A look back and a look ahead

I have been happily on vacation for almost 2 weeks. I had big plans to post stuff and send holiday cards and read books and ski and on and on and on. So far, I haven't really done too much. It has been wonderful.

It was COLD when we got to Colorado (much colder than usual) so we decided not to ski the first few days. As it got nicer, people came to town in droves and we didn't want to wait in super long lift lines. So basically, we are just lazy.

Shiner has decided to protest the cold. She won't walk very far before she begins hopping around or just plain stops and refuses to go any further. My arms are getting pretty buff from carrying a 17 pound dog. Maybe I should invest in a dog purse. She has a coat and boots, but she doesn't like them either. Yeah - I am that lady. The one with the fully dressed dog walking like she has swim fins on.

I always get contemplative this time of year. I try to take a look back at the good and bad of the past year and think about the promise of the year to come. 2009 has been rough for a lot of people. Loss of jobs, loss of nest eggs, loss of people. Maybe the biggest thing is loss of faith in the system. I have certainly had my share of ups and downs, but compared to so many people I am blessed - or maybe just lucky. Here's to putting 2009 in the bag and for a bigger and better 2010!

I did however send off 2009 in style. I spent the day at a spa getting pampered. I started with a hot stone massage, moved on to a facial and finished up with an organic Peruvian chocolate body wrap. By the time I left I was so relaxed I was seeing colors.

It was so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend it.

Happy Holidays from Psycho Santa to you and yours

The Holidays have snuck up rather quickly. They always do, so I am not sure why I am always surprised. It is always a time of too much to do and excess food and fun, but I love this time of year. The photo above does not quite capture just how crazy that Santa is. He is affectionately known as Psycho Santa here, and when you flip the switch on his back his head swings back and forth like Stevie Wonder.

I really meant to participate in Cha Cha's Holiday Home Tour but I didn't quite get my act together in time. So here is glimpse of how we roll in the house of mutts and chaos.

Here is a shot of the outside decorations:

Notice I didn't say MY outside decorations. This would be the neighbor's house. We didn't put up a single thing.

That neighbor also baked us some cookies:

They are very cute and taste good too. Yes, Martha Stewart lives in my hood.

We did manage to get the tree put up. It is a bit of a Charlie Brown tree - you can see all the way through it even when it is decorated - but it's our Charlie Brown tree and we like it! This picture makes it look almost normal.

What is that under the tree? No, not presents, because we haven't really bought many. It's a dirty sleepy Shiner (the dog, not the beer.)

We lined up the nutcrackers next to the fireplace. Which we have actually had on 4 times this year since we had a bit of a cold snap here in Big D.

Years ago I spent days putting up tons of decorations. It did look nice, I will admit. Then one year I realized that I just didn't feel like doing it all, so I only did some. Each year it is a bit less (although I really did mean to put up a few outside things!) and the Holidays still come anyway.

This year we have gone to parties, hosted parties, spent time with friends and family, bought presents for adopted kids and grandparents, took the mutts to have their picture taken with Santa, and enjoyed a fair amount of holiday cheer thus far. We still have a few days to go, and I plan to pack in even more fun. I kind of think that is what it is all about and to hell with more decorations!