Christmas 2005 – in the can

It’s definitely a wrap:

The last of the visitors have left
The kitchen is a mess of wine glasses, opened candy boxes and the remnants of breakfast
The furniture in the living room is pushed back from last night’s gaming
The floor of the laundry room is COVERED with laundry (OK – that’s almost a daily given)
Beanie is half-dressed (ditto above) and sticky from the last of the jelly beans
The big kids are on their beds yelling back and forth
I am sqinting my way through a headache that PERSISTS
Paul is in India.

Oh dear.

The bill for a week of nonstop merriment has been presented and is being paid.

I have pulled the dining room back from the cliff of squalor and plan to hit the kitchen next. The living room is just shifting the rug and moving back furniture, but the laundry might be a total loss.

A grandma is coming soon to watch the kids this evening as I have a meeting.

I will probably not post tonight as I am COUNTING the hours until I can lock the doors, put on some pajamas, slip into bed and read just a wee bit before nodding off to sleep this side of midnight. I will do it.

Having guests from the West Coast who are night owls over there are lethal for early birds hosting in the Midwest with children who rise before the sun.

I’m zausted…but back with stories to tell, resolutions to articulate and quotations to quote.

I’ll leave you with this.

The first night Torey and Nathan got in we had a big family dinner. Beansie was asked to pray and she readily bowed her little head and clasped her pudgy hands.

“Dear God, I love you…and I don’t love you…I love you and I don’t…I love you and I don’t…I love you…I don’t love you…I love you and I don’t…I love you and I don’t…I LOVE you and…I don’t love you…

AMEN!”

The adults all lifted their heads and looked around then Paul said, “Well that pretty much sums up the human condition.”

Wouldn’t you agree?