Are You Ready?

Not by a long shot--but here is a little time to myself--

I'll bite on the Christmas Survey--so here it goes--

DO YOU USE WRAPPING PAPER OR GIFT BAGS?

Wrapping paper with ribbon and bows on every package. (Recycle bows, not paper, my sister, bless her heart saves hers, wraps it in a big box and gives it to my mother every Christmas!) For me--not worth the time-- and lets get to the present--boys change that patience thing.

REAL TREE or ARTIFICIAL? STAR OR ANGEL? Real and cut on the farm--they always look too small on the farm--Need to fill an 11 foot space or I am not happy. Definitely a star on top--afew years ago we hunted for a new bright star--its the first thing on the tree when we bring it into the house.

EGGNOG-- Yes or no? YECH!!!! NOWAY!!!

HARDEST TO BUY FOR-- 2 sisters who swear we are only gifting to the kids.

DO YOU HAVE A NATIVITY? Yes--Several, A white ceramic one made by my sister in law--up on the China closet away from the cats, the ancient one from DH's family under the tree and the mini one I had in my 1st apartment.

Finally home!

It's been a crazy morning--8 AM swim with DS2, but before that there were brownies to bake and a tree to finish! Squirtle the cat had other ideas--She loves the 8 ft ladder--hard to garland the tree from the top (it's 11 ft and the heaviest tree we have ever had) and juggle a cat who likes to play trapeze artist and add glittering garland -- well I got 1/3 done.

DS1 recently recovered from strep was even up and out with us to get ice of all things (couldn't the choir use snow!) for the Concert Choir Winter Wonderland fundraiser.

After swim--off to pageant rehearsal--DS2 is the narrator and we lost the script in my pit of a van. Haven't cleaned it out in several weeks--the layers are piling up.

Drop at rehearsal and off to pick up chicken to take home and cook and bring to the Choir fundraiser by 11! DS1 told me last night we needed to cook chicken--It was snowy and icy and I was not going anywhere last night! The Boy Scout Court of Honor was even postponed.

Pick up DS2 drop at home, pack up chicken and return to the HS. Contribution welcomed and I got to check out our basketball team--Not bad--I am a sucker for watching a good basketball game. Got the rest of the family into too--thanks to the Davidson College NCAA tournament run. My Dad and Davidson's coach were good friends. Couldn't help but think Davidson had an angel on the sideline last season--Brings me comfort and now they are on a roll again!

Finally home and need to bake cookies for our Winter Solstice celebration tomorrow--We are suckers to carry on a tradition we learned from "Little Bear." It was DS1's favorite childhood cartoon--Believe it or not I have all the episodes on tape! Tomorrow we light up our lone tree in front of the house and hang cookies for the night creatures on the longest night of the year. I know sappy, but we look forward to it every year.

Call Us Crazy---But It Was the Best Parade!

Proof--we are curbside--protecting our Territory!

It's 5:30 am and we are curbside--Believe it or not we made the 3:52 train! We all slept!

Parade traditions have been reincarnated. DS2 was happy, he missed my presence last year. My dad passed away the day before Thanksgiving last year and needless to say--Thanksgiving wasn't normal. DH and boys found their way to the parade spot by themselves. Amazing feat! This year we came out of the subway and DH headed north instead of south! It was dark--such an excuse.

Here's a New One! We couldn't beleive the Police Cafeteria rolling up to serve breakfast! They had tables and everything--Didn't offer us any though! Kids were not happy!

Here's another new one--Who in the right mind would want to march well into their 70's! I can't imagine where St. Petersburg, Florida found more than 300 former Marching Band Members to create this monstrocity.

Kids had a blast, yelling out to all the celebrities and seeing if they would be acknowledged! Nothing like a challenge and they succeeded---

We were out of there at 11 and home by 1--Slept all the way home--Theme of the Day--CAT NAPS!

Time to cook! We finally ate at 5:00. All in all after all the fixin's, it was one of the best Thanksgivings we have had.

Today--DS1 Birthday

Help--Give earplugs! What were we thinking giving him ROCKBAND!!!!! Waiting for the neighbors to call--But he is happy and isn't that all that matters.

Can't wait to go to sleep tonight--Although DS1 has swim practice at 8 am tomorrow--I think it will be a PJ run and go back to bed.

DS1 is hovering--GOOD NIGHT!

Drifting----

I should be baking or prepping tomorrow's dinner--

But I'm procrastinating--

DS2 had only 2 hrs of school today, I finished food shopping, which I hate!

Now, I've got everything together to take to the ravenous DS1 after swim team practice--a hero, his Islanders Hat--Off to the game with DH--

Meanwhile we are prepping for a 3 am something train to the city for the parade. Call us crazy but it's our crazy--We'll be in our parade spot before 6 and just let anyone try and muscle their way in. DH is very good at keeping our prize piece of curbside to our family and friends. We don't let the latecomers with kids get curbside--We get ours up at 3 for a good view so can they!

We'll see how much sleep DS1 and DH get tonight or early tomorrow morning.

We'll prepare dinner when we get home!

Off to bake some pumpkin struesel muffins--See if they make to dinner or will be an early morning snack!

What's Normal?

I'm ready for some normalcy--But someone will have to show me what that is.

16 1/2 hours working the polls--never had a break--never saw anything like it--now we have to live with it!

Meanwhile--16 miles out in the ocean--3 fisherman were catching fish after fish--What is the world is a ling? We have to eat it tonight, because it can't be frozen! There will be sea bass also on the menu.

Those 3 smelly fisherman were all wiped out--Oldest son crying at election results, let him know we will survive, just as we have in the past. It is a new world.

One smelly fisherman went to choir practice fresh off the boat. I'm sure no one sat near him! I'll hear about that today.

Going to work--last day at the athletics office--Sad-----

I liked that office

New adventures start tomorrow as I'm back on the call list--never know what will come my way.

So here is normal--

Up at 5:15--First question of the day--Do I have any clean pants? from DH (How should I know, my mom did the laundry for the last 4 days! Thank goodness or we would be wearing dirty clothes)

6:00--What's for breakfast? from DS1--how should I know--Don't know what you all raided yesterday for the fishing expedition and I don't want to give up the Frosted Entemann's Donut stash from my election day survival bag. (I gave them up--DS1 will crash at school in a few hours, but he'll survive enough to take his English quarterly)

6:30--check on dehydrated DS2--little groggy, needs a white shirt--uniforms are great except when you can't find the clean laundry. We find it and I pump him up with OJ, a bananna and of course 2 donuts Andrew left in the box--Can't deny one child, can you? Looking a little draggy--But he too--will survive--

Me I should be dressing--But I've already been in contact with the printer for camp, proofed camp brochure pages I could open--sent out help for those pages lost in the internet world and left a message with the Bishop's assistant for conference room confirmation for a board meeting in January!

I need to go back to bed--in 15 minutes I'll be out to the HS, to my office for the last day, delivering permission slips and health forms which DS1 forgot, deposits for scouts--and the list grows--

I'm going to sleep well tonight! (I want to be that lazy bear!)

Pride & Joy

We are proud of No. 1 son--Confirmed today and received an award for the best academic performance in his class. Mom was here to witness the ceremony and the award. It is also All Saints Sunday, so my dad was remembered today. Several hymns made us teary eyed. My sisters were here as well as Peter's sister and cousin with their families.

All in all it was a great day, I even slept last night and relaxed before all the ceremony of the day. It all got done and now its time to clean it up. But first sleep is winning out. Mom is watching "Desperate Housewives" and I'm unwinding.

As far as the date, Peter didn't bother changing the date when he changed the battery. Time to do some photoshoping and editing!

Halloween Memories

Mom really played along! Spent hours handing out treats to the masses at our door! She laughed and had fun--exhausted, we went to bed at 9:30!

Oh, she was almost taken away by a ghoul.

Our house passed muster on the fright and Halloween spirit department. People actually took pictures of our house.

Boys took home oodles of candy, YUM! YUM!

Have to raid the supply when they aren't looking.

(Opps, DS1 saw that.)

Time to get ready for the Confimation gathering, lists to complete and food to make and a house to clean. Time to put the timer to work!