Christmas Decorations

While driving through the neighborhood today, I've started to notice that decorations are going up. I'm sure they are lovely at night when they are all on and going strong, but at 10 am they are just a little sad. I call this yard "Christmas Character Mass Murder Scene". 

Too morbid?

Christmas Follow-Up

So it is the day after Christmas and what a wonderful Christmas it was. I've been at my folks' house for the past couple of evenings and it has been great to just have the opportunity to relax and be my parents' "little girl" again for a couple of days.

Yesterday, Christmas Day, my sister and her family came over here and we all had great fun collecting the haul that was Christmas presents. The adults in the family exchange names and we have a price limit on how much we will spend and then it is a free-for-all on what the kids will get. This year, I drew my dad's name; which is always a challenge...both he and my brother-in-law are very difficult to shop for. This year, though, I asked my mom what to get for dad and she provided me with a couple of suggestions including some work gloves, a cap with ear flaps, and when all else failed a snuggie....yes, you read that right, a snuggie. I did go for the fancy snuggie from Brookstone, and since they were having a sale (buy two get one free) I went ahead and got one for my mom and for myself and I have to say that I LOVE my snuggie. I had mom and dad unwrap theirs' at the same time and I could not help but just keep laughing because I found it to be completely HI-lareous.... The other gift that I got my dad that cracked me up was a panini maker. The story behind the panini maker is that when I asked my mom what to get dad for his birthday, she said a panini maker, more so because she wanted one... So basically mom made out on gifts almost as well as dad did.

I had provided an Amazon wish-list to my sister and she did a great job of getting stuff for me, including a back-scratcher, which I'm desperate for in the winter time, and great quilt book, and a brownie pad....you know the one where all the brownies have an edge....woo hoo!!

After present-time and dinner-time it was game time. Colin, the nephew, received a couple really fun games that we were all able to participate in and all in all had a great time. I have such a great family and we have a really good time together laughing and joking and eating and playing and just being together.

Classic ABBA Holiday Memories

Here are a couple of classic memories from this past holiday season:

• Playing Pictionary. My sister and I versus my mom, niece, and nephew. Yes, they spanked us twice. Turns out that I draw everything in my own image... sorta round and puffy...no stick figures here.
• Giving my dad the task of putting my Texas plates onto my car. While I assumed there would only be the need for a Philips-head screw-driver, it turns that somewhere, somehow, somebody replaced the screws on the front with little bolts so dad had to get a nice ratchet-thingy to take care of the plates.
• Going shopping in downtown Granbury with my mom and having a mother-daughter moment or two.
• Waking up most nights around 2 AM and reading for about an hour or so. I think I'm turning into my Grandmother. Sadly, this habit from the holidays has bled over into my non-vacation time and I'm finding myself awake in the wee hours with my headlamp on and a book in hand.
• Driving around on New Year's Eve in my pajamas with my friends and their baby in an effort to calm him down (he had a cold and was teething). We decided to not stay out too late since we really didn't want to be on the road when all the drunks started getting out on the road.
• Playing Wii for the first time. If you have the right attitude, it can actually be a lot of fun. Might have to invest in one of those someday....
• Getting pre-approved for a home loan. Now it is just a matter of finding the right place...
• Sewing, sewing, sewing. I worked on a couple of different quilts. I also did some repair work on a couple of sweaters by replacing buttons...as I told my mom "who knew that it was that easy to repair the clothes.... I've been just throwing them out...." (of course, this is said with complete sarcasm...I actually just wear them with missing buttons and torn hems and just look slightly unkempt.... Working on my "crazy" lady look.)

All in all, it was a quiet holiday season, but that is what I really wanted. Maybe next year I'll go and tear it up... but, I doubt it.

Flashback Friday

This is my very first Christmas, which puts me at about 8 months old (yeah, I'm the one in the highchair). This is with one of my Great Grandmothers. I've been lucky enough to have had all of my grandparents in my life for the better part of it and to have had at one point 3 of my Great Grandmothers alive during my lifetime. My sister is the one standing next to me and Grandma is holding my cousin Cathy and my second cousin Jo Janet.