And on that note…

We spent Thursday evening watching old Batman movies. Wow, I had a kitschy childhood! I never realized how Crayola-bright Robin’s outfit was, but mostly my boys thought we were nuts for thinking it was such an awesome show way back when. They’re pretty sure 1966 was a really really long time ago.

Here are 5 for your Friday, the last of 2010:

1) Have you seen Melli’s new grandson? He’s absolutely beautiful and wonderfully loved by an incredible extended family. If you need a shot of cute or “awwwww” these pictures will make your day.  (There’s an incredible backstory of God’s Grace, too, but I’m going for “awwwww” today.)

2) Humorous-Juniorous, my 15yo son, has asked me to forward all of the College Board SAT prep questions to him (they’ve been arriving in my e-mail inbox for months). He’s apparently enjoying the chance to answer the daily questions and finding them to be correct. Someone get this kid a scholarship!

3) Speaking of scholars and proud families, MusicMan made the President’s Honor Roll at his college for the first semester (complete with an impressive GPA of 3.86). This isn’t a “mommy blog” but I can’t NOT brag about how proud I am of him!

4) Aside from the overwhelming amount of testosterone running amuck in my house this week, it has been soooo nice to have everyone home and together. I’m trying to savor it, because when MM flies back to school next week, we won’t see him for 4-5 months.

5) For the first part of the sentence on #4, I will be getting a ton of spam… and not the kind you can fry up in a camping fry pan.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Do you have any plans for the evening/weekend? And are your plans as exciting as old Batman movies? 😛

The week in-between

The kids and the husband have been enjoying time off

Somehow I am holding it together

The after Christmas party

Baby, it’s cold outside…

Susie is once again hosting the (6th annual!) blog Christmas Party. This year she changed things up a bit and is hosting it after Christmas, but I like to point out that there are 12 days of Christmas so really, it’s right on time! At least that is my excuse when the cards get sent out in early January…

I’ve been laying low for the past few days.  The house is not perfectly cleaned, but the cat has warmed a spot for you on the living room sofa.

The kids have eaten most of the cookies — and I’m afraid they’ve gobbled up the chocolate-covered pretzels, too —  but please help yourself to a slice of Stollen while I boil water for tea.  The coffee is right over there next to the fridge  if you’d like a cup of java instead; I just made a fresh pot a few minutes ago.

You are welcome to sit and rest and enjoy a cup of something warm, while we talk and listen to the wind chimes sing.

From my house to yours

Merry Christmas!

Celebrate!

1. Last Friday night was Humorous-Juniorous’ birthday party. It was the first time we had met most of his friends from school (H-J is a bit of an introvert). It was a successful geekfest. Who else would talk about math and wish for a video game called Orchestra Hero? (Admittedly, that WOULD be very cool!) They partied with DDR, snacks, Mario Kart racing, snacks, stick fighting outside in the dark, S’Mores at the firepit, Monty Python’s Holy Grail, cake and ice cream. And did I mention snacks?
If you needed party ideas for a 15yo boy, you’re welcome! 😉

2. We live between 2 towns; the smaller one has a population of 600, the larger town is ten times that size. The town with the traffic lights (FOUR!) had its annual Christmas parade last Saturday. More photos here and here…

3. SnakeMaster would gladly own a horse.

4. This is what the dining room credenza looked like on Monday. Procrastinator, who??

5. MusicMan, my college son, is flying home today. We haven’t seen him for over 4 months, so I’m sure you will understand if I’m absent much of the next few weeks.

Small Town Saturday

A Christmas Story Parade

A Christmas Story on Parade

Click to embiggen any picture for details

H-J front and center

Here come the bagpipes…

…and the dancing girls…

Scouting it out…

Here come the horses…

On Parade: Going to the dogs

Small towns are fun! I’ll share many more pictures from the parade tomorrow, but these dogs deserved a post of their own.  🙂

I live with them, and they live with me.

Thank you for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers over the past week. My worries have lessened a bit, and I am feeling more positive.

Last Friday was “white out” day at the elementary school: wear white and hope for snow. Snow was not in the forecast for the day, but amazingly it did snow about an inch. I think I was more excited about that little miracle than the kids were!

After a weekend of milder weather, we have returned to below-freezing temperatures and a cold wind.
Today is the perfect day for scented candles and cleaning the house.

Someone unearthed a string of white lights — for what, I do not know — and left them on the floor. They’ve been stepped on at least once. I’ve plugged them in a few times for the ambiance… and safety.

Coping during the holidays

In actuality, I’ve got a lot going on and a few things worrying me.
In reality, I’m praying.  Chocolate may be involved.
But I needed something light-hearted today, so I’m taking you with me on a little shopping spree — free of charge!

Today’s shopping tips come from CatalogFavorites.com and a little idea called “better living through chemicals”. Come on in and enjoy some fun shopping.  It might just make you feel better.  🙂

Benjamin Franklin -- what a guy!

A pillow upon which to rest your weary head (or to hide behind)

Since I already have a black t-shirt with the Ben Franklin quote, I’m wondering if buying this one would be overkill?

Lest you think I’m a cynical alcoholic – drug addict (I promise that I am not any of those things), I’ll leave you with a few others to make you smile.

the friendly doormat

Suddenly, nothing… and fifteen

The entire month of November, I managed to post something every. single. day. And truthfully, there were only 2 days that were really challenging. I was in the groove of posting every day. I enjoyed it. I almost didn’t want NaBloPoMo to end!

But now? I find myself floundering.  My camera has sat untouched for an entire week. Prose and poetry escape me.

I gave myself the first few days of December “off” to pay attention to family needs and household responsibilities. It was good and important, but in the process I seem to have lost my writing mojo.

Oh, I’ve got plenty of little vignettes I could be writing about — how I had to lie to my 19yo on the phone this evening so that he wouldn’t know he would be opening a surprise gift from us within the hour; or how cold and blustery the wind has been here, with snow flurries seeming to come from miles away; or even what it is like to have my dad back in assisted living care and trying to joke with him and cheer him up while hearing him gasp for breath.

Fifteen years ago today, I held a newborn son in my arms; today that same son wouldn’t let me post his baby picture on facebook.
To my credit, I asked permission and honored his feelings… of course, it’s been in my archive album on my profile page for the past year [not tagged], and you could find it here one year ago today… but we won’t mention that to him!
Fifteen is the magic year when boys stop talking to their parents. At least that has been my experience with his older brothers. I am dreading the silence from this happy child and I fear it will come at the same time as a cross-country move.  How will I know what is normal sullen teenage boy behavior and what is sadness over loss of friends and familiar activities?

So while I wallow in responsibilities and the thoughts spinning ’round my head, I will probably be posting rather infrequently.
I’ll still be doing my best to read your blogs and hopefully even be a semi-faithful commenter.