(Smile) sounds like a perfect Christmas day to me . . . well the strep isn't a good thing, but then created the day.

Oh, the best laid plans...it's kind of wonderful when they don't work out, eh?

Happy happy, Merry merry!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

mrtl, Paris WISHES she looked that good. Speedy recovery to y'all, too, sweetheart.

nina, ain't that life? Things go wrong, and somehow turn out OK. I'll take it.

misfit, yea, I know you know what that's like :)

lawbrat, thank you, love. I know it's a rough time over there. You're in my heart.

momo, thank you. A pajama day can be a really good thing. Jif took LG shopping for me and she picked out the angel ornament. I REALLY love it. I love to get pretty things that I'd feel too guilty to buy for myself :)

I'm sorry LG wasn't well. Must've been a setback to see Legolas hanging out behind the tree. :-)

It's kinda nice that you ended up spending Christmas day together as a lovely family unit.

And you've really outdone yourself with your cardboard man decorating skills. ;-)

Hope LG and her striped throat are on the mend!

Biscuit looks so snuggly! I want to use him as a pillow.

Legolas looks great in fuschia.

Merry merry Christmas!

Perfect! Well, all except for the stripe throat, but at least it's readily handled by prescription. We had a low-key holiday here as well, and I'm thinking it's my new favorite way to celebrate! Happy Boxing Day! (Good thing Bucky isn't here yet or I couldn't say that...)

Dearest Susie sunshine. I know it's been a while since I stopped in but was thinking of you and your family and am glad to see that your Christmas was a wonderful one - "stripe" throat and all. May your New Year be full of good friends, the love of family, great stories to tell and some really tasty drinks.

Watch out for that 'stripe' throat, it'll catch ya offguard. Prescriptions are only part of the deal, but it looks like you also have the "Rest and Recuperation" part down pat. A good gargle with warm salt water also works wonders.

And I'm with Amy about Biscuit becoming a pillow. I could use a bit of rest myself.

Sometimes blessings come in disguise. The things kids say cause massive chuckles, like now. ec

I hope LG's strep is better. That's on fun. But how does that poem go about having no place to go? Sometimes (OK, a lot of the time!) it's great to just be home.

Happy Holidays!

Hey LG, sorry you got the 'stripe' thoat thing. I had that a lot too when I was younger. Blegh!!!

Glad the Christmasing was still worth while for you all.

Here's to a Happy New Year!!!

Legolas looks good in purple ;-)

And I can totally relate to the wind at your back thing...

Merry Christmas!

"The rest of these people are snoring like pigs." That cracked me up--sounds like our family.

Sorry LG wasn't feeling well, but sometimes Christmases with the cancelled plans are the most fun. A few years ago, we threw together a dinner and celebrated with the neighbors because a snowstorm left everyone "stranded" at home.

Golly - it WAS a blessing in disguise. What a great post. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

And about spewed coffee out my nose when I read the 'wind at your back' part.

Thanks for letting us see your great Christmas - it sounds like it was (nearly) perfect, except LG. Hope she's better!

Miss B is a hoot! Must run in the family.

So sorry LG had stripe throat. (Hee. My girls call it strip throat.) But yes, a blessing in disguise, if it gave you all the opportunity to relax and just enjoy some time together.

Much love and internet hugs to you, Susie Fairchild.

Hey! My word verification has "jif" in it! (dutpjifq)
Hi Jif!

Aw, I hate the stripe thorat.
And I think your drag Legolas should come hang out with my lipsticked Kevin Bacon. I think they'd be the best of chums.

I'm sorry to hear LG has strep throat. That is awful -- it sounds like you had a perfectly lovely day in spite of that.

squirl, I worry that my kid's childhood might be taking a turn for the weird, here, because I am thinking of how to decorate Legolas for all the holidays of the year...

amy, merry, merry to you too. Biscuit is uncooperative as a pillow; I have tried :(

eclectic, I must say, my favorite Christmases are the ones that, by plan or by necessity, are quiet, low-key days.

nic, I am so happy to see you. I hope all is well. When I have enough time to do your wonderful place justice, I shall come over and visit and catch up. Hugs, and all blessings to you, my friend.

mrsDoF, I hope you're getting some rest; I've been an insomniac for a while now (couple weeks), not fun. You're right about the warm salt water, but LG can't quite get the hang of gargling yet.

mreddie, yea, the snoring like pigs cracks me up; although the alleged pigs were not nearly as amused when I told them :)

lori, thank you, I hope your holidays are wonderful, too. Thanks for stopping in :)

greenie, my dearest, it is SO good to see you. I hope your Christmas was lovely, and that your New Year is just the very best. Big hugs to you.

dy, welcome, and Merry Christmas to you, too. I'll come visit soon, I don't think we've met :)

sharkey, I read about your Christmas; sounds great.

jim, thanks, LG is on the mend, and, introvert that I am, I do love the quiet, low-key Christmas.

ladybug, Miss B is really a stitch, I wish I could have her guest-post on here; I've never seen a 5 y.o. with so much personality. She drives her mom crazy; it's fun being the instigating aunt ;)

bucky, I think you're right! Jamie Lee Bacon and Paris Bloom could totally hang out :)

ck, we did, sweetie. I hope you did, too, in spite of the energy shortage ;)

At our house in the 10 days before Christmas we had "stripe" throat (Leo), sinusitis (Aislinn), and of course, my neck and some weird random high fever. Audrey is the only one who escaped unscathed. It's a family tradition, starting when I was a kid, that someone has to be sick over Christmas.

And I have to say, LG has the best handwriting I've ever seen on a kid her age!

Susie, if you decorate Legolas again I must demand pictures.

Well it is 2 days after Christmas and i hope that LG's is feeling better.....I loved your card board man.....that is the kind of man i need, a card board one....ha....and I love the story about the Green Hornets, and he could tell by what kind of balls coming at him....that was quite funny......

I've linked to you on my blog now. MrsDOF shared it with me because of my LOTR dorkness is well known throughout Middle Earth. :)

Loved the Legalos.

and, the stripe throat reminds me of my eldest. He had a reaction to antibiotics and his hands swelled so badly that he couldn't hold a pencil and he would tell people that his hands were "swallowed."

Army of Mom

OMG! This is funny.
I have a santa who scared the crap outta several people that visited. I had him right by the front room door as they came in. It never gets old.
Sounds like you had a nice QUIET Christmas, unlike mine. I'm envious. Kev ended up sick but that didn't stop any plans. Now if I wouldve gotten sick..... a whole nother story then.

I did not realize until I looked again. That LG made that beautiful card.
Yes, it is life, and it works out better for all when we go with the flow. ;)

"May the wind always be at your back"--LOL! Tears nearly streaming down my face....I'll have to remember that one....

Merry Merry 4th day of Christmas Susie, Jif, LG & Biscuit (and to Miss Beautiful too--what a sweetie she must be!)

I'm back, trying to catch up with everyone.
Good to hear you had a nice Holiday, but sorry to hear about that dreaded "stripe throat!"
Have a great New Year.

Orlando! Legolas! PRETTY.
I am, however, traumatized by the debasing of one of my favorite LOTR characters. Fie. And HEE!

Word Verification: yfuklbo. Y FUK LBO! I am so not kidding. I feel dirty just typing that...

andrea, I do hope good health has been restored at your place.
LG does have nice handwriting; and as her mama, I must also state that ordinarily, she is an excellent speller, too :)

squirl, OK, I'll always show you when we decorate him :)

judyp, you've got a point there; Legolas has made very few demands so far ;)

M'army, my kid and my husband are HUGE LOTR fans. Swallowed hands are no fun :(

dashababymama, I know what you mean. I'm having some health troubles right now, and we've been postponing things left and right. I hope Kevin feels better.

nina, thank you :) The flow is not flowing so well just now, but I'm still trying to go with it :(

effie, glad you liked that one! Merry and happy to you all, too :)

sierrabella, Happy New Year, 2u2, I'll stop over :)

cat, Y indeed? LBO? That's just kinky right there :P

I've been meaning to comment on this one for a couple days now, but every time I eye Legolas in his striking new ensemble... the words just leave me.

He's fabulous.

I spent Christmas Eve watching my littlest girl (sick with bronchitis) while everyone else was out going to multiple gatherings. My wife's grandfather laughed the next day and asked how I liked driving 900 miles to baby sit... I just smiled. That day and a similar one I spent with my other daughter (three Christmases ago) are two of my favorite days ever.

And I love the "snoring like pigs" story. It reminds me of the other day when I told my three-year-old something she didn't want to hear, and she looked at me sternly and said: "you make wrong choices." I waited until she went to try her original request on her mother before I burst out laughing. You have to appreciate their honesty.

This is rather late due to my computer meltdown (another perfect exambple how things can go awry) but depite everything your Christmas sounded wonderful. I hope everybody is on the mend now.