Random Tuesday Thoughts

Check out the Santa giveaway here. (If I knew how to make a button I would do that and slap it on the side but this is all I've got.) Now onto randomness...


I have laryngitis. I'm almost sorry that this didn't happen several hundred years ago when I was a little girl and my brothers and I still lived under the same roof. They would love the fact that I can't talk and only a squeak comes out when I try.

My favorite new thing: Curbside Cupcakes! What's not to love about a bright pink vehicle that brings cupcakes to your door?! They've been near my office twice in the past week. Talk about turning a frown upside down...


On the subject of cupcakes...here's Bug with his birthday cupcake. It was the first time I tried an egg-free cake recipe. I'm always so nervous with new recipes and we had a few friends over so I made cupcakes rather than a whole cake in case the recipe and I had creative differences. I was fully prepared to run out and get a separate cake for our guests but I was happily surprised that the cupcakes were tasty.
What are the odds that I make it to South Dakota tomorrow? From all the weather reports I've heard I think Mother Nature might have it out for my travel plans.

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Ho Ho Ho...Cough Cough Cough

If you want to make/win this...

click here for the Santa Cake(pan) giveaway...

Onto other things...

Apparently watching our lovely snow on Saturday gave me a cold/cough. If Hollywood is looking for a new face for a cold medicine commercial or possibly an unknown to play the role of a woman suffering from consumption, here I am. As a bonus the make up crew could take the day off...I'm sick and I look it. This pale shade of blah isn't a really good look for me.

If my coughing kept any of you awake last night, I apologize. Even Bug gave me a pass on telling him a story because I was "coughing too much." I'm now in the fuzzy world of cold medicine and hoping it all kicks in before I get on a plane Wednesday to visit my mom. Keep your fingers crossed that we don't get the "wintry mix" that's in the forecast Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. I'm leaving my house at 4:45 am (as in MORNING...yawn) and would prefer to actually get on a plane if I'm going to be up and ready at that hour.

Side note: It's going to be single digits when I'm in South Dakota with the lows below zero! Welcome home!

So because I was lazy under the weather I did NOTHING to get ready for Christmas or Hanukkah this weekend. There's not tree in our house yet (well, it's there but not up or decorated--we're doing a fake, small tree this year because Bug seems to be channeling Curious George these days and I don't want my little monkey climbing a real tree and then me cleaning up the mess when he, the tree and crushed ornaments are on the floor. I never had a real tree until I met Donnie. I still find it funny that it took a Jewish man to get me to buy a real Christmas tree.) On the bright side, I do have a new peace sign menorah this year and can put that out immediately to feel somewhat festive:

The photo makes it look like a hamster wheel but in person I like it. We've yet to get Bug a menorah of his own. We have a few in the house. One that Donnie received when he was younger so that's the one we really use. He gave me one years ago and when Bug was born we got one made by an artist I like. Bug saw one that he wanted because it was a truck. It was also $118, handmade in Israel and is one of a kind. Yeah, that's not in our house.

When I return on Saturday and thaw out, I'll try and get the house ready for the holidays...none too soon since Hanukkah starts on Friday night! I'm thinking this isn't the year to make potato latkes from scratch. One of these years I'll give it a shot but not this year.

AND...I used the random number generator and Bea from This Wonderful, Crazy Life won the infant holiday tee giveaway. Bea, email me and let me know style and size.

Santa Cake(pan) Giveaway

Here's a giveaway for a baker...or a gift for a baker. I gave a couple of these cake pans as Christmas gifts before and found them at the Williams-Sonoma outlet last week so I bought one for a giveaway. The cake pan comes with a recipe (I think it's for a peppermint cake).

I can assure you if someone saw this cake on my table the question would be "where did you get that?" because no one would think I made it but I do think it's adorable...



Leave a comment if you want to enter the giveaway. You'll get two chances if you're a follower (leave a second comment) and three chances (three comments) if you mention the giveaway on your blog and link back to this post. I'll pick a winner on Monday, December 14.

It's beginning to look a lot little bit like Christmas

We had snow today! It might melt by Monday but for now WE HAVE SNOW!


One of a few snowy roses left on the rose bush...

Check out Mama-Face at Blog-Ignoramus...she has a giveaway (like you didn't already know...)

Dear Someone/Santa Knows...And Remembers

Click here for the oh baby holiday tee giveaway.

Dear Northwest Airline Pilots,

Please don't overshoot the Minneapolis Airport next week. My trip to South Dakota is short enough without getting re-routed.

Signed,
An infrequent frequent flyer

Dear Snow,

I heard you were falling from the sky last night in South Dakota. Will you still be around next week? I'd love to say hi.

Signed,
A Midwestern Girl at Heart

Dear Santa,

My list is short this year...I'd like some sleep.

Love,
Mag

PS...and world peace, of course

For more Dear Someone letters check out Amanda at Family of Shorts.

I saw the 31 days of goodness on JennyMac's blog, Let's Have a Cocktail. (I'm sure you all saw it, too, because who doesn't stalk follow her?) I emailed the list to several friends. It's been fun to get responses from people commenting on the list...what they want to do or what they've already decided to do this holiday season.

One former classmate emailed that he's adopted a local family in the town and will make a trip to Target so there will be gifts under their tree. He's also being Santa again this year and will show up at local daycare centers as well as homes in my hometown and another nearby town. He then added this to his note:

One thing that most people do not think about is that we have time, talent and treasures. A person does not have to give much of any of them to those who need it to get the warm fuzzies.

This ties in with Pseudonymous High School Teacher's blog featuring Travel Tip Thursday. Today I'm taking her advice and traveling to a Christmas in the past.

I wrote back to Russ and reminded him of a Christmas when he was the town Santa and I was back for the holiday. My mom told me for $10 you could have hire Santa to make an appearance at your house on Christmas Eve. You simply left a small gift for each child in your car and Santa would come to the house with gifts. (Side note: I had lived away from my small town long enough that I asked if she gave Russ keys to our car. She smiled and reminded me that people often DON'T lock cars there...right, I had forgotten.) My nephews were young at the time so I couldn't wait to see their faces when Santa walked through the front door (yes, I know he should have used the chimney and, believe me, I would have paid much more than $10 to see Russ pull that one off!).

So...Santa enters our living room and the kids squeal before they're stunned into silence. Russ Santa looks right at me says, "why there's little Mary Ann" (using my REAL name not what everyone calls me!) and says he remembers things I did as a little girl. Then he shares a few stories about me. (I went to first grade through senior year with Russ so he certainly had plenty to tell.) He then gently reminded my nephews that Santa remembers all of the children he's seen over the years and called my mom, brother and sister-in-law by name as well. The boys were thrilled to see Santa but that night--at that moment--they not only believed in Santa but that he truly sees you when you're sleeping and knows when you're awake...

I see London, I see France...I'm glad I wore underpants (and another giveaway)

It was just yesterday that I was longing for colder weather. It’s really not much cooler today but enough that I opted to wear tights and a skirt or maybe I didn’t have any clean pants. Whatever…

Most days Donnie and I drive into work together. We work two blocks apart (weird, huh?). Anyway, he had a doctor’s appointment so he dropped me at the Metro before heading out to his appointment. I like taking the Metro except when I forget to bring a book like this morning…arrrrgggghhh. Again, anyway, I rode downtown, bounced off the train feeling like a real city commuter, made my way up the escalator and started on my short three-block walk to my office.

I’m happily walking down the street when something just seems wrong. It takes me a second to pinpoint it but the very tights that made me smile just a short time earlier are now slowly moving south….then not-so-slowly moving south. I was grateful for the short walk. By time I reached my office the waistband of my tights had somewhat settled on my hips. I was beginning to feel like I couldn’t walk with a normal gait but luckily, the crotch hadn’t dropped to my ankles—just mid-thigh. Oh, I'm a classy one…

I recall last year tossing out several pairs of wayward tights. This stubborn little bitchy pair must have been hiding and decided to resurface on a brisk Wednesday morning after a late Tuesday night. Why a late night? I accidentally got hooked on the season finale of Sons of Anarchy. Accidentally, because I’ve never seen the show and would have preferred to know what was happening instead of coming in not only at the end of the season but after this particular episode had started. No matter…I couldn’t leave the couch. Umm, does anyone watch that show? I get that it’s on cable rather than HBO or some other pay-extra channel but I swear it made The Sopranos look tame. I think I’ll now have to find season one on DVD to know all the players.

And then for some reason Bug woke up and wanted to chat around 3:30am. I don't have a lot to say at 3:30. Answer me this...why is it a baby’s first word is “da da” but the first word out of his mouth in the middle of the night is “MOMMMMY”? Then shortly after 5 he was up for good pretending he wanted to snuggle, which is apparently code for "put Winnie-the-Pooh down Mommy's pajamas." Fun game.

I guess that’s my long-winded way of saying I didn’t notice that the tights fit funny prior to my walk to work because I don't think I was fully awake until I got off the train.


Now onto other matters...


Want to win these vintage diamond and amethyst earrings? Nice holiday gift (for you, maybe?)and you can't beat the price...



Visit Deb at Menopausal New Mom and give it a shot. Tell her I said hi.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

First of all...if you're interested, sign up for the oh, baby (holiday tee) giveaway here.

Randomness:

Springsteen's tour has ended and just yesterday I found a terrific pair of boots that would look great at one of his concerts.

It's December! (Really, December?) I'm ready for the holidays and by ready I only mean in spirit. I love this time of year...people are nicer mostly or the meds are better. Last night we watched the Grinch or as Bug called him...Green Sam. (I'm thinking we read a lot of Green Eggs and Ham at our house.) I hope to catch as many of the holiday shows as I can with Bug...I can't wait for Rudolph. Rumor has it it's on tomorrow night.

I would prefer that our weather feel a little more like winter so I can start drinking hot chocolate.

Two hours in a bookstore last week was a little bit of heaven for me. Sigh... (I bought enough books and giftie things that I had to ship them back...that's a successful trip, huh?)

I think Bug is a leg man (and I'm not talking turkey). Twice in the past two weeks I wore a skirt and both times he said, "ooh, Mommy, nice legs."

Check out more at The Unmom.