Here's To Us. Who's Like Us?

Damn Few!

BTdubs, that was my grandfather's favorite toast, according to Mom.  

Here's to all of the best blogsters and crafters and friends in the blogosphere - Cheers!

It's a beautiful day here, and I'm so enjoying having some extended time to myself to be creative, but still....I'm a bit blue.    Today is myfriendTeri's birthday, and I have been with her on this day for nine out of the last 10 years and while I'm sure her mom is happy to be with her today....still! It just feels wrong.  We have a group of friends called the New Year's Eve Sliders (sliding/stumbling into the new year together) and this is the first time in eight years that we will not be together in some far-flung location to celebrate.  

Ok, the locations haven't always been flung very far.  How does one flung a location?  Def: flung - simple past of fling. Fling: throw, abrupt moves, take a crack at it, whirl, splurge, spree, discard.  And apparently, there are approximately 16,000 Google sites that will help you answer the oft-asked question of "Who flung poo?"

But I digress.  (See what happens when I have more time and coffee?  If you were looking for something profound, this isn't the place.  Go read a serious blog on some flung website.)

So the locations haven't always been whirled, splurged or discarded that far - Phoenix, Las Vegas, Palo Alto, Calabash NC and a Bahamas cruise, among other sites.  But it's always been fun and I'm going to miss the Sliders this year. 

Here's to you, my friends, with hope that we will make up for this one night, many times over during 2009!

Lulu

P.S. Check out the new OTT adventure on the sidebar - look for more to come, as Ott goes through 2009 with me.

OTT goes to a Birthday Party

So I took OTT with me to the snowy winterland for the holidays.  As you can see, he attended a very important event at Grandma's house.

Oh, the places we went - with apologies to the good Doctor

I am back from the Christmas tour, and have the pictures of OTT in some snowy places to prove it.  As soon as I get them downloaded from the camera and uploaded to the computer and sideloaded to the blog - I think that's how it works, right? - I'll take you on the tour too!

I'm enjoying this extra time at home to be creative and catch up on reading and crocheting and crafting and drinking - oh wait, I did that to get through the tour.  Yeah and working out too.  Seriously.

See you tomorrow!

Merry Happy Something Cheery

So - after working, shopping, cooking, 2 Christmas parties, one employee holiday party, shopping, decorating, laundry, packing, did I mention shopping, making gifts for my employees, traveling 15 days out of the last 25, trying to refinance the mortgage, and various other issues during December - we're ready to blast off to the snowy Midwest to go home for the holidays.

We used to go home for 14 days, then 11, then 8, now down to 4.  If we don't get stuck by the weather and have to stay longer....yoiks.  It's not that I don't want to see my family - I'm just not used to the weather anymore, and because I travel for work, I'm not ecstatic about living out of a suitcase for the rest of the week.

HOWEVER; I'm not stranded, wounded, downsized, injured, sick, bankrupted, laid off, abandoned, or homeless.  

If I get stuck somewhere between here and my destination, I have family and friends and transportation and money and hope - and for all that, I'm truly gifted this year....so take back that sweater/CD/video game/candle/hockey stick/bracelet /book - ok, let me have the book - scarf/pajamas, and save the money for yourself.  

Or spend it, to keep the economy going and to save someone's job.  Or donate it.  Whatever.  Just know that you don't need to give me anything.

I have OTT (see picture) from Angie, and the complete set of Calvin and Hobbes from my employees and I have my Etsy store, my books and music and love and my tens of readers, my wonderful family and wicked smart, funny friends.

I'm good, thanks.  Couldn't take in another byte.*

Best,

Lu

*unfortunately, the one thing I don't have at mom's is internet access, so I'll catch you all on my return. :)

And White Diamonds??!!

So now - added to the Chia Pet soundtrack in my head, is the eyetrack for the White Diamonds perfume ad.  Ummmm.....kudos to Liz Taylor for her life's work and all - but seriously, that ad must have been filmed 15 years ago.  Are people really putting out the $56 for the holiday gift set, especially in this economy?  Is it already time for for the "what do we get for mom impulse ahhhhhhh, she'll go for the Liz perfume buy???!!"

Hmmm.

Well, I haven't actually found a gift for my mother-in-law yet.....

Bad lulu, bad.  Down girl.

Has this been a busy week for everyone else?  Sheesh....I need to go get caught up on all of my blogsters.  Back soon.

Finally! The First Sign of Christmas

What is the first sign???

Of course - it's Chia Pets!  I can finally get into the Christmas spirit, now that I've seen an ad for Chia Pets.  Whewwww.....it's good to know that even in a time of economic crisis, someone, somewhere, is still making a living from these mossy plant growers.  Hey, at least they don't have to be fed, just watered.

Sooooo much to do - we have a neighborhood holiday thing tonight, and I need to make a serious dent in my Christmas shopping/prep this weekend.....merry merry.  Riiiiight....

I'm back from a week out of town on business, to find that Amber from Color of Dawn Creations won Mom-o-matic's Too Broke for Christmas giveaway, and I'm going to be sending her this lovely little Christmas tin from my Etsy store stuffed with goodies and gift cards - OTT to Amber and Mom-O!

I'm not worthy....

...of an award, if I can't figure out how to get the picture on my site???  Check out Angie's blog - she nominated me for an award that was passed onto her, but I might have to pull a Katherine Heigl and decline because clearly the material is there, but I don't have the ability to post it on my site?

So in the meantime, here's a link to both Angie's blog and Manamoon's blog for an explanation.  I'm linking but I'm not picturing.  Thanks to you both - sorry that I'm technically inept!

Does anyone else have a twitchy-eye, headache that started just after Halloween and seems to get worse when I think of 'the holidays?'   Anyone?  Bueller?  No?  Just me? 

Hmmm....I think it's from the head injury that I incurred during the Single Ladies Lulu dance episode.  Or - it could be the economy / job stress / dismal news factor.  Ummmm....or the holidays.  Or all of the creative ideas stuffed in my head for which I have no time to get started.

If it's the creative ideas thing, I'm afraid to blow my nose.

Best Week of the Season?

Is it Thanksgiving?  The actual week of Christmas?  How about the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve?  Post-holiday?

I think it's this week, the post-Thanksgiving week.  Everyone is still zoning on last week's turkey and maybe geeked about some Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals, the weather isn't too bad yet, people are easing into the holiday season and still somewhat cheery to each other.

It's the holiday week..... when hope is still our friend.  We hope and hope and hope - and we believe in our hope that this year will be different or better!  Hope that we can get everything done on the list this year, and that our siblings won't revert to childhood habits this year, and that our friend's husband lives through the year, and that we can still find the perfect gift for mom this year, and that our teenage daughters will still want to decorate the tree and go out to lunch for that mom/daughter tradition, and and and.....hope hope hope believe believe believe.

Because at this point, 24 days away, it still all seems possible.  And the magic of the season isn't tarnished juuust yet....