Tick...tick... tick....

2011 is almost over...

The last couple of weeks have gone by in a blur in part because that's just the nature of the holidays and also because I've been sick. So this morning as we were doing some of our normal Saturday morning chores and errands, it occurred to me that it's New Year's Eve. What?! Yup - the last day of the year and I'm not ready!!

I've got to start thinking about my resolutions. Then to write about my Top 10 Movies of 2011. So much to do! One thing is for certain - Ron and I have decided to ring in the new year at east coast time with 2/3rds of our children. We would NEVER make it to midnight our time. Heck - we might not make it to 9! I will let you know how we did...

One week to go!

Back in the old days, I LOVED to go Christmas shopping. It was so exciting to me to be out in the stores, hunting down the perfect gift for each person on my list - and what joy when I did find it! Better than that was shopping with my cousin Kevin. 

When we lived in El Paso, I had the most fantastic shopping buddy. No one else I know loves to shop as much as Kevin. We would arm ourselves with shopping lists and coupons and hit the ground running. Imagine our delight when the department stores and toy stores started staying open until midnight. It was a real test of endurance to keep up with him as he left no sale un-turned! I remember complaining to him that I was exhausted or that my feet were bleeding , (I was exaggerating, of course), but he always had one more stop to make.

Then it was back to the house for coffee or hot chocolate and the Carpenter's Christmas Album while we talked and wrapped the presents late into the wee hours of the morning. By then we were soooooo tired and punchy that we would laugh until we cried. I miss you, Kubby. Christmas shopping has never been the same without my best shopping buddy.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, this year's shopping is happening during this last week before Christmas. I did a little bit of cyber shopping early on, but am left with several major items to purchase this week. It will have to be done in the evenings after work. I do have another fabulous shopping helper in my sweet husband. Although Ron doesn't have the patience to walk alongside me as I consider my purchases, he will call me every hour or so and arrange for a pick up. Under strict instructions not to look inside the bags, he will meet me wherever I am and pick up my packages so I am free to move around a little easier as I continue my search. 

Ron is a very deliberate shopper. When he is hunting down an item, he loves to do A LOT of comparison shopping. He will go to at least 3 different places to look for one thing! I don't have the patience or the energy for that. I will tell you that I am usually the very appreciative beneficiary of his expeditions. He does a great job!

Anyway, Christmas is one week away and I have a lot to do. It's going to have to be done in the evenings after work. I'm older now and don't have quite the energy and enthusiasm for holiday shopping that I did when the girls were little and I had Kevin to drag me on to the next store. I'm sure I will manage or maybe I really will shop till I drop...

The Halls are Decked!

I spent a leisurely day resting a bit and then decided to take the bull by the horns - my house needed to be clean and my Christmas decorations had to be put up. I focused and got it done. Usually it takes me a week to get all my trees up and all the decorations in place. This time it took me just two days.One day last weekend and the better part of today. Mind you, I only put  up 2 big trees and 2 small trees at home this year, but I think it's enough. 

Here is evidence of my Christmas tree therapy...

Purple and Gold Avenidas Tree

Snowflake Tree at Work

White Tree at Work

Nature Tree

Wild Thing's Tree 

Entry Way Tree

Kermit's Tree

Santa Collection

 There you have it. I am set for the holidays....except for Christmas shopping, writing my Christmas letter, mailing Christmas gifts, sending out the Christmas cards and making Christmas cookies. Or maybe I should just put up another tree instead.

Quick Reviews

I am not going to waste a lot of words on New Year's Eve - a collection of incomplete and uninteresting stories. Director Gary Marshall rounded up quite a few very good actors and crammed them into a very bland movie. The best part about it was that it was set in NYC. What surprised me the most was that so many GREAT actors agreed to be in something so mediocre - Robert Deniro, Halle Barry, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hillary Swank, Hector Elizando - what were you all thinking? 

Bottom line - Skip it. Really.

The Twilight Saga is one of my guilty pleasures. I admit it. I have read the entire series of books 3 times. It was a great read if you like teenage vampires, werewolves and a compelling love story. When I read the series I knew that the last book was going to be difficult to adapt into a movie for teens. I figured that it was going to be difficult to watch. It was. Parts of it were downright awful. I won't describe it here.

So they divided the last book into two parts. This movie was a necessary evil. It had to be made to get to the end of the story. So here is my recommendation - if you are a fan of the books and movies - you should probably see it. If you are squeamish, you can close your eyes during the icky parts. OR maybe you can skip Breaking Dawn Part 1 and wait for Part 2 to come out. Maybe some things are better left to the reader's imagination.

Family Films

Another wonderful thing about this time of year is the family movies that are released. Wild Thing wanted to see The Muppets last weekend so we took him. He chose wisely!

There were lots of old Muppet gags and multiple surprise cameos. The story line was sweet and the movie ended with a famous Sesame Street song. The only thing that is hard for me is that they have never found a good enough replacement voice for Kermit. I still get very sad about the loss of Jim Henson (Kermit's real daddy and voice).

Otherwise, it's worth going to see this movie - especially if you have a 5 year old to entertain - Wild Thing actually sat still for this movie.

We took Beckie to see this movie a couple of weeks ago. I am not sure exactly how to describe it. It was beautifully filmed and the young actor who played Hugo was brilliant - his acting was amazing and his big blue eyes reeled me in completely.

The story was not at all what I expected, but I didn't know what to expect. It was a little bit slow for me. We opted to see it in 2D instead of 3D. The characters were colorful and interesting. I think I need to see the movie again but in 3D this time.

My bottom line - the movie was good, but not as good as some of the critics are claiming. But I guess that's a matter of opinion, huh?

It's the most wonderful (stressful) time of the year!

We are one week into December and this is my first post of the month. You would think that means that nothing much is going on or at least nothing worth writing about is happening. That is so NOT TRUE. Most of it – I just can’t write about now. Suffice it to say I feel that I am “under the gun” all the time. ALL.THE.TIME.

I’m not quite “Grinch-y” or “Scrooge-y”, but I have had a hard time getting into the holiday spirit this year. I am tired.

What seems to be helping me is some Christmas Tree Therapy. I love Christmas trees and over the years I have collected enough ornaments and trees to deck many halls. So far I have put up and decorated 3 trees at work and 2 trees at home. For some people – this is too much. For me, it’s therapy. I love the glitter and the sparkle of it all. Here is my red, white and green tree complete with with stuffed animals - it's for the Wild Thing!

I haven't decided how many trees I am going to put up at home this year - I guess it will depend on how much therapy I need! I will try to post pictures as I complete each tree...