Isn't this the cutest bunny ever?

We had a great Christmas. Except for the shooting in the living room. Dakota shot Phoenix with a Pellet gun. So needless to say, no more pellet gun. Joshua did not come over, he had to work. Brittany got me a grundle of presents I loved. Tobi got me a new calendar and a book. Yippee, loved those too. Kale made me a Ducky necklace. I wear it a lot.
Happy New Year.
As per usual, I will NOT be celebrating new years eve outside my home.
I call it amature drunk night. The one night a year when you are guaranteed to see at least 1 drunk driver every block or so. Also guaranteed to see at least one arrest if you are out after dark. People puking on the side of the road while being arrested is not that common but in 34 years of New Years Eve driving, I've seen it a few times.
When the kids were little, we stayed in our house and had a big party.
Now a days lots of people do fireworks during the parties at midnight so there is incentive to go outdoors. However, we don't go out in my neighborhood as there are also guns going off on New Years. (Cheaper than fireworks and slightly less illegal).
But we will have a great new year... you have a great one too!

It came without packages, boxes, or bags

When all is said and done the only thing you really have are your loved ones. You can be the best at whatever interests you and
have EVERY whatever you collect. Your proficiency in what you study and/or practice will get you earthly pleasure and if
you work it right earthly treasure, but nothing else.
When I leave earth I want my Kids and Grand kids to remember me. Not my house, not how good I was at (wow I just realized I have no exceptional talents) whatever, not how much $ I had or how I spent it, just me. My character, my love of them, and
most especially my spirit since that is all I will have in the next life to be recognized by.
This Christmas we do not have much but I want to be remembered as the Grandma who made not having much enough.
Happiness is a condition you decide to have. You can't change some things, you can change how you react to them.
So sing that carol a little louder and share your spirit with every one of your loved ones.
It may be a slim Christmas, but that is enough if you want it to be.
Merry Christmas to all and kiss those Grand kids for me please.

Ho Ho Ho

Here is my last years Christmas wish list (in all fairness to my children, not made until after Christmas):
all the Harry Potter Wands
Jingle Cats CD _ got it from Tobi
Decorated Basement
Home Theatre
Go to Hawaii
Mattress for my bed - bought it with taxes
Puppy Doggies - 1 wandered in, 1 for birthday from Joshua
Computer chair
Computer speakers
Video Camera
As you can see I got 3 out of 10 by hook and crook during the year
This is my wish list for this year:
A foot massager (I have seen it at Wally World in the pharmacy check out)
A new tv (The techno-whore in the family says it must be LCD)
Shoes
Yes it is shorter and more possible this year as I know I won't get most of last years list. Notice how no where on it is a root canal or an EKG?
So far this holiday season I have paid the dentist for 2 crowns and a bridge. Now my doctor would like me to come in and have a checkup. OHHHHH Could I? And I get to pay for this? Right now during the Christmas rush?
By the time Christmas is here we might be caught up to November with the bills.
Could I please just have one more $$$ emergency??? No wait, I take that back. The weather is 40 below here. Hell has frozen over and I will no doubt wake up to a frozen vehicle or something. Actually it was negative 15 when I woke up and now it is a balmy 13 degrees here at work. You can really feel the heatwave.

An old womans perspective on sox

When the girls were all in grade school they decided that these sock rolls were the way you do cool socks. Their brother did it too. No matter how many times I rearranged their 8 little socks on 8 little ankles and told them NEVER do that again, I would pick up my darling little angels with sock rolls at the end of their school day. I was mortified that all 3 of my girls and my son would NOT follow the 80's fashion dictate and scrunch their socks like everyone Else's kids were.
At least I was embarrassed for a few days//// Then I chalked it up to another "Mothers Curse" item.
In case you do not know how this works, let me enlighten you: While your child is doing whatever they are doing which is causing you to be A: embarrassed as a mother. B: Causing everyone else including your spouse to question whether or not you should have had kids at all. and/or C: Making you wish the earth would crack open under your feet and swallow you whole. You reach deep inside yourself and grasp the last shred of hope left and say "When you grow up I hope you have some children who act EXACTLY like you are acting right now". That's it. It works.

Now you wait about 2 decades and keep doing this through the teenage years when you keep wishing you had raised poodles or pit bulls. I promise when you get the first call from one of your kids that starts with "Mom, you'll never believe what (insert child's name here) did today. Your curse will have reached fruition and you will feel a little tingle of calm come into your life which can only be caused by FINALLY seeing the child with the rolled down socks get theirs.

I chuckle and chortle and snicker with glee! Sometimes, it gets so good that as the child who tortured me is telling the story of the latest bad thing their offspring has done I get light headed with happiness. You have to understand I have waited decades for this stuff!
So, you son threw a fit in a very public venue? The girl destroyed what? No, he did not say that in public? He ran out naked? You had to go see the principal again?
Oh yes, the mothers curse works. Every one of those thousands of moments when my patience was tested to the limit and I did not kill one of them has been vindicated!
Grand kids are your reward for not ripping off all of their socks and making them wear sandals in the snow till they got over the sock rolling thing.