Another year older, and blessed.

We’ve had a mild winter, and yet I’m still yearning for spring to get here. We haven’t had much snow, but I’m longing to see green again.

New Year’s Eve, we watched the Survivorman marathon on Discovery and drank champagne. Struggled to stay awake until midnight, then fell asleep. We’re such party animals! New Year’s day our friend Cristina came over for a ham dinner. The boys loved it, someone new to play with! Elijah loves Cristina & her “messy hair”.

Yes, I set some resolutions. Lose weight (I have a goal in mind), read more, and learn something new. Throw in there, forgive more and love sinners. No biggie, right?

January is gonna be a good time for new tv. Psych, Burn Notice, & Lost are all coming back. Sadly Eli Stone may be gone for good. I”m holding onto hope ABC will run the last of the episodes they shot this summer. I think ABC is stupid for letting it go. Do we really need more reality tv?

I’m not really going to say much on the upcoming award season. They nominate the same old shows every year, kiss the same people’s butts. I’ve openly professed that I think Tina Fey is OVERRATED! Whatever. As long as Slumdog Millionaire gets some recognition, I’ll be pleased.

I watch a LOT of children’s programming, so I’ll close with a quote from Peep And The Big Wide World.

Chirp: “A talking log! Oh log, I’m such a big fan of the work that you and the trees are doing for us birds.”

Dear Cate, I don’t really know how to tell you this, but our affair is over. I think I realized it that night you picked your nose under the bus and hit on my My Little Pony collection. I’m sure you’re high enough to understand how boring you are. I’m returning your nose hair clippers to you, but I’ll keep your virginity as a memory. You should also know that I haven’t showered in a month and you should get that embarrassing rash checked.
Warm tingly sensations,
Melissa.

Have a go if you like…here are the instructions.

Dear (someone),I don’t really know how to tell you this, but (1). I think I realized it (2)(3) and (4)(5).I’m sure you’re (6) enough to understand (7). I’m returning (8) to you, but I’ll keep (9) as a memory.You should also know that I (10) and (11).(12),(Your name).

1) What’s the color of your shirt?
Blue – I’m in love with your dog
Red – Our affair is over
White – I’m joining the Convent
Black -Our romance is over
Green- Our socks don’t match
Grey – You’re a leprechaun
Yellow – I’m selling myself for candy
Pink – Your nostrils are insulting
Brown – The mafia wants you
No shirt – You’re mean
Other -I dislike your eyelashes

2) Which is your birth month?
January – That night you picked your nose
February -When you smacked my ass
March – When your dwarf bit me
April – When I tripped on peanut butter
May – When I threw up in your sock drawer
June – when i quoted forest gump
July – when you put cuffs on me
August – When I saw the purple monkey
September – Last year when you peed your pants
October – When we skinny dipped in the bathtub
November – When your dog humped my leg
December – When u finally changed ur underwear

3) Which food do you prefer?
Tacos – In your apartment
Lasagna- In your car
Pasta – Outside of your office
Hamburgers – Under the bus
Salad – As you were eating Kraft Dinner
Chicken – In your closet
Kebab РWith Jean Chr̩tien
Fish – In a clown suit
Sandwiches – At the Elton John concert
Pizza – At the mental hospital
Hot dog – Under a street light
Annat- With George Bush and Stephen Harper

4) What’s the colour of your socks?
Yellow – Ignore
Red – Carve your initials into
Black – Hit on
Blue – Knock out
Purple – Pour syrup on
White – Put whipped cream on
Grey – Pull the clothes off
Brown – bit of
Orange – Castrate
Pink – Pull the pants off of
Barefoot – Sit on
Other – Drive over

5) What’s the color of your underwear?
Black – My boyfriend
White – My father
Grey – The Catholic Priest
Brown – The Montreal Canadian’s goalie
Purple – My corned beef hash
Red – My knee caps
Blue – My salt-beef bucket
Yellow – My illegitimate child in Ghana
Orange – My Blink 182 cd
Pink – Your ‘My Little Pony’ collection
None – My prized statue of Michael Jackson in the nude
Other –The elephant in the corner

6) What do you prefer to watch on TV?
One Tree Hill – Senile
Heroes- Frostbitten
Lost – High
Simpsons- Cowardly
The news – Scarred
American Idol – vexed
Family Guy – Open
Top Model – Middle-class
Other – Slutty

7) Your mood right now?
Happy – How awful you are
Sad – How boring you are
Bored – That I get turned on only by garbage men
Angry – That your smell makes me vomit
Depressed – That we’re related
Excited – That I may pee my pants
Nervous – The middle-east is planning their revenge on you
Worried – That your Ford sucks
Apathetic – That you need a sex-change
Ashamed – That I’m allergic to your earlobes
Cuddly – That Santa doesn’t exist
Silly – That there is no solution to you being a dumb kid
Other – That your driving sucks

8) What’s the color of your walls in your bedroom?
White – Your toe ring
Yellow – The cut toenails
Red – Your Hannah Montanna underwear
Black – Your pet rock
Blue – The couch cushions
Green – Your car
Orange – Your false teeth
Brown – Your nose hair clippers
Grey – Our matching snoopy underwear
Purple – Your old New Kids on the Block blanket
Pink(ish) – Your love letters to me
Other – The pictures from Vegas

9) The first letter of your first name?
A/B – Your collection of butterflies
C/D – Your photo with the mustache drawn on it
E/F – Your neighbor dog
G/H – The oil tank from your car
I/J – Your left ear
K/L – The results of that blood-sample
M/N – your virginity
O/P – My common sense
Q/R – Your mom
S/T – Your glass eye
U/V – Your criminal record
W/X – Your sucide note
Y/Z – Your credit cards

10) The last letter in your last name?
A/B – Haven’t showered in a month
C/D – Always will remember the pep talks
E/F – i hate your cooking
G/H – am better off without you
I/J – Mocked you behind your back constantly
K/L – Will tell the authorities that you did not steal that whale in the back yard
M/N – Told in my confession today about the moose poaching
O/P – Was interviewed about the car you stole
Q/R – Always wanted to break your legs
S/T – Get sick when I think of your feet
U/V – Will try to forget that you broke my heart
W/X- I told my psychiatrist about the bruises
Y/Z-bought tampons from winn dixie

11) What do you prefer to drink?
Wine- Our friendship is ruined
Soft drink – I’m off to lead a new life as a lemon
Soda – I will haunt you when I’m reincarnated as an Eskimo
Milk – The apartment building is on fire
Water – You should get that embarrassing rash checked
Cider– I have a passionate interest for mice
Juice – You ruined my attempts at another world war
Mineral water – I’m scratching my butt as you read this
Hot chocolate – Your Cucumber-fetishism Is Weird
Whiskey – I love Oprah Winfrey
Beer – you should stop picking your nose
Other – Thanks for the Cocaine

12) To which country would you prefer to go on a vacation?
Italy – Warm tingly sensations
Australia – Best of luck on the sex change
France – Love always
Spain – With tears of sadness
China – You make me sick
Germany – Please don’t hurt me
Japan – Go milk a cow
Greece – Your everlasting enemy
USA – Greetings to your frog Leonard
Egypt – Kiss my butt
England – Go drown yourself about the bruise

From the Armstrongs to you, we hope your Christmas was as blessed as ours.

I’m still here, I’m just not doing anything exciting.

I’m pretty well set for Christmas, just a few things left to wrap. As usual, I’m just waiting on Canada Post to finish delivering my gifts. I can get them mailed weeks in advance, and it still a crap shoot if they get there before the 24th. I refuse to use Fed-Ex, since they expect duty to be paid on them, by the people receiving them. And it’s too expensive for me to hand deliver. 🙂

There is snow on the ground, but the weather guy says any snow we get before Christmas will be gone by the end of Christmas Day.

Last night, I went to a step class at the gym. It was fun, and a good workout. I’d like to try and make it each Thursday if I can. I am not running as much, but I’m still trying to run a few miles a week. I do want to do another half marathon next year, just trying to figure out which one.

Anyways, that’s all that is going on. Hope everyone’s Christmas plans are coming together nicely. I’ve gotten into watching reruns of 3rd Rock From The Sun, so I’ll close with a quote from that.

Mary Albright: I think you look distinguished with gray hair.
Dick Solomon: Thank you. I think you would look distinguished with gray hair, too.
Mary Albright: No. When men get gray hair, they look distinguished. When women get gray hair, they look old.
Dick Solomon: When women get breasts, they look sexy. When men get breasts, they look old.
Mary Albright: Good point!

We’ve been getting snow every few days. It’s nice if you can get some sun to dry up the roads the next day. I really, really do not like driving on snow & ice. Call me a wuss, I don’t care.

I’m nearly done shopping for Christmas. I may be able to finish this weekend. I would like to get a tree this weekend too, if we have time. Geoff won’t put up the fake one, he says only LED lights this year.

Tomorrow night (weather permitting) we’ll go to the Parade Of Lights. We don’t know yet when (or if) we’ll make it to Zoo Lights. Really, I’m content to drive around our neighborhood and look at lights. It’s fun enough for me. 🙂

Nothing else is going on. Bible study has wrapped up until January.

In tv news, January will be a great month. The return of Burn Notice, Psych, & Lost! I’m tired of reading the movie news on IMDB, because it seems every other story has the word “remake” in it, and I just cringe. There are a ton of books out there, can’t they adapt them? Why do they have to remake old movies?

Right now, the boys and I are watching Chicken Little (AGAIN!) So I’ll close with a quote from that.

Buck Cluck: I’d like to see the movie they make about you now.
Chicken Little: I just hope they stay true to what really happened.
Buck Cluck: Oh, son. These people are from Hollywood. The one thing they will never do is mess with a good story.

Winter

I think Christmas shopping would be way less stressful if…
1. I didn’t have to ship gifts. Then I could take my time buying them, not worrying about sending them off beginning of December. Also I wouldn’t be limited by shape or size.
2. The people I shopped for didn’t already buy themselves whatever they want 24/7. Then I could shop year round, without fear of a duplicate gift.

Aside from that, I am looking forward to a fun holiday season. The boys are older, and they can help out more. For example, Elijah put stickers on all the envelopes of the Christmas cards. They both will be able to help with the Christmas cookie cut outs, and hanging of ornaments.

Some Christmas traditions we hope to enjoy are visiting Santa, and going to see Zoo Lights. This year, we hope to take in the Parade of Lights downtown. We’ll bundle up, bring our camping chairs, and enjoy the parade.

I can’t wait to receive Christmas cards & letters from friends, so I can hear all about how everyone’s year has been.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and it will just be the four of us this year. We sent out many offers to share our feast, but everyone left town for the holiday. There will be turkey sandwiches for weeks! It will truly be a time to look on how thankful and blessed we are.

Happy Thanksgiving friends!

A little Christmas quiz, I hope you’ll copy and paste on your blog:

1. Getting kissed under the mistletoe or in the snow?
The snow

2. Santa or Rudolph?
Santa

3. Stocking or presents?
Presents

4. Egg nog or hot cider?
Neither, gimme hot chocolate

5. Angel or Star?
Angel

6. Decorating the tree or putting lights on the outside?
Decorating the tree

7. Warm fires or sleigh rides?
I’ve never been on a sleigh ride, so warm fire

8. Expensive presents or presents that come from the heart?
From the heart

9. Snow ball fight or snowman?
Snowman

10. Will you be getting coal or presents?
Presents, I hope

11. Giving or Receiving presents?
Giving

12. Open presents quick or slow?
Quick

13. Caroling or Christmas stories?
Caroling

14. Snowy days or icy days?
Snowy

15. Red or Green?
Green

16. Nightmare before Christmas or The Santa Clause?
I’m gonna go with Santa Clause, because it’s a little happier

17. Dasher or Dancer?
Dasher

18. Prancer or Vixen?
Prancer

19. Comet or Cupid?
Comet

20. Donner or Blitzen?
Donner

21. Fake tree or Real tree?
Real

22. Prime Rib or Ham?
Ham

23. Red and White Candy Canes or Colorful Candy Canes?
Red and White

24. Get up early or sleep in late?
Early!

25. Old Christmas Movies or New ones?
I like the newer ones

26. The Santa Clause 1 or The Santa Clause 2?
They’re both entertaining

27. The Grinch movie or Elf movie?
Elf for sure!

28. Scrooge or Tiny Tim?
Scrooge

29. Ornaments or a Wreath?
Ornaments

30. Christmas Eve or Christmas day?
Christmas Day

Before Christmas:
1. Does your family send Christmas cards?
You bet

2. How soon do you start shopping?
As soon as I can find the right thing

3. Who do you shop for?
Family

4. Do you put up a Christmas tree?
Two, one real, one fake

5. If so, is it fake or real?
Both

Decorations:
6. Do you like tinsel?
I used to love it, but I don’t enough to put it up. So we found tinsel icicles that we put up.

7. Do you use homemade or store bought ornaments?
Little of both, mostly store bought

8. Do you put Christmas lights outside your house?
Yes

9. Do you put lights on the tree?
Yes

10. How about popcorn and cranberries?
Nope

11. Is there a wreath hanging on your door?
I wish

Christmas Eve:
13. Do you hang up your stocking?
Yes

14. Does your family read “Twas the night before Christmas?”:
Yes

Favorite:
15. Christmas Movie?
Either Elf or The Ref

16. Character from any Christmas Movie?
Ghost Of Christmas Past from Scrooged

17. Christmas Song?
Oh Holy Night (Josh Groban), anything off of Harry Connick Jr’s Christmas albums, traditionally, I like Do You Hear What I Hear?

18. Christmas Memory?
My first Christmas as Mrs. Armstrong was good. Last year with the kids. Seeing Colin be so disappointed the year my parents wrapped his gift in a cracker box. The Christmas Day we spent at Disneyland.

This or That:
19. White Lights or Colored Lights?
Colored

20. Blinking Lights or Still Lights?
Both

21. Were you Naughty or Nice this year?
Mostly nice

Presents:
22. What do you want for Christmas this year?
It doesn’t matter, it’s all good

23. When do you open your gifts?
One on Christmas Eve and then the rest on Christmas Day.

24. What’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten?
Earrings from Geoff, and last year’s Wii was pretty cool.

25. What’s the worst gift you’ve ever gotten?
The infamous jar of mints.

26. Have you ever had a secret Santa?
Sure

27. Do you like wrapping gifts?
If they are easy to wrap, yes. I’m not very good, and I used to work at Hallmark.

Random:
28. Do you put change in those red buckets?
Yes

29. Do you burn a yule log?
No

30. Can you name all the reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Cupid, Comet, Donner, and Blitzen, and Rudolph. And isn’t there an Olive?

31. Do you bake cookies?
Yes

32. Have you ever seen your mommy kissing Santa Claus?
No

33. Have you ever gotten a kiss under the mistletoe?
Yes

34. Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights?
Yes, I hope someday to have people want to drive by my place.

35. Have you ever left Santa cookies?
Yes

36. Have you ever sat on Santa’s lap?
Yes, but not in a long time

37. Who do you celebrate Christmas with?
Usually family

38. Where do you celebrate Christmas?
Lately it’s been home

39. Have you ever had a white Christmas?
Almost all my Christmases have been white

40. What part of Christmas do you look most foward to?
The music, the lights, the excitement of the boys

41. Have you ever had your picture taken with Santa?
Sure

42. Does your family always take pictures at Christmas?
It’s a tradition