'Tis the Season?

I have a long and convoluted story to tell. Hang on to your shorts.

After that cold snap we had, freezing temperatures equals a cold snap in Florida thankyouverymuch, the weather did a turn about and we had a warm front come through. Being the heating/air conditioning Nazi that I am, I opted to open windows rather than turn the air conditioning back on. I'm sorry, but air conditioning isn't happening at my house in late November/December. Remember that if you ever want to visit in the winter.

Anywho...

Our rental management company informed me that we were "due" for a home inspection on December 5th. I have a hard time believing that the timing is sooooo coincidental when he just happened to mention it to me on the phone when I called for the second time to tell him the heat pump wasn't working. (Remember when I posted that the heat wouldn't come on and we had a repair guy come out? Well, it turned on once and then wouldn't come back on. AC either. Turns out that the outside unit had a short that caused a thingamajigger in the inside unit to break. It's all fixed now and it wasn't our fault.) So, between the heater being broke and the high temps we've had, my electric bill for the past month was less than $100. Beat that! I digress. Again. ANYway, because of the inspection, I went on a three day cleaning frenzy. I vacuumed every one of those days. We also got one of the book shelves built, sanded, stained, sealed, and loaded with books that we've been intending to build since the movers broke ours. I completed all the organizing, unpacking, and decorating that I've been putting off for five months. The house looks pretty good if I do say so myself.

Today, I wrapped the first Christmas presents. I went to put them under the tree, but the tree skirt was a bunched mess, all wrapped up around the trunk because the cats won't leave the tree alone. Cat owners commiserate. I figured I'd vacuum up the needles while the skirt was mostly out of the way before straightening it. When I hauled out the vacuum cleaner, I noticed that it the canister needed emptied from the last time I vacuumed. When I went to do so, I saw that there was a sludge build up all around the bottom of it. Because the epic cleaning took place during this warm front with obscene humidity levels, the dust and dirt combined with the excess moisture in the house and formed a layer of ICK in my vacuum cleaner. I had seen a post on Pinterest a while back on how to clean your Dyson so I figured I'd do a Google search to see what I could come up with because, frankly, I was afraid of running water all over my $600 vacuum cleaner. I found a YouTube video that demonstrated how to take apart and rinse all the various components of your Dyson. They had a yellow Dyson and I have a purple Animal, so I had to figure out some stuff of my own, but I bit the bullet and washed it out. Talk about disgusting. Just when I thought I had cleaned everything, more nasty, dirty, sludgy water would pour out of it. It was freaking nasty. I'm sure living in San Diego on a canyon for three years contributed to the excess of yuck. I mean, we had an amount of dust in that house that you wouldn't believe. I didn't realize how truly dusty that house was until we moved into this one.

These are all the parts of my Dyson that I cleaned. The two in the back are both pieces of the canister and the three in front are parts of the two filters. P.S. My kitchen was painted that color when we moved in. I no likey.

So, if you have a Dyson, don't be afraid to take it apart and clean it. In fact, if you have allergies, hay fever, or general lung sensitivities, I highly recommend regularly cleaning your vacuum. Probably with a dust mask or something if you have "limp lungs" (what movies is that from??). Dyson recommends rinsing the filters every three months. Just be prepared to go without your vacuum for about 48 hours while it dries. I'm sure mine will take longer with this lingering humidity and rain we're having. I'm going to give it 72 hours at a minimum just to be safe. I don't want the dust to combine with any moisture that might be on the inside of the canister. It'd defeat the whole thing. Just be sure to check out an online "how to" video before attempting to clean your Dyson. I take no responsibility if you decide to throw your entire vacuum in the tub without knowing what you're doing first.

Latest Crochet Project

I was dying over Christmas to share a crochet project that I was working on but because the finished products were gifts for my girls, I couldn't. Keeping quiet was very hard. I'm actually quite proud of myself for having kept my own secret, heheh. Anyway, check it out:

Nifty, eh? This is the first time that I've ever crocheted something like this. I couldn't believe that they turned out so well. I'd eventually like to make the whole Angry Birds gang but I didn't have the time to do so before the holidays. The hardest part of this project, for both the bird and the pig, is that the details (eyes, ears, nose, beak, feathers, etc.) all had to be sewn on separately. I can't sew for nothing and the sewing part took the longest time. Crocheting the bodies was pretty simple and fast.

Ahhh. It's a relief to finally share. ;)

And here's the link to the patterns if you want to get them for yourself:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/5-crochet-patterns-inspired-by-angry-birds-ebook

Holiday Roundup

How was your holiday? Ours was...ok. We had, what I've been calling in my head a "shake up" a few days before Christmas. I don't want to go into the details, but suffice it to say, the Christmas Spirit went right out the window. In spite of that, I still think Christmas morning was as normal as we could make it. The girls made off with great piles of loot and the Mister and I got some fun stuff too. We all got games of various varieties (Wii, PS3, and PC) so most of the holiday was spent with our noses pressed to a variety of screens and controllers in hand. Speaking of which, we got the girls Wiimotes and Nunchuks that light up. They're purple and fabulous. I want a set for myself.

New Years was actually a better holiday this year than it is most years. We bought snacky foods and played games all night until it was time to watch the ball drop. The Mister and I celebrated by drinking our bottle of almond sparkling wine that we bought on our vacation. It might sound a little different but it was totally yummy.

This year was different for us in that we took our Christmas tree down directly after opening our presents. The cat, Sophie, was playing in our tree so much that it looked terrible. Branches were drooping, she popped some of the light bulbs right off the strands so that wires were hanging out, bulbs were everywhere. What concerned me the most was that she kept pulling down keepsake ornaments that I didn't want to get lost or broken. She's a little terror but totally lovable and she keeps us entertained.

Everyone went back to work/school yesterday so I'm hoping life will really start to get back to normal soon.

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season and that they got all they hoped for under the tree.

5 Question Friday

 

 

1. What's the best Christmas present you've ever received?

 

Gosh. I really don't know. Maybe the year that the Mister got me all the Harry Potter books (that had been written at that point) in hardcover. That was pretty cool. I also liked the Oscar de la Renta nightgown and robe the Mister got me last year while he was deployed. They're really pretty. He also got me a peridot pendant last year too which I love.

2. Worst/Funniest White Elephant gift ever received?  

I've never participated in a White Elephant gift exchange.

3. Is your Christmas tree plain and simple (white lights and matching ornaments) or is it wild and crazy (colored lights with lots of ornaments collected over the years)?

 

We usually try to do a theme with our tree when it comes to color. For instance, we've done purple and silver (which might sound odd but it was really pretty). This year we're doing red and silver. We twisted together silver and red garland, our bulb ornaments are silver and red, and the lights on the tree are LED silver and red bulbs. But our traditional ornaments are up there too. It's a pretty effect and we like it. One year, I would like to do a beach theme. It's the ultimate in Christmas tacky, but it would be fun.

4. "How" do you iron your clothes? The old fashioned iron/ironing board way, the shower, back in the dryer, etc.

 

For clothing items that have to be ironed (like if I'm going to a funeral or a job thing), I use an iron and ironing board. For things that are casual or will end up wrinkled five seconds after I put them on anyway, I toss them into the dryer with a damp washcloth. Sometimes when I'm feeling way lazy and just don't care too much, I'll attempt to "steam" the wrinkles out of something by hanging it in the bathroom while I shower. This never works, but I feel better at least making an attempt. ;)

5. How much baking do you do for Christmas and what are your "must make" items? (I'm looking for recipes here, peeps...)

 

I think we do a minimum amount of baking compared to most people. We make peanut butter blossoms (the cookies I mentioned in last week's 5QF. I finally found the name.) every year. I consider that a tradition. The Mister usually makes a pumpkin cheesecake for dessert after Christmas dinner but we're thinking of trying something new this year. I also make buckeyes every year. It's a must whether or not I feel like eating them but they don't require baking. We also used to make turtle brownies from scratch every year but Nestle stopped making the chips that we need to put in them (at least I haven't been able to find them the past couple years) so we stopped making those. This year, we're making traditional sugar cookies. We bought cookie cutters and we'll have the girls decorate them. I'd also like to try and make fudge because I LOVE fudge and I haven't had it in years but I don't know if I will or not. I have some other things that I've pinned on Pinterest that I'd like to try but again, I don't know if I will or not. 

5 Question Friday

 

 

1. What is your favorite Christmas cookie? 

Hmm. Let me think. I like thumb print cookies when I'm not the one making them. But I guess my favorite Christmas cookie is the one with the Hershey kiss in the middle of them. I have no idea what they're called but they're the yum.

2. What's your favorite holiday movie & why?

 

I absolutely love White Christmas. Not really sure why other than I love the music. My second choice is The Santa Clause. I've always liked how that movie portrayed Santa and how he's able to do all the stuff he can do. And it's just funny.

3. Is there a gift that you bought for your kids that you wish you hadn't after they opened it?

I can't think of anything. I even asked my husband if he could think of anything and he couldn't either. We're usually pretty good about not getting them annoying toys, aka, Closet Toys.

4. What is the messiest room in your house right at this moment? 

 

By far, the office. Since I haven't been working, it's become a catch all room. You can barely even get in the door right now. It's an embarrassment but I have no motivation to clean it and as long as we keep the door closed, I don't have to look at it and can pretend it doesn't even exist.

5. What is the furthest you have driven for the holidays?

 

Wellllll, in 2003, we drove from California to Ohio and spent Christmas with the family. Technically you could say that. We were moving from California to Vermont and decided to time the drive so that we could spend Christmas with our family in Ohio rather than in Vermont with no furniture. 

5QF

1. What is your favorite Christmas decoration in your house? 

I don't really have a favorite decoration. In truth, I'm starting to dislike all my decorations because they are getting old and shabby looking which is, I suppose, what happens when you move every three years and movers break your stuff. If I had to pick, I guess I would say my snow globes.

2. Do you finish your Christmas shopping early or are you a last minute type?

I used to be a total last minute shopper. The last few years, however, I've gotten an early start and finished early. Well, at least what is early by my standards. This year, we got 90% of our shopping done on or before Black Friday.

3. When do you turn on your heat?

When the temp in my house gets below 70 at night. Living in southern California, I have a pretty skewed sense of what is cold, but I don't like getting up in the morning when it's only 67 or so degrees inside. Even when it's that cold in the morning, I still have to switch over to the AC in the afternoon. The sun heats up my house every day no matter how cold it gets at night.

4. Do you ever wish your blog was private?

What would be the point? If I wanted it private, I'd just delete it altogether.

5. Do you put your deodorant on before of after you put on your shirt?

After. Always after or I end up with deodorant stains all over my shirt. 

NaBloPoMo Day 26: The Game

Today is the Ohio State vs. Michigan game. We're fulling expecting to lose this game but that doesn't mean the Mister is any less vocal over bad calls and poor plays. It's been a bad year for the Buckeyes. We're hoping next year will be better with a new coach.

In other news...

We're going to put up our Christmas decorations today. Or I should say that we're going to get started. I'm not sure if we're just going to do the indoor decorations or do both the indoor and outdoor. I won't know until I get out my storage boxes, look things over, and see what I'm in the mood to do. It's going to be in the 80's over the next few days so I'd like to get our outdoor decorations up while the weather is so nice. At least one piece of furniture is going to have to be stored away because we don't have room for a tree in our living room. Ugh.

That's it for Saturday.

NaBloPoMo Day 25: 5QF

 

 

1. Is there a special dish you prepare that you are famous for?

 

Nope. I'm a pretty good...cook I guess you could say. I can follow a recipe like a champ. But I'm not that creative so I don't really have a signature dish. The family (the Mister and my kids) really like my marinara sauce which is, in fact, my own creation. I don't have a special holiday dish though.

2. Are you (did you) go Black Friday shopping ?

 

We just got home from Black Friday shopping. I'm not one of those crazies (no offense) that goes out at midnight (Midnight?!?! Really?!?! Wtf is up with that?!?!) or gets up at 4 am though. I got up at 8 this morning because I decided I wasn't tired anymore. Showers, clothes, hair and makeup. Then the Mister and I hit a few stores, had lunch, and came home. And you know what? We were still able to take advantage of some really fabulous Black Friday deals and we didn't have to do this or this or get up at an ungodly hour to do so.

3. What are your strangest holiday traditions? 

I don't think we have any strange holiday traditions. We do Chinese food on Christmas Eve a la A Christmas Story though. The Mister makes a pumpkin cheese cake for dessert instead of a traditional pumpkin pie. I can't think of anything else that would qualify as weird.

4. Pecan or pumpkin pie? (She actually asked "Apple or pumpkin?" I just T-giving'ed it!) 

I hate pecan. Ick. I like pumpkin pie but like I said above, we have pumpkin cheese cake every year. It's way superior to pumpkin pie.

5. When will you put up your Christmas tree?

 

We like real trees so we wait until it gets a little closer to Christmas to put up our tree so that it won't be all dried out and needle-less on Christmas morning. So, we'll probably get a tree the second week of December or so. 

NaBloPoMo Day 14: Shopping!

I'm having so much fun shopping for the girls this year. We've already made a sizable dent in the girls' Christmas lists. I had tons of fun shopping online this morning. I'm trying to hold myself back so that we can take advantage of sales that are sure to come but it's hard. The Mister has the week off of work so we'll be able to go out and about while the girls are in school.

I've been getting clothing ideas from Polyvore via Pinterest which has turned me onto some new stores.

One is the Wet Seal. I think they sell clothes for just teens though. If you're a skinny minny, you can probably shop there too though. ;)

Another store is Gilt. They have daily deals and your shopping cart is timed so be careful not to lose out on the deals. If you decide to shop at Gilt and you have the patience to wait, I can send you an invitation and then I get $25 once your order ships. Let me know!

The last store is HauteLook. (I heard about this store on the Today Show too.) They are similar to Gilt in that they have daily deals. They have pretty deep discounts on clothes though as well as makeup and home decor.

Anywho, that's what I've been up to today. I'm also working on some crochet projects that I'm making as gifts. Fun for me!

NaBloPoMo Day 9: Hump Day

Wednesday has me thinking about what we have going on this weekend. Not a whole lot.

First of all, the Oldest Child's punishment will come to an end on Saturday. I'm not going into the details of the offense, but I will tell you what the punishment was because it's a bit funny. She's been grounded, but not in the traditional sense. Grounding kids to their rooms, nowadays, it's a pretty useless thing to do. Even when I was a teenager, I was never very upset to be grounded. I had a TV, a radio, a Nintendo, a phone, and a full bookshelf. The Oldest Child has many similar things. She has a TV, an old Playstation 2, her cell phone with it's Internet, games, texting, etc., and whatever else she has in there for entertainment. Out of a 24 hour weekday, she spends 15 hours of her day in her room, voluntarily. So her punishment was that she had to sit at the kitchen table doing homework or reviewing her text books if she didn't have homework, for a minimum of two hours directly after school. Then she was grounded FROM her room until 8 pm. This has been a three week long punishment and she's whined and complained about it every single day. I'm hoping that it has been an effective punishment but only time will tell.

Secondly, the Mister and I are going to make a serious dent in our Christmas shopping this weekend. I'm saving some stuff for Black Friday and Cyber Monday but for the most part, I want to get as much done as I can, as soon as I can. Last Christmas sucked with the Mister being deployed so I want this year to be fantabulous.

Lastly, the Oldest Child has her last band competition of the season on Saturday. This competition is being held at Vista High School. Her high school band has come in third at the previous two competitions so they're hoping to place higher this last time. I can't believe they didn't place higher last weekend. The band that came in second sucked. I know, I'm biased, but they really did. While I enjoy seeing the bands perform, it's supposed to rain on Saturday. I'm a weany and have no desire to sit in the cold rain. Supposedly, the show will go on unless there's lightening and the chances of that are slim to none. Oh wells.

That's my weekend plans.

Ten Things I Like About Christmas

1. Christmas carols
2. Movies
3. The smell of a real tree
4. The decorations
5. Driving around looking at the lights
6. My kids opening their presents
7. Baking cookies
8. The ham
9. Ham gravy
10. Christmas vacation

Good Moods vs. Bad Moods

My blog has certainly evolved, or de-evolved depending on your point of view, since I first started it back in 2003. What started out as a simple and easy way of updating family on our move to Vermont turned out to be the only thing that kept me sane during our time in Vermont. A theme has never been seen around here either. I’m not a mom blogger even though I’m a mom who blogs. I’m not a book blogger even though I love to read and occasionally talk about what I’ve read or am reading. I’m currently rereading J.D. Robb’s In Death series in case you were wondering. I’m not a thinly disguised money-making blog. I’ve never earned one red cent by blogging. I’m not even sure how you’d categorize my blog other than to call it a personal, not professional, blog. Blah blah.

What I have learned through the years of blogging is that it is much easier to find things to write about when I am in a bad mood. Ranting, raving, complaining, and just plain bitching are things at which I excel. Idiot drivers, lousy neighbors, family, the Mister’s job, money or the lack thereof, cleaning house, my kids, other people’s kids, and I could go on and on. These are just some of my favorite subjects that I like to blather on about.

Lately, I’ve been in a really good mood. I seriously can’t figure out what’s gotten into me. I’m usually an up and down kinda person. Holidays usually make my moods worse. This year, I just can’t get enough of Christmas. Maybe it’s because I don’t have sucky renters trying to make me go insane this year like I did last year. Or maybe it’s because the Marine Corps isn’t being a major PITA!! like they were in 2006 at Christmastime. Who knows? All I know is that I’ve been in an exceptionally good mood lately which makes it so that I don’t have anything much to say. At least nothing new to say anyway.

I seem to be alone in my joyfulness. I’ve been reading around Facebook and blogs how people aren’t in the Christmas spirit this year. Stop it!! Put out your decorations, bake some cookies, put on some Christmas music or a movie, adopt a reindeer, burn a pine scented candle, whatever it takes!! And hurry it up! My good mood surely won’t last for much longer. ;)

Our Last Thanksgiving in NC

We had a pretty decent Thanksgiving this year. For the first time ever, we  had a fresh turkey instead of a frozen bird. I didn’t think there would be very much difference between the two but I was way wrong. A fresh turkey is juicier and tastier. Honestly. Fresh birds only from now on. The only thing was that we got a 12 pound bird which was big enough for dinner but didn’t leave enough leftovers. Part of our Thanksgiving tradition is to make a turkey potpie with the leftovers. We had to go out and buy a turkey breast in order to have our potpie! And it did NOT taste like turkey at all. I heard on  some Thanksgiving Day special on TV that it’s the dark meat that gives turkey its flavor. I’m guessing that explains why the turkey breast didn’t taste like a normal turkey. Still, the potpie was good and it made leftovers in and of itself!

This year, the Mister and I did some Black Friday shopping. I do believe this is the first time we’ve gone shopping like that since 1995 or 1996. It was fun and other than a few odds and ends, I’m pretty much done with my Christmas shopping. Woohoo!!!!! I’m pretty proud of myself being done so early. Basically, I just have to figure out what I’m getting the Mister for Christmas. He is absolutely the hardest person in the world to shop for. If I was only going to get  him PS3 games, I’d be set but I like variety and PS3 games are pretty much expected. Too bad I don’t have the money to buy him the airplane he’s always wanted.

We have most of our indoor Christmas decorations up. Kinda. We buy fresh trees so we’re waiting a week or two before we get one so it’ll last until New Years. We have two smaller artificial trees up though. One we bought this year that’s pre-lit and the other is older than dirt but still looks nice on my grandmother’s table. My mantle is done up real nice too. I bought a cranberry garland to go across the front and we also bought some really nice stocking hangers. Today, we’re starting on the outside decorations. It’s about 70 degrees here today so it’s perfect weather to put up outside stuff. I just need the stuff, lol. I tried out my lights and all but one long and two short strands are broken. I have no idea what happened to them. They worked last year. I’m too impatient to figure out what’s wrong with them so I trashed them and I’m going out later today to buy new. I can’t wait. I also need to buy my Christmas cards. Yep. I’m sending them out this year. I hope I have everyone’s correct mailing address!!

Still loving the holiday season!!!!!! We bought Andrea Bocelli’s new Christmas CD on iTunes (It’s really good!) and I’ve watched The Santa Clause about 3 or 4 times already, hehehe.

Odd Behavior

I don’t know what’s gotten into me this year, but I’m so excited about the holidays. Usually, I’m a real bah humbugger about holidays. I don’t know what’s gotten into me!

We have all of our Turkey Day food ready to go. We’re not having anyone over this year but that’s okay. Not to be inhospitable, but I enjoy the time with just my family. Maybe next year will be different though. ;)

I’m also totally into Christmas already. I’m itching to put out my decorations. I saw someone yesterday with their yard already done up and it was nice to see. I also stop to listen to commercials with Christmas music in them. Hmm.

Maybe I’m in a good mood about the holidays because things are so good for us right now. With San Diego on the horizon, I’ve been taking things in stride a lot more than I usually do. There was a freakazoid in the carpool lane at the oldest’s school last week and instead of flipping my lid, I laughed at them instead. I only have to deal with that craziness for 4 1/2 more months. Yep, yep!

Well, I gotta meeting in five minutes, so I’ll stop my blathering now. I hope all of you are in the holiday spirit this year too!!

I Don’t Work Weekends

It was another slow weekend at our house. Friday the Mister and I did a bit of Christmas shopping. We also bought snack food for the Ohio State v. Michigan game on Saturday. We picked up pizza for dinner that night too. Real exciting, right?

Saturday we watched Ohio State beat Michigan for the sixth year in a row. Michigan fans want their coach fired, hehehe. The Mister wore his fuzzy buckeye hat and weirded out the neighborhood kids, lol. I think I’ve posted a picture of it before, but just in case, this is his hat:

I bought it for him for Christmas forever ago. He wore it to the grocery store one year in California. I did not go with him, lol.

Saturday night, the oldest child was invited to a birthday party. We didn’t let her go. It was for our neighbor who turned 14. She had a party that started at 8 and ended at midnight. The Mister and I don’t feel she’s mature enough (even though she’ll be 14 herself in July) to attend such a party. Funnily enough, she wasn’t even mad or upset. I don’t think she wanted to go anyway. This girl doesn’t go to the oldest’s school so she wouldn’t have known any of the kids there anyway.

Sunday, the Mister and I went to the commissary for the first time in about two months, maybe longer. We had been doing our grocery shopping out in town, but with all the Thanksgiving food we needed, we decided to hit the commissary, save some money, and stock up. It was a freaking madhouse. They didn’t have any eggs, chicken broth, allspice, and a couple other things. It’s annoying having to go two places for stuff. Add that to the crowds, the drive, and having to tip the baggers, is it really any wonder why we opt to shop out in town??

We also did some more Christmas shopping on Sunday. This is the earliest head start I’ve ever gotten on Christmas shopping. We are always very last minute usually. We’re also doing a red and silver theme on our Christmas tree this year and picked up these really neat LED lights for our tree. I can’t wait to try them out. I’m totally excited about Christmas this year. I’m really in the Christmas spirit and I’m looking forward to getting out my Christmas decorations and putting away my harvest decorations on Friday. Yay!!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from my family to you and your loved ones.

Back to Normal (Updated with Pictures)

I’m done Christmas shopping!! Woot! Shopping crowds weren’t that bad but traffic was horrible. People have no brains sometimes. I think I did okay for the Mister. The girls seem happy with what we picked out.

We did some holiday baking last night. The girls and I made cookies with Hershey Kisses in the middle. I’m not sure what they are called but my grandma used to make them every year and they make me feel good to see them. Plus, they’re just yummy. The Mister decided to bake wheat rolls which are also a holiday tradition in my family. He has his shop Christmas party today and that was his contribution. HOWEVER!!! He didn’t estimate the baking time correctly so I ended up staying up until 2 in the morning baking bread that I didn’t even get to eat.

It is COLD here. And I mean normal people cold. It’s been getting down in the 20’s overnight. Sunday, I had my air conditioning running in the morning and then the heat on at night. Craziness.

Plans for the day include wrapping presents and more baking. We have to make buckeyes and turtles. Besides gaining 500 pounds, we’re going to be in a sugar coma, lol. Buckeyes are traditional though. If you’re from Ohio, you make buckeyes. If you’re from Ohio and you don’t make buckeyes, it’s just wrong and you should be tied up and dropped off in Michigan. Turtles are a new Christmas tradition for us. The Mister and I saw the recipe on the back of a package of caramel swirl chips and have been making them for several years now. They are YUMMY! I can only stand to eat about a 1” x 1” piece at a time though they’re so rich.

We’re also probably going to make a batch of soap today too. The UPS man delivered a bunch of new additives yesterday and we’re anxious to try them out.

Okay. I’m off to do one of the things I said that I need to do today, heheh.

**Updates**

Pam asked what buckeyes are so I thought I’d post pictures. It occurred to me that most people don’t know what they are unless you’re from Ohio, heheh.

These are buckeyes, the candy, that you can purchase from The Party Shop should you desire to do so. They really are very yummy. Much like a peanut butter cup.

 

 

 

This is an actual buckeye nut from the tree. See the similarity to the candy?

Down to the Wire

Counting today, we only have three shopping days left until Christmas. This is not helpful information to me. I still haven’t shopped for the Mister yet. Remember how I said he’s hard to shop for? Well, he is!! When I ask him what he wants, he replies that he doesn’t want anything. Is that helpful or what? I only have two things in mind as of right now. Grr! Ugh! Phhft!! I’m hoping I’ll be inspired when I’m fighting the crowds today

As for the girls, I’m completely done shopping for them. I think they’re going to make out pretty good this year. Their gifts from my dad haven’t even arrived yet so they’ll be getting more presents on top of what they’ve already gotten from us and their other grandparents.

Okay. Now I’m anxious to get out there and get this over with. I’m gonna jet. Short post for you all today.

Wait a minute, wait a minute. This post was on topic too. I need to be careful before I start making this a trend.

Feeling Pretty Good

No. Things are still far from settled with the VT house. We got bad news about it Monday and more bad news today. It never seems to stop. However, I’ve pushed it to the backburner in my mind. Maybe not the healthiest or wisest thing to do, but at least I get through the day without crying and I’m now looking forward to Christmas. Call it a defense mechanism. I don’t really care.

One reason I’m feeling pretty good is that FedEx delivered my new digital camcorder yesterday. It’s the one that I won in that contest. It is SO SMALL. I mean, it’s just slightly bigger than my digital camera. I need to take some video that I can share so you guys can see what it can do but I have no idea what to shoot. Maybe I’ll record the dogs playing or something.

Another reason I’m jolly is that we got a bunch of new soap additives yesterday. We started out buying stuff commercially from local stores but these ingredients we bought wholesale from suppliers. It really makes you feel like you’re in business when you can by wholesale, plus it’s way cheaper. It was another exciting step in our business venture. Also, I found someone that would be willing to design our website at a discount from his normal $50/hour corporate rate. Now I need to figure out how I want it to look and what elements I want on it. I’ve never designed a for real website before so I’m a bit intimidated.

Another reason I’m in such a good mood is that the Mister and I just about finished up our Christmas shopping for the girls last night. I still have a few odds and ends that I want to pick up, but the major gifts are bought. Yay!! That’s relatively early for us, lol. We are very much the last minute shoppers. As it is, I’ll be up late wrapping gifts on Xmas Eve. I know me. I will.

My last bit of feel goodness is that tomorrow is my last day of work for two weeks. That’s right. I’m taking vacation. I have a feeling that I’ll start missing it after a few days, but I’ll survive, heheh.

Where I’m At

One of these days, I’ll post an entire post that’s about just one thing. Today is not that day.

We found out something yesterday that made us laugh. We still know one recruiter up in Vermont that the Mister worked with while we lived there. Interestingly enough, this Marine’s grandparents live at the end of our road and are acquainted with The Tenants. He and the Mister talk about once a week so he’s all up to date on our drama. He told the Mister yesterday on the phone that The Tenants have been telling his grandparents that we all of a sudden, out of the blue decided to kick them out a month before Christmas. LMAO!! I seriously got a good laugh over that. He also told the Mister that Peter, one of the tenants, used to work for his grandpa at a maple syrup factory in Vermont. He had to fire him after a week because Peter was lazy. Fine, upstanding people, aren’t they?

Another funny:  That picture in my post from the other day, well, it was the notice I received from the youngest child’s school about her attendance. I thought it was an 8 in the tardy slot and really flipped my lid. I called the school and after they did some investigating, was informed it was a zero with a line through it. Either I can’t read or they can’t write on top of not being able to spell or use proper grammar.

I finished up my work with my new client. It was just a temporary thing where I helped her put together a holiday gift guide for her blog. It was very satisfying to help out another mom and to have the project completed. It was also a little bit strange to have access to someone else’s blog and to get paid for blogging, lol. Strange but good.

If you need gift ideas for girls or women, specifically moms, I highly recommend that you check out her guide. It has lots of fabulous ideas. She also runs MANY giveaways. Here are the links: