Sunday, December 30, 2007

It's almost New Year's Eve....

When someone asks you what comes to mind when "New Year's Eve" is mentioned, a large portion of us will come up with the ball drop in Times Square. When I was younger, I used to wish I could be there. Now that I'm older and less fond of crowds, I'm quite happy to watch it on TV. ;)

You can still be a part of the fun at Times Square without being there. For the first time, you can get a message printed on a piece of the confetti that floats down at midnight. Just visit this link http://tinyurl.com/2c5efd/ to enter your wish for the new year!

And have a safe, and happy New Year's Eve!

Friday, December 28, 2007

One nice thing about....

...suffering through the family celebration the prior weekend, is that our holidays were nice and quiet around the cuckoo's nest.

We went out for Chinese on Christmas Eve, then drove around and looked at lights. After we returned home, we watched the Harry Potter #5 movie. I really like the books better. The movies are good, but they leave sooooo much out!

Frodo had a difficult time falling asleep that night. He was so very exicted to have morning come so he could open presents! I think he finally fell asleep around 1am. Then he was up at 6am. Ugh.

Christmas Day, the three of us just laid around and played with our new stuff. I put a pot of my homemade chicken noodle soup on the stove and we munched as we needed. It was a nice, relaxing day.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Another catastrophe averted.

Family Christmas celebration. I has it.

This past weekend marked the annual family Christmas celebration. We had all (both) the parents here, my sisters and their families, hubby's sister and her family.... Sounds lovely, eh? Usually, it adds up to a pile of stress for me.

The past couple years, I've been hosting it. Not out of a desire to host it, mind you. But more out of a *nobody-else-is-stepping-up-to-the-plate* situation. Hand me the bat and the helmet. I'm up yet again.

Of course, Saturdays work best for everyone else, so we have it on a Saturday, even though a Sunday would work better for me. First, I have to clean house and the guest bedroom a few days early for the parents' arrival. Then they move in for a couple days and throw all sorts of schedules out of whack.

Then, Saturday morning comes, and I'm up getting some final food prep ready and doing some better cleaning. My sister-in-law had spoken to her dad a few days earlier - "Do you think we could bring our new puppy? It can't stay home alone very long." And of course, sis-in-law gets what sis-in-law wants, and we have yet another guest. My cat will be thrilled. So will hubby and Frodo who are allergic to dogs.

Father-in-law forgot to mention to me that sis-in-law also mentioned she would come early so she and her hubby and kiddo (and the new puppy) can visit with grandma and grandpa before everyone else gets there. So here I am, unshowered, in my sweatpants and tshirt, sweating like a triathlete in August in Texas, while wrestling with the vacuum and the slipcover on the couch, and my doorbell rings. Oh ho! Welcome! Never mind that I was vaccuming the FURNITURE which I rarely do, because I hate cleaning so much. I am doing it only because sis-in-law is allergic to the cat and I am being kind enough to get up as much cat hair as I can. A dirty scowl is thrown dad-in-law's direction, which he conveniently does not notice as he stares adoringly at his perfect daughter who has just arrived....

I finish wrestling with the vacuum cleaner and banish it to the closet. I slide the ham in the oven. I jump in the shower. I'm just waiting for someone to knock on the door because they want something from me..... Fortunately for me (and everyone else within any sort of earshot and the potential responding emergency workers) it doesn't happen.

After a nice shower and some appropriate clothing application, I re-enter my kitchen to find sis-in-law has brought all sorts of nifty appetizers and is currently spread out all over my counter preparing all of them. ("I just thought it would be easier to get it all ready here. I hope you don't mind.") Do I have a choice? I pour myself a glass of wine.

Others start arriving. I'm trying to finish up the rest of the meal while everyone is milling around my largest counter space because that's where sis-in-law set up all those appetizers. The ham won't get hot. The potatoes are getting cold. I hate cooking. I pour myself more wine.

Dinner is finally ready. Not much is consumed because everyone filled up on appetizers. After eating, everyone adjourns to the living room for presents. I leave the leftover food and dishes for now.

The kids open presents first. It's so much fun to watch them! Little sanity boost!

Presents are done. Kids want to play. I have leftover food and dishes! Does anyone help me? My mom wanders in at one point and talks about how she "wishes" she could help but she can't because of her poorly healing incision after her surgery that was two months ago. I get the food put away. I get the first load of dishes in the dishwasher. (Thank all the goodness in the universe for dishwashers!) I pour myself another glass of wine.

I come to the living room, finally able to have some time to relax and visit. My brother-in-law starts packing a few things up. He and the youngest of the clan are heading home to get her in bed.

My mom and one of my sisters had been talking for weeks about having a "Wii Tournament" where we could play some games and have fun. The kids are looking forward to it. I play one round of bowling against three of the kids and no other adults. Then everyone decides "it's getting late" and "we better head home". I sniff my pits. I remembered my deodorant today.

Next thing you know, everyone is gone. I did NOT have a good time. I don't want to host this again for quite awhile.

Sunday morning I wake up. (That's always good.) Except this morning is much different than most mornings. This morning, I am sick.

Someone left behind a stomach virus.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Seeing as I'm lazy...

...about blogging, I thought I'd continue my laziness streak with a "Getting To Know You" swiped from Cursing Mama.

Getting To Know Your Friends - Christmas Edition

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I try the wrapping paper route as much as possible. Sometimes you HAVE to use the gift bag though.

2. Real or artificial tree? I grew up with an artificial tree. I always wanted a real tree. I married hubby. I couldn't get my real tree because hubby is allergic to them. :(

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year, it got up yesterday. And only because I'm hosting family christmas celebration next weekend.

4. When do you take the tree down? It comes down somewhere around New Years. It all depends on how sick of it I am.

5. Do you like Eggnog? No. Yuk.

6. Favorite Gift you received as a child? My sister and I got the Barbie Dream House from Santa one year. Wow.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? We got one from ds's great aunt's estate somehow. Otherwise, being the heathens we are, no, we do not have a nativity scene.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My one sister and her dh. They are the only ones getting gift cards this year.

9. Easiest person to buy for? This year, amazingly, it is hubby. That is unusual.

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? Nothing specific comes to mind.

11. Christmas Cards...Snail mail or E-mail? In this day and age of so many electronics, I still prefer snail mail cards.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's A Wonderful Life.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually sometime in December. This year, I started in November though!

14. Have you ever 'recycled' a Christmas present? As in "re-gifting"? No I haven't. I just haven't had the need to do so.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Frosted sugar cookies. Mmmmm...

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear. And it's pre-lit and that rocks. I will NEVER buy a tree that's not pre-lit ever again.

17. Favorite Christmas Song? The Carol of the Bells. Except dh has ruined it with this viral video from a few years back...

18. Travel at Christmas or Stay Home? Do NOT get me started on this one.... I'm stuck hosting. Again.

19. Can you name Santa's Reindeer? Only if I'm singing the song.

20. Do you have an Angel or a Star on top of your tree? An angel. And she doesn't stay up properly, so there is a chopstick rammed up to her brain so she won't keep tipping over.

21. Open the Presents Christmas Eve or Morning? Morning. Because sometimes hubby is working christmas eve.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Rude people. Oh wait, that's sort of a year-round issue....

23. Shopping...Mall or on-line? I think I did about 50/50 on that this year.

24. Do you decorate outside for Christmas or just inside (or at all?) Outside, we have white icicle lights topped with a string of blue lights . This year, to piss hubby off, because he was being a dork and hates too much outdoor decor, I added a light-up snowman and some hanging light-up snowflakes. I've threatened to add more.

25. Favorite Christmas cookie? Frosted sugar cookie.

26. Do you own Christmassy clothing or jewelry? No.

27. Do you believe in Santa? Of course!

Sunday, December 02, 2007

I hear a noise...

...outside. It's my crazy postal worker neighbor shoveling snow. It's 12:30 am.

I was sitting here thinking how weird this was until I remembered I was considering doing the same thing 24 hours ago.