Did you have a Merry Christmas? We did, and my little grandson came over. After we ate, we opened presents. I'd bought everyone Silly String. Yes! Even for him! His daddy saw me shaking a can of it, and he kept saying, "Mom. Don't. You don't know what you're doing. [Wanna bet I didn't?] Mom. I'm serious. You'll be so sorry."

Then I started shooting.

And Rylan, my grandbaby, just about popped his eyes out and started screaming with laughter. Just like I'd hoped. Of course he had to shoot, too, so I gave him the can and then we all started shooting each other.

What a mess. It's okay, though, because it dries immediately, but I have the feeling we'll be finding Silly String in all kinds of hidden places until Easter, just in time to replace it with Easter grass, which we'll find until Christmas.

The night before, I rushed home from work (yeah, sucks don't it? I worked Christmas Eve. Oh, well.) and grabbed up the daughters and we went to Midnight Mass. But, in order to know we'd have a seat, we had to get there mucho early. Which means we got to listen to the choir do their Christmas Carols.

Pop quiz: How many 80-year-old sopranos can sing that "A" below high-C?
Answer : Zero.

However, I'd like to say that, even though I worked Christmas Eve, my hands were lovely and warm.

I made these handwarmers especially for work. I spend all day in a refrigerated (it feels like it, anyway) room full of computer terminals, so it has to stay pretty chilly. We all wear sweaters and jackets inside, even during the summer (100+ degrees), but a person can only pile on so much. And the hands still get cold, and when you're doing 10-key and encoding on the keyboard for hours and hours, you need nimble nubbins. Oh, I adore alliteration!

Here is Daughter #2 modeling the full-length version. I made two thumbholes. When you wear it full-length, the second thumbhole is just a slit along the wrist.

Then--


we have Daughter #1 modeling the folded-over version, for when you don't need the warmth up the arm. These babies (the warmers, not the girls) work just as well for driving the car (no slippery steering wheel), walking the dog, and hey, if you smoke? No holes in the fingers (unless you're really stupid or drunk, and hold the cigarette too long, but if that's the case, you deserve what you get).

The girls are doing the modeling because: a)they have nicer hands than me, and 2) I couldn't run the computer and keep my hands in the scanner at the same time. My scanner sits in its own compartment, and my body just isn't long enough to do both, together.

Oh, and if you're a guy reading this? No, I did NOT keep changing colors-- it comes that way when you buy it. Swear to god, there were a couple of you at work who honestly thought I actually kept starting new colors. Geesh.