Tis the Season

As my lapse in blogging may have tipped you, the competing demands of the season have caught up with me. Blogging has lagged. Multi-tasking has increased.

Per usual, the approaching holidays have generated the annual “hot potato” game at work, where clients and others try to pass off documents and deadlines to someone else before leaving town. I feel like I’m going to have some burning tuberous blobs sitting in my lap before the end of next week. I’m trying to manage expectations right now, because I’m scheduled to be out of the office the whole week of Christmas. I may pick one project to sneak onto my laptop during any quiet downtime with family, but that’s it. I can’t focus on everything at once.

I bought some presents for loved ones a month ago and thought I was going to finish Christmas shopping early this year. No. Not happening. I made a feeble attempt to start our Christmas card until Mike rescued me and made one up himself and ordered them. We may get them in time to address envelopes this weekend. We managed to get to a tree farm this past weekend and get a tree, which is sitting unadorned in the living room. It will stay that way until we can drag our decorations out the garage, hopefully this weekend.

And I’ve seen the comments and memes along the lines of “you are not obligated to do anything during the holidays that stress you out.” Well, that’s fine and good, but I want to do these things. I like doing these things. I love seeing the kiddos doing these things – hiking around a tree farm, decorating, making homemade gifts, spending an extra 10 minutes looking at Christmas lights while driving home in the evening. Those things don’t stress me out (too much). And work is quite capable of stressing me out at any time during the year, so I’m not going to give up my Christmas cheer just because deadlines coincide with holiday tasks. But yes, blogging has taken a hit. Cooking dinner from scratch is taking a hit. I’m trying not to worry about the little things. I want blogging and reading blogs to continue to be enjoyable, so I’m not putting too much pressure on myself. It’s nice to know you all are out there, and I’ll continue to hop around and read as much as I can. I agree that people shouldn’t do things that stress them out just for the sake of doing them. But you can also try to do things on your own time and in your own way, expecting that people will understand your best intentions. So, a Christmas card may be mailed after Christmas. OK, my floor may not be spotless when family comes to visit. Most people are too busy to notice anyway. And if it gets to be too much, sure, I’ll stick my head in my shell and let myself breathe deeply a lot before venturing back out into Holiday Land. Until then, I’ll keep drafting blogs in bits and pieces and feeding my kids spaghetti for two days in a row. Which, of course, is a Christmas gift in itself to my kids! Ho ho ho.

 

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Farewell again

It has been a wonderful trip to California.  Visited many people.  Spent time with family.  Enjoyed the holidays.  Ate good food.  Relaxed a little.  Worked a little.  Froze a little.  Warmed up again.

A wonderful trip.

But I am very very very ready to go home.  No more running around.  Home.

Soon.

First, I have to wake up at 4:45 to go the airport.  Ack! 

 I can’t wait to fall asleep on the plane.

Happy New Year, all.  Lots more to tell but I need to sleep for now.  Aloha.

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Friday Five – Beginning, End

Friday Five posted five questions this week.  Check it out over HERE.

1.   We are nosy…..we all wanna know what you got for Christmas. Tell us your favourite gift this year!

No favorite because everyone did a wonderful thing by taking the time and energy to share something with me.  For some, it was the time taken out of their schedule to travel to say hello.  My cousin called me the day before Christmas to wish the best to Sweetie and me.  “Santa” visited two homes and filled two stockings with treats.  I have books to read, movies to watch, honus and socks to wear, music to listen to, and olallieberry syrup to eat.  I had nephews to play with, cousins to talk to, moms to hug, and friends’  company to bask in.  Who could ask for anything more?

2.  What was your best memory of 2009?

A couple of pretty great 40th birthday celebrations and hiking in Yosemite with my hubby are pretty high on the list.

3.  Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? What do you think the words to Auld Lang Syne really mean?

What do they really mean?  “We’ve had too much to drink tonight, aaand we are sing-ing LOUDLY.  We don’t know what these words all mean, but we will sing them LOUDLY.”

4.  Have you made a New Year’s Resolution? Have you broken it already?

I don’t make them. 

5.  Choose 1 word to describe the year ahead and make it your mantra for 2010.

EPIC.

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It’s the Little Things

My green beans were tasty and the family enjoyed them.

My cold is mild and I’m stuffy but I don’t feel like I’ve been run over with a truck even though I was hoping that I wasn’t really sick, that it was just my chronic throat pain, but why would I think that because I always seem to get sick when I come back to California in winter.

The house was warm.

Sweetie’s family is together.

Only one of my presents coming in the mail will probably be late and Sweetie already has something to open tomorrow. 

I followed my mother’s lead and wrapped a couple presents a day the past week and didn’t spend all day today wrapping gifts. 

The sun was shining today.

Sweetie and I are in the same state!

My mom spoiled me with a wonderful dinner this past weekend and we will get to see her, Big Sibs and the nephews soon to celebrate post-Christmas.

All of our travelers arrived safely.

Tomorrow there will be more food and catching up and definitely at least one game of Settlers of Catan.

Tomorrow there will be homemade apple pies and butter-soaked rolls.

If I stop writing now and stop retrospecting so hard, I won’t feel sad about some things that are too hard to explain anyway.

Did I mention my green beans were tasty and the family enjoyed them??

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Friday Five – All I want for Christmas

Friday Five is a little early this week and asks:

Santa makes his big ride tomorrow night and I am sure there are some things you have asked him for …or maybe one of his elves….so why not list FIVE things you”ve hinted for this year and be sure to leave your link so we can see what you want Santa to bring you this Christmas!

Well, I don’t really have to hint, thanks to Amazon wish lists and family members who ask for lists and a hubby and sister who know me pretty well.  What are on these lists?  Or what am I asking for from Santa in my secret heart of hearts?

1.  I have the standard of books and music and movies.  Can’t go wrong with books and music.  A couple goodies like the latest Fable comic book trade paperback and maybe the new Barbara Kingsolver book. Hey Santa, I’ll even read your autobiography if you give it to me.  I hear it’s good.

2.  Clothes.  Every time I think about going out to get something for myself, I manage to talk myself out of the expense.  The good thing is – since I work from home and don’t have to bother with office meetings and client meetings and the general guidelines of professionalism, I don’t really need nice clothes.  Or anything more than a few pairs of shorts and tank tops, which I already own.  But you know, every once in a while when I want to go out to dinner with Sweetie or when I’m in California to see friends, it would be awfully nice to have something new to wear.  I admit it.  I’d like it.  Points for honesty, Santa?

3.  A new Sonicare.  It’s so unexciting, I didn’t ask for it from anybody.  But I need a new one and haven’t been willing to spend the money yet.  Santa, you’re a friend of the ADA, aren’t you?

4.  New low fares directly from California to Maui.  Alaska Airlines has been making a big deal about some new routes.  It would be nice if they offered, or caused other airlines to offer, lower rates.  I already know of three weddings Sweetie and I will be attending in California next year.  I don’t know if or when we’ll be moving back to the mainland in 2010.  C’mon Santa!! If you and your sleigh can circumnavigate the globe in one night, surely you can lend a reindeer or two to travelers in need?

5.  More work for 2010.  Not something my family and friends can gift to me.  I am very much hoping that the economy picks up in 2010, for myself and many other people I have spoken to this year.  If for no other reason that I think the new word “funemployed” has been much much overused this year.  Do you have any idea how many people in the San Francisco Bay area are “Funemployed?” I think I have learned some valuable lessons this year about saving money and cutting expenses and being creative and making do with what I have.  I think I can happily carry these lessons forward even without the stress of it being mandatory.  Spread the work to your elves, Santa.  Take a load off and relax until next year!

You can join in Friday Five this week over HERE. 

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Tired rambles

This is one of those non-entries, as it is late tonight and my throat is screaming mad – about 165-percent above my normal painful chronic ouch.  I’m sitting here with half a cup of Theraflu – not because I really think I am getting sick but just to try and sooth my throat for a few minutes so I can sleep.  Have I mentioned I get grumpy when I don’t feel well?

Today was a good day.  Packed my bags, woke up early, picked up Sweetie at the airport and drove to his mom’s.  Hooray!  Nice to have his company again.  We spent the evening with his old college pals, a couple of whom we have not seen since our wedding.  We were treated to a scrumptious feast that included homemade kalua pork, roasted veggies, Korean BBQ beef and brownies for dessert.  I had at least two helpings of everything and could have easily had two more helpings of the beef but didn’t want to empty the serving dish before our awesome hostess even had seconds.  Urp.  

Tomorrow is big food shopping day.  This year we are spending Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas with Sweetie’s family.  Which means several meals have been planned out for 12 to 16 or 17 people.  Everyone has something to buy, which cuts down the work for any one person.  But there is still a lot to buy and prep.  We’ll go to Costco in the morning then  drive to Sweetie’s Grandfather’s house to take him shopping.  Somewhere, somehow, I also have to get some work hours in.  Because – wouldn’t you know – after having basically no work for the last month, I now have a work product due right after Christmas.  Ho Ho Ho.  Grump.  Grump.

And with that – I am diving under the electric blanket.  Sorry for the non-entry.  Hope you all are staying warm.

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