"Next thing you know ..."

The only reason I'm here typing is to let you know I'm breathing. Life is lots of routine, with the added craziness of holiday shopping and decorating.

The tree is up.

The Santa collection is unwrapped and in place on the mantle.
The rest of the house is in chaos, waiting patiently for my attention. I'm good at ignoring, obviously. I'm hoping my live wreath for the front door is delivered today, so I can finish the little bit I'm doing for the outside of the house.

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Weekend fun ahead ... we'll be staying up late on Friday night, awaiting the arrival of Michael and Patti. Unsure of the itinerary, but I'm almost positive it involves lots of talking, laughter, and maybe we'll drink a beer or three. And I'm finally going to see the Biltmore House!

Just like that, I can check two items off my Life List. Last weekend, I went with Kathy and Melissa and their girls to see a production of The Nutcracker. (Mary tried her best to teach me to knit when she visited a few weeks ago, but it's apparent that I need more instruction. Come back, Mary!)

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By now, everybody has probably seen the "Elf Yourself" toy on the Office Max website. I've seen at least a dozen ... mostly of folks I don't really know in "real life" ... computer friends, if you will. When Emilie sent the link to this one last week, I discovered that, if you actually KNOW the elves, it can be pretty damn funny. Click here to see what I mean. Jud did the work and sent it to Em to make her smile, and when she forwarded it to me, I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. Love how the Allie Elf is slightly off the beat in most of her dance. I wish I could make it our Christmas card this year.