The Final Christmas

Ok...its true that you can save the best for last. Yesterday was our family Christmas. My Mom, sister, her boyfriend, the 3 grandkids, Ken, Jen, Nicole, James, Me and my niece Carie had our get together. A house full of people, lots of noise and excitement and Hubby cooked an awesome prime rib again. It was great..I got some pictures but I haven't downloaded them onto the computer yet so I can't share them. Nicole and James regifted us their WII.. After everybody left last night and we put the kids to bed Ken, Jen and I hooked it up and played. Today after lunch Jen asked if she and Kayla could play WII...I thought we were going to have a hard time teaching her how to play it but apparently she played it before and she almost beat Jen the first game of bowling..LOL..I'm not playing against her!!! At one point today Kayla was playing Playstation 2..Jen and I were playing Skipbo while I texted Nicole and the boys were sleeping through Monsters, Inc., while Ken was snoring in the bed room..LOL...The wind was blowing really hard today when we got out of church and its been roaring around the house all afternoon. The clocks were blinking when we got home which means the electric had been out. On a sad note...all that snow we got a week ago Friday is gone... Winter isn't winter to me without snow...sorry Auntie...I know you don't like it...so how bout it only snows on days you don't have to take Jeannie to dialysis? I've felt so connected to family the last few days and I absolutely love it. So I guess I better go see what all the kiddos are doing. I haven't heard the girls yelling at the boys yet so maybe they're still sleeping...

Between Christmas's

So yesterday morning Ken Jen and I had our Christmas...later in the afternoon Sammie texted me and wanted to know if I wanted the kiddos. I was supposed to get them today but they'd opened all their presents and spent time with family and she had to work today so she said I could have them early...I love that girl. Nicole, jen and I went to get them and Nicole and Jen finally got to see and hold baby Emma..She's getting so big...and she so looks like her daddy. Got home and ate supper and then let the kids open their gifts from us. I got the boys each a Spiderman fleece blanket and Kayla a Hanna Montana one. They're so soft I want to steal one and curl up on the couch. This morning I met Nicole at Doyle Chevrolet so she could drop her car off to get some work done on it and then she took the van so she could spend time with her honey before he has to go to work. Still waiting to hear about the car but they're hoping whatever it is it's still under warranty. Got a few texts from Shaun yesterday. He was on his way back to Iraq. Oh and Christmas Eve Jen and I went over to Aunt Edna's to help her finish her present wrapping. It was fun spending some time with her just talking and laughing. When I left I told Jean not to chase Santa around the tree and she wanted to know why not..I told her coz she'd give the old man a heart attack. So tomorrow is Christmas with my mom, judy and cliff, nicole and james and the kiddos. I think Carie might be coming over too. I love it when family comes over...hoping we get presents and lunch out of the way so we can play some cards or something. Guess that's it for now...got to clean some more of my house.

I'M DONE I'M DONE!!!!!

Yes its true...my Christmas shopping is offically over. Finished up yesterday. 2 days early. Now comes my second most hated part of Christmas...wrapping. Luckily some of it is done so it's not as bad as it could be. I just want this part of the year to be over. January 5th everybody will be back at work and in school and I can then take time for me and decide what I want to do next in life. Life just seems to cluttered and confusing right now. I want a wood stove...though I don't know where I'd put it. And a new snow blower..one that's self propelled so I don't kill myself doing the driveway..and the house re-insulated...and more grow beds for my veggies..and a laptop so I can swing in my hammock in the summer and surf the internet..oh and I guess then I'd need a new hammock coz my finally had to be put in the garbage. The ropes kept breaking..LOL. I felt very...vulnerable everytime I went out to lay in it. Yep I think I see some changes coming next year. I'm a little concerned also with the possibility of losing my pension. Probably not very probable but the way things are going slightly possible. I'm torn between saving up lots of money in the bank and pushing to pay off my mortgage. I want to try some experiments in energy conservation too. And thanks to our wonderful new governor I'll probably also be trying to buy less because of all the new taxes he wants to impose. Its time to slow down alittle I think and reassess my life and what I want to do with it. Less driving...more bicycling..I really got to get my Mom to move to Webster. I keep telling her all the stuff there is in a 5 mile radius..she tells me how lucky I am but won't take the bait...LOL. So I guess its off to get dressed and read for awhile..Adios y'all

Snow and Christmas

ok so I have a few words to say about the snowstorm Friday...YIPPEEEE YAHOOOOO BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!!! Sorry..I love snow...and the I love when it snows and the wind blows. Friday Jen and I were coming home from lunch with Nicole..Any one who knows me..I mean really knows me knows that snow storms don't stop me from what I want to do...I should have been a mailman..or is that mailwoman? Any way...driving down 104...crossing the Bay Bridge..( high bridge...wide open....yeah snow and wind...cool. So I'm driving in the center lane and I'm passing everybody..hands clenched on the wheel..teeth clenched..I better slow down...I must be going to fast...look down ...25 miles an hour...Heck no I'm not slowing down..any slower I'll be standing still..beep beep...outta my way slow pokes. Yesterday Ken had to go to work for a few hours so after he shoveled the drifts away from the car I'm standing in the road to watch for traffic so he can barrel out of the driveway. He gets stuck...then he breaks the only good shovel we have..I of course didn't have gas for the snowblower. Finally he got out. Later once it got light out Jen and I barreled out of the driveway with the van...went to BJ's and got gas for the snow blower and to Lowe's for 3 new shovels. I'm afraid the snowblower isn't gonna last the season..It's leaking like a sieve. I don't wanna buy a new snowblower but the alternative is shovel and I more don't want to shovel then I don't want to buy a snowblower. Tonight is the Christmas Cantata at church...Ken has whatever I had Tuesday only twice as bad..He has a fever and he hasn't thrown up yet. I threw up a few times but I didn't have a fever..and what ever this is he's been fighting it since Tuesday...I was only sick about 12 hours. Christmas shopping: Yes I still have some to do. One for Ken and one for Jen..I still have lots of wrapping to do though. I hate wrapping

Holiday stuff

Well I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping..got to get hubby 2 more things, Jen one and Nicole one. I think....oh rats..now I can't remember. It was a busy busy week end. Saturday we had a wedding in the morning, Ken's Webster Village Band Christmas concert in the early afternoon and then we went grocery shopping late afternoon. Ken and Jen went out shopping after that but I said no way was I doing anything but getting my jammies on , putting my feet up and reading and that's just what I did. Sunday was an all day Christmas Cantata practice at church. By the time I got home last night I was plum worn out..to much singing for me. Our cantata is next Sunday night so hopefully after that things will slow down a little...or not. Today I got up at 4:15 AM coz I just couldn't sleep anymore...did my Bible devotions, made my breakfast, ken's breakfast, Ken's lunch,got the garbage together coz today's trash day. Then once everybody left I started laundry and did my 90 minute walk on the treadmill. In the middle of the walk I had to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer and put another load in the washer...got done walking just as the dryer buzzed. Took that load out, switched washer to dryer and put last load in washer. Went upstairs..folded clothes, then went to the spare room to start wrapping Christmas presents. Nope I'm not done wrapping but I'm getting there. Watched Survivor finale which I taped coz I knew there was no way I was gonna stay awake that long. I woke up once during the reunion show and I'm laying there going," No NO No I don't want to know who won till I watch it tomorrow." Somehow I went back to sleep without hearing. Now I'm just waiting for everybody to get home...

Catching up

yeah right...its been to long to catch up...I had the grandbabies last week end. They are so darn cute. I spent almost every day last week doing one form of Christmas shopping or another and really got nothing done. I hate Christmas shopping. Can't we all just get together, eat and play games? Shaun and Heather are home for their 2 weeks R & R. Not home as in New York home but home as in Colorado home. They fly out again on Christmas Day....CHRISTMAS DAY!!!!!!!!! LIke the Army couldn't say, "Merry Christmas , take an extra day" ? No I guess not. Other then that there really isn't much going on. I'm reading a series of books right now by Peter Jenkins. He started out walking from Alfred, NY to New Orleans. Met and married his wife and then they walked from New Orleans to someplace in California. They wrote a book about that walk too but I'm reading 4 other books of his before I get to that one. I'm like a hound after a rabbit...I find an author and then read all their books until I run out of them and then I'm off on another author trail. Yesterday it was warmer and the snow all melted. This morning when I got up (6 AM or so) I looked out and all I saw was grass. Went downstairs around 7:30 to do my daily treadmill walk and when I came upstairs an hour and a half later everything was white. I don't care..I like snow. So its off I go...to do what I have no idea but I'm sure it'll be fun or I wouldn't be doing it.