Can you feel the hustle bustle of the city???? Yes, It's Christmas Time (not yet, let's get through Thanksgiving) in Londontown again!!!!

Thanksgiving time means so many things these days. It's truly a hustle and bustle like no other. Maggie and I have Scrooge rehearsals, Sean/Amanda/Ian are playing basketball,  and OF COURSE the turkey is in the fridge thawing while I shop for the ingredients to my favorite meal. We are cooking and my friend Sandee will be joining us since her kids will be with their Dad.

It also means SHOPPING for me. In the past I have prided myself on being finished with Christmas shopping BY Thanksgiving; not giving in to the sales and tempting holiday releases. Times have changed with me working and our finances being stretched. So, besides grabbing a stocking stuffer here and there I haven't really gotten much accomplished. I'm going to make a good effort to peruse the sale papers and make a shopping list, but the thought of getting up at oh-dark-thirty and fighting people who are hyped up on Starbucks isn't exciting. I am a happy shopper who understands that parking will suck, lines will be long, and product is limited SO MERRY CHRISTMAS PEOPLE; be nice and is losing the spirit of Christmas worth a few dollars, I think not.

For Collin, it means his annual transformation into Clark Griswold. He started thinking about lights and strategies for electric cords weeks ago. He even trimmed the tree out front b/c he wanted to make sure the lights would show up nicely. The majestic pine-type tree that he has procariously decorated from our rooftop for years has grown at least 6 ft. this year so I'm not sure how he is going to do it. (at least I don't WANT to know how) I mentioned NOT decorating it this year and he took it as a challenge. Silly, man. Yes, we have insurance. The notes we get from people saying 'you made our Christmas' and 'thank you for bringing some sparkle to our holidays' makes it all worth it. I'll update when it's complete so if you live near by you can drive by and enjoy his masterpiece.

In the meantime, I'm going to practice my lines and make a couple of things for tomorrow. Sandee will make her famous deviled eggs; Collin will do 'most' of the cooking. I'll make cranberry sauce and a pecan pie later today. What is your must-have favorite on Thanksgiving?

However, even with the hustle and bustle, I will NEVER forget where we were last Thanksgiving. I will NEVER forget to be thankful for health; the miracle of medicine; and the many blessings that God has given our family.

And I thought I was doing so well with getting back onto the bloggin' train near the end of September. Then I blinked. And now it's almost mid-November.

Let's see --- Amanda celebrated her 9th birthday; I celebrated a birthday; we had our 15th anniversary; we had Halloween; we did school book reports; we had Scrooge auditions; we had football and we are transitioning to basketball. Our house came off the market. And, I got something called A JOB! And Jerry Brown is governor again (I wish I was kidding about the last part.)

And my world has been rocked.

Yes, I know, women have been working mothers for years. Well, I HAVEN'T. I have been unemployed for 12 years. I was Queen of my Household Kingdom or whatever crap you want to call it. I was just starting to hit a good routine with volunteering, grocery shopping, meal planning, homework help, and all that comes with keeping the house going/ being a wife and mother. And it all came tumbling down.

I LOVE MY JOB. It's the best of the school world w/o the added stress. I get to work with the kids; help the teachers and get paid :) BUT I have quickly figured out that going to sleep 'early' is mandatory to get up at 6:30am. (bye, bye TV time....already deleted Private Practice from the cue; will likely give up on another show soon). Errands and house cleaning take up the bulk of my time when I'm not doing all my other responsiblities. Egads; it's a crazy shuffle. I am SO grateful that I am able to work around my kids' school schedule but we are all adjusting.

So that's where I've been. Online time is RARE, but I do have Facebook on my new Blackberry so I try to read a little here and there when I'm in the carpool pick-up line or find myself with a few minutes at a sports practice.

Already thinking about the yummy food plans for Thanksgiving while I think of quick-and-easy breakfast for my kids on school days; while I think about the healthy snacks I need to bring for grab-and-go at work; while I about what's for dinner the rest of the week; while I think that I should probably make my kids some lunch.  Multi-tasking at it's finest.

I'll send pictures soon, but that requires more time so don't hold your breath.