Guys! Look! I have one and a half Elf ears. And Wizard Dad says I’m getting white eyebrows and a beard almost as good as Santa’s too. That must mean I’m almost magical like Santa and his Elves!

You know what else? Yesterday I had to go get a bath and a puppy pedicure.  I don’t really like those. BUT…Wizard Dad said I could stay there for three whole hours, which meant I got to play with my human friend Emily, and lots of other dogs before my bath! I was so excited when I got there, I ran right in to my friends and forgot to say goodbye to Wizard dad And look, my ears are real clean.

If I was a real Elf, I’d wave my magic paw, or maybe my magic ears because I have some big ears that can hold a lot of magic, and I’d find all the dogs waiting in kennels their forever homes. Yep, I’d do that for reals. Only after that would I use any leftover magic to convince my mom to give me more of the chew disk things that I love but she worries aren’t very good for me.

What would you do if you were an Elf? You have to name one thing for others you care about, and one thing for yourself too, okay? Because you guys are super duper important too. Mom says it all the time!

It’s been a damp and dreary weekend, but Maggie knows exactly how to deal with the weather:

Full Disclosure: I stole this pic from Wizard’s FB

I put on my Santa hat and got a lot of Christmas shopping and planning done, and for one long trip to do an errand, I took Maggie with me. She gets super excited when she figures out she’s going in the car. It’s hilarious to watch her try to sit, but she’s so excited, she dances her front paws and wiggles until I get the leash on her. Her butt’s on the ground though, so she’s technically sitting. She’s such a happy dog most of the time.

I’m planning to make some breads as gifts this week, including trying B.E.’s Apple Cranberry bread, unless I can’t find the ingredients I need, then I’ll switch to orange cranberry bread because I can use frozen cranberries for that. I keep changing my mind on what to take to the family party this weekend. I’m not feeling Grinchy, just not as inspired as I usually am.

Also, I need to clean my oven, LOL! I may do that soon…like today. Maybe.

So that was my weekend, how was yours?

TGIF! Can you believe we’re 6 days into December? It seems like it should be about March Okay, let’s jump into our Friday Five, where we share five random things about our week.

1. Although I normally don’t get into the whole New Year’s Resolution thing, this year, I’m jumping on the bandwagon. I’m as healed as I’m going to get, and I want to focus on exercise and writing.
2. This week, Biker Witch and I went out and had a girl’s day out together. Then she had the nerve to go on a trip without me. Rude!
3. We’ve decorated the house, ordered and picked up my Christmas cards, updated and printed the labels for the cards, and I got a small start on Christmas shopping. One thing I love this year is our family–Wizard, myself, our sons and wives, are doing a secret santa thing. We each get one name to buy for so everyone gets a gift, but since it’s just one person to focus on instead of eight, it’s a lot less stress and expense. Special K set it up, including a way to post gift suggestions. I’m already hoping this is our new  tradition.
4. I got my new glasses, and I’m really happy with the frames. I chose them so fast, I was worried if I’d like them or not. And glasses aren’t cheap! But I was super happy when I picked them up. Wizard really likes them too. It was hilarious when he tried on my glasses, and for the gazillionth time, told me my vision is bad. No kidding. But my contacts make my life much easier, and my glasses do the job when I take my contacts out, so that’s something to be very grateful for. Many people have it much worse.
5. Maggie’s Christmas gift is coming tomorrow, but I’m worried I won’t have the self-control to wait until Christmas to give it to her. I’m already planning to get her something else too, LOL!

That’s my five random things, and now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Do you have a favorite? I’m thinking about making a cookie tray for a family party in a week and a half and am looking for ideas. Or do you have another holiday dessert you like better than cookies? Please share your thoughts!

Missed you guys! We had a great Thanksgiving despite the pouring rain. All the dogs and Turbo did well, which was my biggest concern. Jett and Hazel are really nice dogs. Maggie did better than I expected. She told Jett once that she didn’t want to play with him, and Jett was totally chill about it. That is good dog communication. Maggie wasn’t perfect, but overall, she was reasonably good.

Poor Hazel discovered we had a pool the hard way. This was her first time here, and she chased her brother, Jett, out the back door and didn’t see the pool until she plunged in. Hazel’s a really smart dog, but it was raining, the skies were dark, and she was focused on Jett. The poor girl was shaking with cold! She bounced back a few minutes later once we got her dried and warmed up. We didn’t let her out there again, though. Not until we have nice weather when we can walk her around the pool and let her get a feel for it.

The weekend was good, including a trip to the zoo with Turbo. When we got home, I went out back with Maggie where she slipped and fell in the pool. Crazy! Two dogs in one weekend! My sons had just commenting how fast and agile Maggie is, and then this happens, LOL! But she just slipped, and sometimes, crap happens. I had to haul her out, and got soaked in the process, but both of us were fine once we got dry. (I’ve tried to teach her to swim to the steps, but she was too panicked to do it.) She’s sulking here because she had to wait for her collar to dry before I’d put it back on. That’s upset her more than falling in the pool!

Once we put her collar on, she was wiggled with happiness. Such a silly girl.

I don’t go out shopping on Black Friday because, crowds! But Sunday, I ran over to the outlet center in town, and scored a pair of flat leather ankle boots 50% off. I’m pretty happy about that. I wish I could wear the cute ones with heels, but I’m striving to be practical

Now we’re on the fast track to Christmas and life will stay on the busy train.

Today, I’m hoping to get back to the gym and maybe even writing! A girl can dream.

So how was your Thanksgiving and weekend?