Decoration photos

What my tree looks like in the daytime.
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Comet loves to sit under the tree. Just like Gabrielle's Pumpkin.

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Had to have this as soon as I saw it.

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One of the many snowmen my dear friend Nicole has given me over the years. His name is Joey Jingles.

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Bell stocking holder

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Countdown stocking holder

My Christmas Tree

Perfect little tree, seems to have been made for the spot. And it's recycled! Or rather, reused. Found it by the dumpster near the recycle bin when I was moving out of my apartment many months ago, apparently cast off by its previous owners due to...what...not fitting in the moving van? Lights still on it and everything. Works beautifully. All I need is a topper. Must go a on a quest for the perfect one. I found awesome stocking hangers this weekend...will post photo soon.

This is my first Christmas tree since 2000. Have I regaled you with this tale of woe before? Picture it: I'm on winter break, the tree has seen better days (it was a real one), and I decide to take off the decorations and haul it down to where it will be picked up for woodchipping. It's not terribly heavy, what with all the moisture being gone, but it's bulky. It was a very wide-bottomed tree, but I'd chosen it for its perfect isosceles shape. (My word, how many times can I say the word "perfect" in one post??) Anyway, I'm carting it down the stairs, getting poked by all the dry little needles, and I'm almost to the bottom, in fact I think I'm at the bottom, so I go to take that last step...except it wasn't the last step, it was the second-to-last step, and I twisted my ankle something fierce. I managed to drag the tree over to the pick up spot, hopping on one foot, and then go back upstairs to nurse my wounds. When it started to swell and not feel any better, I called my dad, and he came over to check it out. We agreed I should go to the doctor. If I recall, we waited until the next day, and he took me to my primary care physician to get a referral to an orthopedic guy (stupid HMO's). Got an xray, an sure enough, fractured fifth metatarsal, which is the long bone on the outside of your foot. Got a cast and crutches, a scrip for Vicodin (which did nada for me), and strict instructions not to drive, since it was my right foot.

This posed a couple of problems. First of all, I lived on the second floor of an apartment building, with no elevator. Not exactly crutch-friendly. So, I moved back in with my parents for a couple of weeks, until I could get a walking cast. Secondly, my dad had to drive me to work and pick me up. It was kind of fun, but also kind of like being tossed back into high school. Thank goodness his schedule was flexible enough to do that, though!

So I was teaching seventh graders at the time, and when I came back from break with a cast and crutches, it really threw them. Kids don't do well when things are different than what they're used to. I had to rely on them to pass out papers and set up the overhead, etc. They were really good about it, but man did they start rumors about how I broke my foot. Skiing, hangliding, you name it. If only it was so glamorous.

Anyway, that was the last time I had a Christmas tree. The following year I was in the same apartment, and was a little leery. After that, I moved to my condo and didn't really have a place to put one up. Since I spend Christmas day at my parents' anyway, it didn't seem all that important to me. But this year, with the tree practically falling in my lap and having the perfect spot to set it up, I just couldn't resist. It makes me smile every time I come down the stairs!

Consider them decked

The halls, that is. At least outside. No inside halls are sporting deckage as of yet. Out in CA, it seemed that everyone had their lights up already, and it was only a couple of days after Thanksgiving! In my neighborhood, only about 10% of the houses have lights on. I got the eco- and penny-conscious LED lights and think they look just fine. I'm not done yet...still have to do the other side of the porch...but I need another extension cord. So it's kinda lopsided right now, but it's better to have lopsided festivity than no festivity, if you ask me.

Christmas goings-on

It's not like I don't have anything to say--it has been quite an eventful week--but for some reason I have not been able to form a coherent blog post in my mind. Let's see, last Thursday was my office's potluck and gift exchange, which I organized. I woke up violently ill, but I'll spare you the gory details. I had no choice but to call in sick, which, because I have such fantastic coworkers, caused much concern and sympathy. I really felt miserable, but I dragged myself in for an hour just for the gift exchange. Everyone was so surprised and happy to see me. The president even gave me a hug, despite my germy-ness. The exchange went very well. Almost all the gifts were quality. The most coveted: $50 in scratcher lottery tickets. Other popular items were liquor-related, including a bottle of wine, noise cancelling headphones with a fifth of tequila taped to the package, and some sort of pumping device. I ended up with a fancy alarm clock, the kind with nature sounds and gradually brightening lights and aromatherapy. The lottery ticket recipient ended up winning 50 bucks. So I'd say the event was a big success. Everyone brought food, none of which looked or smelled appetizing to me. Giant platters of shrimp, huge mounds of ribs, salads, a cheeseball, cookies and candy, you name it.


I went home and immediately went back to bed, and did not rise until the next morning. Of course, spending nearly 24 hours lying down (most of it on my right side to help the tummy feel better) led to quite a backache, which was my main complaint on Friday, although my stomach was still not 100%. I barely ate--I tried some chicken soup but after a few bites it was just yucky. Around dinner time, the only thing that sounded good was a Jersey Mike's turkey sub, so I schlepped down the street in the rain to pick one up. Yummy! I felt much better the next morning (Saturday) but stayed home all day and took it easy. My biggest accomplishment was wrapping all the presents I'd accumulated over a few weeks' worth of shopping.

Christmas Eve I went to my parents' house where my brother and his family had already arrived. The commotion was the usual, with three little kids in various states of obedience and cheer, and a growing shepherd-mix puppy that wants nothing more than to play with my parents' three chihuahuas, who want nothing more than to be left alone. That evening we watched Little Miss Sunshine, which I still think is a funny movie, but which both my dad and my brother thought was lame. Bah humbug. Speaking of which, we also watched Scrooged, a modern classic.


Christmas morning I think I was the first to awaken, to the sound of a whimpering puppy who I thought would surely pee on the floor if she was not let outside. But of course, once she was downstairs, the other dogs woke up, and there was clashing, which woke others up, and then before you know it we're having breakfast and getting ready to open presents. Even though we tried to be a little more judicious this year in the volume department, there were still enough presents to open that we had to take three breaks.



Of course, everyone made out. I got a new external hard drive for my computer, as well as some super plush bath towels, a proof set, a car vac, memory cards for my camera, a Paris calendar, some Bath & Body Works stuff, and a couple things for Comet. The kids got toys and clothes galore, most of which they were not allowed to open because of all the tiny pieces that could get lost before they even get home. A couple things they did enjoy were the Aquadoodle mat, and the Speed Stackers cups.




For lunch we had a yummy casserole that had eggs, hash browns, cheese, and sausage. My version was made with southwestern Egg Beaters and textured vegetable protein, and some said it tasted even better than the "real" stuff. For dinner the carnivores feasted on giant slabs of prime rib,


while I had some mighty tasty turkey breast. Even hours later, we were too full to partake of the pie!

On my way out to the car, in the pitch black darkness, I stepped off the edge of my parents' driveway and twisted my ankle. Yowzers! I couldn't elevate it or ice it becuase I was driving home, and by the time I got home, I just wanted to go to bed. The next day I ended up wearing slippers to work because all I could do was hobble. I went to the doctor and she sent me for an xray, which thankfully came back negative. She recommended ice and elevation, of course, and a pull-on Ace bandage. I followed all three orders, and the best one of all was the Ace bandage. Man, with that thing on, I felt no pain! It was so cool. Today I was almost walking normal, which is such a huge relief, because my cruise is coming up very soon and the last thing you want when you're on vacation is to be hindered in some way.

There's more to tell, but I must be off to bed for my beauty rest. More soon, I promise.

Holiday Time Meme

from Nicole's blog

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?
Hot chocolate. Preferably minty.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
Wrapped, of course.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
White lights on both.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Nope.

5. When do you put up your decorations?
It’s different every year. I don’t put much up, ever since the Tree Incident of ’99. But the office is done, and my parents’ house is mostly done.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)
Mashed potatoes.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
My mom loved the Dr. Seuss cartoon “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, and it was a tradition to watch it every year. And of course, there’s a whole “roast beast” story that we won’t go into right now.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I have no idea.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
We never did growing up, but I think we have the past few Christmases.

10. What kind of decorations are on your Christmas tree?
I don’t have one, so I’ll describe my parents’ tree (I did help decorate it, after all). It’s got white lights, some of which twinkle, and it has a ton of Hallmark ornaments collected over the years. It has a few that my brother and I made as children, and a few that I received as gifts over the years. My favorites are the Lion King ornaments and the embroidered ornament that my third grade teacher made for me. She made one for everyone with their initials on it.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
Pretty to look at, but what a mess. And this is coming from someone who’s never shoveled a driveway in her life.

12. Can you ice skate?
I did go ice skating once or twice, but who knows if I could do it now.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
I get great stuff every year, but for some reason my first thought when reading this question was the year I got a Cabbage Patch Kid AND a giant teddy bear (both of which I still have, by the way). I was on Cloud 9. I have a Polaroid of me posing with those two toys and I just went to go find it. Yeah, right. I really need to organize all my photos (I’m talking physical photos, here.) New Year’s Resolution?

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you?
How can I answer this without sounding trite? See “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Well, it’s not a dessert per se, but my favorite treat is the mint chocolate M&M’s and the mint chocolate Hershey’s Kisses.

16 What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Well, in addition to the Grinch, I always liked going to pick out the Christmas tree. Alas, we’ve gone artificial now. But they ARE much easier to decorate!

17. What tops your tree?
There’s an angel on top of my parents’ tree.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
I love giving, when I have a good gift idea. But when I don’t, it’s not as fun.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
For some reason, I always liked “What Child is This?” And I remember learning “Do You Hear What I Hear?” in third grade; I was shocked that there was a Christmas carol I’d never heard before! My favorite Christmas CD is Amy Grant’s “Home for Christmas.”

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or yummy?
They’re tasty, but I’d rather spend my calories on M&M’s, thanks.

Deck the halls (literally)

When I worked at La Mesa Junior High, my dear friend Nicole ran something called the Sunshine Club for the staff. Basically, anyone who wanted to could contribute a $10 donation, and then whenever someone on the staff had a baby, got married, or experienced some other major life event, the Sunshine Club would bestow a thoughtful gift to that person, on behalf of the entire staff. Nicole did lots of other things that weren't officially Sunshine Club duties, like put out refreshments for faculty meetings, organize a monthly Lunch Bunch, and so much more. She was (and still is!) basically the social glue of that school.

I've appointed myself to be the Sunshine Club for my office (minus the donations). I put a list together of everyone's birthdays, and I bring in cupcakes to celebrate those special days. Also, I'm going to coordinate the holiday gift exchange. And I decided we should have some wintry decorations to make our surroundings a little more festive. I wasn't given much of a budget ($20) but thanks to Walmart and the Dollar Store, I was able to pull together some pretty decent stuff. I ultimately kicked in $20 of my own, and brought some stuff from home to round it all out. Monday night I stayed late to deck the halls. Here are the fruits of my labor:




Before I left, I had to unplug everything, and since I don't get in until after everyone else in the morning, I was wondering if anyone would plug the lights in before I got there. They did!! That made me so happy. Everyone said that everything looked great, and was very happy about it. I kind of just did it, and didn't tell anyone about it beforehand, so I wasn't sure how people would react. But it was very positive.

One thing that bummed me out was I had bought a string of garland with lights already in it, and after I hung it iup and put on the red bows, I went to plug it in and it didn't work. So disappointing.


So it really warmed my heart when when my boss went through the strand, bulb by bulb, to find the one that was loose. He found it, and now it lights up, and it is just lovely! I also got a rush when the owner of the company came in later that morning and asked, "Who put up all these fantastic decorations?!" and I got to raise my hand with a big grin and say, "I did!" He was really, really pleased with it, which made my day.

At the end of the day, my boss handed me $20 to pay me back for the decorations I had bought out of my own pocket. He said thanks for doing it, it looks great, no one else would have done it, but he's glad I did. This was a big deal, because he'd been kind of Scroogey when I'd asked him for some decoration money.

I really love the people I work with; they are all so great, and I feel so fortunate to have found this job. Happy December everyone!!

A merry time was had by all...

...except for those under age 1. Christmas was lovely. The whole family was together, and the house was full of life, love, and good cheer. But poor little Cassidy was very much under the weather. With lingering (recurring?) ear infections, a hacking cough, runny nose, and puffy red eyes, she was quite a pitiful sight. She cried almost nonstop. I swear she was saying "Ow." Her wails really sounded like it. Of course, being Christmas, the only option for medical care was the ER, which seemed rather extreme. When her fever spiked to 103.8, though, we seriously considered it. Thankfully the Tylenol worked its magic. Monday morning she actually smiled for a spell but it didn't last. I hope the doctor can make her feel better. She's usually such a happy little girl, and to see her suffering was heartbreaking.

Meanwhile in happier events, the kids had a fantastic time opening their presents.


Well, mostly.


One might say the children are spoiled


but that is a grandparent's prerogative!

In all seriousness, the abundance we are blessed with can be overwhelming at times. We are truly very fortunate and I am bursting with gratitude. Not just for the presents, but for the love, the affection, the support, the bonds that tie our family together. At the same time, I'm grateful even for the challenging aspects of life, because it is through them that we grow.

If you want to see more pictures from our Christmas, you can view my flickr album here. I recommend choosing "View as slideshow."

Family Weekend

My brother, Amy, and the kids came down for the weekend. They live about two hours from my parents' house. They arrived Friday evening and left Sunday. I stayed both nights as well, so it was a full house this weekend, which was a nice feeling. The kids are adorable, but their noise output is definitely above my usual comfort level. Cassidy (7 months) is very vocal in the mornings and appears particularly enchanted with the echo she can create in the two-story family room. The other two like to imitate her. Triple the screaming, yippee!

Layne (almost four) has a very active imagination: a stuffed Christmas tree pillow became her "baby," and a wooden serving tray became the baby's "crib." A dish towel was the "blanket," and at one point the tree baby was put on the time out chair in the corner for misbehaving. Now Prestin (almost three), he's becoming more and more of a pill. If I had not witnessed Layne's transformation, recovering from the terrible two's and morphing into a docile three-year-old, I would fret over Prestin's unmanageable behavior. Touchy does not begin to describe it! But it makes his happy moments all the more precious. His smile is a real heart melter. He's also going through potty training, which makes life difficult for him, I'm sure. Poor little guy.

Seeing as Christmas was only 15 days away, we decided it was time to do some decorating. The outside of the house had already been decked by the wreath and garland fairies, and was looking quite festive.


Sunday we decked the inside. Prestin and Layne helped put ornaments on the tree, or at least on one three-square-foot patch of the tree. :)


Even the dogs could not escape the Christmas touch.


Recognize the scarf? :)


Further evidence to prove the theory that kids can endlessly entertain themselves with a simple cardboard box:


And lastly, a daddy and his little girl:

Holiday photos and the job hunt

Although I could come up with something to write about, it would basically be blather so instead I'll spare you and post a few pictures.

Two mornings ago, I awoke to an icy car. I still haven't bought an ice scraper, so thankfully I didn't have to go anywhere. :)


The other evening while driving around with friends we came across a holiday display so intriguing we had to turn around to see it more closely. Two huge trees, their limbs recently rendered leafless by the relentless onset of Winter, now sported dangling illuminated Christmas symbols. The effect in the photo is nothing compared to real life (as always). Sadly, one of my first thoughts was, "I wonder if the HOA has a problem with this."


And lastly, downtown Apex, decorated for the holidays. I love how in this shot, the signal is both green AND red...the result of a long shutter opening. (Don't worry, it was only green for a second before I put the camera down and started driving!)


And just in case you're wondering, yes, I am looking for a job. I just applied for two with the county, one of which is so up my alley! It's for the position of Solid Waste Environmental Educator. Basically I'd be designing lesson plans and activities to teach kids about why recycling is important, as well as coordinating the school recycling programs. The other job is more administrative, but it sounds more challenging than your average secretary job, so that's a plus. The latter job closes on Dec. 16, but the former not until the 30th. So it could be a while before they start interviewing. I also applied for a corporate training job with software company, but I haven't heard anything back from them. Alas, that would have been a fun job too. It involved traveling around the country to teach seminars in how to use a particular e-commerce application.

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

The single girl's Christmas tree:


And my bedroom window, which faces the parking spaces, is now officially festive. I have yet to see anybody else’s lights. Bunch of humbugs? Hopefully my lights can spread some Christmas cheer.


Lord knows it's cold enough for the holidays. Highs in the 40's, lows in the 20's all week. Thankfully the precipitation is now over for at least a few days; last night the top story on the 11:00 news was about the threat of roads icing. Not pretty.

I've got the Billboard Music Awards on in the background in the hopes of catching Carrie Underwood’s appearance, but meanwhile I’m being subjected to the crappiest music imaginable. You want to feel old? Listen to what qualifies as a hit these days. Blech.