLAME her for my reaction to her statement - she's a brilliant woman). So I contacted her.

When he opened the box on Yule and saw that not only did he get the book but that it was personalized and signed by Deborah Lipp, he was ecstatic. He immediately started reading through it, occasionally laughing and reading passages aloud to me. The gift was perfect.

The Movie

In case you don't know by now, DTTF is a movie buff. One of his favorite movies is Bell, Book and Candle starring James Stewart and Kim Novak. It's one of the few movies he owns on VHS, and the copy he has was recorded off TV years ago. We've watched it a couple of times, though the tape is getting old and a little worn. I thought it might be time to replace it with a DVD copy.

When I placed the order on Amazon, I was given the offer to buy a print copy of the original play for only a few dollars more, so I did. His reaction, once again, was perfect when he opened the box Christmas morning to reveal not only the movie, but the play as well.

The Surprise

I received a sudden jolt of inspiration Thursday when flipping through a recent issue of Readers Digest. I saw this cartoon, which gave me the brilliant idea to give DTTF an air guitar for Christmas. Together we own six guitars, so I knew he didn't need another one. This was just for fun.

I called and found out that Yarbrough's Music store here in Memphis just happened to have a couple of guitar boxes for guitars they no longer had in the store, so I went to pick one up. While I was waiting on the kid to come back with the boxes, I perused the guitar straps. I knew DTTF wanted a guitar strap as well, but I wanted one that would fit his personality and was preferably leather. When the kid brought me the boxes, he helped me find the perfect strap - an Eddie Ball black and white with skulls and demons, which was perfect for DTTF.
When I got back to the office, I packed the box with packing material and the strap. I wrote the following poem, printed it, and taped it in place on the packing material:

Throughout the year
You tried to be nice
So I bought you an air guitar
For a really great price!

It never needs tuning
And you won't break the strings.
The volume is perfect
For all kinds of things.

You can play all your favorites
And learn new ones with ease.
Your fingers won't tire -
Playing is a breeze!

So strap on this beauty
And play us a song
Because with this guitar
You can never play wrong!
© Andrea Sumers, 2007

I wrapped it up before leaving the office and put it in the back of the car with the boxes I'd been collecting for wrapping presents. When I got home, I asked him to take the boxes out of the back of the car. He came in with the wrapped box and immediately started trying to figure out what the box contained. He determined it was too light to be a guitar, but it looked like a guitar box. He even tried prying the information from his sister, whom I had let in on the gift. It was a lot of fun listening to him try to work out what was in the box. On the way down to his mom's on Sunday night, he really got on a roll. He told me not to hype it up too much because he didn't want to be disappointed, but I don't think I was doing the hyping. He was doing it all for me. I did tell him that by this point it didn't really matter if he liked the present, though, because by this point it had been so much fun that it was well worth it.

The mystery box was the last gift opened on Christmas morning. We all stood around while he ripped off the paper. He saw the acoustic guitar box, and his brow furrowed.'

He cut the tape.

He lifted the lid.

He picked up the piece of paper. His sister made him read it out loud.

He was disappointed. I could see it on his face. He loved the guitar strap, but he was still disappointed. Then his sister pointed out that I wrote the poem. Somehow that made it more special to him, even though it didn't erase the disappointment. His mom wants the poem printed on parchment paper and framed, which I think is a great idea.

I did not realize until typing this post that his enjoyment or disappointment really does matter, though I still had a lot of fun putting the gift together. I still think it was a wonderful idea, and several other people agreed. A co-worker of mine is borrowing the idea (which is why I picked up a couple of boxes).

Despite the slight disappointment with him being disappointed and not finding it as funny as we did, Christmas and Yule were still fabulous. We all got great gifts and had loads of fun. I'll tell you all about it later.

The Day Before Yule

1 DTY/ 4 DTC

I just picked up one last gift for DTTF, and I'm so excited! I can hardly wait to tell you all what it is, but because he might decide to read my blog, I have to wait until after Christmas to tell you. You're going to love it! YIPPEE!

I finally got the holiday cards in the mail today. Tonight I have to go to Wal-Mart and Kroger, then go home and wrap gifts. This includes DTTF's gifts (except the newest one, which I had to wrap here at work). I'm trying to decide which one to give him tomorrow. I think I'm going to go ahead and give him the one he was trying to guess on.

I also finally found a couple of great gifts for Tree Faerie. I got her a package of "block books." They are books that when closed are soft blocks. I also got her a book called Goodnight Elmo. I was looking specifically for cloth books, so this met my needs, and all for about $20.

I'm so excited about this holiday. I love the gifts I got for other people - so much, in fact, that I don't really care what I get personally! I have had so much fun shopping this season! The only big-ticket-item I still need to purchase is Tree Faerie's new car seat, which after last night is a must. The handle on her infant carrier slipped again. Because I've always made sure to support the seat in more than one way when carrying her in it, nothing bad has happened due to the faulty handle.

The seat was "recalled" earlier this year because the locks on the handle kept slipping. When I contacted the manufacturer, they sent me a kit with instructions to change the handles. After I changed the handles, everything was perfect until I got Tree Faerie out of the car last night - in the seat, of course. She's only about 19.5 pounds, so I still bring her into and out of the house in her carrier. I won't be doing that anymore! It slipped again last night on one side.

I probably won't post anything from now until Christmas, so have a happy holiday week, everyone!

Lucky with the In-Laws

4 DTY/ 7 DTC

I must admit I got really lucky when DTTF and I got together - my in-laws are absolutely fabulous! DTTF's sister and her family got into town very early on Saturday, so after DTTF got off work, we packed up and headed down to his mom's for a visit. We had a wonderful visit. I have missed my sister-in-law terribly. I'm in awe of how we've "grown up" together. Six years ago we would have stayed up until the wee hours of the morning playing cards and drinking. Now the times have definitely changed. By the time we get the kids in bed, we're pretty much useless. Oddly, she and I were the two that stayed up the latest, but that was only because she had to feed her youngest around midnight so I stayed up with her.

This was the first time Tree Faerie has met her aunt, uncle, and cousins. DTTF's sister's two boys are absolutely adorable. The 2.5 year old was great at entertaining Tree Faerie. It was so cute to watch them crawl around on the floor together and play with the blocks.

Yesterday after Tree Faerie got her flu shot booster, she and I met the in-laws at Barnes & Noble, then headed over to Build-A-Bear to make stuffed animals for all three kids. We picked out a purple hippopotamus for Tree Faerie and named her Lavender. The holiday song that's been stuck in my head this year is the "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" song, so Nana and I both thought it was perfect. Tree Faerie was giving it kisses and hugs while we were in the store. Lavender has a heartbeat and plays Brahm's Lullaby, which is a song I sometimes hum to her when I'm trying to get her to go to sleep. I'm now totally in love with Lavender, and I love watching Tree Faerie snuggle her and kiss her.

It's amazing how much just a little time with my sister-in-law has really boosted my mood. I'm really looking forward to spending Christmas with her and the rest of the family!

On the 1st Day of Christmas...

8 DTY/ 11 DTC

I love holiday music and know the words to many, many holiday songs. The other night when we toot Tree Faerie to see Santa, one of the ways I kept her entertained was by singing to her. It wasn't until later that I realized I had just provided free entertainment to everyone in the middle of the mall. It's a good thing I'm fairly comfortable with my voice, or at least I'm comfortable with it as long as there is not a microphone in sight. I'm afraid of microphones, but I'll save that story for another day.

I have ALWAYS wanted a huge stuffed animal. I recently discovered part of the reason I never got one - they are EXPENSIVE! I mean, like $600 expensive! So I stopped wishing for a huge stuffed animal.

Last night we went to Wal-Mart for the normal necessities plus several gifts for our nephews. While we were looking around, I saw this really big stuffed monkey. I immediately grabbed it and snuggled it, then went in search of a price. I finally found it on the ear, and to my elated surprise, it was only $20! So, in the cart it went as a gift for myself Tree Faerie. Tree Faerie wasn't crazy about him sitting in the basket behind her, so we finally had to shove his head between his knees to make her more comfortable. Hopefully it grows on her, because I will be very disappointed if she continues to be afraid of it. Of course, she's the kid who's afraid of balls and balloons.

While the monkey is not as big as the $600 bear I was looking at the other day, it is 3 times Tree Faerie's size. I'm so excited! So, on the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Yet another opportunity to provide something for my child that I always wanted but never had.

The Magic of Santa

10 days until Yule/13 days until Christmas

Tree Faerie had her first visit with Santa last night, and she did beautifully! We got a great picture from them, plus DTTF took pictures with our camera. As soon as I download them from the camera, I'll share.

What made the experience even more magical is that...

WE KNOW SANTA!

And we know him well enough that he told us to have a HAPPY YULE! DTTF is supposed to give me his email address so I can thank him for making my daughter's first visit with Santa even more special.

The other countdown I'm keeping track of - 3 days until the SIL and her family are here! I spent an hour on the phone with her this morning (it's her birthday), and we can all hardly wait! Her 2.5 year old even said my name this morning! I almost cried... I have missed them so much.

Only 11 Days Until Yule

And 14 days until Christmas!

My husband and I both enjoy traditions, both the invention and the continuing practice. Since our religious holiday is Yule (or Winter Solstice) instead of Christmas, we had to decide how we intended to celebrate our religious holiday and the Christmas holiday and where gifts and Santa fit in to our traditions. We both intend to include the magic of Santa in our traditions.

The way we decided to work the holidays is Yule will be our spiritual holiday and we will each get to open one gift that night. All other gifts will be saved for Christmas morning to be opened with the family. Santa will deliver his gifts on Christmas Eve after everyone is asleep, so they will be opened Christmas morning as well.

Part of the reason we were struggling is because we know many people who only observe their religious holiday and none others. The problem we had with that is that all of our family observes Christmas, and we're the only ones who observe Yule. We will explain the origins of both Yule and Christmas to Tree Faerie when she's older, but she will get to observe both in a way. Plus, since the current Santa beliefs are based around him delivering all his presents in one night, we were trying to avoid a future debate on the reason Santa delivered toys to Rowan on a different night.

I'm happy with the final decision. Our spiritual practices are not lost in light of other Christmas traditions (such as Santa), yet Tree Faerie will not feel like the oddball for celebrating something completely different than everyone else. Plus this gives us an opportunity to introducing her to other religions and their practices, which I feel is especially important since we practice a minority religion.

Speaking of my minority religion... Several of you asked what Wicca is, and while I don't feel quite up to explaining it in a post today, my husband has done a pretty good job of explaining Paganism at Summerland Grove's website. This is the link to the information page, and there are additional links on the lower half of the sidebar that explain some of the common Sabbats (holidays), tools, and traditions. If you don't want to go check it out, I'm currently working on a post in my head to explain my beliefs, so stick around for a while.

And the countdown continues!

EDIT:

What The Holidays Mean to You

For you, the holidays are about emotional connections and bonds. You are happiest being around those you love. You celebrate the holidays in a minimalist style. You are likely to only give one great present and decorate your house with a few special items. During the holidays, you feel magical. You love all of the decorations and how happy people are. You like to sit back and take it all in. You think the holidays should be decadent and indulgent. You never mind gaining a few holiday pounds... it's worth it! Your best holiday memories are of childhood foods and traditions. You secretly still wish you believed in Santa Claus.

What Do the Holidays Mean to You?

What do you mean, "...wish you still believed..."? I DO still believe in Santa! If I didn't believe in Santa, he wouldn't still bring me presents!

11 Months

Dear Tree Faerie,


As always, you never cease to amaze me. You're beautiful and intelligent, plus you have a great sense of humor and love music of any kind. As long as it has a beat, you'll dance to it, even if it's just me tapping the spoon on the side of the pan while cooking! If one of us is laughing, you'll laugh, too, and try to make us laugh more. You must be the center of attention, and when you're not, you do everything you can to be so, from the cute babbling to the not-so-cute fit-throwing.



Tooth #2 finally broke through and has slowly been working its way up. It is taking its own sweet time doing so, though, so you've been chewing on everything. You have learned what you are allowed to put in your mouth and what you're not, though that doesn't necessarily stop you from testing the boundaries. Odds are, if it comes off the carpet, it's not allowed, and you're really good about opening your mouth to allow me to remove things without much of a fight.


We managed to only go to the doctor's office twice this month - once for the flu shot and once for your labial adhesion. Thankfully the adhesion should go away as you get older. The day we went to the doctor for that, though, you also came down with croup. We didn't give you any medicine for it because you were scheduled to get the flu shot a few days later. We didn't turn on the heater, and I put Baby Vicks on your feet each night to help us all sleep a little better. I was surprised at how well it worked at keeping your cough at bay!


You got to see Grams and Papaw for Thanksgiving, along with my Grandma and several other members of your extended family. I love watching Grams play with you because her face lights up just like it used to when I was a little girl. It's wonderful to hear you both laughing. You didn't want to try the banana pudding, but there will be other opportunities for you to try it later. You and I wore matching outfits - our striped overalls and red shirts - and Papaw wore his striped overalls, too.



Papaw is growing his beard back out, and you weren't quite sure what to think of it at first. He let you play with it, as I'm sure he will for years to come. He also took us for a ride in his Mule, which I call his Old-Man-Wheeler. You sat very, very still, but you seemed to enjoy yourself. I know I did!





One of your favorite things to do lately is "help" me with the laundry and cleaning. Of course, your idea of helping is by pulling all the clean clothes out of the basket or dryer and strew them around the floor to create your very own pallet.



You also enjoy wiping down different things like the window sills and the bathtub. You even 'wash' yourself when you're in the tub. I finally found a bath mat I like using, and it has saved me a lot of stress.



You are currently transitioning to the toddler room. I'm glad that your daycare transitions you slowly, however you seem to have no problems with the toddler room. They tell me you were great every day and just played and checked things out as if you belonged in there. I was the one who was nervous! But I've talked to the teachers in there, and they are both very nice. I'm sure you'll continue to have a great time!

One of the things I was worried about was that they don't allow toddlers to have bottles, only sippy cups with whole milk. I was afraid you would have a hard time giving up the bottles, but you seem to have taken that into your own hands, similar to when you stopped eating food from a spoon. The only thing I can consistently get you to take from a spoon is yogurt, which I have to feed you again because you had thrush. You've pretty much stopped taking bottles at daycare, though. I was about to take you to the doctor to see if it was an ear infection when you came down with yet another cold. I'm going to wait until after this cold is over before taking you in, because I still want to confirm that it is just your will and not something else wrong. You haven't stopped nursing, so I'm not too worried.



You seem to love your daddy more and more each day. I love how you sit at the bottom of the stairs and holler up at him when he's upstairs and you're not. You call to him quite often when he's not in the room with you, even when he's not home. He loves you so much! He doesn't cave in to you like I do when you throw tantrums, though. And it's not necessarily that I cave in, I just try to get you to stop screaming by distracting you.



You've been practicing your walking skills this month. You now only need to hang on to one of our fingers in order to walk around the house. I can see that you want to take a step completely unassisted, but at the last minute, you just plop on your butt.

On the weekend before your 11-month-birthday, I put up our holiday tree while you were napping. I got the tree put together, lit, and had about half the ornaments on before you woke up. The look of wonderment on your face was well worth the rush! After I finished decorating the tree, we put stuffed animals under the tree instead of presents. I know how much you enjoy ripping paper, so I figured you could play with the stuffed animals and we'll keep the presents elsewhere. Storm has taken over one of the stuffed animals, though. She keeps kneading biscuits on the dog wearing the Santa hat, which your daddy thinks is a violation of the dog.

As always, thank you for being such a wonderful kid. You have brought so much to our lives! I love you, Tree Faerie!

XOXO,

Mama

Weekend Recap

This weekend, I was puked on 3 times, changed 5 poopy diapers, and was screamed at often by a baby with thrush. On the upside, though, I made a sock-monkey and decorated our Yule tree with baby-safe decorations.

I'm tired. Back to work.

*****
By the way, after the poison ivy conversations that Friday's post sparked, I've posted several remedies that work over on Fey's Tricks of the Trade. Check it out and leave a comment!

Gifts

I ordered DTTF's Yule gift yesterday, so now I have to try to make it home in time to beat DTTF to the mailbox next week. Usually DTTF checks the mail before he comes in the house, and I'm afraid if he sees the package, he'll immediately know what it is.

Of course, while my dear hubby doesn't make it a habit to read my site, I can't tell you what it is just in case he decides to pop on over. So you have to wait, too! Let's just say it's something he really wants, and I've found a way to make it even more special. I'll also get him a couple of small things, but this is the main gift!

I've decided to make sock animals for my nephews and my best friend's boys. I'm going to make two elephants, a monkey, and a cat if all goes as planned. I've already picked up the socks. Now I just need to sit down and make them. I've been debating making Tree Faerie a sock animal or two as well, though I haven't decided. My big-$$$-gift for her is going to be a convertible car seat. I found one that should last her for the next 8 years or so (that might be a slight exaggeration) for around $120 at Wal-Mart. It's made by Graco, and while I trust the brand, I still want to research it before I purchase it. This is the life of my child we're talking about, after all.

For the grandparents, I'm torn between getting them mugs (either regular or travel) with Tree Faerie's picture or something else. I have other things in mind for all of them, but I really liked the idea of the mugs! Is it selfish to give them something bearing Tree Faerie's picture? They are grandparents, after all...

I think for the ladies in my department at work, I'm going to do something cutesy from OrganizedChristmas.Com. I'm specifically thinking of the We Whisk You a Happy Holiday sort of thing. I've already discovered their favorite individually-wrapped-indulgences. I guess I need to decide soon.

For the daycare teachers, I've decided to go with snuggly socks and bath stuff (I know, but I'm stumped, and I know they all like scented bath stuff because they've mentioned it!).

I have no idea what to do for DTTF's sister and her husband, nor do I know what I'm doing for my brother. I also don't know what I'm doing for my boss.

That about sums up my gift-giving list! I didn't realize I was this prepared! Now I just have to make sure all the shopping is done at least a week before Yule...

*******
I've also decided to practice my hand at writing reviews. I posted a food review over at Fey's Tricks of the Trade, so go check it out and let me know what you think. Please be honest and offer suggestions if you have any!

Holiday Ramblings

Well, I bought my holiday cards last night. They're not my usual glittery cards like I get from Target, but I had to go to Wal-Mart (I know the horrors of the place, yes, but I have to pinch my pennies) last night, so I perused their card selection. I found some cute, homey cards with a secular yet warm greeting inside. I got 60 for less than $12, and since my list just keeps getting longer every year, that's not too shabby! I love sending and receiving holiday cards, though I receive a lot fewer than I send.

I also picked up artificial poinsettia flowers to put in the vase on the mantle. The vase is one that my mom made when she took a pottery class at college years ago. DTTF put it on the mantle with the suggestion that we update the arrangement regularly based on the season or upcoming holiday. I forgot how much I enjoy arranging flowers! I didn't take a picture, but as soon as I do, I'll post it. I didn't buy a real poinsettia because I'm terrible at remembering to water my plants, so they always die. I almost killed the aloe plant Random Faerie left with me when she moved to Colorado. It's still alive and doing better, but I really need to re-plant it. That's the only plant I've been able to keep alive, though. I'm glad I'm better at taking care of my animals than that...

This is Tree Faerie's first Christmas holiday, and I would really like for her to see both my parents and DTTF's mom. Yule (Winter Solstice - our holiday) will be focused more on the spiritual aspect of the season, and we each get to open one gift that night. We'll have our Outer Court Yule celebration on the 22nd. My family gets together at my grandma's on Christmas Eve, but DTTF has to work. That 3 hour drive does not sound appealing with just Tree Faerie and me because I can't keep her entertained and drive. She gets bored easily, and once she gets to the point of fussiness, she needs active distraction. Christmas day will be spent with DTTF's family. I don't know if we're going to do Santa at our house or at DTTF's mom's house or both. I know it will all work out, but until it does it will be burrowing itself in my worry-center.

This weekend I get to pull out the holiday decorations and decide what I'm putting where. I was also debating touching up the paint in Tree Faerie's room so we can move us all upstairs. Hmm. If I get that done, maybe I can get the border hung and her room set up. Then I can pick a day for us to move upstairs so we can get a bit of help in exchange for dinner. Hmm. My wheels are turning...

Turn the Heat On!

This is the first time since summer set in that we have turned our heater on. It probably won't be left on, however the AC people came out to clean the heater, so we had to turn it on to test it. While it is nice to have the chill out of the air, we are trying to conserve as much as possible. I am thankful to have a heater to use when I want, though!

Yesterday we had Thanksgiving lunch at my grandma's. My mom and dad got to play with Tree Faerie, and fun was had by all. DTTF's mom did not join us because DTTF's sister will be coming up in 3 weeks and she wanted to get her house put back together after re-doing the flooring. She was missed, but we still had a good time. I miss my mom, even though we talk nearly every day. It's just not the same as getting to see her.

I am Thankful

I am thankful for

• my daughter
• my husband
• my family - immediate, extended, and in-laws
• the roof over my head
• the job that pays the bills
• that there aren't more bills than my job will pay for
• a good daycare that only charges an arm instead of an arm AND a leg
• great friends, both IRL and online
  
• great food
• nap-times
• sleep
• showers
• good health
• and the perseverance to make it through when my health is not good

Happy Turkey Day!

Let the Holidays Begin!

Welcome to the beginning of Thanksgiving Week! The local radio station that plays holiday music from Thanksgiving until New Years started 2 weeks early. The stores had holiday decorations out before Halloween was even over. The shopping rush has already begun. Whether people are just making plans to hit certain stores on Black Friday or people are trying to avoid the worst part of the rush by shopping now, the stores are already bustling.

For Thanksgiving, we're taking DTTF's mom (Nana) to my grandma's house (Grandma) where my mom (Grams/Mom) is meeting us. I can hardly wait! I love getting to visit with my mom. Even though I talk to her every day or two, it's not the same as seeing her face-to-face! Plus, I can't get her to send me pictures of her new haircut, so I have to see it for myself.

Sometimes I really wish my mom and I lived nearer to each other, especially now that Tree Faerie is here. There are so many times when I would love to be able to pick up the phone to tell my mom, "Hey, could you come over for a few minutes/hours to play with Tree Faerie so I can get such-and-such done (or take a nap)?" I would have no problem asking this of my mom. When I ask DTTF's mom, I'm always afraid I'm burdening her because I know she has so much she's trying to get done with her house, her horses, her property, or barrel racing, not to mention her time-consuming job. Plus, when she comes to visit, I always feel like I need to visit with her, too. Don't get me wrong - I love my mother-in-law dearly and love talking to her. My list of Things-to-Do-When-Tree-Faerie-Is-Otherwise-Occupied just keeps growing, especially since that "otherwise occupied" usually means napping or asleep at night. Naps are not long enough to actually finish a project, and at night I need sleep, too, now more than ever.

I guess I just need to make a schedule of when I want certain things done by and have someone, even DTTF, come over to entertain her while I accomplish things.

Tangent over. Back to the original topic.

We're taking Nana with us because I don't feel right about leaving her 'alone' on Thanksgiving. If she had said she couldn't make it, we would have made plans here. I think that's the way it should be since DTTF's sister now lives in Florida and can't be here for Thanksgiving.

Speaking of my sister-in-law... SHE'S COMING IN FOR THE HOLIDAYS! (Can you tell I'm excited?) She, her husband, and her two boys (a 2.5 year old and a 2 month old) are flying in around the middle of December and will be here until after Christmas! We can hardly wait! DTTF occasionally giggles with anticipation, which is absolutely adorable.

So, enjoy the holiday music and the shopping mad-house, and make sure to tell your family how special they are to you!

Speaking of the holidays, over at An Island Life, you can enter to win Mom Spit, the alternative to the lick-and-wipe method! You can also enter to win Babylegs from Queen Baby and enter to win a $25 Gift Certificate to Out to Tea, makers of adorable hair accessories, featuring non-slip clips and adjustable fabric headbands.

All Souls Day

We had a FABULOUS time last night! It was very similar to last year, only this year I didn't dress up. We had the door propped open and the music blaring again, and George-the-talking-head was set up on the table in front of the door. I strung my purple lights inside the door, and Tree Faerie and I met the trick-or-treaters at the door to give them candy. While I was doling out the candy (and I'm not stingy about it, either), DTTF would come out from behind a curtain weilding my axe. He toned it down some for the younger kids, but really revved it up for the older ones. We got a few good screams and one really GREAT scream. I told her after she stopped that she should be in movies with that scream! I told DTTF later that I would have been surprised if she hadn't wet herself! It was a blast! Some of the same kids from last year came around this year, too, so I think we're going to mix things up a bit next year. I'm working on ideas for a Haunted Walk, so to speak.

Tree Faerie handled it all beautifully. She's used to her daddy trying to scare her anyway, so she just squealed and laughed at him. At first, she was a bit confused by the music and darkness, and George-the-talking-head made her nervous at first, but pretty soon she was rolling with the flow of things. I've got a few pictures that I need to download off my camera and post.

Since we're on the subject of DTTF scaring Tree Faerie, let me elaborate a bit. Tree Faerie is her mother's child and proves it by jumping when you startle her, even when she's expecting it! She then giggles and squeals, just like her mother. One of her favorite games is "Daddy, Scare Me!" It is absolutely hilarious to watch! Granted, she usually runs to me and tries to climb on me when he does it, but she always wants more.

This morning I actually scared her by accident, but it was priceless! She sits in the bathroom with me when I take a shower, and usually I talk to her. Well, this morning I was feeling rather introspective, so I wasn't talking, but she was. When I got out of the shower and was putting my hair up in the towel, I was bent over in front of her (and yes, I've imagined it from her perspective, and yes, it's scary, but she's surviving okay; at least she stopped laughing every time I bend over in front of her like she used to!) when I realized I'd been very quiet throughout my shower. I peeked around at her and made some sort of noise at her, and she jumped and started giggling! It was great!

Now it's time to get ready for the rest of the upcoming holidays. I've got ideas for DTTF's gifts, but I'm really considering getting Tree Faerie a convertible car seat for Yule and leave the toys and such for the grandparents. Is that wrong of me?

By the way, I'm participating in NaBloPoMo instead of NaNoWriMo this year. Check it out!

Happy Halloween!!!

Or Samhain, for those who celebrate that, too.



Last night I had to go to Wal-Mart (yes, I know it's an evil place that is horrible to their workers and runs small - or even large - business out of business, but I'm having to pinch pennies here) for diapers, toilet paper, and Halloween candy. The place was packed! I went to browse the Halloween aisles and found that it had all been consolidated (or crammed) into one aisle. There was absolutely no way I could drive my cart down the aisle because there were so many people trying to pick up last-minute Halloween decorations and costume essentials. It was nuts! On the aisles that used to house the Halloween stuff, you know what I found? CHRISTMAS STUFF! Already! Later I found a small bit of Thanksgiving decorations and items on a clearance aisle, but even Thanksgiving had been moved aside to make way for Christmas!

This is Tree Faerie's first Halloween, and I didn't even buy her a costume. I did buy her a couple of really cute Halloween pajama sets, though, and I sent her to daycare today in one of the pajama shirts, a pair of jeans, and a pair of jack-o-lantern socks. I just couldn't bring myself to spend $20 on something she would wear once! I plan on letting her wear the pj's until she grows out of them, not to mention they were only $5 a set.

This is our second Halloween in this house, and also the second year to give out candy. Last year we had a blast scaring the kids. This is what they saw when they came to the door (only all the lights were out in the house, so we were only lit by the streetlights):

People actually thought he was fake, and when they were at the door getting candy from me, he'd speak and move, scaring everyone. One little girl (who wasn't even in a costume, so this totally made it okay), was so scared that she ran away! She kept coming back, though, because she really wanted the candy! After about the fourth time, I figured she'd been entertaining enough that she deserved at least one piece! We had a blast, and we were blaring Midnight Syndicate, which made it that much creepier.

I was kneeled down in the floor where the candy bowl is in the picture. I would upload a picture of me from last Halloween, but I was really bloated and pregant all over, which is pretty scary!

I'm not sure what we're going to do differently tonight, but I'll be sure to tell you all about it tomorrow!

Have a safe and happy holiday! MUAHAHAHAHAHA