Kids slept til 7:45. DS woke me up asking can I go down stairs. I foggily said ...um ya....he asked, can I look at the presents....OH!! Just a minute. LOL!!
Hubby was thrilled we have a white Christmas....white pea soup FOG anyhow!!!
Kids loved their gifts. PS2 is being hooked up and Lucky the Wonder Puppy is a success. Chocolate has been consumed for breaky. Kinder surprise have been assembled.
I am finally having my coffee.
My head is not as congested. Not much to do today before 2pm. Cool.Going to the Sis with both sides of her family. I made a potato casserole. This has been the least I have ever done for the hols. Quite enjoyble.
Nice to see Carla and Ceejay. HUGS to all!!!
Trying to find Ruth's phone # and bug her!!!
Happy Boxing Day to those who are there already and Merry Christmas to those still celebrating Christmas Day. What a wonderful world. Meadow has snow, but Carla on the other side of Canada does not. Holly has fog. Here we have grey skies and with a bit of luck some rain later.
We had a nice day yesterday, lots of present giving. I think they were all happy with their lot. I'd bought K's wee boy a paddle pool and one of those neck to knee sun proof swimsuits with Thomas the Tak engine on the front. He didn't get into the pool yesterday but DS2 blew it up for him and he was excited by that. Then he went off to his fathers place and we all chatted and prepared breakfast until DB2 turned up with the bacon, eggs and chicken. I gave the niece and nephew their presents and they seemed very happy - the nephew got money and the niece got some dichroic glass jewellery and she seemed very excited with that - even though she works in a Jewellers shop. Hard to explain dichroic glass - it is a special glass with a black backing and some baked in bright primary colours - hers ranged from deep red to orange and lime green flashes. It sort of shimmers with light. I have a pair of earrings myself which sort of move between blue, green and gold lights.
I have a new perfume as well - White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor and some wine, soap, body lotion. These days all the soap and body lotion seem to be about food as well. DS1 sent me a book voucher so I can go find a book of my choice to while away the hours in Townsville. I can only hope that they have got a branch of the bookshop up there. Otherwise I may have to buy the thing here and take it back with me.
Teel, as explained on the phone yesterday, your Christmas wishes for the good folk of Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia have bourne fruit. They had rain down there over this last week and it was enough to put out the majority of the flames. However as we talked about, the danger is not over yet. Basically our forest fires are oil fires. Most of these trees are Eucalypts and full of oil. While the rain may have put out the external flames, many trees are still smouldering on the inside and will burst into flames again when the hot weather returns. According to DS1, it was still cold and wet in SA yesterday so their good luck is holding for the time being. These trees are great survivors. Many will live on despite the core of the trees being burnt out and in a couple of years, one will not know that the fire has been there - always supposing that we allow Mother Nature to repair the ravages and do not interfere with the ways of nature. The wildlife, is another matter.
I'm sorry we had to cut the conversation short, but I will ring you back later today. Not too much later or we'll be having our conversation while you drift off to sleep.
Holly - sorry to hear about the bug like state you find yourself in. Be still and quiet and maybe it will go away and live on someone else. Nice to hear that the Christmas gifts were a success. What a blessing to be able to sleep in on Christmas Day.
Ceejay - hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends. Are you in Paragould?
Carla - so nice of you to pop in with greetings from the temporary pad. I presume you have gone somewhere to work later on - or do you just book yourself into a motel to get away from the cats on Christmas Day? Oh Goody, got the new car. Well done. I'm not sure I have heard Flanders and Swann - I've sort of got hooked on Il Divo at the moment - but whoever they are, if they have the gift of cheering then they are okay by me. You know it really amuses me when I see these old blokes teetering along beside their versions of Barbie, many times it doesn't work out too well and they end up with small children (product of the biological clock on Barbies behalf) in the years where they thought they were done with all that. Then they get called 'the Grandfather' at the preschool/ kindy/ day care. That makes me giggle when they have to explain that they are actually the father!!! It gets even more amusing when Barbie decides that her career is VERY important to her and that he must stay home with the kids this year. Mind you I do feel for the children on these unions. Maybe it is my rotten sense of humour.
Meadow, thanks for the card. It was here waiting for me when I got home the other night. You are more organised than me - I haven't sent mine yet!!!
Happy, it threw me to see the postmark on my parcel. Took a while to sink in but I love the calendar. Thank you.
Mel - we will talk soon.
Wonder how Tig, PW, Rose and Linus got on over Christmas.
Better go do something, Can't waste this glorious day (looks like it will rain shortly )
Hello again. Just a little clarification - I'm not hiding from the cats in my motel, nor am I en route to work. I've been getting thru another xmas with my heavy-smoking, heavy-drinking, argumentative old stepmother. It goes much better now that I stay dry while with her, and would go even better if I didn't spend the time later in the motel trying to wash away the day's stress with lashings of 'grape juice'... As for the cats, I miss the little ruffians when I'm away. Meanwhile they're being spoiled rotten by my next-door neighbour, and my house is cleaner than it's been in months, in honour of said neighbour who has ridiculously high standards, and who I don't want to inflict the usual dust and chaos on. I am in fact enormously lucky in my neighbours - of the six units on the floor, I had invites I had to turn down from both my cat neighbour and another down the hall for xmas eve and xmas day! Why can I get on so well with these elderly ladies but not the egregious stepmother? A conundrum!
Holly, your life sounds so much calmer and more restful since you stopped the day care. A good choice, I think. Christmas morning witht he kids must have been so nice. The SM and I went to friends of hers (the only ones, in fact) for a nice turkey dinner. I was a good girl and did all the dishes, just waiting on my nomination for sainthood.
Mel, I hope you and the kids had a wonderfully restful time in your pj's, no disasters. I'm toying with the idea of looking for a small, not too expensive place to rent in NYC for a month some time this year, and have every intention of dropping in on you for a visit if there's some kind of public transit to get there and you're not too far away. You are forewarned. Be afraid, be very afraid. No dates set. Look after those eyes!!
Shad, Flanders and Swann were a British musical comedy team, now long deceased, but still as entertaining as ever. A few of their finest were the gnu (ga-nu) song, The English are Best, and The Gasman Cometh. If you look on the net you may well find them. Very clever and punny, only good for those with an English sense of humour and some knowledge of Britain in the 50's and 60's (ie the Profumo scandal, Lord Dennison...)
It's raining here in my part of the world, 5 degrees C. A very odd christmas indeed.
Madcat, I'll send you some valuable foot info later this week. Meanwhile, no walking barefoot, veen in the house. Weight makes PF worse, but you can beat it if you work at it, even without weight loss.
Had a lovely chat wiht Miss Ruth this morning. She was sitting amongst 24 empty champagne bottles after her annual Chirstmas Eve party. made my day to talk to her.
Shad your Christmas sounds fab. I saw that jewellery here at a craft show recently.Beautiful.
Home from the Sis's. A good day. Bil did a reading of the Grinch with character voices then we did a group karoake of Christmas songs. A good turkey dinner. Nice wine. Kids LOVED their gifts. The boys played guitar all aft...well...when their dad's weren't playing their guitars. DD got the cutest VERY pink bike. It is warm and raining so she went out riding. They are playing the new PS 2 til 10pm tonight.
Confirmed plans with my folks to take the kids there Jan 4&5 and then I will stay the rest of the weekendafter that with the kids. A nice break from home.
Hockey tournament starts tomorrow. Games at 2 & 6. And then Wed and Thurs. May go up to see hubby Bro and Sil and the cousins for a day or 2 after the tourny.
Nice not to clean up after a house full today!
MAMA MIA! CHRISTMAS IS NOT QUITE OVER YET. JEN HAS BEEN ILL AND IN BED FOR 2 DAYS NOW AND WE ARE DOING XMAS THIS AFTERNOON....... IT'S "TOM" AND HER FIBROIDS ACTING UP. I WILL BE GOING UPSTAIRS TODAY AT 10 AM. ****ATTENTION MISS JOY: CAN YOU PICK ANOTHER DAY? I WON'T BE HERE. I'LL LEAVE THE COMPUTER ON SO YOU GET AN ENGAGED SIGNAL AND WON'T GET CHARGED FOR THE CALL.... JUST IN CASE YOU TRY TO CALL BEFORE YOU COME HERE TO POST AND FIND THIS MESSAGE. SO SORRY BUT I DON'T WANT TO POSTPONE THE XMAS DINNER ANOTHER DAY. RICHIE BOUGHT ALL THE FOOD LAST NIGHT. IT'S PREPARED FROM A SPANISH BAKERY. TALK SOON.
I WILL SAY THAT I ENJOYED THE QUIET AND RAN INTO SOME RELATIVES OF THE SENIORS. I AM NOW RESPONSIBLE FOR NONE OF THEM. HOPEFULLY THEIR FAMILY WILL SEE TO THEIR NEEDS. OF COURSE THE USUAL FORMS AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES BUT I AM MUCH MORE FREE TO BE ME AS MARLO THOMAS WOULD SAY.
HAPPY TUESDAY!! HAPPY BOXING DAY!!!!
TEEL~ GOOD TO SEE YOU. GOT YOUR LOVELY CARD. VERY NICE STUFF YOU ARE DOING!! HAPPY BOXING DAY!
HOLLY~ WE'RE HAVING A BIT OF RAIN AND FOGGYISH WEATHER. WEIRD HUH? NOT QUITE SHORTS WEATHER BUT NOT FOR SLEDDING EITHER GET WELL SOON.
MADCAT~ HAPPY HOLS TO YOU ALSO. WHEN I SEE CATS IN THE STORE I THINK OF YOU!
CEEJAY~ HOPE YOUR HOLIDAYS WENT WELL. ARE YOU BACK AT WORK? HOW'S THE NEPHEW? THOUGHT ABOUT HIM TOO.
CARLA~ MY BF OF 5 YRS DID THE SAME THING. WRECKED EVERYTHING AND THEN LEFT....HE ACTUALLY SAID HE WANTED FOR US TO START OVER AND "SHE" DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING....THAT WAS AFTER HE FIRST TOLD ME I WAS IMAGINING EVERYTHING! WTF!!! DO MEN TAKE US FOR FOOLS? I WILL SAY THAT THE CHEATING WAS MORE PAINFUL THAN WHEN MY EX HIT ME AND WE GOT DIVORCED!! EMOTIONS.....VERY TRICKY THINGS!!!
I FIND I GET ALONG BETTER WITH MY COMPUTER THAN PEOPLE!! CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW CAR!!! GREAT CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO SELF!!! GLAD IT ALL CAME ABOUT FINALLY. NICE NEIGHBORS TOO!! GLAD THE KITTIES HAVE A LOVING PERSON WHILE YOU ARE AWAY.
PS: I AM AFRAID!! VERY AFRAID!!
I MUST GO AND SHOWER. RICHIE SAYS THE FIRST SHOWING OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS IS STARTING AT 10 AM SHARP!!! LOL LOVE TO ALL THE CHICKS.
I am super tired out. It is +3C and overcast here. Weak sun. I intended to go shopping. My Mom gave me a $100 Linens and Things gift card, yippee.
Had breaky, took a bath and felt punkier. DD woke up sick. I nursed her as best i could and went and laid down for 45 min. I need to make a cheese cake.I dont want to miss hockey. Not sure if DD should go. Hubby wants to go to both games today. he is working the the rest of the week ( I hope) and wont be able to go to the games.
Dishwasher to unload and laundry to fold and a load to do. I picked lots of the new toy packaging and mess yesterday. Still more laying about. My boys are engrossed in PS2. DD is laying on the couch watching.I wish I felt better. This is a full on, rotten cold. bah
Mom, Dad, sis and nephew are coming to the game at 2. Sis and nephew are going to the folks for a week. We live exactly 1/2 between their houses if you draw a straight line.
Need more meds, maybe, to clear my head a bit.
....that's all done!!!!
Last week , it was so warm, I had pine sap drip off a tree onto the front of my new shirt. I pretreated it and washed it , hung it dry, it is still there, pre treating again..........
Cheesecake is made. We will take 2 cars to the rink so DD and can I stay just for the game. She does not want to go at all but I really do. Sometimes I just need to get my way!!
Maing KD for lunch.Mel's meal sounds much yummier!!!!
I may be interupted several times before this is posted. The phone has been ringing itself off the hook. I've litteraly took the phone off the hook to where I could go to the bathroom.
Mel--Sorry to hear about Jen being sick. Hope she feels better soon. I need to call my sister in Missouri today and check on my nephew. I meant to call them yesterday but my sister in Tx called. I had the sweetest little conversation with my sister's 2 year old granddaughter. She calls me Grandma Nette, but thats alright.
Holly--Tell that cold to go away. Feel better soon.
Whew the phone is still quite. Every one must be eating lunch. I have the sewer truck out the operator has not called back.
Shad--Yes I did go to Paragould but I worked yesterday and I'm working today. The phone has rang more because the light office is closed today also.
Happy, if you don't have a 20% off coupon to go with your gift cert for Linens and Things, PM me your address and I'll send you one. (I have one good until Dec 30 - if you think that won't arrive in time, I'll just send off the next to arrive. I get a lot of them in the paper, especially this time of year, and could ask my neighbour for hers too. But if you want this one, PM toot sweet and I'll get it out in tomorrow's mail.)
My old car sold, for a little less than I wanted, but I'm very happy to have it all sorted out. Gorgeous young man coming to get it in the next hour in exchange for a small pile of cash. An annoying occurrence on the way back from the stepmother's: stopped at a service station to pee (and eat junkfood) and some punk keyed my new car. But I've decided that's life, I'll get it fixed, no need to dwell. And maybe in future I'll think twice before wasting time at Wendy's and Tim's. Ohmmm.....
My lovely cat-sitting neighbour's somewhat older husband had a minor heart attack over the weekend. The dear still looked after my furballs, and I have wine chilling to try to provide friendship and support when she gets home from the hospital. I don't know how serious it is, but he's a lovely person, as is she. (No late life kids or sudden returns to work, Shad. They're both wounded souls, and just bad luck that he got Parkinsons and now some heart problems.)
Shad, did Sunday get a visit with you, or is she permanently with whomever has temporary custody? Your story about the trophy wife thing fits a friend of mine very well. Married a man 24 years older than her (the first wife died conveniently during the illicit courtship - I suspect PTSD)). They had a son, Dad retired and became reluctant primary caregiver while Mom worked more and more. Delinquent 16-year old son has grade 4 education and serious alcohol/dope addictions, Dad's now a bit gaga, and mom has been schtupping the neighbour (a former friend's husband, also HER husband's good friend) for the last 7 years. Needless to say, our relationship has been a little strained since she announced her affair to me on my 50th birthday - couldn't understand why I didn't approve. One thing this taught me, however, is life is not black and white. I may disapprove, but somehow the friendship endures in all its tattered splendour, in spite of a million taboo subjects. Very confusing, but as my erstwhile shrink said, 'lighten up'.
I should run a poll: how many of you would rather not hear from me at all than read my whiny, bad-news posts? (Please don't send me away. Please, please!!!) My new year's res will be to eat less and stop being so negative. I promise!!
If you go away, I may very well come over and fix you!!!! Don't make me come back there!!!!! I will be stopping off at LindaT's (who seems to have gone away from the journals) place and pick up the prod to use. Speaking of the prod, some race horse trainer got done for using a cattle prod on a horse over here. She got fined and banned from the race courses and her licence to train got stopped. Wonder what they will ban me from if I prod a Canadian?
***Snork***
Warm and fuzzies indeed.
Actually it is a bit cool over here. I've resorted to a jumper this afternoon - I was frozen when I got back from picking up the DS1's Chrissie pressie and posting it to him today. He should get it tomorrow. Hope it suits.
Not much going on here. I've been very quiet and very sleepy for some reason. A bit of downtime going on. Oh yes it is raining as well. Been drizzling for 2 days. Made not a skerrik of difference to the dams around the place or the garden. Only soaked in an inch or so. The ground is so dry and hard. According to the boffins we need 50ml of steady rain to induce runoff into the dams. According to the gospel of St Joy, it could rain like this for 40 days and nights, there will be no ark building around here and the dams won't rise until such time as the ground is good and soaked and that won't be for a long while. Still it is nice to see the rain, even if it is cool.
Holly - glad to hear that Ruthxxx is getting along with her 24 Champagne bottles - what else would they be but empty?
Enjoy the gift voucher. Carla is again confused - but it will be a Happy Holly who gets the vouchers I guess.
Ceejay - sorry you have to work so hard over this time. But then you don't get the same public holidays as we do, so for some it is back to work immediately after Christmas day.
Carla - such boneheads, don't they have anything else to do but to destroy folks property. What a bunch of dropkicks. Jeez they make me cross. My thoughts are with your lovely neighbours. What treasures. Aye, we have to do a Nelson (blind eye) on some of the things our friends and neighbours get up to. Even I have to live in close proximity to the tfg and refrain from braining him every 30 seconds I have to look at his pratty face. It's all part of life and growing up and I'm a firm believer in staying calm and getting even. My day will come. All that sort of thing.
Mel, so sorry to hear of Jen's sad Christmas. My love to her. We can try again. I don't go home before the 5th. So when you have time, ring me. We'll sort out the ramifications during the conversation. I'm always around at 5.30 to 6.00am (your 3 or 4 pm.) - let's face it, most of my family and friends figure that time has not yet begun at that hour.
I'm thinking of my usual Christmas letter since I didn't get the cards away. The reason this came about is because today in the post, I got a card and letter from Happy2bme and also one from Mel. I got one from Meadow earlier. All these organised folk. Bah humbug.
Still thinking....... thinking........ thinking. Okay all that thinking has tired me out. Time for a drink and a nanna nap. But I had better get it started tonight or tomorrow, otherwise it won't get anywhere before New Year. So I'd better go get the dishes out of the way and start being serious.
I HAVE BEEN SITTING HERE LAUGHING MY FOOL HEAD OFF AT CARLA!! WTF!! A POLL!!! ARE YOU NUTS??? YOU MAKE MY DAY WOMAN....WHATEVER WOULD I DO WITHOUT THE CYNICISM??? IT MATCHES MINE SO PERFECTLY!!! IF YOU LEFT I WOULD HAVE TO LET JOY AND LINDAT OUT OF THE HENHOUSE WITH THE PROD AND WE'D ALL END UP IN JAIL!!
SO IT'S YOUR TURN TO BE AFRAID...BE VERY AFRAID!!! YOU KNOW CARLA I CAN SO RELATE TO EVERYTHING YOU SAY. I'VE EITHER BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT OR SOMEONE VERY CLOSE TO ME HAS. ON THIS THREAD WE ARE ALL SISTERS UNDER THE SKIN. ABOVE THE SKIN WE ARE JUST A BUNCH OF NUTTERS WHO WANDERED INTO THE SAME FORUM! YOU BELONG HERE MORE THAN YOU KNOW!! ON A SERIOUS NOTE: I AM SO VERY SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THE FRIEND'S HUBBY HAVING THE ATTACK. HOPE ALL GOES WELL AND WILL SEND GOOD THOUGHTS HIS WAY.
ALSO SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THE CAR/KEY THING. I ALSO HAVE BEEN TRYING TO "ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES" MORE NOW. TRYING TO GET JEN AND RICHIE TO SEE THE LIGHT ALSO. LIFE IS JUST TO SHORT TO LOSE MY HEAD OVER THE CHIT OF DAY TO DAY LIVING. THE WORLD HAS CHANGED SO MUCH IN THE LAST FEW YEARS THAT I HARDLY RECOGNIZE IT. SO GOOD FOR YOU IN LETTING IT GO. OF COURSE IF YOU WOULD HAVE CAUGHT HIM REDHANDED I WOULD HAVE BELTED THE CRAP OUT OF HIM WITH YOU!!! NO TURNING THE OTHER CHEEK IN THAT CASE!!!
CEEJAY~ HOPE THE PHONES STAY QUIET AND THOSE CALLERS FIND BETTER THINGS TO DO WITH THEIR TIME.....LIKE PAYING THEIR BILLS!! WISHING THE NEPHEW WELL. GLAD YOU HAD SUCH A GOOD CALL AND THE NAME IS TOO CUTE AND FUNNY!! I LOVE CHILDREN'S MINDS! GRANDMA NETTE.... REMINDS ME..........
THERE WAS A BOY I USED TO READ TO EVERY DAY FOR SEVERAL SUMMERS. HE VISITED HIS GRANDPARENTS SO HIS PARENTS COULD WORK. HE WOULD MISTAKENLY CALL ME NANA OR NAN WHILE WE WOULD READ AND ALL THE LADIES WOULD LAUGH. THOSE WERE GREAT DAYS OUT IN THE BACKYARD.
HOLLY~ SOMETIME A MOM'S GOTTA DO WHAT A MOM'S GOTTA DO. HOPE THE GAME WAS A GOOD ONE. ENJOY THE GIFT CARD. I LOVE LINENS&THINGS. WE HAVE LOTDS OF COUPONS DOWN HERE TOO. WONDER IF THEY WOULD TAKE ONE FROM THE STATES HAVE FUN. HOPE THE DD IS FEELING BETTER AS WELL YOURSELF TOO! ((((HUGS)))) BACK TO YOU
SHAD~ WILL TRY LATER!! ROFLMAO
IT REALLY IS A STRANGE YEARS END. EVEN JAMES BROWN DIED ON CHRISTMAS. GEEZ I KNOW I SHOULDN'T LAUGH ABOUT IT BUT IT IS SO IRONIC THAT WE CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF CHRIST AND HE OF BAD BOY RENOWN DIES ON THAT DAY. I WAS SO SHOCKED I HAD TO READ IT TWICE! WE ATE AND WATCHED TV AND SLEPT. FOOD WAS GOOD BUT I ATE VERY SMALL PORTIONS. JUST NOT WANTING THE REOCCURANCE OF MY THANKSGIVING PIGOUT. GOT UP LATE TODAY AND NEED TO GO FIND SOME SUSTENENCE!! STOMACH IS GROWLING!!
HAPPY WEDNESDAY!
