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Post by grammadee on Dec 20, 2021 4:17:08 GMT
Your loaves look delicious, kitbop! I need to buy some loaf pans. I had some pyrex ones with lids, but they seem to have wandered off. They will probably come home with one of the kids, all empty and ready for a refill, but right now I have none at home. Got the upstairs company ready yesterday. Today I played with paper and chatted with Pea friends. Tomorrow I need to vacuum and clean the living areas on the main floor. In the morning I will photograph the six Halloween pages I put together and they can go into the book! Hoping all the Pokeys have a wonderful last week before Christmas. Ready or not, the kids start arriving tomorrow, so one thing I know: I won't be bored! |
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Post by Linda on Dec 20, 2021 13:57:03 GMT
sounds like you've been busy grammadee. Enjoy your time with family! DS called this morning - it's a possibility he'll be home tonight instead of tomorrow or Wednesday. That would be more convenient timing wise to pick him up since DH has a colonoscopy scheduled for Wed but means I need to kick my to-do list into overdrive. Yesterday I got ALL the dining room boxes unpacked, everything in them washed and dried and put away. Also finished up my Christmas shopping (I have one more optional stocking stuff to get) and did groceries. Can't find puff pastry anywhere so will need to revise my menu. |
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joyfulnana
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Post by joyfulnana on Dec 21, 2021 14:38:10 GMT
kitbop that bread looks delicious!! Thank you Linda for sharing your recipes! Shopping is done, but I still have the wrapping and more baking to finish before Friday. The kids will all be here Christmas Eve afternoon, then I will see Mom on Christmas Day. Since the 26th is Sunday and would normally be a lunch date day, Rudy, Cody and I are going to make that a movie date to see the new Spiderman movie. Although now with all the Omnicron stuff going on I'm having serious reservations about going to the theater. I'm sorry you had to get a new washer nylene , but I think you're right about the models your sons clients want. If you are willing to take what they have in stock, you can get an appliance right away I believe. My aunt passed early in the month, on the 3rd. So far mom seems to be doing pretty well. My sister and her daughters are keeping her busy helping with cookie baking and keeping a close watch on her. I love hearing about all the prep work going on and all the holiday gatherings! And I love all the photos you are sharing! But I'll be so glad when it's over and things can settle down again lol. I don't go with the flow as well as I did when I was younger so I commend you grammadee for not letting unexpected visitors throw a spanner in your day! Linda your days sound exhausting to me, I'll bet you will be so glad to have everything moved and be settled in. All of your cards are so beautiful! I love seeing them everyday around here. gramma and kellyr21 you are in my thoughts! I hope you have as happy a holiday as possible!
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Post by Linda on Dec 21, 2021 19:24:21 GMT
joyfulnana - me too on the wrapping and baking - today is a baking day. DS had told us yesterday morning that he thought they would be let off tonight and then called to say no they had to go in but probably a short shift. He ended working the full shift and getting off at 7. We were all hoping he would be released to go on leave today but no, not until tomorrow morning. Thankfully he was able to rent a car to drive home as DH has his colonoscopy tomorrow he should be home in time to take DH to the appt. But we got the house cleaned and ready yesterday so today I'm baking. Made Andes mint cookies already. Molasses cookie dough and sugar cookie dough are in the fridge cooling. I think cranberry bread is next and then cocoa crinkle dough (needs to chill) and candy cane cookie dough (also needs to chill) and by then the first two should be ready to bake. Toffee triangles and fudge are also on the to-do list as well as mince pies.
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Post by justjac on Dec 21, 2021 21:04:28 GMT
Dean was done work for the year on Thursday. I am done after a half day tomorrow. We were going to use the 23rd to pack and finish up anything we needed to do before heading to my mom's on the 24th, but Mom just texted and asked if we can come on the 23rd instead. We said of course, but now I will be a lot busier tonight and tomorrow night. We made Oreo pretzel bark last night, and tonight we will make a batch of peanut brittle and a couple of batches of haystack cookies. I have a few finishing touches to do on my niece's calendar, but I'm thinking that can be a Wednesday afternoon project. Dean is getting his booster shot this afternoon and I'm getting mine tomorrow. I'm a little worried about side effects, but more worried about Omicron.
My Christmas spirit is lagging a bit right now. We skipped the parade of lights last night because I didn't feel like bundling up and standing in the cold for an hour. I was asleep by 9:30.
Anyway the days will be longer from now on! Happy Solstice.
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nylene
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Post by nylene on Dec 21, 2021 21:47:34 GMT
joyfulnana , I understand your hesitancy in going to a movie. That's something we haven't done and we used to go often to the early Tues matinees (cheaper). What a fun outing it will be for your family and I'm sure Rudy is eager to see the Spiderman movie. All my grands are excited about it. Did I understand that you will actually see your mom on Christmas? That is wonderful. Your Christmas Eve together sounds so nice. I love the idea of zooming scrapping on New Years. Our New Year's Day will be the Polar Plunge and then lunch at DD's for all the family except DS and family. They will be snowmobiling. grammadee , I am amazed at how you roll with the wrenches thrown in your prep plans. Of course it is always wonderful to have the kids come (and then leave again LOL) but you seem to take it in stride so well. It sounds like most of your cleaning is done and you are prepared. We were gone Sat during the online crop. I wanted to hop on Sunday but we kept having people drop by to visit and bring treats and before I realized the time, it was over. Hopefully in the New Year I can join. Linda , your baking makes me so tired! I have a bad back and standing for any length of time makes me miserable. I can't bake more that one thing each day or I am really hurting. Your cookies all sound delightful. Do you make plates to give away or will you freeze all the extras? With that many batches you should have cookies for quite a while. You're a better mom than I am! I hope everything goes well with the colonoscopy and that DS arrives safely. justjac , I am so glad you get to see your mom. Your Oreo pretzel bark sounds delicious. I haven't made any candy for several years. Maybe I should resume that next Christmas. I'm glad you are on vacation after tomorrow. When do you have to go back? I hope you have a safe and wonderful trip to see your mom. I'm sure she's as eager to see you as we are to see Angie. We spent Sat. with Em and family and attended Forgotten Carols in SLC. They always buy our tickets and we ride up with them. It was such a nice evening. The production is always so moving and the music is beautiful. It really puts me in the right mood for Christmas. Yesterday was our Anniversary (54 years) and we ordered dinner in. It's hard to celebrate our Anniversary right at Christmas time. Sometimes we wait and do something fun in Jan. Our washer will be delivered tomorrow. DH will have to take off 2 doors to get it in. I hope that works and I can catch up on laundry that is piling up. Home Depot will deliver, set it up and take away the old one. Wish us luck that all goes smoothly!
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Post by grammadee on Dec 22, 2021 5:30:37 GMT
Just checking in. Sounds like everyone is rolling with whatever is going on these days. Good to hear about the visiting and holiday traditions. Baking and wrapping and visiting, Oh MY! But I hope we all have enough energy left over to actually ENJOY the next few days! Have had a busy day today with ds and the boys (and their dog). Tomorrow dd and family (with two dogs and a cat) plan to arrive mid day, and I am putting a big beef roast into the oven for supper. We invited dh's sister's family to come for supper, as this is the only chance they will have to visit with ds. Tonight we had pizza for supper and watched Home Alone on DVD. I'll bet Rudy will love the new Spiderman movie, joyfulnana, and you will enjoy sharing the experience with him. I don't know how the movie theatres are set up there, but here they pre book the seats, and while you can all sit together as a group, you are spaced away from other attendees--they even have plexiglass panels, and they leave at least one seat empty between groups. Happy new washer day, nylene! Hoping the door removal and replacement can be accomplished with not too much difficulty. Hope your last minute scramble goes well, justjac, and I wish you safe travels. Waving to the other Pokeys-- kitbop and gramma and msliz and kellyr21 and knutschen. My pokey cards are starting to come in and it is great to see them and remember what great friends I have here. The boys rolled and baked sugar cookies today. We plan to decorate them in the morning with tubes of icing I purchased in 3 different colours. They also want to go with Grampa to see the bison and our nephew's cattle and donkey. Oh, AND make cards for their mom and other gramma... Maybe I should go to bed now to rest up... |
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kitbop
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Post by kitbop on Dec 22, 2021 12:35:43 GMT
joyfulnana, nylene - I went to my first movie in 22 months yesterday! We went to West Side Story. The boys came because it was my (belated) birthday present. The movie was very good...although having seen the original many times, it wasn't a thrill or anything new! Overall, better than the original however. The theatre was very quiet. With the huge recliner seating, everyone is super spaced out anyways. It's all prebooked too. Have to keep your mask on 100% of the time (I was guilty of lowering mine from time to time. Ugh). And no concessions right now. grammadee - your house sounds like things are a Disneyworld thrill ride right now! So much fun, but I have no idea how you keep track or keep up. I hope you got a good night's sleep. nylene - so glad that new washer will be there before Christmas! Funny how a person can suddenly feel grateful for something like a washing machine, when on a day to day basis it's just a chore. We're very spoiled with all our appliances! The concert sounds lovely. I always put on "Carols at Kings" when I'm wrapping. It's the perfect Christmas sound to me! justjac - hope you can enjoy having Dean at home with you now! DH was supposed to work all week, but yesterday they cancelled all the rest of this week's shifts as Canada Post is so QUIET. ?!?!? It's baffling as to where all the mail went this year. So at least he's home to get chores done. I am feeling swamped today. I've gone under the water. Wish I had the guts to call in sick, but it would make life so hard on my coworkers and I can't do it. So many things to finish up. But, gotta let stuff go. Christmas isn't about perfection. It will come anyways. And I still have 3 days... just feeling that panic rising, partly because there has been some new news at work that has us all extra stressed. And grumpy, because they sprang it on us a week before Christmas. NOt very pleased with my employer shall we say  Gotta run - late! Hugs to all
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Post by Linda on Dec 22, 2021 20:02:45 GMT
Happy Solstice justjac. Oreo pretzel bark sounds yummy! Sorry about less time to finish up tasks but I hope you have a lovely visit with your mum nylene - Happy Anniversary! The concert sounds lovely. And YAY for the new washer! grammadee - DD15 and I made sugar cookies yesterday as well...which means I made dough, rolled it out and cut it and baked it...and she did the icing. We usually use sugar and sprinkles but couldn't find any this year so I got the cookie icing tubes instead. I think we've both decided that's the route to go from now on. kitbop - ((((Hugs))) I'm sorry. I hope you have some down time over the holidays to look forward to DS30 arrived early this morning. It was so good to see him. DH's colonoscopy seemed to go smoothly but he's tucked into bed to get some sleep now. All three kids are playing Mario Kart on the Wii - I love hearing their voices together. |
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Post by grammadee on Dec 22, 2021 21:11:22 GMT
kitbop I hope the day went better than you expected and you found some points of light somewhere in it. Dh goes “under the water” every year at this time. Partly lack of sunlight, and grief, I think, from losing family members over the holidays, but also more and more feeling not in control of things when there are a bunch of people around. He likes to know what to expect, and I don’t always take the time to explain how and why plans have suddenly shifted.
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joyfulnana
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Post by joyfulnana on Dec 24, 2021 19:41:36 GMT
Just popping in before the kids all get here. While I have a few minutes to breath lol. Merry Christmas to my favorite peas!! I hope it’s a wonderful time for everyone!!  I’ll be back later today to catch up 😁 |
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Post by grammadee on Dec 24, 2021 20:20:37 GMT
Thanks, joyfulnana. My spirit may need a kick start before this weekend is over, but all is ready for tonight’s supper, and I am as ready for Christmas as I will ever be. . Merry Christmas, Pokeys! msliz enjoy the peace and contentment of having your celebrations completed, and happy memories to prove it. |
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nylene
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Post by nylene on Dec 24, 2021 21:47:33 GMT
Merry Christmas and Christmas Eve to all my favorite Pea people! I'm taking a break before finishing the last tasks before tomorrow. I have a pie and cookies cooling and I need to do a quick mop on my kitchen floor, then I can relax until morning. I have cooked my meats and will put together the rest of the ingredients in the morning for a couple of kinds of soup for when the gang arrives. kitbop, I hope things have gone better for you and you feel like you can keep your head above water. Hugs! Will your dad come for Christmas? Hugs to all the Pokeys. |
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kitbop
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Post by kitbop on Dec 24, 2021 23:22:32 GMT
Happy Christmas Eve! Have swum to the side of the pool and stopped racing  Hugs to all my pokey friends and hoping you are settling in for a pleasant quiet Christmas Eve. We have Brie and crab dip in the oven. The gifts are ALMOST wrapped (I have to purchase GCs from my Mom to the kids and make them look nice, as per her instructions). This year, we are "feasting" at 2:30pm, instead of our normal 5:30 supper, in order to accomodate my Dad's low tolerance - he's much better in the day than the evening. Hoping to get a few more tasks accomplished tonight (veggie casseroles, prep the stuffing) and play some games. I was able to make ornaments for my coworkers. This was a last minute decision, so I've spent the last two evenings working hard. Why are handmade things SO MUCH more time consuming than you expect? I used photos of their pets (stolen from social media) and personalized them. Made 9 in total so far; going to make 3 more to give after Christmas. They are double sided (because obviously the rosette is double sided!) so this is a few of one side of them. Many of them had "cutesy" hand stamped/coloured penguins and snowmen on the other side with a die cut "falala" across it. I think they were cute anyways!  Untitled by kirstendrew, on Flickr [/url] by kirstendrew, on Flickr  Untitled by kirstendrew, on Flickr  Untitled by kirstendrew, on Flickr Have a wonderful Christmas my friends! |
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nylene
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Post by nylene on Dec 25, 2021 3:36:28 GMT
kitbop , your ornaments for coworkers are beautiful. You have some gorgeous dies or cut files. I love those snowflakes. How sweet to honor them with their pets. You are such caring coworker. I give you 3 cheers and a hug for Christmas Eve.
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Post by justjac on Dec 25, 2021 14:27:59 GMT
Merry Christmas, peas! kitbop your ornaments are wonderful. We drove to my mom’s on the 23rd and helped get ready for Christmas for most of Christmas Eve. Dean shovelled after trying to fix the snow blower’s flat tire. Mom and I made buns, a mashed potato casserole for today, and supper for everyone who was arrived just in time to eat. We also made all the beds. When I list it all, it doesn’t seem overwhelming, but I was tired out. I came upstairs at 8 AM today expecting half the house to be up, but I was the only one! Have a wonderful day. I can’t wait to see pictures of your celebrations. |
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kitbop
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Post by kitbop on Dec 25, 2021 14:40:05 GMT
LOL justjac... all those small chores that we normally do spread out day to day, when you cram them into 1 day like we do at Christmas is it soooo tiring. it's 930 AM, I've been up since 8, and since the kids weren't up we've got a start on the turkey and other things for later. DH has gone to rouse them now, and I thought I'd pop on the boards and say "hi" before the deep dive into Christmas. New development: my Dad's retirement home has gone into lockdown - he's not even allowed out of his room, and if any resident leaves they will not be allowed back until the outbreak is declared over! So just cancel Christmas on a couple of hundred seniors... my heart breaks for them. And this is a public health mandate based on ONE staff member testing positive for that Omicron variant. I'm not sure this is fair. Have a wonderful day everyone! |
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Post by grammadee on Dec 25, 2021 20:37:02 GMT
Oh no, kitbop! So sad for those residents who were probably really looking forward to a “real” Christmas this year. And I imagine that means calling in more staff to work on Christmas Day, as they would have planned on many of the residents being away. Things were hopping around here this morning. By the time I got up at 6:30AM dgs’s stocking had already been investigated, a movie playing, and a game started. Before 8:00 we had already heard via FaceTime from two other households, and the third checked in before 10:00. I was going to comment that the late mornings mean the kids are growing up, but the first one to check in via FaceTime was our oldest dgs—in his twenties—and he is in BC so an hour BEHIND us LOL! Quiet time now. Bird is in the oven, and I am having a bit of a lie-down before the rest of the food prep starts. |
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Post by grammadee on Dec 25, 2021 20:48:27 GMT
Some pic’s of our morning…    The jersey and cap were supposed to go with tickets to attend Wprld Juniors’ live, but b/c of Omocron, seating capacity was cut in half as of Friday, so dsil had his tickets cancelled. Refunds not until end of January. |
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Post by Linda on Dec 25, 2021 23:07:02 GMT
Merry Christmas everyone who is celebrating! Beautiful ornaments kitbop. I'm so sorry about the nursing home lockdown. My sister and BIL are out of town for Christmas but fielding calls from the nursing home they run due to Omicron. justjac - all those small chores add up to lots of work. grammadee - great pics - sorry about the game tickets. Dinner is almost ready here. We had a lovely Christmas Eve - decorated the trees and reminisced about all the ornaments from my mum, my childhood, DH's time in Germany, the kids' childhood etc... as we hung them - almost every ornament on the two trees has a story. Pizza for dinner (delivery - dh 'cooks' on Christmas eve so I get a break). Then we unwrapped our new matching Christmas pyjamas and exchanged our secret santa books and settled in to read with our candy chacuterie. This morning we had presents to open, stollen and cinnamon rolls for breakfast, appetisers for lunch, and dinner looks like it'll be ready close to 7 (we decided to not rush) - DS has been helping cook and DD 21 made a banana rum trifle for dessert. The kids have been playing Mario Kart and singing Christmas carols. It's been great! |
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kellyr21
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Post by kellyr21 on Dec 26, 2021 0:47:14 GMT
Hi everyone and Merry Christmas! I hope you all are having a good holiday. Thank you all so much for the beautiful cards you have sent. You gals are so amazing and I appreciate all of your support. I put them up on my door so I can see your cheers daily.  Take care and have a wonderful weekend. Hugs! |
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joyfulnana
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Post by joyfulnana on Dec 26, 2021 3:16:12 GMT
kitbop your ornaments are so beautiful! I'm so sorry about your dad, that's terrible! I hope the rest of your day went as planned and was wonderful! grammadee love the photos of your family, it looks like a good time was being had. Wow! That's an early start lol. I haven't had that for years lol. But the kiddos being so excited is the best part of the holiday. Sorry Covid ruined going to the game. It feels like we are never getting out of this mess, even though it is still better than last year. justjac, all that cooking sounds tiring to me! Let alone adding in making all the beds. I would be pooped! I hope you are having a great time with your family. nylene enjoy your housefull! I know how much you've missed this! Linda, your traditions are just awesome. Your Christmas Eve sounds heavenly and relaxing! I'm glad all your children are there with you this year. Yay to pizza! That's what we had too. Easiest dinner ever lol. kellyr21 I'm so happy you popped in! It's good to hear from you. The kids were all here last night which was the bulk of my celebrations. Food, gifts, and 90s trivia lol. Today I went to see mom and now Christmas is officially over for me and I'm ready to relax tonight. I'm also ready to get back to scrapping lol. Sending lots of hugs and holiday greetings pokeys!
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gramma
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Post by gramma on Dec 27, 2021 5:53:20 GMT
Sorry for my MIA status lately. Work is just hard this time of year. I know, poor me. I have a great paying job that I love, poor me! Add the latest COVID status and new restrictions that have come along. Staff refusing to get vaccinated or test - just flat refusing!! We terminated 3 last week. Getting Christmas stuff done - - whew, done!! Managing my emotions over my brother's passing is tough too. Especially last night with his daughters. And no-one to fight with over pulling crispy skin off the turkey :-( So - that's enough of my sob story nylene - Are your California family there yet? How about your washing machine. Having one go on the blink sure makes us want the luxury of doing laundry ;-) grammadee Has all of your bunch gone home? Isn't it wonderful to have them? Makes you think you did something right raising them doesn't it? kitbop Sorry to hear about your dad. I think our seniors suffer more from isolation than most. To be cut off entirely from family and friends is so stressful!! Your ornaments are so stinkin' cute. I'll bet your co-workers loved them. Did you get the little rolly brush thing to get die cuts pieces out of the die? Did you use it yet? Linda You Christmas traditions make me envious. When our kids were little we did some of those things. Now they are all in homes of their own, building memories of their own. justjac Wait a minute - you did all that and had to climb up and down stairs to do it? You deserve a medal!! joyfulnana Did you go to the movie? Did Rudy have a super fantastic Christmas? kellyr21 I hope your holiday was wonderful We had Christmas Day at our daughter and son-in-law's new home. It's not totally done yet and a good part of her Christmas things are still packed. I spent Christmas Eve day ferrying extra silver ware, glasses, hand mixer, electric knife, serving bowls, Christmas napkins and heaven knows what else to to her. Then told her she couldn't bring anything except the mixer and knife back here. Oh - and her good china and table cloths were stored here so they had to go too. A little over a year ago one of our grand-daughters became estranged from her family, mostly because of her dad. She came to Thanksgiving dinner but things were very tense. She walked in last night straight into his arms. A huge first step in reconciliation!! I might have teared up a little bit. Then my brother's daughters were there. He was heavily involved in the racing that 2 of our grandsons did. They each won championships for which they were awarded jackets - and they had jackets made for him also. His daughters gave them to the guys last night. I might have teared up a little bit. There were a lot of people there. I lost count but the table was 17 feet long :-). It was loud with laughing and chatting and telling stories with and on one another. So - whose ready to scrap for 2022? |
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Post by grammadee on Dec 27, 2021 15:59:40 GMT
(((((HUGS))))), gramma . So glad you got together with your brother's family at Christmas and shared the memories and some tears. Such a wonderful way to honour the people we are missing. Love your coworker gifts, kitbop . So special that they are each made specially for that recipient. Good to see you dropping in, kellyr21 . I am enjoying everyone's cards, too. I want to get them all together at some point and snap a pic of them for my Christmas album. Your day sounds wonderful, joyfulnana . I am wondering about the Spiderman movie, too. Did you go? The boys (aged 6 to 8) watched Home Alone on Tuesday, and I have been hearing lots of "you filthy animal" and such quips for a week now... Somehow the tear jerker lines from the other movies watched did not register as much. MY movie quote for this Christmas is "Merry Christmas, the sh***r's full!". I keep saying our holidays are more National Lampoon than Hallmark. Our sewer decided to back up Wednesday evening and flood the furnace room and a couple of other areas. Our basement is not finished, but some of those areas had old rugs in them, and there were lots of cardboard boxes that got wet. Thankfully I discovered it before another dishwasher load or toilet flush pushed the flood even further. Ds and his boys and dd and her family were here. I had invited dh's sister's family for supper. Discovered the backup about 2:00PM. Called my sil to see if she would host supper with my food (roast was already in the oven; potatoes & veggies peeled and ready to put on the stove). I got hold of a plumber, and we spent the rest of the afternoon salvaging what could be salvaged from the affected areas and hauling what couldn't up the stairs to the garage and out to the dumpster. Thank goodness the guys with the muscles were here for the heavy work! We hauled supper to my sil's and were home by 8:00 when the plumber arrived with his snake. All was working fine after that. Washed the cement with bleach on Thursday and left everything. Today dd & hubby are going to be helping to move stuff back onto the clean floor and spread a rolled up clean rug onto the play area. Okay. Need to get dressed and get busy! |
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gramma
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Post by gramma on Dec 27, 2021 16:08:32 GMT
grammadee. Ok, you win the the "OMG WHAT NEXT" prize for the holiday!!
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Post by Linda on Dec 27, 2021 17:41:23 GMT
oh grammadee - what a nightmare! Glad that you were able to salvage the holidays and had muscles to help with the heavy work. ((((Hugs)))) gramma - sounds like a lovely holiday joyfulnana - enjoy the after holiday relaxation (((Hugs))) kellyr21Today is the last day with the older two - they picked up the Uhaul this morning. They had ordered a 10ft truck but apparently there wasn't one available as they came back with a 26ft truck (at the 10ft rate). There are NO worries about everything fitting, lol. Truck is mostly packed - there are a few more things to bring downstairs from DD's room plus they need to pack up their Christmas things. They leave first thing in the morning. I'm going to miss them - and poor DD15 has been clinging to DD21 all day. DS and I made candy cane cookies together yesterday - they've always been his favourite and he used to help make them years ago. I don't usually make them now he's not home because they aren't a favourite of anyone else and they are fiddley to make. Got some good photos so that'll get scrapped. Did anyone get scrappy presents? My sister gave me a sheet of chipboard stickers from the CB Home Again line (I already have plans for them - so pretty) and DH gave me the HL gift card he won at a prize raffle at work - $250 (wow). I think my favourite gift was from DD21 - she took photos of the kittens when they were smaller and enlarged them and put them in a horizontal 5x7 hinged frame for my desk - she got great pictures of them. |
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nylene
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Post by nylene on Dec 27, 2021 18:24:50 GMT
Oh, grammadee, that is the WORST! I am sorry you had to deal with that. Your family photos look so cute. I am glad you had some help with the clean up and that you were able to get a plumber that close to Christmas. I really do not envy you that. I'm glad you still had a great Christmas. I'm sorry your DH didn't get the tickets to match the jersey...a little later maybe. kitbop, I am so sorry about your dad's nursing home. Does that mean he can't have his surgery? It is so maddening that so many are still refusing vaccination. The residents in that home are the ones suffering from being so isolated. I'm sure your dad was looking forward to being with you for Christmas. Makes me want to cry for him. justjac, your day sounds very busy to me. The going up and down stairs would kill me. I guess I am getting closer to a knee surgery because I can only make 2 trips up and down my stairs each day and every step is so painful. I'm glad you got to be with family for the holidays. You deserve to be worn out at the end of that day! gramma, I have thought about you often. I'm glad your brother's family was able to celebrate with you. Your tender moments are so heart-warming. I would have had a few tears too. Being with family really seems to help with the loss of a loved one. So glad you could recall good times together. It sounds like you had a big group and that there was lots of love there. So happy about your granddaughter and her dad. Linda, you have had so much to do getting all the things ready and traditions planned for Christmas. I hope you now have some slow down time and can do things you enjoy, like scrapping! I'm sure it was wonderful having the whole family together. I love reading about your traditions of food and activities. Thanks for sharing. kellyr21, it was wonderful seeing your pretty profile pop up. We have missed you and your beautiful artwork. I hang my Christmas cards on the door too and it has been fun seeing all the individual designs of the Peas. I hope you had a nice Christmas and that this new year will be better for all of us. Hugs to you! joyfulnana, I am so glad you could get all your family together for Christmas Eve. I hope you had a great visit with your mother. Did Rudy like the movie. My grands are talking about it non-stop. What did you serve? Maybe you told us earlier, but my old brain has forgotten. I think we will continue to tradition of soups for Christmas. The troops seemed to really enjoy them and we had enough that there were choices. What was Rudy's most exciting gift? knutschen, shinyhappytina, MARIBETHR, msliz, I hope you have all had a great holiday season. It's fun to hear what is going on in your life. Do drop in when you have a moment! Our washer arrived on Wed and the installers couldn't install it until a plumber came to look over the corrosion on the faucets. DS just happened to arrive at that very moment to borrow a sump pump and he jumped in and installed it all. That saved us at least 2 days of waiting. He didn't even know we were getting a washer. It was a tender mercy for us so we had clean clothes, rugs, towels, etc. for Christmas. We had 16 people here Christmas day and most of the attention was on baby Eddie. We ate in shifts and with 3 kinds of soups, appetizers, veggie and fruit trays, and pies, everyone seemed full and happy when they left. They stayed and played games and visited for about 5 hours. By the end of the day I was exhausted, but I couldn't have asked for a better day. Angie and family will be here Thurs and they zoomed with everyone here. DS and DDIL came a few days earlier so we had a good visit with them too. They host her entire family for Christmas. |
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kitbop
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by kitbop on Dec 27, 2021 22:17:32 GMT
nylene and gramma - I'm jealous of your busy crowded Christmases! Growing up as an only child with divorced parents, Christmas was...quiet. It just isn't the same. I loved our busy Christmases when we had family around, but even at tip top busiest we would have about 12 people. it's just so soul filling to connect and be festive in a big group. It's also satisfying when you look back at the end of a day and feel like you have successfully orchestrated entertaining a big group! Exhausting, but satisfying! gramma - I'm so glad your son in law and granddau are starting to heal nylene - yay on having your new washer on washing duty! Glad your DS arrived to save the day! Our seniors over the age of 70 are 96% double vaccinated here in Ontario. That's pretty darn amazing. But it's why I feel it's extraordinarily harsh to lock that whole building down over ONE staff case. In the hospital, we're definitely seeing the effects of the vaccines - the unvaccinated people are the deathly ill ones in the ICU. The vaccinated people who are ill but recovering tend to be those with significant comorbidities (cancer, diabetes and obesity are the 3 main ones), and they usually turn around in a few days then go home in a week. Linda - love the sound of your kitty collage! Have fun spending your GC. Scrappy wise, I got some copic refills and a new heat tool from my Mom which aren't here yet as they are coming from the US. DH got me some special watercolours from an ETSY store... he spent too much on them as he got the larger pan size which I really don't need - but he tried. They also aren't here even though he paid extra for express shipping. He plans to ask for the extra shipping back as they were supposed to be here between Dec. 14 and 22. And DS got me 10 gina K ink cubes. Alas, I'm having to send a bunch back that I really don't need or have duplicates of. I gave DH a list of ink colours, but he forgot he had it, so they ordered "whatever" and missed the mark I'm sure you are really going to miss your kiddos. That sounds like a big truck to be driving - downside is, filling it with gas will be more expensive even if the truck rental is the same cost! grammadee - yuck! I'm so glad it happened AHEAD of Christmas and that you were able to relocate that family supper! Can't waste a good roast. Especially at today's prices  I'm always sad when Christmas is "gone" so quickly after the day itself. I wish we could keep the excitement up better. Told my family that after I'm done these 3 days of work, we're going to ramp back UP again and aim for a huge New Years celebration and see if we can get the excitement up.
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joyfulnana
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by joyfulnana on Dec 28, 2021 0:28:57 GMT
awww Linda big (((hugs))) it's both exciting and sad when the kids start moving out. I'm sure DD15 is feeling it. Funny about the truck lol. I'm sure it's nowhere near full. When I moved to KC I rented space in an 18 wheel trailer. I didn't rent enough, went over, and PAID for that lol. I loved reading about your family traditions, and I'm so happy you had all the family this year. nylene and gramma @grandmadee I love hearing about your huge family gatherings! They are so fun! My extended family now does things on their own within their small families since Mom doesn't do the family dinner anymore. Hearing about yours makes me miss that. Although I put enough pressure on myself for the 3 or 4 of us lol. That's awesome that your DGD and her dad are making amends! It sounds like a very happy gathering you had, even while missing your brother. nylene whew! That's good news about the washer and your son being there in the knick of time! I'm so glad you had most of your family there and the California kids will be visiting soon. Such a change from last Christmas! OMG grammadee! What a MESS! I'm glad it happened before dinner and you were able to salvage it! Wow. What a "Christmas Story" lol. kitbop I'm sorry your scrappy gifts didn't turn as intended! I'm the opposite of you, I look forward to the day after when everything is calm and quiet again lol. The whole month feels so busy with all the preparation, that I'm ready for things to be "normal" again. I'm a scrooge I guess  lol No scrappy gifts here, I don't put any on my list cause - boys - they would be lost trying to find what I want lol. So I just do my shopping afterward with any gift cards I get. Spiderman was so so good!! Sad in a few places, like tearing up sad. Even Rudy said he got teary eyed lol. He wore a Santa hat with Yoda ears, we went to the 3D showing - and I highly recommend that! Anyway, with his yoda ears, black 3D glasses, and black face mask he looked like a Darth Vader caricature, or a maybe more a Gremlin lol. He would not let me have a picture of him though. He's a tough sell on getting pictures lately. I got one of him asleep afterward in the car lol. It was a good time. nylene I veered away from my normal Christmas dinner. We usually have meat, cheese and veggie trays. This year I went the very easy route of pizza lol. I bought the Papa Murphey's take and bake and it was a satisfying feeling to put the easiest dinner ever on table lol. We also had egg noodles because Rudy specifically asked if there would be noodles lol. Only three work days left for 2021! I'm a bit anxious about what the new year will bring. I ran across my time sheet from the end of January last year, and I had logged 6 hours overtime that week. Unheard of in the before. So I'm hoping last year was a big Covid fluke and we stay slow for a bit longer. I'm really looking forward to the weekend and getting back in a scrappy groove. I have so many projects swirling around in my head already. I love the clean slate of a New Year! |
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Post by MARIBETHR on Dec 28, 2021 18:38:38 GMT
MARIBETHR I hope you soon have some time to give us a glimpse of your Christmas house! Photo do not do it justice, so I stopped photographing it. |
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Hugs to all my pokey friends and hoping you are settling in for a pleasant quiet Christmas Eve. We have Brie and crab dip in the oven. The gifts are ALMOST wrapped (I have to purchase GCs from my Mom to the kids and make them look nice, as per her instructions). 
Take care and have a wonderful weekend. Hugs!
