Snowed-under Sunday

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

We have snow. Barely an inch.

But so do many of the southern SHEs. Dh just called out from the bed that Harriet has had a lot more snow than me and Duke Energy has 200K customers without power in her area.

Even if you aren't shoveling out from the physical snow, a lot of us are snowed-under with seasonal demands on our time.

It is important to do stretches and to warm up a bit before shoveling snow in order to avoid muscle strains and lower the risk of heart attack.

Today we should do some mental stretches (by planning) and warm up by tackling a few easy activities to help us get ready to tackle the big items we need to get out from under over the next 2 - 3 weeks.

We have two weeks until Christmas Eve and three weeks until New Year's Eve. There is still time if we tackle the tasks methodically.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I'm coughing like mad right now, the dry, unproductive, lingering cough after a cold.

I'm off to get some tea and then to sit with my planner and get myself mentally prepared for today.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Decided I liked buying things in person (yesterday's experience) vs. online so looked up my gift idea for ds. Amazon had it at 50% more than the price we saw at a truck stop. Canadian Tire has discontinued the item and I found it in stock at 50% off the truck stop price and have used the online part of their website to put it on hold for myself (they have 2 left but my local store is sold out so I have to drive a bit farther.) I have an IRL return to make at the store so this works out really well, a present bought and a to-do item completed plus major savings. Woot!

So there's small progress towards shoveling out from under my Christmas anxiety.

Next up, start the mulled cider for this afternoon's Residents' party. I've already pulled out the cake server (the exec members from the other building have made figgy pudding again this year!)

[Lynlee]

Sunday
church - walked 2k as woke too late for the bus.
bus to coast shops. bus broke down with rural large block views.
enforced meditation stop
until replacement bus and mechanic came for a bus swap.
walked around for hours. bought myself new clothes line , and christmas cards. must send.
bus back
bought more calico to make new bag for shopping trolley.
walked home 2k as no bus for 45min.

[DeeClutter]

I've been up since 7:30 (though I crawled back in bed after my T-med for an hour). It was plenty cool in our bedroom -54! I tried to turn on our electric fireplace but it wouldn't come on and I didn't want to wake dh. Good reason -it wasn't plugged in. DD actually turned the heat on as it was only 64 in the great room.

Just finished straightening up the office. I stayed home from church this morning as we're having our budget meeting at church up home. We plan to try to use Skype again so I can be there as Church Clerk. Have to get Skype up and running so I can make sure it's working. Dh went to church and dd is going to Sea World (brrrr!) with the teacher that rides with her each day. Should be a good crowd reducer day for there. It's sunny but very cool (by Florida standards). Wishing all our shes who shovel a careful day.

[Nancy]

Nope no snow here. But we have frozen frost. K in C saw a special on az prime for Canada on IP - U might want to check in to.
A shorter payroll day here. The baby is feeling better but still cought some. My ear is acting up in the mornings.
For today's cooking adventures I will make up some home made chicken tenders to freeze up I have not done that before. But the other things I made yesterday went well. I guess this is how you learn to use a new appliance. I am just glad I remembered the poultry setting, LOL.

[Twins' Mom]

I couldn't keep up yesterday. Perhaps the sugar high and socializing knocked me out but I slept and slept in the afternoon. We just made sandwiches and stuff for supper last night.

My energy is good so far today. Ds has gone for haircut, dd at Sunday school and dh has gone to the office for a bit. I am erasing all the footprints since dcleaning lady left on Friday afternoon. At least I've gotten through the kitchen.

I have a lol going too.

I need to have my brunch smoothie and walk the ddog.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Stew is started in the crock pot so dinner is taken care of.

Kitchen is all cleaned up too. There's (barely) room for dh's breakfast dishes, my plate at lunch and our plates for dinner in the dishwasher. The rest will have to be hand washed.

I've started the planning for next week. I'm now babysitting Thursday early morning and Friday afternoon. Now that dgs is weaned in the daytime, dd is starting to want to get out and do things so is happy to let me babysit. About time, he's 14 months old!

Time to s2s now.

[BookSaver]

Good morning, villagers ~
I'm still a bit anxious about the Christmas prep timeline, but feeling a little better because my back pain has eased. Less back pain means that I will be able to sit at the sewing machine for longer blocks of time ... if I am able to find some longer blocks of time ...

Checking in:
Friday I went up north and took DMom out for lunch. We needed to wait for her chemo prescription to be delivered before we could go out. That gave us a good long time to chat by ourselves in her quiet apartment without the distractions of being with all the family. We do have long conversations on the phone, but it was so much nicer to be face to face. I had wanted to take her to a real restaurant, but she had a coupon for a burger and she insisted that's all she wanted. Easy peasy.

After I left her apartment I went to the Target up there to see if they had the items I couldn't find at wm, and they had them. I saw after I was back in my car that I was charged full price for a little thing that was supposed to be on sale. However, I didn't go back in to fight it because I was given a free cup of coffee at a sample kiosk, and I figured that balanced out the slight overcharge.

Friday night I finished the monthly financial reports for the sewing group and sent them out. All I have left to do before I retire from that board will be to clean out the old financial files (a huge project but I'm looking forward to it), and then next month do the December and year-end reports. I'll do some training sessions with the new Treasurer and be on call for a few months to help her whenever she needs, but I'll gain back a lot of time next year because I won't have to go to the extra meetings each month. Counting down the days!

Yesterday early morning was the general sewing group meeting for all the members. The educational program was a hands-on make & take to put together little origami gift boxes. The teacher provided squares of fabric with stiff iron-on interfacing attached, so all we had to do was choose 1 of the designs, cut & fold. Some of the shapes needed to be hot glued together. I chose 1 that only needed to be folded and creased well to stay together. Very cute.

After the meeting I stopped at the library and caught up reading last week's newspapers. DH and I went out for a late lunch at a local diner, and then I more or less goofed off the rest of the day.

Today's 6x10 =
* 2 loads of laundry
* Put away all the groceries on the counter that I couldn't put away when my back wouldn't let me bend to the lower cupboard shelves.
* Cut & sew test pattern #2 for shopping bags for gifts.
* Confirm that I've completed the shopping lists for gifts and food items for Christmas Eve cooking.
* Un-sew the collar of the knit top that didn't work, cut out a new collar and finish it.
* Store away summer clothes.

The dryer just buzzed, need to go fold.

[DeeClutter]

Just got out of our congregational budget meeting (up north via Skype). And my notes are all done and included in the annual report. We had a bit of trouble getting it up and going but finally did it. Now I have to 'be' there for the Council meeting Tuesday evening. Maybe it'll go a little bit easier then.

Gave dh his 'big' Christmas gift today when he got home from church. DD was to go to Sea World with a co-worker who called this morning to say she'd decided not to go. DD was going to go anyway. But dh had asked last night if she could take a guest. So we looked online. I got him a year's pass (which also gave him 3 extra months) by paying the whole amount first -also gives them free parking. Don't know what it is there but Disney is $20/day. So they've left, and bundled up. It's cold in FL! He wore my hooded Solar Bears sweatshirt. Sure they'll need hoodies today. DD wore her Rochester (NY) hooded sweatshirt. I had said maybe dh would wear it -but it's pink. Doubt they'll be home much before 8/9 tonight.

Need to think about making some cookies today. Or maybe dh and I will make them tomorrow. I need 2 dozen for cookie trays being put together at our women's meeting at church on Tuesday.

I got the office all spruced up and PUPA done while waiting for our church meeting to convene.

Evidently you're home today, Kathryn. Nice to see your dd will be getting out more and you babysitting more. Have fun most of all!