ONE!!!

He's 1!!

A big one year old toddler (who isn't quite toddling) today!!

I could go on about how weepy I am that my baby has gotten so big so fast. Or how quickly it's all gone by. Or what a difficult year it's been. I'll refrain.

I'll focus instead on all the cute things he's doing now: pulling up, grabbing things, saying things that almost sound like words. I know the next few months will be a developmental explosion and each stage will be more fun than the last. He now interacts with his brother and sister so much more; watching them together is such a joy.

The big kids decided that we should celebrate at Chuck E Cheese tonight and so we shall. The birthday bash is this weekend (praying for good weather), so we'll spend the rest of the week reveling in our big Mr. Bunch. We love you.

The Notebook

If you've been in my house lately, OK, ever, you probably wouldn't peg me as a freak for organization. That particular gene never really entered my body, and I have all but given up trying to control kid clutter. It's pointless. They can make messes faster than I can clean them up, or yell at them to clean them up. However, there are a few things that I get kind of anal about. OK, very few.

After we closed on the house a couple of weeks ago, I decided that I need a central repository for ideas, information, phone numbers, catalogs, lists, lots of lists, lists of lists, etc. that would accompany the purchase, decorating, moving, and other processes. At the same time, I needed to use the above materials for a design team project at The Untamed Scrapper. So, voila, two birds have been killed with one batch of paint, paper and adhesive.

These days, you'll usually find the notebook not far from wherever I happen to be. I've gotten some funny looks from people (like the cute closet designer at The Container Store who looked like Mike the hunky plumber on Desperate Housewives, but was impressed by the accuracy of my closet measurements) and my darling husband openly makes fun of me. Mock away folks. I don't care.

I like my notebook. It makes feel like I have somewhat of a handle on at least one aspect of my totally chaotic life. I like carrying around something that I made myself, that no one else has. And I love what it represents: that after 8+ years of waiting, the 5 of us are finally creating our own little nest. One that is ours alone (um, along with the bank), that has plenty of room for us to live, play, relax, and grow in. One that we can paint and decorate however we like, where we'll be proud to host family and friends.

As the notebook gets filled, it's becoming a document of our little process. It'll showcase our tastes and desires. The things we spend money on and those we can't. It will be a reference for when I need someone's phone number, or a paint color , or a receipt.

Each day, our lives are becoming more crazy as we get ready to move. But as I enter each photo, each telephone number (and each invoice) into my little notebook, it holds the craziness at bay for just one second. And some days, that one second is about as good as it's going to get.

In a Fog...In the Middle of a Hurricane

Maybe I'm whining, maybe I'm being a baby, but I have SO MUCH going on that it's making my head spin.

The house has been bought and closed on. We are in the middle of getting some stuff done inside which requires meeting contractors, coordinating times, supplies, prices, etc. We need some furniture. We need to figure out what colors to paint. We need to move 10 rooms and a cluttered garage full of stuff and haven't even started the process. All this costs money. Although we're excited about it all, we're not excited about the cost, and less so about the prospect of credit card debt on top of our brand spanking new mortgage.

I got sick. Getting better, got some meds, but it took its toll for a few days.

I've got a baby with a first birthday coming up. A party is required and will be thrown. In the middle of a move. Just because he's the 3rd and we're moving doesn't mean he doesn't get his first birthday party.

I've got 3 kids, with only 1 in school every day. Every single thing that needs to be done is made harder by the logistical challenge of either figuring out where to stash them or dealing with their boredom, whining, tantrums, destructiveness, etc. if we have them with us. Someone who shall remain nameless has made it his business to grab his father's screwdriver and unscrew the plates off the electrical outlets in the new house. Boredom is a dangerous thing.

Not to mention the normal busy-ness that goes along with school, friends, activities. Who has time for all this?

Still, I'm happy, I'm excited....and I'm sleepy.

Homework

It seems that these days, the parents get just about as much homework as the kids. Thankfully, my kid usually doesn't require me to sit there with her while she does her work. But occasionally, we do get our own parents-only assignments. This is how I completed the latest one. We had to decorate a heart for our little angels. This is far from my most imaginative creation. I found out about it kind of last minute...and I was having a rather challenging weekend with my precious little cherub. I stole the idea from this layout I did a while ago:


I did go around the edge with a glitter pen to add a little sparkle. The letters are made using an eons-old template. The heart is, in-fact, intact; the edge got cut off in the scan. I'm sure the other overachiever parents have come up with many more complex and elaborate creations. Hopefully, Julia won't notice how plain this one is and give me a passing grade.

Happy Birthday

Happy Belated Birthday to my husband. Even on the one day in the universe when the stars collided and the Super Bowl happened to fall on his birthday, he still had to do things like attend a family function...for my family. No one was more excited about the day than Julia, who woke him up way too early to tell him that it actually was his birthday. What we lacked in extravagant presents this year, trying to be prudent because of the house and all, we made up for in good wishes from family and friends, two really excited kids and a great feeling of happiness as we celebrated with our kids and looked forward to the year to come. Chocolate cake (not made by me) didn't hurt either. Of course, Ray still did laundry, washed dishes and changed diapers throughout the day. Birthday or no birthday, some things just can't wait.

Toilet Training Updtate

The one with the poop wins.

Loan Owners Once Again

You know when you want something for so bad for so long that when it happens it doesn't even seem real? That's been the case with our desire to buy a house since we landed back in southern California 8 years ago. With the crazy market and home prices more than doubling in just a few years, we felt completely shut out of the market. We were lucky enough to be able to rent a decent house in a decent neighborhood (in a great school district) from our more-than-generous landlords, aka Mom and Dad. Still, the house wasn't ours, it didn't fit us, and we finally outgrew it.

Late last year we decided that it was time for us to start looking again. A lot of angst followed as the husband fell in love with every house we saw and I couldn't bring myself to pull Julia out of her beloved elementary school to move into any of them. Childhood scars take a long time to heal. I just couldn't picture our family in any of the ones we saw. Finally we found one, and it had been sitting under our noses since before we started looking. Once we realized that any house we could afford in the neighborhood we like would need at least $100,000 in remodeling, it became apparent that this one, right around the corner, in the neighborhood we maligned and hated for 8 years was the one. The remodeling has been done, the kitchen has been updated, the kids love the pool and the backyard (no more having to listen to "Mommy, why can't we have a pool, too?"), and it looks like everything is going smoothly for us to close escrow on it in a couple of weeks. We'll be in the same neighborhood, but at least we're moving a couple of streets away from the crazy people who surround us now. And I don't mean crazy in the let's-have-a-couple-of-drinks-and-have-a-roaring-good-fun sense. I mean crazy in the damn-the-cops-are-here-again-and-I-wonder-whose-house-they-are-
going-to-this-time sense.

So now we will owe more money than we can conceive of to the bank. My days of carefree recreational shopping are over. We will be spending hand over fist to make this house our home. And we don't care. Of course, stress abounds. I have no clue how I'll get our house packed and moved. A Dumpster will need to be dispatched. Babysitters will need to be hired (wouldn't it figure that our on-call babysitter, Grandma Goob, will be moving into her own mansion in a couple of weeks and will more than have her hands full). It will get done somehow.

Once we're in, you're all invited over. At some point, there will be a giant table for scrapping and I hope to see the pool full of kids and friends all summer. Beth & Kim, you're invited to help decorate and do projects. I'll provided the margaritas. We need lots of great decorating ideas and help picking out paint colors, etc. The rest of you, just pray we all survive the stress and the move. And if we all survive, see you soon in our new house!!!!

What I Learned at The Price Is Right

My husband, who has a Master's Degree and is a Vice President at the company where he works, is also a rabid fan of The Price Is Right. He's watched this show since he was a child and has now turned our kids into fans as well.

As long as we've lived in LA, however, he'd never been to see a taping of the show. That all changed yesterday. For Christmas, a good friend of ours was able to get us VIP tickets to a taping. Miraculously, Ray was able to get the day off work, I was able to secure babysitting and rides for the kids and we spent the day together watching the taping, and doing more stuff I'll tell you about soon. Our airdate is February 26th; look for us in the second row, clapping and cheering our little hearts out. Here's what I learned as we watched people come on down:

• Bob Barker is a stud! No, really. He looks great, moves well, and is pretty sharp with a comeback. Granted, he probably says the same stuff to audiences every single day, but still...
• The Price Is Right Studio is small and FREEZING. Seriously freezing. You'd think once the lights come up it would improve. It doesn't. There were crew members wearing gloves and ski jackets.
  
• You can be a VIP or a contestant but not both. However, in order to get the regular tickets that give you a chance to get chosen as a contestant, you have to camp out overnight. No thanks.
  
• This show moves fast and it's loud in there. It's a miracle people can concentrate on the prizes and their answers what with the noise and the pace and the excitement and the fact that it's FREEZING.
• Even though it looks like Bob and the contestants are hanging out on this giant stage all by themselves, there are 4 cameras and a ton of people onstage with them. There's a cue card guy, a guy who tells Bob when the commercial break is about to end and counts him back in, and a bunch of people whose function completely escaped me. Not to mention the beauties, who are actually quite pretty.
  
• The announcer is a hard-ass. If you are a CBS page, don't piss him off. Also, if you are a CBS page, and an audience member spells her name out for you, all you have to do is write the letters on her name tag in the order that she tells them to you. It is not your job to spell her name the way you think it should be spelled.
• People exhibit a great deal of originality in order to create T-shirts which they hope will get them selected to Come On Down. Beyond the Barker's Beauties and the We Love Bob shirts, some guy had emblazoned upon him that his wife got spayed and he got neutered. Thanks for the visual, Luigi.

Readers, Weigh In

What do you do?

1. Buy a pretty great, though not perfect, house in a neighborhood you don't like (i.e. the one I live in now) at a good price or
2. Keep looking for a similar house in your dream neighborhood, knowing that they are few, far between and will probably be priced higher elsewhere even if you happen to find one

Post your thoughts.

What I Learned at Potty Training School

Oh no. Not another potty training blog post.

Oh yes. Some things, as they say, roll downhill. And if I have to deal with it, then you, my faithful (well, maybe not after this) readers, most likely will too. Needless to say, we still have not achieved the Holy Grail of Potty Training Success.

One of the many things I love about our pediatric practice (home of the beloved Dr. Greene) is their monthly parenting workshops. They are facilitated by my pediatrician's wife, who is a family therapist, her husband, and one or two of the other doctors in the group. In the past I have attended workshops on such topics as discipline (twice) and I knew the subject of potty training was coming around again. Never thinking it would be an issue for us by January, I was sure I wouldn't need to attend again. But there I was Monday night, desperate to glean the one miraculous bit of information that would get us over this hurdle. Here is what I learned:

• Once you go to underwear, don't go back. Maybe someone should've pointed this out 6 months ago.
• No matter how big or small the crowd, it is a given that there will be that one annoying parent in it.
• Preschoolers are way too smart for my own good and they can play you like a violin.
  
• Cars and bushes are not the optimal places to go potty.
• As excited as you may be that your 2 year old achieved potty training success in a week and is now dry day and night and poops in the potty and probably already has a genius IQ to boot, the rest of us don't want to hear about it. Why the hell are you here anyway?
• I shouldn't nag. What? I might as well chop off my arm. What are mothers for, if not to nag?
  
• If you have a 2 week old and a 16 month old and the newborn isn't quite nursing right and the toddler thinks that when his dad pees he can play in it like a fountain, it's probably too soon to start training him, even though your maternity leave ends in 2 weeks. Go home and go to sleep.
• No matter how bad I want to scream at the trainee, it is ill-advised and I Must Not.
• I should be so thankful to the gods that he's not twins.
  
• My son has a strong will and is testing me. No, really?
  
• External forces like grandmas and preschools are dangerous for this delicate process. Never mind that my mom is practically my kids' other mom and my mother in law arrives for a visit tomorrow.
• Wine helps. This one wasn't actually advocated by the pros, but it's something I've learned from my own experience and felt like I should share.
  

So here we are again. We've stocked up on underwear: Thomas, Cars and colors "just like Daddy's." I have put a smile on my face and sweetness and patience in my voice (see why I need the wine?) and kept him home from school today so we can get lots of practice. The pee and poop are flowing freely, sometimes even in the toilet. It'll be a rough few days around here but I'm hopeful this time will be the last. I know, we've all heard that one before.

A Resolution Kept....so far

As you may remember, one of my New Year's resolutions was to scrapbook more this year. Last year was a total bust in this area and it would be difficult to do worse this year. But it's fun, important and cheaper than therapy so I do try to get it in when possible.

Last weekend I got a chance to do some playing and I used the opportunity to finish a project that was only a year overdue. A few years ago I found these little Kolo mini-albums that are perfect to make into ornaments. They even have a hole in the back for a ribbon to hang them with. I decided that I'd make a simple album every December to recap the past year's highlights and hang it on our Christmas tree. Easy enough, right? The first two years it worked out great. Last year I got totally swamped and also got stuck on how to do the cover so it sat until last weekend. Never mind that I still have 2006 to do, which I fully intend to before Chritmas 2007. This one is done, cute and special to our family.

The front is sponged with red ink. The photo is one we took when Julia came home from the hospital just after New Year's; it was actually included with the thank you notes we sent to family and friends who were so thoughtful while she was hospitalized. The rainbow is symbolic because around that time she was really into them, just totally loved rainbows. The day she was released from the hospital we saw the most gigantic one ever stretched all the way across the sky. We took it as a sign that everything was going to be OK. The inside pages are very simple and embellished only with stickers, if at all. Because the pages are so small, it's hard enough to get a decent picture on them, let alone anything fancy.

So, there you have it. My first scrapping of 2007 and hopefully not the last!

P.S. Sorry for the wonky scan. The album is fat and my scanner wouldn't close completely.

P.P.S. If you'd like to try your hand at making your own mini-album ornament, I did a write-up about it in the December issue of the View from Untamed. You can take a look here; scroll down to the bottom of the first page, and keep going for a whole lot of other good stuff.

Happy New Year!

The New Year has been rung in and we have almost managed to get the confetti out of all the crevices it found its way into. We celebrated with the two families who have recently moved into our cul-de-sac and the goodwill, cheer and pomegranate martinis were flowing freely. No matter how many years pass, I will never forget New Year's Eve two years ago. It was a night of great celebration because Julia was finally moved from her PICU room in the hospital to the regular peds floor. We tried to make it as festive as possible, but the picture of her wearing her pink feather New Year crown and oxygen tubes in her nose will always haunt me. What a blessing to watch her running around this New Year: healthy, strong and NOISY, there is thankfully nothing wrong with her lungs now.

So far, 2007 feels a whole lot like 2006. Kids running around, neglected laundry, and a baby crying himself to sleep(hopefully). Still, it's hard not to have a good feeling about the new year. Hopefully this will be the year that our family will find its new home, preferably without a divorce being the result of house-finding stress. This is also the year that Ray officially starts his new title at work and resumes the godawful commute. May they both be painless and profitable. Since I found out years ago that I pretty much suck at keeping New Year's resolutions, I'm keeping it simple this year by striving to do the following:

• Be healthier (which includes cook more and sleep more)
  
• Scrap more
• Be a more fun mom and wife

That's it: easy peasy lemon squeezy! With that out of the way, and a little more blogging space to fill, I thought I'd do my part to make the world a better place and help some others who desperately need some resolutions:

Britney Spears: one word: Underwear.
Hillary Clinton: to please spare the American people the blood and gore of any Presidential campaign which includes her and just not run.
George W.: Find a clue, and fast!
Rosie O'Donnell: Shut up.
Barbara Walters: Fire Rosie.
Southern California Homeowners: Sell your homes. The time is now. Preferably to me. Preferably dirt cheap.
The Iranian People: Figure out a way to get rid of your laughingstock baboon of a President before America or Israel does it for you. Really, do we want George Bush taking this on too?
Tannaz: Enjoy the hell out of your new unemployed status and put your new found daily freedom to good use by coming over to hang out with my kids as often as possible. Getting a few articles or a book published would also be good.
Tom Cruise: see Rosie O'Donnell

Everyone Else: Be good to yourselves and each other. This world is a tough enough place without all the senseless crap that people do to each other. If given the chance to complain about something or actually do something about it, choose the latter. Smile more. Hug your kids, especially when you don't feel like it. Have a great year!

Crap! I've been tagged!

A - Available/Single? Nope

B- Best Friend? Ray

C- Cake or Pie? Cake

D - Drink Of Choice? Iced tea

E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? Toilet paper

F - Favorite Color? Red

G- Gummy Bears Or Worms? Worms

H - Home or Homesick? Home

I - Indulgence? Pedicures

J - January Or February? February.

K - Kids & Their Names? Julia, Ethan, Brady aka Juji, EB, Bunch

L - Life Is Incomplete Without? see B & K

M - Marriage date? 5-27-95

N - Number Of Siblings? 1 sister

O - Oranges Or Apples? Apples

P - Phobias/Fears? Alligators

Q - Favorite Quote: You cannot help another without helping yourself (or something that pretty much means that but sounds a little prettier)

S- Season? Summer

T - Tag 3 or 4 people? Beth, Kim

U - Unknown Fact About Me? If I told you , it wouldn't be unknown would it?

V - Vegetable you don’t like? Green peppers.

W- Worst Habit? Leaving stuff lying around.

X- X-rays You’ve Had? Knees, wrists, dental, and not much else lately, unless ultrasounds count.

Y - Your Favorite Food? Who can pick just one?

Z - Zodiac Sign? Cancer

Holiday Letters

Dear Family and Friends:

No matter how cheesy or cliche they are, we really do enjoy receiving your holiday cards and letters. It's a treat to watch your children grow up and we marvel at how beautiful they all are. Perhaps it's not necessary to tell us about every single trip you've taken this year, or include a picture of your outrageous mansion that you carved out an entire hillside to build. Nevertheless, thank you for including us among those you send your holiday greeting to. And for those of you who go through the annual trouble to make your newsletter funny and charming, an extra special thanks.


Dear School Mommies:

Enough is enough. Thank you but you really don't need to bring treats for the whole class for every single stinking holiday. You don't need to throw impromptu class parties without giving anyone else the opportunity to participate. Our children don't need one more bag of cookies, no matter how beautifully frosted with each of their names in color coordinated icing, one more little toy and one more cute pencil. While we're at it, you don't need to be in class every single stinking day. Either decide you don't like the teacher and move your kid, or decide to support her and get out of her way. Just because it's her first year teaching and she's got enough to handle with 20 six-year olds without having to manage their pushy moms, doesn't mean she needs you to run her classroom. Besides, you're making the rest of us feel uncomfortable.


Dear Retailers:

It's called the holiday rush. Staff up.


Dear Residents of a Certain Southern California Neighborhood:

It's time to put your homes up for sale. I'm in love with your neighborhood, can almost manage to afford a house in it and love the school my daughter attends there (in spite of certain mommies) and don't want to move her to a different one. I've got 16 combined years of elementary school ahead of me and that is the school I want my kids to walk to. You have a willing buyer. So cash out, move on and move out. After 8 long years, it's my turn.


Dear Nigella Lawson:

I caught an episode of your show on Food Network and decided to make your Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake as my gift to give this year to those on my list who actually merit a home-baked present. While I love the fact that you make the entire thing in a food processor, now that I've made 6 of them I'm wondering if the whole thing is worth it. I think it could've been more chocolaty, and the whole syrup thing results in kind of a sticky mess. Notwithstanding some of the substitutions I made (replacing half the butter with applesauce, using light sour cream when I ran out of regular) for all the fat and calories as well as all the effort required, this should just be a little bit better.


Dear Mailman:

Thank you for having the most sincere and appreciative response of anyone I gave a gift to this year. How gracious and surprised you were to receive just a small tin of chocolates. Your reaction made me feel so great, so thanks. And thanks is really all that's required, isn't it. Because if your reaction to a gift I got you is anguish at the time and expense I willingly and happily expended, it just puts a huge damper on the entire process.


Dear Kids:

Despite the nagging, whining, fighting and messes, you guys have been awesome lately. It has been so much fun to participate in your year-end activities and watch your excitement at all the holiday goings-on. Mommy might have been stressed recently, but she never for a minute forgot how magical the holidays are for you guys. The next few days are going to be a ton of fun!


Dear Everyone Else:

However you celebrate the holidays, I hope yours are filled with all the big and small things that make this time of year so special. I know you're stressed, tired, and still have a ton left on your to-do list. Still, think twice about cutting someone off on the freeway, stealing a parking spot at the mall, or cutting in line at the check stand. Instead, remember that your smile may be the only thing lighting up someone's holiday, so make it big and wide and let them get in front of you for once. Happy Holidays to all!

Chanukah Chortles

ME: Come on guys, it's time to eat some jelly donuts for Hannukah.

ETHAN: Woo hoo! Jelly donuts! Mom, do I like jelly?

The Merriest Place On Earth, Brought To You By Grandma Goob

It's been about 6 months since the Pearl family's last Disneyland trip and a couple of weeks ago, the alarm went off reminding us that we were due for a return trip. Actually, this particular time we'd been planning it for about 6 weeks. What made this trip extra special was that we left poor little Mr. Bunch home with the fabulous Grandma Goob (what is it about our family and these strange nicknames?). Although we certainly enjoyed our last trip in July, this time we had in our favor the two components that determine the success of any day at Disneyland: small crowds and great weather. Plus leaving the baby at home gave us a lot more freedom and a lot fewer feeding and changing stops. This day was perfect.

We started the day as if it was any regular school day. Julia was mildly alarmed that we were running late, but didn't think it was strange that all of us were driving her to school since my car was out being serviced. When we dropped Brady off at her Grandma's, she was a little confused but even then she went along without asking too many questions. Soon she figured out that we were definitely not heading for school but didn't know where we were until she saw the signs as we exited the freeway. Her reaction was also perfect. We got a whole lot of "I Love You"s along with proclamations that we are awesome parents. She has since changed her mind about this a couple of times, but never for long.

Ray had to work when we first got there, so the kids and I licked lollipops as we rode the train all the way around the park. By the time we got back, he was almost finished with his conference call (damn cell phones can reach you even at Disneyland) and we headed for food and ride after ride after ride. We wisely decided to skip Toontown, which gave us time to do other things. Ethan loudly protested every ride because it was too scary, then when we ignored him and dragged him with us anyway, he walked off bragging about how brave he was.

Not having Brady with us meant that we could go on some of the rides with height restrictions so a highlight of our day was taking our kids on Splash Mountain for their first time. We were so excited that the line, which can take up to an hour and a half, was only about 10 minutes long. Well, duh! You get soaking wet and it was 50 degrees out! No wonder no one wanted to ride it. Poor Ethan got soaked but he was a trouper through the whole thing. Our scaredy cat kids also loved the Haunted Mansion, decorated in all its holiday glory.

Of course, the holiday decorations and fireworks did not disappoint, and the pin collections continue to grow. It's A Small World is as magical as ever. There must be a million light bulbs in that ride, but they're almost superfluous: the real light in there comes from the eyes and faces of the children riding the boats. Ethan hasn't stopped singing "It's A Small World" since we got back, and I know how he feels as he belts it out, as loud as he can, with pure joy in his voice.

One thing I discovered for the first time on this trip was the Disneyland Baby Care Center. Thanks to the folks at Mouseplanet I learned about this great resource for families traveling with babies and toddlers. Located just off Main Street, this quiet, well-equipped facility has everything you need for feeding (nursing, bottles, even pumping) and changing diapers, even little baby toilets for the potty training set. Way to go Disneyland!

For better or worse, we live in a town where kids have a lot of stuff, do a lot of stuff, and go to a lot of places. Many of my kids' schoolmates travel extensively, with annual trips to Hawaii, Disney cruises, and the like. Because of logistics and finances, we have cut down heavily on travel in recent years. However, it means a lot to me to be able to take our kids to Disneyland fairly regularly and hopefully create some great happy memories for them. It was special to be able to concentrate only on the big kids with no baby care duties. To be honest, we all needed that. Once again, Disneyland came through and got our holiday season off to a very merry start.

Hannukah Humor

Overheard from Ethan, while reading A Blue's Clues Chanukah at bedtime tonight:

"I like regular pancakes and chocolate chip pancakes, but no potato pancakes. Ew."

Soon he will learn that sour cream is just one more little Hannukah miracle.

VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Forget the Superbowl, the Olympics, or any other major sporting event you can think of. Around here, what matters is the the UCLA-USC football game. And after being on the losing end for 7 straight years, the Bruins finally beat those arrogant Trojans 13-9!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What makes the victory even sweeter is that USC was headed to the National Championship game, unless they lost to us. It just doesn't get much better.

Nobody, but nobody thought UCLA would win this game. I sure didn't. USC, with its Heisman trophy winners and National Championships in recent years, is just too good. But the great thing about this rivalry is that stats and records don't matter. Often, it's the most important game of the year for both schools. Add to that the local media, the hoopla, and alums from both schools everywhere you go in this town and it is a huge deal!

Here's to a great game and entire year's worth of bragging rights. Let the trash talking begin!

Oh, and have you seen who's leading the basketball polls?

A Holiday Miracle

It's indeed a miracle that during this season of wishes and magic and all that other stuff, I actually got a couple of hours to myself to scrap. I used those magical hours, when I really truly should have been sleeping, to complete this page, which I started several months ago. Pathetic, isn't it?

True to my scrapping style, I did a Valentine's day page in November. And you'll note by the date that yes, I am almost 5 years and two children behind in my scrapbooking, but let's not talk about that and ruin the miraculous mood.

This a design team LO for Dragonfly Designs whose very generous and understanding owner never complains about the timeliness of my submissions. She provided the Daisy D's paper and monogram, both of which I love. By the way look for great things happening soon from Dragonfly Designs; Jacquie has been hard at work. I can go through the rest of the supply list, but do you really care? I will say that I love my Anna Griffin clear stamps that I used for the bottom part. Stamping for Dummies, indeed. No offense, dummies.

I'd like to think that my photography skills have improved since I took these photos. The bottom one, in particular, was kind of a messy hodgepodge, so I made a vellum overlay for the important part and tucked the rest behind the photo mat. Of course, now that I'm looking at the page again, I see things I could add and change but really, what are the odds of that?

Tune in 6 months from now for my next great creation.

What I Learned At Thanksgiving

• It really is all about the turkey, mashed potatoes and apple pie. Unless you're a kid, in which case it's all about playing with your cousins. And that's how it should be.
  
• Three pies are better than 1.
  
• More really is merrier!
• Even the craziest of crazy relatives can be incredibly lucid and well-behaved, long after they've been written off!
• Despite what Tannaz says, red Kuri squash is kind of gross and nowhere near as good as butternut.
• It doesn't matter who you are, high cholesterol is the universal equalizer.
  
• The secret to my first-ever good batch of mashed potatoes is to totally waterlog the taters when they cook. Who knew? I'm no longer mashed-potato challenged. Hooray.
• My mom cooks awesome turkey, breast down, with saffron. It's SO good.
  
• I need more cute serving pieces, not to mention a new dining room table and chairs. And a nice new house to go along with it all.
• The best thing about hosting Thanksgiving is a weekend's worth of leftovers.
  
• Pulling off a Thanksgiving gathering is no problem at all, as long as my mom cooks the turkey.

For a different take on our family's Thanksgiving for those of you who just can't get enough, read Tannaz's version here.