Holly Daze

I'm still there ... what about you all?
With this new year, I'm hoping to bring you all a new and improved Mama's Thyme.  I'm a newbie blogger and not computer savvy at all - my way of fixing things technical is to turn the stupid thing off, turn it back on again - and if that hasn't fixed it, walk away and pour a glass of wine.  But my friend Jen, who has an awesome blog (Sweet Bliss) has offered to lend some help and I'm taking her up on it.

Anywho, the holly daze around here were hectic but fun.  The Mister works a rotating shift with extra paid jobs springing up here and there, so he was MIA most of the time.  Gotta pay for the Santa loot :-)  So the girls and I made some cookies the night before 

The next morning they were up at 5:00 am (UGHHHH!)  The Mister hadn't gotten home the night before until 2:30 am so I held them off for about 45 minutes before we went downstairs.  We try and keep the presents to a minimum - I feel like the focus of this time of year should be family and being together and doing the cozy indoors stuff.  So they both got one big present then a few little things.  They mostly cared that they got to have M&M's before breakfast ... LOL
Butterbean was running around upstairs and then all of a sudden got really quiet ... could she be up to no good?

Just sacked out.  Turns out the nasty cold that we had all had in the week leading up to the big day had developed into an ear infection in her.  :-(

Mooch couldn't resist giving her cuddles.
So Butterbean had to go on the dreaded antibiotics.  She had to go on them last year for the same thing - a nasty cold that became a middle ear infection.  I had been dosing her with garlic mullein oil to ward that off, but apparently I wasn't aggressive enough with it.  I had also been trying to keep her nose suctioned to not let the mucus settle and had tilted her mattress up.  If anyone has any other recommendations, I want to hear them!  I hate putting her on antibiotics.  
I am trying to find a craft project to keep me busy, and my in laws gave me an Amazon gift certificate.  I came across an absolutely beautiful leather bound journal with a tree on the front that I fell in love with, and just ordered it.  I'm thinking of starting a project for the girls with it - kind of a Book of Shadows, cookbook, and love letter rolled into one.  I'll let you know how it goes.  It beats actually taking down the yuletide decorations and organizing :-)