WHEW.....

Well, it's all over. Well, not really, as I haven't taken down my tree or dedecorated (is that a word) my house. Actually, I probably won't until after New Years...but the presents are opened and put away.

We had a lovely holiday. All my chicks were here, beaus in tow... and we had an abundance of gifts, food, and laughs. It was great. I think everyone liked what they got ~ if not, they did a great job faking it!!

Some holiday highlights.....Christmas Eve at my sisters....

we celebrated her son's birthday, which is actually Christmas day.

And onto Christmas day... starting off here at home....

kind of a motley looking crew aren't we?

Then, onto my mom's....







After all the festivities.. we loaded up our city girl and her beau and their 'haul' and took them home to Chicago. Have to say, it was a quick shot in and out on Christmas night... no traffic!

My husband is home this week... he's working a LOT, and we are reupholstering a chair and hassock... if we don't kill each other, I'll post pictures...don't hold your breath though...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's all wrapped... and more or less under the tree... kinda decadent isn't it?

Merry Christmas!!

ARGHHHHHH.....

Christmastime.... wow.... I am so busy. I'm trying to wrap everything, make sure I HAVE everything, keep my house half way clean, so I don't have to clean like crazy woman, and finish a few last minute gifts I'm making. But, my house is festive....and the stockings are hung...... presents under the tree.... presents are spilling to other areas!

Not everyone here is stressed though, some are even relaxed.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN....

I'm home. I was in Florida, hoping for a little fun in the sun. But I might as well have been home, it was so DAMN cold there. Seriously? We kept heading south, and it just stayed cold. AND of COURSE, it's already warmer, with a BEAUTIFUL weekend coming. Ugh. Frown.

Now, why was I there? Several reasons actually. I flew down there last Thursday, and met up with one of my live long BFF's. We sat at the airport for a couple hours waiting for my husband to arrive from Houston and laughed and laughed. So my husband arrived and we left her (but not for long) and headed up to Sarasota, Lido Key actually for a couple days at the beach. Got up there for dinner, intending to go to my most FAVORITE place in the world, but that didn't happen. It's really not so much the food there, it's the piano player and the ambiance. The piano man wasn't there, and the whole of St. Armand's was involved in a big festival of lights, Santa, music and a whole lotta people. We figured we'd eat there the next night, and tried out an Italian Restaurant that also had a piano man, who sang...AND they had prosecco by the glass, so I didn't feel I had to drink the whole bottle.

Day 2- heading to the beach, except I forgot my Ugg boots and long johns. It was cool... NOT cold, that was to come... so we went shopping. Got back in time to see the sun melt into the gulf.... I could so see that every day. Dinner at the afore mentioned FAVE place, but the stupid piano man wasn't there that night either.... but, we still had a nice dinner.

Anyway, Saturday rolled around and the real reason for the trip. My 82 year old father in law got married....yes, you read that right, married. She's a nice lady, and has six sons (can you even imagine?) who also seemed nice. It was a nice short wedding. and our side of the family.

After hours, we partied Trumpy style at the hotel with my husband's brother and sister and cousin and their respective spouses... ah yeah...'nuf said.

So on to my BFF... we headed down to her 'home by the sea'. Literally, she lives on the beach in a great condo high rise... what a view. It got quite cold for Florida and for me with my 3/4 sleeve denim jacket and capris... but we had a ton of fun. Mark left heading out to Houston and I stayed. She works as a decorator and let me tell you we are talking high end. Went with her on a couple work related errands... wow. But, we shopped, and talked and ate, and laughed and stayed up to a ridiculous hour... and I had to ship stuff home because I bought so much...

I have just one question... what's up with the '50 lb weight limit' for your baggage on a plane? And this 'just one bag' crap? These STUPID rules are made up by men, I bet.

I'M NOT LOST...

I'm in Paradise. Well,sort of. Hang tight, and I'll post some photos of where I am, what I'm up to and why I'm here.

Got ya on the edge of your seat huh?!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING....

We have so much to be thankful for every year, but this year, we are so very thankful that our son is alive and well. So with that said, we had a wonderful day. Thanksgiving at our house, we finished our redecorating project, and started in on cooking. I am exhausted.

My mom, sister and her family, my family and my oldest daughter's beau and 2 dogs joined us. Middle daughter's beau went to California to see his family. She was supposed to go too, but couldn't get off work...retail.. ugh.

Here's some highlights from the day!!

my mom playing the piano
me with one of my nephews

sleepy daughter my niece my beautiful kids and my mom with her grand kids, missing the little one...he was being a turd.

HEAVY HEART

Yesterday, we had to take our 15 year old Maltese Phoebe, on the dreaded one way trip. She was failing; had started falling. Almost like her back legs were giving out. She'd also stop, bob her head, and kind of like freeze. We knew it was coming soon. Mark orchestrated it, while I was out. I came back earlier than expected and asked Corbin WHY he was soaking wet? (It was storming, with serious RAIN) Corbin replied, 'don't ask', so I didn't. When it was time to go, Mark did tell me, then I knew why Corbin was wet. He was digging the hole, in our pet burial ground.




Why do dogs never just sleep away? Why is it always an orchestrated event? And, why is it we offer such a peaceful compassionate death to our beloved pets, but, watch PEOPLE we love, die in agony? Something isn't right here....

So, off my soapbox, back to reality ~ I'm sad, and so are our other doglets. Funny how they realize and mourn. They really can be quite human like.

I have Thanksgiving here in a couple days... and I've been redecorating (as you know)... and now I"m just sitting here with swollen eyes, feeling sad.

I work well under pressure.