Wait, that only works for fairies, right?**

I was reading over at Mac's about the Save an Elf campaign. I am left with nothing but headshaking disbelief. This is the spirit of the season? This is joyous goodwill? This is what we want to embrace?

I love me an elf as much as the next person but I will say whatever I want, whenever I want this holiday season. (Hmmm. It's a holiday season...) Sometimes it might be Joyous Yule. Sometimes Joyeux Noel. Sometimes Felice Navidad. Sometimes Blessed Solstice. Or Happy Festivus. But I am not going to be offended if you wish me any greeting in the spirit of the season, even if you are a mean-spirited, elf killer that wishes me Happy Holidays.

Can this get more ridiculous? If it is such a spiritual holiday to you, have at it, celebrate, enjoy the meaning of the holidays and stop forcing your beliefs on everyone else. Happy Holidays isn't war on anyone, it's inclusive and comes from "holy days" so really, don't you win anyway? Do people really stop shopping at stores that wish you Happy Holidays? Are the stores actually enforcing particular greetings? Aren't we missing the point that it's the commercial, gift giving, secular part of the season that is being attacked for not wishing people Merry Christmas?

It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more? It's a classic. Read it. Watch it.

Happy Holidays. (Sorry elf guys, it had to be done.)

and it's a bit early for me, but, I xmas shopped. That's right. Things are being built by the elves and spirited this way as we speak. I am almost efficient and stuff. And, it was for multiple people. Lists are getting crossed off. Look out!

Oh, and half of my xmas cards are done. I know there aren't that many, but this leads me to that dangerous "I'm on top of it" feeling that I will linger in until the week before xmas when I will announce that the holidays are way too stressful and I will not be making homemade anything or shopping any more.

So hooray for now but watch out for later. I'm like that.

To celebrate, Sparky and I just finished off a lovely bottle of Pino Grigio and are going to flop down and watch Heroes.

Thanksgiving is less than a week away and I am now officially veggie platter girl and apple pie woman. Easy jobs and I'm not hosting this year so not too much stress.

Yesterday was perfect for walking through Hershey. Lots of chocolate was consumed. The kids went on many rides. I even braved a few. We had my mom and my neices with us so it was a lot of fun. Pictures are coming soon.

And next on the list? Because, you know, packing and closing on the house the week before xmas isn't crazy enough. We are heading to Great Wolf Lodge for our 2nd annual get-away-from-xmas-craziness mini break. Can't wait! (Not thinking about the prospect of bathing suits in December....)

But if we don't go to Hershey today, we can't go this season. So we are packing up the kids, the neices, the grandma and heading off to enjoy a little holiday cheer. Oh, and chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate.

One of my two favorite holidays. How can you not love this one? It's fun and simple and relatively stressfree (we aren't going to talk about the costumes I am still sewing!).

I was feeling a bit out of it this year. No Samhain altar, no decorations, feeling too busy to do anything when I realized that just putting those things out would make me feel much, much more like myself.

So....now there are bones, ghosts and ghoulies outside and candles, gourds, and incense inside. Plus pumpkins and candy! It feels much more festive in here.

Even the pups are getting in on the action in their t-shirts. Pictures of everything are coming but it just isn't as spooky on a brilliant, crisp day as it will be later tonight in the dark with the fog machine and sound effects. C'mon over. I've got the good candy;)

if you are coming to my house and really want to give me the perfect present, it's not too late! no shipping! free!

just step inside the door, use your imagination, and then declare that the house looks beautiful and clean. marvel at the shiny floors and well-organized kitchen. then step over the boxes, clear away a spot on the couch and pretend you don't notice the debris, 'k?

it will save me a lot of time and stress and i swear i will be your best friend for life! oh, and if you could also exclaim how wonderful my cooking is that would rock. lol.

ok, off to shove things in closets and under beds and microwave some food!

tick, tick, tick, tick...it's almost time!!

and a present for you:
dar williams - christians and the pagans mp3

(it's christmas so right click and save as, ok? i'll leave this here for a couple of days. enjoy!)

shopping. done.
wrapping. done.
baking...started.
cleaning? bwahahahahaha.

i couldn't find the pre-whacked individually wrapped chocolate oranges this year (and they just wouldn't be the same without someone to share them with!) but i did find some--one milk chocolate and one dark chocolate--and the best part? i am the only one who likes dark chocolate in the house! haha.

feeling a little less stressed but still having trouble feeling any tiny bit of christmas spirit. i am hoping that the holiday will show up soon and won't feel like just another thing to check off the list.

for now. chocolate oranges, xmas movies and baking. oh yeah, and the annual threatening of the children:

"if you don't get those rooms cleaned up and stop beating eachother with legos santa is going to pass this house right by!!"

it's the traditions that make things feel special ;)

eek! the countdown calendars around the house are getting very near to the day! yule is less than two days away and xmas eve is saturday. saturday!!

trying to make an organized list of what is left to do so that it doesn't seem so overwhelming. i really wanted to be less stressed this year so i could enjoy some baking and singing and general holiday goodness with the boys and my family.

little bits of shopping left, still waiting on a few shipments, haven't even start baking or wrapping and i need to knock out the rest of that paper by wednesday night.

starting to feel the pressure.

but i am going to put on some xmas tunes, finish cleaning the kitchen so we can make cookies this afternoon and fiddle around with my snazzy new 2006 planner ('cause that makes me feel happy and organized!)

keeping my fingers crossed for no strike tomorrow so that we can enjoy the sing-in at lincoln center without hoofing it 30 or so blocks.

tired? stressed? think you just don't have time to sit down and watch one of the holiday classics? think again!

a christmas story as told by bunnies in 30 seconds

it's a wonderful life as told by bunnies in 30 seconds

thanks to mac for the link

and because it's that time of year again...

i dug out everyone's favorite christmas carol game.

you tell me which christmas carols these are supposed to be. you can leave answers in the comments. c'mon...it's fun. stop lurking and post. lol.

1. Small Town in Judea
2. Colorless Yuletide
3. Righteous Darkness
4. Far Off In A Feeder
5. Array the Corridors
6. Loyal Followers Advance
7. Weather: Cloudless Arrival Time: 2400 Hours
8. Bantam Percussionist
9. Nocturnal Noiselessness
10. Red Man Enroute to Borough
11. Initial Christmas
12. Frozen Precipitation Commence
13. The Quadruped with the Vermilion Proboscis
14. Delight for this Planet
15. At the Zenith of the Habitat
16. The Dozen Festival 24 Hour Intervals
17. Query Regarding Identity of Descendent

why is it that every year i get these sugary visions of the family all singing christmas carols and decking the halls while we smile laugh?

and yet, every year it goes something like this:

this afternoon was no exception. we went and got a tree--an adventure that was less painful then usual and resulted in a beautiful frazier fir.

once the decorations were down the kids headed to the playroom for gamecube and bickering and sparky dozed off on the couch only to wake up once in a while and mutter something about "too much stuff."

i was not going to let them suck the holiday spirit out of this task so i finished up, lit the candles (including my little brass candle spinner that is now ting tingling on the table) and put on the xmas tunes.

as if by magic, the sound of xmas carols brings them into the living room to flick off the stereo and turn on the tv.

so, i suggest a holiday movie.

j: "how about jurassic park 3?"
sparky: "no...mom says we have to watch something with a guy in a santa hat, an elf, a reindeer or a snowman."
j: "so. slap a bow on the dinosaurs butt and call it a xmas movie!"

sparky (starting to feel bad because i am getting sad): "ok, ok, how about xmas vacation?"
kids in unison: "oooh! how about vegas vacation??"
all three boys: "yay! vegas vacation! woohoo! it's like xmas vacation!! "

so, i am sitting in my pretty house with the candles lit and the tree still on top of the car watching vegas vacation and drinking eggnog.

yup, it's the holidays!

on edit: the tree is now in and defrosting. it will be decorated tomorrow. don't know what did it. could have been my little speech:
"Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse." (i may have borrowed this from clark himself, but it worked!!)

looks like santa has his very own blog!

happily swiped from over at ari's

what a cute idea and as sparky points out, "much cheaper than that 900 number they used to have us call!"

(and i am still procrastinating...)

a little holiday present. let's pretend that you were going to buy me three cds, three movies and three books that you loved this year.
what would they be?

in other words...it's recommendation time! it's like a little free present! they don't have to be newly released--just ones that you have enjoyed this year.

(yes, you. i know you're there lurking.)

i am finished writing xmas cards! thought i would start early since i didn't get them done at all last year. put on the xmas tunes, got some nice warm chai and presto! all done. (ok, except for those people who i don't have a current address for. isn't it a shame that this is the only time of year i notice this??)

so...do you want a card from fabulous "here?" i have a few if anyone's interested in a little card exchange. email me!

off to finish cleaning and make some kind of pot pie out of all the leftovers. we are going to be eating potatoes for weeks!

once sparky got home, j and i snuck out to squeeze in a little gadgety holiday shopping. yay! done with the hard-to-find gadgety goodness and everyone will be eeeee-ing and oooooh-ing xmas morning.

we also managed to replace our video camera with a cute little one that records on dvds and pick up a few xmas cds.
i am absolutely in love with the brian setzer's "dig that crazy christmas". what fun!

ok, now that i have hidden all the gifts and made multiple movies of the kids and dog, i am going to call it a night--everyone should sleep snug as a bug in their new comfy pjs!

i don't usually go near stores on black friday but i thought i would chance it this afternoon once the crazies were home sleeping off their shopping injuries and battle wounds.

so i chanced it. and it was awful, frightening, horrifying even.

and was it the crowds? no.
traffic? no.
mean spirited people? nope.

it was whining kids. and i would love to blame someone else's ill-behaved monsters but i am afraid these were mine. crowds i can fight but dragging two fun-sucking whiners around...that would be like having my in-laws over for the holidays. nope. just not going to do it...again.

the up side to this is that i spent less, came home and shopped online, had more pie and watched Christmas with the Simpsons (hey, nothing but the classics here. lol)

c is getting a cold--sniffles, sore throat, fever, whining, the works--so we are just hoping to get through it without sharing.

i am thankful for:

holiday parades
crisp turkey skin
good wine
mulled cider
loud laughter
group dishwashing
press and seal wrap
more pies than people
leftover potatoes
the after-party quiet
my comfy jammies
snuggling with kids when the turkey drug kicks in

happy thanksgiving!

we are up and getting ready. kids are grumbling that all the good stuff is for later and getting ready for the parade. i am off to fight the crazies with one last trip to the store!

hope everyone has a great day. this is one of my favorite holidays. no pressure. no crazed gift buying. just family and good food.

i haven't broken out the christmas music yet.** but as soon as santa makes his way down the parade route***...it's christmas music time! and christmas movies!

what are the first ones you reach for every year?

my first cd is harry connick jr's - when my heart finds christmas i have about 40 or so xmas cds but i always go to this one first.

and then...

while we are all lolling on the couch in after-turkey stupors we put in the first xmas dvd of the season.

no doubts here:
christmas vacation

how about you? what's first?

i am having 16 people here for thanksgiving. 16 people!!
i have what woud be described in realtors terms as a "cozy" house. small. it's friggin' small.

i don't mind that we will be setting up a table in the living room to create a temporary dining room. i don't even mind cooking. in fact, i like that part.

but i am going to have to clean. really clean. company clean. and because my living room will be serving as a dining room, i will have to clean the playroom (which will now be serving as the living room) and holy hannah! people are going to be in my kitchen.
they will not find my science project of a fridge either funny or particularly appetizing. and my cabinets? i am afraid if one of my cousins tries to get something out they will be sucked into the mess and never return. we could save that for an after dinner treat, yes?

so i am hoping that i get struck with some kind of cleaning enthusiasm, a little burst of OCD would help.

house elves, i need house elves.

then again, i have some really fond memories from thanksgivings in the house i grew up in, which was also "cozy."

sending my ghoul off to school with his costume. this is my last halloween parade since they don't do them in the next school...

i will post the obligatory costume pics later.

what is everyone else doing for halloween/samhain? anything fun? something scary?

it's that time of year again. time to roll out the scary movies. i love that my oldest loves a good scary movie just like me. it's good to have someone to watch with. i wish there were more that were ok for him to watch, but as he gets older we get to add to the list.

but first, something not so scary...a classic....

that's right, it's time for young frankenstein

my kids know it by heart! lol. makes a mom proud.

Fun day at my sister's today. Good to spend some time relaxing with family.

Today is Beltane/May Day. By this time last year I was planting and planning for gardens. This year has been so chaotic getting through end of semester stress and graduation prep and getting ready for kzoo that I just haven't been out there much yet. I am planning on getting out there in the next few weeks and getting my herb garden going. This year I have a better idea of what will and definitely will not grow.

Looking to add some dill, a bay tree, St. John's Wart, and a new rosemary plant (since I killed last years. who knew they had to come in??) So hopefully there will be some good summer cooking.

Started packing today and realized that I really only have two days to pack and get this place in shape to be run by hubby for five days. Just the boys for five days.....bwaahhahahaha.

damn, they love me when I get home!!

happy opening day!! that's a holiday around here.

and how will i be celebrating? let's start with my morning so far, shall we?

- oversleep because while changing the time i somehow shut off the alarm

- run around screaming at kids

- discover youngest has talent of barking like a seal while running a fever

- step in cat barf on the steps

- listen to husband's speech about how what he does is so much more important and can't be changed confirming my fear that i am screwed and about to miss an exam at 9:10

- fight some more with oldest who is suffering time change syndrome

- get to miss class (see above re: sick kid) and watch opening day game!

hey! at least there's an upside!

so, whoever you root for, enjoy opening day. buy me some peanuts and cracker jack....

on edit: let's just say that you stressed all morning to find a solution to a sick kid problem and when you finally found one your professor arrived 10 minutes late to class to announce that she didn't get a chance to copy the test yet and asked you to wait and then returned and still didn't have copies and spent another 15 minutes rambling about nothing when you knew she was going to let you go and wasted all of your morning forcing you to come home and rant in long run-on sentences...that would make you crazy, yes? just checking.

i almost forgot! it's two days 'til easter, almost a whole week into spring and i almost forgot!

one of my favorite holiday traditions....the one that never fails to make me laugh so hard i almost choke on a jelly bean...
the peep surgery site

poor little guys.....

These are from last year in the Springtime. Crocus are one of my favorite flowers. The Equinox was rainy and dreary this year. We spent most of it cleaning and lounging about watching Extreme Home Makeover reruns.

The tell-tale signs of Spring were here today, however, as the hubby and I yelled and cheered and high-fived our way through the Mets comeback, walk-off homerun. Nothing like the crack of a bat to ring in the Spring.

Happy Ostara to everyone who celebrates. Enjoy the 1st day of Spring. I, for one, am looking forward to milder days and afternoons of procrastinating in the park instead of doing papers.

Now the blog is wearing green...kind of. I am not sure how Irish the kiwi is (ha!) but it is green so consider it in the spirit of the day. Plus it looks bright and springy and it makes me smile.


I ordered my new toy from dell this morning. Happy St. Patrick's Day to me!


Off to the store to buy lots of Irish food to boil in a pot. Oooh, and maybe stop off for a shamrock shake.

poor hubby who has always had the christmas/birthday combo...

and how is hubby spending his day? he is having the dent removed from the new car, spackling for some crazy woman (no. not me!) and heading out to play video games with the boys.

hey, it's what he wanted!

so happy birthday J! and look--you're older than me! haha!

we are off to do christmas at my sister's house today. and you know what i realized? i didn't have to host this year. couple hours on christmas eve and that was it.

don't know if i am disappointed or happy that i have a clean house, no cooking to do and lots of free time!

so, hey, merry christmas...one more time!

home again home again jiggety jig.

after a quick visit with the inlaws where we all hung out with the dogs on the bed...ah, the joys of the holidays...

we are home relaxing and c is rocking out on the guitar. he is very excited about going out tomorrow with his xmas money and getting a pick and a book. i think he just likes walking around with the guitar strapped to him. he told me "dad says 'chicks like guys who play guitar'" lol.

j is in his room watching the reflection of the water on the walls from his aquarium. he says he is never coming out. hopefully the tank will settle soon and he can have his fish. although he seems happy just staring at the water. quiet? happy? in his room? looks like that was a good present!

so we are off to snug in some jammies, far from the thought of crack ho niece, and watch a movie by the light of the tree.

don't you think if ups doesn't get the last shipment here 'til late in the afternoon they should wrap it for you as well??

just thinkin'

other than that the wrapping is DONE!!
baking is not getting done...:/
house is almost clean
kids have been beat
dinner is cooking

bring on xmas!

snagged from nancy

Your Christmas is Most Like: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Christmas is a big, boisterous event at your place. And no matter what, something hilarious usually happens.

Tonight, just after midnight is the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. Ever wonder why we bring all those beautiful greens inside the house?

here's an interesting bit from the history channel on the history of the christmas tree.

There are some other interesting pieces there about different customs around the world. Tonight and tomorrow I will enjoy a quiet no stress tradition. No gifts, no pressure. A little eggnog, a little music, the lighting of the Yule log.

Enjoy!
Merry Merry Yule!!

because it's monday and it's almost christmas and i am going to be wrapping and napping today (haha! it's my first week off without the kids home...naps are required!)...

i found this game in the archives...

christmas carol game...you tell me which christmas carols these are supposed to be. you can leave answers in the comments. c'mon...it's fun. stop lurking and post. lol.

1. Small Town in Judea
2. Colorless Yuletide
3. Righteous Darkness
4. Far Off In A Feeder
5. Array the Corridors
6. Loyal Followers Advance
7. Weather: Cloudless Arrival Time: 2400 Hours
8. Bantam Percussionist
9. Nocturnal Noiselessness
10. Red Man Enroute to Borough
11. Initial Christmas
12. Frozen Precipitation Commence
13. The Quadruped with the Vermilion Proboscis
14. Delight for this Planet
15. At the Zenith of the Habitat
16. The Dozen Festival 24 Hour Intervals
17. Query Regarding Identity of Descendent

i love when the toughest decision of my day is whether i should bake or shop.

up and at 'em!

catching an early train into NYC, "we can't all travel by bubble you know!"

thank you radio netscape for letting me wake up to boris karloff reading "how the grinch stole christmas"

because seeing the holiday cheese canoe without you just isn't the same.

it still makes me laugh though;)

so i am all set up for our mini turkey day here. we were too bummed about the lack of turkey to pick at so we are cooking one up this afternoon. by we, of course, i do not mean the same "we" that decided we don't need a new car.

all of this seemed like a good idea until i spent last night up sick all night. but once that turkey is thawed, well, it's turkey day and that's that.

news on the car front: hubby is out pricing dvd systems to install. why? why would he do that if he wasn't sure we wanted the car? good question. i will ask him, repeatedly, when he gets home.

why is it that i always think i am going to get oodles of work done over this break? have i learned nothing. eat, sleep, laundry. that's pretty much the plan with a holiday movie or two thrown in for good measure.

oh yes, i am a parade gal. marching bands, showtunes, giant balloons being wrangled in the wind by frightened retail employees....i am in heaven.

i have fond memories of watching the parade every year while my mom was cooking for the holiday. oh, and there is only one parade the macy's thanksgiving day parade

accept no substitutes. bad enough the mummer's will be slithering into town in the near future. mummers. *shudders*

so i am enjoying the pre-parade broadway performances. brooke shields? was anyone else stunned that she actually looked great? great voice, nice job, i was impressed.

back to the kitchen. appears one of the hazards of this growing up thing is that now i am the mom. don't worry, i am tivo-ing the parade so i can pause it and zip through the commercials.

Happy Thanksgiving!! Here's to eating til you pass out from the turkey drug and a weekend full of leftovers!

kathy has whipped up the perfect holiday skin for me.

it is exactly what i wanted! she is amazing!

so....since i have no willpower what so ever. bring on the holidays! (yes, yes, i know i said i would wait until the day after thanksgiving. i also said i would have this paper done and would start my diet...)

i also put up the whoville skin from last year if anyone wants to use that.

let the eggnog, movies, music and eating commence.