hmmm . . . getting seriously close to Christmas.

Did some online Christmas shopping - at last. Thanks for Amazon for those of us who dawdle. I'm lucky enough to have grown kids who submit their Christmas want lists with Amazon links attached, LOL.

I pulled myself together and did all my Christmas present wrapping last night. Spent a nice couple of hours listening to Christmas music, crying, (choirs make me cry - weird ) and wrapping.

Since the people we celebrate with are all adults the gift orgy has lessened considerably. We also pick a name (for the Christmas eve crew) and give one gift each that night.

The Estonians celebrate on Christmas eve so that's been handy for DH and myself - no arguments about whose family we'll be with. Three Christmas dinners though - tricky! Lots of protein and veggies for me and I'll have to go sit in the living room once the desserts are put on the table. I find I can stay away from them if they're not right in my face.

Bill I too provided links to all the gifts on my wish list. No confusion that way. And online shopping is still miraculous for me. I had to brave the mall yesterday for some last minute items and found it very tiresome. Much nicer to shop in my bathrobe, with a cup of tea and a credit card

So we are getting the tree today and, after bringing it in and decorating it next Sunday, I'm all set.

I'm looking forward to taking my niece Katrin to make a gingerbread house next Sunday. She is the one child (she's 8) I'm spending any time with and I really like that I'm doing something with her, rather than just handing over a gift. I hope I can get my phone camera figured out before then .

Yoga time!

Have a great Monday all!

Dagmar

Good morning everyone. Wow, it is cold here! It is 19 outside and currently 53 in my office...

Bill - my mother asks for wishlists these days, makes it easier for her to shop.

Dagmar - Christmas scheduling is tough for me, too.

Have a good day everyone!

Good morning all.

Dagmar, you've reminded me that I have some CDs of Russian choral music lying around that I ought to take out to the car to play during my morning commute. I like to listen to it around Christmas though particularly around Easter. I cry, too, and I know why: Because the voices are achingly lovely, because there is something transcendent about hearing them, so that I feel that I am witnessing souls leaving bodies for the afterlife. (Maybe movie soundtracks have conditioned me to believe this.)

For me, this is the week when Christmas parties again. My apartment building will have a big one Wednesday night, probably with 80 people or even more. I'm bringing a veggie platter & hummus. I'm nervous about the food, but more excited to be able to pull out a nice dress.

I'll be interested to see if one particular neighbor attends. I do not think she will. Three weeks ago, there was a sad accident in our village: A woman crossing the street was hit by a van, which then backed up over her, and sped off. Imagine my surprise upon reading the news online to find that the driver of the van is one of my neighbors, an 85-year-old woman with a Subaru Outback. What's interesting is my stereotypical outrage upon reading the article ("An 85 year old woman! They ought to re-test elderly drivers periodically! The streets aren't safe!") turned to sorrow. My neighbor is small, gentle & half-deaf. Her life, such that remains to her, will never be the same again.

Thankfully I have only one Christmas party this year. We've decided to scrap the office Christmas lunch as we usually have it on Christmas eve and we're taking that day off this year. We've been invited to a New Year's party but will not go to that (I really dislike going out on NYE because of all the craziness).

I've been formulating some New Year's resolutions and had a revelation--why wait for New Years? Why not give myself a Christmas present instead? Better yet, why not give myself an EARLY Christmas present? So as soon as I've gotten over this cold, I'll get right to it!

We went to Harry Potter and while I enjoyed the movie, having a cold didn't make the rest of it enjoyable. I sucked on cough drops the entire show and you can imagine how my mouth felt afterward. I still ended up stifling two coughing attacks during the movie that put me in tears. Oh, how I hate this kind of cold. During the night I got up a couple times with cough attacks again, but right after midnight I felt the tickle leave! I slept pretty well after that and haven't suffered another attack yet today. I hope the tickle has left for good!

Allison - sounds like a fairly miserable weekend. Sorry you aren't feeling well!

Saef - that is so sad about your neighbor. I'm sorry.

Bill, ah, technology! Online shopping is the best, especially when it comes with free shipping.

Dagmar, that sounds like it will be a fun time with your niece. Have you done the Build A Bear thing? Always wanted to do that with my DGD.

Shannon, brrr! Time for a space heater?

saef, that's so sad about your neighbor. Did the woman she hit survive? People have survived worse, so I hope so.

Allison, good idea about pre-new year's resolutions. Glad your cold is getting better. One year I was really ill at Christmas and New Year's--not fun at all.

So does anyone know how to hard boil eggs so that the yolk doesn't turn that grey-green color AND the shell peels easily? I've tried several different methods and still can't find that perfect balance.

We do a make it, bake it, read it or eat it Christmas so I've been busy sewing totes, making tile trivets, and I'll start baking soon. This year, I told my DH that he was going to sit in the kitchen while I bake. I just can't control my sweet tooth, but I'm not giving up baking. Plan to weigh-in at Weight Watchers on Thurs. and check out their new program. I'm a lifetime member, but I haven't weighed in for over a year. Still under goal, but really want to get off more and maybe their new plan will help.

Happy Monday, all!

No, Sheila, the woman died. Another car following close behind my neighbor's Subaru also ran over her. (That driver stopped & basically collapsed over what she thought she'd done.)

My poor neighbor kept driving. I wish she hadn't. (I got hit by a car myself this past April, in the same village but in a different location, so maybe that's why this story resonates with me.) But who knows what sorts of things people do when they panic?

I would hope I'd have the grace to stop & face what I'd done & all its consequences.

Anyway, that's going to be the elephant in the room at the building Christmas party on Wednesday night.

Good morning (or afternoon) everyone!

Crazy busy week for me (aren't they all?!)
Dh is in Brazil, I leave Friday for Texas (will miss dh as he comes back Friday) for my graduation and to see my inlaws and friends. I have so much to do before I leave--- I need to do Christmas cards, SHOP, mail said gifts that I buy-- it is never going to happen-- panic is setting in.... Oy!

Love Amazon too Bill! The UPS guy is at my house almost daily. It is an addiction.

Sorry you haven't been well Allison but hope the cold is on its way out.

That is sad about your neighbor Saef.

Shannon-- 53 in your office? I would die!! I am FREEZING and it is 70 in my office. I'm going to get some hot tea!

Dagmar-- I need to wrap! No time!!

Sheila-- I think you'll LOVE the new WW plan. It is great and all of the members (or at least most of them) are loving it and seeing great results. Let me know what you think after your meeting. I worked 4 meetings on Saturday (I don't usually work Saturday) and my regular 2 on Sunday which could explain why I didn't get much done this weekend!

Sheila: re hard-boiled eggs. The eggs should be at room temperature to start. I put them in cold water on the cooker, bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer for 7 mins. Remove from heat, tip away water and put the pan and eggs under a cold running tap until they're cold.

HTH.

Saef~I hadn't read that about your neighbor. That is so sad. That said, my Dad at age 88 is still driving and I wish he weren't. He's lost eyesight in one eye and his reflexes just aren't what they used to be. Thankfully the only thing he's hit so far is my Mom's car. Why they keep both cars is beyond me. Mom will never drive again and they both know it.

Sheila~to get your eggs to peel easier do not use fresh eggs. Use the dozen you've had in your fridge for a week or more. The fresher they are the more difficult they are to peel. As for cooking, I start with cold water, bring to a boil and turn off the water and let them cool to room temperature or about 20 minutes before running cold water on them.

So my cold is on the mend. I haven't had an attack all day, but I still have a bit of a cough. I'm glad the worst of it is over.

I got some of my Christmas wrapping done yesterday but am STILL waiting on some items to arrive. I did order a lot online, and yes, Amazon is a lifesaver! One order I got today was picked wrong. I ordered a t-shirt and matching pajama bottoms for DD and I got two t-shirts. I have doubts that the correct item will arrive in time for Christmas. Thankfully she'll be staying for 6 weeks, so she'll get them as soon as they arrive.

The grown up version of drawing circles around the wanted toys in the Toys R Us Big Book

My mother insists that she doesn't want anything. Which isn't true, she just can't give an answer to that question when suddenly put on the spot. What that means is that, knowing her as I do, I watch her carefully throughout the rest of the year & listen for the times she says she wants something or wishes she had something or looks with big eyes at something.

I've shopped almost exclusively online this year. It's hard to believe how many things I got through eBay. Well, no, actually, it's not hard to believe, if you know that my mother & I share a passion for antiques & vintage items.

So yes, I'm watching a bunch of sellers' tracking numbers anxiously to see whether items will be delivered on time.

Also I've got to figure out how to gift wrap a big heavy fragile oval antique mirror. Or rather, accept that some gifts are unwrappable. I think I'm going to hide it in a closet during her visit & just put it out late, with a red bow loosely tied around it.

It's winter for real here . I got home from work yesterday afternoon and felt totally drained. We had 70K winds at the beach and the high for the day was around minus 11C. I have learned to physically deal with days like that but this is going to go on all week. Psychologically it's hard to go out there day after day.

The dogs help. They (most of them anyway) are all cheerful and energetic and happy to be out in the world.

The cats are hibernating. Mishi tried to go out this morning but the wind blew him sideways off the steps. He's still painfully thin but he's started eating with a vengeance. Right now he's polishing off Mudpie's wet food while she looks on in disgust.

I'd better get to the weights and then start psyching myself to go out there and roll out our garbage bins. Those will no doubt be blown all over the neighbourhood so I'll have to get in and out of the car today to clear them off the roads as I work.

I'm really, really looking forward to retirement (only 17 years to go) in a place where it never snows.

Dagmar

Dagmar - Ouch for some rough working conditions, but with enthusiastic companions. However bad it was, I'm still pondering what you intended to type for "We had 70K winds at the beach" LOL.