Not a creature was stirring

Christmas Eve for a five year old is an exciting, happy, nerve wracking time...well, at least it is nerve wracking for the five year old's parents! A has been absolutely giddy all day, as most children probably have been. He ate hardly any dinner and then didn't even complain when he could not have dessert. He has been talking nearly nonstop, singing Christmas songs loudly, and danced through the living room at least four times in fifteen minutes. He is cute, but the constant din was wearing us down.

He was busy late this afternoon drawing a picture for Santa. His drawing is a picture of Santa outside of a house, ready to deliver presents! He also made Santa an ornament for his Christmas tree, and carefully chose a piece of fudge and a Buckeye to leave for Santa, in lieu of cookies. Here is the text of the letter that I will leave next to the empty treat plate:

"Dear A:
Thank you for the goodies that you left for me! The treats were tasty and the ornament will look pretty on our tree. I know Mrs. Claus will be thrilled with the picture you drew.

Your friend,
Santa Claus

P.S. Nigel is exhausted. Can you please make it easier on him next year?

P.P.S. The reindeer said to tell you 'thank you' for the food you left for them. Not everyone remembers to leave treats for my team."

We have always told A that Santa assigns an elf to each child to assist him with the assessment of who has been naughty or nice, and that Nigel is the name of A's elf. And A's teachers sent home a bag of dried oatmeal and Fruit Loops, calling it "reindeer food." It is now scattered all over our front walk and driveway. Let's hope our friendly neighborhood rodents eat it tonight so we don't have any 'splaining to do in the morning.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Evil genius

I adore a good prank, and J alerted me to one that is currently being auctioned on eBay: Drive Someone Insane with Postcards. The seller is going to Poland and will send three postcards to the winning bidder's person of choice, postcards that contain information that a friend would know about the recipient...and the postcards will be illegibly signed. The recipient will be left to wonder who they know that is visiting Poland and sending them these postcards. I love it! It's a great prank AND they are making money on it!

J reminded me that it is similar to a prank I pulled several years ago. I worked with a young man named Ben who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was being paid a lot of money (I guessed, or maybe just enough) to do apparently very little, and he and another privileged friend of his spent weekends traveling to interesting locales. He would return with stories of the women they met, the food they ate, the fun they had and the immense amounts of alcohol they consumed.

One of the places they visited was London. The voice mail system at that company did not record the telephone number of the message, which gave me an idea. I had a British friend who lived locally to call Ben's work number after hours and leave a very cryptic message. It was along the lines of "Hello, Ben, this is Kathy. It was great to meet you last weekend and I had such a good time. Can't wait to see you when I am in the States next month - I'll call you!" Kathy told me later that she nearly burst out laughing while leaving the message, especially since her husband was doubled over with laughter next to her!

Ben was baffled. I had let the other two women in the office know about the joke and they did a great job of playing along, asking who she could be, what he had done, yada yada yada. It absolutely bugged him to no end since he had finally worked out in his mind that it was a joke, but had no idea as to who was behind it. And since I had laid low at this company and he did not know me well, he had no reason to suspect me. The three of us women nearly laughed ourselves sick at his confusion.

It wasn't until months later when I left the company that I 'fessed up. He acknowledged that he never suspected me and that it was, indeed, a very good prank.

[Cue the ominous music] BWAA-HA-HA!

Mi casa, su casa

Yesterday was A's last day of school for the year and he brought home a paper grocery bag full of holiday decorations and creations. Of course, one of the items was covered in gold glitter, and now I am finding glitter all over the house. I swear I have thoroughly wiped the kitchen table a half dozen times and yet I still find bits of glitter adhered to the surface.

Another item was the "gingerbread" house that I made the foundation for earlier in the week. It is rather fragile, with chocolate kisses and pretzel sticks tumbling off at the slightest movement - I am shocked (and perhaps a bit disappointed) that it survived the trip home. As promised, here is a photo of the lovely abode:
In the photo, the plate is resting on a festive laminated place mat that A made. We have put the gingerbread house in an upper cabinet so that Grandma W can see it tomorrow when she arrives and to protect it from the curious claws of Spenser the cat.

But once Grandma gets to see it, I am not promising anything...it may "accidentally" fall off the deck or Spenser might get a chance at it after all!

Go go go!

It has been a few wild and crazy days, starting with last Friday. I had to run around on Friday to take care of some errands: get coffee at our favorite roaster, pick up a pottery ornament A painted that had been fired, and buy the supplies to make the Christmas goodies. No big whoop, but it took some time to get everything done.

On Friday night, J's company had their holiday party. A was thrilled to have a babysitter and we told her that he could stay up a half hour later than usual so they would have more time to play. What fun it was to get dressed up and spend an entire evening just chatting, noshing, sipping, dancing and laughing! Having planned parties in my past, I had a few quibbles with the way this one was organized and executed, but then again, I was happy that we had a company party to attend!

On Saturday and Sunday, we worked HARD to install the rest of our kitchen cabinets. As we have been able to afford it, we have been replacing the cabinets in the kitchen and we were finally able to get the remainder on order in November and they were delivered on Monday the 10th. Our friend Dave worked with us on Saturday, which was wonderful because he is also a home project guru. Saturday was a bit rough at times with one or two setbacks, notably when J hit a pipe while mounting the corner cabinet and he had to scramble to cut off the water! About two hours got used up repairing the pierced pipe.

J and I finished up on Sunday. J did most of the work while I held things in place, fetched tools and made a good suggestion or two. A was a dear and entertained himself most of the weekend, although we found little projects so that he could "help" with the kitchen, too.

So in the 2+ years we have been in this house, we have almost completely redone the kitchen - new cabinets, lighting, counters, sink and dishwasher. What was a dingy, outdated, dark kitchen is now open, light and inviting. Although the actual size has not changed, I swear it looks bigger. And it is beautiful! Once we save up a little more, we can think about getting rid of the awful floor in there.

Then on Monday and Tuesday, I made all the Christmas goodies for J to give to his staff when I wasn't burning the skin off my fingers in A's class. I thought I had three days to make everything, but J informed me midday on Tuesday that several of them started their vacations on Thursday (today), so he had to take the goodies in yesterday. Oy vey. I worked like a mad woman and got everything made and packed in tins. J reported that the goodies were happily received yesterday and that one or two went home empty!

Yesterday I lounged a bit, enjoying not having to go anywhere or having any big projects to tackle. But it is a good feeling to know that we accomplished so much in a very short period of time.

Burn, baby, burn

Yesterday morning found me in A's classroom, using hot glue to affix graham crackers to little milk cartons. They are going to make "gingerbread" houses and since I can't be there on Thursday morning when they decorate them (oh, rats - not really), I thought I would help out ahead of time.

Those that know me are aware that I am not in the least bit crafty; I had never held (fired?) a hot glue gun before yesterday. The teacher and the room parent looked at me in amazement when I confessed that it was my first time to use a hot glue gun - is it really that usual? The teacher also mentioned that I probably should have dressed down; I guess cashmere wasn't the best choice.

After a few missteps, I sort of got the hang of it, and the other mommy and I made quick work of the 19 houses. I only ended up with two burns, and all of the graham crackers did manage to get glued to the milk cartons and not to me! I am very proud.

The cashmere sweater survived unscathed and I did my part to help with the class project. I will post a photo of A's creation once he brings it home on Thursday, if it survives the bus ride.

Holiday greetings

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

The color of Christmas

When you live with a five year old, you are never quite sure of what he is going to say next...and sometimes, you wish he would keep certain information to himself!

A begged me to buy Pillsbury ready-to-bake cookies that are green and shaped like Christmas trees. You simply pull them out of the sheet of pre-cut cookies, put on a pan and bake. Convenient? Yes. Festive? Yes. Tasty? No. Although I have never tried to eat baked Play Dough, I am guessing that it probably tastes like these cookies.

I bought a package and we baked them earlier this week. I have allowed A to eat them for dessert and sent them in his lunch one day; after the first taste, neither J nor I has eaten any additional cookies. Tonight after we finished eating dinner, I asked A if he wanted any dessert. Of course he did, but he informed that he did not want to eat any more of the Christmas tree cookies because "they make my poop green." Too much information, for sure. I managed to not laugh, and assured him that he did not have to eat any more of the cookies. And then also mentioned that there are certain subjects that are not discussed at the dinner table!

The raccoons will be the recipients of the rest of the cookies (two or three per night - don't want any rodent tummy aches). I don't care if the cookies turn the raccoon's poop green, and I feel quite sure that the raccoons don't care, either.

Where's the chill?

It is warm here in Georgia, has been for several days. Out west there is ice coating everything, the Midwest has snow, and we have record high temperatures. I know that I shouldn't complain, but I am...we have so little cold weather here that I want what we are entitled to at this time of the year! And I am always concerned that when the weather is out of whack, that we will be in for it when it finally corrects itself.

We took full advantage of the lovely weather on Sunday by going to one of our favorite places, the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Since our first visit there some eighteen months ago, we have all been entranced by this jewel in the heart of Midtown and immediately became members. We try to visit every couple of months to see the new exhibitions and to just experience the beauty. A especially enjoys the Children's Garden.

Our friend Dave went with us, and it was his first visit. In addition to introducing him to the Garden, we went to see the holiday decorations, and for A to ride the holiday train and visit with Santa. A was excited to be old enough to ride the train by himself and he made it very clear that he did not want any of us to join him.

For some reason, however, A suddenly got very shy and did not want to visit with Santa. Although we were disappointed, we were not going to force him...but the Garden has a beautiful outdoor display in which Santa holds court, and their Santa is fabulous.

We were having such a good time and the weather was so nice that we picked up some sandwiches and headed next door to Piedmont Park. We ate our picnic lunch, let A burn off even more energy playing in one of the playgrounds, and then strolled around the lake.

What a gorgeous day!

It's supposed to be fun, people

Some of the women in my mommies' group have been posting messages about how stressed they feel about the holidays, how much they have to do, that it's not fun, yada yada yada. I thought of them yesterday when I read an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution about people who are turning away from a stressful, consumer-oriented Christmas and focusing more on what it means to them. The article originally appeared in USA Today with the title "Boycotters ask, 'What Would Jesus Buy?'", but don't let the title turn you off.

Both of my parents grew up during the Depression and Christmas, like everything in their lives, reflected that experience. While we had great Christmases growing up, our holiday was not overfilled with gifts like so many families. We focused more on being together, doing things together, connecting with family and friends. We were taught to be grateful for what we had and to not mourn what we did not have.

That has carried over to my adult life. Yes, we are going to have some wonderful gifts in our house this year, but probably not the amount that the typical US family has. We refuse to go into debt to buy gifts and understand that more gifts do not equal a great holiday. We do not buy gifts for extended family - we don't really know their likes/dislikes anymore, there are too many people, they live all over the country and there is really no reason.

I enjoy writing and sending holiday cards, and receiving them. I enjoy buying a few, well-thought out gifts for J, A, and our parents. I enjoy making goodies for us to overindulge in! I enjoy telling stories about Christmases past and remembering those good times. I enjoy going to a few parties and having a good time. I enjoy our various traditions and making up new ones each year. I enjoy teaching A to be compassionate by buying gifts for those who do not have much.

And that is why the holidays are not stressful for me. If the holidays ever become a time of stress for me, then that will be my cue to stop, assess what is important, and pare back.

It's a wrap

I spent this morning doing one of the things I dislike most about the holidays: wrapping presents. While I like the pretty paper and seeing all the marvelous gifts, I just don't enjoy wrangling those marvelous gifts into their holiday outfits. But I had a whole morning without any outside-of-the-house obligations and since we plan to put the tree up this weekend, I thought I would just dive in and get it done.

Although I dislike wrapping, there is nothing quite as much fun...to a cat. Spenser, of course, inserted himself into the middle of everything. Honestly, it seemed as though there were at least five cats helping themselves to ribbon, biting the tape and rolling around in the paper. I am surprised that I didn't wrap him! Then again, maybe I should have - it would have kept him out of the way for a few minutes.

It took over two hours, but I got done all that I could get done. My back hurts and my hands are riddled with paper cuts, but I am done! And Spenser? He is exhausted, too, and is now sound asleep.

Happy birthday, Mom!

Today is my mother's birthday, but I won't say which one; although she is not ashamed of her age, I still don't think she would appreciate me sharing that information!

(Side note: the older I get, the more cagey I get about my own age...I will admit to 40-something but the exact number is on a strict need-to-know basis. And most people simply do not need to know.)

When I speak of my mother, I usually use the word "lady," which describes her perfectly. She is kind, refined, conscientious, compassionate, proper, and gracious. She is a good friend and neighbor to many people and always quick to help, but finds it difficult to accept the type of help that she routinely provides to others. Her religious faith is very important to her and her life, for the most part, revolves around her church. Mom can be a bit naive at times and always expects the best of others - an admirable quality, to be sure, but one that often sets her up to be disappointed.

I am not much like my mother, I think. While I can be compassionate, gracious and kind, these are qualities that I have to work at and which do not come naturally to me. I certainly do not share her religious faith and fervor and while I do believe strongly in helping others, my motivation for doing so is different from hers. I don't even particularly look like her or her side of the family - I am all Dad and his family.

So while I do not resemble my mother in looks or temperament, and at times it seems that we have little in common, I do admire her. I admire her resolve, her trust in others and her positive outlook, and I admire the way she has soldiered on after my father's death. She gets lonely, of course, but she refuses to give in to hopelessness and continues to live her life, to have fun, to enjoy her friends and to make new ones.

Happy birthday, Mom - you are an amazing woman!

All downhill from here

Now that it is December, everyone is in full holiday mode and the rest of the month will fly by quickly. A's last day in school is Wednesday, 19 December, which is just two weeks from tomorrow. So if there is anything that I need to get done before I have 24/7 companionship, I had better get busy!

I only have a few more cards to write and address, and will start mailing them next week. With the exception of a gift card for my nephew (boring, I know but he is 18), I am done shopping - I just have the big task of wrapping ahead of me. I am not a good gift wrapper, so hopefully the bright, pretty paper will distract everyone from the thick corners, crooked seams and overabundance of tape.

Another big job for me is the making and baking of Christmas treats. J wants to give a tin of goodies to each of his direct reports, plus his manager and his colleague. That is a total of eight tins. I deliberately bought small ones so I won't be rivaling any candy factories in my efforts, but it will still take a lot of stirring and dipping. I will make chocolate fudge and peanut butter/chocolate Buckeyes (of course), and maybe one or two types of cookies.

Speaking of Buckeyes, Ohio State is ranked #1 in the BCS and will play LSU for the championship - yea! I don't think that LSU should be #2 with not one but TWO losses to their credit, but I honestly don't know which team I would pick to take their place...perhaps Kansas but certainly not any team that failed to win their conference or has two losses. I just hope this year that Ohio State actually shows up to play the championship game and doesn't disgrace itself or its fans.

Ho Ho Ho!