breath....the holidays are over....

I thought I should post a bit about our holidays, especially for those who are far away. I came to this season the same way I have for the last few years. Blindsided. It creeps up on me like a cheesy comic book villain, monologuing all the way. So how do I get so close to 'the date' and end up so unprepared? Well, basically,I ignore it. All of it. After Halloween my brain shuts down and I hole up in my mind ignoring the increasing incidence of Jingle Bells and Feliz Navidads . I clutch my purse to me in Scrooge like fashion and ritualistically burn the scroll length Christmas Wish lists tactfully left on my computer by my daughter.

It worked out though. I pulled out of my melodramatic nose dive, took off my blinders and put on some rose colored glasses instead. The holidays ended up pretty nice. I was able to find some good deals on some decent presents and everyone ended up happy. It was really nice to spend time with my family;nuclear,extended and friends. Inhale...Exhale....Release.

These first photos are are from are Christmas morning. Sylvia got a hamster cage, puzzle books, clothes and slippers. She loved it, which was awesome, 'cause that was my biggest worry.... not going overboard and still pleasing the preteen. The three year old was easy....construction trucks, tow trucks, his very own digital camera. He was in heaven. I got a wireless mouse for my computer(no more owie finger for me!!!) and a beautiful diamond necklace. Joe got a video game, which I had sent to the wrong address so we are still waiting for it(opps!), a great tie, and a beautifully hand crafted peice of glass art.

These next photos are from my mom's facebook so,umm, they are really small! They were taken down in Harvey at my grandparent's on Christmas. We had a great time, playing golf(a card game...let me know if you want to learn, it's fun!), eating lots of good food and spending time together. The first picture is Joe and I, then Sylvia and Jasper, then my mom and I and the last one is my cousin's Gretta,Lacey and Jorgen.

Oh and one other thing. During my craziness over spending money during the holidays, I threw out how all I really wanted was some matching f@#@ coffee cups......well, they didn't come Christmas morning but still.......
I've been coveting these cups from the World Market for a few months now. Thanks Joe!