Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!

I can't say New Year's Eve was uneventful. Last year my family and my sister-in-laws family began a whole new tradition, primarily for the pyromaniac's between the two families, of torching our Christmas trees. The men start by building a bonfire with a propane fueled torch so we can all keep warm on this cool winter's eve, then they proceed to prop up the two trees in order to light them afire. This is a testament to our "redneck, hillbilly" ways, it is as much fun for the men and children as it is for us wives who document this grand event.
Once the trees are propped up the men douse the trees with some gas, diesel, whatever flammable fuel is handy. Again the propane fueled torch is activated in order to get the trees started, then we watch in awe and wonder as the trees go "up in flames".

Meanwhile the kids are right in the thick of it. On this night they are armoured with some glow sticks they recieved from Julia's nanny. Some were a bust, but the ones that worked kept the little ones entertained as they spun them around and watched them fly through the air leaving a trace of bright flouresent color trailing behind it. When the novelty wore off they slowly began to place them in the fire and watch as the chemical reaction of fire and liquid produced an even brighter color for all of us to enjoy.

Once the trees were burned we added them to fire and watched as the fire died down. It is still early, but close enough for bed time for the little ones, so we head to Julia's for some champegne and sparkling apple cider. I have to say the sparkling apple cider is always a hit with my boys and Julia's two children. We also had some chips and salsa to snack on before heading home to put the boys in bed. It was a nice evening, one I expect will be repeated for years to come.
My evening did not end there.


Jack, our dog, is allowed inside on the occasion there are gun shots and fireworks, so I let him in the back room for an evening slumber. Once the boys were asleep, on my bed I might add, I had to move them to their own so I could get some shut eye. As soon as the boys are in their beds I settle in for the night, I pull out my book and book light (Jeff gets upset when the light is on when he is trying to sleep) and read until I am tired. Well midnight rolls in, bottle rockets and gun shots peirce the evenings solitude, my dog is scratching wildly at the door to be let in the main part of the house and my husband is pulling at me to fulfill his desires. In the end I humor them both, but not without consequences.

At about 2 AM I hear the scritch-scratch of doggie toe nails on our dining room floor. I decide to get up and let him out into the cool night's air, as he must be getting hot sleeping by the fire. As I enter the living room there is an overwhelming smell which leads me to believe that Jack has a bad case of gas, he is an older dog. After I let him out I decide to investigate to make sure there aren't any surprises. Well the surprise was on me, he couldn't wait and left me quite a surprise on the living room carpet......couldn't he have done it on the dining room floor, wood laminate? Sadly I spend the better part of an hour cleaning up his surprise and was restless for the rest of the night. Overall it was a good evening.