A Ragbag Hodgepodge Jumble of Things

So there is no theme to this post, beyond there is no theme. Surely the title gave that away, right?

I plan on sitting on my couch sniffling bittersweetly into my coffee on Christmas morning.  Why? Because this will be the first time in my life that I will not be spending the holiday at my parents house. It's all part of the growing up, and I have plenty of good friends to visit this year within a couple miles. But it will still be a little heart achingly lonely at first. I really wanted a tree this year, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to strap one to the top of my car, haul it home, unlatch it, drag it up the stairs, find a tree stand, water it and vacuum needles all for the feel of Christmas. Having seen the prices for fake trees, there was no way I could afford a plastic tree. Enter PT Girl and a yen for all things Christmas.  She found a sweet tree and decorated it.

Kitchen cabinets are swathed in twinkle lights. A door wreath was used as a blank canvas.

Extra ornaments adorn the patio railing via superfluous ribbon. In short, it looks like Christmas (tastefully) exploded in our apartment and I.Love.It. Every last thing about it. It even smells Christmasy in here!

This really helps me get into the spirit, since it's still quite warm here in the Deep South.

Speaking of it being warm still...the birds have not migrated on yet. I'm sure they think that they're as far South as needed considering the mid to upper 60's temps we've been coasting on. I don't want to be the first to tell them that winter will set in and they will have to keep winging it toward the Equator. Until they do though, I will enjoy watching them every morning and evening to and from work.  They have a quiet beauty and a little pomp that accompanies them.  One of my favorite parts of the morning is sitting at a red light observing the blackbird -well, they're black and definitely birds - sentinels patrolling the intersection.  You can see them strutting back and forth atop the lights and bar, like they're keeping watch. Occasionally there is a coup and the colonel is usurped by a private who is a bit of a renegade.  Or maybe it's a democracy and no one is in charge? In the evening it's a completely different picture. There is a wide expanse of field that borders a highway and some frontage roads and here is where the grandeur takes place.  As migration season waxes and wanes, the number of birds does as well.  For the last month the sheer sum of birds has grown.  The field is more black than green. It undulates slightly until by some silent signal there is a wheeling motion and the sky is filled with a beauty that is hard to match.  There is a symmetry and understanding between the birds that is breath-taking.  I cannot conceive how they all know where they should be in space and in relation to each other. This is the actual place I am talking about! I guess you really can find anything on YouTube.

Lil B went and got himself engaged to Library Gal. This means wedding bells, toasts, pretty purple dresses (without big honkin' bows) and I Do's will ensue in a short number of months.  I'm looking forward to having a sister in law! Library Girl is a lovely, funny, beautiful, smart woman and she can bake like nobody's business.

I'm back in the dating game.  I'm keeping it all under wraps for now.  I've met some wonderful men and hopefully one may end up proving to be wonderfuler.  We'll see. The only hint I'll give you is that it is not the jerk gentleman who stated he was interested in finding a woman who was "hot". Anyway, I'm keeping myself in check through lots of prayer and accountability. I know now that I can become immersed in a relationship to an extent that is not ok - because I start to rank the man in my life as higher than my Father. That's a recipe for disaster if ever I saw one! Well, ok, I don't know that I've ever seen a recipe for disaster although I have baked my fair share (Necie, remember the hockey puck brownies?  Or when we made cut-out cookies and baked them before cutting them out?  Or melting a hole in your mom's tupperware? I still don't understand keeping that stuff in the oven!).

We're planning a cookie exchange at work.  I'm making sugar cookies - surprised?  That's all contingent upon The Mother of All of Us remembering to put the cookie cutters in the mail.  This will be the first Christmas that I've made sugar cookies on my own (see the first paragraph) and I own not a single blessed cookie cutter that is made for this season! I'm predicting a santa, a star, an angel, a reindeer and maybe a gingerbread man.  If memory serves me correctly, these are the cutters she has double of. I'm going to attempt to keep it simple for the exchange and do only one or two shapes.  I was planning on three shapes, but since we're planning on a half dozen of each cookie per person, that would mean only two of each shape. I believe I'll do one or two and really try and make them gorgeous. Like trees with bulbs! And luster dust! And some sort of edible lights...maybe yellow jimmies? See...the last thing I need to make are three different cookies. But please look at these cookies. I aspire to such ideas!

Tomorrow is another cat adoption day!  And to make it even more entertaining, there will be a photo op with Santa.  You can even rent a little costume for your pet! Check out Classy Cats for the deets.