Happy Christmas Eve

Paintings by Liz Lemon Swindle and Greg Olsen

Let it Snow!

SO happy we're getting a white Christmas! but i HATE driving in this stuff-- serves me right for not having my shopping done before dec 23.

Christmas Decorations

I've spent the last hour looking at blogs of people's cute Christmas decorations. Now I have the sudden urge to blog about my own decorations-- I think I'm too impressionable!But anyway---- These reindeer are in the running to be my favorite thing that we have up this year. There are 2- one on each side of the mantle. It's actually a 'copycat' decoration, though. Brian's mom has a set of these. But apparently it was always Brian's favorite decoration so she called us last year when she saw them on clearance at Kohl's. I can't wait to shop the clearance sections again this year!

Only 4 more days to Christmas!!!

2nd Grade Gingerbread Houses, 2008

typing, copying & passing out donation lists . . . . . . 25 minutes

going to the store to get items that weren't donated . . . . . . 30 minutes

cutting graham crackers into house-shapes . . . . . . 1 hour

hot-gluing the houses together . . . . . . 1.5 hours

making icing and filling it into 24 individual sandwich bags . . . . . . 1 hour

time spent complaining about stupid gingerbread houses . . . . . . 30 minutes

trying to get rid of my "stress headache" from the houses . . . . . . 40 minutes

seeing how happy my kids were to decorate the houses on the last day of school . . . . . . worth every minute!

can't wait to do it again next year! =)

Our First Christmas Tree

My tree decorating skills (thus far):

Brian's special touches:Our tree is actually quite funny. It came pre-lit with twinkling Christmas lights. However, about a week after setting it up, the whole bottom section of lights on the tree started blinking off and on-- I think it has a short or something. I like to think it just has extra "twinkle!" (At least that's what I tell myself so I don't really have to deal with the problem!)

Topless Models

At the mall on Saturday, I was trying on some clothes as Brian roamed around the neighboring stores. He returned as I was ready to check out and informed me that just across from my store, Pac Sun was displaying topless models! I assumed he was talking about the nearly-nude, Abercrombie-type models. But he assured me it wasn't anything so proper-- they were actually topless; nothing covering them up! I was appalled! There is no way a store would show nudity like that in public . . . right??? As we left my store, we passed by Pac Sun and Brian pointed out the topless models displayed proudly in the front windows:


Ha, Ha, Ha. Funny Brian.
(I hate that I believe EVERYTHING he says!)

Oh there's no place like home . . .

I snuck away from work early today (with permission; and the kids had a half-day-- I didn't just leave them!) just so I could get a few precious moments at home. We have had something scheduled EVERY SINGLE NIGHT this week and I haven't done a single thing at my house that needs to be done. So . . . my extra hour will be spent returning emails, cleaning, folding laundry, decorating, paying bills, cleaning out the car, and all this while listening to Christmas music! I love being home while it's still light outside!!!

Favorite Things

Things I love coming home to at night:

#1: My husband

#2: This . . .

Disney on Ice

We went with our friends to Disney on Ice last night. I actually enjoyed it even more than I thought I would!

The best part, by far, was watching all these 'happily ever after' stories, while sitting next to my own Prince Charming. =)

Thank you Nathan & Shar for the tickets!!

A Blond at the Polls

Tonight I went to vote. When I got there, however, and told them my name was "Nye," they couldn't find my name on their list. Brian's name was there-- mine wasn't. I was a little upset. After all, I was roped into being a state delegate and caucus co-chair. I've attended meetings preparing for this election, and they somehow left my name off of the register?! How dare they!

I ended up filling out a provisional ballot (at least I think that's what they called it). It was a paper ballot that was put into a ballot box.

I came home and started cleaning and doing laundry, wondering if they would even count my vote since I wasn't on their list of registered voters. Suddenly, I realized that I wasn't Dana "Nye" when I registered to vote! How could I forget that a little marriage had happened between the time I registered to vote and now?! I felt so stupid. By this time, I was in my pj's in my nice warm house. I really didn't want to go back. But a little lecture was going through my head about how I need to do "my part" as an American and all that. So I headed back to the voting place to fix the situation.

The 15 or so workers got a good laugh at my "forgetting I had gotten married" excuse. A blond joke or 2 were thrown around, then I was informed I didn't need to do anything. It somehow, magically, will be sorted out on its own. I walked out, feeling very stupid. It didn't help my self-esteem any that I was wearing a giant poofy marshmallow coat and high-water sweatpants, showing off my colorful socks!