Is it over yet???

Today is December 28 and my Christmas tree is still up. That's kind of a long time for us! As you all know, I am in no way a clean freak or at all organized (unless it's totally unnecessary things like Polly Pocket shoes) and my house always looks messy (uh, 'cause it is?!?) it just seems like the Christmas tree makes the house look even more cluttered. Maybe because as long as the tree is up the gifts will stay scattered under it instead of put away. "Put away"? Like anything around me ever gets put away. I actually asked Justin if he'd hidden one of my shopping bags to teach me a lesson about putting things away instead of letting them sit out. (Actually, I accidentally left that bag at Wal-Mart.)

You wanna know what I'm really, really, really ready to be done with?? Lice!! No clue where they actually came from, but Audrey's head was infested!!! Emma had them too, but not to the extent Audrey did. Dang it, now my head is itching. Ha! I'll bet yours is too now!! It's been nine days since we discovered them (a real Bad Mommy moment for me, I won't go into it) and they've been treated with Nix twice. I look forward to not washing sheets every single day. Oh what am I saying? Justin's done most of the work the past few days.

My fingernails are too long to comfortably type on the laptop. And anyway, Christmas pictures are on the other computer. So I'll post again later. With pictures!!

I can understand people simply fleeing the mountainous effort Christmas has become... but there are always a few saving graces and finally they make up for all the bother and distress. ~May Sarton

A child is born!

No, this isn't some big theological posting regarding Jesus and the Christmas season. It's just announcing that my sister Kara had a baby this morning!

December 21st is:
Forefathers Day
Humbug Day
Phileas Fogg Win a Wager Day
Underdog Day

and now....Madelyn's birthday!

I'm feeling very......done

I...uh....bluh....erk......eep.....gah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just...

I can't....

Oh geez.....

What else can be piled on top!!??!!??

Two-legged creatures we are supposed to love as we love ourselves. The four-legged, also, can come to seem pretty important. But six legs are too many from the human standpoint. ~Joseph W. Krutch

Just an ordinary day

Our Christmas tree is up and decorated! The only other decorations are the saltshaker angels (they'd been stored in the kitchen and not with all the other Christmas stuff), little snowmen that the babysitter made with the girls, and my nativity snow globe. (can you call it a globe if it's rectangular?) I found my Christmas cds. But when Justin had the Christmas boxes down I forgot to look for my Christmas jewelry. Darn it! So all I have is my snowflake earrings. Cute, but I'd like to have some of my other things as well.

I started painting the snowman pavers yesterday. I think they need another coat of white this morning and then maybe this afternoon I can paint the faces. I do have one major problem: I cannot find the Wal-Mart bag containing the fleece and glitter paint. Where would I have put it?? I need to hunt for it this morning so I know if I need to go buy more. I did find my old cans of glitter spray paint yesterday (I knew they were around, just didn't look in the right spot before buying the new ones). I at least need two done by tomorrow for Emma and Audrey's teachers.

Speaking of Audrey....she's sick! A little ear infection, swollen glands, an eye infection (uh, make that two eyes as of last night), stuffy nose and cough. She hasn't gone to school yet this week. And since tomorrow is the last day, she probably won't go at all until January 3rd. Poor kid is missing the Christmas Program today (well, she'll come with Justin and I to the 1:00 performance) and Thursday afternoon the students are watching The Polar Express in their jammies. I told Audrey that we would do the same thing at home. And it's even better for her---she doesn't like popcorn, so she picked out her favorite chips to have instead.

Tonight Justin and I are taking the "upper management" from work out to dinner. This was supposed to be darts at the Moose Lodge night, but this will be fine too. I ate at the restaurant (Michael's by the Lake in Moses Lake) for the first time Saturday evening. We had a gigantahuge plate of appetizers. Then Justin, Emma, and I each had a salad. Audrey knew she wanted mac and cheese, so she stopped eating appetizers so she'd have room. I look forward to trying an entree tonight!

I haven't heard anything from/about my sister Kara. Her baby was due on Monday.

I started working on my Christmas-or-maybe-Groundhog-Day letter yesterday. We'll see if I ever get it done and mailed. So let's add that to the list!
1. Laundry
2. Snowmen
3. Christmas letter
4. Parent gifts
5. Cat diapers
6. Start packing for weekend
7. Buy gifts for family in need
8. Put more Christmas music on mp3
9. Pop popcorn and put in baggies for third graders tomorrow

That should be enough! Any bets on how many of those things get done?

If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it. ~Olin Miller

You weren't here when you were gone

But I was gone! Sort of. I mean, I'm here. But just not posting. But now I am. I'll keep it short though. (yeah right)

I elfed my family.

You know it just wouldn't be my blog unless I was bragging, so here's today's. A note from Audrey's teacher:

Dear Audrey,
Thank you for showing so much kindness to "M". The note you wrote to her was incredibly wonderful. You are a good friend and we are so fortunate to have you in our class. "M" really loved the note and it made her feel so good. It was above and beyond what I expect of of 1st grade friends.
Mrs. Jones

I guess "M" can be a bit difficult, and mean. Audrey wanted her to have friends, so wrote her a note saying that they are Best Friends. And yes, Mrs. Jones and I both were nearly in tears. The teacher told me that "M"'s overall behaviour has been much improved since this happened. Audrey must have gotten this from her dad!

Huh. It's snowing. Of course it is....the girls didn't take their boots to school!

My Christmas spirit is pretty much nonexistent this year. The girls have a little tree (thanks David and Hazel) set up on a table. I told them that it could be our Christmas tree. I explained that with a tree so small, any presents will look huge and like there's a lot of them. So Audrey wrote a note: Santa put our presents here. And propped it up against the little tree. I just really don't feel like putting up decorations and then taking them down again in two weeks. Maybe if we'd started earlier. Or maybe if I was interested in leaving the house decorated longer....(remember, we're the family that has been known to take down the tree the day after Christmas)

I guess it's not just Christmas. I don't have any spirit right now. I know, I know. "But Joy, you've always been lazy." I agree! But this feels different. Not good. Oh well!

Let's see. I bragged about Audrey. What can I tell you about Emma? She's in the Math Club. Obviously I will be of no help to her! She's still doing just as well in school as usual. I still don't have a piano teacher for her. Maybe in the new year.

Almost 10 and I haven't showered. I was planning on wrapping a bunch of presents today. I decided to make more paver snowmen this year for the girls to give to their teachers and our neighbors. The pavers are in my car. The paint is in the garage and the fleece is waiting to be cut and glued. That's as far as I've gotten. Last day of school is Thursday---I really should start working on those! Maybe they won't need me at the library today and I can stay home.....

It's the perfect weekend!
December 15 is Cat Herders Day
December 16 is both Barbie and Barney Backlash Day
and
Chocolate-covered Anything Day