New Year's Eve

As 2009 comes to an end, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. May 2010 be an awesome year for all my friends and family. Like I said a few days ago, I plan to stay at home tonight. It snowed all morning, but the accumulation is not deep. Since I don't feel ship shape today, I'll clean my car off tomorrow. I hope it doesn't turn to ice, but it may because it may start to rain instead of snow later. If it freezes overnight, I'll have my work cut out for me in the morning. We'll watch the New Year ring in on TV. Maybe they'll be a good movie or two on tonight. I'm hoping that that is the case. To everyone who is going Out and About tonight, I hope that your travels are safe. I've made one New Year's resolution already. Good Luck to all of us with our New Year's resolutions. Happy New Year!

Girls' Day Out

A friend and I went out for the afternoon. We visited our favorite yarn and quilt shops. I bought a pattern for a winter hat and one for mittens. My friend bought some yarn. It was interesting to go through the quilt shop. I looked at a longarm machine but there is NOT one of those in my future. Even if I could afford it, I wouldn't have any room for it. There is also a bead shop in that strip of stores. We perused all the beautiful beads and the samples of what you could learn to make. It was nice to get out. I've been home all week. I got a chance to see my friend's home decorated for Christmas. I always love seeing how different people decorate for this beautiful holiday. I was very warmly dressed because it was so freezing cold today. What I didn't take into consideration is that I'd be in a car with the heat on. I didn't need to be so warmly dressed. I even wore a new outfit today. I had purchased it about 2 years ago for New Year's Eve but never had an occasion to wear it until today, the day before New Year's Eve. It is royal blue, velvet pant suit with silver piping around the cuffs and the neck of the jacket. I wore a beaded silver shell underneath. I'm staying in tomorrow night and I'll be wearing my nightgown so I thought I'd dress up today instead. "Life is short", live it up!

A Colder Tuesday

Today is a day for indoor activities. It's too cold outside to go out. I'm spending my afternoon knitting. I've had 2 phone calls from friends this morning. It was nice to chat with a friend I haven't been in contact with since before Thanksgiving. I've made plans to get together tomorrow with the other friend. We're going to visit the yarn shop so she can stock up on yarn for her needs. I want to look into getting yarn for a sweater I'd like to make for myself. The actual purchase of the yarn will have to wait until another time. Since the quilt shop is right next door to the yarn shop, I'll be stopping in there also to see what's new. It's always fun to visit these shops even if you don't purchase anything. Sometimes you come away with good ideas if nothing else. I look forward to tomorrows outing.

A Cold Monday

The wind is blowing. I hope that we don't lose power tonight like we did a few days ago. If we do, we're all set with candles and matches to light the candles.
I did do some knitting today. I also took a short nap. I think that I'm fighting a "bug" of some sort. Hope I'll feel better tomorrow. I guess we'll find a movie to watch tonight and I'll do some more knitting. This afghan which is for my mother will be a lot longer than the baby afghans I made. My mother wants it to cover her while she naps in her recliner. I figure that it should be at least 60 inches long. I have about 12 inches done so far. I've got a way to go yet.
I'll probably take Mom home after the next holiday. I'll be able to get my home in shape when I return. I'm hoping that I can find some work in the new year. If I don't have to worry about her I'll be more relaxed when at work. I hope that we don't have any emergencies this year. It would be nice to have a 'stress free' start to the New Year. I hope that we all have a healthy and prosperous New Year.

The Day After The Day After

It's Sunday, the day after the day after Christmas. I slept late and went to 11:30 am mass this morning. I picked up our meds and bought the Sunday paper. What have I done the rest of the day? I couldn't tell you. I did not take a nap, I'd remember that if I did. I didn't watch tv. I had a phone call which lasted a few minutes and I chatted with Mom on and off. I don't know where the day went but it's now early evening. I did prepare lunch and supper. I did not accomplish anything else worth writing about. It certainly was a "free" day for me.

The Day After

Christmas Day is past. It was a wonderful day. I especially enjoyed the mass at the local church. It was beautiful. The decorations were exceptional. The music was supreme. We sang every Christmas Carol I remember from childhood. There were what seemed like 100's of candles on the altar and down the main aisle. It gave me a good feeling to be there.
Christmas dinner turned out well and the clean up seemed easier than usual. It was fun to give the gifts I bought for my family. They were well liked which I appreciated. I took D. home early so to beat the freezing rain which was predicted.
Now, today I plan to relax. There are a few things to put away, but I'm not in a hurry to do that. Maybe I'll knit, maybe I won't. It's a free day with no commitments. A day like that is nice to experience every now and then. I feel lazy today. After all the preparation and hosting I'm entitled to be lazy today. Today is MY day to do what I want to do.

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve and all the days cooking is done. The diswasher is going at this moment. Now I'm watching the nightly news and am all set to relax for the rest of the evening. I'm hoping that we get to see a terrific Christmas movie this evening, maybe the Christmas Carol with Alistair Sims. Watching that is a tradition for us. Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Relaxing Time

The three tenors are singing Christmas music on a PBS channel. There aren't too many other Christmas shows on.
The chocolate pudding pie is in the fridge. Some how or other I'm going to find extra room in the fridge for 2 pumpkin pies. That will be an accomplishment. The turkey I have is 26.5lbs. It takes up a lot of room in there.
I've showered and washed my hair. When I finish with what I'm doing I'll knit for awhile.

Today's Baking Is Done

The pumpkin pies are cooling. The pie shell for the pudding pie is done. Supper is done. I need to make the pudding for the pie shell. I will then clean up the kitchen. After all that is over I plan to take my shower and wash my hair. I'm looking forward to relaxing afterwards and maybe doing some knitting.

Preparation

The grocery shopping is done. The gifts are wrapped. After supper tonight I'm going to make 2 pumpkin pies and a chocolate pudding pie. I hope that I can fit them into the refridgerator after they've cooled. I'm not quite sure what we'll be having for supper tonight. I'm hoping it is something easy to make and to clean up.
Tomorrow morning I'll make the stuffing for the bird and store that in the fridge until Christmas morning when the turkey will be stuffed and roasted. I will also make cole slaw which is very easy and I'll make creamed cauliflower which can be heated up before dinner is served on Christmas. The only other item I'll be making for Christmas on Christmas Eve, is a white cake with vanilla frosting and strawberry preserves in the middle. It will also have coconut sprinkled on top. That was a request for Christmas too. Of course there will be supper to prepare for Christmas Eve. I've already mentioned that we're having potato soup which will be a meal itself. Hopefully, after supper I'll be able to relax with the family. Merry Christmas!

Watching a Video

We watched our first video with the new tv. I finally figured out how to play the video. We saw "The Bishop's Wife" with Cary Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young. The problem afterwards was how to get the tv back on. I played with 2 remotes for awhile and finally the tv came back. Don't ask what I did because I couldn't tell you. I'm just glad that it worked. I may not be brave enough to watch another video any time soon.

Busy Days Ahead

Today I got 2 of my errands done early in the morning. I'm going to do the grocery shopping tomorrow so that I can get there when the store opens and it's almost empty. The advantage to that is that you can get a close parking space and you don't have to wait to check out. Later in the day I'll wrap some gifts. I'm not in the mood to do that today. I don't feel like fighting with 2 cats. On Christmas Eve morning I'll bake and in the afternoon I'll make 3 of the dishes we'll need for Christmas dinner. I've had a request for potato soup for Christmas Eve so I'll do that later in the afternoon. Somewhere between baking and cooking I'll go to pick up D. so that he can spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us. That will be a busy, busy, day. I'm already looking forward to after dinner so that I can relax. However, it is all a labor of love.

Out And About, Again

I went out and about today. The major roads were in good condition which was helpful. I had to pick up a few things which I left at the shore because I'll need them for preparing Christmas dinner. I made a grocery list for the things I'll need to purchase at the grocery store. I may do all that tomorrow. I still have 4 gifts to wrap. I used gift bags for most of the others. On Wednesday I'll bake the pumpkin pies and the chocolate cream pies. I hope to also make a cake. We'll surely have enough sweets for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. If anyone stops by in the late afternoon we'll have something to serve with tea or coffee. I will go to church on Christmas. The weather forecast is calling for rain. I hope that they're wrong. If the roads are messy I'll go to church locally, I'd rather go to my own church, however. There's a lot to do but I'm "up" for doing it all. May all my friends have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2010.

A Winter Wonderland

The snow isn't as deep as I expected. I went out earlier and dug my car out. There was no where to move it to, so I eventually cleared out my space and put the car back there again. The snow is a light snow. It wasn't hard to shovel this time. Thank goodness. Someone was nice and cleaned my car off before I even went out there. Now I have to find out who did that so I can thank them and perhaps give them a Christmas gift of some sort. We're listening to Christmas music on the TV. I wish I could play my Christmas CD's, but I don't think Mom would enjoy those. She's not a music person. She prefers the tv and movies. Well, it's a Winter Wonderland outside. The snow is expected to be around for Christmas. It'll be a White Christmas afterall.

The Snow Is Falling

Snow has been falling for about 2 hours or so and is still going strong. I had to run out to get Mom's meds and made it home just before the snow started to fall. Thank you, Dear God. I prayed the entire way to the store and back again. I was home for about 15 minutes before the snow started to fall. It's suppose to snow into tomorrow. I called my brother and they had 14 inches about 2 hours ago and the snow was still falling there. We've been told that we could get anywhere from 12 to 16 inches here before it stops falling. As always, it looks pretty out there, but I'm not looking forward to shoveling my car out when it's all over. They say that the snow will be around until Christmas because it'll be so cold, so I guess we'll have a white Christmas afterall. We may even get more snow on Christmas day I've heard. Just as long as I can get out during the week to get to the grocery store and to get Mom's mail and the roaster oven I left at her home.

A Good Day

Today was a working day. I'm now $80. richer. (Big deal!) I guess that every little bit helps. It was a good day.
Now we're hunkering down and getting ready for a big snowstorm. We're beginning to change our Christmas plans. We may be having Christmas here instead of there. It all depends on the weather. Time will tell, we're not sure yet. I'm hoping that I can rest watching a Christmas movie tonight. We're having trouble with the sound on TCM. I don't know why they can't correct the problem. No one else I know outside of our area has the same problem with that channel.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Today I had my hair colored. It looks nice. I went to buy groceries afterward because they're predicting a snowfall for Saturday. I will not be able to shop tomorrow because I'm working. I'm hoping that it's an easy day. If it is as cold as it was today, I may not have to stand outside for a half hour while the children play. They will probably have inside play. My day will end after eight hours. I'm hoping that we've gotten a raise this year. One can always hope.

Something New

Today started extra early. I was out of the house by 6:45am because I had to do an errand for my brother. I arrived home and continued to watch our usual morning program. I'm all dressed for the luncheon already. I tried something different with my hair last night. Believe it or not, I set it and slept in rollers just like the "old" days. My hair looks nice today. I'm having it done tomorrow and will get the long bangs cut. The other length I'll leave alone for awhile. I'm also getting a touch up and highlights tomorrow. I'm anxious to see how it'll look when that's done. I'm doing my own manicures these days. It still looks nice, but it's another thing that I have to do every week. I've been doing my nails since 8th grade. It gets old doing it yourself after awhile. I also do my own pedicures, but I like the professional look better than the job I can do.
On Friday I'm working for the day at a local school. It will be my first time this year. I'm hoping that I can do more work in the New Year. I hope that Mom doesn't have any emergencies this year while I'm working.
After the luncheon today, I'll meet a friend for last minute Christmas shopping. I'm hoping that I can get a battery for my watch while I'm out. It'll feel like Christmas is coming because it's so cold out today. I'm wearing my faux fur coat because it's so warm. I wish I could find my gloves!

Another Productive Day

It was a productive day today. I completed the minutes from the December Guild meeting and sent them on to our president. I made a cake for tomorrow's luncheon at a friend's home. Made a few phone calls, and spent time with Mom. I started the day by watching "Way Too Early" and "Morning Joe". Unfortunately, I'm missing the Prayer Shawl Ministry meeting tonight. I will be out all afternoon tomorrow and may meet a friend after school for some last minute Christmas shopping. If Mom were at her home I wouldn't have hesitated to go to tonight's meeting, but since I'll be out for so long tomorrow, I thought better of doing so. We found a station which has been showing Christmas movies in the evening. We plan to look for another to watch tonight. 'Tis the season' afterall. On Thursday, "Christmas In Connecticut" will be on TCM. We hope to watch that old favorite of ours. The cable company is having trouble with the sound on that station, however. I hope that it is fixed by Thursday evening. While I'm waiting for the show tonight, I'll knit for awhile.

Slippery Roads

The roads were slippery when I was returning from mass this morning. I skidded slowly as I turned the corner in our development. I decided that it was not safe to drive a distance as I had planned to do after church. We stayed home. We were dry and safe. After a short nap, we started to watch tv. When supper is over I'll get to my knitting. I've been hoping that there will be something worth watching tonight. Where are all the special Christmas programs? It's only 12 days until Christmas. What are they waiting for? I'm bored with the usual programs. Give us something good to watch!

A Movie Day

We watched several movies today. They were taking place during the Christmas season, but wouldn't be what I'd call "Christmas" movies. Right now we're watching "Eloise At Christmas". I've seen it before. It's cute. We watched a version of Dickens' "Christmas Carol" with Reginald Owen. It's not my favorite version, but it is enjoyable.
Tomorrow I will read at church, then take Mom home. I hope that the rain holds off until we're at her home. It's not fun driving in rain. My plan is to knit for most of the day tomorrow.

Cats And The Dummy

We're watching the "Dog Whisperer". Sometimes I wish that there was a "Cat Whisperer". If I could get the cats to refrain from sleeping on my chest when I'm in bed sleeping. They are too heavy for such behavior. They see me lying down and they think they can just lie down on top of me. They're going to stop my breathing some day. If I'm reclining on the sofa I can direct them off of me. It's when I'm sound asleep that I dislike their behavior the most. It does finally wake me up because I feel like I'm being smothered. At that moment I move them off of me. I guess that I'm at fault for allowing this behavior when they were kittens. I should have read "Cats for Dummies" a long time ago. Maybe I can learn something helpful from that book, yet.

My Day

This morning I got out to do a bit of Christmas shopping. I only have one more gift to get. It's very brisk and cold out today. It certainly feels a lot like Christmas weather. It's not even winter yet. Tomorrow I will go to the post office to mail an art book to my brother. I'm hoping I can make a stop to get the last gift that I need.
I knitted for awhile earlier today. I will get back to it after lunch. There is nothing else that I need to do today. I can't believe that it's the time that it is. Another day going quickly, too quickly.

Last Gift Shopping

My friend's daughter received the afghan I made for her today. I'm happy that it arrived so quickly and before the baby was born. L. told her mother that the afghan is beautiful. That's all I needed to hear. Now I'm happy that I did all the work since it's appreciated.
I'm hoping that tomorrow I can get out to pick up the few Christmas gifts that I need to purchase. I saw a few "little" things at Burlington last week. I'd like to include them in Mom's gift. It will be fun to be out window shopping for a change. I don't usually do that. I was formerly a catalogue shopper which was more convenient for me at the time. I must get 30 catalogues in the mail every week. Some of them I just toss, others I may peruse, but seldom buy anything from them. I'll begin to wrap the gifts next week. There aren't many so that won't be a hassle. Next weekend I'll go food shopping for our Christmas dinner. I already have the turkey and a few items, but there will be other things to get. I hate last minute shopping, or last minute anything for that matter. It causes me stress. I hate stress and it hates me. Let's avoid stress at all costs!

The day went quickly, as most of them do. We got finished with the hospital and got home at about 12:30pm. After lunch I picked up the paper, some milk and cake and returned home. While I was at the store I found some British Sterling after shave for D. I'll include it with his gifts. I still have a couple of gifts to pick up yet. Hopefully, I'll accomplish that in the next day or so. It got so cold out this afternoon. I'm glad that it wasn't quite as cold this morning when we went out. It would've made things harder going to and coming from the appointments. I had a few phone calls to make this afternoon. The group which met for tea a few months ago will meet again next Wednesday locally, at a friend's home. I was asked to remind a few of the women of the date. Our host decorates her home for Christmas by putting a tree in every room of her house, and invited all of us to come over to see her trees. I'll be bringing a cake for dessert. It should be a pleasant visit. I look forward to it.

Checking Off The List

This afternoon I did manage to return the library books and to get postage stamps for the Christmas cards. The cards have been posted and the afghan is also in the mail. I knitted on Mom's afghan for awhile when I returned from the P.O. Got some more laundry done and will do sheets and towels tomorrow. The hamper will be empty and ready to start all over again. There are only 2 more gifts to be purchased. I look forward to getting that done. Tomorrow, after Mom's appointment, I will put the fringe on the Prayer Shawl so that I can hand it in next Tuesday. All that will be left to do is to sew the label on it. When that's done, I'll start the lap blanket for someone I know who has a serious illness. The next Prayer Shawl doesn't need to be done until May. I can take a breather from deadlines for awhile. The only thing I'll need to complete before Christmas is the minutes from our last guild meeting. Perhaps I'll do that on Friday.

Cards Are Written

The Christmas cards are done. Now I just have to get stamps. I did straighten a little in the bedroom this morning. Just need to dust and vacuum in there.
As I'm sitting here writing, I can see that the rain has stopped and the sun is out. That was quite unexpected for today. I wonder how long that will last? I hope that tomorrow's weather is good. I have to take Mom to an appointment. I sewed the label on the baby afghan and will take that to the post office to send when I go to get stamps. I also have to return some library books. Don't think I'll do all that today, however. I want to finish the dusting and vacuuming so that that's over for a few days. This evening I may get back to knitting.

Cleaning Today

Today I spent the day cleaning and doing laundry. I will finish the house tomorrow since I can no longer do the entire house in one day. I guess I'm getting slower in my old age. Tonight I'll shower early than relax in front of the tv. If I don't knit today it will be okay. I don't feel like I have a deadline for getting Mom's afghan done. It'll be okay to skip knitting one day or two in a row when the season at hand calls for doing other things.
Tomorrow I take the two cats for their shots. It's going to rain in our area the weatherman predicted. It's going to snow north of here. I hope it's only rain in the morning or I'm not going to get Sandy and Coco to the Vet. I'll be glad when that is behind us. I'm reading at church on Sunday and it may snow. I'm hoping it waits until I return home after mass. I hate to drive in the snow. One of these days I'll get around to writing out my Christmas cards. I need Christmas stamps and also need to mail the baby afghan to my friend's daughter. Haven't watched any Christmas tapes yet. Mom isn't a fan. I'll get to that after I take her home.

A Lazy Afternoon

It was a lazy day. I didn't feel like doing anything. I did run a couple of errands this morning. I plan to clean my place tomorrow since I have nothing else on my calendar. Tonight I think I'll knit on Mom's afghan. I'm not going to drive myself crazy trying to get it done by Christmas. Guess I'll be getting Mom another gift. If there is nothing worth watching on TV tonight we may watch a video. "The Bishop's Wife" is ready and waiting to be popped into the vhs player. Last year I didn't watch all my Christmas movies so I will probably watch them this year. I had seen them all so often that I could recite some of the dialog from each movie. It's more fun when you aren't sure what to expect during the movie.

The snow which fell the other day is just about all gone from the lawns. It's still cold out today, however. It looks so pretty. It was nice that it wasn't very deep so it didn't impair the car drivers out there. I decorated my LR. I put a small Alpine tree up next to the fireplace. There is a Christmas centerpiece on the fireplace mantel and a lighted wreath on the living room closet door. I also put a wreath on the outside of the front door. That's about all the decorating I'll be doing this year. I need to get Christmas stamps. I need to write out my Christmas cards. I've received 2 already. Tomorrow I take Sandy and Coco for their shots. Can't wait until that is over. I just hope I have success in getting them into the cat carriers. Hope that everyone has a Happy Christmas Season!

A Crisp, Cold Day

It was a crisp, cold Tuesday. I went to the doctor appointment this morning. Everything went well for me there. When I got home from the doctor's I made several phone calls and took care of other personal business. It was a sleepy day since I awoke at 3:30am. Tonight I'll knit for awhile. I prepared some fabric for making a quilt block today. I washed it to make sure that the colors wouldn't run. I'll finish the block for Friday's meeting and if it's my lucky day, I may win the blocks made by our members so that I can make an entire quilt. I like the pattern of the block and would be happy to win the drawing.