Captain Mouse

I am very peculiar about holiday ornaments. This stems from another Mom tradition...the acquiring of one new ornament a year while we growing under her roof. I remember so clearly being given permission to select a Smurf ornament on the second floor of the JCPenny's in the next town over (my favorite down town store...complete with an elevator, and an attendant, and a sliding gate). A Smurf ornament...I was sure it would make our tree that year perfect in every way. When my sis and I became roommates again in college I started our sibling tradition of getting her an ornament from the specialty artsy store in the university town. I am sure she expects to see the Chinese take out gift box under the tree every Christmas...with a new ornament waiting for her tree (note: she has a cloisonne mermaid and a lizard). This year our new ornament came from a big box retailer. Shame on me. Captain Mouse. His little card ship with a treasure chest of candy canes was too winning for me to resist. He is a bit different from the Donald Drumm and Patience Brewster decorations that usually follow me home this time of year. He is wonderful to me.

Make a Joyous Noise

The day after turkey day is when it would start...the constant singing of Christmas carols by our family. We had average voices...treding flat...but full of joy. Every car trip it would only be a matter of time before someone would start White Christmas or Here Come's Santa Claus. Most came from my mom...whom I thought knew every holiday song. Even when we were a bit older...as in college age, we still sang in front of my roommate from Japan (who thought that it was great and kind of crazy). My sister and I covet a series of Old Navy Holiday CD's. And when she moved out years ago she took them with her...to my dismay. I was fortunate enough to find a music savvy husband. He has assembled several holiday CD's featuring my favorites...that I listen to over and over and over again. This year I compiled my most favorite holiday songs for a CD SWAP. The only one missing is Adam Sandler's Chanukah Song (I think I may be alone in the anticipation of hearing this song every year). So below is my collection...and if you would like a copy I would love to share this joy with you. Just drop me a line and in the mail it will go!..Note: due to my love of caroling in my semi-flat singing voice the husband request that I wait until December 1st before I start belting out O Holy Night in the car as we run errands....

01 - Christine Lavin & The Mistletones - A Christmas/ Kwanzaa/ Solstice/
Chanukah/ Ramadan/ Boxing Day Song
02 - Weepies - All That I Want
03 - Doris Day & Bing Crosby - Baby, Its Cold Outside
04 - Great Big Sea - Seven Joys of Mary
05 - Smashing Pumpkins - Christmas Time
06 - Sting - I Saw Three Ships
07 - The Muppets - One More Sleep 'Til Christmas
08 - Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops - Sleigh Ride
09 - Burl Ives - Holly Jolly Christmas
10 - Paul McCartney & Wings - Wonderful Christmas Time
11 - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Christmas all over Again
12 - Madonna - Santa Baby
13 - Blink182 - I Won't Be Home For Christmas
14 - Tracy Chapman - O Holy Night
15 - Dave Matthews Band - Christmas Song
16 - Leon Redbone & Dr. John - Frosty the Snowman
17 - Louis Armstrong - Zat You Santa Claus
18 - Randy Travis - Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
19 - Bing Crosby - White Christmas
20 - Thurl Ravenscroft - You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch
21 - Tony Bennett - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
22 - Appendix Out - The Holly Bears a Berry
23 - Stephen Paulus - Hallelu
24 - Natalie MacMaster and Alison Krauss - Get Me Through December

Bitter Sweet

Over the next few days I have a big decision I have to make...it could effect numerous things....for the good and for the bad. My store manager approached me about leaving my store for another...she sensed I was unhappy and might do better working for my old store manager. Hitch: the old store manager is in charge of a really tough store...the clientele are rough people. I am shaken by being pulled into the office this morning for such a discussion. The store manager kept saying she wanted me stay and if I wanted to bolt that would be okay too. All this from a person who kicks me around every morning on our tours and wonders why I am stressed out. She is with the day managers for 10 hours during the day...so there is time to talk about cruises, Amish country, kids in college, miles to the gallon, a-silly-thing-happened-to-me-type-of -thing. For an overnight manager such as myself we are drilled for the hour tour on what we did all night and what went wrong. Leaving little time for me to talk about my art or the other manager's interest in hunting. I take responsibility for some of my stress...but somehow she has missed how hard I work every day trying to take care of my store...of my people. I go in on my days off...just to help out (and I do this a bit much). She has known of me for two months. She has yet to know me at all...I may appear serious, tough, disappointed, stressed...but I am loyal and I care a great deal about the work I do. As I get ready for work tonight I am happy to be perplexed at a smaller decision that means much to me....what fantastic new socks to wear to work...from Shauna at The Lemon Drop Studio as part of a sock SWAP...how I love polka-dots....and stripes...and the pretty blue...perhaps I will wear a combination to work...dots on the left foot and stripes on the right?

Tea and Toast

The weather is doing it's own thing outside. Inside I am trying to keep warm with tea and toast...one of my very favorite things. Others can have the coffee....hand over the tea for me. Mornings like this are linked to so many other chilly day breakfasts. Tea and toast...the taste, the smell, the warmth... put me back in my mother's kitchen praying for a snow day.

Shame

May fate keep me far from this man...even in his fictional form....I fear I would make a complete and utter fool of myself. We went to see the new Bond flick. What was the plot? *shoulder shrug*. But I do know Mr. Bond looked very nice in his suits...and out of his suits. There is something about this version of Bonds that makes me blush...even giggle. It perplexes my husband. I mean he has a little crumpled face and ears that stick out a bit....but I think that just increases the appeal. Where are the men that can put on a suit and command a room with their presence? And then do the same in a blue brief speedo on the beach...?

Blue Morning

Snow fell through the night.... transforming our neighborhood into a quiet, still place in the blue light of early morning. I am so glad I had to get out of bed to use the bathroom...or I would have missed this little transcendental moment of the day.

Sundays

I have two new favorite sites that I arrive to on a regular basis: Post Secret and Word of the Day. On Sunday's Post Secret updates their Sunday Secret sections (picture above is a recent card added this past Sunday). The selected group of postcards make me laugh, cry, and gaff. It makes me rattle my tired brain to think of my own secrets to mail to Frank (the author of the books and site). The other...Word of the Day...is a fantastic vocabulary illustrated site. Note: I adored vocabulary lessons, tests, writing assignments, and even pop quizzes during my school years. Lately I feel my intelligence leaking away and this little site has been trying to seal the fisher created from my work environment (where very simple words and speech are the norm...). My favorite word this past week: Crumpet. Say it out loud and discover what a cute word it is...Assignment : Use "crumpet" in a sentence....and then wonder when and where you can use it in a conversation this week. Now go!

Punch

Pleased as punch I am today with my little side endeavor. To combat the chilly warehouse atmosphere of my work environment...and to push the envelope with my company's bland dress code...I have fallen for arm warmers. I desired long warmers and most places only had ones that barely reached my elbow. At the same time I noticed that colorful and patterned tights have grown in popularity for the coming winter season. I purchased a small pair of ladies footless cable tights with grey and purple stripe (and a tiny trio of buttons)....cut the legs off...and wha-la...the perfect arm warmers for five dollars. I now have my sights on the tights in the little girls department---polka dots abound!