Wow, Iron Noder 9 was intense. I was at work doing the mountains of paper and checked in as we were 20 minutes from the end of the month.... watching mauler and Dustyblue and Estelore come in just under the wire!!! Bravo everyone who participated whether they posted 30 writeups or not!!!

I feel ironed. Now I have to go to the ABFM and pay their evil hides money to do the required continuing medical education. I gots a certain amount due by January 1. I do usually get something out of it besides the wanting to hit myself in the head with a brick over and over.

My children confirm that if there were stocking presents, socks and chocolate are the only acceptable things. I am ok with that as long as MY stocking has some stupid plastic toys and a finger puppet. My mom always stuck some sort of doll in the top of my sister's and my stockings. I morphed that tradition to finger puppets. Last year I got lifetime guaranteed socks so the Introverted Thinker has said that she would like thick ones of those really, they are best. Giggle. She is organized enough to keep the packaging and send the socks to be replaced when she wears them out. She also cheats by searching the house and recycling stupid plastic toys from years past into my stocking. They still make me stupidly happy.

Anyhow, we enter the final end of the year sugar shock season of glitter and wrapping and lights. My Rotary had the Holiday party last night. Instead of a white elephant exchange, we each wrapped a requested child need. Then we took turns opening them and passing them to the organizer to pass on to the families. Mine was a request for size five boots, ugg style, for a 10 year old girl. I got them, but stuck in a pair of mittens/headband, a stuffed dragon and a book... lovely book, hope she likes it. I thought it was a lot more fun than the white elephant....