To my readers without live journals - please feel free to write. You can post an "anonymous" comment, but please tag them with your name so I know who you are!

I think mine came out pretty cool.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? 90% Wrapping paper

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial, I'm allergic to real ones

3. When do you put up the tree? Whenever we actually get around to it, but usually second or third week of Advent

4. When do you take the tree down? Some time in January when I actually get a chance

5. Do you like eggnog? Not the store bought, mucousy kind

6. Favorite gift received as a child? play kitchen

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Three - one nice porcelain, one small glass and Colin's Fischer-Price Little People version

8. Hardest person to buy for? me

9. Easiest person to buy for? C Raz

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I plead the fifth

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail, Christmas creations

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Love, Actually

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? mainly in November, but sometimes I have a few random gifts earlier

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Used to be some fabulous chocolate thing...

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear

17. Favorite Christmas song? I really like one of the choir songs we sang last night He Is The Light of The World

18. Travel for Christmas or stay at home? Both

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Last year angel, this year star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Morning? Usually do some on Christmas Eve, but with singing in two services last night, did all this morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Not being able to find Andy his Wii! Boycott hard to find electronics on ebay!

23. What I love most about Christmas? watching C Raz open his presents

24. Favorite animated holiday TV show? Charlie Brown Christmas

Inspired by Cheri's theme change, I picked out a new one of my own, in honor of the cookies I'll be baking for an exchange this weekend.

Paul and Amber's wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun. I was worried that our little ring bearer would be like a deer in the headlights when he saw how many people were there, but he was a champ. I was a very proud mama. He came down the aisle when he was supposed to, then stopped and posed for the photographer. Hopefully there are some great shots, as my camera chose that moment to run out of steam. We plugged it in for a while, but unfortunately Andy is not the best photographer. Most of the ones here were provided by Cheri's camera.

One of the coolest things about the wedding was having all of the family back together in the same place. It's not often that Paul, Tom, Fred, Corinna, Cheri and I manage to get home all at the same time.

It was also nice to have some baby-free time at the wedding after Grandma Kay picked the ring bearer up, so we could dance and talk without distraction. Although partying is just not the same now that Andy and I are a bunch of old teetotalers.



"Weddy, mama!"

( Click here for more of James Bond Jr. )

My sister Cheri tagged me for this 6 Weird Things About You meme (http://cjmr.livejournal.com/211301.html):

1. Corresponding to Cheri's #1 - I LOVE raw sour cream (or cooked). I will put it on just about anything to make it taste better. In fact, if I'm not able to finish a Burrito Supreme because I'm full, I've been known to open it up and just eat the rest of the sour cream out.

2. If I am washing Colin's bottle nipples in the kitchen, I don't like anyone in the room or anyone talking to me. If interrupted, I have to go back and rewash the ones I am working on. (Colin gets away with it though.)

3. I am obsessed with the number 9. (Perhaps being born on 9/9 has something to do with it.) But if having to chose numbers, I will always pick 3 (square root), 9, 27 (3x9), 54 (2(3)x9), 81 (9x9), etc.

4. I like nuts - peanuts, pecans, etc - on their own or in trail mix, but cannot stand them in baked goods of any form.

5. My shoulders are double-jointed. I can put my arms way behind me and apparently it freaks a lot of people out.

6. I THINK THIS IS THE WEIRDEST. I have 3 verbal tics. If there is something I'm stressed out or embarrassed about, and it keeps swirling around in my brain, I unconsciously either say "I want a hippopotomus for Christmas," "Will you marry me?" or "meow" and then I feel better. Luckily this usually only happens by myself or with Andy. Don't ask me why those 3 phrases; I have no idea!!