Happy New Year!

Another year has come and gone and life keeps changing. I'm not sure what life has in store for us this year, but I hope it's great. I'd like to say that I've made my new year's resolutions and could list them all for you, but I've been to busy eating the junk food I bought (and shouldn't have). Perhaps another day, eh? For now, I just want to say Happy New Year to you all and I hope that it is a blessed one! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go ring in the new year with Luke Skywalker or Frodo Baggins. I'm still undecided and hope to make my mind up before I reach the movie shelf. I suppose new year's resolutions are going to be tough if I can't even make up my mind on a movie. Oh well. Details, my friends. Details. Here's to the new year. Bring on 2011!

Coming Soon!

My ultimate plans to take over the world are about to commence! Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha! No. Not really. Actually my plans to take over the world sort of burned out right around the time I became a mom. Okay. You caught me. I never had plans that big. Too much work and the hours are insane. No holiday pay, you know. All joking aside, I don't actually have anything of severe interest to blog about tonight so I just thought I'd mention that the beginnings of a new blog is officially in the make. I'm currently working on a title bar to fit the name and hope to have the first post of many up and running within the next two weeks or so. Don't panic, faithful reader(s). I shall still remain true to The Lemonade Stand. My new blog will be the followings of a crazy failed artist who has yet, after many years, to make a name for herself in the art world. Though several attempts have been made on various levels in the art field, she has still managed to work her way down the art ladder to status of 'waste of art degree and four and a half years of college education.' She's unpublished, unpaid, and uninterested in the graphic design world she was so dedicated to succeeding in so many years ago.

Wait a second...this sounds vaguely familiar. It's almost like I'm talking about myself. Oh! That's right! I am talking about myself. So yes, my plans to draw a creature a day (or a drawing a day) have been reconsidered and slightly modified to fit the schedule of a mom with two busy kids and no room for a drawing desk. I will be be revealing my second blog soon and hope to be publishing one drawing a week - mostly concentrating on my fantasy/sci-fi work. So if you're interested, keep a watchful eye on the blogging horizon. It is coming...

To have the mind of a child

I'm always fascinated by the child's mind. It has endless possibilities. Actually, I believe that anything is possible in a kid's world. For example, Alex has asked me more than once if he can fly like a bird. I tell him no and he immediately comes back by asking, "When I get older, can I grow wings and flap them like a bird to fly in the sky?" Obviously these sort of things, short of being dropped in a vat of nuclear slime capable of mutating human physiology, are impossible. To a child it is not only possible, but highly probable. I figure why destroy their dreams of impossibility? They will eventually figure it out. Not only do they dream of flying with the birds, swimming with the whales and singing with the Wiggles. They also believe that whatever they ask for, no matter how grand or insignificant it might be, will be given to them without any hesitation. Tonight we were eating dinner when the following occurred:

Abby (not wanting milk to drink): Mommy, can I have something to drink?

Me (who has yet to take more than two bites of my cold food): You have something to drink. You have milk right there.

Abby: I want apple juice.

Me: Well, we don't always get what we want.

Abby: But I really want apple juice.

Me: And I want a million dollars.

Abby: (She reaches into her pocket and pretends to pull something out and hand it to me.) Here. Here's a million dollars!

We all laughed and I poured her a pretend glass of apple juice. For a two and a half year old, she's pretty witty.

Post Christmas Void

If your traditions are anything similar to mine then the day after Thanksgiving, you are hauling all of your Christmas decoration boxes down from places too high to reach if you happen to be 5'4". You dust off the year of dirt and cobwebs and spend a couple of hours sorting through the many Christmas memories of past. You smile when you see the handmade ornaments and place them on your brightly shining tree while the kids dance around the room with the excitement of the holiday season bright in their eyes. A few hours later, the warmth of multi-color twinkling lights fill the house and shades of green and red hang in every room. The Christmas glow is complete. You spend your days making holiday crafts and goodies while the pleasant sounds of Christmas music plays quietly in the background. No matter how many curve-balls life might be throwing your way, the natural joy of the season always seems to raise your spirits. I suppose celebrating 25 straight days of our Lord's birth is blessed that way. Christmas has arrived. The smiles and laughter of the children spreads into your heart as they talk of Santa and baby Jesus. It's a wonderful day.

But as all things do with time, Christmas comes and then Christmas goes. The day after seems different somehow. You may leave the tree up for a couple of more days in hopes of squeezing a few more ounces of holiday joy out of it's twinkling lights. But somehow, the glow of those tiny bulbs on the tree don't hold the same magic. You realize that now that it's over, it's time to pack away the holiday until next year. That's what today was for me. Much to the kiddos' dismay, I lugged all the boxes into the living room and packed up another year of Christmas memories. It was a good one, despite the hard times and I look forward to getting those dusty old boxes down again next year to reminisce once more.

So as I look around the house now, it feels...well...empty. I know that the walls were just as bare a month ago as they are today. The Christmas tree is only up for a month and the stockings only litter the wall for such a short time in the year. But I feel the void, nevertheless. Somehow, I don't mind the bitter bite of the winter wind when Christmas is in the air. I suppose that's part of the reason it's so sad to see the house so bare now. The magic of snow on Christmas is a joyful thing to see. After Christmas, the prospect of ice and snow merely annoys me and reminds me that we are stuck inside until spring graces us again. I suppose that if Christmas lasted all year then it wouldn't feel so wonderful when it comes. As much as I dislike the void I feel, I'll always be thankful that each and every year, we get to experience the magic of Christmas all over again.

New Beginnings?

Two months has passed since the most recent lay off with Josh. This might actually become the longest stretch of unemployment to date. I suppose that there really is nothing positive you can say about that. And to find something positive about such an annoying situation is nearly impossible. So I will stretch to my furthest limits and find the near invisible point of joy that seems so improbable to find. Josh has made a decision. Okay. So not really a 100% positive decision. But a possible decision that may or may not put us on a potential path to hopeful recovery. He is as fed up with the union as can be and has decided to start asking about the punishment of quitting the union and breaking contract. Is this a good choice? Who knows anymore. But I'm fairly certain that the incapable union has proved to us to be...well...worthless. For an organization meant 'for the people', it sure is working against us for the moment. So as of the end of this week, we should have made a partial decision on what may or may not be a new beginning to a new year. Wish us luck. This could get a little bumpy.

Twas the night after Christmas and all through the house...

...not a creature was stirring. Not even my two crazy children who are best known for their freakish ability to stay awake against all odds! Yes. It's true. My kids are asleep before 9:30. Actually, they were both asleep before 8:45. Abby zonked out on my lap while watching a movie at 7:30 and Alex passed out almost as quickly once his head hit his pillow. So as I sit here and listen to the dryer as it prepares me for yet another load of laundry, I ask myself: What do I do with my extra free time? Actually, I must admit that it's a bit strange not hearing the unending post-bedtime questions and requests. As I sat down to flip on my laptop, I had to mentally check to see if I was awake or dreaming that it was so quiet in my house. Not that I'm unhappy to have both kids sleeping so peacefully in their beds so early. But when you're used to constant noise, the silence can be deafening. In fact, it's so strangely deafening that I think I might go turn on a movie. And what better way to break the silence than with a good ol' battle sequence of Middle Earth? Nothin' like a few good orc deaths to brighten you up after the holiday season, eh? Besides, Viggo Mortensen alone makes the three hour movie worth watching (wink, wink). So, I'm off to enjoy some Lord of the Rings, folks. It's been far too long and I mustn't keep my hobbits waiting.

Merry Christmas!

Though the day of our Lord's birth has come so fast this year, I hope that everyone out there has had a wonderful Christmas and continues to have a spectacular finish to the year. May all your days be bright and beautiful during this wonderful time of year. And if you're like me, you're about to curl up on the couch with a delicious cup of hot cocoa and a toasty warm Transformer blanket and watch one last Christmas movie to finish off the day right. So from my family to yours, wherever you may be, Merry Christmas and God bless.