From Chaos Comes Happiness

Earlier this week, my friend Nicole at Destination Unknown wrote a great blog post about her love of Christmas Music. And if you have read my blog for any time at all, I am sure you can assume that I am, in fact, a lover of Christmas music too. Nicole's blog inspired me to share my own homage to the Sounds of the Season, and as expected . . . there's a story to tell. Christmas music has always been a special part of the holiday season for me. Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald . . . I grew up with the classics, and my love for them has grown even stronger through the years. I knew very early on that Christmas music would always be a big part of me. It makes me sing out loud in seconds, it can bring me to tears in minutes, and it can immediately transpose me to another place and time in my life. I can remember very clearly being a young child and waiting patiently for the radio stations to start playing Christmas music. It was a big deal...

I woke up today . . . feeling like Christmas. I know. I know. It's way too early . . . it's not even November yet, right? Let us enjoy a little bit of this Fall before we jump into something else, don't you think? But I couldn't help it. My friend Leslie has been playing Christmas music all week, and telling us about it on her Facebook page. My sister sent an email that she was in the Christmas spirit, too. It's gonna happen, you know. Why put off to tomorrow, what you can feel today, right? If you have been around here any time at all, you know that I love Christmas. I mean, who doesn't? Ok . . . I am sure there are plenty who don't like the commercialization of it, and think it's gotten way out of hand over the years. But, my friends . . .  I love the true meaning of it. The celebration of the birth of Jesus, the son of God. The giving to others and doing kind things for others. The singing of Christmas Carols and the making of hot chocolate...

While I stayed home doing laundry and cleaning up the house from our Christmas Festivities . . . here is a quick little video of what PG and Ellie did this afternoon. (I don't know if this video thing is going to work . . . I've never done this before, and don't really anticipate doing this very often. This clip was just tooo cute not to share.) Enjoy! PG bought himself me a Flip Video thingamajiggie for Christmas. He is  I am enjoying it very much!

When the party is over and the dishes are washed, when the presents are opened and boxes are emptied, when cookie platters are emptied and crumbs are nibbled up, when the music is off and only the glimmer of twinkle lights remain, that is when you know that all of the hustle and bustle and crowds and traffic and wrapping and cooking and baking was totally worth it. Every second of it. And then, you rest. For a long long time. Until you have to do it all over again. Wishing you continued joy this Sunday.

PG and I have a little difference of opinions. But don’t worry . . . he knows nothing about it. Kind of like that time when I went on strike. You remember, don’t you? The big "Strike of 2010" (when I wasn’t doing laundry and dishes AT ALL, but he had no idea I was on Strike. I wrote about it here .) Yes, it’s kind of like that. You see, I like to spend the days and weeks leading up to the holidays surrounded 100% in total holiday joy. Which means; we watch holiday movies, we sing holiday songs, we eat holiday foods, we wear holiday socks. PG, on the other hand, does it a little differently. PG watches the Alien Trilogy , Modern Family , or outrageously silly Comedy Central shows. Now, while all of these maybe be perfectly fine (Modern Family is a great show), I just can’t seem to bring myself to do it. I cannot spend a single December day or evening watching . . . Alien Trilogy (or any of the others . . . except maybe Modern Family). I can’t. It’s just not...

I love the ballet The Nutcracker.  When I was a young child, I remember my mom taking us to see it at Arie Crown Theater in downtown Chicago. My dear Auntie Alice (my dad's sister) worked at Arie Crown, and many Christmas seasons were spent with us driving into the city to see this wonderful production. I was probably close to the same age Katie is right now (7) and to me, it was the most magical thing we did all season long. I remember getting all dressed up for the occasion, in our Sundays best. Nowadays, you will find people in all kinds of attire at the theater, from sequin dresses to jeans. But back then, it was most certainly a special occasion. (Contrary to what you might believe, I'm not really the sequins gown sort of girl. I still believe that the theater is meant to be a special occasion, so I will dress "up" - but, no sequins for me!) Thinking back to those performances, I can ima...

Yes, our Christmas wishes are well on their way to the North Pole, as Katie and Ella signed their letters to Santa and dropped them in the mail this week! I absolutely love letters to Santa . . . it's probably one of the sweetest moments in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The whole "Santa thing" is really so magical, isn't it? Next year, I fear our Katie will be asking some serious questions about the whole Mr. C. and gift exchange routine as she has already been told by a few classmates that Santa isn't real. She came home from school a few weeks ago and said, "Mom, a boy at school told me that Santa wasn't real."   I thought that the time had come ALREADY . . . and cautiously asked for her reply to him. She reenacted the moment word for word,  "I told him , ' Yeah, right . . . (role of the eye) . . . like my parents are REALLY going to climb down the chimney to leave me presents. I don't think so.' Boys are so silly, Mom....

When I grow up . . . ;) . . . I think I want to be the crazy sock lady. I thought good and hard about being the crazy earring lady, or the crazy glasses lady.Then I thought about being the crazy red lipstick lady, or the crazy orange skinned lady and decided they weren't just for me. Ooooo - maybe I can be the crazy slipper lady? Or the crazy scarf lady? No. Not right. And I think I'm way too cool to be the crazy sweater lady. But the crazy sock lady? Yes, I think that fits me. As you know . . . I've got the "crazy" part down . . . now I need the socks. So, I bought myself about 6 pairs of crazy holiday socks this year (I stumbled upon a REALLY GREAT black Friday sale, and was suckered into the penguins, snowmen and Santa on globe designs.) Since then, I can't get enough. I want more. MORE CRAZY SOCKS. I don't want to stop with snowmen and dancing penguins. NO! I want leprechauns and pots of gold.  I want chickies and ...

Finally! Time to sit down at my beloved computer and reconnect . . . ah, this feels SO GOOD! What a busy weekend, and so sorry for that unexpected hiatus. I didn't quite see it coming, and would have surely warned you about it had I known. But, you know . . . sometimes that darn "LIFE" just gets in the way from writing a good old blog post. Ah, well. I'm here, I'm happy, and I'm so glad to see you. How are you? The first thing I read when sitting down at the computer tonight, was a lovely little note from my dear friend Michelle ( Blissful Babble lady ) who sent me an email asking me if I found my brain yet. (My last post was about loosing it! So silly ... love that Michelle!) She also offered to call the authorities to check on me . . . which I actually contemplated having her do, because perhaps an overnight stay in a padded room would come in handy every once in a while.  However, dear Michelle figured it out when she said, "I ...

I am not one to put value on material things in life. . . I recognize my life is blessed with a richness far beyond what house I live in or the car that I drive. However, I do have one possession that I have come to honor much more than I ever thought I would. Did I ever share with you my very most prized possession? The one object that truly means the most to me? The object that brought tears to my eyes when received, and the thing I would be most heartbroken over if ever lost or damaged? Here it is . . . This little statue. It brings tears to my eyes just looking at it right now. I first saw this little angel about one year after my Dad passed away. Katie was about 6 months old and PG and I were at a nearby mall doing some quick Christmas shopping when we went into a little gift store and saw this little angel. I must have been extremely hormonal at the time . . . because I started crying the minute I read it.  Ok, it wasn't the hormon...

Have I ever told you about my Poinsettia? THE Poinsettia to END ALL Poinsettia's? That's MY Poinsettia. Well . . . allow me, if you will, to share the story about this plant. (Is it a flower? Is it a plant? I just looked up the definition and actually - it's a flowering plant. Duh! You probably already knew that.) Anyway, my dear neighbor and friend, Christina, works in the floral section at the local Jewel store. Around the first of December she rang my doorbell and handed me the most beautiful Poinsettia to enjoy for the holidays. So sweet and so festive - it graced our table all Christmas season and was the centerpiece of our holiday. Here is a lovely photo of THE poinsettia taken the end of December. Still going strong . . . Well . . . let me tell you. I do love this plant/flower/flowering plant. I enjoyed it SO much and it was a beautiful addition to our house LAST year. Eh-hem . . . But, seriously. Isn't it time to . . . um . . . go? Here is a picture of THE poin...

Is it wrong that I secretly wish Ella's gift from Santa was all my own? Is it wrong that I am secretly jealous that she received such an awesome present? Hmmmm. . . .you decide. This is the present that I covet . . . It's not just the Art Desk. It's all of the supplies that Santa brought to go with it. . . It's the brand new Crayola Pip-Squeaks Markers Tower that hold 50 bright color markers! It's the 2 boxes of Crayola crayons that hold a total of 192 beautiful and never before used crayola crayons in awesome colors like Prussian Blue and Mountain Meadow . Brand New. Maybe it is the two brand new drawing pads of paper that Santa brought, clean . . . without finger prints or smudges - all ready for her to create. (sigh) Or perhaps it is just simply the fact that she has a dedicated space where she can create, dream and . . . simply BE. It's amazes me that I can own a home, yet I have failed to set up a little corner or desk area (or even a 2 x 2 foot space) of...

Before I start with the blahblahblah, I want to thank each and everyone of you for the thoughts and the kind words written about the Saturday post on My Dad. You have no idea how much your outpouring of LOVE filled my heart and how much easier the day was because of each of YOU! My Father really was just a wonderful, great, funny, stubborn, loyal, loving Man. And being able to share him with all of you was just so special to me. So, I thank you - sincerely. Now . . . . I have got to tell you . . . . here I am, once again, searching for the strength that I have come accustomed to each of your providing. . . because . . . AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I have completely and totally lost the Spirit (you know . . . the Big C Spirit . . . yes, CHRISTMAS) within the past week. I am exhausted. I am drained. I wish I could lay down and find that I've slept my way to 2010 . . . because 2009 has been poopy (that's my very official and technical term for the year, if you must know.) But I know, I...

I am getting ready for another fun filled weekend! How 'bout you? This weekend I am doing a couple things that are SURE to fill the spirit. I am: SCRAPBOOKING!!!! Visiting the Scrapbook Cellar to work on my December Daily, some Christmas related layouts, and to fill my soul with positive energy that I get from the ladies who are with me. SINGING CHRISTMAS SONGS!!! Remember the other day I wrote about my Top 20 Christmas tunes and how I was inspired to write that post after reading the Facebook update of an old high school friend? Well, guess what? 3 of us from my High School Glee Club (including the one who wrote the post) are gathering at my home Saturday evening to . . . SING!!!! Ok, I know how dorky this may sound to some of you . . . but others of you WISH YOU WERE WITH ME - I KNOW IT!!!! And it's ok that there will only be 3 of us . . . we are 1 tenor, 1 alto and 1 soprano - so we've got it covered! I don't know if I can convince by fellow Glee members to call u...

So, PG had to leave super early today for a business trip to Atlanta (sniff sniff) . . . I'll be pulling out the ol'Starbucks Amore mug this week (sigh). The alarm went off at 3:30 AM, he was showered and out the door by 4:00 AM, and I was staring at the ceiling at 4:15 AM. . . . with a little song in my head. It goes like this . . . Over the ground lies a mantle of white, a heaven of diamonds shine down thro' the night, two hearts are thrillin' in spite of the chill in . . . the weather. Do you know that song? It is actually the opening verse of "Winter Wonderland" . You know - the "Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? In the lane, snow is glistening. . . " song? Most versions do not include that little beginning verse. But when I was back in GLEE (eh-hem, I mean, my High School Show Choir), we performed the song with that little opening part. . . harmonies and all. And it was pretty much - perfect (I know, I don't like to use that word bec...

. . . at a little church here in New Lenox. It was breathtaking. I wept openly at the beauty of it all. The tears would not stop streaming from my eyes. Something touched my heart - and in this moment I felt the true meaning of Christmas like never before.

AMAZING!!! MAGICAL!! Absolutely INCREDIBLE!! Today we went and saw "A Christmas Carol" in 3D at the Navy Pier IMAX theater in downtown Chicago, and it was all of the above - and then some. You know the story - you've heard it, watched it and thought about it before. Let me tell you - this movie brought it all full circle to me today. I sat in this theater with my husband, daughters, sister, and brother-in-law, and I was in a state of complete disbelief that animated movies are able to look so completely real. I sat thinking about how talented and brilliant Robert Zemeckis is, to have created this film. I sat thinking about how gifted all the people involved in bringing this film to life must be - how I wish I had just one little teeny tiny itty bit of their creativity. Just brilliant. And Jim Carrey - he was awesome. I actually forgot it was Jim Carrey and became lost in this Ebenezer Scrooge. Just Fantastic. The movie did have a few "dark" moments in it, but m...

I don't know about you - but one of the fondest Christmas memories I have while growing up in my family (next to the obvious celebration of the birth of Our Lord), is CHRISTMAS COOKIES!!!! And, dear Lord forgive us . . . my family really OUT DID themselves on the Christmas Cookie front. We are the family who bakes cookies through the month of December (usually 2 weeks prior to Christmas) and freezes them in festive cookie tins, then brings them out on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day morning, and displays them in all their goodness on beautiful platters and plates. I have 2 brothers and 1 sister, so growing up there always seemed to be alot of activity going on in our house, especially around the Holidays. Mom would actually have to TAPE the lids to the cookie tins closed, to try and keep my brothers from going into the freezer and snacking on her hard work. One year I remember Mom pulling out a tin of these delicious cream cheese filled crescents, and the tin was EMPTY! Not even a...

Ok - Not to stress anyone out - but as of today . . . .Christmas is 22 days away!!! 22 days!!!! SERIOUSLY!!!! I tell you this NOT because I want you to run out and get your Christmas shopping done (you already know that I am trying to make this years Holiday about so much more than the gift part.) I tell you this because I can't believe how fast the days are going and Christmas is going to be here (and gone - sniff sniff) before we know it. So, this is what I am going to do - I am going to make it my personal goal to make every single one of the next 22 days the very HAPPIEST and BEST days that I possibly can. As if EVERY ONE of the next 22 days is Christmas. Let me explain . . . You see, I can remember that feeling of "let down" that comes after every Christmas. Don't you? After all the lights are turned off and the decorations come down. After the radio stations go back to their usual line-ups and that winter chill really starts to set in. Bummer. But let's not...