Christmas, Pt. 1

Christmas came early this year since we weren't going to be at home on Christmas morning...

Lovely oogles her new sewing kit. 

Entertainment for the car...Don't judge me by the mud marks on my door.  They weren't there the last time I cleaned....

Christmas, the next morning.  I decided I like a 12-days of Christmas kinda thing.  They spend so much more time "bonding" with their new toys/gifts. 

Can you tell?

And this pic just made me laugh.  Snugglebug will hate me one day when she realizes how many people will have seen this pic.Whuut?

And for those of you truly detail-oriented, you may have noticed the pink basin in the background of above pics.  That's because after Lovely oogled the sewing kit and emptied it, she said, "Ohhh, I wonder what goes in first.  I know; this.  Now, what should...I feel like I'm going to throw up."  She acted perfectly well prior to this, mind you.  But, she stood, ran to the throne-room, and got sick.  She got a fever afterward, but she only was sick once and was better by morning, thankfully.

And then I got sick in the car.  Yay, me!  But, it was gone within a few hours.  Snugglebug felt sick, too, but my Canadian lovin' in-laws told her to drink buttermilk.  Get this:  it worked!  She escaped the illness!

Have a merry illness-free Christmas!

Perdita

A Fond Farewell....(no, she didn't die)


We finally found a new home for Lovely's guinea pig, Perdita.  Although it was difficult to sell her, it was something that had to be done, for Perdita's sake and mine.  I've been coughing/sick for five months.  Count them:  FIVE MONTHS.  I don't know if it is all due to Perdita, but my throat did start to close in the last time I had to deal with her cage.  As in breathing became difficult.  Very difficult. 

Yes, Lovely adored her.  However, in a round-about way, this is her way of getting what she really wants:  a puppy.  Yes, you read that right.  I have officially lost my mind and promised the girls a puppy.  Her daddy has lost his mind as well, obviously.

Not just any puppy.  A puppy from W. Virginia.  Yes, you read that right.  We will be driving five hours to pick up this puppy.  One of my old friends (I hesitate to mention just how long I've known her now) has a dog with a litter of cute, mostly lab puppies.  We have already picked out our newest addition, named her, and shopped for her.  I had to take Lovely to Rural King to shop for doggie things after we dropped off Perdita--Lovely was sobbing in the backseat.  Hmmm...more manipulation?  naaaaaah.

2011 Teach Gift: Yummy Hand Scrub

I would LOVE to take credit for this easy, simply yummy smelling hand scrub, but alas, I found the idea here.  After racking my brain, I could not come up with a decent gift for my daughters' teachers and (since I've subbed there a lot lately), the aides.  And then I found this.  Can everyone say ahhhhhh. (I realize that is a question, but a question mark displays a bit of anxiety, so I chose to use a period because it's a done deal of relaxation.)

First, I ran to Walmart and scoured the aisles for glass containers.  I finally found some for $1.95.  Next, I bought some sugar, some ribbon, some 3D stickers, and Dawn Hand-Renewal dish soap (which I happen to use anyway.)  The recipe called for mulling spices, but because I am ignorant in the spice department, I rejected this ingredient (especially after I called my mom and her only answer was to "google it."  I know what they are now, but I'm still rejecting them.  I'm suborn like that.) Sooo....

I poured some white sugar into the containers:

And then I dumped the sugar into a mixing bowl and added the dish soap until it seemed like a consistent gooey mess.  Mix well. Then, because I rejected the mulling spices, I opted for peppermint because who doesn't like peppermint during the holidays?  I thought I was being all original 'n stuff, but then I found an alternate "gardener's hand scrub" on a link from that website.  It used peppermint.  Go figure. 

I managed to pour most of the concoction in the jars...

And then I decorated them all pretty-like.

I added tags that said "(insert girl's name) Hand Scrub.  Made with sugar, spice and other things nice." And then Lovely proceeded to tell everyone they are candles. hmph.

For the main teachers, I placed each in a cute holiday bag, along with an eye mask, a mesh sponge in their favorite colors, and an old-fashioned ribbon bookmark with a pretty charm on it and my daughters' names with the year in puff paint.  I added a card last, and wrote a cute (and likely corny) poem that listed the various objects in the bag. 

Now, can I do the same thing next year if they are still in charter school?

Birthdays and the Like

Lovely is a lovely seven. years. old. now!  Sheesh!  Girl, you gotta stop growin'!

For her b-day, she asked for a doll that looks like her.  Me being the cheapskate that I am refused to buy an American Girl doll that only came in pjs for a mere 100 buckaroos, so I found a babysitter My Generation doll that would do.  Lovely's happy.  'Cept for the lack of other clothes, that is.  

On Lovely's b-day, we had a party in the frigid park with her classmates and other friends from school.  Yes, it was supposed to be in the 50s.  It wasn't.  Never mind.  The kids all had fun and I only got a little sick afterwards...

Here is Snugglebug sticking a tail somewhere on the donkey.  I had no idea this was a gals-only kinda game, but none of the boys at the party opted to play.  Hmmm...

We did a How to Train a Dragon kinda theme...kinda...Here is Lovely with her cousin and the cake that was amazingly the easiest cake I have ever designed--out of cupcakes!  Woot, woot!  And, it was yummy, too!

What would a party be without the gifts?  Lovely raked it in, and then took fo-eva to write the thank yous...but they did finally get done...finally.

Sisters.  What can ya say?  They love, they yell, they push, they pull, they hit, they smack.  They're great when one has to use the bathroom in a restaurant, tho, since they can travel in twos.  Here is one of those rare sister-lovin' moments. 

And this is at g'ma's house.  What could it be???

DarthLovely, of course!  Yes, my nerd of a daughter wanted a Darth Vader mask for her birthday.  What could I say?  I knew it was meant to be when I picked it up, pushed the button, and it said, "I find your lack of faith disturbing." --One of my all-time fave quotes from the dark side.

And to round out the fall and bring in the holidays, here are the girls dressed as a cowgirl and her horse, although Snugglebug looked more like a horse on top of a horse. 

Happy Holidays!

Teacher Gifts

Help!  I just realized I only have one more weekend before school is out and I'd like to give the girls' teachers presents.  However, I'm drawing a complete blank.  What on earth can I make/give that is a) cheap b) presentable c) useful?  I need three gifts....(sigh)....

FALLing Fast

Whooosh...that is the sound of fall speedily transitioning into winter.  It is also the sound my mind makes as it is boggled by the lack of time around here. 

Lovely is now taking violin lessons and she is playing basketball.  Perhaps I am pushing my childhood desires for extracurricular activities off on her, but she seems to be enjoying it.  I had always read that extra activities such as this can boost self-esteem, so let's see how it works.  Snugglebug is in basketball as well, but because of her age, she won't start playing until the actual games begin in December. 

My first three classes at a real university are swiftly coming to an end.  I still love teaching; I'm just disappointed to only have one scheduled for this spring.  Because of this, I'm once more desperately on the job search.  And because of this, if I get a job with a conflicting schedule, I will be forced to take the job that pays more.  (sigh).  I've been subbing an the girls' school as much as possible lately-- seven days this month alone, and this is during a month with a holiday break.  Also, I am only available 3 days/week, so I only have the possibility of subbing 12 days max. 

Needless to say, my house is atrocious.  Seriously, horrendous.  And I want to decorate for the holidays.  However, it is difficult to reason decorating a house when the house is so dirty I've lost the dust spray.  Yes, it's that bad.  Any cleaning volunteers? 

I've also been thinking of starting a new blog-ish site that I can use for my CV, but I'm wondering where I can dig up the time.  Also, I'd like to design some writing classes at the community center for this spring--one for homeschoolers and one for adults.  Oh, and did I mention I need to work on getting published myself?  Every time I see my culminating project on my flash drive, guilt shoots directly from my eyes through my body to my toes, which are buried under the mass of papers, clothes, and other debris inhabiting my house. 

Maybe I just need a clone?  What do you think?  If you could clone yourself for one day, and one day only, what would you have your clone do? 

Out Sick

Just a quick note to let you know I'm still alive...barely. 

I've been sick.  For two weeks.  TWO WEEKS.  Yeah, not fun.  I've been sounding like all the patients combined in an old-fashioned TB sanatorium.  Iron lung, anyone? 

So, I finally got to the "Express Care" yesterday and stopped at Meijer for some meds.  Did I mention how much I HATE Meijer now?  Twenty minutes turned into thirty, which turned into fifty.  Fifty minutes to fill my prescription.  Yeah, I coughed on everything I could find in a passive-aggressive rebellion, so make sure to wash your hands the next time you visit that store. 

Now, during my slow demise and even slower return to the land of the living, I've had some very interesting (and strange) thoughts run through my mind:

1.  What does the cough of a mute person sound like? 

2.  Why is the pharmacy usually located at the back of a store?  Are the stores really equipped with medical personnel to resuscitate local TB patients?  Next time you head to the pharmacy, take the most indirect route--someone may have coughed all over everything. 

3.  Is milk really necessary for cereal?  I mean, it's usually at the back of the store, too .

4.  What can really be classified as dinner?  If you serve your children healthy fruit, can that be a meal?

5.  A vaporizer that quits working right after you replace the filter, fill the tank with water, plug it in, and climb in bed should be smashed into tiny pieces and the manufacturer should receive individual pieces in the mail every year, delivered directly to their home address, until their backyard looks like a scene from Narnia's icy kingdom. 

6.  Do people really notice how many days you wear the same outfit?  I mean, I usually can't remember what I wore yesterday, except for the strewn remnants across my bedroom floor. 

7.  I really don't have a number 7.  I just don't like the number 6. 

Have a cough-free day, everyone!