Your Mother Should Know ...

Journal Your Christmas - Day 7

Sunday the 7th, also known as Printer Day.

Good grief!  I didn't know I would be donating the bulk of my day to setting up a new printer.  I had jokingly [kinda] said that I was going to leave it in the box until after Christmas, but I ran out of ink on the HP.  I like the HP printer, but the ink has become a rather sore spot for me.  Our ink usage in the last year has increased greatly, and IMO HP has managed a little price fixing on their ink.  And they do not have separate ink wells for the colors, which means you're buying new ink when ANY one of the colors goes out.  I ran out of one of those colors with no backup.  It was either go buy some more HP ink ---- grrrrr, or install the new Canon printer.  I just didn't know it would take so long.  And that, once installed, I would need to do a total installation on the laptop as well.  And that I would need to go back into the wireless network.  All time-consuming tasks.  I honestly can't imagine what novice users would do, because I'm no novice and had to spend hours getting this up and running.  I think DH and I will go back to stone tablets when it gets to the point that I can't manage or home system.  [joking but only kinda]

Here she is, the new printer. 

 

No decorated Christmas tree again today.  The tree is a new one that we bought after Christmas last year.  We probably should have set it up and turned on the lights (it's a lighted tree) because the guys are spending hours trying to figure out which light is causing a fifth of the tree to be dark.  :(  And the tree is also headless because DH took the top section back off.  It looks totally weird.

Journal Your Christmas - Day 6

It's Saturday with much to do, and I'm not even ready to make my list yet!  DS is working, DD is running errands and getting ready for her work week.  DH is running errands today as well, then home again to finish up the outdoor decorations.  I'm catching up on my inbox and other Dixie Pieces stuff.  I thought I might be decorating the tree today, but it appears we're not ready for that yet.

And check out this Santa!  Isn't he adorable?  I don't know the artist, but I found it in the Thanksgiving Day newspaper and I had to share. 

Journal Your Christmas - Day 5

And a gift to everyone it is!  How long has it been since gas was under $2 a gallon?  And yet look what it is today:

 

I didn't do anything Christmasy tonight.  It's Friday, and I wanted the night off.

Journal Your Christmas

Thursday, dateline Washington!

Another workday here, but DH now knows what he wants for a shoe he can wear in the house.  We are looking for Romeos -- narrow, of course.  Wish us luck!  It's always been a trial finding him shoes that fit.  So image my total shock when he went to Portland one spring weekend and walked out of Nordstrom's Rack with not one but FIVE pairs of shoes he was happy with!  LOL

And speaking of Christmas lights!  Were we?  Of course ... some days ago ... and possibly in another universe.  Anyway, all those grumbling about putting up the Christmas lights, count your blessings.  This man puts up 150,000!  And nary a one is drooping!  :)  Enjoy the videos, and thanks DSIL, for the link.

We had the annual firemen's food drive and Santa through the neighborhood tonight.  I enjoyed seeing the new fire truck, but I was really hoping to get decent photos of the old one.  We didn't get lucky, but there is always next year.

 

Journal Your Christmas, Day 3

Wednesday, dateline Washington.

Thanks, Marci, for asking today about our favorite Christmas song!  I LOVE Christmas music.  Well, heck, I just plain love music, but part of the joy of Christmas for me is the music.  Here's my current favorite: 

I've already listed to it four times.  And, truth be told, it was the only Christmas tune I was still listening to last January.  :)

No other news today -- I didn't go far as it was a work from home day for me.

Journal Your Christmas

Tuesday, dateline Washington.

Another workday here, and I woke a bit tired and not quite as cheery as yesterday.  Just means I need to get to bed a little earlier tonight, and I'm headed that direction very soon. 

DH had the day off today; he had a couple doctor appointments and took advantage of the daylight and relatively dry day to put up more lights outside.  I think we only have the front door, the porch pillars, a couple trees, and then the swags and bows for the exterior lamps to do outside.

DH was also doing a little research on tankless hot water heaters.  We just do not get much hot water in our shower.  And, to make a long story short, we think the tankless is the way to go.  According to our research and calculations, it will pay for itself over time.  I'm all for that -- especially if since it gives me hot water for my shower.  I'm okay with luke warm IF it's summer and IF the warm water lasts long enough for my 10-minute shower.  That generally is not the case during the winter.  Good grief, this is Western Washington.  What would the water situation be like if we were in Illinois or Alaska where winters are cold?!

B made chocolate no bake cookies tonight.  I don't understand what's happening with our recipe, but it just isn't coming out right.  She actually made a half batch and got them to come out correctly or at least darn close.  She asked me if I thought she would have to cook the candy mixture less time since it was only half a batch.  Ha!  I told her I'd had the recipe for almost 40 years and had never made half a batch.  :)

And right now I'm enjoying these:

 

They're called Merrell Encore Chill Stitched shoes, and they're lined slides.  Love em and really don't want to take them off.  We actually stopped at this store to find DH a pair of shoes he could wear in the house.  I thought slides would be a great idea; he apparently agreed because he selected that pair out of three he tried on.  Then we went to the women's shoes. :)  We brought home a pair for him and this pair for me.  His lastest about an hour -- he doesn't like the slide when you walk because his foot lifts out of the shoe and then the shoe flops up on his heel.  Well ... yeah, that's the way it works.  No go.  His shoes are going back.  Hmmm... if they give him a store credit and he doesn't like the others, I see another pair of Merrells in my future.  Maybe something a little dressier that I can wear to work.  Wonder if we can find time to go back this weekend.  :)

It's here ... and with only 24 more shopping days until Christmas!

I don't know what happened to November.  I checked; and there is still a month in my calendar called November, but it disappeared somehow.  Gone. Over. Done. Until 2009 anyway.

I woke up this morning .... happy!  Well rested.  Energized.  And I wondered what in the world happened.  Last I checked, the doctor had not changed my meds!  LOL  And it was a Monday morning for pete's sake.  How likely am I to get out of bed HAPPY on a Monday morning?  Usually that takes a shower, brushing my teeth, dressing, and some wild music on the ride in to work to get  happy.  Not today.  So we are going to assume that I was happy because it was December 1st.  And I get to journal my Christmas again this year!  Am I ready?  Heck no.  Go re-read the first paragraph about the disappearing November.  LOL

Our surroundings are beginning to suggest Christmas is coming.  DH has most of the outside "I need to use the ladder and put the lights on the house" done; there's still decorating to do out there that does not require a ladder.  :)  Hopefully the outside decorating can be finished in "dry" weather (not today; it's raining again), during daylight hours when it's warmer than night time.

 

The only Christmas containers that have come down from the attic to date are those containing lights.  (And yes, that's B's bike)

 

This weekend DH started the annual Christmas chex mix.  We only make this during the holidays, we make a ton of it, and it disappears before we get a week into the new year.  Then it's gone until the next holiday season.

 

During our weekend shopping forays, we brought home three different colors of Christmas cacti and a couple poinsettias.  We used to have a hugh Christmas cactus that would bloom twice a year, but we managed to fry it in the sun the summer we moved.  Now we have three babies to love through the coming years.

 

 

So ... I end the day as it began.  Happy.  On December 1st.  I hope this condition is repeatable, because there's a few more December days that will best be served with happiness.  LOL  So journaling your Christmas really works.  I didn't begin my December in 2005 happy; more like bah humbug!  I'd lost my love for Christmas and had to go searching for it.  I just needed to be reminded of the little things that occur everyday and that bring joy to the season.  LIke chex mix.  And holiday flowers.

Do I have time for decorating?  Or hosting parties?  Or Christmas shopping, cards, blogging or journaling?  Nope.  But we make time for what we love, and I choose to love Christmas.  It will not come around again for another 12 months.  And I probably won't be ready then either.  :)