****Holiday Planning, 2013****

A place for Artistry, Crafts and Needlework; Decorating and Holidays.
User avatar
Harriet
Moderator
Posts: 16507
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:48 am
Location: The Carolinas

Re: ****Holiday Planning, 2013****

Postby Harriet » Sun Dec 15, 2013 10:57 pm

I think books are a nice gift, Ivy. Also if you can find one that fits with an interest, that is a compliment, because it shows you listen.

Dd33 helped me get my lights on the tree. That's as far as we got. The boys were helping and it's just about all we could stand! ;) I told her it's kinda a shame, though, since it is the ornaments that are so meaningful to the 2 of us and we'd have had so many fun conversations over them.

Here's a thought for next year - if we again have a December in which dd33 will be coming twice, try to actually time the ornaments to her first visit.

The large party was successful. I believe that in general our gifts were well received. The great-nephew I have such a hard time pleasing carried my gift around for the rest of the party because his Daddy would not let him open it yet (many parts). Next year I hope I am able to take more food, even though it is a distance and chancy for us to transport. I just feel like others work very hard in preparation. Ds is on my personal naughty list because, though I believe he could have managed it somehow, his family did not attend, making my green-eyed boy (2 year old) the only great-grandchild who did not attend, and the only child of the family who was not included in the photo taken of the other 9. I know my dfirstmil really missed having him.

Tonight I won an ebay auction for a years-ago toy little britches (3 year old) came to me asking me to buy him last evening. He was forced by his Mommy to give it up because it was part of the old toys that are for all children who visit there. The location for this is only one state over, so should arrive in time with no hassle. The fact that this one is a used, out-of-date toy, not in an original box, won't matter to a 3-year-old!

User avatar
Nancy
Member
Posts: 23445
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:52 pm
Location: Washington state in the Pacific Northwestern part of the USA.
Contact:

Re: ☆☆☆☆☆Holiday Planning, 2013☆☆☆☆☆

Postby Nancy » Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:41 pm

I have wrapped two more gifts I think they are the last ones to be wraped. One of those has been delivered. I have two gift baskets to deliver. Got the stockings out the small upstairs creche is out, and the snow man place mats. No tree skirt do not really need it bc its not a real tree and it won't be shedding needles. One more card to do this week.

User avatar
Ivy
Member
Posts: 3306
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 9:46 pm
Location: United States

Re: ****Holiday Planning, 2013****

Postby Ivy » Tue Dec 17, 2013 12:31 am

Thank you, Harriet. :D The man who gets President Barack Obama's book, has postcards from him, from The White House or somewhere, pinned to their kitchen eating bar wall, so I knew he's a fan. Also, even though our neighborhood's all white, the talk of us the first year President Obama was, "Who are you going to vote for this year?" You'd think we were living in a primarily black neighborhood. It was so good he got in, I believe. Also, I'm sure his book will be read by our neighbor, too. I think I've picked the perfect gift.

I have all the Christmas gifts done, wrapped, and ready to deliver. DH was gone today, I was running a fever again, so need to be healthy, before going to drop gifts off at elderly shut-ins' homes. :idea: I don't want anyone to pick up a "bug" from me.

It's a relief to have the cards sent, gifts made, and wrapped. Now I can kick back, but I wanted to ask you, any of you, if you feel a sort of "let-down" after Christmas and New Year's Eve and day? :?: I do! :oops: I guess the thing to do about it is to move onto other projects. Perhaps there will be challenges here someplace or on-line, to get people moving? :?: It'd be a healthy new focus, rather than focusing on "let-down". :idea:
Touch the earth, love the earth, her plains, her valleys, her seas. Rest your soul in her solitary places. ~Henry Beston

User avatar
Nancy
Member
Posts: 23445
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:52 pm
Location: Washington state in the Pacific Northwestern part of the USA.
Contact:

Re: ****Holiday Planning, 2013****

Postby Nancy » Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:26 am

After two naps today I was thinking how excited I was to start shopping and now . . . Not so much a let down, some folks are exhausted and need down time to recoup. Like a winter within.

User avatar
Ivy
Member
Posts: 3306
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 9:46 pm
Location: United States

Re: ****Holiday Planning, 2013****

Postby Ivy » Tue Dec 17, 2013 9:28 pm

Nancy, You're right. People need down time after the holidays to re-group. I'm planning some creative projects ahead, for Tunisian crochet and children's writing, reading new authors and plans to get back on track with daily exercise. I think that phrase, to everything there is a season, fits the after-holidays situation. We ebb and flow emotionally and physically with holidays, events, and seasons. :idea:
Touch the earth, love the earth, her plains, her valleys, her seas. Rest your soul in her solitary places. ~Henry Beston

User avatar
Nancy
Member
Posts: 23445
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:52 pm
Location: Washington state in the Pacific Northwestern part of the USA.
Contact:

Re: ****Holiday Planning, 2013****

Postby Nancy » Wed Dec 18, 2013 11:50 am

I got a card and letter / gift off to my mom yea!

I made made coconut mix to go in holiday baking grands are not a fan of it and one guy at hubby's work is allergic to it so it can't go there. So ... after some thought the new neighbors will be getting the sweet bread.

Had dson order hubbys gun grip.

BookSaver
Administrator
Posts: 2970
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:08 am
Location: E Iowa

Re: ****Holiday Planning, 2013****

Postby BookSaver » Thu Dec 19, 2013 6:25 pm

Today I shopped for the last of the food items for Christmas Eve. We'll be at DSis's again like we were at Thanksgiving. She likes having family parties at her house as it is convenient for her girls to bring her grandchildren, and her floor plan is easy to manage for DAunt and DoldestSis with their walkers.

One of the family favorites, no matter what else is on the menu, is nacho cheese dip with chips. DSis has always made a huge batch of it in her crock pot, even when she was providing the main meat dish. She finally gave me her recipe and I made it for Thanksgiving. Everyone said it tasted like her version, and there was not much left for us to bring home, so I guess it was ok. I am making it again for Christmas, and it will probably become my regular contribution to family parties from now on.

I think that's more fair because it's kind of expensive to make, and I don't think DSis should be on the hook for it all the time. It travels well in the crock for the long drive, something that has always been a concern for me when we take food. Any leftovers are good added to pasta, like a Tex-Mex mac & cheese casserole.

I need to put the ground beef in the freezer because I won't cook it until Tuesday afternoon.

I will also make fudge to take, and I'll do that Monday.

Hostess gift for DSis is a box of the chai tea mix she likes.

DH has requested days off work between Christmas & New Year's Day. I picked up extra food for having him eat lunches at home with me. He likes going out for fast food, but I don't like that too many days in a row.

I gave DH his gift last night so he could start using it right away -- a neck & shoulder heating pad with massage. He took it down to his mancave to try it, and came up laughing that on the high setting, it was really pummeling him. :lol:

DSis has taken care of ordering DMom's gift from the group. I mailed a check to DSis for our part.

I received an Email notification that DMIL's gift has shipped and is supposed to arrive Monday. I have a gift bag ready for it.

User avatar
Ivy
Member
Posts: 3306
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 9:46 pm
Location: United States

Re: ****Holiday Planning, 2013****

Postby Ivy » Thu Dec 19, 2013 11:14 pm

Harriet, The President Barack Obama book "Audacity of Hope," went over FANTASTIC! He kept saying, "Golly!" and "Geepers!" "Well, I'll be!" "My DD's are going to get this book after *I* read it, that's what's gonna happen! Thanks so much!" :P It was the perfect gift for him and I'm so happy! :mrgreen:

On a gift bag, some cardboard ornaments fell off a gift bag, but the other day, I didn't see the ornaments anywhere, so I took the double-stick tape off the ornaments' design on the bag itself. Well, tonight, DH found the ornaments, which had fallen off! :!: I had no "clue" where they'd been. They were on a gift bag meant for Dfriends. I got out a plastic crafting box with dividers in it, where I keep my double-stick tape, so "mended" the bag back to order. Now there's a gold cord, which is for the ornament to hang on, which has come loose, is hanging down, so I guess I'll get out Elmer's Glue and mend that. :idea: Why don't they make things sturdier nowadays? :roll: :?:

It's nice to have the holidays almost over, we'll get snow about midnight, it'll be here in the morning, but rain comes when it warms up, but it'll be nice to have white on the ground for awhile. Holiday Spirit-looking. ;)
Touch the earth, love the earth, her plains, her valleys, her seas. Rest your soul in her solitary places. ~Henry Beston

User avatar
Ivy
Member
Posts: 3306
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 9:46 pm
Location: United States

Re: ****Holiday Planning, 2013****

Postby Ivy » Sat Dec 21, 2013 3:03 am

I re-decorated the guest/main bathroom. Our dfriends gave us a snowman hand soap dispenser with soap in it, we have a Santa Clause night light from them, from another Christmas, in the bathroom, too, and I put down a green-red-white crocheted CD coaster under the pump soap. I put in a little snowman lantern, a small wooden Christmas tree, an elf, and Santa Christmas, wooden small figurines. The bathroom looks festive now. We got out tree toppers, which is an old Santa with a beautiful tapestry long coat, as a statue on the entertainment center's right side, then put Christmas Nature in her red velvet coat-dress trimmed in white marabou, and she holds a red bird, which is on the left entertainment center.

Then, I took DMIL's ashes, out of the utility room cabinet, brought them into the bottom side shelf of our china cabinet, where she's with pretty goblets, nice china, in the dining room, behind a wooden door, so you can't see her. I feel so much better having her ashes in the dining/great room area, where family gathers, the warm fire will keep her warm, and I feel closer to her now. She needs to be buried, but the ground's full of branches, bushes, and it's cold, wet outdoors, so she'll go out to the granite family marker where we bury family ashes, in the spring when the daffodils at the marker have come up. It's a little family cemetery, so she'll be (at last) buried next to DFIL's ashes and with her DGranddad's ashes, too. I'm more at Peace now and feel her love because I made the move for her. Her b-day's 1/4th and her death date is 1/6/02. She passed at age 78, after her best b-day in her life. She CELEBRATED CHRISTMAS, as no other, pulling out all the stops, planning ahead, but always missing Ddad because he was no longer with her. I'm glad how I'm now the Matriarch of the Dfamily, how I can carry on her legacy, and be sure how others share in the joy she had for the holidays. I miss her, but feel she's here in Spirit, too. :D
Touch the earth, love the earth, her plains, her valleys, her seas. Rest your soul in her solitary places. ~Henry Beston

User avatar
Ivy
Member
Posts: 3306
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 9:46 pm
Location: United States

Re: ****Holiday Planning, 2013****

Postby Ivy » Tue Dec 24, 2013 4:29 pm

I'll wrap DD's infinity scarf I wove loose ends in, to give her tomorrow, if she comes. She has COPD now (recently diagnosed) and may need to stay home to rest on Christmas. Hoping to get the house cleaned anyway, just in case she comes down. :mrgreen:

It's so nice to have the last holiday gift done now, although DD's infinity scarf is a "just because" gift.

We're having a pork roast for Christmas dinner, with mashed potatoes, vegetables, I'll eat applesauce, too, and cherry pie's for dessert.

Next thing on the agenda, we'll slowly wind up for New Year's Eve. We watch the fireworks from the Space Needle at midnight, get a New Year's kiss, and go to bed. :) :)
Touch the earth, love the earth, her plains, her valleys, her seas. Rest your soul in her solitary places. ~Henry Beston


Return to “The Creative Home”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 20 guests