Tuesday Trimming

[helia]

My a.m. routine is not yet done, but I have tutored R, had lunch, and have done some online shopping. I'm now completely done with dfriend R (dh helped me) and dh! One more item for dmom and I'll be done with the IL crew. I know what I'm getting dfriend S; I just need confirmation re: which ones to get. I also know the last gift I'm getting baby J, but I need to go to the mall to buy that. So, I'm now completely done shopping for
- Dad
- dbro.
- dniece
- dh
- dfriend R

And I just need one more gift, and I know what it will be. I just need to buy it for:
- dfriend S
- baby J
- Mom

This leaves my kids, 2 of which have given me lists. The most difficult ones to shop for are our dfriends E and C. I have one small-ish item for him/them so far.

Next:
- finish a.m. routine
- errands in small nearby shopping area: pick up dry cleaning, book in mail, g. pig hay; may stop by TJ while I'm there.

[Harmony]

Hello everybody! (Twins) enjoy your body work today. Maybe that will help. The last time (the only time) I had a massage all my emotions came to the surface and I ended up in tears. The gal said that was common.

DH has the fireplace stoked again and that room is so warm and cozy, it has become a time-waster to me. I go through there to do something or just to check on the fire and it's so nice I stand around to warm up or sit to watch...and nothing gets done. Well, another couple days and it'll be too warm here to have the fire.

I sent him out with receipt to pay a bill and to do another couple chores.

Oh my 100+ children gone in P. and 40 others, but the siege is over. How awful.

I am trying to clean up some of the messes around here. I have wrapped what packages I have and tidied up the paper/tag/ribbon mess on the dining room table. DD1 and I texted a bit and I have a couple more ideas. It's going slow this year.

Made a small pot of chicken noodle soup. DH had eaten most of the chicken so I boiled the bones...yumm!

Cathy your Christmas sounds really nice. I'm happy for you.

[Norma]

Love hearing everyone's plans and what you are doing to prepare for Christmas.

Cathy, you sound very happy and content and I am happy for you.

Harriet, the tragedy in Pakistan has me very upset too. What I don't get is why we keep thinking we can change these people. We send our young people over there to die for people who really don't care and hate us. Our flags here in AZ are at half mast for a young man from Mesa who died in Afghanistan. How incredibly sad.

Got my hair colored and cut this morning, went to breakfast and then to the mad house, I mean C ost co. It is really something out there. We are getting up early Sunday and going to our favorite store and shop for Monday Lunch Bunch Christmas party - here at our house and then Christmas Eve at D and G's. Then, I hope we don't have to shop again until after Christmas.

Rosie is very busy teaching this week, but I hope we can see them maybe on the weekend.

Best to all - don't tire yourselves out making plans!

[Twins' Mom]

Oy I am using my ipad and small keyboard. I wish I knew what my computer is doing that leaves it unable to run otherwise.

Harriet, great idea to do monograms. I ended up ordering two fleeces and a turtleneck from L ands E nd and having them monogrammed with her name on the left chest. We will see if these disappear! I also went shopping and bought her slippers and sweat pants that I can take to dsis tomorrow so I won't go empty handed, and the online things will ship to her.

I need to finish up a.m. routine. I will be on the road tomorrow to see dsis.

Harmony, I was almost sleeping lightly. My mind is quieter now and I feel more composed.

-put away groceries and clear kitchen counters
-clear breakfast bar
-make the bed

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Missed payment date for a credit card so got a call about that. Sigh...

Anyway, payments are made on it and all other bills I could find.

Ds is here so I'll post more later. Dd is on her way. Not sure where dsil is but he should be on his way too.

[lucylee]

I know dh has spent the last three hours on this computer... shaking my head... He says he was "just waiting on an email newsletter (from college town) that has still not arrived. This is a daily thing and it absolutely drives me crazy (b/c I want computer time!) but I am trying to use MY time wisely while waiting.
I know I could get a laptop and solve the problem, but more internet access would probably not be wise for me. I'm wasting enough time w/the smart phone...

So -- while waiting today, I
-- staightened the bed and did morning stretches
-- did Bible reading
-- ate, took vitamins/probiotic/mucinex
-- had cause to take more immodium (but I haven't had any since Sunday morning, so that's a good thing)
-- s/s both bathrooms
-- took care of a load of laundry that had been left in washer overnight (now hanging to dry)
-- wrote check for Belk bill
-- reorganized Christmas shopping list
-- called newspaper to report no paper
-- made out Master List/OMM list for the week since I did not update that Sunday
-- turned on all indoor Christmas lights and re-organized the Nativity scene, which now includes Minnie Mouse, a plastic turtle, and a plastic frog, which is larger than the plastic cow which was also added yesterday. Oh... and a spaceman. (We figure all should be allowed to come to Jesus. I asked dh last night if he wanted me to put this whole thing out of reach of dgs, after I had performed surgery * glue * to a wise man and a cow, and dh said "No, Christmas is for children. We'll just try to keep watching him when he's playing with it and try to supervise/protect as much as we can." We agreed that dmil, who bought this Nativity set when dh was a child, would definitely say, "LET HIM PLAY WITH IT!!!" It IS the sweetest thing in the world to see him lining up all this mismatched crew to say "Hello, Baby Jesus!")
-- and -- DRUM ROLL -- TA-DA-- HOORAY -- mended the fastener on a pair of pants. This has been at the TOP of my master list/omm list every Sunday for at least three weeks. Took me 11 minutes. * sigh * Probably spent that much time writing it on my list every week.
-- caught up on a little bit of newspaper reading from the past two days

Tomorrow, I guess I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and go back to the mall, AND bite the bullet and see if dmom wants to go with me.

So far as trimming Christmas expectations...
We have a very, very simple Christmas experience around here. I decorate strictly to please us. Maybe if we were more "social" and had guests in and out all the time, especially if we spent more time w/our church friends who are a little more frou-frou than we... maybe then I'd be more self-conscious of my Walmart quality stockings, a lot of plastic in my doo-dads, and nothing but my memory tree w/random decorations... but I'd still prefer MY style to theirs, you know? I don't want Christmas to be a magazine layout; I want it to be all about my family, our traditions, our memories, and hopefully... Christ.
So -- our expectations are
-- weekend trip to Nashville
-- our traditional, simple decorations
-- Christmas cards sent to close friends and family (we send about 50)
-- gifts for family (that extends to dmom, our dbro's, dniece, dnephew, my dbro's girlfriend, and "dirty Christmas" exchange gifts for gathering w/my aunts, uncle, and cousins)
-- dh/ds shopping trip (that's tomorrow)
-- homemade cookies
-- Christmas Eve w/dbil, dniece, dnephew (all I have to do is pick up bar-b-que at restaurant)
-- Christmas Eve time w/just our immediate family, ds/ddil/dgs -- traditional picture in front of tree
-- Christmas Eve service at church
-- Christmas Day breakfast at my dmom's (I should do more to help her, but it is difficult w/Christmas Eve being booked so tight for me; dbro & his gf will help her, so that gives me some comfort)
-- Christmas afternoon gathering w/my extended family (and THERE is where I should be lots of help to her, as should dh & ds, and I am afraid my uncle and my cousins are going to get the picture that we are definitely big lazy doofuses, but so far, she has give me no timeframe for this moving of furniture, doesn't even HAVE some of the furniture she wants, dh/ds have never driven/pulled a trailer behind a truck (which she needs), and OUR timeframe is getting seriously filled. * We do finger foods, so my cookies, a 2L coke, and maybe some odd thing like chips and salsa will be all that is expected of me, food-wise.)

It looks like a lot, and it IS pretty hectic from the time we start to church on Christmas Eve until we finally collapse on the couch Christmas night... but it isn't really extravagant or anything.

Cathy -- you DO sound sooo good these days!!! I am also sooo happy for you. I had no idea what you were going through before, until you began sharing in retrospect with us. Sooo glad you're going to have a "real" Christmas this year.

Twins, dmom was going to get a massage this morning. Her first one was very nice, so she has promised herself she will make this a weekly treat for herself now. If it helps her release emotions, as Harmony mentioned, so much the better!
(((BIG, BIG HUGS))) for Twins w/the TWINS' issues (or at least ONE twin's issues)

Agreeing with all... the Pakistan tragedy... the attack in Australia... gunman in PA... girl burned alive in Mississippi... the world is certainly a frightening place in so many ways...

Personalized gifts for your dsis would at least make it OBVIOUS when they turned up in someone else's room, Twins... this is an ongoing problem in nursing homes and similar facilities, I'm afraid. Has been our experience w/all relatives.

BBL -- maybe -- WAVING TO ALL!!!

[Twins' Mom]

Coming back through. I finished those three. This time:

-put dh's dry cleaning in the car and take it to the cleaners
-clear kitchen table
-start a load of delicates in washer, should have time to hang up before ds and I leave

[Elizabeth]

Hi everyone! Got lots done at payroll yesterday in preparation for a meeting at 1 pm, which has been moved to Friday. That's ok, progress is still progress, and there is one more task I would like to finish. However, it is contingent on another person. Must check in with him to see if he got my message. I got some errands done last night, but not much progress. I wanted to return a phone accessory, but the place was closed unexpectedly, they had just been robbed. The last time I went, they were also closed due to robbery. I hope they don't get suspicious of me! I made it to the hardware store and, glory of glories, talked to an employee who had been a ceiling repairer. He fixed me up with all I need to repair the hole in the sewing room ceiling. This has been moved to top priority because the appraiser is coming Sunday. Got meds, food, and litter at the pet store and there my success ended. Shopping was unsuccessful for 3 remaining in-towners AND 3 remaining out-of-towners. Went to a couple of stores and had no luck whatsoever. I completely forgot about the grocery store and library returns. I did do some cooking for my lunch today. Here is my resounding success for the night: medicines given to 4 cats!!! Be impressed.

Unsuccessful mission: my workplace sends out weather closings by text and email rather then phone messages. I talked to my cell phone provider to see if I could allow texts ONLY from one number. Nope. I turned off text and video messaging a long time ago because (a) I get charged for every one, sent or received, (b) someone I didn't know was sending me text and video every day and wouldn't stop, and (c) I HATE text messaging and have no need whatsoever for video on my phone!

Tonight is the usual Girls' Night Out with DD12. We have eaten at the same Chinese restaurant every Tuesday and Sunday for about 5 or 6 years now and I would really like a change. I must remember to wrap and get her to take her cousins' gifts and make sure she takes the ornament she needs for tomorrow for Girl Scouts. (Normally, the X would take care of that, but since it is a project to surprise the adults who take the girls to their meetings, she and I took care of it). Her friend who moved out of town called and wanted to get together tonight, but I am getting back too late. I am also missing an animal org meeting for the same reason. It is not a board meeting, so my presence is not required.

Brother is still in intensive care. He has double vision now.

Must remember groceries and library tonight.

[lucylee]

Elizabeth, can you read your email on your phone? We turned off texting also, so I can definitely relate. SInce ds and I have iPhones, we can use the iMessage feature, and that also works w/dbro and dniece, but most of the people I need to get in touch with like text messaging and it IS a problem sometimes. Still, dh does not want to pay for it anymore, so we do without. But if someone would send me an email, I could read it on my phone, too, so that would work.

[FelineFriend]

Not really a lot of time to CUOP, but....

I s2s, did 4 LOL, put fresh sheets on the bed, hung up fresh towels, got #6 hat crocheted, got out #7 yarn/hat/last 1 to crochet, and after wrapping all the hats, I'll crochet ponytail scrunchies for myself in fancy-smancy yarns. Then, it's all down hill....

Got clothes planned for 2 Dr. appt.'s, for Christmas Day, so that's taken care of. Got out my reindeer wire hanging earrings, too. Too cute! Put a rhinestone antique snowflake pin on my long-sleeved velour black top. Sure is pretty!

Been thinking of you all today, didn't turn on the laptop until 5 p.m. Just busy doing other things, saw 2 good movies with DH and baseball talk shows, too, which are really exciting now that players are being signed with new teams.

Have a great night and a Way-to-Go Wednesday, too!