SATURDAY FUN!

[Harmony]

After our busy days of focus yesterday, what are you doing to make today fun?

We are up and 'bout ready here. Everything I wanted to get done yesterday I've accomplished, and I consider that a major miracle for me!

Wishing each and every one of you a wonderful holiday. Good times with friends and family, good food, and perhaps some time for peaceful reflection on this year slipping away. And comfort for those facing hard times for themselves and/or their friends and family.

Feel free to put something else in for subject, I couldn't think of anything more!

[cathyy]

It's morning already? I'm not ready... /wanders off in search of more coffee/

[bittersweet]

I'm up after a fairly decent night's sleep. Actually, DS and I were watching Greml*ns last night, and I was dozing off well before 9pm, so I went to bed right after the movie. Today is back to payroll, although we do get off at 4:30 instead of 6pm. After that is wrapping presents and making sure things are ready to go to dMum's in the morning. It will probably (hopefully!) be quiet at work today, so maybe I can actually work on getting some of the wayyyyyy behind filing done. At least we don't have to call people about their overdue pet licences today - even the boss agrees that's a bit much on Christmas Eve!

*sigh* I suppose I should go get myself dressed and ready for work........

[Lynlee]

((((Villagers and your families)))) It will be a Merry Crhristmas Day/Midnight by the time I type this.

I got thru my list of essentials to do to get here at dds. Hoping all are ok with presents chosen.
Drive was good. It stopped raining YES apart from incidental wiper use on way out of town.
Dogs are all settled. Kids abed sleeping. Stockings filled
Raindeer carrot is mostly eaten.

Harriet - cossies /togs = swimming costume, swimsuit. lol
esky was a brand name of one of the early portable insulated boxes for cold goods. First up they were metal on the outside. then theirs been foam , now molded plastic. The esky name has sort of stuck here.

Forth of July = whatever is easy for me. No special planning rqd.

Lucylee - Australia Day = 26Jan for 1st fleet settlement in 1788 delete my comment.
We are fortunate to also have a Queen - we have a long w/e holiday early June Monday to celebrate her birthday. We love a long weekend and thats really what we celebrate. lol. Often Have been camping then in my younger days .. can be really frosty that w/e. Then our local show /think county fair/ has a holiday on that Friday. And sometimes its been a mess with rain. Gumboots then sensible footwear. Thats it for holidays until Christmas.
There is a May Day holiday. Some suggest moving it to late in the year to spread holidays out a bit. Easter has holidays on Friday and Monday.
Waving back to Sunny

I need get dsil turn off the tv. I have no idea. Now its off.
and get myself ready for bed.

Oh - good news - I got the photos on my computer. I found a slot on the laptop that read its card. When I get time I'll try post some I've saved last year.
The bad news - my camera is on strike. Even fresh batteries don't solve its malaise. Suspect plaster dust. Silly me not moving it to safety. Sigh. And getting dks to send photos is difficult. Oh well. I see new camera purchase in my future. Just wont have it for christmas gathering photos.

Harriet - if you have sheet pastry. spread something on it. roll up and cut into pinwheels. They cook quickly. I forget what was spread on them. Something from the 80's. Other finger food here. chicken wings and little meaty bones. meat balls and a dish of sauce/chutney. kababs on a squer ??? My spelling escapes me.At a stand up bbq - salad on paper plate, or simple hamburger bun. Actually hot pot bring and share often gets eaten from paper plates. singapore noodle. savory rice. Yes they need a folk too.

Ita almost 12.30 on Christmas Morning. May the Blessings of this Season be with you all and your loved ones. Peace be with you.

[BookSaver]

Happy Christmas Eve Day, villagers!

I was able to get everything done on last night's list except finishing DMIL's gift wrapping. Apparently it isn't Christmas around here if I don't have something to wrap at the very last minute. We won't see her until tomorrow so there's still plenty of time.

Substituting for that task was 3 loads of laundry and 4 other things that needed to be done before I could sleep. A fair trade.

Things are moving along this morning. Dishes and another load of laundry. Figured out what to cook for lunch (black beans & rice) before we go see family.

I need to trim my hair and find time to set it in curlers. Also need to take in the waistband of my new skirt an inch or two. I bought it off a clearance rack, 1 size too large but I knew it would be an easy alteration.

Otherwise we just need to pack the cooler with food, get everything into the car, and go. We're due at my sister's at 4:30 with a little less than an hour drive.

Tonight we're having easy soup & sandwich meal. DH and I are taking sandwich meats and cheeses, and fudge.

Tomorrow DH's DSisIL is cooking a big meal and asked for a starter. I'm doing the old-fashioned pinwheels -- tortilla, cream cheese, deli sliced corned beef, rolled around a dill pickle and sliced into thin rounds. May or may not get around to making more fudge tonight, but they are not big fans of sweets so it won't matter much either way. They do drink a lot of wine, though, so we'll take 2 bottles of wine and a bottle of champagne.

Lynlee ~ Your esky sounds like our Coleman brand.

Ah, the dryer is buzzing, must keep moving!

[Twins' Mom]

Awwww, Bittersweet, so sorry you have work today - at least you have an early end to the day and hopefully a quiet day....

I need to get going - slept in and have read the paper. My plan is to get dressed and ready to go, then to start challah in the breadmaker. That will give me 1.5 hours for my five errand stops; all but one are quick in and out. I'll get the toys for dmom to give to great-nieces and nephews at Walmart when I pick up a couple of other things I need.

I'd like to get in three batches of challah today - first batch is two loaves for neighbors, second a loaf for dfriends we will see tonight, and third to take to mother's in the morning. Perhaps another loaf for us? Also I need to pre-fry up sausage and bacon and onion to go into the breakfast casserole I'll take to my mother's tomorrow. I think I've convinced her that I'll make a large one, and that she doesn't have to make one also!

I also need to do some home routines, wrap presents for dgnieces and nephew and my dmom, and make four gift card holders. I found a "recipe" online for the gift card holder so they will go fast - cut, score, assemble and decorate. Not like figuring out all the dimensions and trial and error with the match boxes yesterday.

Around 7:30 we will head to dfriends' house.

Right now:
-get dressed, personal hygiene
-start the challah
-out the door!

BTW, I think I overdosed on latkes last night - not sure I will need to eat today! Dh had mixed the wonderful latkes with horseradish - I ate some salad, a little brisket, and latkes! We had a huge crowd but it went very well last night at temple.

[cathyy]

After 2 more cups of coffee I'm feeling much better. Today's goal is to excavate the kitchen counters. I have the island done already. Why is it that when you move, every horizontal surface becomes a place to temporarily stash all the items you have not yet assigned a home?

And we must not forget that I still have those pesky lace curtains to hem.

Our nephew visited last night. I fed him supper and he installed our house number plaque and the sliding mechanism for the garbage can in the kitchen. I am so excited to have enough kitchen cabinets that I can dedicate one to the garbage can! DN is very handy and a perfectionist so we have very nice-looking numbers on our house now.

[Nancy]

B.S. is down a bit today yea for that at least it's going in the right direction! Still fighting a sinus ear thing. We are not having a white Christmas I'm okay with that. It is supposed to rain the next day if the forecast is right.

Coffee is done.
It took me an hour to spiff the kitchen counters but was so glad I did when I saw them this morning!
Dd's for Christmas Eve in the afternoon then off to the Christmas eve service.

I need to
-s2s x
-start the jello
-figure out what to take for going to dd's x
-boil eggs x

[lucylee]

Good morning!!!
I have to s2s and WRAP WRAP WRAP. About half a dozen presents still need wrapping, so it's not TOO bad. (I can definitely relate to your comment, BookSaver!) Dh says we need to leave here around 3:00 p.m.
We'll go by the nursing home to visit daunt, then church @ 5:00, then dinlaws' house.
I also need to call dmom, make sure what time she's expecting us tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow "lunch" will be at dstepgm's, but I'm wondering if we'll do that later, probably 2:00 or so? Probably not that late, though, b/c duncle will be ready for the noon mea. He & daunt have no children, so Christmas morning is no big deal @ their house.

I'm definitely overdosing on SUGAR, Twins... Just waaay too much temptation around here.

I hope you ALL have a beautiful Christmas!

[Indiana]

OKay I'm so sorry about your brother. May I share what you wrote. It was beautiful.