At The Last Moment

I won't lie guys.  It was hard this year to get into the spirit of the season.  There was just so much going on. More than normal.

It had started off with a good push.  I had finished all my Christmas shopping by the first of December.  I was so proud of myself.  I have never in the history of Juju done any sort of Christmas shopping early.  We usually wait until the last minute and I drag my husband begrudgingly around Target and he complains and answers all my questions with "I dunno".  He goes for me, and I realize that.  My man hates shopping with every fiber of his being.  So this year I did 96% of it without him.  I consulted with him over Clover's presents but that was about it.  It felt weird going without him but at the same time I was happy to get it all done early so I could focus on other special things.  Maybe like decorating or baking or something.

Then enters life and I sit around wondering why there aren't enough hours in the day to do what I set out to do.

I think if it wasn't for the generosity and kindness of the people I surround myself with, I may not have gotten into the Christmas spirit at all.  Never underestimate the little things.  Simple kindness goes a really long way.  It was the little push that I needed to remember that the season is about giving to others.  I had been given kindness.  It was my turn to pass it on.    

Even if things where cutting it a little close.  I was still baking on Christmas Eve three hours before we were supposed to head out to the in-laws.

I think my big goal for this year was the same as last year.  I wanted to make a special holiday for my husband and my daughter.  I think it was successful.  Clover expressed several times that she got just what she wanted.  It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, which is the best present she could give her Mommy.  It complimented the pretty present her Daddy gave me.  I'm pretty sure her presents came in second, I think her first was hanging out with her family.  She loves having get togethers.  She loves playing with her cousins and twisting her relatives around her little finger.  She said many times that she was having "the best day/night ever!"  Which is what every parent wants to hear.  Then she crashed in my lap fifteen minutes before bed time.  She was all tuckered out!

As I laid her in her bed I realized that through it all I was able to pull it all together. I rocked it.  Even if it was all at the last moment.

Juju's Recipe for Peppermint Mochas

As you have read before and again and again, I do love me some caffeine.  Especially during the cold winter months.  It seems like every day I am ever so tempted to drive through my favorite coffee house and pick me up a Peppermint Mocha!  That gets just a tad bit more expensive when you want one every day!  On the way back from Papa's today, I was going to harass the Hubby to go through the drive through but we both knew we had plenty of coffee at home.

Once we got home I realized that we had all of the ingredients to make my very own.  I just made this up about five seconds ago, so if it is somewhere else on this big internet then great minds really do think alike!

Take one cup of coffee in your favorite mug!

While it just came out of the pot add one small candy cane that you have beat up with the back of a spoon.

Please ignore the candy cane dust from the others I made before I decided to take pictures.

Add two scoops (or two and half if you like it sweeter) of your favorite hot chocolate mix.

That scoop is a tablespoon.

Stir until combined.  Add a splash of half and half for creaminess.  Then add a very healthy dollop/squirt of whipped cream.  Then add in your other smashed up candy cane.

Enjoy!

Might I suggest you enjoy in front of a nice toasty fire.  One with stockings already hung for extra bonus points!

Hubby fixed the switch today!

In Which: I Feel Like a Bad Fan & Sound Slightly Crazy

All of the anticipation.  Following all of the puzzles and checking the tweets.  It was killing me.  All of the excitement.  I was ready...

So where is the October post of the Secret Codes and Battleships by Darren Hayes?

Uhm yeah, about that.  I guess last album I was spoiled.  I found the cd locally.  I was able to walk into the store and buy it and listen to it on the way home.  And I did!  Then Hubby really spoiled me by taking me to see Darren in Hollywood.  "On the Verge" was practically a theme song while prepared for the arrival of my darling Clover.  See I was spoiled.  I admit that.

This time around Mr. Hayes is working with an Australian record company to spread the music love.  Huge deal right!  I was so excited for him and a little selfishly hoping that would bring him to my neck of the woods.  They started promoting the record on the other side of the world from me.  I was a little disappointed.  From all of the reviews the tour was amazing and maybe I am just a bit jealous.

So I go to download the album on iTunes...and it errors on me!  It tells me I am not allowed to download it!  I don't remember the exact error.  All I remember is a blur and then I was mad.  It gave me the error for two days!  If I wanted the cd I would have to order it from amazon and wait.  There was a lot of mumbling to myself and a few WHATs, and an "are you serious".

A total rational person would acknowledge that it's just a technical error.  See what I did there?  I said "rational"  and I admit that I was not.  It's like Darren and I were fighting.  Except he didn't know it.  

So enter a crazy busy life, a three year old and a pumpkin carving incident.  Two weeks ago I just downloaded it.  Tonight I made it a point to sit down and listen to it!  I wanted to sit down and actually listen without doing forty eight different things.  I feel horrible.  Like the worst fan ever.  I think it's totally appropriate that I just got to "Stupid Mistake" as I got to this paragraph.  Now I feel even worse!

I did find a vid to sample the album on YouTube.

It is also available on iTunes.  I was able to finally download it.  I don't know why it gave me an error.

It is an ah-mazing album.  I've listened to it twice tonight.  In this very moment right now I have to say that my favorites are "Don't Give Up" along with "Nearly Love" and "Explode".  I say "right now" because my favorites are constantly changing.  I want to mention "Roses" because it's such an emotional song.  The message is very clear and important, but I felt that it was also a bit sad.  It resonated.  It's a great song.

So hopefully this post doesn't make me sound slightly crazy.  I have already stated that I am slightly off but I know there is a fine line and I try not to cross over it :)

Sad Panda

Two things I can't seem to shake today that have been giving me a big dose of the sads.  Warning:  Kind of a buzzkill not my normal happy go lucky posting.

My long time IRC pal from back in the day got robbed.  If you are old enough to know what IRC is and actually used it then you get total I love nerds points.  Back to the story...she came home to find all of the electronic devices in her house gone.  Along with some collectables that she and her son stood in line to get signed.  I have been thinking about them all day.  What a sucky thing to come home too.  Especially right before the holidays.  Being all the way across the country I keep trying to think of something to do for her other than offering long distance loves.  I thought about knitting some scarves but that will just make me feel better.

I'm very glad that no one was hurt.  That is definitely a positive.  But she is still left with the mess and the damage to not only her home but security as well.  Maybe I will just knit a large scarf she can wrap her whole house in.  Maybe I should start working on that...

My other downer came today via text message.  Hubs sent me a message that said "Col. Potter died"  and which I replied with a NUH uH!  He did :(  I had to google and found the announcement.  The timing of when I found out was weird because I was watching Beauty and the Beast Christmas special which stars David Ogden Stiers as Cogsworth.  He played Charles on my very much loved M*A*S*H.  I actually started watching season four of my Martinis and Medicine Collection last week.  Season four brought in BJ and Col. Potter.  I can't explain why I love a show that started before I was born.  I have tried but I don't really understand why either.  I just know that I do.  All of this M*A*S*H talk makes me want to visit the Malibu site.  One of these days I will get there.

Oy today...I need chocolate.  Massive amounts of chocolate!      

I'm a Stress Ball, Ya'll

Clover came in and joined us.  It was early, but I conceded because I didn't want the fit.  It seemed wrong to push her away when she "just wanted to snuggle".  So I had Clover on one side and Hubby on the other.  Within minutes they were both sawing logs.  Time ticked by on the clock and I was still laying there, wide awake.

I had my darlings on either side of me.  I was comfortable and warm.  But still sleep evaded me.  Nine times out of ten I am the last one asleep.  I think it's because I like falling asleep to noise and Hubby likes it pin drop quiet.  So it's quiet until he falls asleep and then once he is snoring I usually pass right out.

I laid there and tried to focus on why I couldn't fall asleep.  Was I stressed?  What was I stressed about?  I tried to go over the list in my head.  Everything on the list will be taken care of eventually but I still can't help but stress.

Why is it so hard to turn my brain off?  The lack of sleep is messing with my days.  Every day seems more exhausting than the last and when I look around at the end of the day I can't figure out what I did.  Whatever it is seems to be taking up all my time.  It's frustrating.  I hope this feeling passes quick so that I can enjoy what is left of the holiday season.  

There is Some Math Involved

Sixteen years and three days ago...a boy came to school with a bouquet of roses and asked a girl out.  This being in high school there were some people that were not happy with this.  But the very young couple smiled and carried on.

A few day later...the boy kissed the girl, because a frizbee hit her in the lip and it swelled up.

Six days after that...she wrote in her journal that she was in love with that boy.  Which she thought was pretty darn serious being all of 15 years old.

Just short of three years later...he proposed.  She of course, said yes.

A year after that they were happily married.

Twelve years later...we are getting ready to celebrate our twelve year anniversary.  There has been lots of ups and downs but just as always the still young couple smiles and carries on.

Day 30 - Catching a Glimpse

30 Days of Thanks

Day 30 - I am thankful for little moments that I get to witness that help me believe that life isn't all that bad.

While I was making dinner, I could hear Grandma reading Clover a book.  It was one of those simple moments in life where I just couldn't help but be thankful for what I have.  Sometimes it gets all too easy to focus on what is missing or who is missing.  It's easy to get hung on on the negative.  So much so that we rarely see the little positive moments.  I'm glad that I didn't miss this.  Of course five minutes later I walked in to see that Clover had crawled right into Grandma's lap and had fallen asleep.  At 5 o clock at night.  Lucky for Grandma she woke up or else Grandma would have had to stay and put her darling granddaughter to sleep at 10pm.