Counting Down to the New Year

Ah, the quiet after Christmas. Younger-DS is napping, exhausted from two days of mad playing and shrieking and running. DD and Older-DS are chewing Chicklets and pal-ing around in low volume.

We had a good Christmas this year. For the first time since we've been married, we actually made it to mass, er, church, er, service...whatever they call it in non-Catholic terms--still trying to get used to the terminology of Protestantism (and gearing up for my trip to heck-in-a-handbasket, as the nuns in school would say...don't tell my parents ;-) )--on Christmas Eve for a candlelight vigil. DD and younger-DS hung out in the nursery, and you could see a little blonde head running hither and yon through the window. As we found out later, she was using her star wand to turn everyone to stone. Older-DS did a very good job sitting still, even though he was ready to fall asleep (as it lasted past bedtime).

We hightailed it home after services and put the rugrats to bed, and they finally all passed out mid-protest. Nooooooooooooo....snore.

Sometime around midnight, Santa came and put the presents under the tree. Older-DS woke up around 3. DH heard some rustling downstairs and when to check it out. Older-DS was arranging all the presents by whom they belonged to, in order to keep himself from opening them. DH did what he could to get ODS back into bed, but he was way too excited, so he was allowed to play on the computer for a while. Then he was ready to go back upstairs to sleep for an hour or so. He popped in our room around 4:30, when he was told to go into his sister's room and read for a bit, as his sister was curled up on our bed at the foot (right where my legs should have been if I had been allowed to sleep in non-fetal position). He came in again around, then 5:30. Around 5:45 we gave up and crawled out of bed. DD did not want to get up until she heard the word "Santa." Then we woke up Younger-DS and went downstairs to open them up.

They all had a wonderful time tearing off paper and finding the surprises inside. Younger-DS managed to open up a few items before getting completely pre-occupied by his stocking (which, btw, Gramma, you did a wonderful job!!! She has made stockings for all three of the kiddoes and they are gorgeous!). He did a better job at age 2 then his brother did...the first thing older-DS did at 2 was to pull out a set of alphabet flash cards from his stocking and would not open another present for several hours.

Our living room has not been the same since, with all the cardboard boxes and twist ties and various pieces of theft resistance packaging.

Yesterday they played and played and played and blew bubbles and shrieked and hooted and hollered and ran up and down the stairs and through the hallways, kitchen and living room and over furniture and under tables and up the walls and danced on the ceiling and crashed cars and turned us all into statues. Then cried, "Noooooooooosnore!" when we put them to bed.

The oldest two were a bit more mild mannered today, but that may have been their trip to the dentist and their favorite hygenist (who someone has a BIG crush on).

Tomorrow I head back to work. I could still use a few more days of vacation. Had a half day on Friday, we were given the day off on Monday, and I used up my last personal (use-it-or-lose-it) day on Tuesday and a vacation day for today. Luckily, tomorrow will be my only full day, as we will probably close around 3 on the Friday for New Years. Yea!

I think the kids are itchin' to get back to school, at least the older two. We'll see how Younger-DS does when he starts back to daycare next Tuesday, after staying home for three weeks. Should be interesting.

Well, here's the new year and all sorts of new adventures. Wish you all happiness and prosperity and a good night's sleep.

Christmas is coming...

Well, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here. The tree went up yesterday afternoon, with much "help" from the young 'uns. It even has the "beautiful" angel that older-DS made with Gramma a couple of years ago.





The youngest found his favorite part of the festivities, as well.



It took a while, but we finally managed to get all of the ornaments up without too many problems, and gathered around for a mug of hot mulled cider. DD was enthralled with my old smiley face mug, and showed it off to all of us, over and over and over.

The tree is surviving the best that it can. I have never seen an artificial tree have to try so hard...it's been knocked down twice so far, with glass balls flying. Oh well, younger-DS will grow and lose his fascination with pushing it over (hopefully). Last year, we put our tree away on the 26th, after older-DS and DD were running around like banshees and caused the poor tree to topple. This poor tree has had more bad luck than the one in the Charlie Brown special.

At least we haven't had to pull either of the cats out of it...(knock on wood). Although, they may have knocked it down in years past, too.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am posting a couple of pics of my recent creations.

This sterling bracelet is made with a Bali silver ball, noodles (aka tube beads, but that doesn't sound as fun), various SS beads and crystal rondells.



The necklace on the right was stitched in odd-count tubular peyote with silver-lined, matte cyrstal , size 11 Japanese seed beeds, with SS beadcaps and AB crystals.











Here on the left is an illusion necklace, this time with 10mm amazonite rounds with SS diamond dust (aka snowball) beads, spiral spacers and crystals.

I've made a couple of pairs of earrings, too, but have not tried to photograph them. They are based on a pair that I saw in one of my beading books. I would give credit if I could remember off hand who designed them, but I can't, and I don't feel like getting up to find the book, and have been fighting with the pictures in this post, which wouldn't move where I wanted them, and then wouldn't let me type where I needed to. Grrrr.

That's it for now. Need to get back to the laundry and give the stew a stir. Maybe I will post a second time in December...it's worth a shot.


A special note from DD, to wish you a happy holiday season (OK, I admit that I like the term "happy holidays" because to me, (1) it's inclusive of all the celebrations around and this time and (2) it's alliterative):
VVBHGGFGFdtffRUJYHGYTUGSYFTEYGTYTRTF HUU
UTYTTYRTREU
FGHfgffdfDDSGHJHGHFGSHF
MOM FF DADDY TTFTEREDRT
FDSFAGSDAFGDTGHDSRDRSDTDRRRDSXSZTADFDSG

R5RT55 R6TRREDRSWUJGTTWADFRDRWHYER
,TFGFTDRSQESW.GFTERF FTFDADGSA
HYGTFHFRTHDRSDRWSDHTWTEDER
frgdcfGXSDFSZDFSDFXGVGFCFGHDFGDCGDFGHffgdfrghfsgtfxgxfdfdx
sedsdesd
tdrderdertererewsreaa
gfyggugytfrytgfrugumgggggggmggyrftfrnfrnhtertffffcedxfAFGFGHFGH
SHFGHFDSGFCGEYFTEYSGYWRTRFD
FFGTDTGDTHRDRESW
Love, DD

Now a special note from Older-DS:
Happy Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!