Funk

Well, I guess I should post something.
I can tell when I get into a funk, I stop writing.
Yes, this week has been a bit of a funk week. But that's OK. We all have those. Part of it was being sick. Part of it was going back to work and part of it, I have no clue. Since I'm pregnant, I'll just chalk it up to hormones and leave it at that I guess. Who'd know the difference? Not me.
Work went well, for work. I didn't get a whole lot of productive work done, but nothing new there. I was supposed to have a meeting with my boss and HR Friday, but that didn't happen. My boss is even better at not getting meetings done than I am. Oh well. I told him we really need to have it this week because I need to know what we decide about regionals so I can get marketing done and time's slipping by fast. Maybe we will, maybe we won't. I don't really have a lot of control over it at the moment, so I'm just not going to worry.

Ok, shift in subject time.
Can I tell you exactly how annoying it is to be plus sized (and not really all that plus sized, but enough) and pregnant? I don't look pregnant at all and I'm at about 19 weeks. My Dr. said my womb is about 2" below my belly button, but I'll be damned if I can tell. It looks and mostly feels like the same roll of fat that's been there for years now.
I do feel a difference in my jeans. One pair is right out, the other two fit fine most of the day. I have put on some weight, but to me, I just can't see or feel the difference.
I guess it's not a bad thing, not looking pregnant, but for once, I have a reason to have a belly and it doesn't show.
That and shopping is horrible. Target only goes up to size 18. I, unfortunately, need a 20. Koles is even worse. Good Will didn't even have a single stitch of maternity clothes, let alone something approaching my size. Last week Michelle and I went shopping at the mall. We struck out at all stores except the one maternity store. In reality, we struck out there mostly even though I did buy a pair of jeans. There they went up to a 3X, at least on the tags. According to their online (I think it was theirs) sizing chart, I should be in a 1X. Nope, the jeans I got were a 2X. And at that they expect me to be at least another 4-6 inches taller, have no thighs and massive calves. (I happen to have large thighs and respectable calves...) That and the rise is too short and they barely come up over my butt in the back. You want to know why. Spandex. For some reason, most designers think that if you're using a stretch material, you can cut it 1 size smaller and it'll fit right. No, the spandex is there to give you a little bit of ease, not forgive an entire couple of inches! Oh, I do like the fact that there is a drawstring on the spandex belly cover bit, but, while I understand why, the tie is on the side which makes it very difficult to pull and tie off.
I'm sure a bit of my crankiness has to do with hormones or the like, but most of it is due to society and stupid designers. I'm not a size 6, I haven't been since the middle of high school. I was a toothpick growing up, but when I got boobs, I got hips and thighs to go with them. (My brother on the other hand, went from slightly husky to stick thin... some days I hate him...) I honestly don't mind being the size I am. Sure, I'd love to be a size 14/16, but at this rate, that's never going to happen again. I can live with that. Just because I'm a little rounder than "average", doesn't mean I'm 6' tall to go with it. If I was 6' tall, I'd only look a little heavy, not round. I'm 5'3" (4 if I stretch real tall), which puts me just an inch or so shy of "average". I want nice clothes. I want things that cover my butt and don't make me look like a sausage squeezed into a casing. Heck, I'd be happy with things that didn't look like they were made with the cheapest material possible for a colorblind hippo of a grandmother. (I apologize to any overly large grandmothers out there who actually do have fashion sense!)
I just hope tomorrow goes better than last week did. I somehow doubt it, but I'm willing to try. (Not that I have much choice if I want to remain clothed for the next 6-8 months until well after Boo is born...) You see, mom is taking me shopping. She wants to get me some pants and tops. I have no doubt we'll be able to find tops. I usually don't have a problem in this area. A 1X fits me very well, but an ordinary XL will work too. A 2X is nice and roomy, without looking too bad. Therefore, I'll be able to find something to wear on the top. Maybe I should just get over hating skirts and make myself several. Scratch that, I looked at the 3 maternity patterns they had at JoAnn's last weekend and they were all about as flattering as a mumu. And that was on "normal" sized models. Just because I've got a growing belly doesn't mean that all shaping and style has to go out of what I wear.
Well, at any rate, wish me luck tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have a happier post soon.
Maybe I'll actually get around to unpacking the dishes that go into the china cabinet and get pictures of the dining room furniture. I forgot to mention it, but last Sunday Kat, Andy and I went down to MD to load up the last of the stuff from Gram's apartment so Mom could turn it back over on Monday. I came home with a few extra pieces, but that's OK. Andy also picked up a few things, and I'm glad he did. He got the old radio my Pop Pop (Gram's father) turned into a curio cabinet. I'm very glad he did. He told me he was going to replace the bottom and add some lights to the inside. I know he'll do it respectfully and neatly. He may be a bit of a jerk at times and a royal pain, but he understands and respects history, especially family history, and hand made things. He also told me that whenever Gak and I get our own house, when we want it back, it's all ours. For now, I'm just glad the piece is staying in the family and will be well taken care of.
Well, I've been rambling and ranting long enough. I've got to get my butt in gear and go pick up some groceries before I go pick up Gak from work.
I have no idea where the day went, but it's not here any more.
Peace to all and may you have clothes that fit and funk-less weeks.

Quickie

Just a quick little update. I was fiddling around a bit at work today and found this neat site where you can make these count down graphic things. On the right you will now see a ticker counting down until Boo's arrival. I went with the Dr.'s due date of May 30 when setting it up. (Personally, I think Boo will get here closer to the 10th of June, but that's just me...) I'm not sure if it seems like such a long time or not enough time...

Happy New Year

Sorry for the lack of postings the last several days. I've been sick. Ask Gak. I'm sure he's tired of listening to me cough. That and he's coming down with the crud I've got. So much for starting the new year healthy!
Yes, I did go to the doctor yesterday. She put me on some antibiotics and told me to take regular Robitussin. I haven't taken too much of the cough syrup because it doesn't really help me much on a good day and wow does it taste nasty!
Yesterday was good otherwise. Michelle came up from Virginia. We did a little shopping, ate some and just hung out. Well, mostly she and Gak hung out, I took a nap after dinner and crashed early. Or at least I tried to, stupid cough.
I'd made some beef stew in the crockpot for dinner because it was easy. She'd brought up this caramel/chocolate popcorn stuff from her mom called Moose Munch. That was yummy while we were watching Transformers. (Michelle hadn't seen it.) We also finally used the S'mores thing Mom got us a while back. They were yummy and you could get nicely melty marshmallows, but it just wasn't the same. Cooking over an almost invisible blue flame in the kitchen just isn't the same as a camp fire. They were yummy though, and we may have had a little more fun with it if two of us weren't feeling icky. It was a very quiet evening. It didn't seem like a holiday or even any fun. But it was good to have Michelle up.
Ok, I've been rambling enough. I'll sign off now. Poor Gak's leaving for work now.
Peace to all and may your new year be healthy, happy and suicidal air conditioner free.

Ramblings

Colds stink. Especially when I can't really take anything. Not like I've had much success with things in the past. Oh well. Mint tea, while not a favorite of mine does clear the sinuses a bit... and the warm helps the cough. That and since it's only mint leaves, I can drink as much as I want. (That is unless I put too much sugar in it...)
Both yesterday and today I "worked" from home. I was actually quite productive, just not with work related things so much. I didn't get any less than usual done, but definitely no more. It looks like I'm actually going to get my annual New Year's letter out this year. It's been two years since I've sent one out. Hopefully I still have every one's addresses. (If you're in doubt and want to make sure I've got it, drop me an email...) I'm just finishing up printing it out now. Now to stop at Staples and pick up envelopes. Oh, yeah, I guess I need stamps too. I got so spoiled when Gak was working at the UPS Store because he took care of the mailings. That and I don't actually mail out any bills any more. They're all either electronically submitted, walked over to the Borough hall across the street or handed to my landlady who's office is downstairs.
I also got some crochet work done. I finally found my missing hoddie I was working on. I may still be able to wear it when I finish. I'm almost done the front now, so it's just the sleeves and hood yet. Yes, of course you'll get to see pictures when I'm done.

And speaking of crochet, here's a picture of the as yet unblocked piece I made Mom. I really can't wait for it to be blocked so I can finish the pillow for it I'm so happy with it. I'm just impressed I stuck with something that used such fine thread. And this wasn't fine compared to some I've seen. I've seen very beautiful pieces done with sewing thread. That's right, sewing thread.
Ok, back to the topic I was originally posting about... today.
Today my cold has all but settled into my chest but my sinuses are still clogged. Luckily most of the drainage isn't down my throat any more. This means I was actually able to sleep a bit. I'm feeling pretty good if I drink enough to keep the cough under control.
Today Boo and I also had another doctor's appointment. This was with a different doctor in the practice. She's nice enough and friendly. She didn't want to adjust my due date even though I'm about 99% sure I'm right. Oh well, its OK. Everything looks great and listening to Boo's heart will never get old. Gak couldn't come today because of his schedule. Hopefully he'll be able to make the next one in four weeks. He should be if he can get the closing shift (or off). I just can't wait for the 14th for the next ultrasound. So very exciting.
Well, I've got to wrap up here because I've taken enough time writing this that I've got to get moving to go pick up Gak from work. (Ew, now there's a run-on for ya!) He's doing Mike a favor and closing over at UPS so he can get home in time.
Peace to all and may you avoid the bugs.

Christmas Coughing

Well, Christmas Eve was an interesting gathering. We couldn't get a hold of Joanie to bug her about showing up, so she never did. That annoys me. She's always complaining we never get together, and when we try, we can't find her! Ed, Buffie, Katie and Nik were there, as were Aunt Ellen and Uncle Jerry. Al and his daughter were a no-show, but that's OK, I'm sure that his schedule is a mess. We had a good evening, even though I was fighting off a cold.
By Tuesday morning I had been hit hard. At first, I wasn't going to go down to my parents' house. But after a shower and another short nap, I was feeling quite a bit better. Mind you, not 100%, but not like death warmed over. That and my fever had appeared to be broken, so I felt like I could afford to go out.
Gak and I exchanged gifts in the morning. He got me this really cool digital photo frame. Biggest problem is it doesn't have internal memory, so I've got to pick up another card. No big deal, they're pretty cheap these days. He also picked up the Zelda for the Wii and three crochet pattern books. Yes, my dear, sweet, wonderful husband braved either JoAnn's or Michael's and bought me patterns. Yes, he broke his own rule and bought me baby patterns, but he figured they were for me as much as for Boo. I got him a couple of new non-video games and I'll let you know how fun they are once we've played them. It looks like this was a game-oriented Christmas. I also got him a subscription to White Dwarf, to feed his Warhammer addiction. It works out great in the long run since we don't always make it out to the store to pick it up and it'll actually save the cost of an issue or two over the course of the year. That's always a nice thing. He was thrilled with that.
We got down to Mom and Dad's just in time to go out for lunch. We'd been to this place a few times before in the past when t hey had a buffet kind of setup. It was good and the service was good. Not this year. Last year they switched to a seated dinner (and I think the price per person went up at least $5-10 by doing this). The food was good but not outstanding (what I could taste, my sinuses are clogged and running down the back of my throat) and the service, well, there's no other way of putting it other than it stank. It was down right horrible. Next year we'll go somewhere else or maybe, if I can convince GradmaSue to watch Boo, we might try having it here.
After our lunch we went back to the house to do presents all over again. Mom, Dad, Becca and Jon had all done presents in the morning, now it was time for Gak and I to get the goodies they had for us. I honestly wasn't expecting anything else from Jon and Becca. I figured the game was plenty. They had all kinds of neat little goodies. I got more warm fuzzy socks! I love them. They're blue and have penguins on them. So cute. Jon gave Gak this great Lego catapult. I laughingly chided Jon for giving my husband something that could throw projectiles at me. (Knowing full well that I'd end up stealing it and tossing them right back!) Mom gave us some framed work that she'd done for us. The most special to me was the one she did of Gram's Girl Scout stuff. It will get a place of honor when I redo the family wall. (I've still got a handful of pictures from Gram's apartment waiting for me at Mom and Dad's.) Mom also gave to me the matching angle music box to the one Jon and I had when we were little for Boo. I always thought it was mine, but Mom thinks it was Jon's. Gram had bought two at the time and kept one. That and the angles she chose for us from Gram's collection were wonderful and touching. Dad, of course, gave me a new Michael Chrichton book with homework. I love that he gives me these assignments. Yes, I really am nerdy that way.
I ended up giving Becca another gift myself. Sunday when she and Jon came up she was going on about the blue scarf/wrap that I'd made Gram two years ago. Mom had it in a basket in the living room. Well, with a little prompting from Mom because my brain wasn't firing on all cylinders, I gave it to her yesterday. You should have seen the look on her face! You'd have thought I'd just given her the winning lottery ticket or something. She all but ripped the scarf she was wearing off and wrapped up in the one I'd made. It even matched what she was wearing. It really made me smile to see how much she really loved it. I know she'll enjoy it for quite some time. I always get a smile when I see someone enjoying my work.
I also gave something special to my mom. I have pictures, I just haven't downloaded them yet. My friend Michelle over at Crochetville was kind enough to design a thread pattern for me. It's an angel with my Gram's initials underneath. It's about 10 inches square. I gave it to mom with "some assembly required". The actual crochet bit is done. It needs to be blocked though. I figured she not only has the setup to do it right, but much, much more practice than I do. I also told her my original plan was to attach it to a pillow, but that it would look nice framed too. She decided that the angel definitely needs to go onto a pillow. I'll try and post the picture I have of the unblocked piece tomorrow.
We played Apples to Apples for a little bit yesterday afternoon and then Gak and I came home. I was beginning to feel crappy again. My fever didn't return, but not only do I have gunk running down the back of my throat, but my sinuses have closed up, my ears are clogged and it's begun to settle in my chest. Thankfully I had today as a vacation day to begin with. I'm not going to push myself very hard tomorrow and Friday I've got a baby appointment around 1 and am working from home in the afternoon. Gak's got to work, or he'd go with me. He's been so very good about actually wanting to go with me. I told him it was OK if he didn't go to every appointment. There will be plenty. I just told him that if he didn't make the big ultrasound appointment on the 14th, I'd kill him and his boss and the other (insert favorite curse word here) ASM .
Only, now I don't have to kill the PIMA of an ASM. She quit.
Today.
The day after Christmas.
Leaving Gak and Tallon high and dry.
I don't have enough bad words in my vocabulary to describe her and what she's done to these two and the store. She's been nothing but trouble, and lazy trouble at that.
Ok, that was an interesting little detour.
Anyhow, yesterday went well, even if I didn't feel all that great. Today has been mostly useless, but that's OK. I wasn't planning on getting much done other than my New Year's letter printed and maybe some crocheting. Instead I've been playing that stupid Puzzle Quest until the silly DS needed charging. Yes, that's about as motivated as I've been. Of course, I haven't even put it down long enough to take a nap. Silly game.
Well, I'm off to go stand in a warm shower and see if that loosens everything up a bit. I can only take Tylenol and cough drops at the moment. I think I can take normal (non-DM) Robitussin, but I don't have any and I'd have to check the lists again. That doesn't usually do much for me on a good day anyhow. Not much does when I'm feeling like this. Lots of liquids (including warm, not hot, tea), plenty of naps and a warm shower seems to work best.
I hope everyone had a good Christmas Day no matter what you celebrated.
Peace to all and may the cold bugs leave you alone and you have wonderful family around.

Family Fun

Well, yesterday was a great day. I spent most of the day cooking, playing on the computer and well... cooking some more. Then I got to hang out with Jon and Becca and my husband! All in the same place at the same time!
I made a big batch of mac and cheese for lunch. Actually, I made 1/3 for lunch and 2/3 for tonight's get together. It was quite yummy and hit the spot. I also had a loaf of bread in the bread maker. I need to put another loaf in soon, again for tonight. What is it about fresh, warm bread that is soooo irresistible? Especially with just a little butter or honey (or both)?
Anyhow, the main part of dinner was a nice, small briscut I picked up at the farmer's market last weekend. I'd had it in the freezer and was actually smart enough to pull it out Saturday morning! It wasn't a meat-sicle by the time I wanted to start cooking it. I was impressed. I cooked it in one of those oven bags with some carrots, onions and potatoes. The other sides were corn and kugel. I had no idea if Becca would like it or not, or even if she'd know what it was. Well, she does and she did. Her eyes lit up and her voice was full of awe and appreciation when she asked "is that kugel??" Needless to say, the whole thing disappeared, no leftovers of that. Everything else was gobbled up mostly too. Gak's got a nice dish full of goodies for lunch later this week. (That's all that was left!)
Jon and Becca brought Gak and I a wonderful new game. It's called Apples to Apples. I'd heard of it before and I'd even looked at it. It works best with lots of people. So, with only 4, we changed the rules a bit and each played two cards instead of one. Basically, you take turns judging which combination 'wins'. The green card in play is an adjective. The red cards you have in your hand are nouns and can be almost anything, including famous (or infamous) people. It was a lot of fun and we had lots of laughs. Of course, after a couple rounds of that, Gak and I introduced Jon and Becca to the wonders of Killer Bunnies. The best was when Becca declared "I have no bunnies, I don't know what I'm doing". It became the quote of the evening. Gak pretty much dominated the game from round one and won. We had a good time.
It was very nice to have an evening hanging out with Jon, Becca and Gak. I truly like my brother. And Becca is fun too. (Of course, I'm biased, but I think Gak's the greatest...)
Tonight is the gathering over at Kat's. I'm looking forward to that. Hopefully everyone will be able to make it, at least for a little bit. I still have one gift to wrap for one of the kids and again, remember to get the bread into the bread machine. Gak's at work until about 6:30 or so and then we're heading over. It's not supposed to be until 7:30, because Kat and Zoe (I think) will be at church. That's OK. I can let myself in and make sure every thing's good to go.
This really has been a great holiday so far. I've gotten to spend time with some wonderful people I never get to see and just hang out. No stress, no pressure, no anxiety or forces politeness. (I skipped my company's holiday party... I really don't enjoy those stupid things...)
Well, I'm off to make bread and then kill some things in Norrath. I guess I should have some lunch too while I'm at it.
Peace to all and may your holiday be stress free and full of fun and family.

Visiting

Well, so far this weekend has been a good one.
Abi came up Saturday noontime. We got a chance to all go out to lunch before Gak had to go to work. Then Abi and I mostly hung out and caught up. Sure, we went to the grocery store and came back and wrapped presents. Hey, this was my last chance really with Gak out of the house.
I then taught her Killer Bunnies. Even with just the two of us, it took quite a while to play. Of course, I was teaching someone new, we have almost all the expansion sets and 20 carrots to go through. Once she got into the swing of the game and realized exactly how evil it is, she had a blast. Hopefully next time we get together we'll be able to get everyone together to play. That'll be a ton of fun.
Gak and I also introduced her to Norrath. She was quite fascinated by it. We had fun and I managed to keep Gak from going splut all over the place.
She left about 11:00 this morning to go back to her parents' house. It was a wonderful visit. She appreciated the scarf I made her and she brought me some really great books, including one for the baby.
Right now I'm waiting for Becca and Jon to get up here. They should be here soon. Hopefully their arrival and dinner being finished will happen at the same time. I'm looking forward to their visit. I'll let you know about it later.
Ok. I'm just rambling and trying to take up time. I'm going to go check on dinner and try and figure out something to keep me occupied until they get here. (The DS is on the charger... stupid Puzzle League game...)
Peace to all and may your family gatherings be fun.

I'm Bored

I think I know what my problem is.
I'm bored.
Ok. Let me back up a minute here. I'm sitting here at work at 4:45 on the last work day before the holiday break. I realize that I've gotten just about zero done and this was one of my more productive days this week. I'm trying to figure out why.
Then it hit me.
I'm bored.
I was helping someone in service Wednesday with a few problems and I was enjoying it so much. There truly are days when I miss that job. I don't miss my boss mind you, but the job. It was always different. There was always something new to learn, something else to figure out and to fix.
Now, my biggest challenges are pinning down a customer to a training date, shuffling around the training materials a bit and trying to get information out of people that don't have any. Oh, don't forget navigating across the country through backed up airports and through unknown cities relying only on Mapquest. I can (and probably have) trained in my sleep. I've had very few negative comments about training, and most of those were things that were out of my control, such as functioning connection to their system, wrong people signed up for the course, that kind of thing. I can't control who the customer sends to the course or fix their networks.
I don't want to be bored with my job. I enjoy interacting with the customers and training. I still enjoy seeing that ah-ha! moment. I'm just not challenged any more.
And the few challenges that are left (modularizing the materials, getting clearance and $$ and someone to develop web based content, the Big Book of Knowledge) just don't interest me. They're not very hands on. They don't make me thing hard or challenge me to push my boundaries. They all feel like busy work. Admittedly, some of it is self-assigned busy work. I think that makes it worse. I mean, I totally came up with some of those things just so I'd have something to keep me occupied in the office. I hate when teachers and bosses do that, when I do it I really want to scream.
The sad part is I have no idea how to fix it.
I feel like I've specialized myself into a corner. I know a lot about a very specific product in a very specific segment of a very specific industry. I don't want to go to work for one of the competitors. First off, none of them are local and I really don't feel like moving right now. That and I'm kinda bored with the whole industry.
Not that I know everything about it, far from it. It's just that, well, I want out of air. I want out of the power industry. I want something that I can be challenged by on a regular basis and go home feeling like I've accomplished something. I don't even always come home from a training session feeling like I accomplished much. Some days I think you could use a video recording and be about as affective. (Or is that effective, I'm a science major and I still have problems with those two words! Affect is the action, effect is the result... hmm... not sure that helped any... OK, enough grammar!)
Now, you ask, what would my ideal job be.
I haven't a clue.
It needs to pay as much or more than I'm making now, preferably good benefits too.
It needs to challenge me on an intellectual basis, and, I'm not trying to brag, but that can be tough...
I'd love it to be science related in some way, shape or form. I know my degree is useless at this point because I haven't kept much of the knowledge in my head, but still, it's something I'm interested in.
Working with people would be a bonus. I'm shy and timid and hate social gatherings as a whole, but I enjoy interacting with people in a business fashion. (Yes, that's me, blatant contradictions...)
Anyone have any suggestions?

Oh well, it's almost 5 now and I can escape. Gak and I are going to the movies this evening. I'm looking forward to that. Jon, Becca and Abi all get in this evening. That reminds me, I need to call Abi and see what time she thinks she might be up tomorrow...
Peace to all and may you be challenged enough to keep it interesting without being frustrated.

Holiday Madness

Well, it's just about that time. The week of Christmas.
I've got mixed feelings about the holiday. On one hand, I love the family and friendly gatherings, the feasting and the general merriment and a bit of time off work. On the other hand, I think that there is too much pressure to buy everyone you even think you might know something expensive and I don't like having the calendar tell me when to buy someone something. I'm also not sure how crazy I am about the whole religious aspect. Yes, I know, heresy. Christmas is a religious holiday. Personally, I'm a little more into the return of the sun instead of the birth of the Son. Yes, this should be a season of festivities. The days will start getting longer after Saturday. The Christian religion celebrates the birth of their savior. (I have no idea how to classify myself, I'm probably more Christian than anything, but I don't like the feel or fit of any "organized" religion... I have a hard time with any group that thinks anything good "belongs" to them and everyone else is wrong and bad. I see that too often in both religions and political parties.) I've already stated on at least one or two occasions that I do believe in a God... just not all the hype about religion.
Ok. I'm going to stop this train of thought right where it is. It is venturing into areas I don't fully understand or know about myself and isn't what I started this post for. I may come back to this topic at some point, but not today.
What I originally intended this post for was to say how wonderfully busy the next several days are going to be for me and my family.
I'm so supper excited it isn't even funny. Both Jon and Becca as well as my friend Abi arrive in Philly tomorrow. Yes, it's only been a few weeks since I've seen Jon, but I don't get to see him often so any chance is met with great excitement on my part. This will be the first time I've seen Abi since oh... 1994 or 1995? I've missed her boat loads too. Jon and Becca are staying with out parents, Abi with hers.
Saturday Abi is going to come up and visit me. She's probably going to stay the night. I'm so excited I can't stand it. The only downer is that Gak has to work from 2-10:30pm. Oh well. We'll just have to swing by and harass him. (Not like the general public won't be doing enough of that...) I have no idea what we'll be doing, other than me panicking that the house isn't clean and trying to run out and get all the last minute groceries and stuff. Organization is not my strong suit (somehow my boss seems to think otherwise...) at the best of times, but right now, my brain is frazzled.
Jon and Becca are coming up Sunday for dinner and games. I'm not sure what time they're coming up or anything, but hey, it'll be fun. It will be good to have us "kids" together for the evening. I don't get to hang out with my brother much any more. I kinda miss it. It'll also be great because Gak hasn't met Becca yet. I'm just hoping I (well... mostly Gak) get the house cleaned up enough and I don't mess up dinner. I've made what we're having several times before, but that doesn't mean I can't have a bad night and make a mess of things. I'm getting good at that actually. If all else fails, there's a pizza shop within walking distance. *laugh*
Monday is Christmas Eve. After talking to Kat last night, it looks like that's when we're going to have the friends gathering. Actually, they're my "other family". This means a house full of kids and big kids. We're doing it pot-luck style this year. I'm supposed to make bread. (I'll probably make something else as well, just because.) I can't wait, I haven't seen all my "nieces" and "nephews" in the same place in ages. There will be 6 in total ranging in age from just over 1 year to 10. (Well, I guess you can add one more at 15 weeks gestation.... *grin*) I have gifts for all the kiddos, but nothing for the parents. I don't really expect things from my friends, and I'd rather spend my meager Christmas money on the kids. That's not to say if I don't see something when I'm shopping over the next few days that screams out to be purchased for one of my friends, I won't get it.
Tuesday is Christmas day itself. Gak has off and so do I. I actually have Monday off as well, which is nice because it gives me time to bake the bread (i.e. put everything into the bread machine) and finish up any odds and ends that need to be done. Mom has "dinner" reservations for sometime around noon. Don't ask, I don't remember what she told me, it was after noon but before 1:30. Therefore, Gak and I will drive down fairly early to spend the morning with the family. It should be nice and low-key. Again, it is always nice when the family can all get together in one place. We don't have a huge family, but we enjoy each other. Of course, we'll have to remember to call Gak's mom. I'm sure it'll be a tough day for her. Hopefully Brian won't have to work and he'll spend some time with her. I know it'll be odd in some ways for us. Even when we didn't go visit Gram for Christmas, we'd always at least talk to her on the phone. Like I said, it'll be odd.
So, do you think I have enough planned for the next 5 days? Maybe I can squeeze in another gathering somewhere? No? Ok. I won't push it.
Peace to all and may your holidays be filled with the happy chaos of friends and family.

Decorations

Well, I finally got around to uploading the pictures of some of the decorations. (I'm working from home this afternoon and needed a quick break from staring at the manual I'm trying to rework... Shhh... I also managed to make a batch of cookies between edits and emails...)
Here is our cute little tree. It's a 4.5' tall one. It is standing on a chest/seat thing I got from Ikea. It holds all the spare blankets and such. Putting it on here makes it almost as tall as Gak. No, I don't have a picture for comparison. You can see the tree skirt I made. Luckily, all of the messy bits are near the back and at the edge. I thought this "Christmas Bandanna" pattern was pretty cool. (That and it was on super-duper sale!)

This is what made me pause and tear up when I first opened my box of decorations. This is the stocking that Gram originally made for Mom, but is now mine, back when I was little. I had to have been less than 7 or 8, probably more like 5. When I packed up this box of Christmas about 4 years ago now, I wasn't expecting the first time I opened it back up to be just a few weeks after Gram passed. There were several things in this box that reminded me of her.
Looking at it, I think I can create another one. I just have to figure out how to make half granny squares. I'm sure I can figure it out though. I'm not sure if she was following the pattern or disliked joining squares as much as I did, since she slip-stitched them together instead of whip stitched.

Here is one of the apples that are hanging on my tree. Mom bought this ages ago. I guess when we were going through ornaments I thought they were cute or something. I'm not sure. I like them, though and they look nice on the tree.

Here is my Christmas Mouse candle holder. It's got one of the candles intended for one of those whirlygig things in the holder. I don't have any tapers and forgot to pick some up at the store. He's a real cutie. No, as far as I know, he doesn't have a name. I do believe at one time there was a second one, with the candle on the other side. I may be wrong though.

Just to show you I've been creative for a long time, here is a school project from Kindergarten. We were living in Kansas at the time, so of course it's made out of wheat. Mom has at least one beautiful example of wheat art on her tree, but this is one that I made. I'm still proud of it; I just wish the bow would lay flat better. (Not my fault, the teacher tied that on.)

Well, I'd best be getting back to my editing. Peace to all and may your holiday be filled with good memories and family.