The Countdown Has Begun...

No, I'm not talking about a countdown to opening Christmas presents with tags that read "Do not open till Dec. 25th" or even the famed New Year's Eve ball drop on Time's Square. 

My eldest daughter, Daphne, found out yesterday that Santa Claus is....well, not so much alive in body as in spirit, let's say. She wasn't upset about it or anything. She simply came to me in the study while I was alone reading an email and shut the door behind her. 

"Mom?"

"Mm-hmm."

"When did you stop believing in Santa Claus?"

Notice the choice of wording in this phrase??

I didn't.

So, I say (like a goon), "Oh, I don't remember, honey."

Dramatic pause.

       When it registered to me what had just occurred, I stopped reading my email, eyes still affixed to the plasma screen and could feel my eyes dilating and my face getting hot from embarrassment.  

My 10 year old daughter had just outsmarted my 29 year old college educated self. 

       I slowly turned my face around to meet hers, hoping she'd be staring at her shoes or twirling her hair completely unaware of the mounds of information I had just unleashed in one thoughtless remark. Instead she was smiling sweetly at me. 

"Why?" I asked. 

"I just wondered." And she giggled. 

"When did YOU stop believing in Santa Claus?" I asked sarcastically (and in a somewhat reverse psychological mode) hoping to SOMEHOW recover.

"Right now." She said it with one eyebrow raised and one corner of her mouth to match.

       We both started laughing. She didn't seem upset. She wasn't mad. It was like she knew all along and was just solidifying it for her own personal knowledge base. 

I was soooo relieved. So, we made a pact that she would keep the magic real for the other kids as long as they still believed.

Which is where now I understand that my own personal countdown has begun. 

       My first child has found out the truth about Santa Claus. This will trickle into a domino effect of realizing the truth about the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, (it probably happened simultaneously with the Santa Clause trap, when I stop and think about it). 

How long will it be before Abby finds out?

Then, it will be Julia who discovers the depths of reality all too soon.

Once Garrett comes to that realization, it's over. That's it. No more magic. 

       What I mean by 'magic' is not the magic of family gatherings and giving handmade gifts to each other and drinking hot cocoa on Christmas morning with EXTRA whipped cream. 

That lovely magic will always be there. 

       I mean the magic of leaving homemade reindeer food out on the front lawn and staying up 2 hours passed bed time going outside every 5 minutes to check and see if any of it has been eaten yet...

       The magic of wondering if the little jingle they heard outside just as they were drifting off to sleep might really have been Santa's sleigh flying overhead...

       The magic of seeing little chubby faces light up at the sight of half-eaten cookies and an empty milk glass next to a fireplace lined with stuffed-to-the-brim stockings and believing that a Jolly Old Elf had stood there and been so generous.

All of my kids are just about through the stages where they are seeing things for the first time. 

No more "Oh, honey look, a choo-choo train!" as a little hand pats the window and you mimic "Too- too!"

No more shouts of  "Weeee!" as you venture down a slide for the first time getting butterflies in your tummy. 

No more first steps into that classroom all by yourself on the first day of school and looking back to see if I'm still there. 

No more eating a lemon for the first time and wondering if your mouth would be stuck that way if you took another lick.

No more losing a very first tooth and contemplating whether to put it under the pillow you sleep under or under the pillow next to you so you wouldn't accidentally squish the Tooth Fairy. Better yet, just leave it on the dresser. 

No more sitting in silence by the windowsill watching snowflakes fall because you'd never seen them before. 

With each little moment like this that fades, I come to understand bit by bit that time doesn't fly...

It has it's own corporate jet, airport and landing strip.

Last night...

I had the strangest dream. 

     I was sitting by a window and it was snowing. Internally, I felt like it was not safe to go outside. Like something would get me. The dream had a very tense feeling about it. But my cat, Laslow, was outside playing. Enter stage left 2 bears, a mama and a baby. They look like they might attack my little Laslow, but instead they played with him, frolicking in the snow. I felt comforted, so I moved on. 

     I found myself next in a dark and dingy, dirty bathroom with my daughter Daphne. We were trying to get ready for something but I just felt dirty all the time and kept washing my hands and hers because of the filthiness of the bathroom, (you should know I have a phobia of public restrooms). Finally, we just had to leave because we were accomplishing nothing. 

     Next thing I know we are in a green and lush village and it's sunny outside. I have gone and bought groceries for an elderly lady and delivered them to her house. I see Jonathan and he is staring blankly at me. I look at the old lady and she is staring blankly at me. Even the people on the old lady's TV are staring blankly at me. So, to get some kind of reaction I pretended to faint. 

     No one helped me. They just kept staring. I finally got up and just walked away.

Strange, I know.

Here are some symbols I looked up:

Cat: 

These animals are independent and refined, yet powerful as predators. The dream is telling you to beware of the cat's qualities that you may not be making use of, such as independence or intuition. 

Bear:
Victory over your enemies. Seeing a bear is usually always a good sign.

Window:
Windows are about your view or perspective of what's going on around you. 

Elderly Woman:
Seeing old people in your dreams suggests wisdom and it's a good sign. It may mean that you have achieved some sort of enlightenment or that through hard work you will achieve your goal. 

Snow:
Snow is associated with purity, beauty and a soft texture, while its presence can give new perspective to something ordinary.

Additional input is greatly appreciated.  

Just don't make me sound like I need to go see a psychiatrist or anything! 

Be gentle, people. 

It Can't Be?!

Is it SERIOUSLY almost Thanksgiving?! 

Then, it'll be Christmas?

Then, a new year?!

How is this possible?

I didn't even have time to get a proper tan this summer!

P.S....

As an expansion to my previous post please refer to Matt. 7:15-20.

Nobama! Nobama! Nobama! Crap, it's Obama!

Ok...what it is, is what it is. 

Change.

Just like the man said. 

Only so far the only change I see is that the United States of America got its first African American President this morning.

That I don't have a problem with. I like to think America has "come so far". 

What I DO have a problem with is his proposal for change that, quite honestly, haven't we seen most of these ideas before??

Higher taxes.

Hoover, Bush the Sr., Reagan and the current Bush, to name a few, have all done this. All with different views on why it's a needed "change". And they all had the same idea...

Take from the rich and give to the poor. 

That I have a problem with. 

Don't we have enough people on welfare? I'm not talking about those who have a need, a truly genuine NEED for welfare - like single moms trying to raise kids, veterans who can't get a job in the country they served, etc. - No; I'm talking about all those who are on welfare and using it as a daily crutch, because that's all they know; because they have left themselves uneducated intentionally so as to USE the welfare system, which has much higher standards than they have allowed. 

And what about drilling in our country? "Oh no, we can't do that!" 

That I have a problem with.

We have enough oil here in our homeland to support us for quite some time.
Sure, gas prices have gone down to about $2 here in my hometown. 

That's great! 

But how long will it last? 

Till the oil rigs here shut down completely and every last ounce of it is being imported from "over there". I don't predict that to take long. I can see his little yellow office pad with a neat little To Do list. On the top:

"1. Quit drilling here in the *yawn* States and buy strictly from overseas. Alla knows they could use more money for bombs."

And this war...
 

It needs to be finished. 

He wants to bring our troops back home. 

That I have a problem with. I am sure there are people so very ready to have their son or daughter, husband or wife, and best friends back home to hug and kiss and love again in person and not just through perfume scented letters. 

That reunion will come. But we can't leave now. 

I am so sick and tired of leaving with our tails between our legs because a few idiots in this country cry out annoyingly enough to be heard over everyone else pleading to "Just finish it!" 

I'm talking the War of 1812 and the Korean War (which both ended in stalemate) and Desert Storm (where we went around on the very last day of the war before the deadline of 0100 hours destroying as much Iraqi war equipment as possible. Guess that didn't leave enough time to look underground??). 

It's deja vu. 

This one needs to have an end. 

A true end by stabilizing the country. That's what we started, isn't it? (Well, we did before OBAMA came around). 

So, let us finish it!

Then, we need to get back here and secure our borders, kick out all the aliens, take spanish out of Wal-Mart, go green and for those who won't go green (and you know there will be some) at least start drilling the black gold that lies beneath our own soil!

And sure, supposedly he has a plan to go green. 

How far is that one down on his list? Right after, 

2. "Awaken all my sleepers and begin the transformation"?

Riiight.

Let's discuss his change for healthcare. That's a big one; top on a lot of american citizens' minds.

He wants to lower our healthcare costs by an average of $2500 per family. That's sounds rather inviting...until you figure out how he wants to do it. 

Here come those higher taxes again. 

He's raising taxes so that the government can take over the plans for us. That means we don't get to choose our plans, they're basically chosen for us and the healthcare companies get free reign.

I don't know about you, but the first question I have is can the government take care of me and my family better than I can? 

Quite honestly, I don't want to find out. 

He wants to change things for gay people. 

Fine. 

What do you want to change, Obama?

Oh, you want to let them get married and adopt kids like NORMAL household families.

Really. 

Does that mean my husband can take on 4 more wives by the end of your first term in office? Because making that type of change will require some major white out on some of the most important documents securing our nation and it's integrity.

But, you know, I sure do need a maid and a personal chef and someone to run errands for me and one more to...let's see...oh, she can just raise my kids (or was the government planning on doing that for me, too?). 

Sounds perfect to me.  

And speaking of "change", since we're talking about families, let's just completely castrate it by legalizing abortion. But I guess it really doesn't mean much to you other than a few extra votes considering my tax dollars will probably be paying for those abortions. 

Thank goodness I didn't vote for you. 

At least the blood of those babies won't be on my tax dollars padding your wallet. 

Ok, now that I've ranted directly to Obama himself, I'd like to balance the scales and criticize his wife. Let's be fair, shall we?
Anyone see the video of her saying, and I quote,

"For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of this country."

Yes, she said that. 

And I lost all respect for her because of it. 

So, does that mean Michelle, that all this time you've been ashamed of me, my country, even yourself? Or are you and your husband and 2 kids excluded from such a degrading remark? Well, thank you for thinking so highly of me and my fellow citizens.

Oh, and you're welcome. 

But that's not from me. I'm speaking on behalf of the deceived elect who voted for your husband and made you the *gag* First Lady. Enjoy those satin sheets.

Again, "Change"??

Every candidate vying for the presidency has promised change during their debates and public speeches. Mr. Barack HUSSEIN Obama, couldn't you have come up with anything better than "Obama: The change we need."?

I see it as a reflection of your lack of understanding of the people who inhabit this great nation and what we are capable of.

I see it as a shallow, non-creative, non-thought provoking slogan that you've simply put a magnifying glass over to make it look like a bigger picture than it really is. 

I see it as a looming weakness of yours...of your inability to lead this country in righteousness.

I think you've set yourself up to fail. 

You have some big shoes to fill, and I'm not talking about Bush's or any other president's loafers before you. 

No, you made these shoes yourself. 

All those promises, the good ones at least, you better bring them and bring them big, Mr. Obama. 

And no, I'm not calling you "Mr. President". 

You won't salute my flag, I'm not claiming you as my President.

By the way, what happened to the American flag on your jet?

I guess "change" is what happened.

11th Wedding Anniversary Bliss

My husband and I have been married 11 years on the 6th. It has been sheer bliss and this weekend my husband treated me to a dinner like no other. This wasn't your typical wine and dine experience. He went all out! We both love ethnic foods and to taste different flavors of the world but this was a taste experience I won't soon be forgetting. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy. I have descriptions of all of these dishes on my companion blog "Get Your Skinny On".
And now without further ado, the world-trained, 5 star chef's 6-course, gourmet meal:










And breakfast the next morning: plain nonfat yogurt, fresh seasonal berries, skim milk, freshly squeezed OJ and grapefruit juice, toast with butter and jam.