Leesa’s Life

Wow, where has the year gone?  I can’t believe that tomorrow will be the start of 2009 already. 

This past year has been a full one for us.  Our business has continued to grow, I had all the problems with my back this past summer, my daughter started her SENIOR year of high school <gulp>.  It’s just been so busy and full that I guess the time slipped by without my realizing it.  I hope that this year I can sit back and relax and actually enjoy the time as it passes. 

And I hope that the new year brings all my friends and family good health, happiness and love.  Happy New Year everybody!!!  Have a good one!!

I had set this up to post yesterday, but for some reason it didn’t so going ahead and posting it now.

This is a meme that I saw on A Yank Gone South’s blog and thought it was very appropriate for the day. I think Santa will forgive me for stealing it from her. lol

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I like the convenience of gift bags, but I usually wrap most of the gifts I give. It was just easier to do it that way when my kids were little. Gift bags were too easy for them to snoop in.
2. Real tree or Artificial? I love the smell of a real tree, but have never had one myself for fear of it drying out and catching fire.
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the day after Thanksgiving. I figure if I’m going to lug all that stuff out then it’s going to be up for a very long time so I can enjoy it.
4. When do you take the tree down? It depends. I like to leave it up until the New Year, but some times it comes down early. Depends on if it is in the way or if the cat has decided to start eating it.
5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, as long as it doesnt taste too strongly of rum.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Probably my Barbie dolls.
7. Hardest person to buy for? It’s a tie between my dad and my hubby.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Miranda. We have pretty much the same taste in everything so I know if I like it that she probably will too.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? I have two small ones. One from Avon, one from Walmart.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I send both.
11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A very ugly shirt from my mother inlaw.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I like them all.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually not until after Thanksgiving.
14.Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes, I figure why waste it when someone else can enjoy it.
15.Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? the yummy desserts that only come out at the holidays.
16.Lights on the tree? Yes – it wouldn’t be the same without them.
17.Favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells
18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? we travel short distances. All relatives live in the same town, thankfully, so we do hubby’s side of the family on Christmas Eve (about 7 miles away) then Christmas morning at our house and Christmas afternoon at my parents (1/4 mile away).
19.Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Yes
20.Angel on the tree-top or a star? I like the angel.
21.Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? I have never done presents on Christmas eve, unless we’ve been at family on Christmas eve and are celebrating then.
22.Most annoying thing about this time of the year? That so many people think that the reason for the holiday is to see how much you can spend on gifts.
23.Favorite ornament theme or color? I dont’ do themes but if I had enough ornaments of one color or theme then it would definitely be all blue or gold and silver.
24.Favorite food for Christmas dinner? Our tradition is sub sandwiches at my parents or ham at my mother inlaws. both are pretty darn good.
25.What do you want for Christmas this year? For all of my family to be safe and happy

Here are the answers I promised to yesterday’s Christmas quiz.  How did you do?

1.  Grandma was drinking EGGNOG when she was run over by a reindeer.

2.  Scrooge’s favorite two word phrase is BAH HUMBUG.

3.  WASHINGTON D.C. lights the Christmas tree on the Elipse.

4.  Mamma was wearing a KERCHIEF in “The night before Christmas”.

5.  According to religious views, EASTER is the only holiday considered bigger than Christmas.

6.  Two reindeer whose names start with C are COMET and CUPID.

7.  The first seven gifts from my true love have this in common:  THEY ARE ALL BIRDS.

8.  The name of the most famous Christmas Ballet is NUTCRACHER.

9.  The popular toy named after Theodore Roosevelt is the TEDDY BEAR.

10. According to the Gospels, the Wise Men took GOLD, FRANKINCENSE and MYRRH to Baby Jesus.

This is a fun quiz that can be enjoyed by all ages at your family Christmas gathering.  See how well you do.

1.  What was Grandma drinking when she got run over by a reindeer?

2.  What is Scrooge’s favorite two word phrase?

3.  What US city lights the Christmas tree on the Elipse?

4.  In “The Night Before Christmas,” what type of headgear was Mamma wearing?

5.  From a religious viewpoint, what is the only holiday considered bigger than Christmas?

6.  Name the two reindeer whose names begin with a “C”.

7.  What do the first seven gifts from my true love have in common?

8.  What is the name of the most famous Christmas ballet?

9.  What popular toy was named after Theodore Roosevelt?

10.  According to the Gospels, what did the Wise Men bring to baby Jesus?

Ok, leave your answers in the comments.  I’ll post the answers tomorrow so you can see how many you got right.

1.  Waiting outside the store for your significant other isn’t rude.  Instead, talk about it ahead of time and find out how long she will be.

2.  It is hard to determine the proper etiquette on how long it should take a person to try on clothes.  You can save yourself by being a sweetie and saying, “Honey, why don’t I go get us a drink.”  That way, you won’t seem like the insensitive husband who is losing his patience waiting outside the store for a long time.

3.  There is NO reason EVER for a husband or boyfriend to NOT hold the woman’s purse.  It will not kill you and it will not make you look gay. 

4.  If you plan on flirting with the sales staff, it best not be to accomplish getting a date.  If a discount is on your mind though, I wouldn’t get mad because that would mean he was looking to save some money.

After the kids being off school for the last two days due to freezing rain and roads covered in ice, they returned today only to get out early to start their Christmas break.

I have to wonder why the school officials even had them go back with it just being for a few short hours. Was it really worth getting the buses out and using all that extra fuel to pick them up and take them home? I know that kids have to go so many days per school year and figure that is why they had to go back today, but it still doesn’t make much sense to me. Especially when it would have been nice to sleep in another day.

Woke up this morning to a frozen wintry scene. Last night, we had freezing drizzle and today you sure can tell. The roads are nothing but sheets of ice and the trees and other growth are covered. It would actually be pretty if the sun were shining, but no such luck. They cancelled school today because of the icy roads. Wondering if they’ll go tomorrow or not. The main roads are clear, of course, but the country roads are still pretty slippery.

I just bought my last Christmas gift five minutes ago. I’m officially done shopping and I feel so good about it. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to make it, but I did. It’s hard when nobody will give you any ideas and my brain is exhausted from trying to come up with ideas that hopefully everyone will love. I guess if they don’t then next year they will be giving me suggestions instead of this year’s classic, “I don’t know”. Now to wrap them all and then I will be completely finished and I can sit back and enjoy the rest of the season.

Last week, it was snowing with temperatures in the low 20’s. Today it is 45 degrees and we’re supposed to get 2-3″ of rain. I have to wonder what the rest of this winter is going to be like since the beginning of it has been so strange.