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P.C.B.......Post Christmas Blues. It started yesterday, ramped up last night and today, fully reared it's ugly head.
For the 4 or 5 days after Christmas, I can deal. Little chores here and there. Cleaning up a little. Making phone calls to those we didn't talk to on The Day. Laundry (3 days worth now). Get to the store...because I forgot this, this and this for New Year's and more guests.
Ah, but today. Buggers. I'm melting. My energy level is zapped. I want this over. How many more days till I can undecorate the house? Till BH and I can get back to our normal routines? Till I can pick up the long ignored knitting and really make some progress.....more than just 3 rows at a sitting? Till I can prepare supper for just the 2 of us?
Son and fiance are supposed to be arriving today, possibly with the 3 grandchildren following. And another grandson maybe here for a day or two. Son is staying until Monday or Tuesday.
I have the next 2 days meals and snacks planned. Made a huge pot of Cheesy Potato/Broccoli soup yesterday....supper today. Tomorrow will be assorted meats and cheeses on home made hard rolls, potato salad, beans and chef salad.
If we celebrate New Year's tomorrow night, there will be cheese (I am big on cheese!), pepperoni and crackers, chips and dip, shrimp cocktail, nacho cheese (see?) and salsa with tortilla chips and chicken wings....hopefully 3 kinds.....Buffalo, BBQ, and Teriyaki. But I have to get back to the grocery store today. They were out of wings on Wednesday. They'll probably be out today, being that I waited till the last minute!
Son and fiance reserved a room at the hotel in town for 2 nights. So if grandchildren are here, it will alleviate the sleeping space dilemma. That's a plus.
And daughter who's been with us since last Saturday will be going home tomorrow. A bed freed up.
But in the meantime, I just keep telling myself "it's almost over", and counting the days. I love the first couple of days after Christmas, but then the rest of the days just grate on my nerves. I'm all for normal. I want to get back to normal.
Now, depending on who you talk to, that may be like going back decades to reach that kind of normal!
Have a very safe, healthy and Happy New Year everyone!! Remember.....it's almost over!
This is it.....the hours are upon us. Time is running short. Why am I posting today? Well, actually, I'm waiting for my turn in the bathroom to get cleaned up and dressed.
The 2 grandsons have just finished their showers; daughter did the same. I may be able to get in there before granddaughter...because I need to get dinner going.
Anywho, so far, so good. Except single son left for home after dinner last night. Big disappointment. He brought the kids up (granddaughter followed him in her car) and left about 5:30. He did leave grandbunny here for me to bunnysit. Tomorrow he'll meet us half way to have the kids follow him back home. And grandbunny will be going home, too. I think. I hope. It's like having a toddler in the house again. She wants to play all the time and if she's being ignored, she gets over to the gifts under the tree and starts ripping at the wrapping paper!
So, in case you're feeling a little stressed......or have a few minutes to kill before you're on to the next duty, here are a few little things to brighten your day and hopefully put a smile on your face. Relax, enjoy.
Merry Christmas to all! Yes, 2 days and counting, but this will probably be my last minutes with the computer until after the festivities.
All is done. Whew. Except, of course, for the cooking. Which some of it will be prepared today and frozen.....hopefully.
Slipper boots....done; tree up and decorated...done; meals planned for the next 4 days....done; wrapping....done; house cleaned...done. Just need to do 1 load of laundry.
So yesterday, with one more slipper boot to crochet and feeling giddy with myself for accomplishing a major feat....I start thinking maybe I can get this and this done before The Day. Then I mentally slap my face. I tell BH, "you know, the trouble with being on schedule and finishing everything needing to get done is now I have time to think of other things I could do". "Yeah", he says, "that's a dangerous situation".
But I am still thinking I can get another pair of boots done for another grandson....especially since we won't be seeing him until New Year's weekend. Hmmmm.........
The Nativity figures were set out last week, always on top of the entertainment center. It's quite beautiful, I think. Only, the Baby Jesus doesn't get placed in the manger until Christmas Eve.
I am doing something in the kitchen the other evening, when I hear BH yell from the family room......"where's my Baby Jesus? Someone stole the Baby Jesus...the Baby Jesus was stolen".......over and over. Because.....that is my favorite SNL skit with Cheri Oteri. She's this little Italian lady, who comes out on her porch to find kids throwing snowballs at her and then she discovers....her Baby Jesus is missing from her outdoor Nativity scene. So she starts yelling at the "little bas...ds"......."who stole the Baby Jesus? I know where you live....bring my Baby Jesus back here, you little......."
It's hysterical! I gotta look that up on youtube.
So BH picks up daughter today (hopefully....she called last night to say that her stomach has been queazy all day, she's going to bring 7Up with her). Tomorrow, single son will be here; granddaughter will follow him as this is her first trip driving up here by herself, with 2 grandsons (her brothers) in her car.
Other son and fiance won't be coming until next weekend. And, with any luck, so will our daughter, mother of granddaughter and grandsons.
Granddaughter has to be back home on Christmas Day. She's catching an evening flight back to NY to spend time with her dad's family. He passed away a few months ago. She'll be returning to MN next Saturday. She wants to come back up here for that weekend, as she won't be with us next year for the Christmas/NewYear holiday.....she'll will be in the Armed Forces.
My stomach is a bit topsy-turvy. Nerves. Hoping that everything goes smoothly, the weather co-operates for the next 10 or 12 days; that everyone gets along and we all have a wonderful, happy Christmas/New Year.
May all of you have the same. Enjoy! Be safe. Stay healthy. And may God bless all.
One week from today.....we should have a full house. Lots of laughter, gifts, food and maybe a little anxiety....on my part. It comes with the territory.
But, a few glasses of wine...and I'll be fine.
Returned from daughter's yesterday afternoon, spent 2 days there. Her apartment is all decorated; she purchased and has wrapped her gifts.
I still have a few things to wrap and 3 pairs of slipper boots to crochet. Boxes for the 2 kids in NY need to be packed today. It would be great to get them mailed out this morning, but actually, that's on the schedule for tomorrow.
As is the Holiday grocery shopping. BH has helped me decide to have a sit-down Christmas meal instead of the buffet. However, said buffet may take place next Sunday as some of the kids are coming up then. The sit-down dinner will take place on Christmas Eve day. We'll have our big celebration and gift exchange. Most of the kids (Hah! kids! They're in their mid 30's!) will have to leave for home in the early afternoon on Christmas Day. They all need to be at work the day after.
Our granddaughter and twin grandsons will hopefully be here and will stay with us for most of their winter break from school. She got her driver's license a couple months ago and has her own car. From the sounds of it, she's planning on spending Christmas with us no matter what.
These are our 3 grandkids we haven't seen, spent time or Christmas with in 3 years. Our daughter, their mother, and I had a falling out back then and she opted to remove herself from the family. Very sad. That, on top of my parents being deceased now for 2 years, has made for half-empty Christmas seasons.
But, with God's blessings, she started communicating with me a couple of months ago. I have been talking to granddaughter regularly. So yesterday, I called daughter and asked her to come up for Christmas...or anytime during the Holidays....whatsever good for her. She agreed to do so. Fingers crossed and prayers being said, we'll see.
Our granddaughter has joined the National Guard. She leaves for basic training at the end of July. She graduates from high school this coming June. Being that she's the oldest and only daughter, I know my daughter is having a very hard time with this. They've always been "joined at the hip". It's causing a lot of stress and bad feelings between the 2 of them.
Here's hoping that celebrating Christmas as a complete family again will be our Christmas Miracle.
Anywho, we've got plenty of snow outside thanks to a wicked snowstorm last weekend and a mini one this past weekend, so it's definitely a Winter Wonderland. And there's the expectation of a bit more snow every day this week. As long as it stops by Friday so all those traveling will have a safe go of it.
BH has agreed to us renting a couple of hotel rooms for most of the kids and their families. Seriously, no matter how I try, I just can't find enough sleeping space for all of them anymore. Everyone is getting older, they all have some kind of back pain, neck pain, sleeping disorder; and the grandkids are no longer little ones that you can put 2 or 3 of them in a full size bed. (The twin boys are 15 yrs old, 6' tall, and each weighs over 200 lbs........yeah, that ain't gonna work anymore).
We live in a 2-bedroom mobil home with a huge addition that is our family and utility rooms; a full size bed, a single bed and a full size pull-out sofa bed. The rest is a full size blow-up mattress and various sleeping bags and comforters. In the summer, we can accomodate a couple of guests in the camper. But not in the winter - there's no heat. Though my youngest son (again - mid 30's) insists he can sleep out there when it's 20 degrees with a sleeping bag. Ehhh.......not on my watch!
So, thank you very much, my darling husband. You have alleviated a big stress ball from me!
Now.....about the wine..............
Yes...you know what I mean. It's the season, afterall. Actually, I have 6 lists.....so far.
*A few things yet to pick up next week for gifts.
*A shopping list for my daughter. Gifts, decorations and such. Spending 2 days with her next weekend to decorate her apartment and go shopping.
*Groceries.....for the Christmas buffet. No sit-down dinner this year.
*The cooking schedule....when to make it, what to make, what can be frozen beforehand.
*Supplies need for baking....as I seem to be running out of something every day.
*My daily planner. This is the most important. Without this list, I would be scurrying "willie-nillie", forgetting to do this and that until time is running out.
BH has been telling me every day since Sunday that I'm way ahead of myself; I'm in good shape......list wise.
Ehhhh....yeah. I just looked at the daily planner. I'm already 2 days behind. The house decorating should've been finished today. It hasn't been started. I've been baking breads.
And apparently, I've lost my ability for "dove-tailing"! I used to be the best at "dove-tailing". I could do 3 or 4 jobs at once. Bread takes an hour in the oven; put the lights up on the windows. Next batch in the oven; put the garland and lights above the cupboards. Another batch; wrap the slippers that were just finished. Cookies in the oven; clean a room. More cookies; add more decorations. More cookies; do a load of laundry. Etc., etc., etc.
None of this has happened. Except the bread. But in defense of myself, it's been one batch after another. One's in the oven, another is being whipped up, pans being prepared.
So...I'm thinking......yeah, everything's humming along smoothly. Then I looked at the daily planner. The decorating has to be done by Friday in order to catch up. And Friday afternoon, we have to meet a dear friend for lunch in town because she's going on a cruise during the Christmas holidays. Won't be here; we won't be getting together at that time. So, that'll take care of most of the day.
I think it's best if I don't look at the daily planner for a few days. Since I left myself a 5 days before Christmas with nothing to do, that should give me plenty of time to catch up!
Yep. It's here. In full swing. So far, so good. We're off to a good start.
Sunday after Thanksgiving, we took daughter home and proceeded to do the Christmas shopping. I know! Right?! Got 98% of it done; just a few small things to pick up. That'll be in 2 weeks when I go to daughter's for the weekend. We decorate her apartment, take her Christmas shopping and we manage to go out for a breakfast one day, and a dinner the next. Just her and I. This year, dinner will be at "Olive Garden". It just opened as a new restaurant in October, a few miles from her home. I absolutely love "Olive Garden"!
Last Monday I wrapped all the gifts. And I've been working on crocheting slipper boots for gifts. 8 pairs on done; 4 more to go. But maybe more. I'm thinking 4 more pair for the guys who never had them and 4 more pair for daughter and granddaughter who seem to have come back into the "fold" recently. My daughter removed herself from the family over 2 years ago. We've had no contact whatsoever. Until last month. Christmas miracle? We'll see what this month brings.
Said granddaughter has joined the National Guard. She graduates high school this coming summer. But she's all signed up. Last week she took all the aptitude tests, agility tests and a physical. She passed all with flying colors. And was promptly inducted into the Guard on Friday. She leaves for Basic Training at the end of July...for 36 weeks! Hopefully we'll have a couple of months to spend time with her. I know our daughter is going to be lost without her. Maybe that, too, will bring us close again.
Today I start baking. Breads first; 3 different kinds; 9 loaves each. They are part of the Christmas gifts to the kids. I planned to start decorating the house today. That might be put off til tomorrow. There are bills to pay today....on the internet......and that's no fast endeavor. Technology!.....pffttt. And laundry to do.
So, breads today and tomorrow. BH wants to go to the casino on Thursday. We'll see. I know he feels like he's been cooped up, too much helter-skelter been going on, too many mundane chores. He needs a break. He's also been fighting some kind of gunk in his throat for a couple of weeks. Sounds like it might be traveling to his chest. I'm going to have to keep on eye and ear on this. I worry about how pneumonia settles in without too much of a warning for people of his age. I might have to hog-tie him to get him to the Doctor. He gets quite beligerent when I suggest it.
Sunday, the outside temp was almost 50. So I took adavantage of the day and decorated the deck and railing......boughs and lights and the wreath. Son came up to work on his car; BH wangled him into climbing up on the roof to clean out the stove pipes. First time. For son, not cleaning the pipes. He did A-Ok. Despite the fact that he's afraid of heights! But he said it would be ok, being that it's a relatively flat roof.
Cleaned the house yesterday. This Saturday I should be able to start baking the cookies. Decided to cut down on the varieties this year. Only 4 or 5 instead of 8 or 10. The price of baking supplies has gone through the roof! It seems as bad as the gas prices! What the hell is up with that?
Oh geezzz.......I gotta get the Christmas CD's out. Nothing like playing Christmas music while baking and decorating. It truly soothes the savage breast.
Well.....onward and upward. Hope the Spirit is beginning to overtake you all, and that all your plans and work, preparing for Christmas, move along peacefully and smoothly.
Carry on.
