Avoiding reality

I’ve been avoiding reality since Christmas – this involves lots of pajama-wearing, movie-watching, and puzzle-putting-together.  Though 4 days was long enough to keep my laptop all closed up…I finally fired her up today and caught up on Christmas recaps in Google Reader.  And here I am writing my own.

First, some decorations!  Here are the critters’ stockings.  On top are Madigan and Brooks, and below are my bird Morgan (I made her little birdy foot stocking years ago!), the dogs BJ and Sophie, and my other cat Lucky.  Of course Santa visits them, too!

Of course “she” didn’t forget my parents…

But this Santa’s Little Helper forgot to take a picture of her own stocking.    She did remember to take a picture of her presents from Santa, though!!

Most of the unwrapped gifts have funny stories: I was with “Santa” when she purchased the mirrored star, as I picked it out and suggested we jump on it before it was sold out!  I bought a set of the set of mixing bowls a few weeks back, but Santa fell in love with them and had to buy a 2nd set.  The black and white gift basket in the back? Cheapo Walgreens products bought on clearance with me last year (“the appeal is in the package, it’s mostly for looks!” said Santa, and I agree).  The game in the front sounds really fun – but it calls for a minimum of 4 players.  I can’t wait to play it!!  In the big box is this gorgeous beverage server (which I forgot to photograph also…chalk it up to Christmas morning excitement):

 
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Here are my flippin’ sweet PJ pants in size XL from Old Navy (no longer XXL!)

My haul included some martini glasses, a cute purse, a sweet apron, some new dark brown Fuggs (“fake Uggs”), DVDs (The Hangover, Better Off Ted, Flight of the Conchords Season 2, Home Alone special edition), a journal, some house shoes, some money for new (SMALLER) clothes, and bunches of other things!  Check out this gift set box – I’m such a 3-year-old…I was almost as excited about the box as I was the amazing smelly stuff held safely within:

Mom made Dad and me some fleecy alma mater blankets (check out my mirror star in the background!!):

Tough break about Clemson whipping Kentucky in the Music City Bowl, Pops.

Maddy took lessons from an old man about how to open Christmas presents.

The swimcap/penis hat looks much better on Mom, don’t you think?

On Christmas morning, we had our traditional breakfast casserole (if only I had a buck for every instance of the word “casserole” on the blog over the past 2 months…) made mostly with bread, sausage, cheese, eggs, and milk, accompanied by crescent rolls (and my homemade apple butter!).  Oh sugary simple carbs, I miss you so.

The rest of our day (the past 3 days, actually) was spent like this:

Christmas movies and puzzles.  I gave this one to Mom on Christmas Eve (isn’t that easel stand thingy the coolest invention ever?  I’ve never seen a puzzle box like that!) and we put it together on Christmas day, followed by several others over the past couple of days…

I got a little obsessed, to say the least.  There’s something deeply psychological, though, about starting a puzzle and being able to see it through to the finished product.  I don’t get that satisfaction often, especially in this house Where Things Don’t Get Finished.  Ooh, we (Lucky the cat included) also colored in our giant-ass Rudolph coloring book. 

My eats lately were more casserole-heavy on Christmas and have been getting progressively more healthy and whole.  By tomorrow, I might just be back to eating normally!  The scale was up 0.8lb this morning, but I’m keeping all my phalanges crossed that it’s just icky bloaty water.  Another slightly worthless thing I’ve done over the holiday is get accustomed to my Wii again (by playing Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince, a reward for losing 20lbs total that I hadn’t opened until now).  I fully intend to start using my fitness programs again, but y’all know how my intentions usually end up.

Can’t you share stats with friends on the Wii Fit if you’re hooked up to wireless?  Or am I making that up because it’s what I want to hear?  What’s your favorite game for the Wii?  Mine’s Rayman’s Ravin’ Rabbids TV Party – it’s got little mini-games and lets you play with friends…just yesterday Mom and I were sailing down snowy slopes using wildebeests as sleds, using our butt cheeks to steer on the balance board.  Love it.

PS – I got excited about that new fitness program, Your Shape with Jenny McCarthy, but read bunches of reviews saying the camera was too finicky and that the exercises weren’t much different than those in My Fitness Coach.  Does anyone have any insight?