13 posts tagged “christmas”

Sorry for the lengthy entry...lots of rambling after being gone! :)

Getting out west this year was a nightmare - as noted in my previous entry regarding US Air. I did finally make it a little after midnight on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. My luggage even got there too!

I got the best Christmas present ever as soon as I got into the truck with my sister and mom...my sister announced that she is going to be a mommy!!! Which means I will be an aunt (duh!) - due date is August 20. I am SO thrilled I can't even express it properly. And the funniest part was that the silly sister of mine was sorry she couldn't drink beer with me while I was there! *laugh* Aside from it being a darn good reason for not being able to, it was better all around because I didn't drink as much as I probably would have otherwise.

So, though I had already planned on going back out at the end of August for my sister's b-day (I want to make that time of year my annual trip home time...this holiday travel thing is for the birds), now I will for sure be heading that way so I can help out with the new baby. And it will be convenient, because I can celebrate with both of them each year. Who knows, maybe Nugget (my sister's name, not mine - based on the current size and shape of the fetus) will be late and will have a birthday right next to or on my sister's (Aug 27)! Hehehe! Personally, I think that would be kind of cool since my birthday is the day after my mom's.

Aside from all that excitement, Christmas was nice. My dad was still there because his flight to TX was cancelled as well. I got to see more snow in the harbor than I have ever seen on all the years I lived there. I know it was annoying to the folks having to deal with all the ice on the roads that came with it, but it was also beautiful. I got to hang out with my mom. And I got to spend lots of time with my sister and BIL (they are some of my favorite people on the face of this planet). I got to see Dad's new boat (I forget if I have mentioned that he now lives on a boat?) - it is gorgeous for a boat...but man is it small for everyday living! And as always, the trip was way too short.

UPS got way behind in deliveries because of the crazy weather nation-wide so my sister's presents didn't arrive until after the holiday, but at least they got there. And I made out like a bandit and had to ship a box back home to myself because it wouldn't all fit in my bag.

The trip home was uneventful other than I couldn't sleep - I got into Charlotte around 6:00am on Wednesday and then picked up dogs (who were both beside themselves when they saw me), dropped Sadie at the house and took Moo to the vet for another check-up on the ears (see below).

I slept through new year's eve...no Times Square for me. And yesterday I spent the day reorganizing my china cabinet, kitchen cabinets, and shelves - I am still trying to find space for everything that is useable and accessible.  I think I am finally getting there! Today I am going to tackle my bathroom and maybe even my closets. And tomorrow I will work on the office here (which is on hold somewhat until I can afford additional shelving for the closet) and also the refrigerator (I need to go through all my sauces and stuff and see what is outdated, etc.)

First, though, the dogs need a bath. They stink after being at the kennel...I could have gotten them groomed there, but that gal charges an arm and a leg for her services (she does the all out doggy spa stuff...massages and such with the bath).

PS Cats were all fine and happy, happy, happy that I was home. :) 

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Moo's Ears:

Her ears are still boarderline OK. Way too much ear wax/goo building up in there which is requiring daily and sometimes twice daily cleanings on top of drops and other medicine. The good news is that the eardrum looks to be healing itself well and there is very little redness. So, the vet changed up the ear drops and put her on the food elimination trial. I knew the prescription food would be expensive, but seriously...$85 for a 27.5 lb bag of food?!? Even worse, she needs 6 cups a day (vs the 3 cups of Wellness). And we have to do this for 12 weeks. *sigh* I am also doing this with Sadie for two reasons: 1) Marly likes to steal food from Sadie sometimes and I really want to do this right to see if her problems are indeed food related and 2) Sadie has such itchy skin and it has been seven or eight years since I've seriously taken a look at the problem, I feel this is a good place to start. 

This means, including Sadie, I am feeding 10 cups of food a day. I will probably end up buying four bags of this food before it is all said and done...and then, I will also end up buying some canned to make treats with since they cannot eat ANYTHING other than this food during the 12 weeks. I also need to ask the vet when we go back next week what I do for heartworm medicine during the trial - right now they get liver flavored pills which they aren't supposed to have because of the liver in them. I went ahead with this month's dose since it was given on the same day the trial started. 

I will be very interested to see what happens with both of their coats during this trial - they currently get salmon oil which I am suspending during the trial. I think it is one of the primary factors in their pretty, shiny fur. We shall see! And once we are done, I am going to go on a hunt for another distributor of the Nature's Variety food. I really liked their salmon kibble and would like to get the dogs back on it. I wish Wellness made one for dogs...they do for cats. 

Three out of four walls in the living room are now painted! YAY! I tried to do some decent edging along the ceiling, but deep down I know I am going to paint the ceiling...someday. And so, the 'oopses' I think will help spur that day into being sooner rather than later. The last wall should be a piece of cake, I just need to empty out the cabinets and get them moved...which will not be quite so easy.

After that I am going to tackle the guest bath since once it is taped off, it will also be a piece of cake since it should only take one coat.

Dun-dun-dunnnnnn.......then the kitchen. Depending on where I can put the ladder to reach things, I may have to pay someone to finish it too. We'll see once I get going on it.

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Marly is doing better every day. Still hates the ear drops, but I think I am getting a better handle (hahaha pun not indended) on how to hold on to her to keep her still. That and she has quickly figured out that treats come immediately following the ordeal...

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Christmas shopping is about done. Just one last thing to buy or create for a friend...I am just not sure what yet. My mom's oh so exciting gift (a vacuum...my sister told me how badly she needed a new one, and things are tight for my mom so it was something nice I could do for her, even though not that fun!) is at my sister's waiting to be wrapped when I get there. My sister and her husband are getting a refurbished Xbox 360 from us...they use Netflix and watch a lot of movies and since Nick is stuck mostly indoors this winter (due to a major knee surgery last spring) I figured he could use something to keep him occupied - I may look at grabbing a game to go along with the console. However, I need to get it all wrapped up and mailed so it actually gets there by Christmas! And I am so bad, their anniversary present (that should have gone out ot them at the beginning of September) is also going to be mailed. Neil and I are going to do Christmas (sort of) the weekend before since I will be out of town the week of and he will be out of town the week after - which is the weekend after next, so I need to get his stuff wrapped too.

By the way, the Netflix/Xbox thing is pretty slick if anyone is wondering. And if you don't know what I am talking about...with most of the Netflix account options you can rent movies that are available for immediate viewing on your computer. Now you can watch those movies on your TV via your Xbox. And of course, if you can only get the movie on DVD, the Xbox doubles as a player. Heh. Of course there is also the Media Center thing you can do with the Xbox, but it is not nearly as user friendly as the AppleTV's use of iTunes.

I am going to miss the dogs a lot while I am gone...almost 10 days without them. I admit, the break will be nice, especially after all the fussing over Marly that has to be done between now and then, but I still love their company. At least they will be having fun at Neil's and then at their day care/kennel place while I am away. My neighbor will be checking in on the cats for me while I am gone which is very nice of him. I need to get them a little gift of some kind as a thank you/Christmas thing too.

 I guess enough rambling...I need to get the dogs bathed. Marly's will be more of a sponge bath since I can't put cotton in her ears yet and I don't want to risk getting water and soap in them yet either. But man is she stinky...I hate how they smell when they get back from being in the vet for a day.

So whatever muscles one uses to climb a ladder and stand, balanced, upon one, are not the same muscles used for walking or regular standing! Up and down a 12' extension ladder countless times yesterday has made for some sore parts today (and yes, I am also severely out of shape).

I also should have waited for Neil to come over to help before moving the TV and stand back where it belongs...I tweaked my back. It isn't too bad now (very tight in a couple places) and I have taken some Advil...we'll see how it is tomorrow. I just couldn't stand the living room being unusable anymore! Besides, with all the furniture where it was, I couldn't move on to painting living-room wall #2.

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I am not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. This extended weekend has been very nice. Tomorrow is going to be a jam-packed day of catching up on things I probably should have gotten done last week (but didn't). Yes, it is my own fault...this time of year just gets me so blah. By the end of each year I am usually just ready for it all to be over with so we can move on to the next one. This year, however, I just can't wait for my Christmas vacation to get here. I really miss my sister (as much as she also drives me nuts). It will be great to get to spend the holiday with my family this year...it has been two years now since we have had Christmas together!

Part of my grumpiness and irritability over the past couple days hasn't just been holiday stress...I got a cold for Christmas. It is all up in my sinuses and the top part of my throat - and I can feel that it is one of those that will eventually move into my chest. I can't wait.

The highlights of my Christmas:

• fabulous watch
• cool retro/art deco prints (they are spoof beer labels/advertisements - one with a black lab the other with a yellow lab. There will be photos soonish for those other lab lovers in my neighborhood!)
• Apple TV (OK, OK...I got that early because of cable issues - but I LOVE it)
• kitchen stuff - including a nifty magnetic knife bar that is veneered so it looks like a chunk of finished wood (no visible magnets!)
• excellent food!
• great company

Oh yeah, and my cool neighbors gave me a funky, hand-painted coffee pot that has a kitty face on each side, painted in bright colors. Of course there were also all sorts of odds and ends of thing. For instance, my mom actually listened to my suggestions and got me a Home Depot gift card - which is awesome because I can use the financial help with the home projects...but now I have no more excuses not to get the painting completed. *laugh* I guess it is good though since she and my sister are coming to visit in March and it would be really embarrassing if my house were in the same spot it was in a year ago with the half finished painting projects!

OK time to go slodge back into the normal life routine...at least until this weekend. One more long weekend and then we are off and running with the new year.

I guess it was alright...in fact, it was fine, even really enjoyable right up until everyone insisted I go get the dogs and bring them back over. No one wanted to hear that Marly is at a stage right now that makes her tough to have around - especially when there is a large-ish group of people in a setting where she can't really be let loose to run around on her own (the house is not at all puppy-proofed and with wrapping paper and gifts and ribbons and a myriad of other seasonal things to get into it would have been even worse than normal). So, I went and got the dogs...and Marly was fine for about the first hour while she gnawed on the prime rib bone that Neil gave to each of them. But then she got bored. She wanted to play with the kitties (who don't particularly like dogs, but have grown tolerant of Sadie). And then she wanted to be out to get into the pie everyone was eating. And then she just generally made a noisy nuisance of herself - and so I got to leave the party early. No movie night for me...because people wouldn't listen.

Instead, I got excuses made for her - some of which were valid points, but that still didn't change the fact that Marly was going to be a pain in ass. No, yesterday I wasn't home in the afternoon/evening because we did family dinner. And yes, she was really wound up after that from being couped up for awhile...but how is bringing her into a room full of people and then having to crate her again there going to change that? At least here she can make her noise and be obnoxious without disrupting everyone's movie or dinner or conversations. She is just a puppy, and someday (probably fairly soon at the wonderful rate she is maturing!) she can come hang out with the family and be respectful and fun to have around, but right now isn't that time in her life. _I_ am OK with that. I understand it and deal with it and know that as long as I continue to work with her and exercise her and train her she will grow up to be just fine, but that getting from here to there involves some seriously annoying and trying times and on special occasions like family Christmas dinner/night I can avoid subjecting everyone else to her puppiness.

*sigh* I am frustrated and tired and annoyed...and that really just scratches the surface of how I feel right now.

Bah humbug. 

I have seen this all over the place and it has gotten me thinking on Christmases past so I thought I would fill one out just for kicks...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? Usually paper, unless it is something odd-shaped that just doesn't wrap well.  

2. Real tree or artificial?  I have always had real trees...over the past few years I have threatened to get an artificial tree that is pre-lit in order to avoid the nightmare of putting the lights on each year, but I doubt I will ever actually make good on those threats.

3. When do you put up your tree? Based on family tradition from when I was growing up, I usually put my tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving. Some of it is sheer convenience...I know I will have time to go get one and decorate it. Also, it is the safest place to head out of the house to on that weekend.

4. When do you take down your tree?  Usually sometime around new year's day. Depends on when the local Boy Scouts are coming to collect them for recycling. (Speaking of which...if you live within reasonable distance from an IKEA you can buy your tree there and then return it to be recycled and get a sort of deposit refund in the form of a store credit - at least they did that several years ago. Unfortunately, we won't have an IKEA here in Charlotte until 2009 or thereabouts.)

5. Do you like eggnog? I love eggnog. Though, I tend to try not to buy it because I am the only one in my household who likes it and I will drink most of a carton in a day if left to my own devices!

6. Favorite gift received as a child?  Well, that depends...I suppose my all time favorite gift was my teddy bear, but I don't actually remember receiving him (though, there are photos of me tearing the paper off of him when I was a baby). I still have him - he lives on the guest room bed. My favorite gift that I recall getting was a bunch of various art supplies from Santa. We got sequin, and those little googly eyes that glue on to things, and pencils and pens and crayons and glue and paper...etc, etc, etc. Along with gigantic office desks. And "Santa" actually wrapped the huge boxes that the desks came in and hauled them into our family room overnight to surprise us the next day. To this day my mom still won't tell us where they had hidden the boxes.   

7. Do you have a nativity scene?  No...we had a darling little one when I was growing up and I would like one someday. I have actually seen one that I want - it is a set of tiny porcelain mice depicting the Nativity.

8. Hardest person to buy for?  My dad. He has everything he could ever want and simply buys anything new that comes along that strikes his fancy.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My mom. She loves everything and does not have the means to get all the cool stuff she would like to have and that she deserves. It is always really fun to get her things that I know she will love. I just wish I could be there this year to watch her open presents! (We got her a new computer which she desperately needed!)

10. Worst Christmas gift you’ve ever received?  My grandmother on my father's side - bless her - was a kindergarten teacher all her life. I think she had a hard time when my sister and I grew out of childhood and into our teens. When I was about 13 I got a lavender sweatshirt with a teddy bear holding balloons embroidered onto the front of it and all of the edges of the fabric had been stretched and stitched to make them ruffled. Even when I was a small girl it wouldn't have been my style, but at 13? I was horrified.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards?  Mail...I do them every year at least for family, and if I am feeling extra ambitious I also do friends and businesses that I deal with often throughout the year (like my vet, pet-sitters, lawncare people, etc.)

12. Favorite Christmas movie?  So cheesy, but always a classic: "It's a Wonderful Life".

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?  Usually sometime in November if I actually think about it. The past couple years, having moved away from my family, I have struggled to remember that I need to shop early enough to get things wrapped and packed and shipped. Once again I had to pay an arm and a leg to ensure gifts would arrive by Christmas day. Bah. Maybe next year I will be more organized (but probably not). 

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?  Once. I recycled a gift I received at a company Christmas party...it was the perfect thing for my boyfriend's mom. And it truly was, she loved it and it was something I would have never used.  

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?  Spritz cookies. My mom would make them every year...wreaths and stars (the kind you make with a cookie press). And then my sister and I would decorate them. I am planning to attempt making them this year - if they turn out alright then I will continue my mother's tradition of leaving containers of them out for the mail man and the trash collectors each year.  

16. White or colored lights?  This year I reverted back to the old fashioned ceramic colored lights after many years of white icicle lights on the house. On my tree I still use while lights and then add the color with ornaments and ribbon.

17. Favorite Christmas song?  "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" - only because I remember my dad signing it when we were kids (and he can't sing...but for whatever reason he could sing this song beautifully). Otherwise, I like pretty much any of the old standards. Particularly if they are sung by the old folks (Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, etc.)

18. Traveling for Christmas or stay home? This year, staying home. We are actually doing Christmas at Neil's house with his dad and stepmom and Beth and her mom.  

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeers?  Until I read this question I hadn't tried, so here we go...Dasher, Prancer, Donner, Blitzen...and Rudolph...I guess the answer is no.

20. Angel or Star on top of tree? Angel. My grandmother gave me an angel made of corn husks and corn silk for the hair. It has been at the top of our tree ever since and when I moved out my mom sent it with me so now it is at the top of my tree each year. 33 years and counting.

21. Open presents Christmas Eve or Morning?  Both.  Growing up we were allowed to open one present on Christmas eve (it had to be from a close family member). I found out later in life that it was the compromise my parents made because as a kid my dad's family opened their gifts Christmas eve and my mom's family did theirs Christmas day. The past last year it was just me for Christmas so I just opened everything Christmas day...this year I guess I will be opening stuff Christmas day at Neil's...I hadn't really decided yet. I may open stuff sent by family Christmas eve.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?  The pure insanity of the commercialization of it all. Ads on TV and in stores starting before Halloween. That is why I will forever love Nordstrom's and I hope they never change...they will not do any Christmas decorating or advertising until the day after Thanksgiving...so usually Thanksgiving night they come into the stores to get them ready for the next moring...and they (at least used to) pay triple for the team members who did so. Also, I love giving people stuff they can use or that I know they will love - but I hate it when I get hounded at work to give or am forced by guilt to participate in company gift exchanges.

23. What I love most about Christmas?  I love seeing people gather together to help those in real need. I used to work for a family owned commercial construction company and each year we would pick a couple families to do Thanksgiving dinner, and Christmas presents, trees, etc. for. But the families were people who either worked for us, or who worked for our subcontractor companies. The most memorable one was the wife and two small children of a man who was one of our electricians (he worked for a subcontractor company, but he was always assigned to our jobs). He had been killed by a drunk driver just a couple months prior to the holidays and she was just a part-time hair dresser. Needless to say, it wasn't going to be very merry that year for them, but we helped to make it better than it would have been. Of course, nothing will bring back her husband, but at least she knew she wasn't alone. I also try to save up throughout the year and give what I can to help with cancer research - usually to the Fred Hutchinson center and also the Susan B Komen foundation. (For the animal lovers on my list...I give to my local rescue groups here throughout the year - either via money or supplies as needed.) ;)  

Well, cards are written and will be mailed Monday...presents to be shipped have been. Now, to bake some cookies on Monday and get the "local" presents wrapped and I should be done.

Chloe (with the help of Neil) got me a lovely little candle dish and a scrumptious smelling pomegranate candle. I have already been getting good use of it. The dish is very pretty golden yellow-brown in color...sort of metallic looking. I totally dig it!

I think Mr. Mouser is sick. He is still eating OK though, and is very active so I am not too terribly worried about him. If he isn't looking better by Monday I will call the vet and make him an appointment. His third eyelids are partially up and he is looking particularly cross-eyed. There had been a toad outside the other day that all the animals took a poke or smell at and I am wondering if my fierce hunter didn't eat it, or at least try to. Luckily, everything I have read about the toads is that they will make whomever tries to eat them a little barfy and woozy but shouldn't be deadly. *whew*

OK, back to following Marly around to try to keep her out of trouble. She is suddenly back into eat everything mode (she had been really good for a few days there...I swear!).

I wrenched my back late last week and over the weekend it decided to clench up like a vice grip. It is amazing how helpless I have become...just taking the puppy outside to go potty is like some sort of medieval torture. Flying tomorrow is going to be a real joy.

Marly got in big trouble this morning...she is finally hitting her "push it" stage where everything she knows she isn't supposed to do she will now do blatantly and aggressively. For instance, being in the kitchen - she will run through the kitchen just to do it while you are watching. Or getting up on the counters or tables - she completely ignores us now unless we use physical contact to remove her from them. To add to this, she is also tall enough to reach the kitty food on the breakfast nook table, so now I have to find a new place out of doggy reach (I am thinking the guest bathroom counter since that bathroom already belongs to the animals - the litter box is kept in the bathtub there). She got scolded this morning for dumping the kitty food bowl over and getting it all over the place and then again for chewing the (unplugged) plug of the Christmas tree light cord. Since then she has been pouting in her crate and refuses to come out. OK by me...at least I know where she is and that she isn't getting into anything in there.

Of course, Sadie has also been reverting back to some of her naughty puppy ways...mainly, I have caught her in the kitchen, feet up on the counter, scavenging when she thought no one was looking. What am I going to do with these two? I am so blessed that they are both sweethearts with good dispositions and I know once Marly grows up some more she will be a good dog like Sadie usually is. Until then, there will undoubtedly be more distinct moments of wanting to strangle them both!

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Unrelated to my household (t least in any sort of direct way), the neighbors got another dog/puppy. He is absolutely adorable. Scooter. He is a 5 and a half month old Rottweiler and is going to be a gigantic monster of a dog. He is as sweet as can be. Their other recent addition was a Doberman named Dixie. She too is a sweetheart...she arrived just a few weeks before I got Marly and is about the same age as Scooter. Both are rescue dogs. I have been trying to "meet" the pups over there with whichever dog I have out at the time whenever I see them outside so that they are used to me and my animals. Unfortunately, their Great Dane, Molly, is too random in her dislike/aggressiveness towards other people (apparently she is OK with dogs) so we are still steering clear of her. It seems she is overprotective of her family, particularly the daughter who trains her and primarily cares for her. The other plus is that these folks alos have a cat, so all the dogs are used to being around them and though they want to play and chase them, I am not worried about them trying to eat my cats (or anyone else's). 

I was speaking with the dad over there this morning (I am terrible...I have NO idea what his name is!) and he was saying that they are going to be building a 6' privacy fence around their yard soon! WOOHOO! This elliminates my need to build one. Granted, I can't leave my pups unsupervised outside ever, but with their dogs blocked off, I no longer have to worry about Sadie taking off to go play with them if she is off-leash. I can't wait!

 January 1, is coming up quickly and I am considering another attempt at the 365 photos thing. Now that I am more established in the use of my equipment I think I will be a bit more motivated to keep up withthe photos. And after watching the Flickr group, I have a lot of great ideas to work from if I can't come up with anything on my own on any given day. I am going to see if I can get Neil to do it with me...

That's enough rambling for now. I need to go scrounge up something for lunch and get gifts packed up to be shipped this evening. 

Well, my worst Christmas fear has come true (I think)...I am pretty sure Marly zapped herself while chewing the extension cord for the Christmas lights. Luckily, when I found the cord (and the skittish pup) the cord had been pulled out of the wall. Aside from circling wide around the tree now, she seems to be OK. I will keep an eye on her and take her into the vet tomorrow if she is acting at all funny. (Of course, I will find the emergency place if something happens that needs attention sooner.)

So, there goes the $7 I just spent today on the extension cord. Have I mentioned how much I hate putting lights on the tree. Next year, I might...just might...resort to purchasing a pre-lit artificial tree. And then I will have several "live" wreaths in the house to make up for the missing tree scent. We'll see. This year has been about the last straw...maybe it would be different if I had family coming or I was throwing a party, but as it is, if it is just me then really what's the point of this much effort?

I don't think I have mentioned lately just how much I hate putting the lights on the Christmas tree. Growing up with a mother who once did interior design and also having a perfectionist personality, I have to have them just so. And that takes forever. And I don't have forever.

To top that off, I have been extremely lax in my housekeeping as of late. I have house guests coming this evening and the place is disgusting (and I truly mean dirty beyond just the usual clutter and animal hair everywhere). Of course to add to it all, when I was trying vacuum up some of the pine needle trail that was left from dragging the tree inside yesterday something caught on the beater bar of the vacuum and now it isn't working right. (I won't even go into the amount of Neil's long hair that is wrapped around the bar too.)

Also, I can't find either of my tree skirts which means now I will have to go buy yet another. The only thing I can think is that I gave one or both of them to my mom or sister. Who knows.

It is a good thing I know it will all look fantabulous when it is all said and done. It is just too bad my guests won't get to see the tree. Hopefully, I can get them back over sometime before Christmas to see the finished product.

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Oh yeah, and Marly is trying to eat the tree. She has now resorted to a run-by method...she runs past the tree full speed and grabs at a low branch as she passes it pulling the tip of the branch off. She also is very unsure about the wreath and garland in the entryway...she will sit in the middle of the foyer and do this howling, bowwow baying at them and then take flying leaps at the wall trying to get at the wreath. I am not sure if she is trying to attack it, or if she thinks they are some sort of toys that I have put up just out of her reach to tease her. It is semi-amusing, but mostly really maddening because she is scratching the hell out of the wall. Good thing everything needs another coat of paint (if and when I ever get back around to finishing up that huge project).