littles, what's that on your lip?, and pandemic

1 The littles are sleeping over tonight. Their room is ready with fresh sheets, new blankets from Christmas and a few books and toys. 
2 Izzy's hilarious when she finds the glow in the dark mustaches. Each time she puts one on she says to us all, "Look at me! Look at me!" and then laughs loudly and heartily before racing to the bathroom to look in the mirror at herself and laugh even louder!
3 We're playing Pandemic. Not too far into the game and it's pretty intense and fun. It's great because we are building teamwork and learning about each other and how we operate together.

the last six days

1 Mr P is packed up and ready to head home. It's a long drive. Sixteen hours, so he'll do it in two days.
2 We chit chat over the phone and find him the perfect out of the way place to stay. It's plain and simple, but clean and with a continental breakfast.
3 I make a big dent on my Christmas gift wrapping and gift making!
4 The idealistic me wants to make all sorts of things for everyone, but the practical side of me tells me to think real. I narrow down my selections and feel relief instantly.
5 Making a gingerbread house with Izzy. I love how she says, "I just love Grampa so much."

6 While we are making the gingerbread house, Kesler has found the train Christmas tree ornament along with little village we've put up. He meticulously checks each one out, carefully put one away before taking a new one.
7 It's time for a kitty. We have mice in our basement and they are not welcome!
8 The grandkidlets have a sleepover and in the morning are bursting with energy. Soon the hats, coats, gloves and boots are on and they're exploring the front yard.
9 Izzy finds the sand pile and soon both kids are wielding shovels and pails.
10 I'm glad there's no snow. It's nice to enjoy warmer weather after the long bitter cold snap we just had.
11 Grampa and Izzy get busy making pine cones for the birds. Lots of effort goes into getting the right amount of peanut butter and seeds as well as choosing the perfect length of string for hanging.
12 Mr P has patience. He hasn't been around kids a lot, never had any of his own, so it's a new and sometimes overwhelming experience for him. Still, he has patience.
13 Kes does really quite well despite being overwhelmed with sights and sounds from the busy Christmas morning. He's not ready to face the world yet, and hides his face in mommy and then daddy's shoulders.
14 Our Christmas dinner, well the turkey part is created and boned and served by the one and only Mr P. He follows the directions perfectly and it's a lovely golden brown and the stuffing - delicious!
15 Santa brought Izzy and Kes a few things in their stockings at our home. They each got a battery operated guitar! Kes loves music. Kesler carefully touches each button to hear the sounds. Izzy touches them all at once and dances all over the living room in complete abandon.
15a Chris had taken Izzy to the Dollar Store for Christmas shopping. She was so excited for each gift that she had chosen and each gift was perfect for the person. I'm amazed at the perceptiveness for a four and a half year old.
16 Izzy catches us smooching, grins and says, "You're married. Come on over here and dance. Rock it you guys."
16a Bath time for the little ones after dinner brings the energy level down a notch or two. At least for a little bit. Soon it's time for pumpkin pie and topping and we ride the sugar high.

17 After dinner we talk online with Nick and Sara. They look amazing, happy, cozy and we all get nostalgic. We show them the old home videos of Nick and Chris as toddlers and everyone has a good laugh.
18 Sara and Izzy sing songs to each other. Izzy chose a song from Frozen and Sara sang a Chinese lullaby to her.I look at the screen when Izzy is singing and see tears streaming down Sara's face and she's biting her bottom lip. They are lovely together.
19 The house is slowly being set to normal. The boxes are being filled with ornaments, gifts put away and baking goes into the freezer. All we have left are lights on the house and some turkey in the refrigerator.
20 Mr P likes his wifi weather station. He's putting it up and having fun playing with the install and putting the app on his phone.
21 It's quiet here. Just the sounds of the birds, the whirring of a washing machine down the hall and the sound of the keyboard.

gripped, B, meds, healing hours, bday, voice and woohoo

1 Oh dear, this cold has me in it's grip. I'm resting and resting, drinking tea, and resting some more. I'm thankful for the peace and quiet of my home.
2 My friend, B has relocated to the area and is working at the hospital as well. We catch up over the phone and find out we have so much more in common that we even thought. How fun!
3 Medicine. Yes, I am very grateful for the medicine that is bringing some relief. Sorry to whine about my cold but hey some days it's difficult to find the positive. Okay, today's really hard, but I am here and hoping to turn the corner.
4 Twelve hours of sleep. Wow, that was amazing and healing.
5 It's my birthday today. I'm enjoying the Facebook messages, a couple of calls and texts and of course a visit from my family who brought me chicken noodle soup and tea. Love them.
5a Izzy says, "Grama, your voice sounds like a real Papa Bear." She means it's so deep I sound like what she thinks Papa Bear from the Berenstain books would sounds like!
5b Kesler is enthralled with the snow globe. It is definitely the train that runs underneath that he is drawn to.
6 Mr P calls and we have a fun and flirty (as flirty as I can be when I am sick) conversation. I'll be so happy when he's finally home.

Friday fun and not so fun

1 A busy day at work with a head cold. ugh, but I am grateful it's over and I made it through~
2 Our sweet Kesler turned 3 today! He had a small party with his family and I'll go over tomorrow and have some time with them to celebrate just a little bit more.
3 There was a lovely invitation to an Christmas party with one of the other jobs that I do as a casual. How very nice to be included even if I had to say no because I was working!

i like it, tree, and wheee

1 I loved the morning's agenda;  rise and shine, turn on the tree lights and fireplace, make coffee, call Gaile, enjoy.

2 It's feeling very Christmasy at home. I love how the two different types of lights make for a two toned tree.

3 We had a mini impromptu Christmas party in our office sharing treats that Sam made, some peanut butter bars, nacho chips, salt and vinegar nuts and lots of laughs.

warm, warmer, crafty and craftier

1 It was cold at work yesterday so today I brought a big thick sweater. I wore it most of the day and felt grateful that I was toasty.
2 A big bowl of hot and sour soup. I love making this one. It's quick, easy and has just enough heat to make the upper lip sweat.
3 Making Christmas gifts is what I've wanted to do for some time now. Today, I got my supplies for a couple of the projects and got started. Woo hoo! Once again I'm out of my comfort zone.
4 Sending big hugs and warm wishes for a great, successful craft fair this weekend Sam!

getting it done, shopping, and keep it together will ya

1 I think I have lots of time until I change my plans and then I'm scrambling to get anything done! But most of it's done.
2 Christmas shopping for the grandkidlets for books, clothes and an extra special battery operated guitar for Isabelle. I'm sure we'll all be ready for a battery extraction but the end of Christmas day!
3 I like working with J. She's pretty down to earth and I really enjoy her sense of humour. Our work atmosphere is casual, hilarious at times but we manage to stay professional even when we are holding back laughter!