december 18th-21st...

Okay, so I am sinking fast with this daily blogging challenge I set up for myself.  As the days get closer to Christmas, I am getting busier and busier.  Imagine that!

I cannot remember a thing about Saturday afternoon.  Maybe I did something.  Maybe I didn't.  That evening the TenBrinkmans came over for pizza and wine.  This whole thing started Thanksgiving day when my mom opened a bottle of wine for the adults.  The kids really wanted some too so I told them to plan on coming over to Aunt Jodi's for wine and crafts.  As the days progressed, so did the plan.  We ended up having a pj party.  We had pizza, bread sticks and wine.  We rented Home Alone 2, then watched Toy Story on tv.

 After all that, the kids still wanted to do crafts so they all made an ornament to take home.  The bellies have a piece that pops out for a picture to be put there.  Reindeer and Polar Bears.  After that, the crafting bug was still in 'em so they pulled out glue sticks, stickers, paper, markers and whatever else they could find.  Isaac made a mosaic snowman. Ash made a crown.  Alli made tons of stuff.  Kyle...hmm, I know he made something too.  And, of course, what night would be complete without me getting tons of love on paper?  Tons of love.  Tons.

 Sunday I was back to feeling poopy so Keith and Kyle went to church without me.  Actually they went to Sunday School without me and then headed back home.  Keith saw Caleb's friend Jacob in the parking lot and decided to a one-man chest bump.  Apparently the joke was on Keith.  Jacob was carrying a cup of hot cocoa and it spilled down the front of Keith.  On his white dress shirt.  Serves him right, I suppose.  How did he not see the cup in Jacob's hand??  Boys.

I think the highlight of Sunday may have been Kyle seeing his reflection in an ornament hanging on the tree.  Check out his schnoz...

 Step away from the tree...can you hear it?  It was a bit better, but yikes!

 Monday I took the day off work to accompany Pat and Andrew to Andrew''s 6 month appointment with Dr. Postellon.  We received a grand gift indeed.  Andrew has grown 2.4 inches and has gained 8 pounds in the past 6 months!  The doc originally said he could end up 5'6" and now possibly up to 5'9"!  Amazing news!!  On his own...I dunno. Definitely not 5'6!  He hit his first milestone of finally making it onto the growth chart.  The last time I saw him on the chart was when he was eighteen months old.  It has been a lenghty process but we are finally getting somewhere.  Andrew's biggest surprise was being told he didn't have to have x-rays or blood drawn.  Merry Christmas indeed.  And his dosage must be doing the trick because the doc didn't increase it.  Super great! {and, funny, because I may never have talked about this before on my blog, and if that's the case, you may be wondering, "what the... ??"}

I spent the est of the afternoon doing little last minute things.  Things like buying myself new sheets.  Ha.  Poor Keith.  I gave him a wish list of like 5 things.  I want every single item on my list.  I already purchased one of the gifts and then after reading reviews, changed an item on my list and told him I found a better one online.  I purchased that one too.  I'm really not about surprises this year.  I know what I need and that's that I guess.  I feel bad for Keith because that's NOT how he shops!  And then for me to buy new sheets?  I couldn't pass them up.  500 thread count.  Yum.  And at a deal.  I didn't know I wanted them at the time of the list.  Sorry, dear.

Sleepovers Monday night and a party for a guy out of WeMET so I was home alone.  It was super lovely, thanks.  And no hard cider for me.  Truth be told, I never moved my booty off the couch once I sat down.  Ahhh...

Sigh.  I'm almost there.  Monday's sleepovers for all the kids worked great for me Tuesday.  I had a hair appointment at 9 and was going to have to leave Kyle home with Andrew.  Not really a great idea.  Especially since I ended up staying longer than planned.  I'm on a plan to go darker.  I've been on the plan awhile now.  Is it my age that dictates this?  I decided awhile back not to continue with the crazy highlighting that started on my 16th birthday or somewhere really close to that.  I took baby steps with lowlights along with my highlights but each time started getting more of the lowlights.  This past time I really wanted to go dark.  I love love love Kristin's hair dark.  The darker the better.  I was just terrified to try it.  She did funny things like put her hair on my head to try it out.  I looked like a mop.  A dirty mop.  Well when we went darker, the color was safely accompanied by a multitude of high and lowlights to save my life.  The color was pretty but I would have fallen over with the color next to my face.  Anywho...even after having it done last time, I thought it was a little boring and wanted to go darker.  Annie just looked at me and shook her head.  I don't think she ever planned on taking me any darker.

Yesterday, I had a million questions for her.  In the end, we settled on using the same color as last time.  Annie explained the color would have more pigment because I was coloring on top of color vs. on top of bleach.  Oh, and I forgot to mention that I decided to forgo highlights all together this time...yes, it is the same color as before!!  {ignore what looks like really bad cheeks...i have a touch of bronzer on with some sort of crap in it that sparkles}

After the new 'do, I headed west to first drop off gifts for a family, then stopped to pick up Caleb, where I was given a gift myself.  My super sweet friend Kirsten saw something that reminded her of me at a store and wrapped it up...all for little ol' me.  Doesn't it just scream Jodi??  Love it, Kirsten!  Thanks. ☺

 When it rains it pours, right?  When it's Christmas and the money is short, it always happens that your car needs major repair, you buy a buffet, it needs to be redone, you buy extra gifts for people and yourself, you need your hair did...{oh, that's just me and, yes, I meant to say did...}  The picture doesn't do it justice and I really thought that since the paint lady hasn't called me since November 27th she wouldn't call until after Christmas, but...drum roll puhleeeaaassseee...

{clearly it won't stay here} It turned out super nice and the black dots on the doors and drawers are where the old hardware used to be.  The lady put knobs in some of the holes loosely so that I can get them open.  Nice thinkin'.  It's gonna look sweet in my bathroom.  Needs to be in there yesterday, though, because of yet another break in communication between myself and the house!  Our shower is leaking.  Our tiled shower.  The shower with all tiles.  Tiles from top to bottom, including the floor.  K and I started showering in the new tub the other night.  It wasn't the plan for us to use it.  So now we're basically back to 5 people in one bathroom.  WTH??

I had to complain for a second.  I'm done.  Oh, wait...no I'm not.  I have some peeps in mind to deliver cookies and such to this evening.  Ha, you ain't gonna get nothin' today!  I mean that in a kind way. ☺  Last night I decided never to bake again.  In my whole entire life.  Unless it's just for my kids.  And even then I should reconsider.  I got so angry I threw all the extra dough away.  You know, I've made cookies millions of times.  And they've turned out just fine.  But don't you know it...if I'm doing it for a reason, with a deadline, the whole project goes to hell.  Every time I think.  I also threw away something else I was working on.  Bah Humbug!!!

Being that it's Christmas and being that I really like these people, I will attempt something else tonight.  A true glutton for punishment.  On another positive, festive note...it's family game night tonight.  It says so in the advent drawer.  Kyle is already mad.  The others were sleeping.  We'll see.

3 more days until Christmas Eve...