boy oh boy!

So ... Christmas has come and gone. And although I had thought at one point that it might just be something to get through and then cross off of a list of "firsts"... it was actually quite lovely. With three of the fantastic four (children) and one of the amazing three (g-kids), melancholy was just not an option. For instance take a gander at Mr. Candy Cane pictured above with his new firehouse from Santa. Grinning was all we could muster up.

Later, Auntie Gee let him use her real camera which he used to take close-ups of the firehouse. Then he figured out on his own how to scroll back and view his handiwork. Clearly the "G" in Mr. Gee stands for Genius.

And here are my Bestest Boys. Sonny Boy (and Mrs. Boy, not pictured) tutored him on the art of the skateboard. I just love those boys.

Hope your holiday was just as Merry and Grin-ful. Do tell.

My Stars!

So ... I got the bright idea sometime in November, to add "Fancy Iced Cookies" to my repetoire of skills. And in the end, I gave myself a day and a half to perfect this particular skill ... which is basically impossible. But thirty hours or so later (+ only 2 advil) I am happy enough with the current product to give it to those friends and neighbors who have shown by prior performance that they will not openly mock me.

But just in case you are stymied by my gutsy ways, divert your attention below and the Spirit of Christmas will return in an instant.

When Miss Dub1 was told they would be seeing Mr. Claus at the mall, (she thought plane tickets had been purchased for a trip to the North Pole) she said, "Oh, I didn't know he had a station there." Miss Dub2 (yes, all 5 months of her) spent part of last week in a hospital crib, entertaining the nurses with her giggly ways and precious disposition. (She is home and fine and awaiting Santa with her big sis.)

Let's face it, I am not blogging again until after Christmas, so let me just add ...

Let Heaven and Nature Sing: Merry Christmas to All!!!

three twinkly trees, no partridge

So ... it was up to me to do the outside lights.

And I live in a pretty competitive neighborhood. Not "make the evening news" competitive, but competitive, none the less.

PDaddy was fond of keeping up ... to a point ... which involved lights strung along the outside eaves, which go to 2 stories high above the front door. I knew that my 5'2" frame was not up to the task, so I changed the game plan to involve three twinkly trees, one of which we had already. I added some lights around the front door and stood back to ooh and aah while simultaneously patting myself on the back.

So far the neighbors have been kind. Let's face it, their's only look brighter by comparison.

So how competitive is your neighborhood? Are you feeling Merry & Bright??

It's beginning to look a lot like ...

So ... I've done a bit of decorating this weekend. I will shop tomorrow to replenish my supply of Advil. In the meantime I will bask in the twinkly lights and try very hard not to move.

"S" stands for Santas in the Sunshine.

Yes, Virginia, it does snow in Arizona ... right on the kitchen table.

See ... a little bit landed in the living room and stuck to these trees.

Santa is not amused.

Turn on some Bing ... I promise it will cure the most aching of aching backs.

She is thankful for seashells at the sea shore!

So ... I had a lovely Thanksgiving. It involved delicious ... but not coma-inducing amounts of food. It involved two daughters, two cities and a fair amount of shopping. Mostly, it involved one precious little boy who looked suspiciously like the one in the photo above.

Oh yeah ... it also involved the Pacific Ocean.

Sigh.

How was your T-day?? Any sand in your toes??