Holy cow .... why is this holiday season SO crazy??

I'm not sure how the other bloggers are doing it .... between holiday gatherings and holiday shopping, my blogging time has plummeted (work being unusually busy isn't helping either. Just sayin'!).

So any time I get online I usually find myself online gift shopping or gift researching. (btw, how we survived Christmas before the internet is beyond me.). Also, with such crazy going-ons in Oregon lately, I've also been obsessively checking the online news sites every 5 minutes. Apparently now is not a good time to be taking Oregon road trips and/or to climb Oregon mountains. :(

Anyway, so other than all that ...... here are a few things which have been going on lately......

We have been having some crazy weather. Thursday night we had some massive wind storms that knocked out power to about 300,000 Oregon customers. I was one of the lucky ones .... I only lost power for a few hours Thursday evening. One lady I work with is STILL without power. (ugh).

But being the resourceful knitter that I am ........

.... the Christmas knitting continued unfazed. Whoo hooo!

And then yesterday morning I found these on my windshield ........

Aren't those funky? Some kind of ice formations I'm thinkin'. Had to defrost to get them off. I can't decide if I think they are really pretty .... or kinda alien-freaky-like. :)

And even though they predicted freezing rain this morning, instead we had a beautiful sunrise. I took these pics from my condo. (you can see Mt Hood in the distance in the second one)

So while out and about Christmas shopping ... I ran across this AMAZING clearance deal. These candles were so discounted I had to pick up 10 of 'em (not):

Dear Store Employee, ... trying THINKING. Just a little bit. Clearance before and after prices should differ .... really.

Speaking of candles ... I was spoiled rotten for my birthday this year. I am very blessed with awesome people in my life .... who also happen to have awesome taste in gifts! Whoo hooo! :) I'll gradually post pics of some of my treasures when I've stopped pulling my hair out over trying to get ready for Christmas!

But I will mention the one embarrassing thing that happened with regard to my birthday .... around 4pm at work I decide to make a quick bathroom break. I walk back into the office to find everyone waiting around a cake to sing me happy birthday. I mean, I get embarrassed being the center of attention like that anyway .... but walking back into an office full of people who KNOW you are in the bathroom and are standing around WAITING for you .... yeah .... THANK GOD I was not gone for long, if you know what I mean. Oy.

Okay, so here is a picture of a reindeer cocoa thingamabobs (the official name! :)) I made up for some of my movie peeps. Aren't they cute? A little cocoa mix, some mini marshmallows, throw on some antlers, eyes and a nose ...and voila .... Rudolph's Hot Cocoa Mix.

Are y'all ready for my ghetto Christmas tree? Oh ... I don't know ... I think you might want to sit down for this one....

Okay, so this year I had a volunteer to help me get my tree. So I was excited. Because y'all heard me wanking last year about having to get my tree on my own. But before me and my volunteer could pick out a tree this year, my friend T2 and I stumbled upon this tree ....... in the Target dollar bins (you heard me) .... and I simply couldn't resist. See ... even CJ loves it!

Can you say "tickle me tacky"??

Could it BE any more ghetto?? Oh ... I don't think so! I love it!

Especially because they also had mini lights for it ... and a tree skirt with tree topper (HA!) ...and matching felted garland....

......and the tackiest Mr and Mrs Santa Clause ornaments ever!!!

Seriously ... how could I resist????? :)

And last but not least ... speaking of tacky ... I dug this Christmas decoration out of the decoration box at work. Isn't this priceless. Christmas Cacti. Just for you, Ms C!

Who knew 2006 was the year of The Tacky Christmas?? I didn't! But between my decorations at home and those at work ... and maybe those Cocoa Reindeers ..... I'm thinkin' the folks expecting gifts from me need to be Tacky Forewarned. Just sayin'! :)