SO, THAT WAS FUN

Ammendment to Report:
Prince has re-claimed his former nickname from our early days, "Manimal." He will now be known as such. Yessir, Ranger had a verrah good Christmas, heheh ; ) Let's all drink a toast to the goodwill lasting. Hope you & yours all had wonderful holidays as well. Cheers!

I continue to be amazed at how it all flies by so quickly after so much work. However, my amazement at that doesn't compare with the stunning WTF moment I experienced upon receiving this After Christmas MEME in my email tonight. Let's be honest, shall we? I think it's a little too early for this sort of thing. Get a grip, people. I'm still caught up in the whirlwind of the holidays, which roughly translates into I'm not even sure what freakin' day it is.

Since a friend sent it, and I'm getting a few "Are you ok?" emails, I've answered. Since I'm a real PITA : o) I'm tagging the following peeps, either on their blog or in my comments:

- K-BEAR
- TINK
- MOTORMAN

FARMWIFETWO

LEMON STAND

1. Glad it's over, or wish there was more? Glad the hustle & bustle is over, but I wish there was more relaxing time left before real-life rears it's ugly head.

2. Serene/Sappy or Drama/Dysfunction? Just the right combination for me to be sure it really was my life and not an entertaining little REM interlude.

3. Did you have a memorable mistletoe moment? Umm...yeah (see Ammendment above.)

4. Biggest surprise? The kids slept 'til 9:30 am and Manimal got impatient enough to wake everybody up. The family gift he bought is a 43" plasma TV that he didn't try to wrap, but set up after they went to bed, so he made Sugah Pie wait for everybody...with a pillowcase over her head. That made for a surprising sight when I walked into the living room.

5. Gift that made the recipient laugh the most? From Supah Stah to Manimal, a T-shirt that says "First National Bank of Dad - We're Closed!"

6. Sweetest gift? As Supah Stah handed a gift to Sweet Pea, he said: "Since you couldn't go to the beach, I brought some of it back to you." It was a small bottle he'd filled with water, sand and shells in San Diego.

7. Gift that touched the recipient the most? I converted three architecture photos Supah Stah had taken in Europe to black and white, had them blown up, matted and framed for him. He's now an artiste.

8. Most memorable thing heard right before/after a gift was opened? Upon opening her iPod Nano, Sugah Pie was bouncing and exclaimed: "Ohhh, no, I think I'm peeing!"

9. Uncanny coincidences? Three gifts featuring the word "Dream." I gave one each to Mamacita & Supah Stah, and she gave him one. It wasn't pre-planned, which was kinda spooky.

10. Favourite gift received? I really love all my gifts and feel quite spoiled...but, how's this for a Material Girl moment? Manimal gave me an aquamarine and diamond ring. It's purty.

11. Gift you couldn't wait to tell someone about? Sweet Pea & Sugah Pie gave me a fuzzy robe with frolicking penguins on it - Pernicia LIVES!!! : )

12. Gift you used first? Tink sent me a Box O'Relax: bath gel, lotion & puff, scented candle, facial mask, James Blunt CD & a chocolate bar. Gawd, I love that girl!

13. If I'd only known, I wouldn't have bothered with? So much food & drink for Boxing Day...the plus side is, we're ready for a natural disaster.

14. If I'd only known, I would've done/had more? Cat's Pee on a Gooseberry Bush (New Zealand white wine.) YUM.

15. Did you cry? To my mortification, I cried Christmas Eve when Supah Stah got home from California. I'm such a mom. It surprised the heck out of me and made him laugh.

16. Did you make anyone cry? Well, no...but technically the holidays aren't over yet.

17. Most memorable thing heard after dinner? Mamacita approves of my culinary skills. As she undid the button on her slacks: "I don't know whether to purr or moo."

18. Shouldn't have been funny as hell, but was? Max the cat's tail + candle = impressive display of flaming fur. No injury, so he didn't howl...but everyone else did.

19. Most important thing about this holiday? Healthy & happy family, together.

20. Did you shop for after-Christmas sales? A couple of DVDs, a scarf & wallet for Sugah Pie, and a hoodie for Sweet Pea.

21. Dreading the January credit card bills? Nope. I'm broke, but not in any more debt than before. Or any more broke, come to think of it. It's a perpetual state of being.

22. Started making plans for next year? Oh, have I got plans! Let's start with a beach-front hotel suite...