I can't believe its going to be 2005! It seems like just yesterday it was going to be 2000, and instead its been 5 long years.

Whether your staying in or going out..... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Horror

I went over to Jen's house last night to hang out. Just for shits and giggles I stepped on her scale to at least face the truth of my weight gain.

It wasn't pretty.

Forget the 5-6 pounds I thought I might have gained. It showed a 10 pound gain! Of course, I'm trying to rationalize it. It was the end of the day, and I know I'm carrying around at least 3-4 pounds of water weight. Anyway, I gotta just move on. After tomorrow night I'm again back on the bandwagon with WW, and hopefully when I go in for weigh-in next Saturday I'll be close to what I had been the last time I stepped on their scale.

And since everyone was so forthcoming about their plans for New Years' ;) I'll tell ya mine. We couldn't get a sitter so we'll be going to my brothers house for dinner along with cards and drinking. Shouldn't be too bad, plus gets me out of the house. The last thing I wanted to do was stay home myself with the kids and wait for Chris to get home at 9:30. And since its my last food splurge, I'm making pepperoni and cheese bread and getting some seafood to fry up. I figure I might as well enjoy fried stuff while I can, even though its gets my tummy all funky.

I'm off to vacuum up the pine needles accumulating under my tree. Hope everyone has a great day!

Thank you

All said in humorous sarcasm.....

Thank you, my future brother-in-law Roman, for making tons of fudge and white russian brownies that incidentally have alcohol in them. And thanks for leaving the majority at my house on Christmas Day. My favorite is the toffee fudge that just happens to have little crunchy bits of toffee on top that melt in my mouth. My kids thank you because their Mommy has been taking care of them with a little buzz because of those yummy alcohol-laden brownies. Of course, that could be the sugar.

My hips also thank you. Because without all these delicious treats I wouldn't have gained just that little extra to make my holiday oh-so worth it.

And while I'm at it....thank you, my wonderful husband Chris for NOT taking all these sweet treats to work with you, like you did with all the leftover cookies. I keep telling you to, but you haven't yet. It must be a sign.

I apparently have absolutely NO willpower.

All is calm

Such relaxation is going on around here. The kids have been blissfully playing with their toys, with no fighting most of the time. I've been staying up till all hours of the night just because I can. I'm getting back into the groove of making meals and doing the laundry that I had neglected all week long. The house is in disarray because of the countless toys and activity kits around the tree and in bedrooms, and thats okay. Saturday the tree will come down and order will once again, at least a little, come back.

I'm "getting rid of a kid" tonight, too! Emilie is sleeping over at her aunt and uncle's house. Thats a big deal around here....3 kids are so much easier than 4!

Since Christmas was on a Saturday this year, per our agreement, the B.A. got the kids on Sunday instead. He had called me up earlier in the week to find out if I had gotten the gameboy SP's for the kids because he was going to get them himself. I told him I hadn't and he said it would be their Santa gift. When Ryan and Emilie came home Sunday afternoon I asked them what they got and they told me that Ron had gotten them the SP. But, get this : He claimed it himself. Most parents will know what I'm talking about. I mean, its great that he got it for them, but it was the only thing he had gotten them. And in our household, and I assume most households, most presents under the tree are from Santa. Us parents don't get the credit for them. The big fat guy in the red suit does. But its not that big of a deal to me, because this is how the B.A. is. He doesn't know how to be a parent. Thats been his choice. This is probably only the 3rd Christmas he's ever gotten them gifts. And when he has gotten them gifts in the past, he stands there with this huge-ass grin on his face, so proud that he actually got them something! Anyway, it was just something that irked me. Otherwise, he had gotten them a stocking with their name on it that they brought home. I questioned them why they brought it home instead of leaving it there for next year and they said that the B.A. won't be there next year because he's moving by the end of the summer! And because I won't let them see him (I'm the bad guy of course) in North Carolina he won't be seeing them for Christmas next year.
Him moving is something I'll definitely be looking forward to, but won't actually believe until it happens, since the jerk won't have anyone to support him down south.

Anyway....enough wasting my time on that subject! On the WW front, I've been doing bad,bad,bad. Too many cookies, too many treats. I've given myself a break, and think since I'm taking a break from WW I can eat anything I want. Which gives me a license to literally eat anything I want! I'm taking this opportunity to even eat regular snacks I wouldn't normally eat. My favorite has been the melted cheddar on triscuits...yummy! IF I were counting points that would be huge. Haven't been working out, haven't been drinking my water. I'm actually scared to step on a scale! After the New Year, its back on track for me. Hopefully I won't be up more than 5-6 pounds though.

So thats all for now. It snowed Sunday night so I suppose I'll probably find all the winter gear and kick the kids outside for awhile. It was really windy yesterday and they were busy playing with new things that I just let them be. No plans for New Years' yet, although I'm going to try to get a sitter and maybe get out of the house with Chris for awhile. What are your plans for New Years' Eve this year?

Crazy Week

Its been a crazy, from hell week. But a good kinda "crazy-hell-of-a-week-but-it-wouldn't-feel-like-Christmas-if-all-was-calm" kinda week. Its all part of it, ya know? The hustle, the bustle, fighting the crowds,etc.

I've been baking all week long. Truffles, fudge, several kinds of cookies, and then making more batches of all the same. I was up till 3 am on Wednesday night, and Thursday night went out on the town with the intentions of finishing my shopping. I met my sister at the mall for a quick bite that turned into a shared dinner and flirting ;) with a few guys at the bar. Jen and I parted and headed in different directions to finish shopping. I had a game plan. Mall closed at 11pm. Stayed there till 10:30. Toys R Us closed at 12midnight, stayed till midnight. Drove over to the open-24-hrs Wallyworld and stayed there till 2am. Drove myself crazy looking for tins for my Christmas goodies. Came home and decided I was WIDE AWAKE and made some cookies and washed some dishes. Crawled into bed at 4 am!

I had finished shopping for the kids, but still needed to finish up a few adults, so Friday morning headed out with the little ones in tow to battle the crowds. And as much as its a pain to find a parking spot and squeeze through isles packed with people, its so much fun! The Christmas music, the excitement in the air, the rushing to get it all done, it just wouldn't be Christmas without it.

Came home, finished last minute cookie wrapping, and went to our Christmas Eve celebration at my family's house. A fun time was had by all, although the mood was a bit somber because of my Aunt's death earlier in the week. We have a traditional toast that was started 35 years ago. Its always at the end of the evening, and we all have our own glasses, and for the family members that are no longer with us, their glasses stand filled on the mantle to remember them. Its a time to remember our lost loved ones, to make any announcements, and just share anything of importance. It was sad to have to add in our remembrance of Aunt Maddie, but it all meant alot.

We came home around 11 last night and put the kids to bed while I cleaned up, and Chris and I actually only had to stay up till 2:30 wrapping...not bad for us! lol

Oh yeah, and when we came home last night there was a bag of gifts on our back porch! All from Santa! We still don't know for sure who left them, but we figure it was Jen and Roman. It was so nice, and such a surprise! All marked "from Santa" and several things for all of us. The kids got clothes and a toy and Chris and I even got a few things. Can I tell you how hard it was to not peek? I was excited for opening presents this morning, because I was dying to know what "Santa" brought me! Christmas morning in our household is always a blast. 4 very anxious children waiting so patiently for their turn opening a gift. But everyone was pretty happy with what they got!

We went to visit with my Dad, and came back home to have a "family" Christmas with my Mom, and all my siblings with their significant others and kids. It was nuts! My livingroom was packed with people and presents, but it was such a blast! The funny thing is..... I made so many treats and alot was brought over, but everyone was so stuffed from dinner, the desserts were barely touched! Jen got me a 1 month tanning certificate for a gift, of course to be used right before she gets married. lol One less expense for me!

And last but not least.... my brother Bob proposed to his long-time girlfriend Mercy!! And she said Yes! I'm so excited for them, even though Mercy isn't my favorite person (its taken me awhile to get used to her) He's the last one, and my youngest brother to take the plunge.

I hope everyone has had a Very Merry Christmas!

Sadness

As my cousin Steph wrote about the other day, our Aunt Maddie was in the hospital after battling cancer for the last 2 years. Sadly I share that she passed away Monday afternoon. Maddie was an awesome woman with a heart of gold.

Tonight I joined family and friends to say goodbye to her. There was no service, nor will there be a buriel, but instead everyone in the room tonight talked about what a wonderful person she was. There were pictures everywhere......from when she was small up until a few months ago. We laughed, we cried. The room was full of people who's life she impacted.

My Uncle Hank is doing okay. As "okay" as he possibly could be after taking care of her for 2 years, and losing the love of his life. He told me he's going minute to minute. Which is totally understandable. He told me that the family support he's getting is helping him tremendously.

Aunt Maddie is now pain-free and can now be at peace. She's our angel looking down on us. She will be missed! Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers.

I really picked a winner....

...but apparently I was young and stupid. I can't come up with any other excuse. The B.A. gets paid on Thursdays, and the state has yet to automatically withdraw the child support from his check, even though its been almost 3 months. So, like I was saying, he gets paid on Thursdays, as in LAST Thursday, and the state hasn't gotten the $$ yet. Which means one thing...

It means I pissed the B.A. off two weeks ago at court and this is his "payback". He knew I needed this last check for Christmas, and so he thinks he's hurting me, when in all reality, he's hurting the kids!

I will DEFINITELY be telling the judge about this stunt when we go back to court in February.

Snow Day!

We're home from school today! Which works perfectly because Monday's are horrible, and now I'll be home to get lots of baking done! Of course, I still need to go to the store to get the ingredients, so it won't be much fun to take the kids with me...lol Its way too cold to let the kids go outside too. We're getting wind gusts up to 40 mph, and its just better off they stay inside. Too bad we're supposed to get rain on Thursday, or we might have ended up with a white christmas!

Got some Christmas shopping done yesterday... not as much as I was hoping, but I'm a little closer to finishing. Chris will be off on Wednesday, so I'll probably be out all day finishing then. Chris' car is finally fixed! Took my brothers 8 hours to do it, and they didn't run into any problems. Oh yeah, about Christmas. Molly wants the Dora talking house. I'm probably one of the last people to know that they're sold out EVERYWHERE! LOL I guess thats what I get for starting my shopping late! I'm jumping back to my brothers. They won't take $$ for fixing the car, even though we wouldn't be able to give them anything till February. But I want to do something special for them, just to show my appreciation. Any ideas?

Lost 2.2 at weigh-in this past Saturday. Brings my total to 70 POUNDS lost! I'm losing alot slower now, which I've heard is expected. I'm only 30-35 pounds to goal, but I just keep truckin' along. I won't be going to weigh-in or meetings till after the new year, and I'm hoping I don't gain too much! LOL

Today I'll be making chocolate truffles (yum!) and fudge, along with this chocolate bark stuff for Christmas presents. I'm going to give it to family, teachers, and the mailman. It'll be easier to make things in bulk, and I'm thinking cheaper, plus they're kinda "gourmet". Works for me!

Note to self: send Christmas cards before Christmas!

I'm pms'ing, so readers...beware!

I hate to bitch so much on this thing, but I have a helluva rant coming on. You're obviously welcome to read all my bitchiness, but if you care not to read , then by all means, right click on the x in the top right corner.

We've all heard the expression "when it rains, it pours", right? Yeah, well, it pours alot around here, and most of the time I take it in stride, but this pms shit is really throwing me for a loop.

First, it was Chris' car. The whole clutch thing. Its being fixed tomorrow, and in the meantime I'm car-less. My brothers are fixing it tomorrow, after I just spent MY paycheck on the parts for it.

I went shopping with Jen yesterday to try to find bridesmaid dresses for her wedding in April. I assumed Chris had everything under control. What I didn't know, is that my wonderful future brother-in-law let Chris borrow his playstation. Video game systems aren't allowed in our house. Not because I don't like them, but because everyone's attention is on the t.v. screen, instead of their responsibilities. So Chris spent the day playing it while I was gone. That in itself isn't a major problem, its what he didn't do. I expect help around this house. Chris works long hours, so I don't think I expect much, but when he's home I expect him to do something! He made dinner for the kids, washed the dishes but didn't wipe down the counters or the table. The floor wasn't swept, and there was tons of stuff under the table. And its not like he didn't know he should have done those other things.... I've told him before. He did a little laundry but only folded one load, and left 2 or 3 sitting in their baskets in the middle of the livingroom. I might add.... I didn't get home last night till 11, and he was already asleep on the couch. I go to check on the kids before heading to bed, and not one of them are in pajamas! Molly's wearing her underwear and her turtleneck, and the boys were wearing their shirts as well. And Emilie was still up! Sitting up in her bed, in the glow of the nightlight, doing her homework! WTF? I leave Chris with responsibilities this one night, and this is what happens? I don't expect him to do things my way, but he didn't even make an attempt!

So then today, Chris calls me from work to give me "bad news". His pay has been attached for a court-ordered bill, and in a few weeks, almost $200 will be taken out every week for 6 weeks! We apparently won't be eating for 6 weeks. And this came after I had a minor crying breakdown at the gym right in front of everyone! Chris again calls me back, and I ask him how much his bonus is for the month (because of course, its our christmas $$), and it was about $300 less than we were expecting. Might as well cancel christmas. We don't get the kids much to begin with, and our christmas $$ has already been cut by the oil we needed to order, but this just tops the cake.

So now I'm just afraid whats coming next. I want to take my phone off the hook, and ignore the world. I know its not the end of the world, but heck, I just need a break.

And through all this I'm the only one stressing about it all! How to pay for Christmas, how and when to pay the bills. How to get housework done, along with work, and taking care of the kids, nevermind wrapping presents and baking cookies. I'm cutting out as much as I can, but there are just some things I'm not willing to part with. But dammit, Chris needs to pitch in a bit, and everytime I try saying something to him, he tells me I'm bitching. And maybe I am. Well, I definitely am, but I'm entitled once in awhile.

I'm done now. Sorry about this. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

You all must be dying to know....

how I've been? Right?! Okay, maybe not, but I'm going to tell ya all about it anyway! LOL

Saturday night: Party night! I spent the majority of my morning finding the "perfect" gift for the babysitter, who also happens to be my teenager cousin. I finally settled on this homemade soap, sold at this funky store, along with a soap tray. Thought it was a good idea, considering it was for a 17-yr-old. So, anyway, babysitter was to show up at 7:15, and I was getting ready while waiting for Chris to get home. 7:30 rolls around and I assume she's just running late. Then 7:40 and she's still not here! Can you see where this is going?

Chris calls her cell and it turns out she "forgot", and can't babysit because its her boyfriends birthday! Can you believe it? She tells us she'll call us back in 5 minutes. She calls us back and tells us that my grandmother, the kids great-grandmother is heading over to watch the little brats. Now, my grandmother is fairly active for her age, but she is getting older, and it was going to be a late night. But, there was no one else. So she gets here, and we leave.

To make a long story short..... I looked damn good, if I do say so myself! ;) Even some of my husband's co-workers who have only met me once, commented that I had lost alot of weight! It felt awesome!

Chris had a few beers, and I had a few glasses of wine. I had a few mozzarella sticks, and a crab cake and a few veggies. I knew wine would get me feeling good quick, and it had the bonus factor of being low in points. (WW) By the time I was sipping on my 3rd glass, I was pretty dizzy. Chris and I were outside and I told him I was going to go to the car to sit down for a few minutes because the bar was really noisy and I wanted some quiet. Well, I tried sitting down. It wasn't working though. By the time Chris came back to the car a few minutes later, I was throwing up behind the car! After 2 glasses of wine! WTF? Considering I was sick, Chris went to say goodbye to everyone and get me some water. I felt better after getting sick a few times and told Chris we could go. We had to stop for gas, and I had to get out again to throw up!

Now that I've painted a pretty picture for you all, I want to again mention that I only had 2 glasses of wine! I don't get it. Either I drank it too fast. Or I hadn't drank in a long time. Or my major loss of weight was a factor. Or I happened to get a 24 hr bug that coincided with the drinking. Anyway, that was my night. The 45 minute drive took us more than 2 hours to get home, because I was so dizzy and wouldn't let Chris drive.

Otherwise on the homefront, Chris' clutch on his car went. Thank goodness my brother knows how to replace it, but from what I understand it'll be a 10 hour job. In the meantime we're down to one car, that Chris needs to get to and from work. But I've been lucky enough to borrow a van from work. But this kind of shit always happens around Christmas time... have you noticed that? Jen came over yesterday to take pictures of the kids in front of the tree and we're working on making Christmas cards with them, so maybe I'll actually get them out before Christmas! And I've done about 10% of my Christmas shopping, and no wrapping yet of what I do have! I'm hoping I'll get the rest done this weekend!

Okay, thats all for now. I must go to bed, even though my internal clock wakes me up at 5 am each morning.

Day in court

Thursday was my oh so wonderful day in court for child support. Once again. We went because I filed the papers in FEBRUARY for contempt, and they just got around to serving him last month! Nice, eh? Anyway, because of these papers being served, he had shown up at my job to yell at me in front of my co-workers, but we settled it and didn't think much was going to happen because he has a job and has been paying for the last few months. I didn't have a babysitter for Molly, so I ended up taking her with me, but was pretty confident we'd get out of there by lunchtime. And I was hoping that would be the case this time, since I had a 4-year-old in tow. But it didn't. We got in to the child supporter enforcer room when it was our turn, and she wanted him to pay the entire $2000 he owed when he missed the 4 months back around February. Both him and I were totally not expecting that. This woman tends to be really hard on the deadbeat dads too. I mean, I probably would be too! She knows the biological asshole by face, by name, so she's really hard on him. Which is okay! He needs to start taking responsibility for himself and his actions. Plus we've been in and out of this courtroom for almost 10 years now! So there was a nonagreement because he said he wouldn't be able to come up with anything. That means the judge would need to decide. We didn't get in front of the judge till 2:30...and she asked me what I wanted. I couldn't come up with an amount.... one reason was because I didn't want to piss him off, and I knew he didn't have any money, but I did explain to the judge that we've been doing this for almost 10 years now, he owes me over $8,000, and he needs to take responsibility. So she told me she'd come up with an amount if I gave her a date for it to be in by. I choose the middle of February, and she told him he needed to bring $800 with him when we came back. He was PISSED! He stalked out of the courtroom and I didn't see him until this morning when he came to pick up the kids. I tried apologizing to him, not because I'm sorry I asked for money, but because I knew he is hard off,but..... tough. I need to think of myself and my family. My children. I can't worry about how he's going to come up with the money. Thats not my problem. Did he ever worry about how we had to come up with the money when he didn't pay? Nope, of course not. I have to strictly look out for myself and my kids. (Not to get off subject, but I can't stand this continuous paragraph! But blogger won't let me skip a few lines!) So anyway, if he doesn't bring the money with him on February 17th, I think he goes to jail. We'll see. He also mentioned today how he might as well give up his rights, since he's moving to North Carolina and I wouldn't let him see the kids anyway. A part of me feels bad but I really don't think he's a good influence on the kids! Its so frustrating dealing with all this! On another note... tonight Chris and I are going out on the town! Company Christmas party. I borrowed some clothes from Jen, along with a cleavage showing top, and have to wrap the babysitters present and clean before she gets here. But I'm actually going out! LOL The party has an open bar for 2 hours, and we'll probably head out early and meet up with Jen and Roman to go out with them afterwards! Then tomorrow we're off to get our tree, and I'm crossing my fingers that its supposed to be good weather! Okay thats all for now... I must clean! * Lost only .2 this week :( *

Not my baby anymore

Matthew officially turned 6 today! It seems like just yesterday I gave birth to him. Isn't that always the way? One day they're a snuggly newborn in fuzzy socks and christmas jammies, and before you know it, they're running around acting all big and macho. His 6 year molars are coming in, he's playing the "big boy" games, and calls me "Mom" most of the time. He still has him moments where I hear "Mommy" and he actually wants to snuggle with me, but most of the time he's a rough and tumble little boy! He writes me little notes now that he's learning to read and write, and gives me silly yet precious little pictures made especially for me! Although we never forget the day our children are born, things have a tendency to fade from our memories. I wish now that I wrote down the minute details....stuff that now, 6 years later, I can see in my head, but can no longer put into words. The day he was born the weather was so beautiful! Mild temperatures, especially for the northeast...typical temperatures for early spring. I was 2 days before my due date but because ultrasound had shown him to be an almost 9-pounder, and Ryan and Emilie were 6 pounders, were were concerned I'd have problems delivering him. I ended up having a 15 hour labor. I made it to 7 centimeters before having the epidural. And then ended up pushing for 3 hours. It was his big head. lol Ended up having a forcep delivery that was extremely painful, because they had lowered the epidural so I could feel to push. No matter what anyone says, it hurts to have those metal "spoons" inside you know where! But all in all it was uneventful. He weighed in at 8 pounds , 4 ounces, and of course, was beautiful! He spent his first Christmas as a 2 week old snuggled in his Mommy's arms. Now he's getting bigger and bigger by the day. He was SO excited to have his birthday! He was convinced that overnight he would grow a few inches! He ended up getting everything he wanted, including the spidermantripleactionwebblaster. We had a family get together here tonight to celebrate, and everyone had a great time! Happy Birthday Matthew!

Just another day

This is going to be another mish-mosh of updating. I really really want to update more often, just don't seem to have the time. 'Tis the season!

Lost an even 5 pounds at weigh-in yesterday! I figure the gain last week was a combo of the food from Thanksgiving and pms bloat. Now I have a "game plan" for the rest of December. Especially with all the christmas cookies and parties to attend, I know that I'll probably gain the week after Christmas, and I'm okay with that. Just have to try to minimize the damage as much as possible.

Livingroom walls are finished with the painting. I've worked on the trim and baseboards the last few nights and they're almost done! The tricky part I'm working on right now is around my front windows. 3 large panes of glass with lots of nooks and crannies. But, I finally broke down and bought more tape so its going a bit faster that it had been. We painted the walls this oatmeal kinda color. Very subtle....almost like an antique white. Then the trim is a bright white. The contrast is awesome! Kitchen has been done, but the green I bought didn't match the curtains. I didn't realize it until the curtains were washed and back up, so I need to buy a new shade of green. I figured it was either that or buy new curtains, and really, it would be cheaper to buy the new paint! lol

Today the plan is to put up our Christmas decorations! The weather is cooperating and will be in the 50's for Chris to put up the outside lights, and it'll take quite awhile to put up everything inside, but then it'll really feel festive! I think we'll have to hold off putting up the lights in the windows, considering they're not done being painted yet. But its an inside job so it can be done at some point this week.

Matthew's birthday is this Wednesday! I really can't believe he's going to be 6 years old! He's of course super-excited! Every birthday the birthday kid gets to pick out the dinner. Matt's having a hard time deciding, but I think he's settled on Mcdonalds! lol I swear, I'm almost positive he likes something other than cheeseburgers as his favorite meal! Oh well... its his choice. He gets pretty specific too. He wants a ice cream cake, with power rangers on it or something. Don't know if that one will happen. I asked him what he wants for his birthday. Do you remember The Christmas Story movie? The one where Ralphie wants the beebee gun, and everytime he's asked he says it super fast? Thats Matthew, but for Matt its "Spidermantripleactionwebblaster". He then goes on to basically repeat the commercial that says "it can shoot webs, water, and missles" Too cute!

Next weekend we'll get our Christmas tree. I'm really looking forward to that. I wanted to get it this weekend, but it'll be going in our front window. Right exactly where our heaters are. I have bad luck with trees. They don't like to drink water for me! We'd have a mountain of needles under the tree by Christmas if we got it today.

I've done a little Christmas shopping. Not even a dent has been made yet though. I've written a detailed list of what bills need to be paid, and when they need to be paid... just so that we have the $$ for Christmas. Stress, stress,stress. I was supposed to go out last night to the outlet mall with a gal-pal to at least get a few things, and wouldn't ya know.....Chris got out of work late! Never fails. I was pissed! He called me when he was supposed to already be home...and he works 45 minutes away! He just doesn't get it. Yeah, I could have gone today, but I already have a million and one things to do today. Heck, he doesn't mind. Its ME that has to do it all! Anyway, I ended up going on my own, seeing my friend there, going out for coffee and back to her house for some wine. It ended up being a good night after all! Julie's a really bad influence though..... she made me eat chocolate! LOL

So, thats all thats blog-worthy around here. I'm taking today to relax as much as possible. Going to get my grocery shopping done early, and work on the decorations and painting.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Favorite time of year!

This is my absolute favorite time of the year! Now that its December 1st, it feels even closer to the holidays.

I haven't decorated my house yet, but I want to. But, in order to decorate I need to finish the painting, because obviously it wouldn't make sense to move all my decorations in order to paint! Chris is yet again attempting a Christmas party for his employees, although this year its a different store, and they know the story about last year, and has reassured Chris they WILL be coming. So, yet another reason to paint. I want things to look nice. No pencil on the walls, no scraped off trim to look at. This is a snowball effect for me, because the livingroom needs to be painted before the Christmas party, and needs to be painted before decorations go up, and since I want the decorations up now, the painting needs to be finished. I had Chris doing it today, and its almost done. Thank goodness. I've finished the walls in the kitchen, and just need to finish the trim and border, but just haven't had the time. I'm trying to do everything myself, which is why I put Chris to work today.

I also started my Christmas shopping today! Just a handful of things bought, but I at least started it. Only 23 shopping days left, and I'll be one of the crazy people running around on Christmas Eve to finish! I worked this morning, went to the gym, and then shopping, and by the time I came home it was almost 1 pm. I explained to Chris that if he wasn't home, I would have had to run back out within 20 minutes to pick up Molly. Leaving virtually no time to get stuff done around the house. I'm trying to impress upon him how much I do. I think I'll be writing a list, just so he can see. I tend to get very stressed out, and angry towards Chris. Although I know he works very hard, and works long hours, I do too! And he just doesn't get that. Anyways.... I'm rambling.

Now that we're in the season of santa, angels, elves, christmas trees, and all that good fun stuff, I want to try to figure out how to change my layout. Or add something. Spruce it up a bit. Anyway have any ideas? Or maybe a website for me to check out thats on the simple side, with simple directions to follow? Because I really am clueless. lol Frankly,I'm afraid to mess with anything, because I wouldn't know how to fix it if I screwed it up. But any ideas would be helpful!

Chaos is now descending on my household. Bedtime is always fun around here! Gotta go... have a great Thursday!