I don't know about you, but I was tired of looking at that picture of a spider. I haven't had any further encounters with the creatures of death.

On a lighter note...

1. Wrapping paper or Gift bags? Depends on how tired I am and what I am wrapping. I do prefer wrapping paper because I like to see if I can wrap it just perfectly.

2. Real Tree or Artifical? With small children, artificial all the way!

3. When do you put up the tree? As soon as possible. Dean and I LOVE the Christmas and Thanskgiving season. This year we put it up before Thanksgiving because we went up to Washington. It was great to come back to a decorated house.

4. When do you take the tree down? Unfortunately all good things come to an end. We take it down on the first of January.

5. Do you like eggnog? Do I ever! The best I've had in the store is the Souther Comfort BLACK container. Delicious!

6. Favorite gift as a child? I remember getting a cash register.

7. Hardest person to buy for? This year it was Dean! We had a little miscommunication with gift stuff and I had to rethink my approach. I think I did find him something he'd like.

8. Easiest person to buy for? My boys! They are happy if you give them a straw!

9. Do you have a nativity scene? I do. Dean got it before we married. It sits on my dining room table.

10. Mail or Email Christmas Cards. I like to send them out and receive them in any form.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received. I have no idea.

12. Favorite Christmas movie. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with the misfit toys.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Around June I start thinking about things and catelog shopping.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope

15. Favorite thing to eat on Christmas? It is now a Genuine Smithfield Ham! If you have never tasted one of these you are missing out! I can't stand ham, but a Genuine Smithfield is nothing like you buy in the stores. You can get one at www.smithfieldhams.com

16. Lights on the tree? I have a prelit tree.

17. Favorite Christmas Song? Sleigh Ride -- Boston Pops

18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Depends on where I am travelling too.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? yes

20. Angel on the tree top or a Star? We have an angel right now. It may change. I don't have a preference.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? You can open one gift on Christmas Eve, even though it is ALWAYS PJS!!!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? I have found the rudest people in the shopping places. It is mainly men. I think that is because they usually don't shop and don't understand there are "rules". I take that into consideration when I'm out. Lortab also helps.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I used to like silver and blue but I'm coming around to red and gold. That's what we went with this year.

24. Favorite Christmas Dinner? Anything I make.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? My parents to make it here safely and ontime!

26. Who do you tag? Anyone that would like to post a response on their page. I like to read them.

A story about a spider

I have a fear of spiders. A very large and terrifying fear. Several friends can attest to this fact. Some have seen me go into shock, throw up, scream horribly, and even one friend found me in the middle of my living room "trapped". Those that worked with me can remember the spider obsession I had a few years ago when 14 spiders were found living in my home. I took pictures and video of them to bring to work. A co-worker had a run in with a hobo spider and I needed to know if that is what I had. They weren't hobo spiders and after we had someone spray the house, life once again was restored to normal. Or so I thought...

For Thanksgiving we went up to Washington to spend 10 days with my parents and siblings. It was a great Thanksgiving and we had a perfect vacation. We got back home Monday afternoon. We unpacked the car, got the kids down for a nap, and started the routine of turning the water back on, turning the heat on, and checking everything in the house to be sure it was okay. That is when I headed to our bedroom...

I was going into the bathroom and turned the light on. As I did I saw something in the sink bowl jump around and act very unsettled that someone had just ruined the calm of a dark bathroom. That really got my attention. I can't remember a time in which turning a light on visibly disturbed a spider.

He was a big spider. I felt his eyes on me, still angry I had turned the light on. I don't like to anger spiders. I was also very tired from driving 620 miles and remarkably didn't scream. My blood pressure didn't even rise. I did however move very slowly. I always have the idea that the spider is watching me and looking for a moment to strike. I should never have watched Arachnophobia (twice).

I called for Dean and he walked in. During my spider obsession, I did a lot of research to learn what different spiders looked like. I was pretty sure I knew what the angry one in my sink bowl was. He was a Hobo spider (or so I think). One thing I did know about Hobos was they cannot climb. I felt a slight sense of security knowing he couldn't escape the sink bowl. I leaned over and got a good look at his large and harry body. Dean had a paper towel in his hand but decided against using it. A wise decision if you ask me. He took the drowning approach.

He splashed water on him at first, which I thought very silly and a bad idea. The spider was already angry I had turned the light on and now we were splashing him with water. I felt that a trip to the ER was in our very near future. I ran to the kitchen and got a glass to fill with water. We started pouring the water and Dean reached up and turned the faucet on. The angry spider was doomed.

We watched him curl all eight of his legs in and formed a small little ball. We ran the water for a few more seconds and Dean reached up to turn it off. We tried to run the water long enough to send him down the drain, but his little body was too large to fit. That's right. TOO LARGE TO FIT! I will never forget this next part...

He slowly unwrapped all of his legs and shook...He literally was shaking the water off before deciding to end my life. By now I was shaking as well and would have been happy to have shot him with any gun I could get my hands on. I am pretty sure this even freaked Dean out.

He quickly scooped the spider up in a paper towel and flushed him down the toilet.

I haven't seen another spider since Monday and I have convinced myself they don't travel in packs or pairs. We are planning on spraying the house very soon because I won't let them win. Now I have a hobo spider experience. It was terrible. Now I do a quick search of a room before I enter it and I'm always watching and waiting. When will they attack and seek revenge on the death of one of their own.

I'm pretty sure I need therapy.