Christmas Fun

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate with mini marshmallows

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Definitely wraps them with bows and all

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White lights

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No

5. When do you put your decorations up? Thanksgiving weekend, usually that Saturday.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Honeybaked ham

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Decorating the tree with my mom every year, and listening to Christmas music the whole time.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't really remember... I know that when I was in 5th grade, I found all of our presents in my mom's closet.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? We have two trees up this year. One is all Disney (decked with all the ornmanets my grandma collected for me when I was in college) and it has a Winnie the Pooh tree topper and a personalized Mickey Mouse tree skirt. The other pencil tree is decorated with ice blue and white ribbon and snowman/snowflake ornaments.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Dread it! The horrible traffic for work traveling!

12. Can you ice skate? I can, but not this year, since I'm pregnant.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I think it was probably the big art easel and art supplies I got in third grade. I remember spending hours and hours in my room with that stuff and hanging all of my creations on the walls.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Spending time with my family, and doing all of our quirky little traditions.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Jell-o cookies.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Our big family shopping day on the day after Thanksgiving.

17. What do you put on top of your tree? Winnie the Pooh, and the other tree has a fancy crystal star

18. Which do you prefer, giving or Receiving? Giving-- especially with Maddy now. I just can't wait to see her reaction to everything!

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? My all-time favorite Christmas songs are all on The Osmond Family Christmas Album (go ahead and laugh), but my mom used to play that album every year all the time at the holidays, and every song brings back so many memories. I just ordered the CD last week, and I cannot believe how connected that album is to my childhood holiday memories!

20. Candy Canes, yum or yuck? I like all the fruity flavored ones, don't care for the peppermint too much.

Very Productive Weekend

I had a really great weekend. Started on Friday with a date night with Jer. We went to Red Lobster, which I have been dying to go to for a while (I adore the cheddar bay biscuits). We had an enjoyable meal, sans Madeline, and had a nice quiet evening at home. I got all of my wrapping done this weekend and all of my baking! It was so great! Honestly, it was because my mom had Madeline Friday night and didn't bring her home until 1:30 on Saturday. I did all the wrapping on Friday night, and then on Saturday morning I woke up early and went to the grocery for baking supplies and got started. I made 5 different kinds of cookies, and because Maddy was asleep when my mom dropped her off and Jer slept with her for 2 hours, I got it all done before she was awake and ready to play! Wonderful.

Saturday night, Jer went shopping with my mom and my brother, and my dad came over to hang out with Maddy and I. We ended up going to Applebee's because my dad asked Maddy where she wanted to go eat and she said, "Bees." Yeah, my daughter is not even 2 and can tell which restaurant/fast food joint she would like her dinner to come from! I am so NOT proud of that, but it is still cute to hear her tell you "bees." Anyhow, we went to "Bees" and she was so good. She ate like a champ and said hello to everyone that caught her eye. Then, we just hung out at our house. My dad played with her while I finished up the last of my wrapping, and then my dad went downstairs and wrapped all of my mom's gifts while I gave her a bath and got her ready for bed.

Jer's shopping trip was good. They didn't get home until 11:00! They went to dinner and everything. It was so great for him to actually spend some time with my brother. Things between them are still a bit awkward sometimes, and it really was a good time for all of them.

Yesterday, we pretty much did nothing all day. Madeline and I were in our jammies until 1:30. We watched movies, colored, and played all morning and then took a 2 hour nap. We got up, took a shower, ate lunch, played some more and then Jer and I had to get ready to go to the first of my work holiday parties. We dropped Maddy off at Jer's aunt's house, which I was slightly nervous about because she's never stayed over there before, but it ended up being really great for everyone. We got a little lost on the way to the party, but eventually found our way and stayed for a couple of hours. Boring party. Fancy food and boring mingling, but my appearance was pretty much required. When we went to pick up Maddy, she was having a blast! She had all kinds of new things she was playing with, thanks to the fact that Auntie Judy never threw any of her daughter's toys away, and she did not want to leave. They told us she was an "angel," and never even looked for us or asked where we were. I am SO glad that Maddy is like that. She loves spending time with all the people in her family and is not a clingy little one at all. She was happy to eat pizza and watch Shrek over there, and then when we came back, she gave us a huge smile and hugs and kisses and was just ready to play some more. I was very proud of her.

This week is going to be a good one... lots of holiday festivities for us. I love Christmas and all of our crazy family functions, even though it is completely chaotic!

I am working through Wednesday of this week, and then will be off until the 27th. I have a check-up with the doctor on Thursday morning, and then I think we might take Maddy to see Charlotte's Web. Jer's vacation starts on Thursday too. I need to plan a menu for Christmas Eve dinner at my house.... And I have to make my wedding soup for dinner at Jer's sister's house on Christmas day.

Oh well, I'm off... I'm going to spend some time looking up recipes before the boss gets in :)

Getting Ready for the Holidays

Things have been quite hectic in our household lately. Trying to squeeze in shopping time, wrapping time, baking time, stamping time, and of course, time to play with Maddy while juggling holiday parties and family obligations is an absolute nightmare. I cannot even imagine how much harder it is going to get with two little ones to worry about!

I have stamping on Wednesday and Thursday this week, and I'm nowhere near ready for that! I have 18 aprons to iron and stamp and I need to finish preparing all the pieces for the holiday recipe books they are making.

I have to fly out of work like superwoman today and get as much done tonight as I can.

Next week is even crazier... Christmas for us really starts on Wednesday night with dinner with Jer's family, another function Thursday night and then it just keeps running on through Christmas day.

I'm totally annoyed/pissed of at Jer's sister. She's been acting like such a selfish brat lately, and I swear Jerry's mom doesn't do anything without consulting her first.

Anyhow, I have a meeting I need to prepare for... More later.

The Sickness Continues...

Jer is sick now. Sore throat, ear hurts, coughing... fun. I am still not 100% better, but each day I make a little progress. Maddy seems to be doing a lot better. Her eye looks good, and she seems happy. She's with my mom today. I think they are going to Chuck E. Cheese.

Tomorrow I am going shopping with my dad for gifts for my mom. It's an annual tradition and one that I really enjoy. The only bad thing about it is that two years ago, when I got home from my shopping day with my dad, is when I got the phone call from my brother that revealed the affair to me. I remember the day like it was yesterday... What I was wearing, what my brother said on the phone, the conversations my dad and I had at dinner... Crazy.

Anyhow, tomorrow is shopping day and Jer is supposed to watch Maddy. Now that he's sick, I'm sure this is going to turn into an argument and I'm going to be super-pissed if he gives me a hard time about keeping her, because the entire time I was sick, he managed to find other things he HAD to do and left her with me by myself A lOT, despite the fact that I was ten times sicker than he is right now... Ugh.

Have a good weekend, I'm sure I am in for a pleasant one...