Ups and Downs of December

We have had some ups and downs around here in December. 

My mom has developed heart problems since my Dad has passed.  She has had two surgeries in December getting them fixed.  I was able to fly up to be with her for the first one, but the second one was scheduled too quickly for me to be able to make it.

I was feeling down and a bit nervous about not being there with her, so, some good friends came over to help cheer us up and distract me.  They brought a few Christmas gifts with them.

The gift they got for A-girl, I had already gotten for her....but they didn't know that.  So, when A-girl opened it and was over the moon excited about it....I, of course, burst into tears....right there....in front of everyone.

I am a Minnesota girl.  Good, solid, sturdy stock.  Scandinavian blood flows through my veins.  We do not like to show people our emotions. We certainly do NOT like to cry in front of people.  Yet, there I was.....crying away.  My friend, felt horrible. 

Her daughter had picked out the gift AND spent her own money on it...knowing it was going to be the perfect gift.  It was.  I was happy for A-girl.  But, the selfish part of me wanted to be on the receiving end of all that joy over a well chosen gift.  You know?

I felt sorry for myself for two reasons....I didn't get that joy directed at me....and it meant I had to go shopping.  I hate shopping.  In fact, I did 99% of my shopping this year on-line.  That is definitely a Christmas tradition that will continue!

It all worked out fine in the end.  If I didn't know it already, I realized that we have great friends, who know us....and want to give us things that will, literally, make us jump with joy.  And, I ended up being  able to go shopping (without crowds or kids) to get her something else. (I hope she will love it just as much.)

What was the joy/tear inducing gift?

Voila!


A curling wand....have you heard of them?  They are actually pretty cool.  It really is just basically a hot....stick....or wand.  It comes with a glove you wear, so when you wrap your hair around and hold it there for a bit, you won't get burned.

Here is me after my curling wand makeover:

I think I am going to be "borrowing" her excellent Christmas present!  Thanks E. for being such a good friend to my girls.

Since I was feeling down, S-girl wanted to make me feel better, so she offered to paint my toenails.  She laid a napkin down on the floor and climbed under the kitchen table where I was teaching A-man.  She took her time and got my toes just right.....and I mean...she reeeaaaalllly took her time....

(Ignore that gook on the floor...I have since mopped)

I love them.  They make me happy.  Since I live in Georgia and it has been in the 60's and 70's, I have been wearing my sandals and showing off my pedicure.  In my head, I wonder if people notice them....and, if so, what they think.  But, everytime I look down at my toes, it makes me smile!

Onto more ups in our December....

My girls decided to host their own coffee clatch get together....with lots of cream and sugar....and Oreos.

We got V-girl to keep her hair in a ponytail for, oh......about 30 minutes....a new record.

(This looks like we pulled it a little too tight, doesn't it?)

Then later, she did this....

And even got her tongue....yuck!!!

We had breakfast for dinner.

And, thanks to my friend, Debbie, we got to go see a cool light display at the:

(They had the 12 days of Christmas....this is the ladies dancing)

We brought a thermos full of hot chocolate and some marshmallows...

We drove through a few neighborhoods on our way home looking at lights.  But, V-girl, every few minutes would announce, "I sad.  Lights done."  Apparently, none of the home displays held a candle to the ones at the Atlanta Motor Speedway!

Like I said, it has sort of been a hard month.  I am missing my Dad.  I want my Mom to be healthy and happy.  It is hard for me to be in Georgia and not in Minnesota with my family.  We have been thinking about trying to sell our house and move into something that would work better for our family, but the reality of the market is that our house is probably worth about 1/2 of what we paid for it two years ago.  Rainman is working all weekend, so our Christmas will be a quick lunch with him on Sunday before he heads to work.

Really though, overall, December has held mostly ups.  D-man turns 14 this month.  We get to celebrate Jesus's birth.  My kids are healthy, happy, and silly....that leads to a lot of "ups" for me.  Rainman is healthy and happy.  I am healthy, happy and a little crazy.....and my family loves me anyway.

I guess I don't have it so bad, do I?