Rotten! Rotten I tell you!

I just knew this would be the year that the magic of Santa Claus would become truly real for Amelia. I had images of her bounding out of her room on Christmas morning absolutely speechless with joy at the multitude of gifts the jolly one had bestowed upon her.

Instead ... she almost walked right past her table piled high with so many toys encased in plastic that I swear I heard another hole crack open in the ozone layer.

"The mountain of toys she almost passed by."

Ugh! Frustrated doesn't begin to cover how I am feeling just three days out from Christmas! Amelia truly paid attention to us when we warned her to behave because Santa was watching her and wouldn't be bringing her any presents if she wasn't a very good girl. That concept she grasped mightily. However, I guess we were so busy filling her head with fear of waking up to an present-less tree that we forgot to teach her about gratitude.

I am a stickler for being grateful. I always write thank you notes. Since Amelia was born I have written them for her, and once she learned how to scribble with a crayon I began letting her add her two-cents worth to each note. But I don't know though whether I've done a good enough job of helping her understand the concept behind why we are grateful for the things we receive. I have to believe that if I'd done my job she would be more appreciative of her toys.

This little lady begged for what she called a "go-go dolly," which is a doll who uses the potty, brushes her teeth and drinks from a cup. Every time the commercial came on TV she shouted "I want that!" Additionally, high on her list was a Swim to Me Puppy and a Princess Liana Barbie. Santa brought our little darlin' these and other toys. Each received a meager bit of attention on Christmas Day and are now piled together in a bin virtually forgotten. In fact, of all the things Santa brought Amelia two things have held her attention better than anything else: a Whoopee cushion that's been used so much it's already been repaired with duck tape and a plastic Slinky that we've had to untwist about a half dozen times.

"Go-go dolly getting a little bit of attention."

I've theorized that she's maybe just overwhelmed with all she received and it will take some time for her to explore and learn to love each item. But, on the other hand, she got toys last year that have largely gone untouched. A scooter that she pined for after riding one at her cousins' house has been parked in the same place on the carport for months, and a Cinderella doll Santa brought her has been naked and accessory-less for the better part of a year.

Just this morning I was alone with the girls while Jeff took a road trip with a buddy to Tennessee and Georgia to buy lottery tickets. Amelia usually goes on these once-a-month jaunts with her daddy, but for reasons unknown opted to stay at home today despite my warnings that it would be a boring Sunday morning at the Poole homestead.

Rather than dive headfirst into her Christmas bounty, Amelia spent all morning following me around the house. Her shadowing me as well as about a cup too much of coffee made me so anxious and frustrated that I was about to blow a gasket by the time Jeff got home.

I'd told Amelia that if she wasn't going to play by herself with her toys that I was going to pack them up, put them on the porch and let Santa's elves come get them and distribute them to children who would play with them.

Her reaction: She was utterly underwhelmed by my threat. She didn't even flinch when I did pack them all into one basket as if readying them for removal to the porch.

Jeff, wise husband of 10 years, knew the time was nigh to get the h-e-double-hockey-sticks out of Dodge. So he packed up the girls and headed to grandmaw's house for the afternoon. God Bless him! The quiet is so peaceful.

I doubt Amelia will be anymore inclined to play with her toys when she comes home than when she left. However, after a few hours peace I believe I'll be better prepared to deal with her spoiled rotten little self.

Oh, and I've taken this quiet time to formulate a plan to deal with this little problem: I intend to, as I have numerous times in the past, weed out for donation the toys she doesn't love; reduce the number of new toys I let come in this house, which includes the junk she gets in Happy Meals, by refusing to give her so much; continue turning off the television and ordering her to "go play;"and put in the attic a lot of the toys that I know she'll eventually play with so that they can be rotated throughout the year. Maybe she'll learn to appreciate what she does have, will stop expecting more stuff and learn that the adage "what's old is new again" really is true.

For the record, Lola loved her haul from Santa Claus. Of course, he brought her mostly stuff to chew on, which, in her book, is always good.

"Lola lovin' her goodies."

If wishes were horses beggars would ride

I don't wish for much mainly because I feel truly blessed to have my wonderful family and the things we own. However since Christmas is just around the corner I decided to have some fun and indulge myself by exposing by wildest wishes.

So, if money, time and maybe the space-time continuum were no object, I'd love this Christmas to:

1. Make it possible for my family to spend the next year traveling to Germany so I could see the country in which I was born, Panama so Jeff could return to the country in which he was stationed for almost two years, China and France because Amelia wants to go there so bad she can taste it, Washington D.C. because I've wanted to return ever since I visited while in high school and Christmas, Florida to visit my daddy's grave, which I haven't been back to since he was buried almost 22 years ago.

2. Find a way to fix Lola's skull without her having to undergo surgery.

3. Receive a brand new Infiniti QX. I don't need a new vehicle. My 10-year-old Taurus is still going strong, but since I am being extravagant it's nice to dream about one of these fancy SUVs.

4. Get to the root of my problem with overeating.

5. See and talk to my momma just one more time.

6. Locate a place to dump my guilt about Amelia watching too much television and never (I mean never) playing outside as well as simultaneously learn to love the outdoors so as to set a better example for her.

7. Get the chance to see the American West by train.

8. Make it possible for Amelia's preschool teacher to offer grades K-12 at her tiny school.

9. Find a cure for laziness.

10. Have the means to purchase and the storage for all the books I want to read. Also, the time to read them would be super nice.

11. Hire a maid who comes once a week.

12. Be able to remodel our house so I can not only have bigger closets but also a bigger utility room and some place to put a garden tub.

"Merry Christmas from the family"

Upside-down pizza

I do not claim to be a great chef, but I do like to cook (most of the time). This recipe has been a staple in my repertoire since Jeff and I got married. His mom gave it to me because she knew how much he enjoyed it.

I've changed it somewhat over the years. Originally Jeff's mom used Italian sausage instead of ground beef. However, I do not like Italian sausage so I've stuck with the beef recipe. You can customize the recipe to resemble your favorite pizza. I like to use mushrooms, black olives and pepper; but if you love Canadian bacon, pineapple, jalapeno peppers or pepperoni, then, by all means, use them when you make this.

I love this recipe because it is super easy to make, reheats well and is a great means for using up the last of a batch of spaghetti sauce. (I make big batches of sauce so I can have some to eat, some to freeze and some to use in "make-ahead" recipes.)

Bon appetit!

1 pound lean ground beef
1 32-ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
1 can mushrooms
1 can black olives
1 medium green bell pepper
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese, separated
2/3 cup of Bisquick
1/2 cup of milk
2 eggs

Brown beef. Drain. Mix beef with sauce, mushrooms, olives and pepper. Spread mixture into a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top mixture with 1/2 pound of cheese. Combine Bisquick, milk and eggs. Beat until smooth. Pour mixture over cheese. Top egg mixture with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

I want your blood

I found out Friday that Lola's surgery has been moved back to April 29. It was originally scheduled for May 6, but had to be changed due to one of the doctors having a conflict.

Her operation will take place on a Wednesday at Children's Hospital in Birmingham. According to the doctors, we should be in the hospital 5 days, the first of which will be in ICU. Hopefully we will be able to come home the Monday after her surgery.

Jeff and I plan to rent a suite at Courtyard by Marriott, which is only about a block from the hospital. Amelia will be going with us, and Grandmaw, Jeff's momma, will likely be staying as well.

Just to jog your memories, Lola has unicoronal craniosynostosis, which means one of her coronal sutures (these run from ear to ear) in her skull has fused early. Surgery is required to correct this and prevent her skull from becoming even more misshapen, keep her mid-face from twisting and allow her brain to grow evenly. It is also necessary so as to protect her eyesight. Without the surgery her left eye would remain deeper in her skull than her right causing her focal length and peripheral vision to be skewed.

We will have a pre-admission meeting with the doctors on April 17. Lola will need two pints of blood on hand for the surgery. Jeff will be donating one unit, but cannot donate two because blood is only good for 30 days after donation and he would have to wait 56 days between donations.

Jeff can give for Lola because he is O-negative, which is the universal blood type meaning anyone can receive it. I cannot give for her though because I am A-positive and she's A-negative. If any of you are either O-negative or A-negative, we would be honored for you to give a pint for Lola.

In order for her to be able to use it, the blood must be donated to the Red Cross between April 8 and April 22. When donating, please notify the Red Cross worker that you're giving for Lola Celeste Poole.

I plan to post more about this as we come closer to the surgery date. Please send us happy thoughts and keep us in your prayers.