Holiday stress

Please note the tail growing out of the bottom of our tree. The cat thinks she is hiding from her nemesis pictured to the left.

So I'm in Borders today trying to finish my shopping. I have been done with my shopping for some time but my hubby has fallen in love with Damian Marley and I think he will turn into Scrooge if this CD does not appear under the tree. Anyway, I think , I can just run in there and grab it and pay for it and be done in no time.

Paige has other ideas. She sweetly exited our car with her "purse" and held my hand all the way to the store. I'm thinking "Yeah, I've caught her in a good moment and this will go smoothly." That's when I jinxed it. Paige immediately ran off into the bowels of the store. I caught up with her in the Disney DVD movie section. I grabbed an employee on the way to her and said "Damian Marley". Luckily he was twenty-something and knew exactly what I was looking for. I scooped Paige up into my arms who now starting screaming "Put me down, I want Cinderella! PUT ME DOWN!!! You are hurting meeeeeee!!!!"

I grab the CD from my dumbfounded employee helper person who agrees that it is supposedly one of the best albums around. I thank him and head to the check-out line before being taken off course again because I had put Paige down and she bolted up to the second floor stairs. Luckily she is very loud, so it was easy to find her in the children's section. I somehow convinced her that a ride down in the elevator would be the highlight of the month and we headed to the check-out line again. I rounded the corner and there were (no exaggerating), 17 people in line. All 17 of them were "full of hands". Full of hands is a family riddle because that's what Sarah says when her hands are full. i.e. "Momma, I can't help carry anything else, I am full of hands."

Paige and I get in line. She stands next to me very nicely and looking straight ahead at the older man in front of us makes the longest, noisest raspberry I have ever heard. I did not know until this moment that she has reached the childhood milestone of making farting sounds with her mouth. I ask her to stop. She runs off down the aisle continuing to make the noise so at least I can easily follow her. Bless the man standing behind me in line because miracle of all miracles, he saved my place in line for me. No grumbling, no dirty looks, just let me get back in line. Paige continues making the raspberry sound all the way through check-out and out into the parking lot. She stopped momentarily to demand a candy and which I promptly snapped "Not on your life" and was thinking much worse thoughts that I am unable to put in print.

I must really love my husband. He better LOVE that CD! Merry Christmas to all my cyber-buddies and family readers!!

Love, Steph

Side note: finished a baby blanket for my hairdresser who is having her first baby in January. The pattern is in the Leisure Arts booklet Snuggle Squares.