The race is on…..

 

Since all my children have been securely fastened to the walls with duct tape, I thought I would take a moment and finish up all my posts for the year so I could make one of those book thingies.

HAH! I joke, I kid----I will never get all these posts caught up.

 

KIDDING!

My kidlets are all duct tape free and enjoying their holiday freedoms.

No worries.

Except for my sanity, and like I always say, “Sanity is highly overrated”.

 

I had all of my offspring home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and it was just lovely. I love that my new home fits lots of people so easily and yet has these great gathering spots.

 

I did something I swore I would never do on Christmas Eve.

I told everyone we were going out for Chinese and it was going to be our new favorite Christmas Eve tradition. Amen.

We did and it was and it is and can I just say, “Hallelujah!!!”?!

 

When we got home the Jammie Elves had come and so everyone ripped into their packages and the following chaos ensued………

 

Its a wonderful life, I tell you. That's one of the perks of being bipolar. In just one post I can go from duct taping my children to the wall to having my heart ache so much I think it will break at the thought that soon the time will come that all of these faces won’t be together on Christmas Eve. I’m just a mess. Ah well, I’m off to do something important—like read one of the 5 books I got for Christmas or watch one of my new Cary Grant movies. I’m a busy, busy girl. AMEN and AMEN.

Hallelujah!

My friend Annie,  who lives in Alaska, posted this on Facebook today.

I may or may not have watched it a bajillion times.

I have DEFINITELY found my hibernating Christmas spirit.

Who knew it was in a small village in Alaska??!!

I promise..it is worth every minute….

‘Tis the Season people!!!!!

Is it Christmas yet??!!

 

I am flying a little under the Merry Christmas radar this year. Nothing horrible—just nothing to launch me into tears at the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life “ either.

 

People who are bipolar, such as myself, find Christmas carol titles such as---“Do You Hear What I Hear”—especially entertaining. Just sayin…..

 

For those of you who might be new around here—I really AM bipolar and have written a blog post about it that you can read HERE.

 

My sweet #2 daughter read it in a class at her cosmetology school recently when they had a class about dealing with suicide because there had been so many there lately SO…she reminded me  there were probably others out there who could maybe use it------(longest, most grammatically incorrect sentence EVER)

 

All is not doom and gloom though—promise.

As I went to decorate my home for the holidays I discovered (much to my budget’s dismay) that most of my decorations that I used in my garage home (click on it to read about it) don’t really fit this home. So I looked around blog land and gathered a few different ideas and got my Christmas Pottery Barn catalog and came up with this:

and this:

Oh look, we have a visitor:

It is a little blurry, and Martha I’m not—but it’ll do, I think. And, hopefully I have many years to collect and make more! I have been up to a few other things but will save them for another day.

Meanwhile, got any other great ideas for great Christmas songs for this bipolar girl??

(Like, funny ones {ie: Do You Hear What I Hear}—I already have a playlist of 300 favorite Christmas carols—thanx tho--)

Your house smells like……..

Today we are going to discuss house perfume.

Most perfume gives me a headache.

I can’t even get within a mile of Bath & Body.

The store that is.

I promise I bathe my body on at least a semi-regular basis.

Candles aren’t much better. Their smell, that is. I don’t ever bathe my candles. Am I supposed to? No one ever tells me these things!!! I am filled with shame and deep confusion….okay..moving on…(Obviously we have been doing a little fine tuning of my medication lately)

There are a few candles I like and keep around the house to use for when I run out of ingredients for this favorite:

It is so easy and so forgiving and so YUMMY smelling!

Ingredients:

Orange

Lemon

Cloves

Bay leaves

Cinnamon Sticks

*I have an old pot that I have used for years but because it is all edible, you can use any pot.

*I use:

2 oranges

2 lemons

6 cinnamon sticks

3 or 4 bay leaves

1/3 jar cloves

Because I like an intense smell that fills the house quickly—most people use less.

*I have even used dried oranges and lemons and bought my spices in bulk so I always have the stuff on hand. (Call me Suzy Woodland Homemaker and I’ll shoot you between the eyes—go on—I dare you)

Then you just simmer to your nose and hearts content.

And when someone comes to visit they don’t ever say, “My what a lovely candle smell”

They say, “Mmmm, your house smells just like Christmas”

Merry Christmas!

I used to LOATHE this song....

I used to loathe this song.... till I found these guys.

If you all know about them already, then shame on you for not telling me about them. If you haven't heard of them.....

You are so very welcome.

Merry Christmas! I'm off to beg someone to spike my eggnog...

(kidding, dear Bishop's wife)

Why sending out Christmas cards requires me to up my medication…..

 

‘Tis the season.

The Christmas Card.

I love receiving the darn things.

Even the ones that inform me that Tommy received his 4th Doctorate and little Jill is simultaneously getting straight A’s, in every school club and still finds time to play every instrument known to man.

I just take it with a grain of salt—sometimes a big chunk of rock salt—but I still love opening my mailbox and seeing all the holiday joy inside.

What I struggle with is --------THE PICTURE……

I love getting the darn things.

I love having someone else take my children’s picture and sending those.

But when our pockets are empty and I have to take the picture---well—those are dark times my friend….dark times…

 

Here is an example:

 

The year is 2002 and yes, I may or may not have just learned that you could play with photos on your computer, why do you ask?

 

 

                                Look… up in the sky

 

 

                                Whoa…Beanie, your other front………..

 

 

 

                                  AAAHHH! Nat packed her scary eyes! Beanie, your other front!

 

                                         This is the one I finally went with. Can you tell what my husband got for Christmas that year??

 

This was from last year:

 

And then this year:

                             Yeah Beanie—you got the right front!!

 

It’s just ridiculous.

 

Good thing I love them.

Good thing they love me!

 

But I do kind of miss these days…………..

1989 was a very good year……just sayin…..