<p>So...I didn&#39;t make it to 50,000 words on NaNoWriMo.</p>

<p>But that&#39;s fine.&#0160; I learned a lot by participating.&#0160; First, fiction writing is fun - as long as you allow yourself to be creative.&#0160; I know this is earth-shattering stuff - but I did get a taste for it and I&#39;ve even joined a writer&#39;s group that will (hopefully) be kind when I share my stuff with them.</p>

<p>Second, I learned that giving yourself a crazy deadline when you have a toddler and are halfway through a pregnancy is dumb.&#0160; It was obvious that I couldn&#39;t write at a 1,700 word-a-day pace.&#0160; So I&#39;ve learned to take it easy on myself, because there are only so many hours in the day where one can nap, and those hours are precious and few.</p>

<p>So I didn&#39;t finish, which means that it was about time that I took down that word count meter that has been taunting me for a month now.</p>

<p>I decided that since it is christmastime I should use the freed real estate on the sidebar with something festive.&#0160; I would love to post pictures of the beautiful way I decorated our home this Christmas, but this year we will not have a tree of our very own.</p>

<p>Instead, I cheated and posted pictures from last year.</p>

<p>I&#39;m fine with that.&#0160; Starting next Christmas, we will probably have every Christmas at home until the kids are teens (gasp!) , so this is our last chance to go somewhere warm.&#0160; We&#39;re going to spend Christmas with my parents, so I&#39;m leaving the major decorating up to them. </p>

<p>No tree.&#0160; The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_scene"><em>pesebre</em></a> is up and that&#39;s it.&#0160; There will be no white Christmas this year.&#0160; Instead we will have palm trees strung with lights, pork instead of turkey, and ponche instead of eggnog.</p>

<p>Also, there will be no pine needles to vacuum.</p>

<p>I can&#39;t wait!</p>
