Merry Christmas

One more day till Christmas

There's quite the vibe of excitement going on over here!  Zach is counting down the hours until he can go to bed, because he knows the faster he gets to sleep, the faster the morning will be here.  I remember doing that!  Guess that means he will be up at the crack of dawn to open presents ... we better not stay up too late after he goes to bed.

Ken's about to come over for dinner (nothing special, just paninis), then once Z hits the hay, we will start wrapping his presents from "Santa".  He told me this morning while I was baking, "Mommy, it's a good thing Santa comes each year at Christmas, because then you and Daddy don't have to pay for all those toys!"  Hahaha, riiiiiight son.  Santa is a huge help!  ;)

Aaron had to work all day today, but thankfully he is on his way home now.  He has been gone since 9:30am this morning, and it's nearly 7:00pm now.  Retail sucks, especially around this time of year, but it pays the bills so I'll shut up.  Note to self:  go pick up a few lottery tickets this weekend.

Here are the things I'm grateful for today:

1.  The Norad Santa Tracker online.  Z's been checking it all day.

2.  Getting out of Hobby Lobby today having spent only $1.61.

     (Even Zach said, "Mommy, I don't think you've EVER done that.")

3.  Locoid Lipocream.

Happy Christmas Eve to everyone, and of course, peace & pastries to all.

Two days till Christmas

Today was awesome.  I had a non-eventful last day of work, then came home to hang with my boy.  (Aaron has to close tonight, so he left when I got home.)  We went over my parents' house, where my sister was meeting us as well, so we could surprise my Dad with his big Christmas present.  My Mom, my sister, and I pitched in and got him tickets to see Johnny Mathis in San Antonio on January 8th and he loved it!  It shocked him speechless when he first saw the tickets, but he seemed excited after it started to sink in.  See, there's something you need to understand about my Dad & Johnny Mathis ...

Johnny Mathis is my Dad's singing superhero.  Johnny was the guy he listened to while we were growing up, the guy who sang us our favorite Christmas albums every year on crackly-sounding albums, the guy who my Dad wishes he could sing like himself.  And since Mr. Mathis is at the ripe old age of 73 nowadays, he doesn't tour much.  My Dad has only seem him live one time, about 30 years ago, and he told me when I was a teenager that he wanted to see him one more time before one of them died.  Well, the planets aligned and fate smiled down on my father, because he's finally going to get his wish in less than 3 weeks.  I am so happy for him!

I know what it's like to yearn to see a specific band or artist in person.  I can completely empathize with my Dad in that respect, which is why making this happen became so fun.  The show is in San Antonio, at the lovely Majestic Theater.  I hope it's as magical for my Dad as I'm building it up to be in my mind.  I have visions of Johnny on stage, singing all the old songs that meant so much to my Dad in his formative years, sounding as good as he used to on all those old albums ... please let that be the way it turns out!

So, needless to say, I think my Dad is happy with our group gift this year, and is really looking forward to the big night.

Mr. Happy

After the big presentation, my sister went home, & my parents, Zach & I went to grab a late dinner.  It was nice to just hang out with them, catch up some, and laugh.  A lot.  We always seem to laugh a lot when we're all together.

Zach passed out on the way home, but I had to wake him since he has this new bed.  There ain't no way Mama is crawling up the ladder on that bed with him in my arms, so he had to climb up there himself.  As for me, I thought about baking a little right now, but my eyes are getting heavier by the minute.  I think I'll crawl into bed, pop in an Arrested Development DVD, and set my alarm crazy early to get up and bake.  It's nearly midnight, so I don't think I could see this recipe through, it takes a while.

Here are the things I was grateful for today:

1.  Being able to pull off this surprise for my Dad.

2.  My Mom.

3.  Bread pudding.

Until tomorrow ... 

Three days till Christmas

Today was quite the "Monday".  Started with Zach throwing up all over his bed & his pillows around 12:30am.  After the big clean-up, we were about to go to bed ourselves, and he threw up again a little after 1:00am.  He had a fever at this point as well, so I gave him some meds for the nausea, as well as the fever, and sent him back off to sleep.  He slept with Aaron in our bed & I took the sofa, since his bed was drying out from the big post-puke scrubbing.  Needless to say, it was a tiring night.  The last time I looked at the clock was 1:50am and I winced, knowing my alarm was going off in less than 4 hours.  Today actually didn't kick my ass nearly as much as I thought it would, but it's creeping up on me now.

[yawn]

I'm happy to report that Zach threw up for the last time around 5:00am, and broke his fever after he woke up.  When asked how he's feeling, he has said "blah" or "tired", so he's obviously not 100% yet, but things are looking up.  I feel bad for the kid ... he got through a terrible cold about two weeks ago, then had two good days before his ear infection popped up.  We got him through that with about six good days, now this.  We're praying he'll be well for Christmas, since we know how much he's been looking forward to it the past few weeks.  

I baked a little tonight, for a few of my neighbors.  They were vanilla cupcakes with red & green jimmies in the batter, then vanilla frosting.  It looks like mint, but it's not.

After I finished baking, Zach wanted to go look at Christmas lights again tonight, so we piled into the car for a short ride to one of them "fancy" neighborhoods.  The wealthy folks did not disappoint ...

This was a live nativity scene.  Goats and all.

He was his old self on the drive, cracking jokes and enjoying the lights everyone had up.  You could tell he was tired, but that is to be expected after a night of throwing up & choppy sleep.

So, I'm off to bed myself, and tomorrow is my last work day for the week.  (Yay!)  Put in a good word for Z tonight, if you say your prayers.  The poor kid has been battling some sort of germ for weeks now - it'd be nice if he felt genuinely good on that one day every little person waits for all year long.  Here are the things I was grateful for today:

1.  A hot shower.

2.  My warm coat.

3.  Zach feeling better so quickly after the whole ordeal began.

Peace & pastries to all.

Four days till Christmas

Holy cow, today was rough.  I totally did it to myself, so I'm not complaining, I'm just giving a little background as to why I don't have much to say today.  I spent a good part of the day sleeping, and fighting off a wicked headache.  Ken was an angel and took Zach to his house for about 2 hours so I could rest.  Whew!  Aaron and I stayed up really late last night, drinking some adult beverages and listening/talking about music.  It was divine.  I love nights like that!  But, note to self:  port is a dessert wine, that's meant to be enjoyed in small quantities.  Yikes.

I was finally able to start my day post-hangover in the middle of the afternoon.  Both the nap and hot bath I was able to take while Z was at Ken's really helped a lot.  When Z was finished over there, we went and met my sister at Lakeline Mall to shop for my mom's Christmas present.  She's apparently been drooling over a 7-quart crock pot, according to my father, so we went in on it together.  Then, we mosied around a little longer to kill some time & have dinner.  Aaron had to work today, yet again, so we planned it out to be home the same time he got home.  The poor guy has to endure crazy hours every year during the holidays, I feel for him.  Last night was a welcomed relaxation after the last couple of days he's had!

I've now got a roast going in my crock pot, so it'll be nice to have Monday's dinner practically made for me by the time I wake up tomorrow.   It's time to crawl back in bed and get ready for one of the two days I'm working this week.  Yay!  More time off!  I ♥ short weeks!

Things I was grateful for today:

1.  Ondansetron 4mg.

2.  Hot baths in silence.

3.  A nice evening with my sister.

Peace & pastries, everyone.

Five days till Christmas

Today was a nice, relaxing day.  We spent some quality time with one of my best friend's Amy & her family, and did a gift exchange.  Aaron had to work from noon till 8pm, so we spent the entire afternoon over there, and left shortly before dinner time.  It was great, because we haven't seen them in over a month!

Z and Preston - yes, Preston actually grew MORE.

He's over a year younger than Zach!  Holy smokes!

Very excited to see each other, after such a long time apart.

Playing together with the new Play-Doh we gave the Clark boys.

Amy's youngest.

The "tortilla" Zach made with his white Play-Doh.

Enjoying a lunch of mac-n-cheese.

After hanging out inside, the boys went out to play in the cul-de-sac with Amy's husband & some other neighborhood kids.  They had a blast, although it was quite warm today, and eventually the heat got to them.  

You know it's not right to have weather that's almost 80 degrees in December when even the kids say they want to go inside because it's too hot.

A funny thing about today was bumping into my parents on Mopac on the way to Amy's!  What are the odds of that?  I just happened to be cruising down south since Amy lives on that side of town, and who do I see in front of me?  My parents!  We zoomed up next to them and honked and they looked shocked.  We laughed & waved at each other for a while & everyone got a big kick out of it.  Aaron should be home from work shortly, so we plan on just hanging out around here after the kidlet is in bed.  Days like today are what the holidays are all about ... spending time with people you love and just enjoying each other's company.  

Things I was grateful for today:

1.  Continued lower gas prices.

2.  Being able to watch Z have so much fun today.

3.  Nights at home.

Until next time ... peace & pastries to all.

Six more days till Christmas

I was able to take off work today and be a part of Z's field trip to the bowling alley.  Ok, it's not really a "field trip" in the true sense of the phrase, but it was their last day of school before Christmas vacation, and the teachers wanted them to do something more fun than a party in the classroom.  For five bucks, it was the best deal around.  The kids had a blast!

The day started out with Mass first, where Zach had a speaking part for the first time.  He was picked to do one of four petitions, where prayers are asked for specific people or circumstances.  His was to pray for the sick, especially one of the fellow students from St. Louis who is recovering from heart surgery (poor girl!), that they get the help that they need.  He did a great job!  Had it memorized, never stammered, and looked as comfortable as could be up in front of hundreds of people.  I asked him later if he was ever nervous, and he gave it some thought, then said, "no" as he shrugged his shoulders.  We've always known we had an attention-lover on our hands.

Saying his petition.

"Let us pray to the Lord."

They made them sing two songs during Mass as well.

I don't understand why they make them wear dumb hats like that.

Another Mom told me she wouldn't have bothered to get up 

at 6:00am and roll her daughter's hair if she had known they'd be putting these hats on.

He was feeling good and ready to bowl after Mass was over, so he & Jacob, one of his good friends & also the principal's kid, rode with me in my car.  Jacob is hysterical, so listening to them in the backseat was a hoot.  

Once we got to the bowling alley, we were lucky to have an end lane, AND have only three kids bowling.  (Some of the other lanes had up to six kids on them.)  I'm not sure how we lucked out, but they were able to squeeze in an extra game because they could go so quickly, and they loved that.  The kindergartner's are assigned an 8th grade buddy at the beginning of the year, and the 8th graders got to escort us on the field trip.  The teachers said that the 8th graders were in charge of everything for the kindergartners, from getting their bowling shoes, to supplying snacks when they got hungry.  The Moms & Dads who came along were "off duty".  Hooray!  It's safe to say, ALL the parents loved that!

Zach listening intently to his 8th grade buddy.

Zach & his BFF, Khoa.

(Khoa was on the adjoining lane, which thrilled them both to death.)

Zach, in action.

It was a really good day for everyone there.  The parents got to lounge around & visit, the kids got to run around & not be in class - a win win situation for sure.  The only ones who seemingly got screwed were the 8th grade buddies.  Having to spend their last day before Christmas break tending to a bunch of needy, hyper 6-year olds ... yikes.  After the bowling trip was through, Zach had early release & we headed home to have lunch with Dad.

After lunch & after Aaron headed off to work, Zach watched a Speed Racer cartoon marathon for two hours, then we headed out to brave the Christmas crowds & shop a little.  Luckily, it wasn't nearly as bad as we assumed it would be, and we had a lot of fun looking for gifts.  We only had a few left to get, so there was no real pressure, and that was nice.  We bounced between Target, Crate & Barrel, the outlet mall, and Half Price Books, which wiped us both out by the time we were done.  We finally arrived back home at 9:00pm and realized how tired we actually were.  We played about 30 minutes of "scientists" (a game we made up), then I read him a book, and he passed out.  I'm not far off from passing out myself.

I have to note though, before I go, how awful I ate today.  This will be almost like a confession, a cleansing of the soul, so bear with me.  We had lunch at McDonald's, and dinner at Jack In The Box.  ARGH!  I don't eat fast food very often, let alone twice in one day.  I can almost feel my arteries struggling to function normally.  And the worst part of it all was I ordered the absolute worst f***ing things I could get my hands on.  I could've easily ordered a salad at McD's, but no, I went for the BIG MAC.  Wha ... ?  Then at Jack In The Box, I got the Jumbo Jack with cheese, and Bacon Potato Cheddar Wedges on the side.  Seriously?  It's like I had a death wish.  This is some stock footage of what my dinner looked like tonight:

Only the hot mess on the bottom.

I avoided the protein packed chicken on top.  Of course.

Feeling ill yet?  I am.  Sheesh.  I don't know what came over me today, but apparently I was rebelling subconsciously against something bigger than me.  My stomach is just churning right now, and I know I'll be paying for this gluttonous day in a matter of hours.  I feel dirty, like I took part in some foul, shameful deed.  I deserve all the stomach issues & acid reflux that's coming my way.  I vow, here & now, to never eat this way again.  At least in one 24-hour period.

[burp]

So, I will close for now & list the things I was grateful for today:

1.  My son's sense of humor.

2.  Pepto-Bismol, in pill form.

3.  My bed, albeit old and in desperate need of a new mattress.  

     It still feels pretty darn good on nights when I'm this pooped.

Until next time ... 

[yawn]

Just going to put the list of things I'm grateful for tonight:

1.  Rechargeable batteries.

2.  Days off.

3.  Birth control.

I'm tired.  

[yawn]

More tomorrow, hopefully.  

[yawn]

Acid reflux sucks

Hello everyone!  I didn't post yesterday, because there really wasn't much to post about.  It was a gray, cold, somewhat drizzly day with nothing huge to speak of.  

Downtown yesterday, on my way to go pick up Z from school.

On Mopac.  It was gray everywhere.

Last night we made our annual trip to The Christmas Store on I-35, and we felt bad because we usually do it much earlier in the season.  Well, going "late" worked in our favor, because everything in the store was 50% off - yay for sales!  We all usually pick out one ornament, because they're rather pricey, but this year we all picked out two.  Maybe we'll wait again next year?

Today was a repeat of yesterday, minus the trip to get ornaments, and plus a horrid case of acid reflux.  Aaron had a really busy, draining day at work, I had a draining day once I got home.  We came home and my old-man dog had left a gift for me, and by gift I mean a horse pile of mud-like poo.  He's usually very good about being home alone, especially for his age, but I guess today he just couldn't hold it until we got home.  [sigh]  So, after I picked up crap & scrubbed the carpet, I made him go outside to go potty because Z and I had to make a run to Hobby Lobby.  Once I was in the backyard, I came upon an empty, crinkled beer can from my redneck, coon-ass, Aggie neighbors behind me.  These jerks are famous in the summers for having get-togethers almost every Saturday night (guess that's Nascar season) and they throw beer caps or cans over the fence.  Lovely, isn't it?  We always throw them back over, but they're too drunk to notice.  After finding the beer can and getting frustrated, I stepped in poo on my way back to the house.  Gah!  We came inside, I got new shoes, then gathered our things to leave for Hobby Lobby.  I stopped at the front door to change the countdown we have hanging of days until Christmas 

(here's a photo for reference:) 

and the strap unraveled on my camera, causing my new baby to go crashing to the ground.  I watched it bounce on the porch, because the front door was already open.  I literally almost burst into tears.  GAH!  It sucked the oxygen right out of my body, and I just stood there staring at it for a good 30 seconds before reaching down to survey the damage.  Even Zach stood there, mouth agape, wondering if he was about to see his Mom lose her mind.  Luckily, my camera is fine and is still working properly.  Guess I need to figure out my strap better?!!

Now, Z's in bed and Mommy & Daddy are winding down from the stress of the day.  It's about Top Chef time, so I will wrap this up.  Here are two random photos from today:

Z thought it was so cool that this bird was sitting so high up on this tree.

Z and his class' stuffed animal, Scoops.

Today, I'm grateful for:

1.  Broccoli cheese soup.

2.  Well-built cameras.  (eek!)

3.  Fried potatoes.

More tomorrow.  Peace & pastries everyone.

BRRRRR!

Today is freaking COLD!  And don't misunderstand ... I am definitely NOT complaining.   I like Texas-cold, not Canada-cold, so this is right up my alley.  Amazing how it can be 80 degrees yesterday, but 47 degrees today.  It's gray & cloudy, and they say the wind makes it feel more like 22 degrees.  

It just looks cold, doesn't it?  I love it.  It's glorious.  This weather resembles the kind of days we spent in Rome on our honeymoon.  Add a little rain, and it'd be right-on.  Fantastic!

In addition to the wonderful weather, I found gas for $1.49/gallon today, and filled up for a mere $16.85.  I have a 12-gallon tank, so as you will see, I was almost bone-dry.  Hooray for fuel-efficient tater-tot cars.

Although it's a Monday, it's going pretty darn good, if you ask me.  We're about to go buy some gifts for Zach's teachers for Christmas, then coming straight back home to build a fire.  We love fires around here.

The things I'm grateful for today:

1.  COLD WEATHER!

2.  Heaters.  (Hey, I may love cold weather, but I'm not dumb.)

3.  Teeny tiny electric bills during this time of year.

Peace & pastries to all.

Winding down

Today is coming to a close, and I just wanted to jump on while Z is in the tub, and Aaron's reading, and I still have one hour before our Sunday night show starts (Dexter).  It was freaking HOT today (nearly 80 degrees), but still a great day!

We started out slow, just playing and hanging out.  Then, around 2:30pm, Becca's Dad popped over dressed as Santa to drop off a note for Zach.  You see, he was actually making the rounds with a bunch of other people's kids too, and bringing gifts, but we know Zach and it's better if he just sees Santa from afar.  Santa is like a rock star to him - he would clam up and just stare, open  mouthed.  So, I devised a plan where Zach, me, Aaron, & Elijah would be in the backyard, and Santa would come into our house unannounced.  I would notice him walking around, tell Zach to run over and look through the windows, and then Santa would walk out when he was done.  

It worked like a DREAM!  

I told Zach I saw the door open & asked him if he could tell who came in?  Was it Ken?  His eyes got big and he just looked at me in utter shock.  I was like, "Oh my God Zach, that's SANTA!  IN OUR HOUSE!"  He got shy & awestruck, even through the windows, but I got him to keep watching.  "Santa" meandered into the kitchen, then back to the bedrooms, then went to the front door to leave.  Right before he left, he stopped, turned around & leaned past our enormous Christmas tree, and waved right at Zach.  It was precious.  Then he turned and left out the front door, leaving Zach completely stunned and speechless.  Awesome!  We then ran into the house, retracing Santa's steps to see what he left behind, and found a note up on his bed.  Zach was bouncing off the walls after all this went down, and has been carrying his note around with him all afternoon & evening.  This worked out so well!  He even wrote Santa a letter back, and asked me to keep it safe until we put cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve.  It said "Dear Santa, Thank you for your note.  Love you, Zach."  Awwwww.  I'm so glad Becca has this wonderful idea, so glad her Dad dressed up in a full Santa suit on an 80 degree day, and so glad Zach believed.  This may be the last year he believes, so I'm glad it was magical for him.  Becca, you & your Dad ROCK!!

Guess I will go for now, and get Zach's bedtime routine going.  Here are the things I was thankful for today:

1.  Becca's Dad.

2.  Air conditioning.

3.  Christmas!

Peace & pastries to all.

Spoke too soon

So, Friday night turned pretty bad around 2:00am.  Our nights of blissful slumber were interrupted when Z woke up with ear pain, and came in to wake me up while holding his ear and fighting back big crocodile tears.  (At least he wasn't coughing too, right?)  I got up with him, gave him some Tylenol, and he fell asleep on the couch around 2:20am.  I fell asleep shortly after on the other couch, then he woke me up again around 4:00am to tell me it was hurting him still, almost worse than earlier.  I called the after-hours care line and they said they would have the nurse on-call return my call ASAP.  A very nice, but tired sounding lady called me back at 4:37am, and gave me instructions on what to do until the morning, when we could finally go see someone.  I gave him Motrin, like she said, and wrapped up a bag of frozen organic blueberries in a towel for him to put on his ear (I like bags of frozen veggies/fruit better than bags of super lumpy ice), and he fell back asleep around 5:00am.  The whole time we were waiting for the nurse to call me back, he laid on the couch and just quietly cried while he held his ear.  I hate the feeling of knowing your kid is in pain but you can't make it disappear!  It broke my heart.  But, thankfully he fell back asleep and I was able to konk out on the other couch around 5:15am.  I set my phone alarm for 7:30am so I could be sure to get an early appointment, so I was up again not long after falling asleep.  It worked though, because they only had three appointments left for the day, and we got one at 9:00am.

What I saw on the other sofa when I got up.

Our cat is indifferent to his suffering.  

He insists on cuddling anyway.

Seeing our cat laying on him made me think of this funny thing I saw a few months ago on the internet:

Hahahaha.  Totally something our cat would do.

This would all suck on a normal night, but I happened to go to sleep Friday night at 1:30am, which made this suck way worse.  His ear started bothering him literally 30 minutes after I shut my eyes.  I was absolutely fried yesterday by mid-afternoon, since I slept for about a total of maybe 3 hours or so the whole night.  Zach usually sleeps about 10 hours or more each night, and he only got about 8 hours, so I knew he'd be exhausted as well.  I was right - after we went to the doctor's appointment, Walgreen's, and HEB, this is what I saw in my bed when I went to check on him after having put all the groceries away:

He was OUT.  Since I was just as tired, I literally dropped everything and jumped in bed with him.  I slept for about 90 minutes, and it felt wonderful.  I was really glad Zach gave in and took a nap though, because he usually resists any type of rest time.  He ended up sleeping for THREE HOURS, until Aaron woke him up for dinner!  Poor kid!  Thank goodness for amoxicillin.

Though he was pretty tired all day, he was in really good spirits, and we had a great day together while Aaron was at work.  Once Aaron came home, we went to go eat, then took another drive around a different neighborhood to look at Christmas lights.  

We always have a good time doing this, and this time was no different.  We heard a commercial on the radio where someone said the word "schnitzel", and Z thought this word was hilarious.  He attempted to repeat it several times, but kept missing and saying "shitnel", which was hilarious for me & Aaron.  It's the little memories like this that I will treasure forever.

All in all, everyone got a good, solid night's rest last night and it was much needed.  Hopefully, we are at the tail-end of illnesses to strike Zach, and he'll be healthy for Christmas.  Here are things I was thankful for yesterday:

1.  Co-pays/health insurance.

2.  Christmas lights.

3.  Naps.

I'm off now to start the day with my boys, which will include a breakfast of some sort, then Christmas shopping for me & Aaron while Zach goes to Ken's to play Wii.  We're also supposed to do a Santa sighting with Becca's Dad later today, but not sure if it's going to happen at this point.  (Her son woke up with croup in the middle of the night last night, so ... )  I'll explain more later, if it ends up happening.  Until later ...

Long time, no see

How neglectful I have been!  It's been one week exactly since I posted last, and what a delightful week it has been.  My new camera has been keeping me busy, for sure, but I wasn't in a huge rush to get back to blogging because I'm not even sure if anyone reads this these days (besides Mary & Becca) because so few people leave comments.  *ahem*  I know my own Mom thought it was too much of a hassle to have to sign-up to read it, and I've had a few friends say the same, so for those of you who toughed it through the three seconds it takes to log in, thank you!  

"Bitter, party of one ... bitter, party of one ..."

On to the good stuff ... [sigh] ... could a woman BE happier with a camera than I am with mine?  Gosh golly, I almost don't know where to start.  I guess I should post some pics from my first time out with it last Saturday, eh?  Aaron indulged me and took me to two of my favorite photography locations -- a cemetery and Zilker Gardens.  Here are some shots I got from the first stop:

They just don't make 'em like this anymore.

If Aaron wasn't being cremated, this is what he would do.

A tree I liked.

A nice contrast, to see so much life amongst the dead.

So true.

Someone misses her dearly.

I took about 50 more, but I won't bore you with scenery and other people's grave stones.  On to Zilker Gardens:

I want this guy's job.  

He waters the roses every day.

See the bees?

Again, I must have taken about 50 more, but I will refrain from posting every single one.

Other than those specific camera-related outings, I got some good random shots around the house and out in the yard:

Our male cat is such a baby.

Frost on my car the morning of my birthday.

I liked the bright colors in this one.

Me, newly 34.

Tub time pictures are always a Mom favorite.

Zach put all his Webkinz dogs out to pee in the front yard.

We took a drive around to look at other people's Christmas lights.

The flowers Amy surprised me with on my birthday.

Our tree is on the enormous side this year.

Looks lovely though.

One of Zach's favorite ornaments.

(Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory.)

One of Aaron's favorites.  

(Sentimental value.)

One of my favorites.

(It was one of the first ones I ever bought after we got married.)

A cold front moving in.

An incredibly windy day.

The top floor of an apartment complex near our neighborhood

caught fire the night we decorated our tree.

Thankfully, the complex is about 90% empty because it's brand new.

Our fur children lay on our couches more than we do.

As you can see, I've been a busy girl with my camera.  We're still in the getting-to-know you phase, so you may see a lot of pictures like this.  It's been absolute bliss.

My birthday was fabulous, my camera is fabulous, we've had cold weather lately, so that too has been fabulous.  In addition, we have actually found a medicine that will quiet Zach's hellish cough (yes, he has another cold/snot/mucus thing going on).  We are on night two of him getting restful, healing, uninterrupted sleep, which is amazing, and fabulous.  Guess you could say things are simply fabulous.  And I'm a happy lady!

Here are the things I'm grateful for today:

1.  Children's Nyquil.

2.  My camera.  Duh.

3.  Ryan Farish.

I know I didn't post for seven days, therefore I owe the universe a list of twenty-one things I'm grateful for, but I promise I took a moment to reflect each day.  It still happened, even though it wasn't posted up for all the world to see.  Therefore, I won't bore everyone that list of twenty-one things, just know I still honored them, albeit in my mind.

I will close for now, and hope this blog finds everyone healthy & happy.  I will get back on track with the blogging, if my camera doesn't continue to hog my every free moment.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I'll be back on here as soon as I can ... that's more realistic.

Until then, peace & pastries to all.  And to all, a good night.