<p>Oh ouch KHS. To your H: Repeat after me - <em>no more power tools</em></p>
<p>MissyP - sorry things are depressing, hugs to you.</p>
<p>DTE - small victories are victories nonetheless. Here’s to victories (small and large) and <em>happiness</em></p>
<p>DTE - everything you accomplish is a victory, and given the year yours are medal worthy. I am in awe to be honest. </p>
<p>Missy - We don’t often think when you have a larger group behind you that one client not paying their bill would affect someone else so unfairly. Something just not right about it in my mind.</p>
<p>Way back when during the depression, my H’s great grandfather was an attorney and a client didn’t have the cash to pay his bill. I am not really sure when people could just start saying, I can’t pay my bill let me claim bankruptcy and restructure but in any event, this client gave my H’s ggrandfather one of his stone and gravel plants as payment. I think the GG was just happy to get what he could due to the state of the country. BUT… As the legal business dried up, all those new deal building projects were coming thru. Who knew that this small business would hold the family up thru some really lean times, so much so that he never went back to being an attorney full time again. It’s one those “you never know what road you’re on until you get there” stories.</p>
<p>I went to whole foods AND cub today - spent the same amount of money at both. At whole foods I left with 3 bags. At Cub (big time grocery) I left with nearly 8. Go figure. But here’s the good news: D25 pulled into the driveway and I kid you not, 20 minutes later it started snowing HUGE buckets. We’re slated for 12-18 inches. I just cannot believe how perfect her timing was. And they didn’t run into even a smidgen of bad weather for the entire 9-10 hour drive. Amazing. And I have enough food in this house that I won’t have to go anywhere until I decide I want to! Heaven. D bf’s mom even sent a ton of cookies - snickerdoodles! and buckeyes (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate) among others, so Santa is hooked up as well. PLUS!! She got her grades - 3.6! I know there are a lot of perfect scores out there, but this is the best this kid has done in her life! She is beyond beaming with pride at a job well done - and deservedly so. I actually got a little choked up! And H is ticked at S’s C. I didn’t think he was phased until S did something else bone-headed and H was in Kitchen sink meltdown. </p>
<p>I am beat! And yes, I know exactly what you mean when the expectation is happy happy happy… and well, it’s just hard to measure up with our own expectations, as well as everyone elses. Sometimes I cry just to get the balance back and it has nothing to do with sappy commercials.</p>
<p>modadunn–I’m glad your D made it home before the snow. I just finished watching the news and thought of our northern CC posters. 3.6 is awesome! As someone said earlier, anytime we know they are doing their best, it’s good! We don’t have a Cub here, but I do remember the great prices when I lived near one. I do buy my baking supplies at Aldi and am always stunned. I always intend to go there more regularly, but it happens to be the farthest grocery from my house or office. </p>
<p>I’m pushing myself to get the last stuff done tonight so I can relax tomorrow. I’m looking forward to Sunday as we have another family party on Saturday.</p>
<p>And DTE, I always admire your attitude. Your beautiful spirit comes through always.</p>
<p>DTE - you’re the best!
I’d like to raise a virtual glass to all my friends on CC! Missypie and others, you can partake as well! Goodnight!</p>
<p>Oh my–I knew things were going too well for S and his wisdom teeth removal. Long story short, hopefully, he is just having a reaction to his antinausea meds. His tongue was curling and he was shaking and I was “momming”–which in my case means getting my H’s attention(physician) as he easily thinks I am overeacting. Anyway, he is on Benadryl and I am up for at least 3 more hours to make sure he does not need another dose and H is asleep. The dentist thinks we are…nuts? overeacting? I don’t know but it has been years since I have felt the need to be a mother bear. I told H, as I said goodnight, that if I woke him to tell him that we are headed to the ER, well, he could come or not. And for the record, I was the one who suggested it was the meds causing this. Ok, breathe. I guess I WILL get the gifts wrapped tonight after all.
Sincerely happy for those of you cosy in bed and happy with your house full.</p>
<p>I’m still up too Oregon101. I sure do hope you have it under control. Just a tad bit scarey eh?
I hope you have a totally boring night wrapping presents with no trips to the ER. Grr I hate it when they treat you like an hysterical woman. I have been VERY ill several times when it has been poo-pooed by the docs. I have learned to be very proactive, as it sounds you are Oregon. Let us know in the morning. We’ll be thinking of you.</p>
<p>I have finsihed my wrapping and the writing of <em>clues</em> - a holiday tradition begun by my mother. But everyone enjoys it and I think S will continue the tradition when he has a family. It can make for some amusement while one tries to guess what is in the package. My mother provided very elaborate clues that were poems. We have kind of shortcutted that, but the clues can be silly and it is a lot of fun. I have to say it looks embarrassingly plentiful under the tree. Most are small gifts, but I can’t help but think of those who will be lucky to get even one gift.</p>
<p>Tomorrow, it is time to clean this wreck of a house and to cook our Christmas dinner (I have been cooking it on Christmas Eve because we are invited out every year to our neighbor’s for dinner and gift exchanging on Christmas. So I do the dinner the night before - so I can have leftovers! and make a turkey soup)</p>
<p>I hate house cleaning, but it is way time. Family coming Tuesday after Christmas so I need to get a jump on the heavy duty cleaning that is unfortunately necessary.</p>
<p>But for now I am having a nice little glass of single malt while I fold laundry before I turn in. Cheers everyone!</p>
<p>Oregon101 hope the night was uneventful.</p>
<p>Went in early to work so that I can leave early. </p>
<p>House is clean. Already put one load of laundry in before leaving this morning. </p>
<p>Once I get home I’ll make the mac & cheese and make the cinnamon rolls for tomorrow morning. The go in the fridge overnight which makes them easy to do in the morning. All presents are wrapped but still need to put them under the tree. Hopefully I can get everything done before H returns with MIL. It’s easier to get things done without her there. </p>
<p>Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you all have a great holiday.</p>
<p>Oregon101, I hope your son is better this morning. Sounds scary. I enjoyed the gravel business story. I never realized how much work people put into Christmas. It sounds like you all mostly enjoy it, but I can see why people would find it stressful. </p>
<p>H and S watched the Ole Miss/WVU basketball game on TV together last night and it was fun to hear them both shouting non-stop at the TV. This is the first year H hasn’t had a team to coach and he misses it but having his son home to watch sports with him is the next best thing. I’ve been going through a lot of books lately so need to duck out to the library today before they close.</p>
<p>Have a good holiday everybody.</p>
<p>D changed her plans and took the bus home after her final yesterday. Yea, she’s home! </p>
<p>To KH, Missy and anyone else who is having a “down” time right now, I am thinking of you and sending positive thoughts that things will soon improve. </p>
<p>DTE-Awesome!</p>
<p>Happy Holidays to all.</p>
<p>RM - congrats on your S’s Cornell Law acceptance! that is huge!</p>
<p>khsstiches - I hope your H is recovering and I completely understand your venting. when H had his tonsils out a few years ago, he was such a miserable patient, I finally called his mother and said “this is your job! you should have had this done when he was 6!!” since I had to leave on a business trip, she actually came and nursed him! when the tables were turned and I was in a minor car accident while he was out of town, he rushed home and then spent most of his time on the phone telling people how he had rushed home to care for me, all the while doing pretty much NOTHING!</p>
<p>DTE - you are an inspiration to all of us. </p>
<p>missypie - sorry for such glum days just before Christmas. I’m glad you have the happy little 14 year old. she’s like my 16 year old - she still skips around the house and sings to herself :)</p>
<p>oregon101 - sometimes that old mother bear instinct just kicks in, doesn’t it? I really hope your S is on the mend. (and that the dentist and your H are appropriately chagrined for not taking your concerns seriously.)</p>
<p>I am enjoying living vicariously through all your Christmas preparations. I converted to Judaism many years ago, but having celebrated Christmas for all those years, your stories warm my heart. I wish you all safe travels, wonderful celebrations with friends and family, and a few quiet minutes for yourselves. you are all such generous, caring, devoted parents - {{{hugs}}} to all of you.</p>
<p>Missypie, hang in there. This year has had many disappointments for me but I remind myself: I have a family I love; they love me; I have my health; my family has theirs. I have a roof over my head and food to eat. I am making 25% less than I used to and spending more on commuting expenses, but I have a job. I agree it’s especially hard to face so much adversity when this is supposed to be such a happy time of year. That’s what cookies are for. Sugar rush to lift your spirits. Christmas music will do that too! </p>
<p>A happy holiday to all. My house still doesn’t look like Missypie’s or Martha Stewart’s but hey, that’s life!</p>
<p>OK, I have a few minutes before I leave for work, so I’ll add. This thread moves so quickly that I seem to miss things.</p>
<p>RM- Cornell Law School-that’s great! Congrats to S.</p>
<p>Oregon101-I must have missed the first part, but it looks as if you are the one whose S had the wisdom teeth issue? I sure hope he’s feeling better. </p>
<p>Christmas Eve and I’m still not caught up. With D home the other tree will get decorated, and that’s about it. It is what it is. H & I are working today, but my office closes at 12:30, so it’s not bad. Also, H reports that traffic is very light so that’s a gift in inself.</p>
<p>I feel like a 5 year old “look what I did!” I hope all the wisdom teeth issues sort out. Trust me be proactive you are not being an overprotective mom, nobody knows your child like you do. I hope everyone gets home safe. and despite the economy enjoys their holiday to best of their ability.
Anyone deal with this? D1 has been getting crank calls, it is terifying my younger D who will not stay home by herself. I just heard about it. I think they wanted to protect me. So do you call the cell phone company or police? I guess she just put something on her phone to get the number even if its blocked. She thinks its someone from HS.
Missypie my H also a lawyer says his business is down 25 percent, it stinks when you do the work and dont get paid. not your fault. that happens with him to. Maybe we can all go shopping and “pay” them later. Dont want to end on a bad note -so all have a joyous holiday, you have been a blessing to me.</p>
<p>DTE, a few years back we got several crank calls that irritated us. It was a high school kid who borrowed a friend’s cell phone to make these calls when on week-end sleepovers, thinking this was a fun activity. Anyway, we called the police and learned a few things about the process. First, it was important to actually tell the person (who was saying obscene things), DO NOT CALL. Apparently, you have little case if you haven’t made that request clear no matter how absurd that sounds. The police can have the phone company trace the caller even if the number has been blocked. However, I will say getting an actual arrest turned out to be next to impossible. Our solution was to tell our high school son that we had called the police, had been told the number could be traced, and we intended to prosecute whoever it was to the fullest if the behavior continued. He told a friend, which as desired started the gossip chain going so everybody in the school knew it. That was sufficient to convince the perpetrator it wasn’t worth the risk and the behavior stopped. I would have called the kid’s parents but really it was an entire group who was responsible.</p>
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<p>I LOVE it that you actually called your H’s mother. I can’t tell you how many times in these 20 years I’ve wanted to call H’s mother and blame her for the behavior du jour (Of course, with the son I have, I’d be sure to get it back in spades!)</p>
<p>It’s not that the firm will be mean to me when it cuts my pay. I deserve it. There are lawyers who have had fantastic years (e.g. bankruptcy) and they deserve a big raise. When you have a horrific year, you’re happy to have your job. A friend who has moved around firms a lot more than me had the same type of year and he’ll be unemployed after 12/31. Staying in one place for 25 years builds good will, for which I am grateful.</p>
<p>I hope that all of you and your families up north have safe travels. It is finally going to get colder here, for which even this always cold thyroid patient is grateful. Yesterday it was overcast and humid and 71…one of those days where your hair looks like Roseannroseannanndanna, no matter how long you use the Chi.</p>
<p>The only gifts left to be wrapped are the ones that Son is giving. I keep telling him that I’m not doing it for him - he can at least put them in a gift bag and stuff some tissue paper in the bag. Future MIL, I’m trying!</p>
<p>LOVED the calling the MIL. I can only envision it. However, I have to give H some credit this morning for sure. He had done two loads of laundry and actually was cleaning the laundru room’s counters etc! So… despite the fact that she cut off the crusts off perfect sandwiches and always has a treat stored just special for him, she did pretty well at making him relatively self-sufficient. If my MIL passes away before my FIL, however, he will definitely starve and not have a clue how to turn on the washing machine.</p>
<p>I woke up this morning and was putting on my robe when I noted that the cat has apparently been sick on the bottom of our bed on my BRAND NEW DRY CLEAN ONLY down comforter. I am beyond ticked and will try to spot clean it, but seriously, we’ve had the thing less than a week and the cat has NEVER thrown up before. GRRR.</p>
<p>S is sick… goes in waves but achy, chills, sweats… sounds like a flu, but technically, he’s already had the swine. </p>
<p>Roseannroseannanndanna <— actually had to cut and paste, but I laughed so loud out loud that my husband was like, “what’s wrong?”</p>
<p>opened up my email to find a notice from Harry and David saying the bakery gift basket I was sending to siblings and siblings in law was out of stock and they had merely replaced it with a tower of other crap that included smoked salmon!! So… where do you get that if you’re sending Balavia it’s easily replaced by Salmon? I simply don’t get it.</p>
<p>Moda, sorry to hear your S is sick. We decided our cat was going to become an outdoor cat last August. Best decision we ever made. He isn’t happy with all this snow but had plenty of time to develop a very thick fur coat and actually looks better than ever. I love not have the hair and messes. </p>
<p>I have to ask. What is Balavia? I Googled it and came up with a country.</p>
<p>oops sorry… baklava. Typos happen. :)</p>
<p>The entire fam - sans me - is out shoveling our driveway. All the neighbors WERE out with their snowblowers but they are long done. H says, he doesn’t need “Fancy technology” to get the job done. Since when is a snowblower technology? I would love to get him one and once I did I am sure he’d love it. Still…everyone’s driveways and walks are perfectly trimmed while we look like the clampets with a 4 foot wall of snow down either side of the drive.</p>
<p>TheAnalyst, great solution on the crank caller.</p>
<p>Modadunn, “dry clean only” down comforters can be washed; I do it all the time. Use cold water and gentle soap, and go real easy on the soap. Give it a second and third spin cycle if your washing machine has that feature. Then be prepared for it to take at least two full dryer cycles, probably three. The issue with washing down is that soap breaks down the oils in the feathers that keep them fluffy – but I wash mine frequently with Cheer Free and haven’t had any trouble with them. I’d hate to have something dry cleaned on my bed. :p</p>
<p>kh – Hang in there, sweetie. Men in pain are big babies; I think that’s why God made us the childbearers! Don’t know about the rest of you, but when I’m sick or recovering from something, all I want is to be left alone.</p>
<p>dte, look what you did indeed! Your strength and attitude are inspiring. Good luck with the crank calls – they’re probably no real threat, but always-always good to follow up with the authorities and make sure.</p>
<p>missypie, so so sorry about the welshing clients and the pay cut. I hope next year is better, starting with those clients making good on what they owe. Please enjoy your Christmas without guilt; what you have, you earned. And any possible injustice will no doubt be balanced through MIL penance. ;)</p>
<p>Everyone – Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season’s Greetings, (greeting of your choice here), and a hearty Welcome Home to your awesome kids!</p>
<p>Our neighbor just called. They have 12 people coming for dinner tonight and their oven just broke, so their entire dinner is on its way over to our house. My oven isn’t even clean, so kind of embarrassing. Our oven should be available for the next few hours but I will need it beginning about 3:00. Their upstairs heater broke yesterday and they had the HVAC truck stuck in their driveway, so sounds like they are having a stressful holiday so far.</p>