Bullet Points

I have too much to say to use paragraphs, so Let's Catch Up Bullet Points it is.

• Christmas was great. We had a lazy day of pajamas, delicious food, and a sing-a-long to The Sound of Music. We had our traditional pancakes and bacon, plus pumpkin spice bread, chocolate peppermint bread, and a successful experiment: Grandma's Naughty Cinnamon Balls.
• My favorite present is the new laptop on which I am currently typing. My last one was at least five years old and making loud whirring sounds when it decided to work. This is the second laptop I received this Christmas. A bought me one and I had to return it because I'm apparently incredibly picky about mouse pads. I felt like I had to push hard to scroll down and despite all the adjustments he made, it was so difficult/distracting that I finally gave up. My new one responds to my lightest touch.
• E's favorite presents were Lego Harry Potter for the wii and an electronic diary that will only open to her voice. 
• L loves her new electric blanket (um, so do the rest of us - it's big enough to share!) and Clue. (I forgot how much I like Clue. Recommend.)
• C is playing with her Melissa & Doug cake and her gumball machine (from the grandparents). 
• A got warm running clothes and some books.
• For the last few years I've thought that I need to help each kid choose gifts for the rest of the family, but I hate shopping so much that I keep putting it off. I don't want to Christmas shop, so I certainly don't want to do it an extra three times! Maybe next year.
• I didn't send Christmas cards this year. I seem to be on an every other year pattern.
• We saw a library program on sled dogs and the Iditarod. It was very interesting and now E and I are saving our money for a sled dog team.
• My Saturday morning before Christmas step aerobics class had Christmas music and jingle bells to put on each of our shoes. It was festive - I loved it! I imagine I would get sick of the jingling after a while, but right now I wish I always had jingle bells on my shoes.
• C has been asking to get a pixie haircut. We compromised on a very short bob and if she still wants a pixie at the next haircut, I'll bring her to my stylist (usually the girls get their hair cut at Great Clips) so it's done well. Part of me is worried it'll be too short and I don't want to deal with the upkeep, but most of me shrugs and says, "It's just hair." It's a big change, though, so she'll have to still want it in another two months.
•  I read Gone Girl and hated the two main characters with a red hot fiery passion of hate. I finished it only out of spite. Now I'm enjoying a set of kids books that a friend gave E & L: Dealing With Dragons.
• L used her looms to make a hat and a flower for a little baby we know. She, E, and I got knitting stuff for Christmas and A's cousin is going to teach us the basics.
• We made gingerbread houses from a kit and it went okay. Then my kids ate them. GROSS. I don't know what those kits are made from, but they don't strike me as edible.
• Last night we went to a scavenger hunt at a nearby rec center and stayed to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol. I'd never seen it before, but it was really cute! I'm going to add it to our Christmas movie rotation.
• There is finally enough snow and we went sledding today. Everyone is big enough to steer around wandering little kids and also to drag their own sleds up the hill. I had made chicken noodle soup in the crockpot before we left, so we came back to deliciousness.
• E and L have been asking for information on people A and I used to date and the story behind how we met, fell in love, and got married. Tonight, they asked us to tell the story again and A told them a variety of versions:

I worked on farm and mama lived there, too. She would ask me to do things and I would do them immediately and tell her, "As you wish."

I was a chalk artist who sometimes played in a one man band. There was this nanny that I saw around and I liked to be around her and the children she watched.

I was older and the local abbey sent a nun to be the governess for my seven children. I was strict and formal at first, but she soon won me over.

 

Comments

[Michele]

Love it! Let me 'explain. No there is too much. Let me sum up. Your bullet points reminded me so much of my favorite movie and then BAM! You referenced it at the end. I love the versions of your love story. Great new look to the blog!!

[Carol]

I just wanted to tell you again how much I love reading your blog. I have subscribed to way more blogs than I will ever read or can keep up with, there are well over a 1000 postings at all times in the blogs in my reader, but when I see you've posted, it's one of the first ones I read. Thank you for sharing your life and your lovely family.

[Swistle]

I wonder when they'll be old enough to hear the real story, about how you were a poor girl with a good heart and a bad accent, and he was a rich language expert who bet a friend he could teach you to speak like a lady?

[JenniF]

I'm reading Gone Girl right now and I have to say I'm really disappointed. Her first two books were MUCH better!

[Christine]

I actually liked Gone Girl more than her other books. The characters were horrible, awful people, but they were just characters, so I laughed and laughed at some of the lines. But I just read finished a book about Hitler; evil in fiction is much preferred.

It sounds like you had a nice holiday. Happy you're back (because I think Twitter is just beyond me)!