Absentee

When you take three weeks off from technology, it's hard to get back in the swing of it. But here are some things I know.

Being sick makes you grateful for your health.

Having family far away makes you love it when they are close by.

4-year-olds can be very sharp. My niece was very concerned that Santa wouldn't be able to find her because her house didn't have a chimney. My sister assured her that Santa's magic will let him come in through a door or a window. Santa always finds a way. The next night, she was sad that Santa didn't leave any presents for her mom and dad! Again, she had to be reassured that Santa had filled her mom and dad's stockings. They were not forgotten.

5-year-olds are also the perfect age for the holiday season. My nephew found out that his aunt hadn't brought a stocking. This became an obsession for him. The weekend plans almost went on hold so he could make one for her. Pictures to come soon.

Certain 3-year-olds don't wake up so easily. Which makes a good excuse to let them curl up on your lap to watch a movie after a late afternoon nap.

Competition runs in the family. Ugly pajama war? Bring it on.

Perfect holidays come in many forms.

Randomness

Blame it on bubble head. Or balloon head. Whatever you want to call it when your noggin doesn't quite feel attached to the rest of you. So here is the list of random things I came up with for today.
1. I have another blog. I just made it public. It is my family's reviews of books we read. I don't know the level of commitment for keeping it updated, but here is the link: http://westawaybooks.blogspot.com/

2. Apparently it is odd to be a single woman and put Christmas lights up on your house. I got kuddos on that from one of my neighbors. I am happy to once again shatter another stereotype. There are enough of them I fit, so it's nice to break out of the mold every now and then.

3. Don't take non-drowsy decongestant and expect to get a good night's sleep. Just sayin.

4. I got a little behind on my paperwork at work. Sorry, Tim. I will catch up today! Promise.

5. Tonight is our work Christmas party and I am supposed to bring a "homemade" white elephant gift. I don't know exactly what I am going to do yet, but I am pretty sure I know whose face will be on it. Or maybe I should say faces...

6. I know that November is finished, but I continue to be grateful for a lot in my life. Here's a short list for today:

• Electricity - It runs a lot of things in my life. Going without for a handful of hours made me grateful I am on the grid.
• Refridgerators and Freezers - Ditto above. Being locked out of these while my power was off made me think about all the little things I get in and out of these. Since we are talking about appliances, I'll just add the microwave, lights, my stove, my garage door opener and my hair dryer to this list. Why does the hair dryer make the list? Because I hate sleeping with wet hair.
• My niece and nephew - They provided a ton of memorable moments over the 23 hours we spent together this last weekend. I love em even more now. And that little 3-year-old is stinkin smart! He traced and told me all of the letters in his favorite book at my house. Then we found all of the bananas. And tractors. And cows. It was fabulous.
• My sister - mom to the awesome niece and nephew. Beckaboo, you are a rockstar. It's hard work being a parent and you don't get nearly enough praise. I love you!! More to come on this later.
• Bishops - my local ecclisastical leader is amazing. His wife is beautiful and a wonderful, lovely friend. Between the two of them I think they have logged more service hours to our congregation and community that I could ever count. The same goes for all of my past bishops, friends who have been bishops, or served in bishoprics. You guys are my role models. Thank you a hundred times more than I can express, and to the wives and kids who support you while you are gone.

Ornaments - Part 1

The tree is up! This year's tree has one major leg...well, branch...up on last year. That tree was a post-christmas clearance special. Total cost? $4.99. Yup. It was a $5 tree. And it was great. With just one little issue. It wasn't really straight. The bottom section was good, but then it started to lean. And when Christmas was over, the sad little Charlie Brown tree was retired. So this year we got one that doesn't try to mimic the curves of a candy cane.

Some people would expect a fancy tree because one of the residents of this house is a designer. Not so much. The joy and charm of Christmas is unpacking all of the ornaments collected over decades and across continents. Here are some of my favorites.

This was a gift from my grandparents in 1983. I was 5. I think that was before my sarcasm bone was fully developed. I am amazed it has lasted so long with no chips, scratches, or breaks. This is due to the long care provided by my mother. Thanks mom!

This one is my sister's. It makes me smile but also makes me sad. Because I had a matching brown haired girl with a green striped dress holding an ornament in her hand. And I haven't a clue where she went.

Minnie Mouse was gift one year from my cousin. I think it was right around the time I was taking culinary arts in school. She is holding a little decorated cake roll. The middle Wedgewood  I found last year. The urn shape seemed just right for my sis. And the santa? Well, that was a craft project one year. We were giving ornaments as Christmas gifts. Each of the little ceramic jumping toys was hand painted and glittered. Which is quite a bit of work when you have to paint one color, immediately sprinkle it with glitter, and then let it dry before you paint the next color. I think I worked on this guy for a couple of hours. It was a good deed I did for someone who might be related to me and sort of bit off more than she could chew by deciding to do about a dozen of these ornaments one day. I'm not ambitious enough to take on those projects most days. But I make a good little worker bee for those who do. I laughed when I unwrapped this santa on Christmas morning. All that work, and I got to keep the results.

What would a tree be without a freaky santa-elf-fairy? I don't know. Ours has two.

This might be one of my new favorites. I had a friend show me how to make these little hats with just some yarn and part of the cardboard tube from the middle of a roll of toilet paper. Thanks, Seej! We all love them.

People who travel internationally spend a lot of time in airports. And they find fun things there. This little girl is from Japan.

Is that a block of cheese? Yup! It's from Tillamook, Oregon.

These shells are from New Zealand. I love them, and they weren't technically ornaments. But I think if you can tie a string through it, then it deserves a place on the tree.

Speaking of non-ornaments...I decided Gnick the Gnome should be an honorary ornament. So he's chillin' out among the foliage.

Did you know that Corning ware you use in the kitchen is made in a place called Corning, New York? I've been there. They make other kinds of glass too. Like hand-blown orbs.

Shells are kind of an ocean thing. These angels are from Manila. I think.

This little elephant is from the market in Hawaii. I went there to celebrate my 30th birthday. Hawaii, not the market. The carvings caught my eye so he took a trip across the water to the mainland with me. On an unrelated note, I love this photo. I like the uplight from the bulb in the branch just below, and the mysterious air it gives the face of a carved pachyderm. The needles in the foreground give it an aura of an interrupted game of hide-and-seek. I found an app to doctor images on my iPhone (the camera I used for all these photos) and gave it a little more character. I'm a fan.