CROP!

Kimmer, I just read your blog and wanted to let you know that I feel ya on the scrapbooking - I'm going to a crop this weekend, and I can't wait! I leave Friday afternoon and don't come home until Sunday afternoon. Meals and lodging all included. Of course, the best part is hanging out with other moms like me. Wait, that's not right. The best part is someone cooking and cleaning for ME! lol

I try to do a weekend crop once or twice a year. It helps me make significant progress on my scrapbooks, but more than that, it helps me recharge my batteries. It's nice to not have to worry about anyone else for a couple of days. And I think hubby enjoys the "pass" it gives him to just hang out with the kids and not do anything productive for awhile. He works hard, and definitely deserves downtime.

It sounds weird to say that hubby's spending a weekend alone with the kids is "downtime." But our kids are old enough now (13, 10, 9) that they're not as much effort to take care of as they once were. That's nice in SO many ways...but I'll admit that sometimes I do miss their babyness.

Which brings me back to the crop. I can enjoy their cute little faces in photographs all weekend! :)

WASSUP?

Nothing earth-shattering going on here, but I thought I should update anyway.
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Had lunch with my aunt last Friday. I only see her about twice a year, which is silly because we live in the same town and she works about ten minutes from my house. Anyway, it was great to visit with her, and I am looking forward to seeing her again before six more months pass by!
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Saturday afternoon I got a call from my soon-to-be-ex sister-in-law. She told me that she was bringing my nephew for a visit in March, and asked if they could stay with us for a couple of days. Needless to say, I am thrilled! I couldn't be happier that she still feels comfortable enough with our family to drive six hours for a visit. Yay!
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Last week sometime, I signed up with SparkPeople. It's a fantastic track-your-progress health and fitness site. You can keep track of what you eat, print healthy recipes, and even watch exercise videos right on your computer. I love it, and best of all, it's free. (I receive no kickbacks for referrals, y'all.)
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Sunday morning I made my weekly run to the grocery store. I bought:

Post Honey Bunches of Oats
Post Honey Bunches of Oats w/Almonds
1 lb. fresh green beans
1 head cabbage
1 large eggplant
Blue Diamond walnuts
Bottle of Propel water (free!)
Ragu spaghetti sauce
Quart of half & half
2 Blistex lip treatment (free!)
Large canister of Kroger oatmeal
2 The Works bathroom cleaner
2 Diet Big Red 2-liters
Dozen large eggs
2 boxes Nabisco whole grain Wheat Thins
2 boxes reduced-fat Ritz crackers
Fresh baby bella mushrooms
Kraft 3-cheese Crumbles
4 cans Grands biscuits
3 pkgs Philly reduced-fat cream cheese
4-pack Dannon low-carb yogurt
5 packages Totino's Pizza Rolls (all free!)
2 packs Birds Eye frozen green beans w/almonds
3 lbs ground beef
2 Glade Wisp starter kits
2 Glade Wisp refills
4 Glade aerosol room fresheners
Suave deodorant (free!)
4 Reach Max Fresh toothbrushes

Before card & coupons: $132.34
I paid: $49.49
Savings: $82.85

I also have $10 in Kroger Kash toward my next grocery trip - the Glade Wisp kits and refills trigger $3.00 and $2.00 coupons (respectively) instantly. Kroger also has a Kraft special going on - if you buy 8 specified products, it automatically deducts $7.00 off your bill at checkout. For this trip, my Kraft items were: the cheese crumbles, the 3 packs of cream cheese, the two Ritz crackers, and the two Wheat Thins.

Next trip, I'm already $15 richer - I've got a $5-off coupon from the Entertainment book for February, plus the $10 from this trip for the Glade products.

I love grocery shopping. And I just realized what a total nerd I am. Thank you, Grocery Game!

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP

Excerpts from emails about MIL's brain tumor. Yay!

Neurosurgeon confirmed what the E.R. neurosurgeon told us which is, as far tumors go, this is a very mild one. He is almost positive that it's benign, slow growing and may have been there up to 20 or 30 years(!). It's growing down from the cerebellum into a cavity and is about 1 1/2 inches long but because it is not pushing on anything in the brain, it does not have "roots" that are attaching to any parts of the brain. It does not appear aggressive, and Mom passed her neurological exam with flying colors (absent shakiness on walking the "drunk driving test" walk), so the doctor does not think it should be removed at this time.

He felt very strongly that her blood pressure problems and tremors (which are like shivers or jerks from a chill) are not caused by the tumor based on the area of the brain it's in and his experience with this type of tumor. He recommended coming back in 4 to 6 months for another MRI and would be very surprised if the tumor grew. If it grows or she starts having poorer neurological indications, he would recommend surgery and felt it would be a very straight forward surgery - this is not something he would recommend for radiation, as that is usually for malignant tumors. He suggested going to a neurologist to look into her shivers.

We are of course very pleased to hear the good news we were hoping for, no brain surgery! - though since Mom has not felt well, we were hoping to find a solution to all her ails by removing the tumor - her shivers kept her up all last night and are tiring physically (she can't sleep and it hurts to jerk around). It is possible that her lightheadeness is also caused by her blood pressure problems, which may be exacerbating her general well-being. She is going to work with her internal doctor on her BP.

Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers - we are very grateful indeed! We are still a little nervous about her symptoms as they have been interfering with her enjoying life these past week so we hope that the neurologist can put our minds at ease.

We feel very assured that her tumor is not life-threatening (having seen it on the MRI, it is not touching anything else in the brain, it's not touching the brain stem) and she can live a long time with it. While I got the prayer train going, please pray that we do get to the bottom of the cause of her shivers and high blood pressure and open up the path to the right doctor to treat them.

JUST AS MUCH FUN AS I REMEMBERED

I have not bowled in two years, and it showed last night when hubby and I went to the lanes. I didn't do as awful as I thought I would - first game I bowled 112; second game I bowled 124. Only regret is that I didn't take my own ball (yes, I own my own personalized bowling ball - I'm a Texan, sue me!). The balls at the lanes were either too heavy or the finger holes were too small.

But it was SO much fun! Now I'm jonesin' to join a league. And hey, even if I don't play all that well, I figure I can still enjoy the awesome french fries that every bowling lane in America serves. Yum.

ROLLIN' ROLLIN' ROLLIN'

Y'all, I'm so excited - tonight I'm going bowling for the first time in ages! Hubby's co-workers are having a get-together after work today, and we signed up to bowl on a team. I was a little nervous at first about bowling on a team of people I hardly know, but then I thought, whatever. I'm a decent bowler, so hopefully I won't embarrass hubby too much.

Yesterday's lunch with Fish was so nice. We went to Cracker Barrel - yum. We were there for over an hour and a half just talking about stuff. Let's see, we covered family issues, The Grocery Game, and, of course, Steve. (By the way, Fish, I couldn't find downloadable music on www.steveburnsrocks.us, although I did see some of my very own famous pictures posted there, lol.)

We could have talked for hours more, but the place was getting quite busy and our waitress, while polite, definitely wanted the table freed up. My lovely dining companion bought lunch, and I felt like a cheapskate because I only left the tip. It was a good tip, though, so hopefully our waitress was happy. Next time, though, lunch is on me.

This morning I watched "Walk The Line," which was a pretty good movie. In my humble opinion, Joaquin Phoenix totally overacted, but Reese did well. Good on ya, Ms. Witherspoon. Last night we watched "The Interpreter," which I thought was okay because it was for the most part not predictable. I hate predictable movies.

T & J are coming over later to babysit the kiddos while hubby and I bowl, so I need to get the house straightened up a bit. Also, tomorrow afternoon we're hosting the annual "my side of the family" Christmas, which is just another incentive for me to drag out my Dyson.

Yeah, like I need incentive for that.

IT'S MY MOM'S BIRTHDAY
(By the way, I'm not talking about my mother-in-law, about whom I've been posting the past few days.)

Mom would have been sixty years old today. After lunch (which I'm having with Fish today), I plan to stop by the cemetery. It's very cold and rainy here today, though, so maybe I'll wait until tomorrow so that the flowers I bring have a chance of survival.

Happy birthday, Mom. I hope today brings you chocolate cake and tons of purple roses in heaven.

I can't believe that this is the 9th year we'll celebrate your birthday without you. I miss you.

CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC

Mom got a CAT scan while in the ER last night. The on-call neurosurgeon read the CAT scan, then he read the MRI results she had brought with her to the hospital. He says the tumor is almost definitely benign, has probably been there for about 10 years (based on the calcification of the tumor), and is very slow growing. He agrees it's most likely ependymoma. Based on where it's located, the area that affects coordination and involuntary movements, the tumor may be affecting her movements and may be causing myoclonic seizures, which are rare with a tumor but do happen - especially if your cerrebullum is particularly sensitive. He gave her some seizure medicine that he believes will work.

The good news is that as far as brain tumors goes, this is very small, most likely benign, very slow growing, and should be fairly easy to operate on. We were VERY encouraged hearing all this about the tumor but we are worried about her crazy blood pressure.

My SIL got home from the hospital at 1:00 a.m. They kept Mom because her blood pressure was very high - it went up to 170/100 over the previous reading of 162/111. Her face was puffy and she wasn't feeling well, but after they gave her a diuretic and some other meds, she started feeling a lot better.

They can't figure out why her blood pressure is doing what it's doing - the doctor was perplexed (never, ever a good sign) and said he's only seen it do that when someone was on steroid treatments or chemo. She was also still having minor twitches.

She was discharged from the hospital at 6:15 this morning - almost 16 hours after she got there. The main reason for the extended stay was because of her high blood pressure. They were afraid she might have a stroke and wouldn’t discharge her, and rightly so. It remained high every hour they checked. They wanted it below 140, so they eventually gave Mom some pills for her blood pressure and it dropped very low. In fact, she actually read a systolic 55 at one time. Of course, she was very groggy and they weren’t going to discharge her at that point, either.

The nurse later said it could potentially be that the part of the brain controlling blood pressure was affected by the tumor. Her blood pressure has been fluctuating greatly and was the highest it has ever been when she was having the tremors* caused by the tumor. After the blood pressure medicine wore off, and she had some coffee and walked around, her bp reached up to over 100 and they let her go.

She and Dad are extremely tired today, and on top of that, Mom's trying to adjust to her new meds. Next Monday is her official appointment with the neurosurgeon, at which time we'll hopefully learn beyond a shadow of a doubt that the tumor is benign. That's what we're all praying the hardest for.
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*Tremors. That's what they're calling the episodes she was having yesterday. That term sounds a whole lot less scary than "seizures" or "convulsions."

UPDATE FROM EARLIER POST (below)

3:37 p.m. - Mom's been admitted to the hospital. Right now she's on an IV and is scheduled for a CAT scan. Kudos to Houston's Medical Center - they took good care of Tnk last year, and it seems they're on the ball this time, too.

I'M SCARED

This post is partially borrowed from a few emails I've received from my sister-in-law today.
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Mom started having convulsions around 5 a.m. this morning, and finally stopped around 10:30. Dad is with her and called the hospital at which her appointment is set for next week. They told him they couldn't do anything since she's not yet a patient with them and if he thinks it's an emergency to take her to an emergency room. (This was the same less-than-helpful woman Mom spoke with last week.) She couldn't even give Dad any idea as to what to look out for to determine whether she should go to an emergency room. Very compassionate advice.

My sister-in-law has e-mailed the neurologist we had contact with - perhaps he can tell us what to do. Other than that, MD Anderson does have an emergency room that we can camp out in and be pushy if the seizures start up again and worsen.

Mom and Dad don't think it's "serious" (OMG!!!!) and that it's just another symptom, and they are trying not to be concerned. Dad is also calling her GP to see if he has any advice.
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Update from the aforementioned neurosurgeon...

This is obviously an emergency, although seizures are very unusual for posterior fossa tumors. I would be concerned that she was developing obstructive hydrocephalus from the tumor. She should go to an emergency room, probably Hermann or MD Anderson in the medical center. Bring her MRI films so they can be compared to any new films. If these are seizures, she should begin taking an anticonvulsant.
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Hubby just called with a new update: Mom's now being taken to the ER. Please keep her in your prayers.


And thus the title of this post. :(

POSTPONEMENT

Mom's appointment with the neurosurgeon is going to be on the 22nd. She was unable to get in to see the other doctor last Friday, as she had a previously-set appointment with yet another neuro for the 29th. The not-so-nice appointment booker said something about repetition...I don't know. Anyway, since they'd promised her she'd be seen last Friday and then reneged, they bumped her up a week to make up for it.

I will most likely be taking Mom to the appointment, which I am honestly dreading. Don't get me wrong - I'm extremely grateful that she's letting me help her - but I am deathly afraid of what we will hear.

We saw Mom today, and she said she was having a very good day. No dizziness or headaches. She was happy we came over, and loved on the kids as much as they'd let her. I think they'll be more receptive to all the hugs when we tell them what's going on. Which won't be until after the doctor's appointment on the 22nd.

I just realized that I'm more afraid of telling the kids than I am of hearing what the doctor has to say.

THANKS, PEZ AND FISH...AND AN UPDATE ON MIL

Pez, your comment on my last blog entry made a lot of sense. I'm usually the one of the siblings who physically jumps in to help everyone, and I guess I never realized that I do the same thing emotionally, as well. Hugs to you, as you do seem to know how I feel.

Fish, I've pencilled you in. For sure. Please do call.
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Hubby's mom: She will be receiving much-needed "expedited treatment" (my SIL's words) at the best hospital in Houston through two avenues: one, the chairman of hubby and SIL's company*, who sits on said hospital's board, and two, SIL's friend's Dad, a physician who has been very open and generous in talking to the family - a nice change from the very loud silence of Mom's original (and fired) doctor!

The physician agrees with the report that the tumor is an ependymoma tumor and that Mom will, therefore, need a cranial surgeon. He spoke with a cranial surgeon at the above-mentioned hospital, who is also the head of neurosurgery, and he said he can get her in this Friday. Thank God for that, because after Mom told him her symptoms (she is not feeling well today; has been hearing loud ringing and her balance is off), he said she needs to get in immediately. The report also indicated the tumor may have calcification, which he said generally indicates a benign tumor, which is encouraging. However, you are not in the clear just because it's benign - if the tumor has grown into a delicate area of the brain, it can be just as bad.

Please pray that the surgeon is able to get her in this Friday, that he correctly diagnoses her, and that he provides the best treatment plan for her. Please also pray that her tumor backs off for a bit so that she is able to make it in before it's too late. Feel free to add more prayers too!
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*Hubby and SIL both work at the same place; I don't know if I've mentioned that before. They both started there last October.

I HAVE THE PERFECT SHIRT

It's a brand-new-with-tags, greenish-brown, ugly as sin, oversized t-shirt. On the front is a picture of Charlie Brown and the words "Sick and tired of everything." I bought it last March during all the family bullshit following Tnk's accident. I've never worn it, but that's about to change.

You all know about all the stuff that's going on in my family right now. Yesterday I told my sdad and one sister about my brother's impending divorce. I then called Tnk to let her know so that she wouldn't feel out of the loop, so to speak. She responded with a gruff "well, that's too bad, but I'm not surprised" and other things that we've all been thinking but have not voiced.

Today she called and said she was sorry she couldn't talk yesterday, but there were people around. I told her that I understood, and that I just wanted to let her know what was going on, as communication has been a big problem in our family in the past, and I am really trying to keep things open. She proceeds to gripe about our brother not calling her and her not having his cell phone number. "I have never had his cell phone number!" was one comment - and one which I seriously doubt, by the way. I told her I could email it to her if she wanted, but that I don't know it by heart. Which is true, because with my new cell phone I just press Talk and say "Brother" and it dials him (I may never know anyone's number again, heh). She responded that it didn't matter because they never talk anyway.

Then she starts asking me questions about his kids and visitation and such. I told her that I didn't think that was going to be a problem as the divorce seems amicable, but that I don't honestly remember all the details because this past week has been a very emotional one and I didn't retain much of the conversation. I said, "You know, this has been a very bad year so far. I guess I just didn't and don't want to hear about anything bad for awhile."

I can't believe she responded with a short, "Well, bad things are going to continue to happen! You'll just have to ... "

I cut her off with "okaaaay, I'm sorry, but I just can't continue this way. So much has happened...right now all I really want to hear are positive things and optimistic views."

She said fine and hung up. That surprised the heck out of me. It would have been more like her to say that she was sorry and that things were going to be okay. Even if she was lying, that would have been better than what she did. I didn't think I could be even more down than I have been, but she made that happen.

Thanks, Tnk. You just inspired me to expand my wardrobe... :(

EDIT: She just emailed me and said "Umm...All I was trying to say was: I guarantee there will be more bad things, but we're tough and we'll handle them." That makes sense, and I know she's right, but sometimes all you want is sympathy, you know? Because I sure don't feel tough right now.

TODAY WE SHOULD KNOW MORE

MIL sent a long email to her primary doctor last Friday. In it, she told him that she'd gotten two recommendations for neurologists and asked him to contact her about submitting referrals. She said, "I know that Mondays are busy for you, so I won't expect a call first thing. If I don't hear from you by lunchtime, I'll contact you."

Wow, does this woman have patience. I am not sure I'd be so nice were I in her shoes. He's already blown her off once; there should be no second chance. How can you tell someone they've got a brain tumor and then ignore them for three days?

Good grief.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. They mean the world to our family.

TONIGHT I'M GONNA GET DRUNK. WHO'S WITH ME?

Well, despite my optimism about 2007 being better than 2006, this year - all six days of it so far - are in the crapper.

Thursday we find out that my mother-in-law has a brain tumor. I SO cannot tell the kids, but with all the skirting the subject that's been going on around here, they're bound to be suspicious by now. Top that off with this: her doctor not only didn't set up her appointment with the neurosurgeon, (as he'd promised he'd immediately do); he didn't even bother to let her know he didn't do it. In the words of my sister-in-law, "he's SO fired!"

Friday, the day after we found out about MIL's tumor, the aforementioned sister-in-law's husband got laid off from work. While he was on a business trip in San Francisco. Before he even got back to Texas. His company let him close two business deals - then fired him the same day. Asswipes.

Today I called my brother in Oklahoma to see how he and the wife and kids were doing. He informed me that he had a new address. Of his very own. I can't believe it...he's getting a divorce. The funny thing is, we always told him that if he ever left his wife, we'd keep her. But now that it's a reality, I just hope we can keep all of them.

Man, this sucks. This, 2007, was going to be the GOOD year. I just knew that nothing could top last year for general suckitude, but these first six days have been a bitch.

I'm off to make the title a reality.

SOMETHING ON HER MIND

I got an email yesterday from my mom-in-law, which said:

"I don’t know if you know that I have been having problems with dizziness and sometimes have a ringing in my head. I went to the doctor yesterday and my blood pressure was very high. So today I had an MRI—it was hard to lie there that long without moving! I quoted Scripture and had to start over because it took so long. Of course my whole body would itch and I could not scratch. All in all not bad though. I am to go in tomorrow to find out the results."

High blood pressure is not uncommon for her, but the MRI worried me. Today my brother-in-law and I (the in-laws referred to below) received this email:

"I tried to call you, but you did not answer so I thought I would email you. I am doing a rotten trick on the in-laws—I just got back from hearing the results of the MRI that I had yesterday, and hate to tell M [dh] and A [my sil] how it is over the phone so I am going to make you guys break the news. I have a tumor in the back of my head. It is in the part of my head that can affect my balance. They are not certain if it is benign or not; it could go either way. There was something the radiologist did not like about it, but the doctor did not have the full report yet. He is making an appointment for me, hopefully next week, to get more insight. [Several years ago] my sister had a tumor in the back of her head and it was benign so I am hopeful this is too. I get a little weepy when I talk about it, but I really am not upset about it or scared. I feel fairly peaceful. I know God is in control of my life and He will work everything out for the good of all.
Sorry to put this burden on you, but think it is best."

Long story short, mom has a brain tumor. Hubby and I have decided not to say anything to the kids yet, as we don't know anything definite and don't want them to worry. What I *do* know is that I'll be awake half the night alternating between tears and prayers. Dear Lord, please watch over mom. I ... don't know what else to say. Amen.

I GOT A NEW TOY

Ever since hubby's new employer supplied him with a Blackberry of his very own (going on three months now), I've been saying that I was going to downgrade our cellular service. No need to pay for an extra phone and minutes you don't use, right? Well, today was the big day! I decided to go with Sprint because they have a family plan wherein you can call other Sprint customers for free. The vast majority of my family uses Sprint, so with all that "free" time, I was able to get the cheapest plan with the fewest minutes, saving us somewhere around 40 bucks a month.

My new phone is very cool, if I do say so myself. First of all, it was free - no mail-in rebate or anything. Can't beat that. It has voice dialing, which I didn't have before and will be using constantly until the novelty wears off, lol. It's a flip phone, which I like because I've never had a phone that could cover up the number pad and I was always accidentally dialing someone. Yes, I knew how to lock the keys, but I didn't always remember to do so.

But my very favorite feature of my new phone? It rings. It doesn't play "SexyBack" or "Doncha" or "Copacabana" (although it could). It just rings, kinda like old-timey non-portable phones used to. One ringey-dingey...two ringey-dingey. Whee!

Tomorrow's plan: contacting Vonage or Skype to cut down on our landline costs. Anyone use either of those (Pez?)? Suggestions would be welcomed. And thanks in advance!

TO HELLOS, GOODBYES, AND FRIENDS MADE IN BETWEEN

First, let's bid a fond farewell to 2006. In particular, farewell to last March:

1. Farewell to K's broken ulna and the painful surgery and recuperation that ensued.
2. Farewell to the drunk driver who nearly killed my sister, and who is currently behind bars for the next seven years.
3. Farewell to half-forgotten birthdays; Ry, I think we owe you a do-over of your 10th birthday. I'm so sorry, son.
4. Farewell to toxic family members. Forever.
5. Farewell to family trauma, and here's to the ever-growing maturity level in this family.
6. Farewell to losing beloved family members and those who just felt like family, too.
7. Farewell to hubby's old job and the crappy way in which they laid people off just.like.that.

And with that, I hereby bury last March.

In 2007, I hereby resolve to:

1. Be less critical.
2. Write a book, or at least a short story, about my childhood experiences. It doesn't have to be published, but it needs to be said.
3. Eat at least five salads a week.
4. Clean out the garage.
5. Clean out my closet.
6. Have a garage sale.
7. Stay current on the laundry.
8. Play at least one game a week with the kids.
9. Get a passport.
10. Take a family vacation.
11. Accomplish something just for me.
12. Help hubby accomplish something just for him.
13. Make more resolutions as I see fit.

The one I'm most likely to break is number seven. I'm already pitifully behind. Maybe number 14 should be "Teach the kids to do their own laundry." Ooh, yeah, I like that one!

ORTHOPEDICS, REVISITED

Yesterday I took K to the surgeon (Dr. J; but not the hoopster) who'd repaired his ulna earlier this year. X-rays were taken, and the doctor said that more surgery would be necessary in order to remove the steel plate from K's arm.

K is not happy.

Had he been 15 years old instead of 12 when he broke his arm, the plate could just stay put. But the doctor said that the textbook recommends prepubescent kids with screws and plates have them removed before the growing process is complete. Dr. J went on to tease K about having to buy shirts with one long arm and one short arm.

Fortunately, since hubby changed jobs, we seem to have better insurance now. The deductible is half of what it used to be, the insurance company will pay 90% instead of 80% this time, and the office visits are $15 instead of $30. Hopefully this will all add up to a cheaper surgery - the last one really knocked us for a loop.

The scheduler will be calling on Tuesday to set up a time for the second operation. Hey, why does K suddenly feel like my baby instead of my teenager...?

THAT WAS FAST

I can't believe how quickly the holiday season passed. I started decorating early this year on purpose, so that the festivities would (seemingly) last longer. I guess it's true that the older you get, the faster time flies.

Christmas was great. I received lots of excellent gifts, but was even happier to see the recipients of my gifts open theirs. Hubby's big gift from me this year was a collection of our family movies on DVD. I've spent the last two months at T & J's house transferring them all from VHS - and not a moment too soon, from the sad shape of some of those tapes. It has been a long process, and we're only halfway done! Eight years down; eight years to go. In other words, I'll be spending lots of time at T & J's house in early 2007, too.

As for me, I received the following:

From K - Phase 10 Anniversary Edition, at my request
From Ry - tall vanilla-scented candle, which I always welcome
From Pey - a sweater cap and gloves/mittens (they have a flap that opens up so that the tips of your fingers are exposed, in case you need to grip something; or the flap can stay closed in warm-mitten fashion), which I'd actually requested from Ry...boy was he disappointed. Pey got to go shopping with Daddy first. Poor Ry.

From DH - Two beautiful, soft sweaters; a large cake carrier; scrapbooking die-cuts; an adapter so I can play my IPod in the car (WAY cool); a purse; socks; pajamas; a pair of sexy panties, which he threw in with the pj's, lol.

From SIL and BIL (and partially MIL and FIL, too) - tickets to see "Spamalot" next June.

From MIL and FIL - A silver serving fork, which was labeled "To Pley and DH," so I have to share. And a funky purse which I call my wooly mammoth, as it really does look like someone went back in time, skinned a wooly mammoth, and made a purse out of him. I like it because it's different and roomy, but by spring I'll be switching over to the purse DH got me. Somehow wooly things don't really go with sunny weather. Maybe it's just me.
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Now for something totally different. This is from Fishie's blog: Today's assignment: make a list of what people you may have to buy for next year. Then jot down what they received this year. It may help jog your memory next fall. Or it will give you a direction to go in. Get ten names down on paper and some things they received or spoke about wanting. We can do that much!

Here we go:

DH - family videos to DVD; portable DVD player; new DVD player (notice a theme here?)
K - IPod Shuffle; MP3 speaker/pillow; guitar tab paper; guitar picks
RY - IPod Shuffle; Star Wars "Build Your Own Lightsaber" kit
PEY - IPod Shuffle; FLYpen computer
SIL - plush robe; BBW soaps and lotions
BIL - egg separator (SO gross, but SO funny - check it out here)
MIL - bracelet; History of Christianity book
FIL - flashlights; Maps of the Civil War book
J - BBW pedicure kit
T - Tootsie Rolls; homemade white chocolate fudge
TNK - goodie bag: magazines, BBW lotions and soaps; other health & beauty items
EMTsis - see TNK
ECS - magnetized memo board for her room

Thanks, Fish, for getting me on track. Now I'll know next year that FIL doesn't need any more flashlights. I'm sure that's getting old. :)

LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Tonight we went out to dinner with the in-laws, as is our tradition. We'd called ahead to make sure that the restaurant, Los Compadres, would be open. They told us they'd be open until 7:00 p.m.

We got there just after 5:00. As it turns out, we were the only ones in the entire place. For once, our table for seven had plenty of leg room. We were there for about an hour, ate our wonderful dinner, then paid and left at 6:00. As we walked out, the restaurant - which still had no other diners - turned out the lights and closed up an hour early.

Merry Christmas, Los Compadres, and thank you for the delicious tamales.

After dinner, we went to church for the Christmas Eve service. Our church is in transition, meaning the old building has been sold and we're waiting for the new construction to be completed. So in the meantime, the entire church is meeting in a local junior high school. The.place.was.packed. There were at least two hundred people in this service (the church had had another service prior to this one). The majority of the service was singing, which is my hands-down favorite part of church at Christmas, so I enjoyed myself very much.

The only drawback to the service was that we weren't allowed to use candles this year. Typically, everyone holds a small candle and we pass the flame from person to person. But the school district does not allow open flames on its campuses, so our pastor came up with a rather ingenious (and kind of weird) solution: glow sticks. Everyone took a glow stick from the basket, and we all cracked them at the same time. You'd think, as I did, that this would be cheesy, but somehow it worked. All the congregants' faces were lit by a soft glow, and really, it didn't matter that the light did not come from a flame.

Oh Holy Night. Happy Birthday, Jesus. You ARE the reason for the season. Amen.