Roundup

Closing the book on 2009--it's been a good year. Interesting. Weird. Frustrating. You know, the usual. I did manage to read 135 books (some re-reads, but mostly new titles). I'm finally unstuck with the current WIP, and even though it's moving more slowly than I'd like, it's moving. We took a family trip to Washington, DC (awesome!), rode/survived the train, built a jillion memories. Tonight, we're dropping the ball and watching fireworks at our friends' house and hoping to stay out of trouble, haha.

New decade tomorrow, fresh start, clean slate. Gotta love a new year.

Merry Christmas

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From heaven's all-gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o'er its Babel sounds
The blessèd angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing.

And ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

For lo!, the days are hastening on,
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever-circling years
Comes round the age of gold
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.

--Edmund Sears, 1849

Not. Going. Shopping. Today.

Period.

If I'm smart, I won't even get out of my pajamas.

Overflowing With Blessings

Cornucopia

Etymology: Late Latin, from Latin 

cornu copiae "horn of plenty"

This year, like every year, I have so much to be thankful for. This year, like every year, I get so busy worrying about what's wrong, I forget to be truly grateful for all that's right. Here are some things I'm thankful for today:

• A family who sticks together, even when we get on each other's nerves.
• A house that's a mess, which reminds me of the abundance in our lives.
• Friends who cheer your triumphs and comfort you in times of need.
• Neighbors with friendly smiles and a cup of flour when you're in a pinch.
• A table overflowing with good food.
• Children who understand true giving, like Frick, who helped cook and serve a meal for those less fortunate and learned how friendship really isn't about income, and Frack, whose giggle is enough to make anyone's life better.
• A husband who puts up with a lot and still smiles whenever I come in the door.
• So many more gifts I can't even count. That is the meaning of true blessing!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Pumpkinheads

You can tell it's fall (even though it's 90 degrees here) because suddenly, everything in the world is pumpkin-flavored. Lattes. Bagels. Cream cheese. Cheesecakes. Beer. Pancakes. Coffee. Breakfast breads. You name it, it's pumpkin.

All I can say is "blech."

Not a fan of pumpkin. Never have been. Can't understand why people get all fangirl-squee over the pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving when there's a perfectly good pecan pie right next to it on the sideboard. Give me a sweet potato pie any day over pumpkin.

Am I just weird, or is anyone else baffled by pumpkinmania?

Divided by Five

Big doin's today. Tonight at exactly 9:08 pm (CST), mimi hits the 4-5. I am officially in my mid-forties. Amazingly, it feels not unlike mid-thirties, except I spend a lot more time in the car driving Frick and Frack to music lessons and baseball and softball and what have you. I could stand to lose a few and have ridiculous snow on the roof for a Florida gal, but the wrinkles on my face are earned and basically tell the story of someone who smiles a lot. Not bad for this point, huh?

Happy Easter!

Bad, Bad Monkey

It's the eve before we return to school from spring break, and in looking back over the preceding week, I realize that I haven't posted all. week. long. Guess I took the "break" in spring break quite at face value!

Of course, once you join Face, er, Crackbook and get a Black, er, CrackBerry, you realize how easy it is for your attention to become divided! So I blame the electronics. Lying around the house in my pjs had nothing to do with it. Nothing at all.

I promise to do better, now that I'm rested. Mostly.

Ten Things You Like Doing on Vacation

1. Walking. Ground level is the best way to discover a new city.
2. Sleeping late!
3. If it's a stay-cation, making one room really sparkle.
4. Reading.
5. Staying in my pj's all day.
6. Being a lady who lunches. I never get to do that.
7. Staying up late.
8. Seeing how busy I can keep the Netflix gnomes.
9. Cooking. Something that takes time, like bolognese sauce or homemade bread.
10. Relaxing and laughing with DH, Frick, and Frack.

Happy B-Day, Buttercup!

My girl Buttercup is turning the big 4-0 today! Don't let the demure pose fool you, though. This is one kick-butt writer we're talking about. Given the personal storms she's weathered the past couple of years, her forties ought to be smooth sailing--she has two great kids and a rockin' guy, so hitting the decade when women can finally do what they want and not worry about what people are saying about them is going to be the bomb. Love ya!

Happy Valentine's Day

For more great "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards" by Hugh MacLeod (he's using this one as a wine label for his company, Stormhoek), check here.

Wrap It Up

mimi will not be changing her middle name to "Nostradamus" anytime soon. On January 1, I made the following predictions:

1. Florida will not get hit by a major hurricane despite Apocalyptic reporting from The Weather Channel and nearly every Florida newscaster drawing breath. - Right on the money. Go me! Second career in meteorology!
   
2. Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination for President. - Um, nope.
   
3. Mitt Romney will win the Republican nomination for President. - Um, nope again!
   
4. Get used to saying "Madam President." - No, but we can get used to saying "Madam Secretary," which ain't too shabby.
   
5. Britney Spears will do something stupid. Oh, wait a minute. That's not a prediction; that's a certainty! (Although girlfriend deserves a calm 2008!) - Girlfriend got herself a calmer 2008 and released some killer tracks. I'm glad to see her getting it together! Nobody deserves the kind of public breakdown she had to suffer through.
   
6. Ratatouille will win the Oscar for Best Animated Film. - This one was truly a no-brainer.
   
7. Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal will get engaged. - No, but still going strong.
   
8. UCF will repeat as C-USA champs and win their bowl game this time. - (pause for hysterical laughter) Erm, no. The wheels totally fell off the Knights' wagon. Maybe next year!
   
9. Celebrity obsession will be "so five minutes ago." - I wish, but no.
   
10. They'll finally get the goods on Barry Bonds. - Still no, despite a fat head and obvious visual confirmation to the contrary. What is taking them so long??

Clearly, predictions are not my forte. So I won't be making any for 2009. Some stuff that did happen in 2008:

• I won NaNoWriMo again!
• I read the Dick Francis backlist. They were a chunk of an all-out reading orgy that included 90 new titles and 36 re-reads. That's a total of 126 books for the year, or an average of one book every three days.
• I watched a bunch of movies. I didn't keep track of those.
• I didn't keep track of my bank balance very well, either. You'd think all those courtesy pay charges I keep racking up at the credit union would have kept the entire American financial system afloat, but nooooooooooo. Something to work on.
• Got to see the Canadians, though. That was fun!
• Also went leaf-peeping in beautiful Western NC.

Basically, I can't complain. Chez mimi and its denizens are basically healthy, basically happy, still employed, and still together. All in all, that makes for a successful year.

Merry Christmas!!

For those of us who never experience a white Christmas, a little snow, courtesy of Currier and Ives:


Enjoy a restful and blessed holiday!

OMG They Just Rickroll'd the Macy's Parade!

I don't know which warped brain at Cartoon Network thought this up, but it's freakin' BRILLIANT. Watch and sing as the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Rickrolls the entire Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade:



Excellent!

What Kind of Halloween Candy Are You?

Um, yeah. Scary, but yeah.

What Your Love of Nerds Says About You

No doubt about it, you're a bit of a geek. You're a bit offbeat in an appearance, but you're still real cute. You don't care much about what other people think. You're too busy doing your own thing! You're definitely one of a kind - and in your case, that's a very good thing.

What Does Your Favorite Candy Say About You?

Halloweenie

Heh heh heh...Dana Summers is on my weird little wavelength with today's Bound and Gagged:

Birthday Girl!

Baby girl, aka "Frack," is nine today. Nine going on twenty-six, that is. She's gorgeous, if I do say so myself, with a wonderful sense of fashion (don't know where that comes from, since I am the least fashionable woman I know this side of frumpy) and a goofy sense of humor. She truly is the kind of sunshine that mamas and daddies sing about making them happy when skies are grey.

So we have best buddy sleepover going and dinner by request (pork roast, parmesan risotto, and broccoli casserole), and sometime this week we'll do pedicures and go see Kit, the American girl, figure out the Great Depression. Only one more year in single digits! I can't believe she's that old. Yikes. Guess I came by all this grey hair naturally!

Birthday Boy!

DS turns 11 today. We're on the slippery slope to middle school, puberty, and my grocery bill going through the roof (although the grocery bill is cranking up already). We present him with a checklist: how late should he sleep? What breakfast menu does he prefer? Two things he'd like to do? Dinner at home or a restaurant? And we go shopping for a new bike. Three stores, lunch in between, and of course, he picks the first bike he got on at the first store. Oh, well. Dinner's a steak at Roadhouse. He gets lots of flat presents from the grands and cousins and all.

Miracle of miracles, he loves it. Having a whole day with his family--even the little sister he claims he can't stand--was the best present of all.

At least until his paintball party next week.

That Figures.

Spring Break's starting.
It's gorgeous outside.
I have a temperature of 102 and have to go to the doctor.

Is it just me, or do the karma gods save up this stuff and laugh their metaphysical asses off at us?

Happy Easter!

Don't you think they should make these in chocolate? Enjoy your day!