~Just A Shower Later.....~

I've been up all nite. With a migraine. I finally gave up trying to sleep and stumbled downstairs around 5am.....Rosie in tow....and headed out the front door with her. It had snowed. She looked at me as if to say, "Hey! I'm a 4 lb. little poodle. You really expect me to walk around in this stuff. Without boots or a coat? Really?". I was in no mood for those cute looks. She tinkled, I picked her up...and headed to the kitchen. Oh no. No coffee made. Jim is in NJ on business....so made a cup of instant coffee, took 2 Excedrin Migraine...again...and headed to the computer. This wasn't a day to have a hundred new emails and orders. sigh. The 'good news, bad news' of the Christmas Rush!

I printed off the orders that came in overnite...and headed to the shower, figuring I'd get dressed and ready for the day...fully intending to go feed mom lunch at the nursing home. Well...that's what I THOUGHT I'd do. One shower's-worth-of-time later: 55 more email orders! Looks like Mom, the PO and my stop at Starbucks is going to have to wait. For now....it's time for 2 more Excedrin! And some of Santa's Elves!

~Stop the Merry-Go-Round~

Tuesday 5:10am.

Coffee. Scissors. Angel wings. Not enough. My life is spinning faster and faster. It's blurring around me. Breathe. Deep breaths. Don't close your eyes. You don't want to miss anything. Breathe. It's almost September. Panic is setting in. Not enough hours in the day. Or nite. The elves forgot to show up....again.

Ella and Jackson were here for the weekend. For Ella's party. And life became clear again. The merry-go-round slowed down just enough that I was able to jump off. For a short while. I didn't want to miss one second of time with these precious children.

Ella is in awe of what her grandma does. Wide-eyed, she picks up doll heads, angel wings, fabric. The smile on her face says it all.

It was only yesterday that she was only a twinkle in her parents' eyes. And here she is. Four. Loving life. Playing princess. Giving hugs and 'I Love Yous' when I need them most. And it makes me remember why I'm doing all this.

Today the house is empty again. The kids and grandkids are all back home. Where they belong. Where God means them to be. And I'm left alone with the angels. Real ones. Cloth ones. And the coffee.

Angels are beckoning.

And there's that merry-go-round. Spinning.

Too much to do.

Angels everywhere.