Well the Christmas partying is half done………thankfully! We had a really nice time at Mom’s. She BBQ’d a prime rib roast, cooked up some lobster, and all the side dishes. It was scrumptious! The roast was perfect! It was so tender you could just cut it with a regular knife, and the lobster just melted in your mouth. Of course this meant we ate too MUCH! Then we wandered downstairs to open gifts. Everyone loved their presents, and a good time was had by all!

By the time we finished with presents, we were tired, and left shortly, to go back to the hotel. Of course we both had another pretty much sleepless night. I finally put my head under a great big pillow, and managed to sleep a little bit. Needless to say, we’re both wiped. We’re back home now, and going to have a snooze before we go in to the in-laws with Jessica, for Christmas dinner. Ben will be meeting us there after work, in time for dinner.

Hope your Christmas is Merry & Bright!

Well, for someone who is typically very organized, and ahead of things when it comes to things like being prepared for Christmas, this year I was a MESS! I started shopping very early, and I think that lulled me into a vegetative state, because I left everything else to the last damn minute!
Yesterday I finished the laundry, and then started wrapping. By the time I changed beds, packed, showered, etc, it was 3:00 before I left!! Geeze! As I was wrapping, I realized I was short a few gifts for people. DOH! So this moring, my ass was at Wal*mart when the doors opened at 8:00 am, and I finished my shopping with about 3 other fools. It was great! The store was DEAD!! Yay! So I came back to the hotel and wrapped them up, and now I’m about ready to head over to my Mom’s.
Last night hubby and I met at the hotel, and then went out for a nice dinner. We had a good time. … UNTIL 2:00 am, when I was awakened from the SNORING!! I finally poked him and told him he was snoring like a maniac! Then he got up and got some ice water. So, this is what I listened to for the next 4 hours: ice rattling, slurp, burp, snore, snuffle, ice, gulp, fart… wash, rinse, repeat. I finally turned the TV on to drown out some of the noises! Then I heard ice, gulp, slurp, burp, mumble, mutter…. “I have to go to work in a couple of hours!” blah blah Now I remember why we sleep in separate rooms at home, and why we do not vacation!! Shoot me now!

Thankfully it’s the weekend! Sarah and Jay are off snowboarding in Jasper, so we have Miles for the weekend. Needless to say it’s rather chaotic around here with the 2 of them, and all the Christmas decorations!
Last night C and I stayed late at work, and finished the “wildcats”. We wanted to get them finished, as Tuesday is the Christmas concert, so the gym will have a full house. I’ll take pictures next week.
My plan this weekend is to get all my Christmas wrapping finished, and find out just what else I need to get.
Jess is flying in today to spend Christmas I think. Hopefully the whole thing goes smoothly. I’m not in the mood for any unnecessary stress!
My aunt passed away on Tuesday night, so I’ll be going down to Mom’s for the funeral on Thursday. I believe she was about 75 years old. She had pneumonia and just couldn’t recover from it, she pretty much died in her sleep, which is certainly the way to go. She had suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis since she was in her early 30’s, and I think she just got tired of living such a life of pain! I was lucky enough to get in for a haircut last night, and Sarah is going to streak my hair when she comes to pick up Miles tomorrow. The evening of the funeral we are coming back here to go out for dinner with 8 of our friends. It should be a lot of fun, it’s just too bad it’s going to be so rushy to get back here. These are all other store managers and their wives, that hubby has worked with, or for over his career. All really good people.
Friday is obviously my last day of work until the 8th of January, and I’m sure looking forward to it! I’m going down with hubby when he goes to work, on the 23rd. We’re taking a room, and staying for 2 nights, as Mom doesn’t have enough room at her house for all of us. Ben and Jess will be down on the 24th I think, and leave the night of the 24th, because Ben works 8-4:00 pm on Christmas Day. Sarah and Jay will be down at the farm, and then come to Mom’s Christmas Eve day, and leave Christmas day to go back to the farm. I’m not sure what day my brother is driving down. We’ll go back Christmas day, and end up going in to hubby’s folks for Christmas dinner. After that….I’ll be at one with the ghost of Christmas past.

Feel It!!

Apparently I’m in the minority, or the day would be banned, but I HATE Halloween! WTF is the point???

As a kid I hated it. We lived in the country, and could visit 5 houses in an evening, and all we’d come home with was apples, peanuts in the shell, and tootsie pop! While my cousin who lived in town would get a pillow case FULL.

As a teenager I hated it. I was tall (still am), and skinny (not so much), and all legs, so dressy up as a skanky nurse, skanky french maid, or some other such floosie did not “work”, and dressing up as clown or hobo certainly didn’t light a spark with many of the guys.

As a parent I hated it. Trying to come up with a costume for your kids every year. Not only a costume which wasn’t made of plastic and looks like a garbage bag, but one that fits over a snowsuit! I don’t sew, so I always had to be particularily inventive, which is why one year Sarah was a tube of Crest Toothpaste, another year she was a bag of jelly beans, and another year a can of soup, followed by road kill. The year of the soup can was notable. The costume looked GREAT!!! But……..when she went out to go trick or treating, she couldn’t get up the steps of the houses in it! I quit after that…. she was on her own.

As a parent of teenagers I hated it! Doorbell ringing every 3 minutes, rude kids at the door, 42 year olds wearing lipstick expecting candy, our old dog barking her fool head off EVERY time the door bell rang, the fact that even though you’re standing right in the door, they feel compelled to ring your bell and SCREECH, “Halloween Apples!” WTF is up with that with you city people?? What sense does that make?? You are supposed to say, “Trick or Treat!” Geesh I also vaguely recall a stunt that my then 14 year old son pulled requiring a visit to court…. nuff said

As an emptynester, I hate it! Why do I want to participate now? I am not supposed to “have to” now…. my kids are gone, I’m not trying to “impress anyone”, I don’t decorate, I’m not having Jack on my doorstep, nor the spooky music. I don’t like arm wrestling hubby over who has to get up off the couch to answer the door, and last year we just put a bowl out there, and the little bastards stole the candy, the bowl, AND the little witch sitting in it!

As an education assistant in a special needs school…… I LOVE it! The excitement for the little kids is awesome! They’re so cute in their costumes, everything is filled with wonderment and awe! We don’t have to go trudging around in the snow, we walk around the halls to gather treats. I don’t have to think of a costume, because I wear the same thing every year. My Jack O’Lantern scrub pants, my Old Navy t-shirt with the pumpkins on it, my pumpkin socks, my ghost pin, my witch earrings and my Crocs. I’m comfortable!! I can go to work in my PJ’s! When the parents and kids ask what I’m dressed up as, I can answer them very honestly! “I’m a BOO Humbughead!”

We were pretty darn lazy today, after being up late watching the Oilers lose last night. Boo! Once we got moving, we went in to the in-laws for dinner. It was yummy as usual. We brought home a big bag of home made buns, and turkey for Ben, for his lunches, as he was at work from 4-12:00. He does the Edmonton Eskimos broadcast tomorrow, so he works from 12:00 - 6:00. He’ll miss dinner out at Mom’s too, but I’m sure I’ll be able to score him some leftovers. He’s coming over here tomorrow night when he gets off work.

Sarah and Jay just arrived to pick up Miles. Thank gawd there won’t be a herd of thundering kitties running through the house all night tonight!

I’ll be back with a post after work. Enjoy your day!