A Christmas Tag

I wasn't tagged, but thought I'd do it anyway - give me something to do while I take a break from making Christmas presents.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? If' I'm wrapping; gift bags - it's easier & I'm lazy. If I'm looking under the tree; wrapped boxes - they are so pretty!
2. Real tree or Artificial? I own an artificial one - again, I'm lazy like that. Actually, ours is probably more hard work getting it up than a real one. Hmmm, next year I'll rethink this. I love the smell of real trees, though.
3. When do you put up the tree? The day after Thanksgiving. Brought that tradition from my family when we got married.
4. When do you take the tree down? "I cry the day that I take the tree down. I want the season to last all year 'round." Oops! Forgotten Carol coming in... When we get around to it, really. Probably the last week of December...
5. Do you like Egg Nog? There's only one recipe I've ever liked...
6. Favorite gift received as a child? That's a really hard one. Really hard. Nothing stands out.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Mr. Fantastic. He's not "in" to anything really and his attention isn't held by much. I should just get him "ear parts"...
8. Easiest person to buy for? Princess Monkey Eyes. Anything princess oriented and she'll be happy. Same with Optimus Prime - he's good with so many things.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? No. :( Every year I ask for the Willow Tree one for Christmas and every year I don't get it. I am STILL so sad about that. I've been asking for it for over 5 years now...
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Last year it was in email form (those goofy elves from Officemax). But this year I have the cards finished (yesterday) and will be in the mail (Monday).
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Another tough one. I think it would have to be a book from my sister-in-law that was a "This is how I felt during my pregnancy and after you were born" type book. Um, I'm a scrapbooker, my scrapbooks tell those things...
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Miracle on 34th Street (not the classic version - the most recent one), White Christmas and of COURSE: A Christmas Story.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? The day after Christmas, really - and continue year round, if I can!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so - but it's likely.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom's toffee. Mmmmmm.
16. Lights on the tree? DUH! YES!!! I love white lights - but I threw some blue ones on the tree this year because Popeye loves them.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night sung by Josh Groban but I love the Forgotten Carols, too!!!
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We do both. We live close enough to family that we can "travel" without it being a huge deal.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes. And don't forget Chet!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star - I fashioned it myself out of two of those rusted-type 3-D stars, put together so that it's perfect for the top of my tree!
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We open PJ's on the 24th, everything else is Christmas day (unless we're at inlaws - sometimes they let the kids open some early...)
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The "importance" of Santa and buying things.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I love "country" style ornaments - or rusted metal ones.
24. Favorite Christmas dinner? Traditional ham, potatoes au gratin, Mom's creamed beans, rolls, cranberry jello, pies, etc... I love the ham with the cheese from the potatoes on it. YUM!
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Commercially, my knives sharpened and some knock-off pashminas that are at VoldeMart - preferably black. Non-commercially, to have enough money to buy some food for Christmas dinner and provide a little commercialization for the kiddos and Popeye.

I'm tagging all who want to play along or are coming up empty with things to write about.

Coming out on top!!!

In this corner (no pun intended), weighing in at, well, I don't know how much, but proving to be a thorn in the sides of all those in the Royal Household - The Nemesis!

And in THIS corner, weighing in at 195 lbs (plus a few for his sidekick): The Ever Determined - Popeye The Sailor Man! (And his sidekick, The Sludgy Water Sucker!)



And the fight is on! So far the Nemesis has come out victorious in the first four(ty) rounds. Will it continue its winning streak and leave Popeye defeated yet again?
Popeye has decided to come at a new angle to take out The Nemesis. He's coming in from below and pulling out all the stops! He's bringing in the big guns and really means business this time!

After a gruelling 9 1/2 hour fight, I think the pictures will tell who came out victorious over all!

The Nemesis has conceded and pulled the plug!

And the kitchen sink is running smooth and clear as proof!

Congratulations Popeye! You have proven to be a formidable foe to come up against. I don't think THIS Nemesis will try to defeat you again. And if it does, we'll be ready!

(Now, let's go run the water again and watch it drain!!!)

What D'ya Think?

Do you like it? Do you like my new layout? I do!!!

I was over at Aluminum Foiled and saw that she had this design & it spoke to me.
(Really it did!)
It said, "I'm the one! I'm the one you've been searching for! The layout that will say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Feliz Navidad, Warm Winter Greetings and so much more to all of your readers! Pick ME!!!" And so I did. (Because I am hearing voices now and MUST obey...)

I just love it! I didn't even search all of the layouts, but over there at The Cutest Blog on the Block - they know what they're doing! Maybe I'll go back and see what else they have - you know, get a feel for my next big change!

Mail, glorious mail!

I love this time of year (for the most part). One can actually go to her mailbox and find a lovely surprise in it! Most of the lovely surprises are in the form of Christmas cards with family updates but some, SOME are even lovelier!!! Like the package I received today from my little sister.
But I got something even BETTER than that over the weekend while we were out of town! I know, what can be better than a package from your little sis?
I'll tell you!
I got my snapfish book!!!
See, I don't remember who blogged about it, I think it was Julie or Tiffany, but I really can't remember - so I'm sorry there. But anyway, a really cool chick blogged about Oprah giving away snapfish photo books & I just HAD to go check it out.
And wouldn't you know it, it was TRUE!
So I uploaded all of my pics from my stay at the Stanley Hotel (you remember that one, right? Ghost hunting with Popeye...) and made myself a book!
IT CAME!!!!
And it looks FREAKING AMAZING!!!!!
Princess Monkey Eyes calls it "the ghost book" and wants to look at it constantly.
I'm just so thrilled with the way it turned out that I might just make a few more of family vacations and such so that I don't have to scrapbook them (as much as I love scrapbooking, I'm just re-he-he-heally behind).
The book is a real book, not a spiral notebook type thingy. It's bound and pretty & beautiful & wonderful!
So - if you have a BAZILLION pictures that are itching to make their way into a book and you just don't have the time but have an extra $25 to spare (or more depending on how many pages you want), you should head over to snapfish.com (or photobucket or shutterfly - I hear they do them too) and make yourself a book. You can edit photos, add captions, pick & choose, etc... It's wonderful!
I wish they had this when Mr. Fantastic was a baby - I'd do this over scrapbooking their baby photos ANY day! SOOO much easier!
Now, to get a coffee table to display it on. Any givers?

That whole hormone post...

You know the one I'm talking about. The one from a few days ago when people were being so nice and my hormones and tear ducts were on overdrive?

It's happening again. But in the opposite direction.

I've been reading some posts online from friends and they are having really rough times. Mine don't seem as rough as theirs. But for me, they're rough.

And I want to cry. A lot. I want to sob. I want it all to stop. And I want the government to give me a break because it's not Mr. Fantastic's fault that he can't hear. It infuriates me that people can be lazy bums and file for social security and get all kinds of benefits and sit around feeling sorry for themselves and have everything paid for. But my son, the one who didn't ask for any of this to happen to him, can't get a break from medicaid in getting some help paying for some much needed supplies. A fraction of the cost of what the government is paying to have Joe Schmoe sit on his butt every day for the rest of his life.

IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!!!

So I'm going to go cook dinner now. But I needed to journal my bad mood today. Come back in a few days and I'll have something more positive to say. Sorry for the low point.

Silver Linings

A few days ago our kitchen sink started backing up. Eew. This is what happened since then.
Popeye whipped out the trusty snake and tried to fix it. Tried being the opporative word in that sentence. I think he pushed more gunk down than he pulled out. The snake is only 15 feet long and relatively skinny, so it's no wonder not a whole lot came out.
So he mumbled a bit, plunged the drains a lot, mumbled some more (no foul language, mind you, just mumbling) and tried the water again.
Didn't work. Popeye gets out shop vac and sucks the water out of the sink so I can wash dishes.
Popeye went to the store to get the heavy duty drain cleaner stuff. He came back with something generic. He wanted to save $2.00. He poured it down, let it set for a few hours, dumped some scalding hot water down there and watched as it all rose to the top again. Oh, and it also leaked all over the floor. The generic drain cleaner was bleach. That's it. Bleach. And it ruined one of my best bath towels.
So Popeye plunges more, snakes more, goes back to the store and buys the other stuff that was $2.00 more. It is hair clog remover. HAIR CLOGS people! Kitchen sink, not bathroom! We've lived here for over a year and I've washed my hair in that sink MAYBE 5 times in that time frame. I don't think we're needing hair clog remover. He had to shop vac the sink again.
So today, he takes the sink apart again and tried again to get the drain clear. "This is my mission," he says, "I will not be beaten! I will NOT call a plumber! This sink will NOT win!"
Uh huh.
After not succeeding again (because 'failing' isn't a word I want to use right now) I get out the phone book and call the local rental shop. Wouldn't you know it, they have a heavy duty snake - you know, PLUMBER QUALITY.
"How much? $16? I'll send my husband down right away."
Popeye shop vacs the sink for me again (so I can clean the NASTY kitchen that is coated in splatters from the sink being plunged so violently) and runs off to the rental shop.
Yeah, uh, didn't work. The snake won't bend at a 90 degree angle to get down the main line and removing said pipe was impossible because it's 60 years old, rusted and painted over.
Popeye returned the snake, hoping for a break since he only had it for 30 minutes and it didn't work for us.
No such luck.
Popeye went back to the store and bought a longer, skinny snake - 25 feet. SURELY this would get the clogged pipe opened up a little.
So after dinner I take off for cub scouts with Mr. Fantastic and Popeye is left snaking the kitchen sink again.
I come back 30 minutes later to him pouring boiling water down the drain.
Um, I might sound like a broken record at this point, but, it didn't work.
Popeye shop vac'd the sink again, threw the plunger on the floor and went and took a shower.
So, as a sum up: Checking account balance BEFORE sink backed up: $80 (give or take a few). Checking account balance now: $20.
Status of the kitchen sink: clogged
Status of Popeye's sanity and patience: depleted
Silver Lining: At least we have a shop vac.

Wow - hormone alert!!!

Seriously, my tear ducts are on overdrive today - in a good way.

For the first time in a LONG time I'm feeling a bit of hope with our financial situation. Hope in the sense that not only is there a light at the end of the tunnel, but that it isn't too late for us to get to that light. It's a feeling that I never thought I'd feel - and it feels great!

Not just that, either. A little birdie stopped by to give Optimus Prime a new winter coat. Popeye thinks the one he has is just fine. And it is - except that it DOESN'T ZIP! (Kinda a pre-requisite for a functioning winter coat in these climates.) So to that sister (you know who you are), you are an angel and I so appreciate you!!!

And that other sister that I saw today (you know who you are), thank you for helping me find that peace that I've been needing in my life. Thank you for being an answer to my prayers!

Darn - tears streaming, can't see the screen, need to pull myself together!!!

'Tis the season. Merry Christmas everyone! Now, go do something nice for someone else!