eight days...

I am in such a Christmasy mood. Maybe because it is so freakin' cold outside. Maybe because Christmas is right around the corner. Whatever the reason, I am in the mood. I have been blasting Christmas carols while I paint our kitchen cabinets and the powder room walls. I have made Christmas cookies for the neighbors. And I have spent much time admiring the tree.


My favorite Christmas song this year isn't even a Christmas song. It's a Hanukkah song by the Barenaked Ladies, which I sing (and, yes, I do sing in Hebrew) as loud as I can and which always, always makes me tear up.

A water pipe in our backyard burst today. I guess the real estate agents who listed the house and claimed it had been "winterized" forgot to winterize the pipes for the irrigation system. So our burst pipe spewed water all over the back yard (at least it was outside, right?) and I freaked out and could not turn the water off or get a hold of poor Jonathan who finally got a billion frantic messages and "911" texts from his crazed wife when he checked his cell phone. I finally got the water turned off (after the utility company was on their way) and when Jonathan came racing home shortly after we called a plumber who came out this evening in the freezing cold and who cost way less than we had feared. So, it could have been a lot worse. I know this. But it still sucks.

So I am going to go stare at the tree some more.