Christmas Eve, DEC24th

[karlinann]

T'was the morning of Christmas Eve when all through the house, not a creature was stirring........wait, you forgot about me and that I get up early. I have already had pizza and peach pie for bkfst and my cup of java and am ready to start cleaning, laundry, and making another purse from recycled denim. How's that for a Christmas Eve? DH and I went to Little Joey's for lunch yesterday and had pizza leftovers. Yum! I love non-traditional bkfst foods for bkfst. And that peach pie was to die for. I like having my dessert early enough to work it off during my busy day.


Helpful hint of the day: Do not sweat the small stuff! And hey, it's all small stuff, right.


We had some good rain and now I will start seeing flowers popping up everywhere because I sowed about 100 seeds. Be sure to catch a good Hallmark movie. We watched the Santa Clause last evening and laughed our butts off. What fun!

[ladyebug]

Good Christmas Eve Morning.

I, too, am stirring. Stirring a bunch of things, like most of you, I'm sure.

Our number has risen to 20 guests for the night, which is good, but I'm doing all the food. However, my dearest friend whom I see very rarely called and wanted to come and go to church with us and will now come early to help with the room setup and last-minute stuff. So happy!

Better get going. Have a wonderful Christmas Eve, Everyone.

[Pat B]

Morning all

BIG time thunder, lightning, and rain here for the second day. *sigh*

Hope it lets up before we have to head to Chris's parents - which is about a 50 mile drive from here. We will have lunch and open gifts with them today. I made a broccoli salad to take and have a huge tray of tiny cream puffs also (one of the condo guests brought it down yesterday for the staff - everyone is on vacation except me, so I called and asked if it was okay if I just take them home and they said yes).

I will pick Erin up tomorrow after Santa visits her Dad's house and she will spend the rest of the week with us. We will be having prime rib and all the accoutrements tomorrow evening for our Christmas dinner. Otherwise, we will just relax around the house.

I hope you all have a grand Christmas and if you're traveling, please be safe.

[cookielady]

Good Morning! Another dreary day here & snow is in the forecast, but not a whole lot for here...thank goodness!

Dreary or not, I've been hustling, but I've crossed some things off my to-do list. Yesterday Becca & I made about 11 dozen periogies. Kathy came strolling in to "help" about the last 1/2 hour. Becca, Blaise, & I had some for supper last night...oh were they GOOD! Taking a bunch back to PA with us. Giving some away and making about 3 dozen for Saturday night's party with family. Took a break, and Blaise & I went to the library....he LOVES going there.

This morning I'm baking 2 pies for customer orders. Need to make up one more tray for a customer, then bag up a variety of cookies to take back Home to make trays there. Will try to get this house in order. Called the Realtor & told her it's not going to be perfect, but if someone REALLY wants to see it while we are gone, they can come. Going to church this evening...my favorite service of the whole year! I've invited Kathy...we'll see if she comes. Will drop Blaise off there afterwards for the night. Hope to get the car all packed & ready to go for our trip tomorrow.

Have a blessed one today!

[JoGee]

Good Christmas Eve Morning!

Yesterday was as cold indoors as it was outdoors. Mostly in the 50's. Seems our stupid doorknob (with the codebox for a key) decided to go on the blitz. He removed the knob and went to several stores before finding a workable replacement. Meanwhile, here I sit with a door with a hole in it, letting in all the air. Did I mention it was a windy day, @nearly a constant 20 mph? So the cold air fairly blew in. E asked why I hadn't turned up the heat, but sorry, that's not going to help in the blowing drafts. That shot nearly the entire day.
Yesterday's good thing....got a package from DD in WA. She made us mugs! Mine was tall and tapered in cobalt blue with a lace pattern all over it. E's was a standard large mug with bears and colorful auroras on it. The rest was coffee, teas, cider, swiss miss, and English biscuits. Very Nicely done!

Today I want to roast our turkey., It might need to wait til tomorrow. E wants to take me shopping to Kohl's, as I have a 30% off coupon that expires tomorrow. In never made it to the grocery store this week. He wants to pick up some stuff, so maybe I'll take my shopping list with me today.
I hope it won't be windy today.

Have a great day, whatever you're doing today.

[Nalani]

Good morning all!

Everyone sounds so busy with their Christmas plans and hope it all goes well for everyone.

Jo, why didn't you just stuff a towel or something to plug up that hole. That is what I would of done. Maybe some tape across it to keep it from blowing out.

Everyone is experiencing cold weather. We are too but at least it isn't raining or snowing. I think it'll be clear here-but cold.

Yesterday my neighbor across the hall was on his way to his car and he was going out the door between our apartments to his car. He uses a scooter. I came out my door at the same time, said good morning and was on my way to get my ears lowered. I didn't know which way he was going but I should of guessed by the way he was dressed. I went down to hall and he went out the back door. The door is one of those heavy doors that slam shut. The upstart of the story is that he got his finger caught in the door, broke it in two places and mangled it. I could of prevented it if I had opened the door for him as I always do. Damn, I am kicking myself as I could of prevented it if I had opened that door for him. He spent the day at the hospital and they sewed up the finger and put it in a splint. The funny part (if you can call it funny) is it is his middle finger and he has to keep it upright. So it looks like he is giving everyone the finger. He had a lot of people teasing him at supper last night.

This afternoon we have our Christmas party and a white elephant exchange. I have a little pin cushion(unused) that I got in Hawaii. It is in brown paper bag with a logo from a shop in Ohio, wrapped in tissue paper with coyotes all over it but the gift is from Hawaii. I hope it will give someone a chuckle.

Have a good day all and Merry Christmas Eve to all!

[determined]

Good Morning, will make an Aldi's run in a bit. No big plans here, no family close.

JoGee, I would have been stuffing something in the hole, that or taping cardboard over it.

[bethina]

Good morning...made the call to mom this morning to make sure she didn't need anything from the store last minute...found out she is making home cinnamin rolls for tomarrows breakfast...we will have mom's rolls...home made blue berry muffins made by me...scrambled eggs...and sausage stuffed curssants.

Tonight is two kinds of soup for supper with sweet Hawaiian bread if I can get it. We will go with my sister and family to Christmas eve services...one of my favorite church services of the year! We will then have supper and exchange gifts in the morning we will have a huge breakfast..

I may not make it in the morning so I am going to say Merry Christmas now...I have to get up make the blue berry muffins

[BarbCA]

Not quite frosty this morning, 34º. These apartments never get cold but they do get cool overnight.

Planned to bake a few cookies yesterday but couldn't find the candied cherries I had bought. Looked every where but they were "away". As I woke I asked myself if I had put them in the can cupboard. Duh! There they were laughing at me. Don't know if I will try again today or not.

One of the ladies here has dementia and she went of a day ago. Walked down to the little grocery store, thanked the clerk for having such a good "cupboard", told her someone had broken into her apartment and stolen her purse and food. She then gathered up what she had gotten and left.
Mary who works there, came to tell the managers who had gone on vacation. I think they got it sorted out.
I hope her daughter will get her somewhere that she can be safe.
Last time I talked with her she was going on and on about a young lady from Turlock who had come to clean her apartment who had told her what she should be doing. I wondered at someone coming 60 miles to work as a Care Giver. Now I realize it was her own daughter.

JoG, I, too, think I would have stuffed something in the hole. I am not fond of Wind.

Time to do something. Happy Christmas Eve!

[JoGee]

Oh, normally would have stuffed that hole, but over the years I've learned that when he's working on something, I do not touch it! If something goes wrong with it, if my duct tape caused the paint to be pulled up, etc., ---- well, let's just say it's not worth the hours of grief it causes. If an apology does come from what I go through, it's just too little and too late.
So I just donned some heavier clothes and waited it out. If he was uncomfortable in it, then he had to deal with it.
But he got home, nothing of his was disturbed, and he finally finished the job.
Once done, he discovered the old set was still perfectly good. It started working again when he fiddled with it some more.
I had asked him earlier if it had batteries to be checked....it did. But they were still good. So we have that as a backup if the new one messes up.
I hope nobody tried to fiddle with our lock the previous night. In the past year or so there was a break-in a few doors down.

[Mayebarnes]

Good morning ,,

altho it is almost noon and I have been up since 4.30... I too have 20 people (more or less) coming this evening..
..... finalized the Church service program for those who want to join D. and I at Home church... altho the 4;30 service is early... we will then have the rest of the evening for supper. gifts. games . talk etc etc.. so I have been doing as much as I can early..have the boxed Cheese cake in fridge. discovered I have lost the 4 cans of cream of pot. soup I need for my soup.?????? they have disappeared... I left them in the walmart bag. and have a sneaky feeling David pitched them.. into garage??????
Kiel and David are now at Walmart buying more.. plus these two young men just about drank up all the soda ... which was fine except need more for this evening ... will start a basket by the basement door. for all things that go Down.. and let the boys do the carrying.. If I can get the upstairs and the soup made.. slice the plate of ham . cover and get all down to the fridge ... before we start downstairs clean up.,,,,coming on .. but so tired already... ......will have to take a break soon...

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU ON THIS WONDERFUL ROUND TABLE...

[Punkin]

I was up at 5am and was making coffee in my Keurig. All of a sudden, the smoke alarm went off. Scared the **** out of me. Have no idea why the alarm went off. Nothing else was being used. I spent was trying to see if could smell smoke. I didn't and I just turned the Keurig back on and made another cup of coffee - no problem. After all the excitement, a friend posted something on on FB about 6.6 million Keurigs needing to be repaired because that got the water too hot. Nothing about any fire hazards.

I will be going to the 6:15pm Mass. I have a friend who will drive. I am so glad because it is miserable out there. We have flood warnings for the area and, even though it's in the low 60s, it's is damp and the chill will go right through me. Plus, it will be dark.

I am watching Christmas movies and AMC is showing Miracle on 34th Street (the original). I LOVE that movie! I always say that it can't be Christmas without that movie (any version!)

I STLL have to mop floors and vacuum! I must get motivated.

Please make sure you have a safe, warm, fun and blessed Christmas!! You are all special people and I love you!

[JoGee]

Hi again.
Noon! Just slipped the turkey in the oven. It's the smallest one I've ever done....12 lbs. It barely takes any stuffing. So once I rest my feet a bit, I have to hunt up a baking dish for the stuffing I have left...most of it. It's a rice and meat stuffing. This year I added French Onion Soup to it, rather than plain broth.
This is for E, the guy who hates rice, but loves this stuffing!

[Paula A]

Well, so much for my promise to get here earlier than yesterday.
I have been busy with errands to the bank, pharmacy and grocery store. It was like a Meet and Greet everywhere I went. I ran into people I see only at this time of year.
I made our vegetable dish ( combination of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots with a cream cheese sauce), hoping to clear the smell by tomorrow. Our roast should make for a good room freshener tomorrow. Becky is making a pecan pie and we have a red velvet cake also. For three of us. I am making the cheesy potatoes that Pat posted before.
I have been playing instrumental Christmas music all day. There is only so much Blue Christmas by Elvis I can take....
I hate to hit reply; it is so nice to read all your posts. Maye, I think of how my dad and mom would have everyone's favorite sodas and snacks when we came to visit. My kids Loved having a little frig just for them. Your posts reminded me of so many great memories.
All Rounders, have a safe, wonderful memorable Christmas!
Merry Christmas to All!