Simply Sunday Simplifying

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Lucylee: You can have a smart phone without a data plan. They also have wifi built in so you can use that when you are places with wifi, and have no internet the rest of the time. Dh has a pay as you go plan with t-mobile and no data and still is connected a lot of the time.

I'd like a smart phone for the same reasons as you plus The Economist magazine has an app and I envy dh always having the latest magazine with him so he can make use of the few minutes here or there by reading the magazine.

We are back from the storytelling 'concert.' It was excellent. There were musical breaks between the stories and the musician's first three songs were about the common cold, first snow of the year, and let's make soup because it's getting cold. How Canadian are those topics?!!!

The concert was at the National Arts Centre and underground parking lot is a bear to get out of after a concert so we grabbed our coats from the car and walked up to Parliament Hill to look at the lights there. That 10 minutes was all it took to empty out the lot and we didn't have to sit there breathing fumes and burning gas for no reason.

We dropped ds back at the restaurant where he picked up his car and we said goodnight to him until the 23rd. He's starting another long work stretch with only the 23rd and 30th off. He was rock climbing before we met him for dinner and injured his hand so was icing hit with a glass of ice from the waitress. He kept rubbing it over and over until he got his tendon 'back on the right side of the bone' and it started to feel better after that. I don't want to think about it!

I'm off to bed now, tired but content that I survived the weekend so well.

[Harmony]

Well, my whole weekend, starting on Friday has been quite the unusual one for me. Lots of social stuff going on. And today was not very simple.

Sat. I was in recovery mode from Friday, and I just puttered around a bit. I did write our Christmas cards and get them in the mail. I pared down my list quite a bit. Anyone I will be seeing will get theirs hand delivered. I only sent to those I felt really needed a greeting, had a hard year, and those I'm particularly close to.

Sat. eve we had to go to a birthday party. DH's helper turned 50 and his family had a big bbq for him. We picked up a gift and card on the way and I wrapped in the car. Coming home, we drove around in that town to look at their lights. They light up the main streets very prettily. We went through the shopping resort there also and they were lit up a bunch!

Stopped at K-m art for gift I've been hunting. Nothing there. Went to mall, 3 stores later we found what we wanted. 6 stores total to find a nice 12" frypan with a lid!
I was very disappointed at our local mall. Hardly any decorations inside. I was shocked about that, other years it's been beautiful. And it's not like there are a lot of store spaces empty, they're all rented out. But it's obvious they're not doing well. And lack of people on a Sat. eve was shocking as well.

Church was very nice service, and I got nice thank you note from one who was here Friday. This is the couple who dropped all their friends when they went into that multi-level business the rest of us didn't want to be involved in. She seems to want to get closer to us all again.

After lunch I went back out shopping and got all gifts bought except for a couple for the DGboys...I need a few little toy-type things for them. I was in every store in the county I think, and my hips, legs, and feet are very sore. I must get something for DH too, but his requests as usual are very basic things. I bought myself a pair of shoes which he wrapped up...good deal, I saw them $20 more at another store!

Harriet, your family is quite unique! I've been places where the hostess gives out a small hostess gift, but that is quite different from what you experience. Kudos to you for getting through all that with such grace.

(Nancy) and someone else I wanted to hug...oh well, we all have our challenges this busy season, right?!

[Nancy]

Thanks Harriet & Harmony! The second half of the day was much better than the first for me! =D We made it to the footloose movie and dinner was much better convo. than our lunch was meal was ordered perfectly and received what we wanted! Enjoyed seeing the lights again driving home.

[lucylee]

I'm thinking maybe an e-reader would serve the same purpose. * sigh * DH is just frantic b/c he and ds have their BIG shopping day tomorrow and I cannot decide what I want. And it is actually making me sick at my stomach b/c I don't want him to waste money on me... and I'm afraid I'll get something major, electronics-wise, that I'm not pleased with. * sigh *
I just REALLY do not know what to ask for this year, and that is wonderful, to be able to say that you're so satisfied that you don't really NEED anything... but dh is determined to buy SOMETHING... and we don't have $$ to just throw away, you know.

DS says I just need a laptop, but I don't really want dh to spend that much, either.