I've been just on the verge of slipping under the weather for the past week. I have yet to cross over into the full blown sick category, but the threat has been quietly making a quiet and persistent presense in that one spot of my throat reserved for illness.


It could be that my schedule - in addition to work, mothering, and church - has been PACKED full of stuff to do. Not shopping, mind you - I finished that up the first week of December (thanks to some epic determination and planning on my part). No, from Dec. 3 to Dec. 22 my calendar shows 21 (literally) holiday/birthday/baby shower events to attend. I have six left. (And in those six days I'll be making three significant drives, although Kenny will be the one doing the actual driving; I'll be sipping lemonade, popping cough drops, and trying to sleep in the front seat for those trips.)


I'm sorta exhausted.


I fantasize sometimes about simplifying, but our families are too big, we're actively involved with our congregation, and we have a lot of friends. I can't complain. Plus, a simple December would entail holing up in some frozen tundra miles away from civilization. Just not realistic. So, while things are crazy, we're pretty fortunate. Plus, when the parties turn into to this...


...there's no room for whining.


(Notice my sweet girl's round head in the top left (behind her mother's big head). I haven't wanted to leave her with a sitter every night (especially because I work and that's the only time I get to see her). So she's tagged along to most of the events. And she's been a trooper. A little party-animal-in-training.


Happy Friday.

Oh yeah, the image above was taken with the ever-awesome Smilebooth thanks to the Kaisers of The Image is Found Photography. Love those guys.