Holiday Hangover....

And it ain't from the eggnog...

PPFFFSssssttttt
that's just how I feel about now. I am officially holiday'd out. Stick a fork in me - I'm DONE!

If I never see another leftover for the rest of my life, it'll be too soon. And I know there are those self righteous folks out there that claim "I never eat leftovers" as they look down their haughty noses at me. Well these sons of a something-or-others never chopped, diced, boiled, grated, de-boned, mixed and worked for three days in preparation of ONE MEAL. I did and it has taken me three days post meal to accept that we simply are not going to eat it all. and I am okay with this. I AM SO OKAY WITH THIS...

The sourdough bread pudding with Crown Royal sauce - this got ate. All of it. The green beans a la tcole - those are gone too. the turkey. done. I picked all the oysters out of the oyster dressing so all the rest (save the mocha cheese cake and pecan pie - I'm not a complete loon) are OUT the door tonight post haste.

After one daughter with pnemonia, a son with blood and puss draining from the tubes in his ears and the third child - the middle one - suffering from terminal meanness, I can stand not another second of Holiday Joy. But here's the recap...


Best lines from the holidays...
After sitting through four year old darling daughter's one hour and twenty minutes long holiday school play TWICE - my Dear Husband proclaimed it was "Painfully Entertaining."

"STUPID ELVES!!! STUPID ELVES!!!" Screamed by my pissed-off six year old after her new Big Wheel delivered by Santa (assembled by Mom) broke.
NOTE TO SELF - Send scathing email to Big Wheel manufacturer.

I often phone home when preparing a family recipe for direction and advice. There's always some secret step that never gets put in writing - so I check in with Mom and/or Dad to make sure I get it right. So whilst putting the cornbread dressing recipe together Christmas morning, I phone home . My brother, the other one - the middle child - answers the phone. I tell him I need to talk to Mom or Dad as I have a dressing question. he deadpans - "Red. You should wear Red on Christmas." I used to like him...


Smartest thing done over the holidays...
Pulled the movie The Polar Express from the Santa Stash and gave it to the girls on Christmas Eve morning and let them watch it while Mom and Dad completed last minute preparations. DH turned on the surround sound home theater and when that train pulled through the den, I almost wet my pants. It's a wonder all the ornaments stayed on the tree with that reverb...

But the girls were entertained and distracted and not trying to kill each other. It was brilliant!


Santa-is-Busted Close Calls...
There were two...

First off, almost all Santa presents were wrapped exclusively in Special Santa paper. A few - wrapped early in the shopping process were not...
Six year old Darling Daughter holds up one such gift and says "Look Mom - Santa has the same paper as you." I tell her Santa has excellent taste in wrapping paper.

Within seconds, Darling Daughter #2 unwraps one of her packages. Santa Mom had packaged the new outfit in a box that DD#1's recently purchased new boots came in. So DD#2 proclaims - "Look Mom! I got some boots just like sisters."
Imagine her surprise when it was jeans and a shirt.

Gotta be more detail oriented next year.


Absolute Best Christmas Present...
As you may or may not recall, I - along with three of my bestest girlfriends - have tickets to the Bon Jovi concert in Dallas on January 15th. DH has paid for us to have a limo take us to and return us from aforementioned concert. When we found out about this gift, we all screamed like the 16 year old girls we WILL transform into on the evening of the 15th.
Now, if I could just figure out a way to have Jon Bon Jovi wrapped and bowed and under the tree next year...
my my my, what a Merry Christmas that would be.


Most Cuddly Christmas present...

For those of you that have ever stayed up late nights and wondered what I look like sleeping, wonder no more. At least you now know what I look like when I am trying to sleep.



Meet BB
Short for Blue Bonnet
7 week old American Staffordshire Terrier.
As if three kids, a full-time job, DH, a household and my sanity weren't enuf to maintain.

Next year, I'm going home to Mississippi for Christmas where my Mom and Dad do the cooking, the most prep-work I do is wrap brownies. Pets and mis-behav'n kids are not allowed indoors and I can pay someone to come clean her house.
I can't wait.