Holiday Lights

There’s so much to love about this time of year, the food, the gift giving, the decorations, the cookies, the parties, the vacation time, the holiday spirit…

But I think the thing I love the most is the lights. All the little, twinkling lights shining everywhere on these long dark nights, even inside.

Especially inside.

Because when you have a tree all lit up in the dark…Christmas Tree

… the rest of the house fades away and you can pretend the mess– What mess?

I don’t see a mess!

‘Tis the season of twinkle lights and dark corners, make the most of it!!!

Long ago I used to write posts with more than a hundred words. (I know!? Who knew?!) But I felt the same way about Christmas time. Here is a six year old post about ignoring The Rest of Life to enjoy the season.

The Fight

My two older girls were fighting. They ripped things out of each others hands, and they cried, and they yelled, and they stomped, and they slammed doors, and they came running to tattle on each other.

“MOM! She won’t let me clean the toilet!!!”

Ivy and Clara

The children of which I speak not fighting. (I had to use an rather old picture because ever since we got a kitten I no longer photograph my children.)

As the mother I’m taking this as one of those good news/bad news situations.

The good news is that now my toilets are really clean.

The bad news is that some days my kids will use anything as an excuse to pick a fight.

Which Sarah?

I’m not the kind of person who is willing to let my kids name animals without my help. If that was the case we’d have a goose named Fluffy, a cat named Sparkle Kitty and a rooster named Roosty.

Actually we do have a rooster named Roosty and he has been a most excellent rooster for many years. Many years, as in almost five years, which in case you are wondering is a lot of years to be using a ridiculous name for a barnyard animal that you call by name far more often than you ever suspected you would.

And this is why I now have veto power when it comes to pet names. Veto power that has prevented the new kitten from being named Sparkle Kitty or Lestia or Falasha or Sarah.

Now Sarah might sound like a fine name compared to the others but that’s because you’ve not heard the follow up question asked in my household every time anyone utters the name Sarah. And it’s not something easy like “Which Sarah?” Oh no, it’s, “Sarah your friend or Sarah Jonas’s mom or Sarah Wren’s mom or Sarah the cat?”

The kitten came to us with the name Sarah but it only took about twelve hours for the name Sarah Cat to be vetoed by the mom who was losing her sanity trying to differentiate between all the Sarahs in her children’s lives.

Sadly, Baroness Sarah McCutiePie Von Stuffington of Sunshine Manor didn’t really work out as her new name because the kids just called her Sarah for short… “Wait… do you mean Sarah your friend or Sarah Jonas’s mom or Sarah Wren’s mom or Sarah the cat?”

After much debate and a brilliant intervention by Sarah (Sarah my friend, not Sarah Jonas’s mom or Sarah Wren’s mom or Sarah the cat) the new kitten has been named Simone.Simone

Otherwise known as:

-“The kitten… umm …what’s her name again?

– “Sarah”

-“Not Sarah… Oh! Simone!”

– “No Sarah!”

-“No! It’s Simone now.”

-“But she was responding to Sarah!” (She is a cat, she wasn’t responding.)

-“Well Sarah, I mean Simone (insert cute kitten activity here) it was so cute!!!.”

-“Sarah the cat or Sarah mom’s friend or Sarah Jonas’s mom or Sarah Wren’s mom?”

It’s going to happen though. The power of the veto is going to hold and the cat is not going to be called Sarah. And my children are going to learn to use context to answer their questions because I don’t care what my fourth grade teacher said, there are all sorts of stupid questions a person can ask. Already in our family of five at least two people call the kitten Simone at all times and can determine which Sarah is being referred to using nothing but the context of conversation at least 90% of the time. The other, shorter, three are getting there – kind of.

But please, please, for the love of Pete, if your name is Simone, though I’m sure you are a fantastic person, don’t introduce yourself to my children!

 

A Reminder

Do you have anything that you pull out, look at, shudder and then hide it back safely away where it belongs?

I have a draft of a blog post hiding at the bottom of my overly large pile of drafts like that. It contains nothing more than this innocent sentence:

“Mom, guess what? I’m just going to fallow you around wherever ever you go today!!”

Occasionally I flip through all my started and discarded posts looking for inspiration and I run across this one and shudder.

There are probably mothers who could look at a memory like that with full hearts and happy smiles.

I can’t.

Instead that sentence brings me back to days of diapers and mandatory naps. Days of more children than arms and kids that needed help with all the things. Days that there was always at least one kid clinging to me and I wished for nothing more than to walk at a normal speed. Days that remind me just exactly what it felt like when I wished I could jump right out of my skin with it’s clinging children and head for the hills. Days that I’m glad are behind me.

I look at that terrifying sentence and thank my lucky stars, individually and by name, that my kids continue to grow and learn. I thank those stars that I didn’t run for the hills so I can enjoy them now in ways that I couldn’t before. And I thank them for the knowledge I have on those days when I still want to spring out of my skin and head for the hills. The knowledge that, whatever terrible phase we are now in, this to shall pass.

Solstice Blessed by Crystin Goodwin

Now, don’t get all run around the house in your undies screaming excited, this isn’t a new novel. But, by all means, get a little bit jumpy up and down excited because this is two short stories about a few favorite characters during their holiday season. 

The stories are cute, fun and holiday themed, just what the book doctor ordered for December reading.

Would I recommend it? If you are a fan of the Blessings of Myrillia Series you should certainly read these too! And if you are any kind of young adult fantasy book lover and haven’t yet been exposed to Myrillia I recommend putting Unblessed on your Christmas wish list straight away!

Book Doctors should be a thing. “Ahh Mrs. Pumpernickel, You’ve sprained your ankle, ice and elevate until you’ve read all of Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and you should be as good as new.” or “It’s alright little Patsy Pipsqueak, you just have the flu. Drink lots of fluids and read Yesterday’s Doll by Cora Taylor, and you’ll be just fine.” And then doctors’ offices and pharmacy’s would have libraries and books stores attached to them and life would be so much better. Yes, I’ve convinced myself, book doctors should totally be a thing. 

I Did The Thing!

I like challenges. They can be nice, concrete, sensible things or fairly arbitrary things like say, joining in with National Blog Posting Month and publishing a blog post everyday in November.  nanopoblano1

I suppose that’s the kind of thing which might seem silly. Why? Why would I decide I have to do such a thing. Well part of it, not gonna lie, is pure competitive nature. If you think you can do it, then heck yeah I can do it too! Another part of it is what happens afterwards. It’s over – I did it. I was a Tiny Pepper (team NanoPoblano) and I did the thing. On November 30th when I posted my last post I  bounced around the house in excitement. It feels good to accomplish goals you set, even if they are random things that make friends and family look at you a little sideways when you explain that you’d really love to x,y and z but first- you must go blog.

When it comes to blogging, it’s always been fairly easy for me to find something I want to post everyday. What I find less easy is “finding” the time to sit down and do it. Ever since John switched to a normal day shift and I lost my late night hours when I had the house to myself, I have been struggling. Wondering when I could find time to write and edit pictures without taking time away from some other part of my life that needed me. Thirty days later it turns out that time is hiding in all sorts of places and I am freshly reminded of how much I love blogging.iamatinypepper3

I am a Tiny Pepper. I did the thing and I’m going to keep doing it. Not everyday, (because -wow- 30 days in a row, you all need a break from that!) but more often. I do have time to do this thing I love and that’s worth taking on a 30-day challenge to find out.