Sandy I know this is off the topic but do you know what has happened to Kerstin? Merry Christmas!
I too wonder why women often have that feeling at Christmas, of not having enough, it sure seems like a ton when we're buying it?

a couple of hockey thoughts. Hooray, another girls; team. My dsughter was on the first girls' team in our area. It was great fun. I trust she will persevere, and athe coach will see the light, too. AS to your remark about Andy dying, that's almost exactly what I said to my husband when he fell to the floor and was not breathing one morning...don't yo DARE do that to me!....but seriously, that is why the amatuer hockey associations now require coaches to wear helmets when they are on the ice, too many were skating backwards and tripping and getting serious head injuries.

It's all in the eyes! Happy Christmas

Glad to hear you found your holiday spirit! I too get sucked into that "did I buy/make/do enough" cycle, but have tried to be better about it this year.

Ice hockey - wow! And it was only the first game - so who knows what will happen. I went to my first gymnastics meet this past weekend and was biting my nails at my 5 year old getting up on the beam. I doubt I'd survive ice hockey.

Also wanted to make sure you got my email replying to your last comment on my blog. Happy Holidays!

Sometimes warming the bench can be good. My ungraceful daughter is playing basketball and sometimes I cringe when she's on the court. I can't imagine seeing her go down on ice with blades all around!
Happy Christmas Fig and all the members of your family! I assume like every other cat, Fig is the master there.

Yay, Fig. Good work, buddy, on getting Mommy out of her funk.

Ohhhh, that benchwarming thing is frustrating. My brother was on the high school baseball team for four hard years, and was only played in the last five minutes of the very last game, when they were already slaughtering the other team. That was truly outrageous treatment of him, and I still to this day can't believe he endured that. Gah!

Mmm...cat therapy. Works every time.

Glad to see that you're out of your funk. Cats can have that effect. :-)

Oh yea, she's a hockey player! Sounds like she has the right mindset. I remember the days when my son wouldn't get 2 minutes in goal. One time his coach was extremely rude to him and instead of quitting, he said he owed it to the team to stay through the game instead of just quitting. He said it would send the wrong message about him (my son).

I hope you guys have a great holiday!

Wow, sounds like a lot of pre-Christmas learnings going on up there. :)

I am so impressed that your daughter went out to practice more instead of feeling sorry for herself! That's a lesson I still need to learn sometimes and I am guessin I might be close to twice her age. Wow!

Holy cow, Bethany is playing ice hockey? That's very cool. Poor Andy, bless his heart, falls like that are NOT fun.

Glad to hear you've got the Christmas spirit, sunshine. Maybe you can get me motivated to get things ready over here? :)

OH man, Sandy! Too funny. And the ice out there is wicked, isn't it? I thought the rain last week would help but instead it made it worse! You be careful!

You are too funny. I dont have time for you to die. That's a new one! I thought I'd heard it all.

GOod for FIG. I too get caught up in all that did I get enough for someone? I know in my heart what the point is, and thats what I try to remember.

Hurray for Fig! Because, really, for me, Christmas IS all about giving and sharing with the people I love. I try not to get sucked into any "obligatory" gift exchanges so that I can retain the joy that is finding the perfect gift--whether I make it or buy it. Because, really, I'll agree any time that Christmas has gotten too commercial, and people get insane, but I absolutely love that there's a holiday that's all about sharing and giving and loving. (Or, it should be, anyway!) I'm so glad Fig reminded you . . . he really does look very sweet sitting by the tree!