Thinks By Me

We skidded into our NY driveway at 10pm, a mere 11.5 hours after hauling out of the NC one at 10:30am. We included a precious few pit stops into our journey, and the wee ones were real troopers. We did indulge in a little Bojangles for lunch along with some much-missed Cheerwine a couple of quick combination fuel/bathroom/food stops and that was about it. Brainy Boy suffered through it by watching the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy that Uncle lent him and Little Chic used her new Nintendo DS to diligently train her new NintenDog who had graduated puppy training by day's end. I passed the time by doing some admiring of my new laptop until motion sickness set in and then did a little snoozing in a less than comfortable position. Hero Guy fared best by having total control of the steering wheel (and thus the radio and temperature gauge) and we all pulled in with surprisingly good attitudes. HyperDog was thrilled to see her family back although she did enjoy a bit of a vacation...

Dear Santa, Will Dasher lead the slay next year? Do you have a magic watch that can stop time or slow it down? Tell dasher hese my favrite. Do you know Tiana M or Erin S? My brother doesn't beleave. a bealver, Little Chic PS. I hope you like your cokies. I left a carot for each reindeer and 1 for you. My favrite animal is a cat. My favrite color is blue. Dear Little Chic, I'm fine if Dasher leads next year. I'll tell Dasher, don't worry. Want to know a secret? Dasher's my favorite too. Of course I've got a magic watch. Actually I've got two of them in case one breaks. Tiana and Erin? Yes, I know who they are. Are they friends of yours? I know your brother doesn't believe. That's his choice, I guess. Don't you worry. I love your cookies. Also my reindeer love carrots. My favorite animal is the reindeer obviously, and my favorite color is green. Let me take this time to complement you on your cat. It's so well-behaved. ...

I wrote this script for our live nativity at church, trying to capture the thoughts of what the various characters might have been thinking as they experienced Jesus' birth. It's a story that we've all heard a million times, and I find that 2000 years later, many people think of the Christmas story as a fable or a folk tale. Sometimes it's difficult to really grasp the fact that this story really happened, and it happened to regular, ordinary people like you and me. Our nativity on Christmas Eve attempted to bring the story back to life and help each of us connect ourselves with the people that were around during the time when the event actually happened. I wrote the script on request--it's definitely out of my comfort zone to do dramatic writing for a public audience like this was, but hopefully it will make the meaning of Christmas more personal for you as well. Mary’s Reflections I am but a girl who intended to marry a man and eventually start a family togethe...

From our family to yours - Wishing you a Christmas Eve filled with the Spirit of the only reason we have to celebrate--the arrival of the Messiah, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Said in a high-pitched fakey, sugar-sweet voice "O, have I just died and gone to Heaven?" Said by little Chic during our excursion to get her Christmas dress as she finds just exactly what she wants. You have no idea just how far from my own personality that is...Don't know where she gets all that drama. Must be from her dad. Pic is from her school class Christmas party today.

MonsterPaw is trying her best to figure out where Santa hid that catnip she asked for! She denies it, saying that she is only trying to help wrap presents, but we all know the truth...

It's always a little strange to have 'vacationers' at home during the school year. Those would be the people who aren't usually keeping me company during the daytime school hours (like Hero Guy when he is on vacation from work, or the kids when they are on holiday breaks). The hardest part about it is that the regular routine gets interrupted and I get all discombobulated. This morning I attempted to keep on schedule, sitting on my bed having quiet time reading my Bible after the kids were gone to school. It's especially difficult to stay focused when Hero Guy is home, because, well--here's an example. While I was minding my business, Hero Guy was entertaining himself by putzing around the house enjoying a day off work. He disappeared into the bathroom where he keeps his handy-dandy binoculars (for spying on deer out the back window) and proceeded to peer off our top balcony at some unfortunate woman who was having car trouble on the road in front of our ho...

Why is it that every female head of household that I know, is running frantically like a hen being chased by a wolf as the days whittle down to the BIG ONE? Why is it that the children of those same females are gleefully pronuncing, "Christmas is in only five days!!" as if their moms are calm and organized with everything done? And why is it that the male partners of those females (be they husbands, boyfriends, dads or brothers) are saying "What stress? What needs to be done? I'm not stressed, why are you stressed?" ?? As of now, if it doesn't get done, it's not getting done, and I'm committed to being OKAY with it. Well, that is except for the remainder of the shopping to do tomorrow, the school classroom party on Friday, the wrapping on Saturday, the singing at two services in church on Sunday....all except for that.

I realized after reading a post from my own personal Cupid (the high school pal who was a cousin to my own Hero Guy and introduced the two of us) that it's been a year since a group of family and friends started blogging to keep up to date with one another. Before that, I didn't even know what a blog was. Anyway, Cupid posted a hilarious summary of some of the crazy stuff you find in your email box. It is especially funny to me, because I'm such a skeptic (I prefer the term, "realist") that I don't believe even the stuff that turns out to be true per Snopes! So here's to plagiarism... SUMMARY OF MY LAST YEAR ON THE COMPUTER I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing. Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason. I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about t...

I come from a fairly musical family and we all enjoy singing, some of us playing an instrument, and generally surrounding ourselves with tunes most of the time. In an effort to keep the passion alive, I have immersed my kids in musical experiences, taking them to Kindermusik as tots, having them join Kid's Choir at church and I've even suggested taking instrument lessons themselves. Little Chic has fully embraced this idea since she pretty much has a song and a jig going inside her brain 24/7. Brainy Boy, on the other hand, loves to hear music, likes to sing, but does it all in his own time. The discipline associated with going to choir practice or playing an instrument does not interest him at all. Now, I'm not the type of parent to force my interests on others, so this year since Brainy Boy is 10 and in 5th grade, I allowed him to opt out of the children's choir at church, and he is no longer required to be in chorus at school. He does still have a general music...

Most kids want to grow up, and Little Chic especially yearns to "get bigger". I tell her there are benefits to being small, short, little or whatever you want to call the kid-state. Only a 9 year old can get away with having best girlfriend come to spend the night, don bathing suits and take a dip in the jacuzzi tub.

This video is one of the most profoundly simple explanations I've ever seen about what it means to have New Life. Thanks to old High School buddy for turning me on to it.

Just in the nick of time, the 2006 Weblog awards came to a close. I was feeling quite chipper for the first half of voting, as I remained strongly in the #5 position. It became much less satisfying to see my stats as the days dragged on seeing myself slip to #6, then #7 and at one point, #8. Luckily the votes were tallied and I tied for 8th,9th,10th with 2 other bloggers (that's face-saving speak for "tied for last place"). The judges were kind enough to place my name in the first of the losing spots, so that I can trick myself into believing I wasn't the least popular. But were it not for all you friendly types who check my goings on every day, I wouldn't have even been in the running. So thank you for the 144 clicks of affirmation that you all gave me for the past 10 days, admitting to the world that you humor me by reading my ramblings. My consolation prize is that I get to keep that snazzy little button forever. I probably won't even take it out, wel...

The hustle and bustle at this time of year is infamous. I, like every other person in modern-day America, promise that I am going to shop online, am going to get my errands and mailing done early, and am going to sit back and relax throughout the season approaching Christmas. Of course I never do, and today was no different. I headed to the Post Office with arms overloaded at 8am this morning, praising myself for beating the mad Monday rush (the 18th of course will be heralded as the busiest mailing day of the year). I had a dilemma about how to get my too-many packages into the building and up to the counter. Should I even attempt to carry them all at once? (even half the load was near impossible). Should I take in half, and speak to the nice counter woman explaining that I have another load and could I please deposit half the load in a safe spot while I run to the van for the second armload? Should I carry half inside, deposit it in line to hold my place and then dash back out ...

Apparently Hero Guy was more perturbed than I realized about me not letting him wear his cowboy hat to the country music concert we went to Saturday night. This medic outfit is what he was wearing when he showed up at church on Sunday evening for Little Chic's children's choir performance! Oh, ok--the truth. He was on medic duty. But you have to admit, the first story sounded better.

Life brings with it lots of experience and if you pay attention, you can learn some really good lessons. Some of the stuff I'd forgotten and have been reminded of this week: 1) "Uh-huh" does not qualify as a "yes" from your kids. More than likely it means "I'm watching Sponge Bob and something (I have no idea what) is making a really annoying noise, but saying "uh-huh" makes it stop." 2) If your computer never crashes, it will - Just as you finish entering all the numbers in that new budgeting program you're trying out. 3) If your husband never drives your vehicle, he will suddenly need to - But only when you have been shopping with the kids who have been eating in your car all day. This will elicit a comment about how terrible it is that you allow your car to be a pigpen ALL the time. 4) You can't go by the calorie counter on those high-tech treadmills. One day, a 3.5 mile run will burn 500 calories, and the next day, at...

School projects were never my thing. I dreaded the Science Fair. I hated the bug collection. I actually tolerated research projects and book reports but only because I liked reading and enjoyed digging for information. But attach a display or something that you had to build to the requirements and I was out. I'd put the thing off until the very last minute and then try to scramble the entire family into panic mode to bail me out. Now Hero Guy, on the other hand, adores projects and loves fiddling with all the details. He helps plan and construct to the point that I have to slap his hands lest our wee ones not get proper credit for doing enough work. As luck would have it, our project days are not over. I now have 2 kids of school age and both get projects from their regular classes as well as the enrichment program they are in. I got the glad tidings today that Little Chic will have a longhouse project due on January 3. The teacher has kindly given 'ample' time t...

My sis has always said that Hero Guy was born wishing he were a redneck. He has quite an eclectic taste in music and although he does like classic rock, contemporary Christian and mellow worship music, he's really a country music fan. I think he likes it not so much for the way it sounds, but because there is a costume that is associated with that genre. Although country & western has never been my favorite, Hero Guy has chiseled away at my resistance and tonight we are going to see Little Big Town, a group that I've actually come to enjoy. I was looking forward to the evening until Hero Guy started asking me what I'm going to wear. This was an immediate red flag because he never thinks about his attire unless we are walking out the door and I tell him that neither his C*ville Fire Department T-shirt nor his medic suit are appropriate choices for the holiday party we've been invited to. And he certainly doesn't think about what I'm wearing, especially ...

While getting ready to say bedtime prayers Wednesday night, Brainy Boy (10 years old) informed me that he has the ability to control his own dreams. "So how does that work?", I asked. He looked at me like this was something I should totally know already, he nonchalantly explained, "I just use reverse psychology on my subliminal characters." I expressed my doubt reminding him "If that were so, you wouldn't need to come into our bedroom at night when you have a scary dream. You could just write your dream in a different way that wouldn't scare you." Disgusted with my question of his logic he told me "Ma, I only came into your bed back when I was still at the mercy of my brain power." So there you have it.

Note To The Masses: I realize that I am a peon in the scheme of humanity. I also realize that my wit quotient is about a paragraph long - maybe two on good days. I further realize that I live in small town America and some might find my life, well, mundane. That's why placing in the TOP 10 for BEST DIARIST in the 2006 Weblog Awards is a big deal to me. So here it is. If you are so inclined, you can vote for me once a day until December 15. If you're curious, it will even tell you how badly I'm being outvoted. If you don't see this topic ever mentioned again, it will be safe to assume that I didn't win. Seriously, considering that I started this blog a year ago just for fun and subsequently got hooked, it's pretty amazing that I'm even included in the line up. And life goes on.

Who Knew? The category I'm nominated in is Best Diarist. Apparently voting starts on Thursday, but since I have no idea how it all works, I can't give you much direction on how best to help catapult me to fame. So just go to the Weblog Awards site tomorrow and figure out how to vote. For Me. For Best Diarist. I'll mention your name in my speech. Heehee.

The trip to the Big Apple was exciting as could be expected. 5:30 am came much earlier than expected being the morning glory I am not. I did chug an extra cup of coffee and that helped sustain me till we arrived for our 11am show. The Rockettes were pretty unbelievable and the live nativity at the closing scene was indescribable. It brought lots of the audience to tears. Some of the highlights were the Macy's famous Christmas window display, the gaggle of people waiting sale of the Wii at the Toys R Us in Times Square (the store that has a ferris wheel inside) and of course, the tree in the Rockefeller Center which was the #1 thing on my "To See" list. Notably, I did very little shopping, and spent less than $50 (not counting the show tickets and the bus fare) which I have to say, I'm feeling quite smug about. But the hubub and atmosphere was worth the 4.5 hour drive and I'll probably be making the trek every Christmas from now on. The deli we found for lun...

Over the years, Hero Guy and I have 'shared' responsibility in keeping our financial books in order--he likes to be the one officially in charge, but the fact that his work schedule is very unreliable and I have an irresistible urge for controlling things, we volley back and forth for the responsibility depending on what's going on in our lives. The problem is that when 2 people each think the other is doing the job, it rarely gets done well. Thus, I recently volunteered for the task of coordinating Financial Peace University for our church (only because coordinating involves pushing the "Play" button on the DVD player) so I have been doing most of the entering, tracking and analyzing of our spending so I feel a bit more put together when the class begins on January 10. I volunteered for this job because I really see finances as being a huge stress in many of the married couples I know, and I could really use some organization help and motivation in this area a...

I'm thinking that the 60 mph winds and possible tornados today will not deal kindly with the garland and bows I strung on my porch yesterday. And I did such a nice job too, using that handy staple gun on my own. This is notable because I don't think I've ever put up garland and bows before, so I'm bummed. I am cheering myself up by thinking about the bus trip I am taking to NYC on Monday. It will be my first time ever to see the city at Christmas. I'm happy now!