After spending nearly 11 days dragging around, too medicated to function or in too much pain to swallow, my doctors office finally re-opened. After a 6 hour wait, a throat culture and blood draw, and a trip to the pharmacy, I happily went home, took my new medicine, and slept with a prayer in my heart this would really help me feel better.
MUCH to my amazement, I actually started to feel quite a bit better within the next 24 hours. Yippie YAAHH!! All the moms will know exactly what I mean when I say that feeling better is all it took to motivate me into non-stop motion of house cleaning and running errands that had been neglected. By bedtime my body was ready to engage my stupidity in a full on knock-down drag-out fight. Nothing an aleve and a good night sleep (and my next dose of 'kill the strep-throat' meds) couldn't fix. :o)
With Christmas WAY to close for me to even want to look at a calendar, I'm thrilled to know we have finally . . .
Put up the tree.
Cleared off the table to actually use to -- hold your breath -- EAT AT!
And even FOUND ALL my sewing plugs so I got to set up... MY SEWING AREA!!!! OHhhh, you have NO idea just how HAPPY this has made me. :o)
At last I was able to pull out all the cute and cool (teenage boys don't want "cute" stuff.) fabric I bought last month for their gifts, and get the edges stitched up so I could was it all without it fraying everywhere. I have ALL my supplies found and easily accessible, and even the Shoji screen readily available to block visual access to my area while I'm working, in some feeble attempt to keep my projects a surprise till Christmas Day.
I still need to get packages assembled and put into the mail - OH shoot, and Christmas cards. UGH. I never do get those out do I? Best of intentions doesn't help your family and friends know what's up if you don't actually write the family letter and MAIL the darned cards out. Oh boy. Okay, I'll add that to my list of what I CAN do with kids around.
---------------------------------------------------------
Since I have moments of serious slacking in taking photos and writing in my journal, and now posting, I need to take a couple flashback moments to share.
Halloween was great. Here's the kids and a friend of Robbie's.
Now, take a closer look at Robbie. With all my past experience at '80s hair, I was able to whoop this on in under 5 minutes, death-warmed-over makeup and all. 
Jase and I suddenly realized, this is her in just a couple more years (minus the blood)- yikes are we in BIggg trouble.
-------------------------------------------------------
Flash forward - yet still back from today - to Thanksgiving Day.
RANDY was the preparer of the turkey this year. Jase gave the kids and anatomy lesson of the bits stuffed inside the turkey in the baggie, and I sat out of eye shot, squirming at every detail in his description that completely fascinated my children...ewe - touching raw turkey and chicken on the bone gives me the heebie jeebies. Then Jase told Randy what to do, and off he went to work. It was delicious.
Yummy food, our favorite sparkling cranberry juice, and happy kids. Best part, I didn't have to cook a thing this year. What more could a mom ask for? he he he... lucky me. 
Craigan and Zyzax have lost interest in the wishbone. Zacky actually checked with me and Jase EVERY day for more then a week to be absolutely CERTAIN he was NOT going to miss out. Oh what you ask. ... 
Those yummy drumsticks!!
Eat Up!!
-----------------------------------------------------------
Okay guys, I just HAVE to tell you this ONE more story, then I'm done for today.
We had a BIG talk with the kids about Christmas, and our desire to make it different this year. Not just because we are seriously lacking the funds to have a "big" Christmas, but also because everyone seems to be loosing the focus. So we asked the kids to spend the 2 weeks before Christmas, giving of themselves to the other kids they give to this year. Curtis has spent HOURS drawing something - what and for whom I'll have to share after it is given. Randy is working on something for the little boys since he's got them both this year. Craigan and Zacky, they've helped make beds or hang up coats, put shoes away and such. Robbie however, has completely shocked us. Out of nowhere she organized all the cupboards of dishes. She helped straighten up the upstairs hall closet, and yesterday, she asked Jason to distract all the other kids and keep the downstairs. She was making ALL the boys beds, cleaning up both their bedrooms, and even sweeping and putting up a little bit of Christmas decorations for them. Sometimes she can be such a pain, but this effort out of her to do SO much to make all of us more content and provide that for us all --- she got hugged by EVERYONE. Ya know what, to get hugs from your teenage brothers with OUT mom or dad telling them to, that really says something.
I'm really glad we decided this year needed to FEEL different. So far so good. Funny, I don't think anyone is going to miss anything that "could" have been under the tree this year. They're remembering EACH OTHER, and that's something I hope they remember as they all get older.
May you all relax, not let the craziness at the stores distract you from what this is all really about. Love each other. Enjoy each other. :o). Thank you my dear friends and family, for being patient with me and my family in our crazy brainlessness these days.
