i woke up this morning to a feeling that has eluded me for the past several months...christmas spirit.

by oct of this year, christmas was looking pretty bleak. we were behind on bills and it was all i could do to keep up with everything.

funny how when extra money rolls in unexpectedly, it seems to keep rolling in from unusual places.

by yesterday, i had enough money to buy the gifts i wanted, with plenty leftover. wow.

so yes, my christmas spirit is attached to how much money i have to spend on gifts. see, i do like to shop, really, i do. it's just depressing to try and do it on a budget.

but i got everyone the main things they wanted, with a enough left over for knicky-knacky kind of things.

you know, most years, mark and i don't even have enough money to buy each other gifts. we spend on the kids, and not us. and cc always gets us gifts, cuz she loves to buy for other people. christmas is her favorite time of year, she loves it, and not just because her mom told her she was conceived under a christmas tree(tho that helps).

anyway, this year mark and i do actually have some cash we can spend on each other. only he won't have time to shop. so i told him we'd just set that money aside, and then after christmas, we'll go shopping together...that way we'll get what we want(he hates to shop for me, he says it's difficult cuz i'm too picky. just because i don't want a new blender for christmas...sheesh).

we'll make a day of it, maybe catch some lunch and definitely catch a few beers.

i was out early this morning, shopping around wal mart at 6:30 am. i tell you, if you have to go to wal mart, that is the time of day to go. no crowds!

i've already been to the grocery store to get my christmas dinner fixins. but of course, as soon as i got home, i realized i forgot a few things even tho i made a list.

i just have a few more things to get, giftwise, so i feel i'm sittin pretty. tomorrow, i'll spend several hours wrapping everything up.

i'm hoping that while i'm finishing up this afternoon, the iceback will not be able to stand it any longer and clean the house so i don't have to(ssshhhhhhh)

well, folks, not sure if i'll be on much in the next few days, so i want to wish one and all, a very Merry Christmas!