the best bits of Christmas

1. all the lights– especially our front yard, which glows in the Austin night sky.

2. my kick-ass eggnog

3. Obie’s peanut brittle

4. re-reading the passage in ‘A Prayer for Own Meany’, where Owen is Jesus in the Christmas pageant

5. my seriously cute husband (always one of the best bits, but bears mentioning)

6. singing Nat King Cole’s “I’m the Happiest Christmas Tree”, hugely loud with the babies– which was just what I did with my sweet daddy.

7. listening to “Six to Eight Black Men” by David Sedaris

8. no school (hence, no 6:30 wakeup call)

9. the Christmas book about the mouse, the strawberry, and the big brown bear

10. Bumbles

11. the Roman bath that happens in the backyard (sadly, we’re missing one of the main participants this year)

12. watching same missing participant eat prime rib roast with gorgonzola cream sauce (he has a very expressive face)

13. lazy Christmas night, with the house packed full of family

14. being forced to watch ‘White Christmas’ with husband and mom-in-law (will do anything for them, including sitting through that movie)

15. seeing the babies’ faces when they round the corner on Christmas morning.

16. Fred

17. Duke

shoes glorious shoes

After seeing the motorcycle boots in Bookhart’s latest post, I am inspired to show some recent purchases for my own girl child. She has inherited her mom’s love of slacker clothes, and fetish for shoes. The girl goes everywhere in basketball shorts, t-shirts, and hoodies, with a long ponytail. No deviation, except for special occasions (which involves bribery).

Also, the girl is in miniature. There are only two years between her (she? It?) and her big brother, but over a foot difference in height, and over 100 pounds. Granted, he’s a man-child now, but she is bitty. I was born the tallest one in the class, so it’s all rather fascinating to me. But her foot finally grew, and she’s now a 6 1/2– real shoes!!! So, when the Santa letter turned up requests for boots and shoes, the mama went shoppin’.

First she wanted blue Ugs, then realized that she needs new boots for the ranch, as she’s outgrown all our baby boots. She thought it was too much to ask for both, but I’d already found the Ugs on sale at Whole Earth, and here they are, complete with the baby girl’s puppy’s head. Anyway, a girl needs boot options.

Then I headed out for the cowboy boots, and found some seriously cute Luccheses.

A couple of days later at Target, I found these mules, along with a pair of velvet black ballet slippers, with colorful sequins embroidered on (but those had to be handed over for a formal dress day at school.

All in all, the mama done good.

couch potatoes

It is most disconcerting to wake up at 4:30 a.m. on the couch, surrounded by three cats, two goldens, and one angel baby. Apparently the husband ditched us after we fell asleep during the movie. To be fair, we are not very wakeable. I could have been snoring, post several glasses of wine.

Baby Girl was under one quilt (now three), with her very cute and cold toes peeking out. Last night she baked a Red Velvet Chocolate Cake for my best friend’s Christmas party, then made some yummy crackers with ranch seasoning. Unfortunately the goldens may have decimated the latter, as the empty pyrex pan was also on the couch. I had made double batches of chex mix, as the babies love it dearly, and the store-bought kind is full of hydrogenated oil.

Needless to say, the kitchen is trashed. Good news: I keep toothbrushes in the kitchen for the babies to use before school, so there’s no need for me to climb the stairs. Double good news: no mascara on the eyes. Triple good news: Diesel the Pooh (our rat) apparently made it back into his cage, so none of the cats are licking their lips. They all just got a bowl of milk as reward.

As for me, I’m heading back to the couch for more snuggle action, with fresh breath and a huge bottle of Evian. Maybe a couple of aspirin, too.

bad blogger

Am feeling much too humdrum for daily blogging. Reading other blogs is way more interesting. Big bad case of the ugs.

So, just to get something up, here’s the story of the last few days:

1. Trying to keep smallest dog from leaping fence and harassing pregnant woman with lab puppy. Unfortunately, true story. Good thing is that the husband and the boy were outside to deal with it. Smallest dog has one blue eye and one brown, and lived under the 1st Street bridge until he turned one and came to our house. He had dreadlocks. He has lived here for eight years now, but still carries deep angst within, and likes to bring it out either passive-aggressively (peeing on other dogs’ stuff), or by jumping puppies. We call him Fred, Napolean for short.

2. Every night we cause the extra glow in the Austin night sky. Once upon a time there was an simple, colorful theme to the Christmas lights. Now we just add more shit every year, and call it eclectic. Little kids wander through every night. It’s great.

3. mmmm, nachos.

4. Attended sneak-peek of ‘Brokeback Mountain’ on Tuesday. The movie was every bit as impressive as the story. Truly I can’t describe it, because any attempts at doing so are laden with superlatives and end up sounding trite. The next day my brain kept turning corners and body-slamming me with visuals from the movie. I was a weepy girl.

5. The Littlest had her first official basketball game as a middle schooler. It was awesome. She is tremendously fast, and little, and they run a play where she crosses the court slowly and deliberately (point guard), then heads for a corner seemingly at full speed, then when the girl guarding her comes in the Littlest turns on the gas. It truly is like watching a Speedy Gonzales cartoon.

6. I’m listening to The Anansi Boys on ipod while doing the mundane (laundry-sweeping-etc) and reading Everything is Illuminated, and wholly enjoying both.

7. There’s a portrait that needs to be painted, and a website that needs to be built, but every day four-six hours of other graphic/photographic stuff comes first. Ouchie Mama. I want a time freeze.

8. Luby’s is awesome.

ya hoo dor ay-ya hoo dor ay-

…is that what they’re singing?