Well, it's been a bit difficult today. Annie has been very anxious for night to come. She was a bit pouty this morning, but has gotten much, much better. I finished boxing in the windows this morning, but the stain and finish didn't come out very well. I just put them in anyway. When I finished that, we started cleaning the house to make it ready for Santa. Annie started the laundry, and I started the dishwasher. Only to find that the dishwasher has decided to stop working. We have four loads of laundry set out on the floor, and I'd like to bathe Tolkien tonight. As I was walking past the water system outside, I heard it gurgling... an indication that that, too, is about to go out. There are other issues, which I don't feel comfortable sharing right now.

I know these are small things, but it was very frustrating. It has all come around, though. We have a fire in the fireplace, Annie has taken out the bowls, glass, and spoon for Santa tonight. We have pizza in the oven, and are getting ready to play checkers. To top it all off, as I walked in with my brow furrowed with a load of firewood, I heard the movie that Annie chose for us to watch while we played; The Sound of Music. I know. I'm wierd, but it's one of my favorite movies of all time.

Well, pizza is about done, and laundry needs to be switched. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy the holidays, and love those with whom you are fortunate enough to spend them.

Update: While eating just now, I knocked out a tooth... Merry Christmas...

Update #2: While bathing Tolkien, I reached into the medicine cabinet and pulled out the shampoo. In the process a navy blue bottle of nail polish launched itself out of the cabinet and shattered on the sink. It sent polish everywhere. When painiting Annie's nails, we could wait fifteen minutes and it would wipe off instantly. In the bathroom? It was instant stain. No, I didn't get it all cleaned off. Screw it. It's Christmas Eve. As I tried to get Annie to go to bed, she mentioned that maybe we could see Santa if we were on the roof. We had never done this before, but I said, "Ok, let's go to the roof." With trepdiation she stepped out of the study window, and we sat on the roof together. We spent a half hour looking for Santa. We knew from our internet search that he was on the East Coast at the time, but we were still hopeful. We saw and talked about the stars, the trees, the clouds moving in, and a variety of other things. Every time a light that was moving came into view, we watched it in anticipation. Apparently, Santa's bells are highly reflective. Finally, she decided that she'd better go to bed to better facilitate the arrival of Santa.

Strangely enough, I think he may have just arrived. He also responded to her rather lengthy letter. Gotta love Santa...






Feelin' the Christmas Spririt!!!