When Life Hands You Socks, Make Snowmen!

Ahhh.... the lazy days of winter break are just pure bliss!! I am sooo enjoying doing 'nothing'...or whatever my little heart desires! I've indulged in playing games, staying up late, sleeping in, watching movies, lounging in pajamas, reading, going on walks with the Ross-man (my dog), organizing and my favorite thing to do - spending time with friends!!

This morning found the ya-ya's on over for brunch. I whipped up a batch of waffles with my new waffle iron and we put on a spread that was de-lish! Then I pulled a surprise on them.

"I have a craft project for us to do! You're going to make your Christmas present from me!" This brought both "Oh cool!" and 'Huh??' .... So I explained that I had planned on making my ya-ya's little sock snowmen for their Christmas gifts but had been burned out on school craft projects so busy with all the holiday happenings that I ran out of time! Being the great troopers that they are, they were more than game! So out came the coffee-stained socks, the antique buttons, the bag of rice, the yarn, the glue guns.... each snowman began to take on his cute little personality and when it was all said and done, we were silly girls who had fallen in love!

The three of us love to decorate for the holidays and hate to have to put Christmas away - so we've decided to roll the trimmings over to January in honor of winter. So trees will stay up, white lights will still glow, and these little guys will now have the place of honor in our homes as we celebrate the season of winter (even though it was 74 sunny degrees today - that's desert life for ya!) Can you tell we were all raised in snow climates??

Plans for tonight are simple - none! I'm staying home and quietly watching this year slip away and a new one with promises and hopes and dreams and wishes take its rightful place.

I wish you all the very best that the new year brings. May you be blessed with joy, love and peace in 2009.

Happy New Year!

Slow Motion

Ahhhhh.... winter break.....

It does a body good.

So much has gone on with this wonderful holiday... and I am sooo looking forward to the next week off from school... I have often akinned teaching to running at full throttle... and when you come to a holiday break, you slam into the wall. It takes me a few days to acclimate to being off....to not having to look at a clock 6 times each hour....not managing, answering, interacting, etc.

So I am busy resting, playing, breathing, enjoying, visiting, relaxing... just letting go to be able to be.

Plans for next week are sparse. A few physical therapy appointments are on the book, but I am focusing on NOT making plans. There are so many things that I want to do...scrapping, pulling weeds in my gardens, reading a new yummy book, coffee with my ya-ya's, maybe go to a movie, take my walk, taking my son out for a belated birthday dinner, learning the ins-and-outs of my new camera.... whatEVER I feel like doing WHEN I feel like doing it... I want to savor each free day and rest my body, spirit and mind.

I hope you are enjoying this time ... the winding down of the year and the looking forward to the new one... relax.... slow down a bit.... breathe......

I Believe!

Hi Santa Claus,

I can't wait for Christmas Eve! I can't wait for you to come to my house!!! I've been a good girl. Really, I have. How'd you know my name??

Oh...

Your beard is really big!

....what?

Yes, I mind my mommy and daddy.

Um...yeah, I'm nice to my little brother. But sometimes he's not nice to me. He plays with my stuff. I don't want him to play with my stuff. It's my stuff, not his.

...yeah... I can share with Steve....

Ohhhh! I know what I want for Christmas! I want a Colorforms play set - I love making pictures with the stickers! And I want a new box of crayons 'cuz mine are all broken and short. And maybe some drawing paper, too. Oh...and a tracing book, too!

And I reallly want a play kitchen....it has a stove! and a refrigerator that you open and put stuff in! I could pretend and play 'house'! Me and my friends play 'house'!

Steve?

Um... maybe a new TinkerToy set. Some of the pieces are broken and lost. We could both play with it. Or maybe some Lincoln Logs? I love building Lincoln Logs! I build houses!

Yeah... I'll share.....

I can sing "Jingle Bells"....wanna hear me sing??

'Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingles all today

oh what fun is to ride one horse open sleigh-HHH

jingle bells, jingle bells, jingles all today

oh what fun is to ride one horse open sleighhhhhhhh'

Oh, and maybe a dolly carriage for my dolly so I could push her around in it.

Santa Claus? Do you know what house is mine?? Are you sure? It's the white one.

We don't have a chimney so I don't know how you're gonna get in. Oh..okay.

Me and mommy are gonna make you and Rudolph some cookies...and a glass of milk. How does Rudolph fly? I try to fly! I jump off my bed and pretend I'm Mighty Mouse and I jump up high like I'm gonna fly! Sometimes I almost touch the ceiling! Mommy keeps saying 'You're gonna break your neck some day." We're gonna leave the cookies on a plate in the living room...by the Christmas tree. I'm gonna wait up alllllll night and watch out my window for you, Santa Claus. I'm gonna look for Rudolph's red nose! I'm not gonna sleep and I'm gonna keep looking out my bedroom window so I can see your sleigh up in the sky!!

I'm gonna stay up ALL NIGHT!

Oh...

...you don't??

Okay... I'll go to bed ..... and sleep.

A candy cane for me? Thank you!

I love you, Santa Claus.