Post Christmas exhaustion

Good Morning to everyone.
Hope your Christmas was filled with love and happiness.
I got the opportunity to visit with my Dad in Georgia.
Long trip by car...14 hours of stopping only to gas up and
potty. But it was worth it. It's the first time in the 20+ years
I've been with my husband that we've spent the holiday with my
Dad. It made him extremely happy. He was like a little kid on
Christmas morning. Not sure how many of us have small children
who wake up at the crack of dawn (usually five minutes after Santa
has gone to bed from struggling to put something together all night) then
they pull everyone out of bed to see what Santa brought. My two have
been past that for years. They sleep in. Well, try to explain
that teenagers just aren't that into waking up before noon to a man in his PJ's
going from room to room at 7 A.M. telling everyone Santa came, get up, get up.
Of course, I rolled over opened one eye and stared at my husband and said,
"Sorry Honey, I didn't know my Dad had lost his mind."
When we finally made it into the living room, he at least had coffee waiting.
Good man knows what gets the blood pumping and an eye open. My daughter
(16) dropped on the couch beside me and said "At least it's not the early phone
call we get every Christmas." as she laid her head in my lap.
I rubbed her head and told her "Look at the smile on Grandpa's face. Look how
happy you've made him by rolling out of bed and coming in here. You can always
take a nap later, he's like a little kid, you nap when he naps and you're safe for at
least an hour."

The trip home on Sunday was an adventure. Word to the wise, don't let the
husband and son (18) handle the GPS when it comes to choosing an alternate route
to an accident blocking the highway. We got to see a phenomenal dirt road that led
to nowhere because when we got to where their 'alternate route' said to turn, the
bridge was out. Had to turn around and go another way. But a least the countryside
in Virginia was pretty. Did you know that it's true or at least where we were side tracked,
people don't get rid of their old cars in that area, they just park them in the front yard and
use them as decoration. There must have been at least 20 broken down, rusted hunks of
junk in front of one trailer alone. That banjo song from the movie Deliverance ran through my head
and I couldn't stop laughing.
A belated Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!
May we all be healthy, happy and safe.
Tara Nina

Oh the weather outside is frightful. . .

Well how about that? It looks like the Northeast will have a white Christmas after all! Living in New England, snow for Christmas isn't always a given. Some years we'll have a green Christmas and a white Easter, you just never know with Mother Nature.

The best thing about this snowstorm though was, it forced me to STAY HOME! You see, I spend just about every weekend in December running to multiple parties or events. It seems every time I turn around, someone wants to raise a glass of egg nog and celebrate the season. As many of you know, I seldom turn down free drinks or food, but by Christmas, I'm stressed out, exhausted, and potentially ready for a trip to the Betty Ford Clinic.

Last night, I watched a Christmas special with my daughters, played a board game, and wrapped all my presents. Today, we're going to make Christmas cookies, and if the snow keeps falling, I might just miss another party scheduled for this evening. Darn.

I've always enjoyed a good snow storm, but this year, it gave me the opportunity to appreciate the season just a little bit more.

So, to all of you, no matter where you live or what holiday (or lack thereof) you celebrate, may you find blessings and joy in the small things, such as staying in your jammies, making cookies, or just spending time with the people you love.

Happy Holidays from all of us in the Sizzling Scribes!

Tis' The Season

Today someone told me there are only 10 shopping days left till Christmas. What the heck!? What happened to the rest of December? In fact, what happened to the rest of the year? The Christmas tree went up on the 2nd of December (since I was working the 1st) and I started my Christmas shopping on the 3rd. I know I said I'd start earlier this year but I say the same thing every year and I *never* do. Shopping in December never fails to make me lose my temper because everyone else seems to have lost their minds and their manners. You'd think I'd learn my lesson but I have been known to be shopping on Christmas Eve at 5pm. This year I have managed to finish a bit earlier. Today as a matter of fact.

But the horror doesn't end there, oh no. For now I have to steel myself for the worst Christmas task ever... grocery shopping a few days before THE day. Are fresh vegetables really THAT important? Can't we have frozen turkey? Or better still, can't we just order Chinese food for 10? Why do people feel the need to fill their trolleys like it's the day before Armageddon? The shops are only shut for ONE day for pity's sake! For now, I'll just pray to leave the store with all my fingers intact, as few bruises as possible and hopefully everything I need. But you know what? On Christmas day, when all my family are around me, when the food is eaten and the Christmas spirits are out of the bottle. When gifts are given and received. When I'm another year older. It'll all be worth it.

Won't it?

those darn games!

Okay, I admit it. I’m an addict. I can’t get enough of my “fix” every day. I use it as a procrastination tool instead of writing, I use it when I’m talking on the phone just to keep my hands busy, I use it as a sleep aid at night to make me drowsy.

What is my addiction? Those silly, little, web-based arcade games. You know them. Bejeweled, Peggle, Jewel Quest, Dynomite. And when I get bored with those, there are always the Spider Solitaire, Free Cell and plain-old Solitaire to play. I’ll sit down at the computer, ostensibly to check my email, and decide to play “just one game” to relax with. An hour later my rear end is asleep and my mouse fingers are freezing and I’m still playing.

So there you have it. My guilty little secret. Those darn games suck me in every time. Granted, because they take so little brain power, the rest of my mind is busy turning over new story lines or working out a bit of dialogue between my hero and heroine. The story file is almost always open just underneath the game window. I’ll write for a while, play for a while (and think), then write for a while.

Of course, my husband always walks in when I’m on the “play for a while” moment…he thinks I don’t write at all. That I just play games every time I tell him I need to get some writing done. How does one explain that one is actually writing even though it just LOOKS like I’m playing Dynomite for the twenty-seventh time this hour?

That’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it. How about you? Have a favorite game/time-waster? I’m always on the lookout for new ones…