Just Call Me Mandi Lou Who

Like the Grinch, my heart grew two sizes this weekend. And while in comparison, my own heart started out larger by far than that of the Green miser who stole Christmas from Who-Ville, I know that if someone were to measure my heart like they did his, it would clearly show a huge difference had been made! I even have the chest pain to prove it! (Or perhaps that's only the remnants of a few days of rich food and cocktails?)

Either way, Jeremy and I hosted our first holiday get-together at our home yesterday. It was the first annual Coleman/White Christmas, and both sets of family were present. It really turned out to be a great time; everyone brought brunch items and we ate our Who Pudding and carved our Roast Beast. The parents exchanged presents, and we all got to catch up while sitting around the glow and glitter of the Christmas tree. It turned out to be a growing experience for the two of us, also. We had to be adults together, cleaning and cooking in preparation for our home to be open to others. It was great practice for the future, when we will hopefully have a larger house that could host larger family gatherings!

While Christmas music played in the background, we all realized that it was a momentous occassion and celebrated accordingly! Of course the festivities couldn't stop there. Tonight will be a ruinion with Jeremy's brother and sister in law, while each following night has a different event, all focusing on that one theme - family.

The Amanda/Alice Project?

Tonight Jeremy and I skipped out on the multitude of activities we had planned, and instead spent the evening eating take-out and Tim Tams while watching Julie and Julia. Both were inspiring enough to write about. The movie was what I had hoped it to be; while the few bad reviews, (and a husband who had other things he would rather go to the movies for), kept me from viewing in the theater this past fall, we rented it within a week of its coming to Blockbuster. Both of us laughed while indulging in a variety of dishes spread out on the cocktail table in front of us. There could be no other way of watching a movie dedicated to the obsession of food.

The movie inspired me in ways other than the consumption of calorie-laden food, however. "I could write a blog; I have thoughts." That is exactly what Julie Powell said as she spoke to her husband regarding her place in the world, or rather, attempting to find that place. Just another Alice wandering through Wonderland, in search of her niche, if you would. I related on that, and many other levels. Now I sit back and wonder, do my thoughts and ponderings warrant enough material to put pen to paper (or to be more current, fingers to keys), on a daily basis? Maybe we'll all find out. At the very least, I will.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

With a firm belief in God's perfect plan, and realizing that my actions can allow me to deviate from the path he wants me to go down, one occurance in today's events brought on the migraine that is now slowly forming in the back of my skull.

For me to realize that if I had just had my cell phone number changed hours previously, instead of waiting until the end of the workday as procrastination would have it, I could have avoided an onslaught of text messages of a stalker-ish nature. They came from the ghost of nightmare's past, and asked a barrage of questions regarding my wherabouts, along with the hint of reconnecting. As Dicken's himself will let you know, no one wants more than one encounter with a ghost. Let's just say, even a grim reaper, ghost of Christmas Yet to Come would quake at the sight of the one that beckoned me.

Had I been proactive in this one tiny area of my life, my evening would have been pain free, and my new shiny phone may not have suffered the mental abuse I put it through as I threw curses and insults its way.

Crafting Some Time to Create

After spending the weekend putting up decorations throughout the entire house, I find myself still in the mood to decorate, paint, write...well just create something of any kind really. After having to expand my mind and decorate on somewhat of a budget, it has left that portion of my head gaping wide open and in need of an outlet to put it to good use. And while the list of pursuits I would like to undertake is still growing, the time to do even one of these is another issue altogether.

These days I find my bum is securely fastened to a chair 40 hours a week, leaving less time to craft something of my own. But then take into account the mental exhaustion that I feel most days from looking at a computer screen, and that time diminishes even more drastically. My solution for now? Gazing at the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree as I lay wrapped in a quilt, getting up only to create some hot cocoa, a gratification of the highest level when homemade!