Sunday, December 21, 2008

Christmas Shopping, Kindergarten Party and the Misfortune of Duck

I am sorry for my absence from this blog. It has been with good reasons.

For one thing, I have been completely engrossed in reading Pride and Prejudice, which I started a week ago Saturday, and just this afternoon finished. I hope that my writing will not be too affected by the reading of Miss Austen's fine novel, and her refined manner of using the English language. I must admit disappointment upon finishing that there wasn't more to read. On every other account, I am quite well satisfied. Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet's romance concluded quite satisfactorily, and their happiness ever after was assured.

Now that all that is out of my system, there have been other things keeping me away from my computer in the previous days. I absolutely had to get my Christmas shopping done this week. For the first in three weeks, my husband did not have to travel for business, and he was able to be home with the children for me in the evening so that I could shop kid-free. One evening after returning home from 2 hours of shopping, I wrapped presents for a full 4 hours. That was thoroughly exhausting!

This week was also the "Winter" party for Big Girl's Kindergarten class. The party was my major responsibility, being the homeroom mom. I coordinated the volunteers, and prepared the craft, and fielded the inquiries of the other parents concerning the party. The craft had to be partially assembled for the sake of the kids' ability to finish it in the short time allotted, and I also had to take pictures of each of the children in the class as it was included as part of the craft. As luck would have it, there were 2 students absent on the day I first took pictures, the day of the field trip. I had Big Girl identify her classmates to help me figure out who was missing, and she misidentified one of the boys, so I had several pictures to take this week, and then get them all printed. After getting those printed, I cut them out with my oval-shaped cutters from my scrapbook supplies, and affixed one to each of the penguins which were to be completed by the children. The party was a complete success and I was very pleased to have it all done with within two minutes of the allotted time. The party was to last from 11:15 to 12:15, and I turned it all back over to the teacher at 12:17. Up and down the hallway, the other parties were still going on. Big Girl's teacher was most appreciative to have time for a bathroom break before taking the children out for recess (as if they needed ANOTHER recess!). The best part was that the clean-up was so swift and painless. While a parent was reading a book to the class at the end of the party, other parents were stripping the tables of their butcher paper coverings and the room was returned to its pre-party state with ease before the book was finished.

The most fabulous of this past week's happenings was the celebration of my decade of marriage to my sweet husband. Friday, December 19th, marked our 10th anniversary. While it seems hardly possible that so much time has elapsed since our wedding day, it also is hard to believe that only so little time has passed, as I can't remember life before being married to him. He sent me a dozen roses which arrived mid-afternoon on Friday, after all the party craziness was over. Then my mother took the children home with her and we had a most elegant date. We went to the fanciest restaurant either of us has ever been to, and ate the most expensive meal either of us has ever eaten. I had filet mingon for the first time in my life. I think I can handle that every 10 years! Hubby learned the hard way, and most expensive way, that he does not like the taste of duck. I'm sorry for his being punished for stepping out and being adventuresome. I would rather he be rewarded for it, but the duck had an unexpected twang, and nothing could be done about it. Dispite that, we had a lovely time. It will be cherished memory for us both.

One thing is certain. Even knowing my husband as I know him now, with all the knowledge gained in the last 10 years, I would still marry him without one moment's hesitation if I were to have it to do over again.

No comments: