2013 crept in quietly by the front door early on January 1, 2013. She napped on the sofa for quite some time. (No doubt exhausted by jumping the previous year’s hurdles.) She slept late during that time, growing fat and resting well. We really thought she had settled in for the duration when she surprised us all. Flying off the couch, wailing like a banshee, with no warning nor provocation — Fists pumping and feet stamping. She bustled about, making a mess of everything, spilling glasses, dumping boxes, upsetting chairs… Reining down on everyone with problems and burdens sometimes to heavy to bear.

Overwhelming loss coupled with great joy fell from the ringlets in her hair. Rewarding endeavors, mistakes made innocently, failures, successes, and joyous exultation scuffed my floor as she danced. Eye-opening illness, fear, and disappointment alongside great love and understanding ran through every song she sang… and always love on the tip of her tongue and at her finger tips. (Love is never a problem at our house… It’s all the other day-to-days that seem to get in the way of things.)

Try as we might, she would not be fully consoled until after Christmas. At which time, she settled into a happy stupor and quickly slipped out the back door one night in late December. Her year-long tirade left me decades older, far more pensive, and slightly overwhelmed. (In fact, I think we’ll still be picking up her pieces for months to come!)

There were times I wished this year could have gone any other way, but then I realize the past can’t be changed. So we just keep moving along the road, skipping speed bumps and potholes, stepping on cracks, slipping on chat… taking one plodding step after another. With Destiny’s promises ringing in our ears we keep moving toward some ending. She’ll catch up at the next stop — Just give her a moment to gather what’s left of dreams scattered by Father Time. (That messy, old bastard.)

So, I send my respects to 2013 and wish her well. Let’s hope her sister who graced our doorstep this January 1 is a blessed visitor bringing temperate breezes and easier days than her sister gifted upon us.

Christmas this year was many things, but short seems to define it most correctly! My two-day holiday felt shorter than any in the past, but that seems to follow in line with the rest of 2013. It has proven to be the shortest year in recent memory and definitely one of the busiest.

The children were very excited about the Jolly Fat Man’s impending visit and anticipated great things… So when I suggested late last week that he was concerned about the state of their room and them having enough usable space for the wonderful gifts he had planned, they were on it! Their room, which normally takes forever to straighten, took only an hour of work to make presentable. Toys put away, floor cleared and beds made!

Amongst discussions about who the mysterious gift giver was in league with and outright asking me if I, myself, was Santa Clause, the girls’ told everyone under the sun that they were going to get a Monster High School for their dolls to live and play in from the Old Man Santa. (I assured them that I was NOT Santa, but that I was a helper, as I was every year.) After hearing their father discussing arrival times and location quietly with a mysterious voice on the phone (“over Paris right now”), the children knew they’d better be on time to bed and straight to sleep or there would be no presents for them this year! (Our Santa does not mind adults so much, but gets very nervous and skiddish around human children. This means, mom and dad may stay up late and not hinder the adventure, but children are a big no-no when it comes to The Man in Red!

Christmas Day Recap:

Jason and I spent the last moments of Christmas eve watching odd horror flicks, putting together and staging a Monster High School, eating cookies and trying to not wake up sleeping children!

Santa’s Elf Putting Together Christmas Toys

The next morning, it was Mae who I heard stir first. Soon, both girls were awake and listening to me tell the that I had not heard their benefactor that night and was concerned something might have happened during his magical (and kinda creepy, if you ask me) tour of all the believer’s houses. Mae, ever The Clause’s champion, assured me that he must have come as she heard the Christmas tree ornaments shaking (probably the black cat who has some strange desire to make our Christmas tree taste her pain) and Miranda swore she heard his voice and strange clopping noises from atop our roof. (Never mind that a large man with heavy feet would not so safely traverse our rooftop… Santa is magic! He needs not abide by the rules of mortals!) ;D

The anticipation was thick as I made them wait a few moments longer for Mae to put on some pants citing the rights of motherhood as the reason… Seriously, she knew I would want to take pictures and it just would not do to have my child appearing pantless in our family album that I knew relatives & friends would be thumbing through. (Oh, don’t get me wrong. Mae has a thing for running around in various stages of undress and, try as we might, it is impossible to quell, even at this late age… Still, I do have some dignity, you know, and refused to have her parading around half dressed in all of my Christmas pics!)

They entered the darkened room with only the Christmas tree to light the way and before a single cord was pulled, Miranda declared the  presents were there and that it was, indeed, a Monster High School! (How she knew this in pitch blackness, I will never know, but Mae threw on the switch and both girls stared, slack-jawed in wonder. Mae squealed “All of our favorite dolls are in it! How did he GET them OUT OF OUR ROOM!!” (Magic, children… The jolly man has his ways.) They poked and prodded the toys, also marveling at the two giant (1/2 pound each) Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and whole pound Hershey Chocolate Bar he’d left for the whole family. Soon, Miranda discovered the Deluxe Magic Set and was intrigued with the myriad of tricks available for her to learn and demonstrate, ripping it over and asking me to explain how I was making them work… Santa definitely had their numbers! (A Little-known Fact About Me: I used to really be in to magic when I was a child. I would take books out of the public library on a regular basis learning how to design and implement tricks. I studied the masters and their plans. I watched the specials and speculated on how the tricks were being done based on my limited knowledge… In short, I was a big magic nerd, lol. So, yeah, mom is the resident dork when it comes to magic tricks on TV and otherwise at our house!)

After investigating the half eaten cookies left behind, deciding no one should eat them lest they catch Santa’s germs and be transformed into the man himself (Miranda’s brainchild: I don’t know where she gets these ideas, but I approve!) and finding his note written in his usual hand, it was time to pillage the stockings and examine the “normal” presents from Mom & Dad under the tree. (Santa had told them in his note that he’d brought mostly “together” presents this year to encourage them to get along better in 2014… Of course, being Santa’s accountant, I knew that the two gifts that were so prominently displayed on our coffee table had put Santa back quite a few pennies and those combined sleigh repairs over the past couple months had tightened his purse strings substantially.)

Advice from Santa 2013 – Our Santa is rather direct & to the point…

Miranda had some idea of what her gift was before she’d even opened it. The odd shaped box and less-than-substantial weight had her calling it “The Monster High Doll” before it was even pulled out from under the tree. However, Mae’s present, a collector Barbie in the likeness of Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games, complete with jacket, cargo pants, bow, arrows, and quiver… all in the likeness of Miss Jennifer Lawrence, herself, was unexpected and sent Mae into a fit of joy so powerful it is hard to describe. I’d bought the doll uncertain of its reception, to be honest, and I knew that either she’d love it… or she’d toss it aside. However, I had no idea she would love it this much and was so happy I’d hunted it down and purchased, even after it was sold out across town. Yay for the internet and moms everywhere!

The Joy of a Well-chosen Gift!

Of course, our Christmas morning was quickly coming to a close and we still had to make the drive to the country for Christmas dinner and family holiday time. The drive was uneventful, for the most part. My gorgeous Betty, a 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT, made the trip with few troubles despite my concerns about bottoming out on or sliding off of snow and ice-covered gravel roads, and we were soon pulling up to my grandparents farm in Northwest Missouri. We came bearing three types of cookies and homemade gifts of bracelets and Ninja Bread Christmas ornaments!

Ninjabread Men

Everyone there was in good spirits and it was great to spend time really talking with relatives I don’t get to see on a regular basis. Of course, we all honored the missing and the fallen and acknowledged their absence, whether it was due to scheduling, responsibility, or death. Everyone enjoyed the delicious food prepared for the meal. There was of course sledding and Jake Boarding… and everyone seemed almost giddy as they shared the gifts they’d brought for everyone. I received the handled mixing bowl to go along with my Kitchen Aide mixer, ever my favorite bridal gift even after these 11 years — well, that and the smoking juke-joint Jezebel incense holder which is also a grand favorite displayed with honor on my hall bookshelf, a jacket, a book safe, a handkerchief, and many, many other odds and ends that equaled up to a very generous family. The children’s big highlight of the event were the rockin’ scooters and Adventure Time themed packs they received from their great aunt and uncle, but all gifts were well received and appreciated. 

Then it was back home so that we could watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special. Yes, dear reader, we are Whovians at this house and The Doctor and pizza was the perfect end to a lovely day!

I am now back to work today and the girls and Jason met me for lunch then are off to Toys ‘R’ Us to spend a little of their Christmas money. (I hope there are no shenanigans!) The girls’ room is currently in a holding pattern and Santa’s note praising their effort and wishing it had been a year-long endeavor may be enough to keep this going for a couple months… Maybe… Everyone took part in the after Christmas sales and the girls had me order a few items for them off of Amazon using some of their Christmas money.

Have a happy holiday season!
~H

Run! It is upon us! ;D

There are many things in our lives that we take for granted. Well, today, Thanksgiving, would be the day to really sit back and look at the things we’re thankful for… So, here’s a short list of serious, silly and frivolous things I’m thankful for this year

I’m Thankful…

… that fish don’t have feelings (especially shellfish, because they are so damned tasty!)

… for every single sick day I’m allowed to take off from work, whether I’m sick or not…

… that my children learned how to wipe their own butts and put on their own shoes ;D

… that McRib is back for yet another year (via @_Abomination_ )

… the corseter was willing to negotiate a price for the black & white PVC underbust I’ve been lusting after (Thank You whatever god you’re willing to call your own!)

… for Pravana and their amazingly, long lasting, vivid-color hair dyes!

… that I finally decided what I wanted to go back to school for and am working towards making that happen.

… for every gift purchased for me off of my wishlist! (Thank you all!)

… that little Tessa decided to announce she was a lesbian (lipstick, thank you!) by bringing her girlfriend home to meet the family for the holidays (because it makes everything I did last year pale by comparison!)

… that Dr. Prayson made me sign away my dignity, privacy and certain rights to my image in exchange for the ability to walk again.

… that I’ve a job that provides money (which I find to be a wonderful thing, even if the job isn’t always ;D)

… for Peppermint Ice Cream & Milk Nog (things I only really eat this time of year)

… that Doctor Who has gone back on the air (even if it is in sporadic specials I have to scury to find )

… for my beautiful black Cat, who loves me best a cat can

… for my little baby Pig, who is the most loyal and loving pooch I’ve ever had in my life.

… that Guinness exists… That Irish Cream is available, Disaronno is around and Tequila was invented!

… that I’ve got my TiVo with lifetime service

… for my friends, few that they are, and all the joy and sorrow they’ve given me. I wouldn’t trade it for the world

… for my children, who are healthy, happy and loving.

… for everything that is right in the world. Let’s hope there’s more to come ;D