10:30-11

11-12

 

after warren & debbie leave:

done about half my 11-12 list.  taking a dorito break (now THAT should make me more tired).  before i come back at 12 i will:

 

vac playroom

vac FR/offices

mop offices (don't care about laundry room)

move the cookie plate to top of stove

move c's tubs to garage (erik's room too full)

move purple tub to attic

move b's stuff to erik's room (put on bed)

sng to erik's room

 

hopefully by 12:30 i can also get the gifts wrapped and beef stew laid out to thaw so i can rest for awhile.

vacuumed playroom and offices

not mopping - i don't care enough and the floor down here looks okay from me handwashing it last week.

moved cookie dish

 

i decided to lie down.  sometime before i get the kids i will definitely move the stuff that needs to be moved, but i may push the wrapping 'til later and let scott do it.

 

going to lay out the beef stew and go lie down for a bit

You're doing so well!

 

I'm a mess here. Having a major fight with dh, told him about the present and I'll be returning it. Looking like Christmas will be a tad messed up and it's really ticking me off.

 

augh.

 

Timmy is asleep in my arms, Delaney is doing a puzzle and Emily is playing, waiting fo rher friend to get back so she can go over to her house. I've somewhat neglected the kids and that's ticking me off too. augh

 

I need to walk away from the computer and distract myself with something else.

 

First, I'm going to make a quick list of things that I'd like to do in the next 2 days (realistically.)

 

-make gingerbread cookies (find good recipe, make dough, chill, cook and decorate some)

-clean dr and kitchen

-maintain upstairs and main floor

-go to grocery store to get fruit for stockings and any other things I may  need

-Costco?

-shopping- my mom, Becky, Em and Delaney

-make oranges and cloves?

-go through fridge and make sure there aren't any yucky things that will be really nice and ripe when we come back on the 27th

-put cheques in bank

-wrap kids' gifts

-find receipts for Andrew's stuff

-cut up fudge

-make these lemon cookies? (that's an iffy) or bake something else like cookies or muffins

-put together banana dessert (take cool whip out of freezer, make cream cheese bottom, pudding part, bring bananas)

-pack for my parents (clothes, other, gifts)

-put away all laundry

-have pancake stuff ready for Christmas morning

-get to bed before 11 Christmas Eve!!

awww i'm so sorry about your fight and your gift surprise being ruined!  christmas is such a stressful time.  i hope it works out.  you guys have been doing so well. 

 

my house is freezing.  i napped but not comfortable.  i was cold and my elbows did that thing again.  i tried to figure out what's causing it - maybe hyperextending my arms.  when i woke up in pain they were straight but it hurt to bend them too.

 

ahh well.

 

i seem to be releasing a lot of perfectionism.  i'm not all christmasy spirit-y but also not down (just glimpses of being down because of knowing it doesn't last).  but i've been stopping short of going overboard on the house because i don't care, but not in a depressed "i don't care" sort of way.  just in a "i don't need to have perfection what i have is good enough" sort of way.  not sure why.  anyway it's making it easier to get things done without killing myself.

 

going to look at my list.  omg i'm freezing and i know the house didn't change, it had to be my inner temp from napping or something

Man, that's weird about your elbows! Hope you warm up soon! Woohoo on letting go of perfectionism!

 

I'm back from Costco. We needed to get out and I needed to do SOMETHING. So, i got some snacky supper foods for tomorrow night, milk and we had samples. The roads are getting really bad out there and it's so busy. Plus, because I usually do in town driving with the van, I got to experience some really bad steering wheel shaking once I got up to 90kmh. Soo, likely wheel bearings or something and that'll be a nice cost next week if I can get it in there. Not sure what I'll do about driving to my parents for Christmas but it definitely doesn't feel that safe.

 

Not sure what to do now. Em is at a friend's. I should put away the groceries before they thaw and start working on supper.

ugh car repair costs!  not fun.  can you take andrew's car to your family's?  not a good time of year for that stuff, is it?

 

i'm not doing much here.  need to get it together.  i'm puttering and working but doing all the wrong things like folding laundry.  debbie is a wonderful person who is totally not judgmental about houses even though hers is completely perfect all the time (she is the one who is actually ashamed of that).  but since she only comes her every couple of years or so, i'd like to show her some parts of my house and i don't want to do that if it's dirty ya know?  i already feel like i can't show her the bedroom because the carpet is so stained.  at least it will be dark which will hide a lot!

 

need to prioritize here.  scott just said he won't be home 'til 7 so the job i had for him i'll need to do - i wanted him to move the reindeer (my big wire ones that belong outside but i keep them in the living room - neither will light this year for some reason :-(  so i have to put them elsewhere - they don't look good unlit).  i wanted them back in the attic or garage but since i have to do it alone i'll put the other one down here (one is already down here from when he was trying to fix it sunday while watching football).

 

braeden is SO high with christmas spirit.  he's looking for things to do around here.  he keeps hugging me.  he's not giggly, just sweet.  i've talked to him about 3 times about not getting his bubble burst.  he's so excited about us opening the gifts he got us.  and about having erik and meemaw here and scottie & jesse and all of our traditions.  i'm like, "you know it won't be perfect, right?"  and we talked about summer camp - the special one he can go to that costs a lot and you have to get admitted - the first year, after 3rd grade, when he went he cried every day.  then last year he didn't want to go.  this year he wants to go and i said you're not going to cry are you? and then i realized how different he is now than 2 years ago.  he goes "of course not mom" but in a sweet way like he knows what he put me through (i'd sit in the parking lot and cry after i left him crying each day!).

 

i hope things start looking up for you.  just focus on the kids and try not to think about bad stuff, okay?  i'll probably get crazy and start being perfectionist around, oh, six or so and then be back on here going "help!" lol.

I KNEW you were going to get the ragdoll!  Only I figured Andrew would surprise you with it (that was before you said you were returning your gifts).  Yay!  Can you lock him up in the bathroom with a little litterbox?  We did that with Angel for the first 4 weeks.  We let her out only when we were around and I also got her a collar with a bell so we'd know where she was.  I still like knowing where she is!  I moved her out of that bathroom around Thanksgiving so I guess it was actually more like 6 weeks in there.  Tied up the bathroom but gave Sami a break from her and kept her corraled.  I let her out a lot though - and sometimes when I wasn't home when she was a little bigger I'd still let her out but close doors to the lower basement and bedrooms.  Altho that would be harder for you with kids there during the day!

 

Yay on the cat.  I hope you get a lapcat out of him.  Angel is one and it's very cool.  Our first!

 

Well everything is SOOO done that I'm more nervous than normal.  And it doesn't feel like christmas eve.  the kids and scott just left for their traditional movie.  I ahve no idea what to do next!  Teh house was so nice last night I got cocky and left all the food prep for today.  I probably should have done it last night but in a way it's good because it gave me something concrete to start with today.  But now that is all done.

 

We got an ice storm so Scott couldn't get to work - it took him 15 minutes just to leave our neighborhood and an hour to get out of Hanover so he turned around.   But it has since changed to rain so we're still good for company.  He was home by 8:15.  But after laying around, "cuddling," and him napping he didn't really start helping 'til 11 which was when he was going to try to be home anyway.  I didn't get going 'til 10 myself.

 

I'm going to just write out my lists upstairs and stay off of here.  Otherwise I'll get caught up.  I'm so anxious (no idea why!) that being on here will probably make it worse.  I'm going to make a sandwich, sit down, and figure out what to do next.  Actually I may end up on here after all lol.  Who knows?  If not, please have a merry and peaceful Christmas okay?  I never get to wish you Merry Christmas - we're usually not on here Christmas Eve so I hope yours is wonderful - you deserve it to be nice!  Oh and my comapny stayed 'til 9:30 so I guess they were enjoying talking but I never even gave them food or anything.  We never even sat down.  I wasn't sure with them what to do.  So we just hung out in the playroom which is the Christmas room and talked.  Cahne was confused and thought they were going to "do Christmas" (he came up and said "you're here, time to do Christmas!"  He was very huggy to them which they loved but it was weird since he doesn't see them much, especially Warren.  And he kept trying to get Debbie to play legos so she told me she wants to come up one day soon and play legos with him.  That will be odd!  She's so nice and loves kids though.  She came up one day when Braeden was little to look at I Spy books with him.  So it was nice and my house was totally done all the way through - not to perfection but to my own standards so that was okay.

 

Gotta go eat.  I'd take a drink but am afraid to with my meds - usually I end up drinking on Christmas Eve, my one time a year! To calm myself

Well, he sort of did surprise me because I didn't think he'd agree (though he looves kittens, way more than me!)

 

She's in a spare room right now with her own litter, food and water. Andrew slept in there last night and woke me up at 6 (which is why I was up so early) and said he couldn't find her at all. When he went back to the room, she was waiting right by the door (he had closed the door.) I've heard ragdolls are like dogs and will greet you at the door so that's kinda funny. And today, the girls had put her away in the room and she was only in there for 15 mins when I went in to check on her. She ran to the open door but then stayed around me, meowing, like she wanted some loving, not to explore the house.

 

Wow, sounds like you're doing awesome!! I've got a nervous pit in my stomach, like I'm relaxing way too much and need to get moving if I want the house to be clean and have everything done NOW, not rushed late tonight. But, I'm having stomach issues so not sure I want to be bending, etc. Plus, we're all too stuck on this cat so that's distracting me. lol

 

I hope you have a GREAT Christmas as well!! Enjoy it and I'm sure I'll chat on here with you next week... we're gone tomorrow and Boxing Day and then Sat is FIL's party. Sunday, we'll get to breath and relax at home with NO obligations that I know of, yet. It better not change cause that can be our 'play new video games, play with new toys, veg at home' day.

 

Going to scoop myself some ice cream (Santa's Milk and Cookies... it's so stinkin' good and only out at Christmas) and allow myself to play a game on here for 15 mins before finding a gingerbread cookie recipe and wrapping dh's presents. Though, he should be home soon. I'll just cover them and tell him to stay out of our room.

She sounds so cute!  We wanted a ragdoll too.  But we're cheap lol.  The bell collar should help.  We lost Angel twice in my 5x9 laundry room and both times I walked back in and she was just standing there like "what?  were you looking for me?"  I think she got under clothes or something to nap.  We stepped on her a few times too.  But she learned! :-)

 

Never heard of that ice cream but it does sound good.  I don't like candy canes but there's a candy cane ice cream out at this time of year I really like.  I forgot to get some this year!  But I did get another quart of eggnog.  I'm the only one who drinks it other than Erik so I've already drank 1/2 gallon myself.  This one is for us to share.  I can only sip one small glass at a time tho - I guzzled a pint at work once (they sold it in the machines at Utz) and got so sick I had to go home!

 

My stomach is so nervous.  I'm a wreck.  And really down.  No idea why.  Just Christmas is so overwhelming!  Not to dos (altho usually those are too and I actually do have a bunch of things to do tonight because of relaxing too much) but the expectations are overwhelming.  I'm so worried the kids will be disappointed.  Braeden is a nervous wreck too over whether we'll like what he got us.  But otherwise, he's so beatific.  His face reminds me of pictures of Mary holding Jesus! lol.

 

I'll be better tomorrow I think.  My own expectations for a great dinner are part of my problem too.  It's weird - here I am ahead for the first time ever and my table is not really decorated.  Normally I go all out creatively.  It's like i need the rush to get creative.  All I did special other than champagne glasses and red napkins was sprinkle some red glitter around.  I'm even too lazy to get out the candleholders I normally use - I found some old snowman ones I liked and cleaned them up for everyday and decided I'm going with a more subdued less formal theme this year.  So it's snowman candles and gingerbread houses.  Not that I normally do more than that but usually I'll tie tinsel to things and bring in evergreens and use more sparkly stuff.  The kids' table looks cute as always though.  I wrapped it and put the usual bow in the  middle and snowman paper plates and plastic champagne glasses with the elf hats that have the kids' names on them draped over the backs of the chairs. 

 

Scott is going back to work this year so I think maybe I'll get more done than I normally do because it won't be as vacation-y feeling.  Maybe I'll get the house undecorated before March! :-)

 

Merry Christmas!  I'm going to post a quick list but don't feel like you have to answer - I know it's stress time everywhere!!!

 

Well, it's good to see I"m not the only one up with a bunch of stuff to do.

 

I'm so ticked at myself for not preparing better. We are still doing wrapping, there's still some cleaning I'd like to do and I still don't have food ready for tomorrow. augh When I think about it a lot, I get that yucky pit in my stomach, not even sure what exactly it is. Maybe a bit of anxiety, dread and panic all mixed into one.

 

Just in case I forget, I need to make a list to check over tomorrow morning after presents. Sad I need lists on Christmas Day! AHHH

 

-make banana dessert, bring bananas and rest of Cool Whip

-cut up fudge, put other half in fridge

-wrap dad's ornament, Costco, order mom's amazon gc, wrap B's present, K's present

-pack socks for T

-load into dryer

-make sure Winnie's litter is scooped, food and water good

-make sure unamed kitty's litter is scooped, food and water good

-charge camera after presents

-pick up living room

-wash dishes

-make pancakes

-garbage and recycling to garage

-pack my clothes, overnight stuff

-cut out cookies, bake, decorate with icing

 

BE ON THE ROAD BY 1:30!!