Preparing to be EXTRA Festive

Has anyone else heard Mariah Carey's EXTRA Festive version of "All I Want For Christmas is You?" Apparently, it's been around since 2010, but my friend Sarah and I just noticed it on our Pandora feeds with this year's batch of Christmas stations and there has been much LOLing go on around here about what the heck "EXTRA festive" means.

I have to admit that Mariah Carey's Christmas album (the NON-festive version, "Merry Christmas" from 1994) is the only pop Christmas album that I really truly (embarrassingly) enjoy. For the most part, the pop music industry tends to strike out pretty spectacularly during the holiday season. I mean, there are only so many pitchy versions of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" or "Blue Christmas," one can endure and the "original" Christmas songs on the top 40 stations tend be even more shades of awful. So good on you Mariah for actually producing  a Christmas album that has brought endless amusement to my Christmases.

I'd also like to thank Mariah Carey for inspiring me to have an EXTRA festive this Christmas season. I'm not sure what extra festive means exactly, but I'm pretty sure it involves glitter and eggnog and probably very loud, emotional singalongs of "Jesus, Born On This Day." This holiday season, I'm declaring everything EXTRA festive, from the cookies to the cards to the decorations. I hope you'll join me in this insanity festivity.

Hey, look at the Christmas cactus getting all extra festive. I don't think this plant has bloomed in December since I got it in 2008, so I'm pretty impressed. *slow clap*

To be honest, other than getting some presents wrapped and a few cards trickling in, it hasn't been particularly festive in these parts. The tree will go up either later this week, or more realistically, next week, and then you better believe, this cabin is going to be all sorts of EXTRA festive. Also, my brother and his girlfriend are visiting next week and there has been talk of a cookie bake with my mom, so soon we all will be merry, merry.

In other news, I've been spending a bit of time charting out 2014. I haven't critically planned out an entire year in well, ever, and the process has brought up some interesting points:

1) If I want to run a half marathon the first weekend of May, that means I should start training on President's Day. That'll be interesting. Because there's not like snow or ice on the road at all in the middle of February. No sirree, Bob.

2) I also realized I've been devoting too much time on, or at least overemphasizing the importance of, this here blog. When all is said and done, a goal of three blog posts a week eats up too much of my writing time and also makes me feel guilty when I don't get to scheduled posts. However, given the above ramble about Mariah Carey, you may be relieved to know that I'll be posting here just 1-2 times per week from here on out, a goal that should be do-able in the summer and winter.

I'm really determined to make 2014, and what's left of 2013, a time for growth and return to things I really want to do. I've started writing 500 words a day on the current fiction WIP and it's amazing how much better that makes me feel about the whole day and how quickly the words start adding up.

We set up the bird feeders last week and pulled out some old venison ribs from the freezer for the birds, squirrels and pine marten. The marten's been coming every day since and thinks he (she?) has a pretty good deal.

I know it's been cold all over the U.S., but I just like to point out that the picture above is of frost on the inside windows of our bedroom. Brrr! Remember to bundle up and stay extra festive.

One last thing, remember those bridemaids mittens? Here's a link to see them in use on the bride's big day. I'm not thrilled with how the mittens match (or rather don't) match the dresses, but I did not choose the yarn and sometimes my inner perfectionist needs to be told to take a hike.