If anyone should be paid for listening to Mom it should be Fiancé. Fresh ears for Mom’s stories and opinions. Bless her.
Send S and Fiancé’ out to dinner for a thank you!
DIL and S and G’Son will leave tomorrow afternoon. It has been a good visit, better than last year when the noise and kid running around with food and dirty floors became a bit much. This year he is nearly 4 and such a nice kid. He gets the true 4 year old joke:
“there is an elephant on the roof”. ( that is the joke)
Kid rolls eyes upwards and laughs.
If anyone later asks if there is an elephant on the roof there is a nod and laughter.
Works every time.
Which is why I love this age.
D is dog sitting overnight for 7 nights while we take care of her own dog and her friend’s dog 
I love noise and kids and dirt and dogs. Just love the chaos of it all. 
I can’t help it – I think I am perpetually 3. GS is going to be a little terror I think (payback!). Last week he saw S get a cookie out of the freezer, thaw it and give it to him. Couple of days latter DIL caught him helping himself to some frozen cookies. Yup he opened the freezer. Took the container out with the cookies in it and picked his favorite and then started eating. They are going to have their hands full when this one REALLY gets moving around. At 11 months he is crawling and walking a bit without holding one. Balance is still iffy though.
One sleeve done on the sweater. Will start the other one at lunch today. Planning on wrapping tonight. That will give me most of tomorrow (after I get home from work) to finish said sweater and cook. I really could use a couple of more days to get everything done though! Isn’t that ALWAYS true?
RM-Not to make a bad pun, but it sounds as if your GS is a “smart cookie”. I’m pretty impressed.
They have the fridge with the freezer on the bottom so just at his height! He has a sweet tooth. Only 2 times I’ve seen a temper tantrum was when he was put to bed and we were there and when S told him no more ice cream. He loves his ice cream and obviously loves homemade cookies. He is also an observer I think. He will sit patiently while you read him a story. He will watch an entire episode of Daniel Tiger. S was a lot like that also. Would observe and than just do. Only time that didn’t work out for him was when he was learning to ride a two wheeler. Took that kid FOREVER to learn balance well enough to ride. I think he was close to 6 before he “got it”.
Good morning, all. Quiet morning. Mom still asleep (or maybe just chilling alone?), H working out, younger D with a friend, older D trying to make me feel guilty that “her” room is always the guest room.
I must confess a sin of omission. All went great getting Mom from the airport. There were 13 people on her flight that pre-boarded/deplaned with wheelchairs! When the employee pushing her turned her over to me, I noticed a distinct dirty look. It dawned on me a bit later that I was supposed to tip the guy. I’ll know next time, but sorry to the unknown guy that I stiffed!
missypie, I have to confess that I am very mystified by tipping. I usually have no idea when I should, or shouldn’t. I tipped my cab driver in the UAE for the ride from the airport to the hotel. Later I asked at the hotel what the custom was for tipping cab drivers, and they told me it wasn’t expected/necessary. Then a person at the training gave me a guide book to the area, and it said the custom was to round up cab fares 5 dirham (less than $1.50).
Noticed a small pile of wrapped packages upstairs, when I took a closer look I discovered they were from S , not H.
I have one more gift to wrap though ( something H bought on line for SIL).
S is in Brooklyn at D and SIL’s, H and I leave tomorrow AM.
Been off the grid for a few days. H and I are in RI – lots of rain and unseasonably warm. We arrived last Thursday; late afternoon. We had friends stay with us Thursday and Friday nights – good thing I left the house clean when we left back in October!
Things are pretty much under control in terms of Christmas. I have 2 more baked “goodies” to make in the morning, and a couple of things to cook for our Christmas Eve dinner. D & fiancé will be here within an hour. Everything is wrapped – much easier when there aren’t all that many actual gifts. H does almost nothing in the way of holiday prep, but will tell anyone and everyone that he likes Thanksgiving so much more because there’s “no stress;” it’s just about being with family. So, for him, there really is a Santa Claus because Christmas just happens.
D is home, but bemoaning the 72 degree weather she’s missing in NYC. I hope it persists for her return Monday.
We are going to have virtually nothing under the tree this year – we don’t need stuff, D has a NYC apartment, which means she can’t fit stuff, and experiences fit in such tiny envelopes. It will still be good.
At this rate, I may not need to buy wrapping paper for another decade.
Still about 10 more presents to wrap but I did make good progress last night! At work right now. Need to work 4 hours today but came in early so will be out by 9. Then home to make 2 kinds of fudge and cinnamon rolls for tomorrow and put together dinner for tonight. Then finish the sleeve on the sweater and clean the house and and and… You get the idea. All is good though. I’m fairly sure that I will get everything accomplished before tomorrow morning.
Wishing all of you who celebrate a Merry Christmas and for everyone a Happy New Year!
RM, I’m tired after reading your to-do list!
Thankful that my company is closed today and tomorrow. At my old job I had to work on the 24th.
D made it in last night in spite of the fog/weather. Today we are battling the 72 degree forecast (and rain) to attend the Nutcracker. D danced in a local production for 10 years so we’ll see how the New York City Ballet measures up.
For church tonight, the original plan was to serve warm beverages (hot cocoa, coffee, tea) in our nearly completed new atrium. They’ve decided to add cold beverages to the offerings.
Tree and ornaments were supposed to arrive Tuesday, but the tree arrived Monday and the ornaments arrived yesterday, but did not include hooks to hang them with, so H had to go to a few stores to find those. H also decided to go to the Herald Square Macy’s for the very first time yesterday. Probably not the best choice for an already overwhelming store.
My hand mixer started getting hot and emitting smoke, so H also came home with a new one so I can make the frosting for the cut-out sugar cookies.
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!
Starting next year the 24th will be a holiday. Currently though what they do is if you come in for 4 hours your get 4 hours of “thank you” pay. If you don’t do the 4 you don’t get the 4. So I come in so that I don’t need to take 8 hours of vacation. Also makes me get up and moving.
I expect to have basically everything other than the sweater done by early afternoon. I will MOVE once I get home. Then I’ll just sit and work on the sweater. I’m sure my H will make salads for dinner to go with the casserole I’m making so that will be an easy thing. Just us tonight for the most part so a quiet night. Expect DIL and S to stop in for a brief time to pick up some of the cinnamon rolls. One batch is too much for just H and I. Tomorrow D and BF will come over about 11 and we will do presents with them and then we will load up and all go to S and DIL house and do presents with them and they are cooking dinner so one less thing that I need to do.
I do this every year. I will crash come the 26th. I do enjoy the bustle though and love being busy. Just as I get older I notice that some things take me a lot longer than they used to! LOL
Good Morning! I am back in my insomnia pattern so have been up since 2:30. Gifts are wrapped and under the tree,stockings filled and ready to set out,. Pies, meatballs and cheesy bacon and spinach dip made! Have to finish my chicken enchilada ring appetizer for the family appetizer competition tonight and pick up the fresh seafood to make seafood manicotti for tomorrow. Eggs boiled for deviled eggs. Having a very different Christmas dinner menu. No turkey or ham but making the manicotti and a meatless lasagna with meatballs on the side, salad with apples, cranberries and candied walnuts and fresh baked bread. So different for me! Church today at 3. D2 will leave after our service to go with her H to attend his church with his family and then to his parents for their Christmas celebration. I miss her not being with us on Christmas Eve. Everyone will gather here tomorrow morning to open gifts, have a light breakfast and then a larger meal around 1.Love it when everyone can gather here and spend the day.
Wishing everyone the very best of this Holiday season. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate.
On the road to NYC!
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate.
Well well well spending the day at the hospital with Mom. Amazing how plans can change in an instant. Wish I had made more of Christmas dinner in advance. But I think Christmas dinner will have to wait a few days because no one else is brave enough to tackle to $$$ rib roast I think I can talk H and older D through the brunch-making, though.
Older D woke me up at around 4 because Mom was calling for me. Mom thought she was having a heart attack. We called 911. Funny that at one point there were 9 people plus equipment in the tiny bedroom. Not a heart attack not a stroke. But one doc says heart and one says brain. She’s speaking clearly. Pain and lots of nausea.
People keep coming in and doing stuff. I wish she could get some sleep so I could!
Oh mp, Im so sorry to hear. Keeping your mom in my thoughts and prayers.
mp, sorry to hear about your mom; prayers for her recovery and rest for all.
oh mp, take care. What a difficult time! Maybe she came to be with you during her crisis rather than being alone.
Funny how life works.
Hugs Missy. I’m sorry this is happening but I’m glad she’s there with you!
Oregon, you and I think alike.
Inlaws have left, now time for a movie then to Canukistan in th morning 
Nice night! McSon loved his moog theramini and by god can he make beautiful spacey melodies with it!
Happy holidays and lotsa mojo for peace!