The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney with Care...

Aw, this images just sends warm fuzzies all over me!! I love it. It's so symbolic of what's to come... 

We are going to have a joyous Christmas this year and we deserve it! And we deserve to spend it together. I can't tell you how excited I am about that AND that *I* get to host it! Gosh, I think I feel like a real grown up now because hosting Christmas day is a VERY grown up like thing to do you know. :)

Anyway, my kids made the new stockings this morning during our craft hour. Jasper made Grampa's and Dee's and Kathryn made Allie's and Gramma's. Aren't they cute?? 

AND *ohmygoshohmygosh* we are officially into our Two-Week Cruise Countdown!!! WOO HOO. Look out Cozumel... here we come! Just think... I'll have a TAN on Christmas day!! HA HA! 

Just call us the Griswolds...

Okay. Um. Wow. I do not have a single horizontal surface left in this house that isn't covered with Christmas decor. Looks like the North Pole came here and threw up. But it's great. I love it. So festive... and it ought to be because *I* am hosting Christmas day at my house this year!!!! FUN. 

I'm sorry I'm so freakishly behind on blogging... whoopsie daisy! 

I am going to blog TONS tomorrow... about a whole menagerie of stuff!! ;) Just you wait!!! Lots of pictures too, pinky promise. 

I am.

I am 38 today. 

I am glad. 

I am laughing and healthy and comfortable in my skin. 

I am happy I still get butterflies in my stomach when I hear John's truck pulling into the driveway. 

I am the luckiest mother I know. By far.

I am blessed beyond words. 

I am wrinkly.

I am in love with my doggie.

I am excited for the holidays!

I am going on a cruise in 20 days. 

I am sentimental and sappy. 

I am addicted to coffee creamer but not to coffee. 

I am not good at Sudoku but I kick ass at the word jumble. 

I am a dreamer.

I am pleased that if I were still only 18 and looked into a crystal ball and saw this as my future that I'd still be quite happy and satisfied. 

I am amazed I don't feel like a grown up just yet. 

I am anxious to meet my new nephew. 

I am loving the journey.

I am surrounded by the bestest friends in the whole wide world... both near and far!

I *am happy* on my birthday.

I am me and there's no one else I'd rather be!

(Photo by Kathryn, November 23, 2008)

The best present I never received...

No, that's not a typo. This really is about the best gift I never received. :) 

Let me explain. 

John was cleaning out his hotmail account inbox the other day. He had some embarrassing number of old (REALLY OLD!) emails cluttering up his life, so he was doing some house cleaning. Let's just rewind allllllllllll the way back to 2005. Yup. Long time ago. I think he needs to check that account more often! 

Anyway, point is, three years ago he apparently was feeling motivated to give me the best birthday ever. Something gave him the idea that 35 was a big deal. Humph. Okayyyy. I'll go with that? So yeah, my sweet adorable husband emailed ALL of my BFFs asking for their suggestions and advice on what I should get for my 35th birthday. And the silly boy saved all their responses! 

So I had the EXTREME pleasure of reading all these replies yesterday! OH MY GOSH. I have THE BEST GIRLFRIENDS EEEEEEEEEEEVER!! You would not BELIEVE their sweet (and WONDERFUL!) suggestions. Let me show you a few: 

First from one of my dearest friends ever, my college roommate, Leanna:

flowers and lots of them

spa day or a full massage from you

write a poem, if you are in to that

EE Cummings wrote a fab poem called "I carry your heart with me". Look it up. She'll love it.

make her a chocolate cake, covered with slices of strawberries. don't forget the champagne

party with the whole family, have her mom give you pictures of each birthday and show everyone the changes she's gone through to get to her wonderful phase she's in now.

let her know you appreciate every minute you have with her and that you you love going through the journey of life as her husband. (really mushy, i know)

Now from my FAAAAAAAAABULOUS BFF from Canada, Gillian:

I am SERIOUSLY missing your lovely wife right now - and with her birthday coming up, I was thinking .... maybe ..... that I could fly out to surprise her for two days or so? I would purchase the airline ticket, so don't worry about passes and stuff. I just want to see her so much!!! I am running this idea by you 1) because it would be awesome to surprise her and 2) I think you would best know if Stacy could handle visitors right now (or at the end of the month). I know this the busiest time for our photography, but as of Nov. 21 I am no longer shooting - and I think Stacy will be taking a break, as well. There will orders to deliver and such, but being in the same business, I can certainly help Stacy organize her orders if they arrive while I'm there visiting. I'm also a very low-maintenance guest! :) So, what do you think? A three day mini-surprise-Stacy-trip? I would love it!

AWWWWWWWWWWWW I was SO CRYING after just these two replies! But wait, there's more!! 

Check out these amazing ideas from my very clever, sweet friend, Heidi, from Washington:

Does she have a favorite candy? Chocolate? Go the extra mile and buy 35 truffles????

Does she have any dreams? Running a marathon?, taking a class? writing a book? Visiting Paris at Christmas?  if so....acknowledge that dream....get her running shoes, a journal, a statue of the Eiffel tower.

What about write a poem? could he do that? Have it framed? 

 Maybe find a spa and get her a facial or massage and a pedicure? Nothing makes women feel more special and pampered than pretty toes I will keep thinking.....

What about a piece of jewelry? It looks like she wears it? Something artistic? Is there a Nordstroms close by? They have "new artist" pieces all the time and could help him if he is clueless. They also have very classic whimsical and fun things too- w/ lots of selection. Kind of expensive but....it’s a suggestion.

 How about.....a first edition book does she have a favorite author? Maybe a signed copy?  

 What about a girls night out plan? He could plan a fun overnight for her and a few of her buddies- w/ maybe a hotel room, wine, candy? Bring out the kid in her...???

And let's not forget my hysterical fun friend, Terri, from California...

How about something with the number 35....like 35 hidden envelopes all containing something hidden around the house??????????  I love that stuff !  Some could just contain a few words of love and romance and some certain gift certificates and perhaps a final one sending her to a favorite restuarant where you will be waiting for her?  You could number the envelopes so she gets that there are 35 of them....or have 35 balloons delivered with a message inside each one....

 I will be thinking of cool ideas for you.........I know she is weird about lingerie and picky about certain things...no pomp and circumstance kind of girl....yet loves when you pamper her really....  ;)

---------------------------------------- 

Okay, so the FUNNY thing about this whole ordeal is that I got NONE OF THE ABOVE from my husband!!!!!!!!! BWAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA. Really... I think it was truly one of the most boring birthdays ever. That's okay... he can maybe make up for it THIS time around. But I wanted to thank all my girlfriends for their replies and ideas. I'm touched that you think I deserve all that fabulous stuff! Hee hee. You guys are the BEST!!!! And they always say, it's the thought that counts anyway!! Thank you all for a wonderful gift... I never received. ;) 

 

The Mother Ship has Landed... the Tale of a Boy and His Bionic TV

We finally caved. I can't decide if I'm happy about it or not... but there's no question about John's and the kids' feelings on the matter...

Yes, we finally got TV. We survived without it (quite easily!) for 14 fabulous months, but finally decided to plug in baby. And of course, like with most things in his life, John decided to go ALL OUT... we didn't get some wimpy 50 inch TV. Not even a 60 incher. No people... we're talkin 73 inches of pure electronic love upstairs!!!! Santa brought it a little early because he wasn't sure how he was going to fit this monstrosity in his sleigh on Christmas Eve... so we got a special delivery. 

Okay, some people might STILL think we're a little crazy because we didn't get cable or satellite or anything cool like that. Oh no, we got an old-fashioned, ginormous (8-foot!) Griswold antennae so we can get the basic 5 free channels. I'm cool with that. I'm actually anxious to watch "Grey's Anatomy" (the ONLY show I watch) on this big huge TV cause just think of how big Patrick Dempsey's hair will be on the screen! Ahhhhhh lovely!! :) 

But John is downright giddy. So are the kids. I mean, totally giddy. John was literally jumping up and down in the driveway when the delivery truck came Friday. The driver was laughing because I TOLD him there'd be a kid jumping up and down in the driveway so he'd know he was at the right house... and he told me he expected a LITTLE kid, not a 39-year-old "kid." Ha ha ha. 

Anyway, Old Man Winter finally arrived in Texas this week so I suppose it'll be nice to snuggle up and watch a ton of movies while it's too cold to play outside. Feel free to come on over and join us... I've got plenty of popcorn to go around! 

Cussing and Grunting...

Okay, so like I said in my last entry, my Dad is here for a Work Week... and we've already accomplished so much! I'm reminded of the chant from the Bob the Builder cartoons I used to watch with my son when he was a toddler. Remember those? They'd say, "Can we fix it?" and yell, "YES WE CAN!" That's kinda the battle cry around here this week. But something I realized, there wasn't NEAR as much cussing on Bob the Builder! Ha ha ha. Yes, I said earlier that this week would involve a lot of trips to the hardware store (5 so far in 2 days), a lot of Budweiser and a lot of sweat... but I forgot to mention, more importantly, a LOT of grunting and cussing... and even a few Bandaids. But mostly grunting. My Mom called and asked, "So, is Dad making sound effects?" Ha ha ha. I love it. 

We have completely finished the office and the kids' bathroom (the Plumbing Job from Hell... I'm SO sorry Dad!!!) and today we're going to tackle some projects in my studio. Dad also has a special project he's going to do with Jasper after school... VERY cool... more on that later. ;) 

Would love to stay and chat... but gotta get to work! :) 

Excuses, excuses!

Click on photos to view full size... 

Yes... I have a LOT of excuses this week. ;) I know I haven't been consistent with my blogging this past few days, but I've been super busy! I promise to try to get back in the groove soon! Thanks to all my adoring fans for checking in on me... and nagging me for more! Ha ha ha. :) 

So here are a few of my excuses... my clients from this weekend. Shew. First triplets, then two little firecrackers of girls and then a gorgeous young lady and her horses! FUN stuff!!! I just love my job. I had a great time with all these clients. They sure kept me laughing. 

But now I'm wondering who smeared the Vaseline all over my computer screen??!! Oh wait... it's not my screen, it's my EYES. My poor tired eyes! LOL! They are very, very blurry. 

So I will close and rest my eyeballs... but promise to blog again SOON! I have SO MUCH TO SAY! HA. Scary. My Dad (Mr. Fix-it!) is coming tomorrow for a work party week! WOO HOO. I love it. I have a long project list we're going to tackle. I'm sure it will involve a lot of trips to the hardware store, a lot of Budweiser and perhaps even a little sweat, blood and tears... but we'll have so much to show for it! :) Oh... and I also have to show you the before and after pictures of my office! STAY TUNED! 

ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh

I did it!

Woo hoo! 

I reached my first goal. 

Helloooooooooooooo Land of 120s! 

Got on the scale this morning... 129.2 WAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOSKI! I'm so happy! :) 

Just had to share. 

I'm finishing Part II of painting my office today. Once I'm done I'll write more. So far so good... my colors are "caramel" and "chocolate kiss." LOL. I wonder if I will subliminally feel hungry while I work now? 

Change

"There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction."

 - Winston Churchill

Change is coming, just as quickly as the leaves are falling from the trees outside my window. It is a little daunting, but I am praying that our future president will lead us in the right direction. 

I have never been truly fond of change. Actually, I don't mind CHANGE, I just don't much like the CHANGING. Does that make sense? Okay, like I have always been really envious of girls like Winona Ryder, who can change their hairstyle and color monthly. I was NEVER like that. Those of you who have known me my whole life know that I've had about four hairstyles, and usually go back to the same one I had in Kindergarten, sans the bangs. I'm the one who sits in the chair at the hair salon, sweating profusely. The changing makes me a nervous wreck. But usually, once the foils are off and the hair is dry and I'm walking out the door with my fresh highlights, I'm happy as a clam. 

Change is good. 

I love to paint rooms though. I've painted dozens of rooms and I do it often. I bore of the same color and crave change. But painting rooms is safe. If you don't like it, you just paint right over it. Maybe that's why I like it so much. That, and the instant gratification you get from rolling that new color over the old. 

Yes, change is good. 

So I'm nervous about Obama because this is a little more serious than just a new hairstyle or paint job. I personally did not vote for him, yet as an American, I will support him even though I'm nervous about WHAT things will be like after all of this CHANGE he's talking about. But I realize that since our country seems to have nearly hit rock bottom, there's really only one way to go... and that's up! I hope Obama brings GOOD change to this country. Heaven knows we need it. I'm a bit sweaty in the palms about it this morning... but I suppose that's because it still remains unseen and unknown. I've always kindof agreed with whole notion of, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," but it IS broken people, and we DO need to fix it. Hopefully Obama is the man to help us do just that. 

Change is good. 

We hope. 

Bad Ass

Well my friends, what can I say? I'm officially a Bad Ass. :) 

Sorry to brag, but it's true. 

This past weekend, I spent five hours tottering around on six-inch heels and THEN I jumped out of an airplane at 14,000 feet... and I didn't kill myself doing either one! MIRACULOUS! 

What a crazy fun weekend! Unbelievable. 

If anyone had told me I'd be caught dead in public in that naughty elf costume or that I'd actually go through with skydiving (sure, it's EASY to talk about it, but entirely different to actually DO it! LOL!), well, I might have thought they were off their rocker. 

But I did both. And lived to tell about it. 

Skydiving is insane people. Seriously insane. And so it makes sense that anyone who is willing to do it more than once is, well, an INSANE PERSON! HA HA HA HA. 

I am so super duper glad I did it, but I doubt I'll ever feel the need to do it again! ;) No thanks. I'm good. 

I'm laughing that people told me the free fall feels like floating in water. I'm guessing these people have never actually BEEN in a pool or any other body of water. To me, it actually felt like I was FALLING... at a rate of 120 MPH!!! No floating sensation here thankyouverymuch! 120 MPH is fast. Really fast. And that means a TON of pressure on your face and body. It's slightly violent and pretty uncomfortable! It's also kinda hard to breathe!!! I had to focus very hard on that part. 

My dive instructor was great though. So calm and cool and collected and reassuring and wonderful. I think I love him. ;) He truly made my experience so much better!!

So yeah, the free fall. Just totally insane crazy amazing. What a rush!!! It was THE longest minute of my ENTIRE life!!!! I'll never forget it. 

The GOOD thing is the whole experience, while you're doing it, like sitting in this teensy little toy plane, going up and up and up and up, seems so surreal that you almost don't really GET that you're actually DOING it. Almost an out-of-body experience for me... THANK GOD... cause I think if I'd been more coherent, I might have freaked out, just a little. ;) 

So free fall was crazy. Did I already mention that? I guess this is the adrenaline rush that keeps people coming back for more. But for me, once the canopy opened (OH PRAISE GOD thank you so very much!!!) I really began to enjoy myself. Talk about RELIEF! Whew!!! I almost cried because I felt so euphoric!!! I've never been so happy in my life! HA HA HA. Well, until my feet touched the GROUND and then I was truly, utterly, ecstatically happy!!!!!!! 

I'm glad our cousin Holly talked us into it. I'm glad John and I both did it. I'm also quite glad neither of us seem to have the urge to do it again. 

Now do I think *YOU* should do it? ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY!!! You won't regret it!!! 

Now Gimme Some Candy!

Funniest Halloween memory ever? Remember the Adam Sandler skits from SNL... where he was missing an arm or some other appendage and he'd say, "Hey, I'm crazy one armed man... now GIMME some candy!" Oh my gosh... our friend Woody does the BEST impression of this and had us absolutely ROLLING, dying laughing one year... a million years ago, before we even had kids. We were all in Whistler, Canada, skiing and the weather and snow were beyond perfect and there was Woody, in his camo pants, skiing SO out of control... and all along, just being totally and utterly hilarious with his "Gimme some candy!" skits. I'll never forget it as long as I live. I guess you had to be there... ;)

I am not really a huge fan of Halloween because I can't stand the battles over candy that erupt in our house for weeks after trick-or-treating. But really, who can deny kids this holiday? What kid doesn't love going door to door begging for candy? So I refuse to be too much of a spoil sport.

What I do love about Halloween is how it brings out the silliness in most people! I was up at the school yesterday, donning my cat ears, sparkly eyeshadow and black and orange striped tights... and looking around at all the other grown ups dressed as Cat in the Hat characters just made me smile. I guess the holiday really does still bring out the kids in us. :) 

My kiddos had lots of opportunities to dress up this week... two parties (Superman and pirate) and the wax museum (Johnny Appleseed) and then trick-or-treating last night (Draco Malfoy and the Sunday comics). Fun stuff. They are still at the neighbors' house this morning, after an impromptu sleepover. I don't even want to KNOW how much candy they ate last night, unsupervised, surrounded by mountains of sugary sweets. Hmmm, do you think they brushed their teeth? Now THAT is a scary thought!!