The Countdown Begins......

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..............