Not a single thing in my 12 days of Christmas list was under my tree, but there were a few surprises.  My husband bought me (well, I picked it out) a wall sconce for a focal wall in my living room.  My mom’s gift was the paint and window treatments for that room, so that was nice.  My big surprise was a Shark steam mop.  Oh yes, it was something I wanted!  Our entire house is 50 year old hardwood floors.  All of Violet’s clothes have dirty knees because it is impossible to get them really clean…they look clean, but her clothes tell a different story.  I could mop daily and they would still not be clean.  Fifty years of dirt doesn’t go away easily, so I’ve been wondering if a steam mop would help.  When my mom heard me talking about them, she decided to get one and add it to my Christmas gifts and I was so excited!  Haven’t used it yet, but plan to tonight or tomorrow before our big New Years Day shindig for people from church.

I also got a Waterpik from my brother and his wife.  Sounds like a weird present, right?  It’s not!  I really wanted one because it is so difficult to floss my very crooked bottom teeth and the bridgework on my upper teeth.  In fact, I chipped a tooth several weeks ago while trying to floss my lower teeth so I’m a little nervous about it now.  The Waterpik gets all of those crevices clean and makes my mouth feel much better than flossing!

It was a good Christmas.  My mom was here, I got the stuff I needed to finish my living room (I’ll share a picture when it’s done, but it may be a few weeks) and a couple of surprises as well.  The kids got most of what they wanted and we had a wonderful dinner with friends on Christmas Day.  It was a really great holiday.

Now on to planning Violet’s first birthday which is less than 3 weeks away now.  I can’t believe it…where has my baby gone?

Books.  I love to read.  I’ll read almost anything (obviously, as I read and loved Twilight despite my skepticism) and our little county library is seriously lacking in good material.  I can’t afford to buy books any more, so I’ve been doing a lot of re-reading and borrowing but there are several books on my list that nobody I know has and that our library doesn’t have.  A gift card to a book store would definitely make me smile!

Snow.  Just on Christmas day.  Lots of it.  But gone before it becomes a pain.  I missed this year’s big snow storm…I was in the hospital having a baby and though that was a lot better, I still wish I’d had the chance to play in the snow with my kids.  That was the first “big” snow they’d seen and I completely missed it.  And I don’t want any of that Snow My Yard stuff.  I want real snow.  Guess I better start praying, huh?

People who know me well can look at my hands and get a general idea of my stress levels.  When I’m worried or anxious I pick at the skin around my fingernails.  When things get really bad, they start to resemble bloody stumps as I gnaw at the fingernails and pick at the skin until it bleeds and scabs over.  And then I pick at the scabs.  (I’m sorry, that’s really disgusting isn’t it?  Raw honesty here!)  They pretty much look like bloody stumps right now, and have for about a year and a half.  It’s completely unconscious and the people who love me and aren’t afraid to criticize me a little bit because of it (i.e., my husband and my mom) will point it out if they catch me doing it.  I’m embarrassed by it, but I can’t stop.  I could probably take a really good anti-anxiety drug but so far nothing I’ve tried stops it completely…except for getting acrylic tips and keeping them maintained.  I know that acrylic turns a lot of people off, but I like to think I keep them short and tasteful.  The thin layer of acrylic just keeps them strong so I can’t break them.  No airbrush designs or any bling…just the hands I’d have if my anxiety levels weren’t constantly through the roof.

Obviously regular manicures are out of the question.  It’s just not in the budget.  But what I wouldn’t give to have a one year pass to a salon, to get anything I wanted done to my nails whenever I wanted it.  After many years of feeling fat and dumpy I’m starting to feel pretty again…if not for those pesky bloody stumps I have for fingers.

A YMCA membership is something I strongly hinted to my husband about, letting him know that they offer financial assistance and telling him that if he went and handled all the paperwork for it, that was all I really wanted for Christmas.  (Assuming we qualify, of course…I’m not certain we would.)  Will he take the hint?  I seriously doubt it.  I’m hoping, though.

It’s less than 5 minutes from my house, it has child care, and everything is brand new.  What could be more perfect???  I suppose I can always go handle everything myself, but it would be so great if someone did it all for me!  (Hmmmmm…is it wrong to be so lazy about a gym membership?  I suspect it is, but I despise paperwork of any sort and avoid it if possible.)