I come to you live as I am sitting atop my throne of cleansing for my yearly colonoscopy ritual.  The colonoscopy is tomorrow - so ... Merry Christmas to me!  The past five years, I have sat upon this very throne of cleansing but without any creature comforts.  This year is different; I have my laptop atop a television tray, two bottles of water, which I must drink in the three hours to come (which will be repeated once more), and my portable DVD player with “Christmas Vacation” to watch.  The only things missing are my blanket and pillow, and cheap thrills like I get when I sit atop Hula’s throne.  ;-)  The goal of tonight's cleansing is to be cleaner than a whistle... and I'm almost there...

Anyone afraid to get a colonoscopy shouldn’t worry about the procedure itself but the cleansing part.  I have lost my tolerance for lime, lemon, orange, and now peach Jello (part of the clear liquid diet prior to the cleansing).  The Fleet Phospho-soda is nasty and makes me ill; the lemon-ginger flavor is one I will never forget – ever.  It would be better if it were unflavored.  I swear each year that I’m going to write the Fleet company and tell them to give us a choice, perhaps this year, I will.  There are pills available now but my doc wants me to stick to the nasty elixir.  Talk about torture!  Then there’s the drawback of my lower limbs falling asleep while sitting on my throne so long.  Me thinks I should get a cushioned seat for said throne… one of these days.

Mom came downstairs to check on me while I was curled up on my bed – during a cleansing break – and I heard her laugh.  She saw my little setup in my bathroom and cracked up.  I’m happy to be a source of entertainment for someone else besides myself.  ;-)

Gee whiz, that’s enough about this crappy subject.  

The Christmas preparations are underway and almost complete.  I have one more gift to wrap after my sister brings over a gift card for the second part of my niece’s gift.  I have two nieces left who are under the age of 18 – the nieces and nephews over 18 do not get formal gifts from us any longer.  The next things on my to-do list are to make fudge and spicy Chex Mix.  I usually make 10-12 batches of the Chex Mix for family and close neighbors and have my production slim-lined; I use the microwave instead of the oven then use the garage for my quick cooling system.  By the time I’m on my fourth batch, I’m ready to bag the first batch.  The fudge isn’t too difficult and I’m only making two flavors: peanut butter fudge and white chocolate fudge with cranberries, nuts, and orange zest.  Yum.  I’m giving most of it away, which is a good thing for me; less temptation.  

I’m cooking for Christmas Eve; spiral cut ham, baked beans, and sour cream augratin potatoes.  Mom is making her yummy rolls and that is where I’ve cut her off.  She’s really tired lately (since Dad has had more problems) and she’s going to take it easy.  My sisters, Susie and Kathy, niece Elyssa, Mom, Dad, and possibly my brother, Bob and his daughters, Morgan and Heather are having dinner.  Then we’re all going to my brother J Dee’s house for Santa, where we’ll see the rest of my family and the kids and women get to sit on Santa’s lap and the men get to sit on Mrs. Claus’ lap.  It’s always fun but it’s a shame that Santa and Mrs. Claus have to leave so early due to the busy night.  

Christmas morning after breakfast and the festivities, I plan on a nice, long nap.  Unless, of course, if I get an invitation to have some fun under the mistletoe. *wink, wink* I haven’t heard from him yet but I’m guessing no bad news is a good sign and his sister made it through another surgery.  Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers for them.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!  May your lives be filled with love, laughter, and celebration.

Update:  Susan mentioned her niece Kayla in her comment on this post.  Please go over and read about Kayla's next battle.  She is a true inspiration to me and although I think I'm a fighter, I don't think I would fight as hard as she fights.  She's an extraordinary young woman and she reaches for her stars.