Cabin Fever

Yes, I have it! And so do the girls. We have been snowed in the past two days. At first it was great. With the snow flying and the wind howling, it was nice to just have a day I had to stay home. I baked cookies and made fudge. Ashley baked a batch of cookies too. Morgan and her friend Brianna (who got stuck with us) put up the artificial tree. They also baked a batch of cookies. I'm not sure where they went wrong, but those ended up in the trash! We also played Trouble and a card game. We were going to watch a Christmas movie, until we realized we could only find Elf and It's A Wonderful Life and we'd just seen Elf and we watch IAWL on Christmas Eve. I know we have Miracle on 34th Street, I just don't know where it is. So that evening I soaked in a hot bath with lavendar bubbles and crawled into bed having enjoyed my day. Yesterday I was a little antsy. I still have shopping to do. I was getting bored. I cleaned up the basement, I caught up on some e-mail. We played Trouble and finished our card game we'd started the day before. I cleaned my bedroom (it was a much needed task that I'd kept putting off). I talked on the phone. I made a list. I made breakfast and supper. I really need to get out of this house!
So today I woke up and called my hubby (who, BTW, is on his way home from NE) to make sure I knew exactly how I'm supposed to use the 4W drive on the Durango. I got in the shower, actually put on makeup and did my hair and I am ready to get out! Thanks to our friend Kent, I can get out of the driveway. He came over and used our snow blower to dig us out. Unfortunately for him, he has no snow blower and it took him 4 hours to shovel out his own driveway! Anyway, I woke the girls up and said "it "time to get out of the house" day!" Get up! Get up! I'd warned them yesterday I wasn't waiting around for them to sleep until noon. I need to get out NOW!! So here I sit....Ashley just got out of the shower, Morgan, hopefully, is getting in. I'm ready! Lets get that Christmas shopping done! Lets get those groceries! Lets talk to people other than each other! Lets eat lunch out! Good thing we don't get snowed in often....I'm not sure how well I'd handle it!

Count'n Down

So there are only 6 days until Christmas. I'm still shopping. I never put up the artificial tree. I'm still hearing some grumbling, but the kids were told they could do it and they don't stay home long enough either. I need to get stocking stuffers....and one more gift for Ashley. And I'm still looking for a gift for our goddaughter. She might not get what she asked for. I might do some baking, maybe just a little. I am still searching for my Christmas spirit, hopefully getting done with shopping soon and just relaxing and enjoying the season will help! Wish me luck, I'll try finishing tomorrow morning!

I Must Made a Decision!

Every year since we've moved here I've had a real Christmas tree in the dining room window and put our artificial one up in the basement. We've always put the presents around the one in the basement, I guess just because there is more room down there to sit and open gifts.
I've been really busy this year. I'm always busy, but I just haven't found time to put up the tree in the basement. I've mentioned several times I probably just won't put it up. I've heard the kids whine that I'd be breaking tradition. I've explained that I just don't have time and no one ever offers to help. I'm still hearing the whining, but no offers. So....do I put the tree up or say forget it. I mean we can put gifts around the real tree and just move the dining room table out into the hallway while we open gifts. Or we can just haul the gifts into the living room in the morning before we open them. Am I procrastinating, or just being indecisive? What to do....any suggestions?

Santa's Sleigh is Brown

At least it is for me. I finally finished shopping for my family in IL and wrapped it all up today. I had 3 bags of presents. I had no boxes big enough for even half of it. So I headed to the UPS store. I love that they have an actual store now. They had a box big enough to fit everything in and it really wasn't all that expensive. Luckily for me, it's all shipped to my parents, so I didn't have to ship to different addresses! So HO! HO! HO!....hope the UPS truck has jingle bells!

Muddling Through

Ever have one of those weeks where there is just too much going on? This has been one for me. I had a whole list of things I had to do Monday, and I'm happy to report, I got them all crossed off, including inventory at work, which I almost forgot about (and didn't have on my list!). That night I had to take Morgan and her friend to volleyball practice in a town twenty minutes away. Then I ran to another town to pick up Ashley's choir dress that a friend hemmed for her. Then back to vball practice....waited probably another 30 minutes for them to get done. Got home after 10:00.
Tuesday I had to work, which means I stood on my feet from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. I was home for an hour, then headed to the high school to help get ready for the choirs Christmas dinner show. Mostly I worked in the kitchen. Then I helped clean up after it was over....I was on my feet the entire time. I got home at 9:30. My back really hurt.
Wednesday I decided I HAD to go work out. Then I knew I HAD to get some Christmas shopping done. I got home in time to rest for about an hour, then picked up Morgan and we both had chiro appointments. After that it was home to make/eat dinner, then off to haul Morgan and Katie to practice again, in a different town, further away. It started at 8:30....yes, that P.M. It got over at 10:15 (it was supposed to be done at 10:00). There was no place in that town to go have a cup of tea or anything, so I sat in my Durango and read a magazine. I got home at 11:00.
Today I had to work again. Why I decided to wear high heeled boots, I don't know. I then had to make a run to Wal-Mart, then back to the chiro (hips were hurting big time!). I was thinking about going to the boys basketball game tonight, but then realized I have a supper to go to tomorrow night at my friends church (and I have to work tomorrow morning), and Saturay is our towns "Old Fashion Christmas", where Ashley's choir is singing at 6:00 at the little strip mall and then again at the tree lighting.
So, tonight I am enjoying a few cocktails, a little TV and hopefully some peace and quiet!

TGIF

I am so glad it is Friday. It has been a long week for Morgan. They didn't really have class this week. Yesterday they had a memorial for Miles at the HS for the students and faculty. They had 5 different pastors speak, his guitar teacher played a couple of his favorite songs and the 3 choirs sang "Seasons of Love" (from Rent), which was Miles' favorite song they did in their first concert this year. Yes, he was in mixed choir with Morgan. Morgan wasn't sure she could make it through the song, they practiced it Wednesday and she said she cried through the whole thing. But she said she managed to make it through at the memorial. She was awfully quiet on the drive to Greeley after the service though. At least she has a few plans for the weekend, so she won't be sitting around the house thinking about things. What a hard thing to deal with as a teenager.