Saturday is Christmas Eve's Eve

[DeeClutter]

First chance to get here. Watched the end of a Christmas movie with dd while I put heat on my knee. Now I'm waiting for dh to finish up in the kitchen (he made sausage bread -and we're going A R R G G G H!! -dd put the mozzarella cheese right there and he ended up getting out the cheddar cheese & put that on top! Noooooo! It'll probably taste just fine, but it won't be mozzarella. And besides dd hates cheddar.) I need to get the dishes done and wash my hair.

We're going to the Orlando hockey game later. DD is on the computer tonight for which she is very grateful. Tonight's jerseys are absolutely impossible when trying to read the #'s on the back up there. She was so thankful not to be keeping track of puck control, etc.

We have Christmas music on now which I am sure is annoying dsonil big time. He wanted to change it as dd is in the art room wrapping. But I'm still listening. Poor guy -we've had it on in the car and he finally asked to turn it off when they went to the hockey game in our car on Thursday night. He's been pretty good about humoring us this year but he can easily be a "bah-humbug" guy.

[Harmony]

Not a relaxed day here for sure.

After all my weeks of getting up early, I slept in today. Really slept hard. Must have needed it.

DH said last night he looked for mince meat. I'm so glad the manager said they did not get any in this year. A lady behind him said she thought she saw it in another store up in the next town. I sincerely hope he forgets about that. I am done baking. I have this huge meal to make.

I'm not sure how the turkey is doing. Need to check on that.

Big PUPA here. Lots of stuff. Big cleanup in kitchen mostly done except for the table, which is half way there. I distributed the cookies into tins to give away and stacked them in the dining room. I covered the little bookcase with a table cloth, that looks acceptable. Scrubbed the microwave and the toaster oven and put new foil in there. DH likes to put chicken pieces directly on the rack so crumbs go right to the bottom. I wonder if he was the one cleaning this thing if he'd continue to do that. I've grumbled about it...

Just about ready to drag out the big vacuum to do the dining room so we can move chairs around.

My list is so long I don't know what to do next.

Good luck everybody!

[Twins' Mom]

I'm not feeling great today - headache from yesterday seems to be hanging on. I begged off of going out with dkids and dh so they can buy mattresses for their new apartment.

I got a very nice surprise from dh's dcousin this a.m. - she is the one in Israel - she had the date of death and place of burial of dh's great grandfather in Montreal. He's not listed in any indexes that I can find, but the info came from the funeral home that has served the Jewish population of Montreal for over 100 years.

And in the quiet here with dkids and dh out, I have connected another DNA match as a third cousin. She only listed her father's name (he is dead) as her family tree, but I was able to use my "Google-fu" and find her mother's maiden name (from a brother's online obit) and track back the connection. It helps that these people were all in this general area.

[Harriet]

((Harmony)) I don't think I could cope with all that, so you are doing great. I made an "it's unacceptable" speech today (about recyclables not being broken down but left for me in a mess). Sometimes you do need to clear the air and remind about all the work things take.

((Twins' Mom)) feel better.

Just work, work, work here for Eve's Eve. Put away of all wrapping, finally, so I hope no one arrives needing any. Cleaning the house for so many things including all through to the edges since houseguests will arrive for several days and all 3 of us will have to sleep somewhere. Thinking of things that aren't done. dd will change out a hanging quilt with me next.

Our family get-together will be Wednesday. There's disappointment in that for me, but I don't want to have to do it late on Tuesday the very minute dd37's family arrives, and they won't get here until 6, so they really picked the time, not me. Not enough time after that to get settled, eat, and have any chance of fun before the two littlest one's bedtimes.

If they had decided to travel earlier, it would have worked out. I think his mother wants even another meal with them before her Christmas is finished. Don't usually begrudge things like that, but it means almost all of Tuesday is out for us, too. Thankfully ds will be on his last day off Wednesday, and others think their schedules will manage this time, but I'm going to consider this a very unusual year and say that often. Our timing has never worked out for dd's young man to come, so if we're going to wait this long, next year I could decide that now we'll make him a priority and wait yet another day so he can join us. See how that goes over.

Double the emails about Sunday's music. Ugh. One song is new and to be learned online at this late moment.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Tourtiere meatloaves are made. I doubled the recipe in case 'family' stays after the Boxing Day party. If not, then it will go into the freezer in two-serving packages. I cleaned up that and made myself bacon and eggs for lunch, plus finished off half a bag of salad. There are still some of my dishes in the way but dh is working now on the egg rolls. I'll stay out of his way.

I have 13 items on my to-do list for today. I've done 2 of them. It is 2 p.m. I have been moving at a reasonable pace all day.

You should see the snowstorm outside and I'm not hearing any plows. The roads below me are all snow-covered. These are main arteries so I'm sure the plows aren't out.

I have decided I need more butter since I do have to make shortbread for Tuesday or Monday (or both, it is halal for my Muslim guests) and the stuffing will take butter. Plus I'll need butter for the table and the mashed potatoes. I haven't made a 'regular' turkey in years, I just buy the frozen prestuffed ones so I don't have to think. This year, I have to worry about defrosting and remembering to make stuffing, and figure out the timing and remember to baste.

[LadyMaverick]

Making progress.

TADA -
** S2B with freshly washed hair (still drying)
** Breakfast made (omelets with multiple vegetables)
** The 4 main rooms are company ready.
** When I went to mop the floors the mop bucket wouldn't spin right. It is almost 3 years old and gets used several times a week so I thought it might be worn out. I was pleasantly surprised that it was an easy fix. DH took it apart and did some adjustments and now it is working as good as new.
** Pastor came by to pick up a check from DH. Told him about church elder resigning. Pastor didn't know about it. I guess DH is the only one that DFriend told.
** Culligan system is now filled with salt. We have horribly hard well water so when the water softener runs out of salt then it is immediately noticeable.
** I pulled out the flashlight box and wasn't happy to see we had no working flashlight. ARGH. We normally have half dozen or more to choose from. DS9 went through all the flashlights and replaced batteries where needed. We need to restock some flashlights that couldn't be repaired.
** A 22lb ham is in the oven cooking. We will take it to Christmas brunch. I'll slice it and get it packaged to take today so there is minimum effort needed on Christmas morning.
** I took everything off my bedside table and deep cleaned that area. It seems to be a magnet for clutter. I took everything stored in that table and went through it item by item. Only about 25% of the items stayed and the rest were put where they belong (or put in give away bag). I turned the table upside down and washed/polished all the little crevices in the legs. Now my bedside table area is completely decluttered and deep cleaned. I love the feeling that comes with organizing an area.
** Lunch served. I didn't cook anything for it. We have a good supply of leftovers for everyone to choose from.

[Lynlee]

My 30min diatribe vanished.
Briefly.
Saturday
Got gifts

Body hurts and didn't sleep last night.Saturday.
Did yoga yesterday to attempt reattaching head.

Wrap today. Church I can walk to.
Need to try for a little sleep.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Lynlee: I understand about re-attaching head. That's the downside to travel - your body is physically one place but your soul feels like it hasn't caught up yet. I'm dreading January mostly because of this syndrome. We are actually flying 8 out of the 25 days we are away so I'm not sure my head will ever catch up.

Got another item off the list (washed the wastepaper bins.) Also took out the garbage. I need to do the recycle next (not on my list but emptying it now may make it easier over Monday/Tuesday when I'll have to store it in our apartment because the bins will be full downstairs.) I also tidied the bedroom by putting away the laundry from the drying rack.

And still in snows. It is snowing so hard right now, I can't see downtown or the other bank of the river (I can see the island, though.) I finally hear a plow.

[Nancy]

No plans yet 2 in fam have bday 1-4 so we have had a dinner then. Dd has some fam over on Cmas a m not sure if it is our turn seems she alternates years. She was going to do Dinner for fam but the dgds are w their mom so that has not been announced still tba. Heading to the last half of the day off 4ish shorter day for me. Kids are good so far. We need to get card ready to go. Plugging away at daily routines.

I no longer "save" recycling to me it is just collecting trash. Stopped when some one stole cans out of our back yard a number of years ago. We do not have recycling pick up here.

Kids are watching Charlotte's Web.

[DeeClutter]

(not on my list but emptying it now may make it easier over Monday/Tuesday when I'll have to store it in our apartment because the bins will be full

We try to be mindful of that very thing on special weekends at our campground up north, Kathryn. There are certain ones we know the dumpsters will be overflowing and get ours emptied early on as possible. Or if we know pickup will be a day or two late.

Leaving in about 45 minutes for the hockey game. Found out a couple of hours ago that dsonil's dd is coming tomorrow (supposedly -we'll see). They didn't have a gift for her but I asked about stopping at C V S or W algreens on the way to Orlando and picking up a gift card. They don't see her enough to know what she might need/want. In fact I don't think dsonil has seen her in nearly 2 years. At least with a gift card -if she never shows up, then they can use it or gift it to someone else.

Dawned on me when I went to change into my jeans for the ice rink that both pair were in the laundry. Went to do a LOL only to find a load of wet clothes in the washer. Dried and folded those (dsonil had put them in at some point). Now they're in the dryer and should be dry in the nick of time. Washed my hair and changed into hockey attire a while ago. Thought about wearing my capris I have on -but only for a couple of minutes. Nah -my legs will get too cold.

DD and dsonil have walked next door with a tray of cookies. These people discovered mold in their house about a year ago. Discovered that water was coming up through the floor and wicking up all the walls. They had to completely gut it and had to dig around the outside and did a lot of work out there. Now I think they're about to the point of putting in floors. They had just paid off their house and had to remortgage in order to fix it. Could be worse. They've been living in their motorhome by the house for a very long time.