Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Catch-Up #2...

Yes, Katella, now I am REALLY behind! I am not sure I can even remember what I did yesterday, so I don’t know how I think I’ll remember last week! But here goes… and just to really mess with you, I am going to go backwards so the most recent is on top:

Tuesday, December 16th

Work has been looking like a Winter Wonderland. There's been treats galore every day and tons of pressure to keep up with everyone in their decorating mania. So I did a little Dollar Store shopping and tried to keep up with the times.











Monday, December 15th

The tins are packed, the cards are signed, the table is full… maybe one of these days I will get to handing this stuff out!






















The weekend – December 12th – 14th

It was a busy weekend! We had dinner at our house to celebrate the many November and December birthdays that tend to get missed in all the holiday hoopla!

Can you tell he likes the present we got him?






















And his mommy and Uncle Jon-Fin set up the tracks so he could play. ALL the cousins got in on the action, including Isabella, who patiently waited to catch the train!


















The girls kept asking "Where's my baby?" and took possession of Isabella all night. I swear they must have said goodbye to her two dozen times a piece!






















The Winslow’s came over early to try and get a Christmas photo. All I can say is, God Bless Photoshop! Getting three kids to cooperate, smile, and face the camera all at the same time proved impossible. Even after bribing them with juice and cookies! But Photoshop came to the rescue and I was able to make something out of them after all:














































And my favorite of the day was not planned. It was just a cute moment where I happened to still have the camera in my hand. Maddy was nice enough to share her bribery, I mean reward, with her Mommy.















I spent most of Saturday baking. One of my many holiday traditions! I always tell people that I think there would be a riot if I didn’t make my chocolate chip cookies every year. This year I also made some coconut squares and tried them with caramel and chocolate – YUM! And I dared to try something else new and made peppermint chocolate cookies. My niece Emily would have swallowed them all whole on Sunday if I hadn’t been guarding the container!






















Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... Coooooooooooooooooooooooookkkkkiiieeeeeeees!!!






















We also had Jonathan’s holiday party with his work. It was a casino night theme and actually quite fun. They had craps, blackjack, poker, and roulette. I lost everywhere but craps and it was my first time playing! I think I found a new game! The guy that ran everything had a great personality and explained everything really fast but also so that it made sense. And he gave out lots of bonus chips just for staying at his table, so I liked him!






















At the end of the night, you cashed in your chips for raffle prizes and then put yours into the prize that you wanted. We didn’t win, but we did get some movie tickets in the door prize drawing. I have to say, it was one of the better holiday parties that I have even been to. But I have a few more to go to yet this season, so I won’t vote it the best of the year yet.

































Thursday, December 11th

35 years ago today, my big sister was born!






















Now that little baby is all grown up and has a baby of her own!

We went to dinner with her and Luigi and Isabella on Thursday at Red Robin – her favorite. Jonathan told the girl in the big the Robin costume to shake her tail feather.. and she did it. He was so proud!

Wednesday, December 10th

My first day off on my new work schedule. I work and extra hour for 8 days, and get every other Wednesday off because of it! I spent the entire day running around and doing my Christmas shopping. The stores were still fairly crowded, but I can’t imagine they were anywhere near as busy as they would be on the weekend. I got the majority of my Christmas shopping done and only have a few last minute things to pick up now. Even though I am tired a lot lately and haven’t quite adjusted to the new longer daily schedule, I think I am going to REALLY like having a day off every other week!

















I spent the evening with Brenda and Beth and even as the designated driver, had a good time out with the girls.

Tuesday, December 9th

I have no idea what I did on Tuesday. Insert Christmas memory here __________________

Monday, December 8th

















A Charlie Brown Christmas was on TV tonight. I was bored with the football game, so I flipped the channel over and had it on in the background while I was organizing and cleaning for the weekend. But eventually the movie caught my attention. It’s totally different humor when you watch it as an adult. Some of my favorite quotes:

Sally: I've been looking for you, big brother. Will you please write a letter to Santa Claus for me?
Charlie Brown: Well, I don't have much time. I'm supposed to get down to the school auditorium to direct a Christmas play.
Sally: [hands a clipboard and pen to Charlie Brown] You write it and I'll tell you what I want to say.
Charlie Brown: [sticks pen in his mouth] Okay, shoot.
Sally: [dictating her letter to Santa Claus as Charlie Brown writes it for her] Dear Santa Claus, How have you been? Did you have a nice summer? How is your wife? I have been extra good this year, so I have a long list of presents that I want.
Charlie Brown: Oh brother.
Sally: Please note the size and color of each item, and send as many as possible. If it seems too complicated, make it easy on yourself: just send money. How about tens and twenties?
Charlie Brown: TENS AND TWENTIES? Oh, even my baby sister!
Sally: All I want is what I... I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share.
________________________________________
Lucy Van Pelt: You DO think I'm beautiful, don't you, Charlie Brown?
[pause]
Lucy Van Pelt: You didn't answer me right away. You had to think about it first, didn't you? If you really had thought I was beautiful, you would've spoken right up. I know when I've been insulted. I KNOW WHEN I'VE BEEN INSULTED.
________________________________________
Schroeder: This is the music I've selected for the Christmas play.
[Schroeder plays Fur Elise]
Lucy Van Pelt: What kind of Christmas music is *that*?
Schroeder: Beethoven Christmas music.
Lucy Van Pelt: What has Beethoven got to do with Christmas? Everyone talks about how "great" Beethoven was. Beethoven wasn't so great.
[Schroeder stops playing]
Schroeder: What do you mean Beethoven wasn't so great?
Lucy Van Pelt: He never got his picture on bubblegum cards, did he? Have you ever seen his picture on a bubblegum card? Hmmm? How can you say someone is great who's never had his picture on bubblegum cards?
Schroeder: Good grief.
________________________________________
Charlie Brown: Thanks for the Christmas card you sent me, Violet.
Violet: I didn't send you a Christmas card, Charlie Brown.
Charlie Brown: Don't you know sarcasm when you hear it?
________________________________________
Lucy Van Pelt: I know how you feel about all this Christmas business, getting depressed and all that. It happens to me every year. I never get what I really want. I always get a lot of stupid toys or a bicycle or clothes or something like that.
Charlie Brown: What is it you want?
Lucy Van Pelt: Real estate.
________________________________________
Charlie Brown: [Yells into mailbox] Hello in there. [looks away and soon begins to walk] Rats. Nobody sent me a Christmas card today. I almost wish there weren't a holiday season. I know nobody likes me. Why do we have to have a holiday season to emphasize it?
________________________________________
Patty: Try to catch snowflakes on your tongue. It's fun.
Linus Van Pelt: Mmm. Needs sugar.
Lucy Van Pelt: It's too early. I never eat December snowflakes. I always wait until January.
Linus Van Pelt: They sure look ripe to me.
________________________________________
Lucy Van Pelt: Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.
________________________________________
Charlie Brown: Look, let's rehearse the scene at the inn. Frieda...
Frieda: I can't go on, there's too much dust. It's taking the curl out of my naturally curly hair.
Charlie Brown: Don't think of it as dust. Think of it as maybe the soil of some great past civilization. Maybe the soil of ancient Babylon . It staggers the imagination. He may be carrying soil that was trod upon by Solomon, or even Nebuchudnezzar.
Pig-Pen: Sort of makes you want to treat me with more respect, doesn't it?
________________________________________
[Linus knocks on an aluminum Christmas tree, which gives a metallic "clank"]
Linus Van Pelt: This really brings Christmas close to a person.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's better! I feel much better now that I am all caught up in the goings on of your month. BUT...you made me hungry for chocolate chip cookies.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the cookies! They are yummy!