December 2012 – Snippets and Tidbits

Mrs. Claus, Santa and Peacock trees

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Sharon

Every year, I do a post on some of the strangest ornaments and decorations I’ve seen that year. Earlier this year I did one called Odd Ornaments.

Since then, I’ve been to the mall, and I gotta say that THIS, stopped me in my tracks.

I think if I found this in my living room, I’d have to call in MIB because I’m afraid it might actually be an alien or something. If you like it, then more power to you, but for me… it’s an abomination. One that I have TWO pictures of!

Just in case you hadn’t realized just how heinous it truly was to me, I needed a second shot to let you guys truly understand.

This same store also boasted the secret assassin, Mrs. Claus. AKA as Pinhead…

See how she’s tasting that special mixture she’s whipped up for Santa? And what’s with the pins in her head anyway? Anyone got a clue what’s going on here?

A-HA!! I knew it!

Mrs. Claus (Pinhead), has baked up a dangerous dessert for Santa. She’s perched on top of the packages with her deadly delight and is waiting to see if Santa needs another dose (taste) of her lovely muffin before he finally succumbs. And if that doesn’t work, she plans on dropping the darn thing on his head while he sleeps! Evil biotch.

Musings and Mutterings

Fuzzy, Buzzy and Mean

Posted on December 31, 2012December 31, 2012 by Sharon

2012 is almost gone and I’m sure 2013 is going to move along at a steady clip as well. Which is why I’m sitting here at 12:20 AM on 12/31/12 working on finishing my list of “things to blog about”.

I guess I should start with the farthest topic and just work my way through the rest.

In October I had a fairly surreal experience. At least it seemed surreal to me. Within 6 hours I went from wandering around an arena filled with hay-chomping, poop-producing, spitting and costumed alpacas

To the most elegant tea room you could imagine!

Complete with three-tiered trays filled with exquisite finger sandwiches and delicate pastries that servers would expertly balance on one hand and themed rooms, each with its own decor, it was adorable. Around every corner you could see every little girls version of high tea come to life. Upstairs, near the gift shop, they had some tea sets for sale. They were gorgeous and a far cry from doe-eyed alpacas!

And from there, we traveled downtown to a church that’s hosted an annual holiday craft show for 39 years. This same church, I’m told, runs a soup kitchen and is the resting place of Leigh Master, a local man who owned Furnace Hills and was an abusive slave owner. Go here to read why his grave’s cracked, why he’s said to haunt the woods, and other rather unsavory things about him.

Musings and Mutterings

Upgrades!

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Sharon

If you come by here every now and then (hello mostly family) then you may have noticed something different. I’ve effectively done a “paint job” on my blog. I’ve taken the bait and upgraded my blog. Notice the lovely new color scheme?

Soon, if not already, I should have my own domain name for my blog as well. It will be http://www.campnini.com .

For any of you uninitiated, when we recently purchased our new home, we named it Camp Nini because it reminds everyone of a lodge or camp. Nini, pronounced nee-nee, is the name given to me by the twins I did daycare for long long ago, so when my lovely daughter started reproducing, I decided that’s what I wanted to be called. And now you know… betchya feel enlightened, eh?

I’m supposed to be doing my holiday cards. The holiday Pandora page is playing, but I’m just not feeling it. I’d rather be playing with my blog – or re-reading it and taking a red pen to clean up some of the errors or poor grammar I’m finding. However, MUST. FINISH. HOLIDAY. CARDS. And pack up gifts for mailing, and clean the house for the party on Friday, and and and and and….there’s always another and….

Musings and Mutterings

Winding Down

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Sharon

I’m tired tonight, so there may not be too many witticisms. It’s a good kind of tired, though. Concerts are done and all went exceedingly well. Even the one I was stressing about which was in a never-before-used venue ended well. Gotta hand it to those volunteers. There is no way to do this kind of thing without them.

I’m finished shopping (ok, ok, I have one more gift to order) and I’m getting things wrapped and set up. I had such fun wrapping some gifts today. I had holiday music playing and ribbons, paper and various sparkly thing all around me while I sat splay-legged on the floor. That’s one of my favorite things about wrapping. I sit on the floor. When I’m there, I realize I don’t sit on the floor often enough.

Decorating the house has been– different. I had a bunch of decorations I hadn’t put up in years, so in some ways, it was nice to find them and find new homes for them. But then there are others I look at and think that there is no way I’d ever put them up again. Funny, even though this house has most of the same color theme as the old one, not everything that “worked” in the old house “works” here. It’s almost like I pull something out and the house offers me a perfect visual of where it could go, and if I happen to pull out something the house doesn’t like.. it goes back in the box. I did have a great time decorating the playhouse out back. I’m not finished with that project, but I am for this year. It’s so much fun to look out the window and see the “neighbors” turn their lights on and off.

Another thing I’ve decided this year. I think I’m going to buy one set of LED or SOLAR lights a month. I think next year I should be able to put out my whole outdoor display with only minimal electric pull.

Tomorrow I’m going to get my office together and write out thank you/hoilday cards. Then I have some baking and package mailing to do before my baby comes to visit. I’m really looking forward to seeing her. We have plans to go with Jenny and Megan, Lisa and my sister to the Hack and Slash show. That’s always a hoot. Jenny and I even got matchy-matchy jammies. Hers say Naughty across the chest and have HO HO HO on the pants. Mine says Nice across the chest and my bottoms have heart-shaped candy canes and snowflakes. (it’s ok if you say, Awww!)

I got my gift early from Hubby. He got me a Samsung 10.1 tablet. Now we can officially say we have just about every form factor there is for personal computing. Lol…

Time for a nap. :0)

Musings and Mutterings

Odd Ornaments

Posted on December 7, 2012December 18, 2012 by Sharon

Every year I go out and look for an ornament for my tree, but usually end up finding things that make me scrunch up my face and wonder, “how the hell did they get that thing marketed as an ornament”?

Or I find something that’s busted up just the right way that I deem it worthy of a blog mention.

This year, I’ve been out early, and either my tolerance for bad holiday ornaments has increased, or someone didn’t have too many bizarre ideas about what people would want to hang on their trees to celebrate the season.

Maybe I’ll have to update this blog as the season wears on, but to date, here are the only three ornaments that I felt worthy of mention.

1. Celebrate the season of “Christ” with a devil head hanging from your tree! C’mon, everyone is doing it!

2. Ah’ll be Bach…or Beethoven… or maybe just to kill you so you never exist. So, small child, go to sleep and dream of sugar plums and fairies and maybe….a Terminator.

3. And finally, Beware the Christmas pterodactyl!!