christmas insanity

I have been a bit manic about Xmas this year. I have planned & shopped & wrapped & decorated early. I have dug out Xmas videos, dvds, & cds. I made my family watch Shrek The Halls. I plan outings to all the new holiday movies. I have bought tons of Xmas candy. I have also filled the calander with Christmasy things to do...tonite's was the all female production of Ms. Scrooge at Princeton...
after this a.m.s ice storm & having no electricity @ work for hours on end...I was still set to go. Till I got home & Katie really didn't want to go. I tried to sweet talk her into it. She just really didn't want to go. So, instead I called for pizza & ran to the grocery store to pick up necessities.
All 3 vehicles are just home from the shop for various ailments. I was driving the Monte just uptown--it started missing again. It died twice on the way home. I barely made it back. I was thanking my lucky stars that Katie didn't let me talk her into driving to Princeton...

flashlight tour of the playground

katie & danielle treated me to a flashlight tour of their school playground, showing me their secret hiding places, explaining the games they play, solving mysteries....until they got tired of listening to me complain about the cold & agreed to go home & have hot cocoa!

and my baby is engaged...

I finally called Koren tonite-they bought the ring Friday, it is getting sized. The ring was on sale & still cost quite a bit more than my wedding--quite possibly more than we spent on groceries the 1st year we were married! I am of course happy for Koren & Cody, a bit sad for my lost youth. I remember the excitement of being engaged, the planning for the future, the dreams & hopes we had. I wish them the best.
Koren is going to apply for the spring break trip to England, there is a Jack the Ripper walk & an optional (costs extra) day in Dublin. The world is my kids' oyster.
You want your kids to have better. Ours do. We've done something right...

girls night out

kate & I headed to trenton listening to cds that kate selected to watch Enchanted. it was a magical movie~only marred by the fact that we planned on having hot dogs there for supper ~and they were out of hotdogs. I instead ordered a combo of popcorn & cokes. kate wasn't happy. and she did have a point~popcorn & hotdogs are not the same thing. and she really doesn't care for coke. a casey's glazed donut saved her from utter starvation on the way home, & we made our own hotdogs about 10p.m. @ home. all's well that ends well...

it's beginning to look a lot like xmas...

I cleaned out a spot for the tree, drug the tree parts in, then got sick & went to bed. Kevin & Kate put it up & decorated it. I took a nap, got up, felt ok, now back to being sick again. Life just doesn't get any better than this...
Koren isn't coming home for Thanksgiving. Katie is upset. I am, too, but I have to be strong for Katie. I assure her that Koren misses us as much as we miss her.
Got a photographer for the Brown Family Xmas, she can't get there till 3:30, though. Hopefully everyone will stay for this wonderful opportunity. Or they can gather in a corner & grumble about deb & her wonderful ideas...

ball games...

Kate & I went to the home junior high basketball games last nite & tonite to sit @ the Athletic Boosters table & sell Mercer Cardinals shorts, shirts, & duffle bags. Last nite I tried to watch some of the boys game, I am evil, if my kids aren't on the team, or cheering, or playing in pepband, I really don't give a flying f*** about the game. I finally wandered to the old gym where Kate was playing with her friends. Tonite there wasn't a teacher willing to watch them in the old gym, so she was bored, I was bored, & she consented to go home, where I can have fun putting away laundry, counting Girl Scout $, & doing dishes. She won Rice Krispie Treats last nite & lemon cookies tonite in the 4-H raffle.
Kevin had a rough nite @ work. For starters, the break room is up 2 flights of stairs. That's pretty much out. He's in a lot of pain. Hopefully it'll get better. I was being a bit impossible & telling him if he could deer hunt, he could do some laundry & some dishes. But now he's back to work, so I'll back off & do it all again. I'm such a martyr.
Left a message with Jody of Jody's Little Photoshop to see if she was available to take a group shot @ the Brown Family Xmas, haven't heard back from her. I finally decided it was what I wanted to do, but she may already be booked.

kevin's 'vacation' comes to an end....

dr. released him today to return to work tomorrow---he'll work 4 hour shifts the first 2 weeks. the limp is better, but it still swells if he's on it awhile.
kj had HDC band tryouts today.
katie is avoiding her homework.
trying to plan the brownie xmas meeting---the girls voted to xmas carol in mercer. I have pipe cleaners & jingle bells for them to make bracelets.