CAUTION: Woman In Progress

It took us three days/nights to get the tree together. Well, five, if you count how many days the tree sat in it's box on the dining room floor before I took it out and put it together. We--and I use the term "we" loosely  here because Libs mostly just pouted while I worked--put it together and strung the lights on one night...Tuesday maybe? and decorated it Friday night. It's a miracle it got done at all because I am totally Scrooge/Grinching it out this year. Not feeling Christmas at all.     I'm not really sure WHY I'm not feeling Christmas much this year. I wasn't really all that into it last year, either, if memory serves. Maybe it's that I'm getting older. Or maybe I'm just over the whole commercialization of it. Or maybe I'm just tired. Or could be that I'm not into much of anything anymore.   I could probably get by without going the whole decorating/putting up a tree route. I mean, in all seriousness, nobod...

You know, just about everyone I've talked to since Christmas has said the same thing I did: This Christmas sucked! So glad it wasn't just me. Not that I'm happy anyone else had a sucky Christmas. Just, you know what I mean. It must have just been something in the air. Because I wasn't really feeling the Christmas vibe even BEFORE that disastrous day. The evidence of that is laid bare in the fact that I didn't take a gazillion photographs of Christmasy things. I've been known to fill whole albums with just Christmas photos. This year? Not so much. But there were a few... The Sunday Before Christmas Day After all the gifts were wrapped...alarmingly close to Christmas Day. I should have known I'd be needing a few more of those Seagram's to Jamaican'me Happy.   The Bama Crew passed out after they got here Christmas Eve. Libby wasn't really feeling Christmas this year, either! Emmy was into it, tho. You have no idea how ...

Without going into too much detail, I'd like to declare this one of the WORST Christmases EVER and I am glad it's done. If you asked me right now what my favorite holiday is, I'd say 4th of July. Nobody gets their feelings hurt on 4th of July. Well, it's more rare to get your feelings hurt on 4th of July.  If weren't so tired, I'd pack up all this Christmas crap up tomorrow and pretend it never happened. And if I could get away with it, I wouldn't see, speak or talk to anyone the rest of the week. My friend, Laura, had the right idea by touring Europe during Christmas break.  And no, it wasn't me that hits feelings crushed this year. But somehow it's worse when you see it happen to someone else.  So, yeah. I'm done with Christmas. I can love Jesus so much more without all this man-made holiday junk.  Hope everyone else had a better day than I did. 

Presents all bought, wrapped and ready to go. Bring in the Christmas!

Dear Santa, I haven't been entirely good this year but I haven't been entirely bad either. More middle of the road.  To be fair, a lot of my naughtiness was the direct result of other people but since I'm an adult I won't lay blame.  For Christmas this year what I want can't be bought or made, so you may hafta get God to help ya out.   I'd really love it if both my parents could have some improved health. They both had a tricky 2014 and I know we could all enjoy a break from health problems.  I'd also love it if my sisters could figure out how to have more peace in their marriages. I don't know all the ins and outs but I know that marriage shouldn't be so hard.  The kids are all such blessings. I'd really love it if they could all grown up safe and happy.  And if you have time, I'd really love it if you could help me realize my professional dreams.  Oh! And Libby wants a lifetime supply of Milkbones. She's such a good pup, you should help...

Yes, I'm totally late with this. My only excuse is that I've been half dead since I got home Sunday night. Still not altogether alive but getting there.  After Sunrise Service we did some selfies. Of course.   And we did our photo ops. We had to do something while waiting on the church breakfast to be ready.     Then Ems had to hijack my phone while I was in the sound booth working during the regular service. I found this the other day when I was downloading my pics to my external hard drive. haha   Then it was photo time at Granny's while waiting on lunch to be ready.   These two slay me. The hand holding! I die! I hope they're this close when they grow up.     This year they were the only ones hunting eggs. All of my cousins' children have outgrown it. But they still had fun. And the big kids had fun hiding the eggs and helping these two find 'em. This is the tree that all the kids want t...