Bad mommy

It's one thing to lie, gently, about Santa to help promote and preserve the magic of childhood.


But it's another thing entirely to fabricate photographic "proof" of that lie, just because you have a friend with Mad Photoshop Skillz. Many thanks to Jaime for the assist.

I do not rule

I do not blame the four readers I may or may not have left if they do not believe what I'm about to say.

My plan for 2009 is to rediscover my blog mojo. I could list a gazillion excuses for why I've been so derelict lately, but we all know that the real reason is Twitter. DAMN TWITTER!!

So I'm gonna finish out 2009 with one more roundup of all the stuff I shoulda coulda woulda been blogging about if Twitter were not such a time suck.

When I last bothered to get my camera out of my purse, it was Open House night at the Eagle -- a little event my team and I organized that included cookies, music, good will and a Santa with a very forgiving lap.


Joe was, ahem, persuaded to provide some of the music. What a guy won't do for a free round of bowling.



Last weekend, Maddy and Harrison joined us for some cookie decorating while their mom went for a run in the freezing temps.



Lexi's artistry was fully realized on this Mickey Mouse palette.



Sadly, more frosting went in the mouths than on the cookies. And more food coloring went on the floor than in the frosting.



Last weekend also was the long-awaited trip to "The Nutcracker," during which Lexi loudly asked such probing questions as "Why did that big mouse do that?" and "Is that all? Is that all?"

Next installment: Christmas.

Coming soon.

Been busy

I'm feeling bad for being such a delinquent blogger, but I've been busy folks. This weekend, it was getting the &%*# Christmas decorations up.


Usually, getting the house ready for the holidays feels like a burden -- a chore that has to be done. But this year, Lexi is seriously in to decorating. She probably decorated, undecorated and re-decorated my mom's tree 12 times over Thanksgiving.



Here's the finished product in the front room -- the artificial, pre-lighted tree that didn't stay pre-lighted for more than one season -- that's visible from the street.


We also put one up in the back room, where we do most of our hanging out. It's a real tree that I decorate with the far-superior colored lights.


As for my excuses for why I have not been blogging... Well, for a few weeks I was recovering from my stint with the nephews.


Then there was my birthday (and Mike's)...


Then Gingerbread Village with Grandma Wendy, the Lovings and the Welches...


Then Thanksgiving dinner...


Then my cousin's butt-kicking ninth place finish in the Galena half-marathon...


And then the Pad Thai cookoff: Carrie v. Nick. Fortunately for the loser, I'll stop here -- but promise to be a better blogger from now on.