drowning in wrapping paper and cookie crumbs

Christmas #2 has sleigh-ridden into the past… time to clean the house (again) and return to The Book.

The highlight for me happened at the family feast yesterday when two of the youngest angels in the family sang carols in the purest voices imaginable.

What was the best part of your Christmas?

Entering a haze of sugar plums

Christmas #1 with the Millersville branch of the family was ab-fab; late nights, lots of laughs, baking, Elf, real egg nog, hysterical caroling, and Grandma’s fish chowder. Then, bang! zoom! they were gone.

Today is putting the finishing touches on Christmas #2; more baking, decorating the upstairs tree (yes, I have two, and yes, they are both real – this is one of the advantages of being a grown-up. You can have as many Christmas trees as you want.) I’m going to sneak in a run because the weather is terrible (warm, no snow, no hint of a white Christmas). Tonight and tomorrow I will read some favorite poetry, and page through a beloved book. (I will also be revising my WIP because deadlines are a Grinch.)

I will not be blogging for a few days, so I send out my hopes of peace and joy to all of you, along with a snapshot of our hearth.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

May your stockings all hang with care.

Been tagged

Today’s post is brought to you by writerross who tagged me.

The Tag says:
List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether or not they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your livejournal along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re
listening to.

Before He Cheats, Carrie Underwood – just bought it, can’t stop singing it
Gonna Fly Now (Rocky’s Theme) – yeah, digging it
Waterfalls, TLC – love, love, love this song (video version slightly different than album)
Messiah, Handel – you don’t want to be around when I sing this
Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, The Night Heron Consort – I’m listening to an incredible amount of Christmas music
By The Fireside, William Allaudin Mathieu – excellent snuggling song
Welcome to the Family, Little Big Town – good beat for a 9:15 min./mile pace

In the spirit of the season, I’m not tagging anyone – y’all are too busy right now. But feel free to list your choices in Comments.

Back to revisions.

Out, damn song

Yesterday we drove to Utica to watch Number One Son’s swim meet. On the way, we passed over the Erie Canal, which I pointed out to Mer’s boyfriend because he likes stuff like that.

Then BH and I started singing “Low Bridge, Everybody Down” which every kid in Central New York learns to sing in second grade and then is forced to sing over and over every year as a form of torture and mind control.

Frustrated Teacher: “If you kids don’t settle down back there, we’re all going to sing The Song fifty times instead of going out for recess.”

Terrified students: “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” (Classroom falls silent instantly.)

And now I can’t get the damn thing out of my head. (Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal….) I am about to start playing Christmas carols as sung by the Animaniacs. (Low bridge, cause we’re coming to a town!…) Anything would be better than this.

Found a great quote about travel in a letter from John Adams to his wife yesterday. He was very sad because he was in Europe and she was in Massachusetts and they really, really missed each other: “What a fine Affair it would be if We could flit across the Atlantic as they say the Angels do from Planet to Planet.” God, I love history.

Off to the doc this morning, hair stylist this afternoon, decorating trees in between. Tomorrow is our “first” Christmas…. when we open presents with the college kids who are home this week, and who take off for other homes later. So, Merry Christmas, all!