I did it. I’m done. 30 days with 30 posts…it all sounded so easy at first, didn’t it? I mean, how hard could it be, really? Turns out it was pretty difficult indeed. I expected some type of marching band or ticker tape parade at the end, but nothing. Just me sitting here writing a post instead of putting up Christmas decorations. I think the badge says it all:

Speaking of Christmas decorations, Bitchmas is still in full swing at the Stiletto household. I have almost everything up but the house is a mess so I’ll share some pictures as soon as we can make our way across the room without tripping over a string of lights, garland, box, child or crushed ornament.

Thanks to everyone who offered encouragement throughout this little experiment in verbosity. I am glad it’s over but I’m also glad to have found a lot of new blogs and made friends with some new people through this process. That part made it all worthwhile!

We are in the home stretch folks. The days of me torturing you Every. Single. Day. are almost over. I’ve really started to run out of things to talk about, which is really shocking for me…so, I’m going to tell you about my day yesterday and today.

This time of year marks a special season in the Stiletto house. Bitchmas. It starts when we unload the crates of holiday decorations and ends the minute they are all put into place, lights twinkling, house looking glorious and I magically turn into Holiday Martha, singing, cooking and happily addressing Christmas cards. Something inside me snaps at the start of Bitchmas. It starts the minute I get everything out of storage. I’m not sure if it’s the fact the house is in total and utter destruction for a good week or if it’s just the sheer volume of the what I have to put out. You decide.

If you were to count, that is well over 15 boxes massive crates of crap I have to unpack. And that total does not include the Christmas Tree or all the garlands or outside lights. This, of course being no one’s fault but my own. I’ve started my own Griswold Family Christmas and I can’t seem to get myself under control.

Normally the entire family will hide from me, or better yet leave for a few days hours, while the endless cursing decorating festivities are under way. This year, however, The Man has an industrial case of the flu and is barely able to move so everyone is all in for the decorations.

So yesterday and today, I’ve done nothing but decorate…I am crabby and my fingers hurt from getting poked with faux pine needles. Also, they are covered in dust so I have to shake everything out and then vacuum relentlessly after to keep my allergies in check. The only fun moments of this process are watching the kids hang their ornaments on the tree and that’s only if they don’t fight for tree position. Those perfect children from Thanksgiving? Yeah, they moved on to another house and I have my two battle warriors back in the home court.

It should all be over by tomorrow and I will post some pictures. Hopefully it turns out all magical and sparkly…if not, I will go into full OCD mode and re-arrange every day up until the 25th.

So…y’all want to come over and hang out and listen to me bitch gather ’round a roaring fire and sing Christmas carols? Just let me know!

I don’t know who these children are but they certainly aren’t mine. Yesterday, two children I have never met joined us for Thanksgiving dinner. Perfectly behaved, joyful even….and causing zero property destruction. I mentioned to a few of you that my in-laws house is decorated entirely in white.

Yeah, I wasn’t kidding. Guess what? Not a single paw print on that furniture yesterday.

We got through dinner without a single fight. Thoughtful blessings were said, napkins placed in laps and not once were the words, “THAT’S DISGUSTING!” yelled about food. Best manners were out in full force. I was so proud.

After dinner, Miss G played with her Grandaddy…

…while Mr. C morphed into a real estate mogul during a game of Monopoly.

They even let me and The Man relax for a few minutes.

See that suspicious look on The Man’s face? He totally wasn’t believing that this good behavior could last for any meaningful amount of time.

But it did. They are still on their best behavior today. Either they want something or they are secretly plotting against us….could go either way. Whoever these well behaved children are, they are welcome to stay in my house for as long as they would like.

And they can even keep calling me Mom.

Happy Thanksgiving! Somewhere in Dallas today, I am drinking wine, eating entirely too much, regretting not wearing stretchy clothes and hoping like hell my kids can behave themselves at my in-laws house. All in all, it’s going to be a great day and I am thrilled to spend it with people I love.

I hope you are enjoying your Thanksgiving as much as I am….back tomorrow….be safe and have a great day!

PS: And this totally counts as a post!

Ready for it?

I am thankful for….Canadians.

Always have been, always will be. There is something in the water up there that just makes them nicer.

We’ve almost always had Canadian neighbors here in Texas. At one house, we had a guy who played for the Stars Hockey team two doors down. The year they won the Stanley Cup, he sent his girls out to ring every doorbell on the street for a big party. Everyone got to take family pictures with the cup and then the men hung out and drank champagne out of it.

Our next house came complete with Canadian neighbors as well. We became so close with them that we cut a gate into the fence between our yards because the constant back and forth on an almost nightly basis was easier that way. When our house had to have the floors ripped out, we moved in to their home for a month. And then we vacationed together. Enough to kill any friendship, right? Not this one.

I am blessed with two Mother In Laws. They are both lovely women that I am happy think of as friends that I enjoy spending time with. One is a Southern Belle in Georgia. The other? Is Canadian.

I thought I had run out of luck when we moved into the house we currently live in. No Canadians. But then I started blogging. Canadians again! A plethora of Canadians! Well not a plethora, but for sure a few really cool ones starting coming by my site. Captain Dumbass, Keely, Mamma Trish, Sherendipity…all these super cool people who I clicked with immediately. Because they were Canadian. If I forgot you? It’s only because I didn’t know you were Canadian. And I probably love you just as much.

Then yesterday we got a box in the mail. From Canada. For my daughter, who was beyond excited because it was pink and had a special label on it.

It even had one of her nicknames.

And she couldn’t wait to open the box.

And in it was Esther the Bear who flew from way up North to come live with her.

Esther came with a special greeting.

And Miss G was excited.

So very excited.

Excited enough to stop fighting with her brother and take the time to dress Esther up and give her a tour of her new home.

And all of these smiles were courtesy of another Canadian I am a fan of…Saucy at Bloggedy Blog Blog, who picked our home for Esther to come live at because she knew exactly how little girls think. Because she has a very incredible girl of her own named Loopy. Who loves Pink. And who now has a huge fan of her own in Texas. Oh, and Loopy? Miss G will have a pink streak in her hair in your honor as soon as school is out. Because we both think you are that cool!

So thank you Canada for always being so nice to me and sending such great people into my life. And Saucy? Thank you for the emails that made me feel like I know you a little bit and the visits to my site…but most of all for the huge smile that never went away yesterday on my favorite little girl of all.