Rain and Rain and Rain

It's pouring rain.

It's pouring rain and I cannot, for the life of me find one stinkin' umbrella.

NOT A ONE.

Oh, we own a bazillion of them and if someone, anyone, can tell me where they are, I'd really appreciate it...because the whole idea of spending money on new ones is almost doing me in.

They used to be kept in the hall closet, but we no longer have a hall closet...so where did all the stuff go that used to be kept in there?

SIGH.

In the meantime, we are getting wet...though I did tell my boys that everytime they feel rain on them they should think of their baptisms and what it means. Alex was so bold as to tell me that he'd love to think of his baptism with an umbrella over his head...but no dice. I'm not buying new ones unless they are going to be wrapped and put under the tree.

Ho Ho Ho.

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In 27 hours, my little 1200 sq ft house will be filled to the gills with approximately 50+ people. But first I have a concert to attend this evening, followed by a cocktail party here. At some point I need to start cooking...yes, I cook the whole meal (and find it enjoyable) and fix our outdoor heater (I hope!) and email neighbors to borrow chairs (in exchange for food) and sweep the floor...because there is no point at all in cleaning the house before college students come over. I love that. Oh, and we still have no Christmas tree and I am pretty sure we won't have one in time for tomorrow's party.

It's just too wet outside.

Wet and blustery. I love blustery, especially when I am inside. I love it even more when I am inside, yet know that I have an umbrella ready to be used need I go out.

Ah well.

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Because I was asked...

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate?

I'd choose hot chocolate over eggnog, but my first choice would be hot tea.

2. Colored lights on the tree/house or white?

I like white lights on my tree and house, but I love colored lights on other people's houses/trees. Basically, I like lights.

3. Do you hang mistletoe?

No. Not needed. =0)

4. When do you put your Christmas decorations up?

The weekend following Thanksgiving because my husbands busiest season is Christmas and if we don't do it early, it becomes a chore to find time.

5. Favorite holiday dish?

Ridiculously priced champagne/prosecco/cava/sparking wine. (Is that a dish?) I also love prime rib. Love. With horseradish. Oh, and these cookies my mother in law used to make, cream cheese dainties with a cherry on top.

6. Favorite holiday memory as a child?

Many. I loved Christmas when I was growing up...they were always filled with grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. One year there was a big family blow out, so we went to DisneyWorld for Christmas...I didn't know why at the time, but it sure was fun for me! I also remember my parents throwing big parties...it's where I caught the party bug!

7. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

Yes. We all open one gift...and it's the same thing every year. Matching Christmas jammies!

8. How do you decorate a tree?

I have a husband who always does the lights...once he's done, it's up to the boys. I make hot chocolate and take lots of pictures.

9. Snow! Love it or dread it?

Love it, but then again I haven't shoveled it for 14 years.

10. Can you ice skate?

Yes. Grew up skating on frozen homemade ice rinks and in Boulder I took lessons with my friend Tammy. We had to join the American Figure Skating Association...I was primed and ready for the Olympics. Or so I liked to believe.

11. Do you remember your favorite gift?

Childhood? A princess phone. Adult? Finding out I was going to have a baby and a vision I had about him...that's a whole story in itself. =0)

12. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you?

My family, all together...and now, all together in the same pew. After decades of worshipping with kids while my husband served, I truly appreciate him sitting next to me. Sounds selfish, I know...and I never, ever complained about it, but I just love having all of us together.

13. What is your favorite holiday dessert?

Christmas cookies. Any. All. Many. Please.

14. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Christmas Eve church, followed by dinner out at Maggiano's. A million dollar splurge for us, but very, very fun. We also keep out house and tree lit until Epiphany.

15. What tops your tree?

An angel.

16. Which do you prefer-Giving or Receiving?

Both. I really love picking the perfect gifts for everyone, but who doesn't like to open a present or two?

17. Favorite Christmas song?

Not known by many...Jesu, Son Most Sweet and Dear. More common...What Child is This?

18. Candy Canes-Yuck or Yum?

YUM.

19. Favorite Christmas show?

While You Were Sleeping. Shocker. I love that everyone who knows me well recites parts of it to me.

20. Saddest Christmas song?

Any that is played before Thanksgiving or after Epiphany.

Getting Lots Done

Yesterday was yet another quiet and calm day where I accomplished lots around my little house on my little street...everything from coffee (and a wonderful pumkin/banana/walnut/chocolate crepe that she brought over...oh my!!) with a friend to cleaning out under my bathroom sink.

Alex had an away game, so off we went at 5:30pm to watch him play. On the way home, we picked up Taco Tuesday for the boys (12 tacos for $4...gotta love DelTaco on a Tuesday) and once home, I threw together this for M and I:

Butternut squash ravioli with browned butter, sage, pine nuts, parmesan and a sprinkling of ameretti cookies on top.

Let's just say that life. is. now. complete.

Oh my. Oh my. Oh my.

I could live on that forever, but I am pretty sure there will be weeping if some sort of meat does not find it's way onto the table soon.

However, tonight is Brian's turn and he has a basketball game at 6:30...and has to be there at 5:30pm. I do love watching my boys play, but it is really putting a damper on my dinner hour. I'm thinking a crockpot of soup for tonight...maybe tortellini/sausage/spinach or potato. Hmmm.

I worked early, early, early this morning and was out of the house by 6:45am. I went straight from there to volunteer at Brian's school and am home awaiting the arrival of cookie dough I ordered for this weekend. I have grand plans of taking everything out of my closet, weeding through it all and putting it all back in neater and better, but as of now it is still just that. A grand plan. I also have to get Brian some new basketball shoes (thank you, Payless) and figure out an appetizer to bring to a holiday luncheon tomorrow.

Or maybe I should sit on my couch and watch a movie while I close my eyes for just a few minutes.

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Rain Day

It was one of those rainy, cold, blustery days that made me so glad I had no reason to leave my house...so I didn't and now the laundry is under control and Brian's closet is clean. Again.

Oh, and I flipped thru the pages of this book. Is it 2010 yet?

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It's Christmastime...which means panettone, probably one of my favorite things ever. I say that about a lot of things, but this time I mean it.

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In the midst of a downpour, my phone rang and my next door neighbor invited me out for tea. So off we went for an hour at Panera, chosen because they serve their tea in big mugs...and today was a big mug sort of day.

The girls were sad all day and kept looking longingly out the window. Every now and then I'd open the door and give them a chance to go out, but there was no way they were getting their sweet little paws wet.

Aside from all that, I made the mother of all pot roasts (with mashed potatoes) for supper...the perfect winter meal. We (as in the parental unit) caught up on Glee....which is a show that constantly makes me burst out laughing in an 'oh my' sort of way. Love it.

Tomorrow the craziness will creep back in, but today was just what the DR ordered.

I feel rested. And when the momma is rested...well, let's just say that everyone is rested.

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My Boys

It's been a week of seeing my boys growing up, each in their own element.

I like that.

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Brian had his first basketball game and scored basket after basket for his team...a total of half the points on the scoreboard for his team were his.

Which, and someday he will read this, just makes me smile. The first year he played basketball he begged, wanting to be just like his older brother...who, by the way, started out as a scrawny little pip squeak on the court himself. Brian was the one who would stop the ball while it was in play, turn to the coach and want to have a discussion about how the game was going and perhaps, how it could be done a little bit better. The fact that his coach was the former university basketball coach made it even more hilarious.

But Brian has more perseverance than anyone I have ever met...and he has been practicing and practicing. And this week, it paid off.

Then I listened to Matthew perform earlier this week and again last night. Wow. He sings. He plays trumpet. And lo and behold, the kid plays piano like nobody's business.

His talent comes from me.

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And finally, Alex had a game on Friday night against a private high school that has more kids move on to the NBA and NFL than any other high school in our whole hot diggety long state. They recruit kids from everywhere and are known for their amazing sports teams.

And our local, neighborhood high school played them in a tournament. We beat them last year, so they came armed with their varsity players (we came armed with our JV players) and in the end, we lost by 3.

Oh...and Darryl Strawberry? Number 35 is MY son. Yep. So yell away. I heard ya. We all heard ya. While you kept screaming, 'Who had #35?' I proudly thought, 'me.' I had him (in 52 minutes, thankyouverymuch) and he's MY son.

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The crowning moment of this weekend was at today's concert. I was sitting by some people who asked if I knew anyone in the concert and I said yes...that I was here because my son not only sings, but plays in the orchestra, too.

No mention of that guy that I like so much, who does have a small part in the 5 concerts they put on.

At some point, someone came along and said hello and introduced me as Dr Busch's wife. The people I was sitting near asked me about it and I kind of did and 'oh yeah, I'm married to the director' kind of thing.

The woman next to me looked at me and said, 'Oh. He looks so much younger.'

The way I heard that is 'oh. he looks young and you do not. you look old and frumpy and he looks fabulous and great. so there'.

Gotta love how a woman's mind works.

I came home and called everyone I know and they all had the same kind of guffaw when I told them the story.

Gotta love how a woman's girlfriends work.

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Slowing Down

Today I didn't even get dressed until noon and have yet to even shower...I figure no one will notice while I am at Alex's game tonight.

Or so I hope.

Oh...and something to ponder. If his team wins tonight, then they play tomorrow night for the championship at 7:30pm, which is the exact same time as his older brother's (ok....and his dad's) opening Christmas concert, which I have never missed.

And there is no way I can miss a championship game, either.

BUT (and this is a big BUT) if they lose tonight (and keep in mind his team is like 48 - 3, but they are playing in a tough conference) then they play tomorrow night at 6:00pm.

So, I am just going to calmly wait it out tonight (as calm as I can be while watching Alex play) and figure God is going to let this all play out the way it is supposed to.

OK?

Alex's birthday, sandwiched between basketball games. His big gift? A punching bag. Just what I need in my little house...more testosterone producing products.

A few new designs, including this one...which I love, love, love. This one was from a guy for his girlfriend, which I thought was really sweet.

The cats, doing what they do best.

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Ugh.

My hallway...AKA the garage, laundry room and basement all rolled into one handy, dandy 4 ft square space.

Ugh again.

Have I mentioned my dislike for clutter and piles?

(oh...and this is clean now. whew.)

The view from my parking spot at the college yesterday. Beautiful.

This week has been really, really hard...my new 'paying' job, which really is a dream job (I literally get paid to carry my telephone...most of the time, that is!) kept me in my car a ton this week. When I wasn't in the car, I was doing paperwork, and when I wasn't doing paperwork, I was on the phone dealing with problems.

And then I had to fire someone and I don't likey, likey that part at all...but come on, if you don't show (3 times in 3 weeks) then you can't stay. But the worst part was when he wept. I just felt bad, but had no choice.

Ugh.

The good news is that my big evaluations are done and in the mail to my boss, so life will go back to normal again.

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So today I stayed home all day, except for a quick jaunt out to the post office and to get milk. I did the things I feel so good about doing...my kitchen sink is shiny, the boys bathroom smells fresh and clean, and the laundry is almost done.

I feel like me again, if that makes sense...not the scattered, crazy, trying to hold it all together me, but the me that feels reconnected to my home.

All is well.

That guy that I like so much has a big rehearsal tonight and two concerts this weekend, followed by three next weekend. He and Brian are eating sushi and in a bit we'll head over to Alex's game...in two cars so that M can leave if the game runs long. Brian and I will drive back to the high school in time to meet Alex's bus, run him thru the McD's drive-thru and then come home.

My little home sweet home.

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Today Instead of Lunch...

...I sat and savored this: