Happy New Year's Eve!!

Once upon a time, HWK had a lumberjack hat.  Then he had a child.  Now he has a child who has a lumberjack hat.  This may be my all time favorite picture of The Teenager, taken about an hour ago, on his way to a friend's New Year's Eve party:

 HWK & I are holding down our couch, me in my flannel jammies, naturally!  We've got a George Clooney movie coming up at 10:30, and Toffee the Evil Kitty is sprawled out, snuffling in her sleep.  It's a brilliant start to the New Year, I think!

Here's hoping your New Year is filled with love, light and laughter!!

Business Flannel: My New Cause

I'm retiring to a life of leisure (trading in my Mom jeans and Farmville for dress pants and interoffice memos) on Monday.  I say retiring, cause Mommy work is hard!!  Just helping The Teenager translate teenage-girl-speak has been a challenge!!  And while I'm sad to not have as much time with HWK and The Teenager, I am excited to spend more time with adults and less time with Toffee the Evil Kitty.  I'm hoping absence will make her heart...well...I'm really just hoping she'll glare at me less.  I think I've been cramping her (napping) style!


The real tragedy of this change comes from having to spend way less time in my flannel jammies.  The best part of winter is wearing flannel jammies and poofy hand-knit by Mommy sox!!  As a nod to adulthood, I do wear thermal shirts (color-coordinated, natch), instead of head to toe character flannels, just so you know.  I think the thermal shirts add a touch of class!  ~*~

So this week, while buying new sneaks for The Teenager's ever-expanding feet, I scored marked down, now on clearance (and I had a coupon!!) jammies at JCPirates.  I'm telling you, JCP is my shopping mecca!!  I got me some fine, fine jammies. The Teenager, who has learned that it's not even worth it to remind me I'm an adult, held his tongue through multi-stripes, aqua with snowflakes and sheepies with scarves, aqua with black, hot pink and white stars, and even all thermal oatmeal with white and black sheep (red scarves, of course).  Add these to my red with rubber duckies, red Mickey Mouse (which are older than the-friend-that-got-them-for-me's 3 kids), and assorted other lovelies, and you have a jammie collection from Heaven!


The one pair that The Teenager balked at?  The lavender with sock monkeys on sleds!  They even had cute little matching scarves, hats and mitties!  He put his foot down, told me they were "weird" (*gasp*), and told me to "put 'em back".  Wow. 


It wasn't until I got The-Teenager-approved jammies home that I realized how much less time I will have to revel in their soft, warm comfiness!!


It made me sad.



                                          :(         :'(         :(         :'(    




Anywho, I told you all that (sorry) to tell you about this:  my status on Face(comic)book is:


Melissa thinks flannel jammies are perfect for all occasions. Perhaps if world leaders met in flannel jammies, we'd all live in a better world!    *extra points for sheep, sock monkeys and teddy bears*


And I really think I'm on to something here.  Yeah, yeah I know that everyone in the business world is all "but it's business casssssssuuuuaaaaalllll".  And just what the heck is that, really??  'Cause believe me, I've seen some very liberal interpretations of that phrase, my friends. 


But, sadly, I've never even heard of "business flannel".  And why?  Whhhyyyy?!?!?!?  (Insert pic of Nancy Kerrigan)        *extra points if you got that reference*


Business Flannel is an idea whose time has come.  Warm, soft, eco-friendly.  Easy to coordinate.  Does NOT go with heels!!  AND often comes with an elastic waist!  I mean, come on!  


I'm going to work up a business plan for Business Flannel as soon as I get back from my orientation.  Which is Down South.  I get a hotel room all to meself.  No Kitty.  No laundry.  No dishes. 


But I'm taking my flannel jammies!  

The Queen and Her Boy

The Teenager and Toffee the Evil Kitty spent some time lounging on the couch today.  Now, I ask you: Does anyone doubt who is Queen of our Household?!?!?

Oh, how difficult her life is....

Love, 

   

      The Help

Merry Christmas Un-Madness!

I'm going to let you in on a little family secret.  We have a wonderful Holiday tradition:  we do little, if anything.  We hang out, watch movies, eat, and often change from jammies to...jammies!

I love all the traditional fun of Christmas, but I have to tell you - the last couple of years we have hibernated, spending time just with each other, and it has been very rewarding.

HWK and I bought The Teenager's gifts early, and besides the many, many cookies that I have been and will finish baking tomorrow for The Teenager's friends, our Holiday will be very, very quiet.

And even though we live very close to Manhattan, there's no way you'll catch us braving the frigid cold to go to Times Square for New Year's Eve.  The Teenager is going to a friend's party, and HWK and I will not budge from the house except to squire him to and fro.

Even Toffee the Evil Kitty seems content to simply knead a nest in an afghan and settle in for a peaceful Holiday season!

Random Blecky Cold Thoughts

I am fortunate in that I rarely catch a cold.  HWK and The Teenager are unfortunate in that I am not a "good" sick person.  I still try to do things like laundry and dishes, and get contrary when my head feels stuffed to capacity.  

I do have, however, one must-have during times of *sniff* *koff* *hack* *grumble*:

No, I do not work for Vicks.  I'm just giving credit where credit is due.  This stuff is like cold-crack.  Gimme my drugs and no one gets hurt.

When I'm ill I am always reminded of my trip to visit my Mom years ago in the UK.  We went out for a "proper tea", which was just fantastic!!  And believe me, I'd much rather have tea like this: 

Than like this:

Alas, for now, if you're looking for me, I'm hanging with my new best friends: 

 and

I hope your week is sniffle free!

*koff*

Dear Christmas Fairy:

I know we don't talk like when I was a kidling.  It's my fault, I know...

Anyway, I've missed you.  Even though you never brought me the pony I asked for when I was 10.  I'm almost over that...therapy helped.

This year for Christmas, I would like the gift of time:
  
** More time with The Teenager before he only says things like: "Hey, can I have the car keys?"

** More time with HWK, going on mini-adventures and just hanging out on the couch.

** More time patting Toffee the Evil Kitty, in hopes she will decide I'm not that bad.

** More time to talk to and go visit family, all far and wide.

** More time to play with my new sewing machine.

** More time to stroll down the cyber aisles of Etsy.

** More time to take pictures of all of the above.


Remember, Christmas Fairy, when I wanted to hurry up and become a grown-up?  May I have that time back, but as a grown-up?  Oh, and while you're at it, would you mind vacuuming?  Thanks.  Let's talk more often!


Love, Melissa

Kitty Love

Toffee loves HWK.  She does not love me.  Most of all, she loves to cuddle on HWK's lap, gloating and preening.  This evening I took some pics.  Please forgive the low lighting -- and note the self-satisfied snippety kitty looks!

I'd just like to mention that HWK never wanted a pet.  That he NEVER gives her food or water.  He doesn't even pat her on a regular basis.  And scoop her kitty box?  Ha!  You must be mad!

All I'm saying is, they have a bit of a dysfunctional relationship.  

Do I sound jealous?  And of which one?  It just seems a little unfair.  

I may need therapy...

Happy Holidays!!

Yay!  The Holidays are officially here, and our tree is up and trimmed!  HWK (who wasn't feeling very well, poor thing) and The Teenager assembled, while I took pics and strung bulbs onto their little hooks.  Those little hooks, by the way, completely disappear into carpet, have you noticed?!?

 

I am posting these this evening, as Toffee the Evil Kitty is already bedding down within the tree, and ornaments have been flying all evening.  Last year we literally had no bulbs on the bottom half of our tree.  Apparently they limited where Toffee could nap, so they had to go!

HWK came through in a big way this year -- I got my Christmas present early:
It's a Brother SE400 combo sewing machine and embroidery wizard-y thingie!! I'm so excited!  I've had a busy two days, so it still looks like this:


Tomorrow morning, however, we are going to bond like crazy!  I am going to sew and monogram and embroider anything I can get my hands on!!  I am nearly beside myself trying to decide which project to do first!

So...(sew...)...if I disappear for a bit, send in the troops, cause I've lost my mind and am embroidering Kitty!!

Have a great rest of the week, everyone!  :)