Sorry gang.

I had every intention of doing a post tonight in the old format of "Highlights of the Day." I thought about it all day. Had the bullet points in my head. But around 7:15 tonight, Hannah ran into the doorknob on the bathroom door and put a nasty gash on her forehead, right above her eyebrow. It bled like a bastard, but only for a few minutes. I honestly didn't know if it even warranted a trip to the ER, but it was pretty deep and I was worried about a scar for the rest of her life, so off we went. I'm glad I took her in.

She did, indeed, need stitches. Five of them to be exact. And let me tell you, I have NEVER been as proud of her as I was tonight. She didn't shed a SINGLE tear or make a SINGLE sound as they gave her the Novocain shots or stitched her up. Not a peep. We were all absolutely amazed. She is such a trooper.

And in true Hannah fashion, she could care less about the stitches. She was just excited that she got a bracelet with her name on it at the hospital. LOL!

That, and the fact that tomorrow, the kids are supposed to wear their pajamas to school, and she had gotten blood all over hers. So I had to do a load of laundry when we got home from the hospital, but it's the least I can do for the little sweetie. She was totally good to go by the time we got home.

See?....

She's "lucky" in that it's literally right along the top of her eyebrow, so even if it does scar, it won't be very noticeable at all. Princesses don't have scars, ya know? ;)

And she thinks she's cool because I have a scar on my forehead, an inch or so above her stitches, from when I had some when I was a kid. And Steve has one in his other eyebrow when he needed stitches as a kid. I think we've convinced her it's the mark of a true L-------- (<--insert our last name there).

And note that in the second photo, she's wearing her sequined dress-up shirt. Because the second we got home and walked in, she stipped off her bloody pajama top and declared that she was going to play dress up. LMAO!

So I'll post my Highlights for today, but I'll post them tomorrow. It was one hell of a day, lemme tell ya (beyond the stitches). Words cannot describe how glad I am that tomorrow is a new day....

Take My Poll...

Over there in the margin. Can y'all answer that poll and tell me if you'd like to see the return of the "Highlights of the Day". For those of you that have no idea what I'm talking about, click here and read a few. It's how all of my blog posts used to be formatted. I'm thinking of going back to it, but decided to ask you all instead. LOL! So take it, will ya?

Update: So far it looks like y'all like that format, huh? Hmmm... maybe I'll post that way today and see if I can get my groove on again. LOL!

Another hot day...

OK. So "hot" is pushing it. But in these parts, the 60-degrees that it was today is INSANE for January. Just absolutely insane. So Hannah and I once again, spent most of the day outside. We walked down the street and around the corner to the gas station to  grab some candy. Then we walked back home (stopping to admire the creek) and had a little "candy picnic" on the bench in our backyard. So that leads us to my Project 365 photo for today...

 

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Hmmm... what else? Oh! Got an email from my sister today saying her work email address has now been switched back to her maiden name. I had no idea she was even going to switch back, but good for her. If you're going to make a break, you may as well make a clean one. Her husband was also served with his divorce papers while at work today. Lovely. LOL! I have to say, I really admire her. It was a VERY hard decision for her to make. Her life has completely changed since deciding to leave him. She had to sell their house and now lives with my parents. That alone would make me think long and hard about the decision. But she has shown a great strength and I'm really proud of her. And one HUGE benefit of her now living with my parents is that now, every Saturday when the girls sleep at my parents' house, they're spending a lot of time with Aunt Kristin. My sister's starting to learn that all children aren't the spawn of the devil. And her and Grace in particular have become extremely close, which I think is awesome. So that's cool.

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I just want to say here that I think that my fellow blogger and friend, Tink, looks AMAZING in her newly purchased wedding gown. She doesn't have it posted anymore because her fiance shouldn't see the dress before the wedding. But trust me when I say that she's going to be one of the most beautiful brides I've ever seen. Now as long as I see a picture of her on her wedding day in that dress while also chugging a beer, I'll be a happy camper. ;)

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I'm on a Daughtry kick the past few days. I'm not sure if that makes me cool or lame, but whatever. Hell, it may prompt another couch-jumping session, so it's all good.

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I've decided I've got a bleeding heart. (Not literally.) But over the past few weeks, I've found myself wanting to help out as many people as I can... wanting to settle some differences I've had with people in the past... somewhat longing for some old friendships that have faded over the past few years... etc. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. But it does make one think a little "deeper" than one would sometimes like to. I feel like I've been told I have 2 months to live and I need to do all of those things I need to do to make peace with myself. I'm NOT dying (that I know of), but that's how I'm acting. As much as I like being a bit more compassionate lately, it's also taking a lot more energy and I'm not sure I've got it in me. LOL!

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I have a friend, Kelly, who has entered a photo contest. If y'all could click on over to http://www.merakohblog.com/ vote for her (Photo #1), that would kick ass and I'd really appreciate it. :)

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Uhhh... I think that's it. More tomorrow. The girls both have "school" and Steve's working, so I'll be home alone. Last week, that prompted the couch jumping session. Who the hell knows what could happen tomorrow. LOL! ;)

Another long one...

So tell me... how does one go from blogging once a week, to rambling on a daily basis. Weird.

Anyway, today was crazy warm. And I use the term "warm" relatively. It was all of 12-degrees last week. Today, it was almost 60. To people who live in warmer states, 60-degrees would have them all bundled up in winter coats and scarves. For us Northeasterners, 60-degrees has some of us outside in short sleeves, or (in my case) in just a hoodie. It was too warm not to take advantage of it, so while Steve was at work and Grace was at school, Hannah & I spent the entire day outside playing. It was awesome! And it prompted my photo for Project 365.

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Speaking of Project 365, I've been working on something for the past week. I decided that it would be really cool for me to put together a scrapbook of all of my photos for the project. I just think it will be awesome to look back next year (or any year after that), and on any given day, know what I did exactly one year earlier just by looking at my photo for the Project that day. Like, next year on January 5th, I'll know that one year before, I watched the Steelers lose the playoff game by one point (which totally sucked). And on January 6th, I'll know that one year earlier, it was fairly warm for us around here and Steve pegged Grace with a snowball. LOL! I also think it would be the kind of thing that my kids would think was pretty cool when they're grown up and I'm like, dead or something. LOL!

So anyway, I've decided to have 12 pages that have all of the photos from each month, and then 52 pages that have a week's worth of photos on them, complete with short blurbs that explain why I took the photo, or what the photo is, etc. This is what I've come up with.

This will be the monthly pages. Nothing fancy. Just each photo from each day on one page. (It will look much cooler once all of the squares are filled in. LOL!)

This will be the weekly pages. On each page, I'll switch out the backgrounds and move the frames around a bit. And I might vary the things I list like "Favorite Photo This Week", "Most Memorable Moment" etc. to be other things. And I'll add some more other scrapbooking stuff here and there, but for the most part, here's what they'll look like. I'm excited to see it when it's all done. :)

If any digital scrapbookers out there want that first template (the monthly one), let me know. I created that from scratch and even made the numbered stickers, so I can send it to you if you want it. Just comment or email me (if you have my email) and I'll send it off. I'd offer up the weekly one too, but I made that using stuff I purchased from designers, so I'm afraid you're on your own on that one.

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Let's see... what else? Oh, does ANYONE else that reads this blog watch "October Roads?" If not, you should. Best. Show. Ever. Like, for real. OK. So maybe not ever, but close. It's a REALLY good show and I need someone else who watches it to discuss it with me on Tuesday mornings after they watched it the night before. Please? Pretty please? Tonight, I cried (when Ikey pleaded his case) and then LMAO (when the guys karaoked to "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meatloaf). And as hot as Catalda is, I want to punch his effing face in every week. [sigh] PLEASE tell me someone else watches it. Please?

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I have a 6-year-old up for adoption if anyone wants her. Just for a few days/weeks/months/or years. It depends on when she loses the attitude, starts listening to me when I tell her to do/not do something, and doesn't purposely try to get me so pissed off I'm ready to escape to an exotic island and not tell anyone where I am. If interested, contact me please. Once she returns to her normal sweet, sensitive self, I'd like her back. Thanks.

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I'm giving a shout-out to Kelly, who was awarded Pink Ink Studio's "Photo of the Day" honor for one of her Project 365 photos. Kelly and I love Pink Ink Studios, and I know she's too humble to tell the world about it, so I am. Leave her some love AND check out Pink Ink. Their Flickr group is amazing to browse though and gives me tons of inspiration for my photographs. :)

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I guess that's it for now. More tomorrow, my friends. :)

Just a Layout

Here's a layout I just finished up using some of the pictures I took of Hannah outside the other day.

Uhhh...

I don't really have much to say, surprisingly enough. LOL!  Steve and I were bummed (OK... pissed) that the Steelers lost their playoff game last night, but I will say that it was a kickass game! I LOVE games that have you glued to the TV until the final seconds because it could go either way.

Today was kind of a lazy day. The girls were at my mom's house until almost 2:00. And then as soon as they got home, we all went outside to get some fresh air. It's been around 12-degrees here the past week or so, so today when it hit 46, it felt like spring to us. So Steve took the girls for a walk/hike up in the field behind our house, where they both found "treasures" which consisted of some rocks, an old bike wheel, about 20 golf balls (hit into the field by Steve... Shhhh!), and they each found an animal bone. Lovely. LOL!

Then we just sort of ate dinner, sat around, and went to bed. LOL! I LOVE days like that.

Anyway, here's my photo for Day 6 of Project 365. Grace kept telling Steve she wanted to have a snowball fight (with what little snow is still on the ground), so Steve obliged. It was TOTAL luck that I snapped this photo right as the snowball hit her and exploded. Thankfully, she thought it was hilarious and kept asking for him to throw more. (Freak.)

I'll be back tomorrow with a few layouts I've been working on. :)

Just popping in...

...to share my photo for Project 365 from yesterday. I have to go shower and pick up the girls from my mom's house. But I'll post later. :)

DAY # 5

What our kitchen countertop looks like after a Pittsburgh Steelers game.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.... (And some eyebrows for Emma).

Yeah. I changed my blog template again. I've had about 8 different ones over the past 48 hours, but finally settled on this one. Nothing fancy. Nothing extravagant. Just me, my family, my words, and my photos. Sweet.

Soooo... I don't really have much to say today. LOL! I was ready to give both children up for adoption early this evening. Sure I'd miss them. But I would've asked for them back after they got rid of their damn attitudes, disrespect and horrible tempers. I'll tell you what... nothing makes you feel like Mother of the Year more than having an all out screaming match with your 6-year-old. Yup. Some proud moments this evening in our home. [sigh] Perhaps next time when she ticks me off, I'll just slam my MP3 player headphones into my ears, crank up "Crazy Bitch" and start jumping on the couch. And then when she tries to start jumping too, I'll yell at her and tell her only adults are allowed to do it. That'll teach her.

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So let's talk about eyebrows. I notice people's eyebrows. I'm not really sure why since I have no other weird obsession with them. I've never plucked, waxed, shaved, or did anything else to my eyebrows in my life. I don't need to. They're thin, very light in color, and practically non-existent. I guess I'm lucky? I dunno. Steve, on the other hand, has an abundance of eyebrow hair. I once told him it looked like he had two squirrel tails taped on his forehead. We laughed for (literally) hours over that one. I guess guys can get away with it though. I don't think the poor guy ever thought about it until I pointed it out to him. His dad has them. His brother has them. And I think Grace is going to have them too. ((((Grace)))) About a year ago, I opened up a photo of him in Photoshop and showed him what he'd look like if he had them waxed. The transformation was amazing. LOL! He says all the time he wants to go get them waxed. But it hasn't happened yet. Now before y'all go getting all "Love him for who he is..." on me, I'd like to make it very clear that I honestly don't give a rat's ass about the man's facial hair. He's hot regardless. It's more of a joke between us than anything. So no need to comment on my insensitivity, OK?

I've also noticed my SIL's eyebrows. Emma will be thrilled to see I'm finally posting a photo of the infamous "comma brows." I've been a little paranoid up until now to post it. Right around the time I first mentioned it on the blog, we gave her and my BIL our old computer. I had deleted things, rechecked things, etc., and the girl didn't even know how to turn the damn thing on when I gave it to her. But I had nagging thoughts that she'd become a computer genius and somehow pull up an old link to this blog and see what I had said about her. I had nightmares about it because the family feud that would ensue would not be pretty. But I'm pretty sure that at this point, I'm safe. I figure I've said stuff about her since then and nothing's come out of it, so I'm guessing if she would've found me here, she would've done it by now. (Side note: If anyone in my family ever finds this blog, I'm afraid Planet Alien will be permanently laid to rest. This girl needs a place to vent without anyone who shares my last name or who gave birth to me or grew up with me knowing about it. But I digress...)

I first noticed her eyebrows about a year ago. I'm not sure if they always looked the way they did that night and I hadn't noticed it, or if it was a new little experiment she was conducting on her face. Regardless, she's still doing it. Not every time I see her, but more often than not. It's kind of weird. I have no problem with chicks wearing makeup, waxing various body parts, etc. But isn't the key for it to look as natural as possible so people don't know you're faking it? I dunno. Maybe my thinking is twisted. But for real. Tell me what exactly she's doing when she does this to her eyebrows... (This is the only picture I have that really shows them. Sorry about that.)

 

I can totally see filling in your brows with a little makeup to make them appear fuller/better shaped/etc. But what's with the weird shape? And the perfectness. I tried to look closely (inconspicuously of course) that day to try to figure out exactly what she's doing. At the conclusion of my super secret spy mission, I've decided there's only one explanation. She has a stencil. There has to be an eyebrow stencil somewhere in her home. I'm convinced. She tapes the little stencil on her forehead in the correct position. Then she dips some sort of brush into some sort of goopy makeup with the consistency of brown lipstick and applies the makeup onto the stencil. I just don't get it. Eyebrows are made up of hair right? They aren't perfectly symmetrical shapes that end in a perfectly straight horizontal line, right? Shit. Maybe I'm the freak and I've looked like an idiot for the past 20+ years. Am I?

Anyway, I could go on and on, but I'm already afraid she has some sort of automatic Google search set up to scan the Internet every 4 minutes that will alert her if anything online contains the words "Jen" and "eyebrows."

So with that, I'm out of here. I'm having another beer, possibly another cigarette or two, and then I'm heading to bed. It's a busy day tomorrow my friends.

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I posted today's photo over on my Project 365 blog, but I'll post it here again too. It's pretty boring today in comparison's to yesterday's, but here is the Student Profile we had to fill out and send back to school so everyone knows a little bit about their Student of the Month." :)

OK. I'm back.

The kids still aren't in bed yet, but they're occupied for the moment, so here I am. Let's get talking...

1) Steve worked yesterday for the first time in months (concrete work isn't always possible in the dead of winter), and called in his two employees. One of them is a total freak. Good guy. Served in the war for a few months, etc. But a freak. He takes pictures of the ODDEST things with his cell phone (you seriously don't want details), and is basically a male whore. Sleeps with strippers on a regular basis, has a lot of one-night stands, etc. So anyway, Steve gets home yesterday and tells me that the guy screwed some chick and the chick wanted to film it. So he whipped out his cell phone and proceeded to record their entire um, "session". Complete with close-ups. Of their "parts". Ewwwww! The Ew Factor mostly applies to the fact that he came to work and showed his boss and co-worker. Would you show your boss your um,"parts"? I think not. Truthfully, the whole thing totally cracks me up. More power to him, I guess. But every time I hear the song "Crazy Bitch" now, I think of Steve's employee. Having sex. Ick.

2) So it's been cold here the past few days. REALLY cold. Last night, around 10:00, I grabbed another beer from the back porch (we're rednecks like that who keep their alcohol cold outside in the winter), and it was half-frozen. Beer slushees really aren't very enjoyable. Anyway, someone in my family brought a 2-liter bottle of diet soda on Christmas. Steve and I don't drink diet soda, so it must've been either my sister or my mom. Since we don't drink it, we just had it sitting on the back porch to give to my sister the next time she swung by. Well, when it's 12 degrees outside, liquids tend to freeze. And when liquid freezes, it expands. Yeah. So around 8:00 this morning, I walked outside to smoke a cigarette and was greeted by an exploded bottle of soda all over the back patio and on part of the house. Sweet. Soda slushees anyone? LOL!

3) Grace got off the bus this afternoon all smiles. She proceeded to tell me she was chosen as "Student of the Month" this month in her class. She's so stinking proud of herself, and we're proud of her too. See? Even freaks like me can raise somewhat decent kids. And you all doubted me. ;)

4) Couch jumping! WOOHOO! I had to take my photo for Project 365 today. Last night, after everyone else was sleeping, I was on the computer and listening to my MP3 player. I was jamming out (quietly), and half dancing around whenever I had to stand up for some reason (like to pee or grab another beer slushee). I knew if it hadn't been 2:00 in the morning, and the other people in the house weren't sleeping, I would've done a whole "Risky Business" thing and just danced around the living room, jumping on things, playing air guitar, etc. (fully clothed however). So today, after everyone else left the house, I did just that and took my photo for the Project. I must say, it was kind of fun. LOL! It's always nice when as a mom, you can do the things you tell your own kids not to. WOOHOO! So here it is -- my photo for January 3, 2008. WHHEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Lots to share again...

I can't type much right now, but I'll be back later to elaborate. On the agenda for discussion:

1) Steve's employee's "homemade porno" that he recorded on his cell phone and then brought to work to show to Steve and the other employee. (Eh?)

2) The 2-liter bottle of soda that exploded ALL OVER our back patio and back of the house.

3) Grace's honor she received at school today.

4) Couch jumping. WHEEEE!

Anyway, I'll be back later. The kids are here, dinner is soon, etc.

Long one today...

For some reason, it seems like the days I do the least in terms of productive tasks are the days that I have the most to blog about. I don't know if I'll ever figure out how that happens, but hey, we'll roll with it.

First of all, I'm LOVING that so many of you have decided to jump on the Project 365 bandwagon! It's soooo cool looking at everyone's photos everyday! I get excited to see everyone's new entry the next day. I've posted my second day's photo over on my Project 365 blog, and I've linked all of your project blogs in the sidebar too if any of the rest of you want to go browse. :) Today, I took a photo of exactly what $205.05 gets me at the grocery store. It kind of looks like a lot, but it's really not. In the photo, there are only 2 packs of meat (one pack of chicken breasts and one pack of T-bone steaks), so that's only two meals. Then there's veggies, some fruit, and some snack type stuff. And like 8 billion things to drink... milk, chocolate milk, juices, and smoothies. All of that will last us about 5 or 6 days. It's not unusual for us to spend up to $400 a week on groceries. It's because we buy 90-95% organic and all-natural food. Holy inflated grocery bill, Batman! Anyway, it's on my project blog, but I'll post it here too.

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I think I may be going to hell. Not that it was really in question before, but today really sealed the deal. So there are some Jehovah's Witnesses that swing by once a month or so. They're a lovely couple and they really aren't pushy at all. They stop, they chat, they ask about the kids, they hand me literature, and they leave. But sometimes, I just don't feel like talking to them. Not because they're Jehovah's Witnesses. Just because I don't feel like talking to anyone sometimes. So anyway, I happen to glance outside and see them pulling into our driveway this afternoon. It was one of those days I just wanted to be left alone and not smile politely and nod my head. So I ran upstairs before they got out of the car. The thing is, my car was in the driveway, all of the inside lights were on, and I had a Buck Cherry CD BLARING, and had no time to turn any of that stuff off. Um, oops. I have no doubt they could hear the music outside. And as luck would have it (my luck anyway), they happened to be knocking when song #7 was playing. Song #7 is "Crazy Bitch." The uncensored version. For those of you who don't know the lyrics, they go a little something like this...

Hey, you're a crazy bitch but you f*ck so good I'm on top of it...

When I dream of doing you all night, scratches all down my back to keep me right on.

And they continue along that same theme. Oh my. [sigh] Yup. They left when I didn't answer the door and I'm pretty sure they won't be back again. Either that or they will be back to try to save my soul. I'm sorry Jehovah's Witnesses. I didn't mean to subject you to my devil music today. Please forgive me.

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Dear Steve,

I'm so glad you love our children and enjoy having fun with them. But for the love of all things holy, can you PLEASE stop playing "bullfighter/bucking bronco" with them in the living room 5 minutes before bedtime, resulting in two very hyperactive children who have no intention of settling down anytime soon. And if you don't stop doing such things, I'm going to kick you in places daddies don't like to be kicked in.

Love,

Me

PS: If you ever forget it's garbage day again before you leave for work, leaving me to drag 4 big ass garbage cans down our fairly long and currently icy driveway in 20-degree weather with whipping winds, I'm also going to kick your ass.

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My kids' new favorite TV show is "Full House" which comes on Nickelodeon at 8:30. I laugh every time they watch it because I remember watching it when I was a kid and loving it. And when Hannah was little, several people told me she looked like the Olson twins when they were babies on Full House. And the truth is, she really did. LOL! I'll have to post some side-by-side photos tomorrow if I can dig some up. I'm not sure if I hope she grows up and looks like them, or dread it. They're hot, so maybe she could become famous and fund us in our old age. But if she's that hot, she might become a little hussy or something. LOL!

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OK. I think that's it for now. I'll be back tomorrow. :) Don't forget! There's still time to join in Project 365! Hell, it's only day 2. Cheat and take 2 photos today and go from there. We won't tell. LOL!

And so it begins...

I've decided to start a whole separate blog for my 365 Project. I'll still post my photos here too, but I wanted someplace where ALL of my photos for the project are in one place, without other stuff thrown in there too. I'm actually really excited about the whole thing. So if you decided to participate too, I'd love for you to link me up to your photos. If you decide to start a separate blog specifically for the project too, let me know and I'll link you up in my sidebar over there. :)

So without further ado, here's my first photo. I'm sure there will be some days where I just post the photo and don't write anything about it. But there will be days where I "journal" about the photo too, mostly for my own personal reasons. Today's, I think, is self-explanatory. Grace planted one on me, right when I was trying to take a picture of the two of us. Gotta love that kid...

Something to Do in 2008

So I've decided that this year I'm going to take part in Project 365. You take a photo a day. I practically do that anyway, but this project is going to make me pay more attention to exactly what I'm photographing. I'm going to try to take pictures of things that will let me look back at the end of the year and let me remember something I did or someone I met or whatever on any given day of the year. I'd love if some of you joined me in the adventure. It could be fun! :)

I'll be back later today to post my fist photo. :)

And so ends another year...

So there's exactly 54 minutes left in 2007, and I honestly can't say that makes me sad. This year wasn't horrible by any stretch of the imagination. But it sure as hell wasn't stress-free either. Lots of stuff happened. Nothing horribly traumatic, and nothing as bad as some people had to deal with. But it definitely had it's ups and downs. I'm not going to do a recap, because you can just read back over this blog if you're really that interested (and I don't know why you would be... LOL!). And I'm not going to list my new year resolutions, since I don't make them. Sure, there are some things I want to change or improve on in 2008, but I'm not stupid enough to put them in print or honestly expect them to happen. LOL!

I guess the bottom line is that it's the end of another year and I'm still happily married, still have two happy, healthy kids, and I still have a roof over my head and food on my table. One can't really ask for much more than that, now can they?

So here we are on New Year's Eve. The girls are asleep on the living room floor behind me, Steve's asleep on the recliner in the next room, and I'm on the computer, drinking a beer, listening to Dick Clark's New Year's Eve special, and emailing some friends here and there. When the ball drops at midnight, I'll probably smoke a cigarette, finish my beer, and head on upstairs to bed. Because I'm a party animal like that. And I'm cool with that too. My big, bad partying days are over for the most part, I'm afraid.

So as we end yet another year, I'll just leave you with some photos I took today. It snowed overnight last night, so the girls and I spent the day outside getting some fresh air. Not a bad way to end the year if you ask me...

So let's talk Christmas.

Yes, I realize Christmas is over. But I haven't shared some of my photos yet, so I'm afraid you're going to have to deal with it. LOL! I actually didn't take that many, and the ones I did take weren't that exciting. I just had too much going on that day with everyone coming here to our house to celebrate. It's funny how I can take 100+ photos of my kids on a regular day just running around outside and playing, but then a major holiday rolls around and I take like 15, tops. [sigh]

Anyway, here are a few I could salvage. None of them are great, but you get the idea.

First, we have some of our decorations. Our tree, our front windows, and the view of our front yard (standing at the front of the house... not from the street). (The tree photos were taken during the day while the sun was pouring in our front windows, so this is the best I can do.)

Next, we have the girls on Christmas morning. Yes, Hannah really wore that, and no, I didn't dress her. I'd like to think that was obvious, but I wanted to clarify just in case. She donned a leopard-print shirt, a leopard print jacket from her Cheetah Girls dress-up set (tied tightly at the chest), Grace's soccer shorts (yes, she's STILL wearing those damn things on a regular basis), and patent leather shoes with a little heel. Hell, who am I to tell her what to wear. It was Christmas and she was happy, so it's all good. (And when she grows up and becomes a cutting-edge fashion designer/trend setter, we can all say, "I knew her when...")Grace's shirt was opened that morning and had puppies on it so she really wanted to wear it. Knock yourself out, kid. Throw in a huge bear tooth necklace and the look is complete. Other people do that "formal" thing with their kids on Christmas, but I look at it as a day to do (and wear) whatever the hell you want to. ;) Oh, and that's Maya the Bear behind them. Merry Christmas Maya! LOL!

Alrighty. Moving right along, we have Hannah in her new Dora the Explorer fiesta dress-up dress. Lovely.

Next we have Uncle Kyle's contribution to the girls' Christmas loot. Kyle is my older brother. He thrives on buying the most annoying gifts in the world for the girls. Annoying to me anyway. They are always Grace and Hannah's favorite things ever. [sigh] Since the girls always do like his gifts so much, I don't mind. But it's become a sort of running joke. Anyway, when Hannah opened up this doozy on Christmas Day, my jaw dropped. Yup. We live in a mansion so this is no problem, Kyle. Um, NOT! LOL! But Hannah LOVES it and has spent several days since then in it, with her table and cash register outside on the "patio", selling coffee to all of us while using her new princess cash register. How can you be mad when a kid is that freakin' happy? LOL! (Oh, and Kyle has no children (and probably isn't having any), which means I can never get revenge, dammit.)

And finally, the annual Christmas family photo. Lovely, aren't we? LOL! From left to right, we've got my sister (Kristin), my SIL, my mom, my brother (Kyle, the gift buying bastard), my dad, me, my aunt (mom's sister), Steve, my grandmother (mom's mom), my uncle, and my grandfather (mom's dad). Obviously, that's Grace and Hannah in the front, holding their new American Girl dolls. Yup. That's us. Do we bear an uncanny resemblance to the Beverly Hillbillies or what? ;)

And notice how Steve towers above the rest of us. LOL! We're a short family. I think Grace is going to be tall like Steve's side, but obviously, Hannah got the genes on my side. Rock on.

(That odd thing next to Steve's head is the beehive that's part of Maya the bear's mount. I realize it looks odd, but I didn't feel like Photoshopping it out yet. LOL!)

WWC

I know. I know. I'm late. But better late than never, right? I'll be back later with photos and a recap of our Christmas (which was great, by the way), but I wanted to throw these up here right now.

This week's words were Pink and Tradition.

Pink:

Hannah got an American Girl doll for Christmas, and the one she got (Elizabeth) comes in an old-fashioned pink dress. Hannah is obsessive about dressing like her dolls, so when she unwrapped a pink princess dress-up gown that day, she was in Heaven. So here they are, in their pink attire:

 

Tradition:

I'm all about holiday traditions. I try to incorporate some from when I was a kid, as well as throw in some new ones as I hear about them from other people. So this year, I did an old one and a new one. Every year, we try to create "evidence" that the reindeer landed in our back yard. Last year, Steve took "bite marks" out of a cardboard box out there and told the girls the reindeer had chewed on it. This year, I took it one step farther and decided to put footprints out there. So I took a dead deer's lower leg (from the deer Steve shot this hunting season), and used it to create footprints in the snow. This was supposed to be Steve's job, but he fell asleep that night about 2.5 seconds after arriving home from his dad's house on Christmas Eve, which is where we always celebrate that night. So there I was that night, outside, in the cold, at midnight, half crocked on wine, using a dead animals leg to create paw prints. The thing is, our "snow" was actually covered by an icy layer on top. So for each print, I had to swing the leg like a chisel, break through the ice, and then press (hard) into the snow I uncovered underneath. It took my about 30 minutes. LOL! I thank god the neighbors didn't see me, or I could've been arrested. "Officer? There's a drunk woman swinging a dead animal's appendage in her backyard, while drinking a beer and cursing loudly." LOL! Anyway, here's Steve showing the girls the footprints on Christmas morning:

 

I also started a new one this year. I've been meaning to do it since I first heard about it 2 years ago, but never planned ahead and got the stuff I needed. But this year, I traced a boot onto cardstock and cut it out to make a stencil. Then I used the stencil and powdered sugar to create Santa's footprints leading from our back door to our Christmas tree. I left a note for the girls (from Santa) thanking them for the cookies and milk and told them to apologize to their mommy for leaving his footprints on her freshly mopped floor. But I explained that my (Santa's) boots are magic and that the snow that touches them doesn't ever melt. They were soooo excited on Christmas morning. They made me leave the footprints on the floor until the 20 guests we had that day showed up. It kind of killed me to put those footprints there since I had just scrubbed that floor on my hands and knees not 6 hours earlier. But the magic of Christmas for my kids (and lots of wine on my part) won out.

Zzzzz....

So Steve "made me" go with him to Cabela's today. Can we say total snoozefest for most chicks? Dear god. Although I totally give credit to how amazing the building itself is, and how it's a pretty cool place in terms of looking at mounted dead animals (LOL!), the merchandise really does nothing for me. I mean, there's only so many fishing lures, gun parts, and camo items one (uninterested) person can look at before he/she wants to blow his/her brains out. But it's a good 35 minute (or so) drive away, and I felt bad making Steve go alone, so I went along. Let's just say that when we were in line to pay, birds were singing in my head. LOL!

Now that that trip is over, there are only a few more people to buy for. Grace's bus driver (who totally freakin' RULES), Grace & Hannah's teachers, and a bunch of people on my side (mom, dad, sister, SIL, etc., but they're all getting gift cards because I suck ass like that). Of course, since we host Christmas here for my side, I still need to go buy all of the groceries and stuff, but I'm not sweating that.

Oh, and then there's the fact that almost all of my Christmas cards are sitting here unaddressed and unsent, but I swear I'll get to those tomorrow. No, for real. I will. Honest. [sigh]

So getting back to Grace's kickass bus driver, what the hell does one buy a man whom you basically know nothing about, but whom you adore? I was just going to stick a scratch-off lottery ticket into a card, but if he doesn't win anything (which is very likely), I'll feel like I gave the man nothing. I know he wears a lot of camo (like everyone else in this town), and that he slows down the bus a lot to let the kids look at animals in the fields around the road, but other than that, our sole interaction has been waves and smiles and a few "Good mornings!" Shit. We live in a small town, so there aren't many places to buy gift cards for. Do I give the guy a gift card to a local restaurant and hope he actually likes eating there? A gift card for Dunkin' Donuts (assuming he likes donuts and coffee)? I'm at a total loss. And I mean total loss. [sigh] So if you had to buy a gift for a random guy who safely delivers your child to and from school everyday, and who ADORES your child and always greets her with an enthusiastic "Good morning, Gracie!", and who complements your child on her kick ass leopard-print hat everytime she wears it because he likes it so much, and who won't let your child off the bus after school until he sees you and knows she'll be safe, what would you buy him? Arg!

Anyway, I need to head to bed. I have a bunch of stuff to do tomorrow (like those damn Christmas cards), and I need to get some sleep tonight. Later gators!

You may as well show Christmas spirit whatever way you can...

Right? So last week, I got some highlights. I had already decided I wanted some blonde ones again, but I also wanted a little red thrown in too. Not actually because of Christmas -- just because I like red/auburn hair. So I told my hairdresser to pick whatever colors he wanted and have at it. I LOVE how they turned out. In this photo, you can only really see one of the red highlights right there in the front. But they're actually all over my head. They're a tad bit darker in real life, but you get the idea. I know not everyone likes obviously unnatural hair color, but with my current haircut, I think they work. Hannah says I look like a rock star. LOL!

 

Worst Blogger Ever Award...

Yup. That would go to me. LOL! Sorry gang. Beyond the usual "Holy shit! It's almost Christmas!" stress, I've had a bunch of other stuff thrown in there just for good measure. A stomach bug for Hannah. A cold for me. An insurance audit for Steve's business (standard, but so not cool this time of year). My MIL's birthday. Steve's birthday. Etc., etc. WTH? LOL!

Speaking of Steve's birthday, it was today. My man turned 33. I can't believe how old we're getting. Granted, I realize that 33 and 34 (my age) aren't old, per se, but I swear, it seems like just yesterday that I met him right before my 25th birthday. Now we've been married 9 years and have 2 kids. And yet, I swear, it seems like just yesterday that we met in that shitty ass bar in town. LOL! God, time flies when you're older. [sigh]

I still have a shitload of Christmas shopping to do in the next few days, but I'm totally pumped about some of the gifts I've already gotten for some people. Isn't that the best feeling when you buy a gift for someone that you totally know they're going to love? I love that feeling.

I still have a bazillion Christmas cards to send out. I suck at that whole thing every year. I really should just make "Happy New Year!" cards and be done with it. LOL!

I'm trying to decide what food to serve on Christmas Day. My whole side of the family comes here that day and although we don't do a formal sit-down meal, we have about 8 crockpots plugged in, along with a ton of other food. I'm trying to change it up a bit this year, but I'm not really sure yet what I want to serve. I guess I should get on that, huh? LOL!

We've been blasted with crazy ass weather lately. Snow, ice, freezing rain, sleet, crazy ass wind, etc. Grace didn't have school today and I'm still not sure why. LOL! But it all worked out since it was Steve's birthday and he took the girls outside to go "sledding." It's in quotes because normally, sledding is on snow, but in this case, it was on pretty much solid sheets of ice. This, however, makes for kick ass distance since you pretty much keep on sliding until you bail off the sled so as to avoid crashing head first into a tree on the opposite end of our property. LOL!

Cleaning sucks around this time of year, but when the day is spent at YOUR home, you kind of can't get out of that, dammit.

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I'm going to finish the rest of my beer and head to bed. Tomorrow is my own personal deadline for getting Christmas gifts ordered online, figuring out what still needs to be done, deciding on the Christmas Day menu, etc. Good times, lemme tell ya. ;)

I'm fried.

Just really fried. Like, I don't feel like getting out of bed ever fried. (OK. Maybe to smoke and grab a beer, but that's it.) I'm just tired. It's just that time of year, I guess. The holidays, the gifts, the money spent on gifts, the kids, the husband, the house. I look forward to Christmas Day every year, not because of the celebration itself, but because it means that all of the preparation leading up to that day are over. Usually, at that point, whatever isn't done isn't getting done, and if someone doesn't like it, they can kiss your ass.

Although I LOVE that we have so many wonderful people in our family, and that we all live close together and can celebrate our holidays, I HATE that I'm buying for 8 bazillion people every year. And I HATE that everyone asks me what to get the girls and I tell them, and then when I go to buy them their gifts, I realize that I've given all of my ideas away and I'm left buying them random crap. I HATE no matter how hard I try every year to get ready early, it never works out that way. And as much as I adore hosting Christmas at our home for my side of the family, I HATE the preparation leading up to it. And I HATE the drama that inevitably comes out of everyone else feeling the same way I do and taking their stress out on each other.

Don't get me wrong... obviously, there are thing about this time of year that I love. Many, many things. And when all is said and done, I'm not like, Mrs. Scrooge or anything. But right now, I'd really prefer to just curl up in the fetal position and not wake up until New Year's Day. And I truly, truly mean that. I need a vacation. A long, looooong vacation where I talk to no one except my husband and children (and even that's debatable). Prozac anyone? Because I think I need some.

Uhhh... "Christmas" shopping?

Yeah. Um, so I went Christmas shopping today, for the first time this year. I ended up getting more for myself than anyone else. [sigh] In my defense, I NEED new clothing. None of my stuff fits right. My pants are all way too big... my sweaters are huge... etc. So when I do get to the mall (30 miles away), I try to grab stuff I need for myself too. And I NEEDED jeans.

So anyway, I headed into Aeropostale, which is one of my favorite clothing stores. I snagged Steve a kick ass coat. All of his winter coats are ugly, too big, etc. I got this bad boy for only $30 (regularly like $60 or $70 or something). I also grabbed him a pair of jeans (something else he desperately needs). I can't WAIT to see him in it. Mmmmm....

So I couldn't buy Steve stuff and not myself, right? I mean, they were having fantastic sales. Eh-hem. So I snagged three or four fitted sweaters and 2 pairs of jeans. I was THRILLED because I totally dropped a size (or 2) since the last time I shopped there. SWEET!

These are the only things that are currently on their website, but I also got a pink and maroon striped sweater (similar to that green one up there, but it's a zipper cardigan), some camis, and a hoodie.

However, I DID manage to get the girls a few things at Libby Lu's. Makeup kits, another Webkinz for Grace, and a t-shirt for Hannah. I never did get over to Toys R Us though because I had to get home to get Grace off the school bus. And now I'm going to return one or two of the things I got for myself at Aeropostale because I need different sizes. That means I'll probably go back again tomorrow. Me. A girl who, for the most part, HATES shopping at the mall. But um, people other than myself need gifts, so I don't have much of a choice. [sigh]

Hi guys!

I'm here. I've just been busy making lots of Christmas gifts (for myself and other people), etc. I got our Christmas cards in the mail today and I LOVE them! I made them from scratch, but that's not why I think they're so cool. LOL! I made 5"x5" tri-folds and had them printed at White House Custom Color. I decided to print them on their linen paper and oh... my... god... It's to DIE for! It's so rich and the colors are amazing. Here are the actual .jpg files and below that are the actual cards that I took pictures of today. I wasn't going to post these because some of you will be getting them in the mail and then the thrill is sort of gone (LOL!), but I couldn't help it. :) The photos really don't do them justice though. You have to feel them to truly appreciate them. LOL!

Outside Spread:

 

Inside Spread:

 

Front of Card:

 

First Flap After Opening Front:

 

Full Inside of Card:

 

Full Outside of Card:

 

I still have to make another card. I send out a TON of Christmas cards every year and the tri-folds are too expensive to buy more than one pack of 25 cards. So I'll make a flat card for the other people I send some to. :)