Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can. ~ Douglas Pagels
Mr. Fiber Optic Snowman is on display. He is the first each year to make the journey from attic to the main living area. Toonces loves that thing so that I dread the day I go to plug him in and there are no twinkles. So every year he glistens it is a blessing.
Yesterday my mom and I did not get to go to Winston shopping. She has the same horrid cold my husband has and all the family has ganged up and are blaming poor baby Seth.
In Lowe's I looked at the new LED lights everyone is talking about. 
I broke down and changed ours over as well. Toonces loves the colored lights and while I still won't allow them on the tree I am doing the entire deck in bright reds, blues, and greens.....just for him. He can sit on the back patio with the pups and bask in the glow. Toonces is your filling station kind of Christmas person.....the tackier the better....and that is okay by me because we live far enough off the road that no one can see..... Well, they might see the light above the trees from the highway and wonder if there is a forest fire in the area.
I told him last night not only did he like filling station style decor but the back of the attic is like being at a flea market. I can find anything. I bought a white tree for my den with the retro look and had told him I needed to find one of those cotton skirts we had as kids with the glitter pieces stuck in it and I will be damned if I didn't find one in a box in the back of the attic. Unbelievable.
Things happening to Rollie this week: (aka embarrassing moments)
Tuesday was one of those days I just got up and went to cleaning. I had several things going on in the house and my plan was to change sheets, etc. all morning then dress for the gym and take off. I had noticed during cleaning that my back yard was full of wild birds and squirrels and when I took a little break I snuck around back with my camera for some practice shots. Note that I had never changed out of my pajamas. A pair of boy pants and long thin tee shirt. I had raccoon eyes bad and my hair was stuck to one side of my head. Granted it was lunch time but I had no reason to change before hand.
So I am in the back yard and I hear a truck and assume it is the garbage guy. The pj outfit I have on is one that you have to be careful how the pants ride up on you or it gives you the "Pat" effect from Saturday Night Live. So with no bra and the pants riding up, my boobs are about even with the waistline giving me the most unflattering look ever and here comes the dude to pump out the heating oil we no longer need. I was so embarrassed....he said "I don't want to interrupt your picture taking...." I just said I was finished and ran into the house to dress. Realizing only then that I had the "Pat" look and raccoon eyes going for me. When I got back down stairs he was waiting for me to move the cars.
same day: Earl and Eudora love riding with me to the post office in town. It is customary and pretty mandatory that the pups get their Marrowbone treats when we arrive. We pull up and I only have one. Being the good mother and not being able to break it into by hand I decide to bite it.........little bits of Pedigree bone marrow went all over my mouth and I jump out of the truck spitting and harking like some crazed redneck for all the other street folks to see. (My husband works right across the street and I often hope no one knows who I am.)
yesterday: I am one that speaks without realizing how things sound and yesterday while at Bath and Body looking for gifts and playing in the Snow Frost glitter spray (I later bought) a guy I used to work with walked up and said "Deana, what are you doing over here?" I said "I am spraying myself all up with glitter!" (I had a rather low cut top on) He said, "Oh, I am off taking mama to the Doctor today.." and around him steps this little old lady that has this stern face and look in her eye that is telling me I am a Jezebel. I think she took it I was flirting with her married son. He and I quickly exchanged pleasantries without her ever cracking a smile and he was gone.
So that is my week. I am taking my time pulling out my Christmas decorations. I don't want to stress over rushing to have things perfect. I realized yesterday that somewhere in this country someone is getting bad news that will forever change their lives....and somewhere someone is getting news that makes them ecstatic. It swirls and changes for all of us and that makes me want to slow down and take more in. Whether my house is a mess or my blog needs a post. Last night I skipped some work and just sat in Toonces's lap for a while watching TV.
In other news:
Bush getting snubbed in Jordan was a very big deal. No matter what comes out of the mouths at the White House that was horrific. Iraq is an even bigger mess and is soon going to have some very, very dangerous consequences. I am praying someone comes up with a solution quickly and we can all work as a unified group to get this resolved. We seem to be on a slippery slope here and I don't think many people realize just how bad this could get.
In good cheer..... to me nothing spreads hope like the innocence of a child. So I have a video of my nephew Jackson singing for his daddy. He is practicing his first grade song for the Christmas program......it is maybe a 2 minute clip. I tricked it up a bit for him, of course, with all my bells and whistles! I think he is precious.
I know it was a long post but I haven't said much lately!
I am not certain what it is that drives us to have green yards. It must be something very powerful. I mentioned in the spring 2006 post, "True leadership," that I mowed the yard for the first time on March 29 this year. 
