Daily Ooos: December 24-25: It's Christmas Weekend!!!

[faerywings]

We did it!!! We made it and hopefully all in one piece. At least, I hope that you are all in one piece. I know I am and that is a little surprising

I slept last night. I "cheated" but it was worth it. I had to come off of the Xanax that had been prescribed by LLMD but my GP wouldn't refill. Understandable but not fun. I still have some leftover and I took half of one last night. Smart move, Faery! *pats self on the back* I slept so much better and I feel human. If I hadn't, I would have possibly ruined Christmas for myself and my family.

There isn't too much to do this morning other than stay warm. It's frigid. I have to make the breadsticks and vegan brownies this morning and finish up a few more cookie trays to bring tonight. Scott is working but gets off early so he's going to be able to drive to my mom's with us.
It's all working out fine.

I hope that it is the same for all of you!
Christmas hugs~~~

 

[faerywings]

@LSlycord bet you were bundled up when you were lighting the luminaries. Is your family back home laughing at you freezing with 30* temps? *G*
The $0 Rx was canceled out by the one that was $60- but I'll take it LOL

@tanteva I am LMBO at the Swedish Chef, he is one of my favorite Muppets. Please tell me that you talk like him when you cook. hahaha!!
I hope that Urban gets to relax this week.

I mean, I have no "real" responsibilities, I only have to show up, smile and me nice to our guests.

That sounds pretty difficult for you

@BrightEyes I hope that was the only hot/cold night you have to deal with
Sending good, warm thoughts to DD#2, very glad that the power was out only for a short time. Bet the SUV looks great!

@vickyday *fingers crossed that the cabin is safe and no trees fall* How is it down there? Ilene's G-GDD is gonna be soiled by you
That stinks that DS always has to work. This is Scott's first year at this job and the parks are always open - he had to work T-day, now Christmas Eve, and then NYE and NY Day. He's not thrilled but at least he has still been able to be home with us at the end of the day.
WTH? Mark's DS s mad that he didn't pay for his wedding? Pfffffft

@Cherylndesigns I am happy for you guys that there will be a warmer light at the end of this frigid tunnel. DO you all have fireplaces in your houses on the compound? I miss our wood stove - we had one but it had to be taken out when we put the addition on and now there is no room for one.

@bcgal00 I have no idea what all of the camera specs mean but if it makes you happy, then it makes me happy!!! *happy dances*
I can't imagine that your photography could possibly get any better than it is.
Please tell Jen that we are all thinking of her, sending her love and peace

Better get going!!
Love you all very much!!!

 

[LSlycord]

Good morning my friends. It was a day filled with fun and family time. Shaun worked in the afternoon and evening but the rest of the time we were just all together. We got our shopping done but they didn't have the frozen strawberries that are in their own juice. So I'm going to improvise. Or maybe make that salad for another time. Although it won't seem like Christmas without it. I found a new recipe for a Peppermint Cheesecake so I got that made last night. Just need to make the topping. Need to make one last check on the grocery list to make sure that I have everything. And probably do some prep work although we won't eat until around 2 tomorrow since Shaun is working.

We did get the luminaries out last night and it was cold. But not as cold as everyone else. It's 26* and feels like 24* this morning so I'm writing to you from the dining room table instead of the lanai! By Monday our highs will be back in the 50's and on Thursday the highs will go back to the 70's. New Year's Day is predicted to be 77*. So I'll take it.

Have a good day all!

 

[LSlycord]

@faerywings my family up north isn't showing much sympathy for my cold temps. But the luminaries were worth braving the cold. And I sure couldn't have done that back in Iowa last night. I'm so glad that Scott is able to drive with you to your parents. That will really make it seem like everything is right for Christmas. Glad that you got some sleep last night whatever it took.

 

[LSlycord]

@BrightEyes I hope last night was better for sleep. Going from hot to cold to hot is just miserable. Were you able to slip in a nap to make up for the night's lack of sleep? You really are getting that SUV ready to trade aren't you? I can't wait to hear what you decide. Definitely wait until the rain/snow gets through before taking it for a wash. Strangely enough, neither of the kids drinks coffee. But Brian and I both put away plenty so it does get plenty of use!

@tanteva I just love that Urban will be working on his book and that he can get away from the job for awhile. We all need that! I'm glad that you are feeling better and I hope that the time off refreshes both of you! Hope the Christmas dinner is amazing!

@vickyday I've got it on my list of books...which is pretty long and that will be a really good thing when Syd goes back to school! Hope that there was no damage in the woods near the cabin. I'm really in love with your cabin! We did get some wind but not much. Knocked some pine needles into the pool but I told Brian to skip that clean up until it warms up later this week. It's too bad that Mark's kids behave like that...but it sure happens. A January Christmas when your son can be there sounds perfect.

@Cherylndesigns I laughed about the map comment! Before we went on that road trip in October, I insisted that we get a map. I wanted to see the "big picture" even though we used GPS to tell us how to get places. I did have on my coat and shoes with socks to set the luminaries out...and then, when I went to bring them in, it was really cold! That really is cold in Oklahoma. The country is a deep freeze but you are right...it won't last!

@bcgal00 oh my goodness! I am drooling over that camera! How cool is that?!!! I cannot wait to see what happens when you have that! You really may need to come down and go to Merritt Island with me! I hope that the extra sleep for Jen will help! And I sure understand why she wants 2022 to be over. I know that you all do! We used to pour our coffee into a carafe at the lake and then get another pot started. I may need to do that again!

Ok...I'm off to check out the gallery. And to re-check my groceries. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas Eve and Christmas!

 

[vickyday]

@LSlycord bet you were bundled up when you were lighting the luminaries. Is your family back home laughing at you freezing with 30* temps? *G*
The $0 Rx was canceled out by the one that was $60- but I'll take it LOL

@tanteva I am LMBO at the Swedish Chef, he is one of my favorite Muppets. Please tell me that you talk like him when you cook. hahaha!!
I hope that Urban gets to relax this week.

That sounds pretty difficult for you

@BrightEyes I hope that was the only hot/cold night you have to deal with
Sending good, warm thoughts to DD#2, very glad that the power was out only for a short time. Bet the SUV looks great!

@vickyday *fingers crossed that the cabin is safe and no trees fall* How is it down there? Ilene's G-GDD is gonna be soiled by you
That stinks that DS always has to work. This is Scott's first year at this job and the parks are always open - he had to work T-day, now Christmas Eve, and then NYE and NY Day. He's not thrilled but at least he has still been able to be home with us at the end of the day.
WTH? Mark's DS s mad that he didn't pay for his wedding? Pfffffft

@Cherylndesigns I am happy for you guys that there will be a warmer light at the end of this frigid tunnel. DO you all have fireplaces in your houses on the compound? I miss our wood stove - we had one but it had to be taken out when we put the addition on and now there is no room for one.

@bcgal00 I have no idea what all of the camera specs mean but if it makes you happy, then it makes me happy!!! *happy dances*
I can't imagine that your photography could possibly get any better than it is.
Please tell Jen that we are all thinking of her, sending her love and peace

Better get going!!
Love you all very much!!!

Things seem to be OK at the cabin, thank the Lord for that!
My DS is a manager of the shipping and receiving and stocking dept. and since Walmart is open all the time he is stuck on the holidays.
Yeah, Mark's DS has been a jerk about the whole thing. They did a cruise that cost about $40K. That was their choice, not ours! We are doing well to pay our own bills since Mark's hours are cut! Whatever! It is his problem, not ours!

 

[vickyday]

Good Morning All!
WOW! 4* this morning here in Wallburg, NC! Even the basement door has ice on it! Mark says he doesn't remember that ever happening! At least the sun is shining brightly and the temp is slowly climbing today. I think it is to be a high in the low 20's. This end of the house is colder since the thermostat is in the back of the house where the bedrooms are.

No real plans today. Mark may go out to work in the wood stacking dept. later on when it warms up a bit. He can't do any mill work, however. He had to stop yesterday because it was too cold. Water runs on the saw blade so the sap doesn't build up on the blade but it kept freezing. So by the time the blade was getting dull and the water kept freezing he decided it was time to quit! I'm glad. It was way too cold for him to be out in that wind yesterday! We still have wind today as I can hear my wind chimes singing!

I bought half of a spiral, honey-glazed ham to fix tomorrow but decided to fix it yesterday so we could eat on it the rest of the weekend. It was really good! I fixed baked sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts. The Brussels were for Mark. I made a cheese ball and fixed him some sausage biscuits and bought some bananas. Once the bananas get good and ripe I want to make some banana bread. I also want to make Mark some hot sausage balls at some point. That's about the extent of my cooking for the holiday! We are taking grandkids' Christmas to them around noon today. I will wait and give my grands their gifts when we gather in January.

Besides doing some more knitting on the baby blanket, I may pull out some yarn to start some baby socks. We shall see! I'm floating today!

Enjoy your families! Have a wonderful Christmas Eve and a very Merry Christmas! #kiss

 

[tanteva]

That sounds pretty difficult for you

This had us both LOL-ing over here.

 

[BrightEyes]

Morning, all. Slept much better last night - no hot, cold, hot, cold. Of course that could be because I did not take a nap yesterday and stayed up watching movies on DVD s until 10:30PM... Once I made it to bed, I was down for the count and didn't wake up until 6:30.

Decided yesterday afternoon to go ahead and update the DVD inventory since it was so messed up. Got it all corrected and saved. Told it to print but for some reason the job never made it to the printer. Need to do a bit of detective work to find out what is going on. As it was supper time, I decided that could wait. Had a delicious turkey dinner with dressing, gravy and sweet potatoes and will have a re-run of that for supper tonight! Will be making a pear, apple, celery and pecan salad to go with it. So nice to have the holiday meals already cooked - just thaw and nuke them when I am hungry.

Ugh.... just spilled coffee down my front - the lid wasn't screwed down tight on my mug!!! Be back - got to get changed!!

 

[BrightEyes]

I'm back... No, today won't be a PJ day!!! #mad Nothing like coffee spilling down the front of me to get me dressed so early in the AM!!! In sweat pants and holiday sweatshirt which is almost as comfy as PJs..

@faerywings just saw your Good people post and my heart swelled with love to the person who found Scott's wallet and the policeman who returned it to your house. I had to LOL over his telling you his body cam was active as you stood there in PJs.... messy hair and all! That will be a Christmas memory that will be told over and over again. BTW, I knew you would pull everything together for the holiday in time. Enjoy the evening with the parents and family.

@LSlycord Love the photo of your house with the luminaries. The red and green lights by the garage add such a festive touch. Luminaries are used here in New Mexico for holiday decorations a lot. Glad you braved the cold weather there in FL to get yours set out and lit.

@vickyday WOW... that is cold! Glad your DH was smart enough to not work outside when the water on the saw blade began to freeze! Did you get the crèche finished???

@tanteva So nice that Urban has some time off and can work on his writing. Enjoy this break in the routine for both of you.

@Cherylndesigns So sorry to hear about the broken water pipes in the rental houses... but glad a plumber was able to come and fix them. Hope you are staying warm and the temps climb up into more 'normal' range. My DD#2 who lives near you in Branson was without power for a couple of hours during the worse of the storm... and bless all the linemen and others who were out repairing and restoring power.

Sending Merry Christmas greetings to all - hope you have a joyous holiday.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Good afternoon, all,

Merry Christmas Eve! Can you all believe tomorrow's Christmas? It's been so low-keyed this year - none of the adults are exchanging gifts - Braden's gone - all of my FL gifts were shipped there, by Amazon. Our tree had nothing under it and it made me sad to look at it, so I wrapped some empty boxes and put them under there. Our tree has always had so many presents under it by this time of year.

The girls and I braved the cold yesterday and drove to Muskogee to Hobby Lobby. Chuck wasn't crazy about us going out, but we went anyway. Haha The whole shopping center where HL is had NO water. All of the pipes broke in all of the stores and none of the restrooms were open. People were flipping out and trying different stores, but none had water. While we were there, they announced that the rest rooms were open and cleaned. The clerks were very happy and there was a collective sigh of relief when they made the announcement. Ava had previously been up and down the stores looking for one and said they were all closed. We knew there was a problem when we pulled into the parking lot because it was like a frozen lake. It's quite a bit warmer today - only 25 but that's way warmer than yesterday and it's supposed to be in the mid 30's tomorrow and then up from there.

Chris @faerywings I missed your story about Scott's wallet - and the policeman coming to bring it home. WOW - a Christmas miracle. I'll have to go find it.

Yes, we all have fireplaces - we've kept ours going 24/7 the last couple of days. It's electric, but it puts the heat out. We can also turn it on w/o heat if we just want the ambiance. We always turn it on when we watch TV in the evening. I've been thinking about getting one for the MBR - you just buy the whole thing and have some assembly, then set them in - they don't take up a ton of space either. Of course, if the power goes out, we're screwed. Adrienne and Roger have a huge fireplace in the FR that runs on propane, not electricity. We decided that we'd all go up there and sleep on the floor if our power went out.

Kay @BrightEyes I know that MO got hit worse than we did. I'm glad your DD had her power restored. This storm has been brutal. Your food always makes me hungry - you sure do plan and have yummy food a lot - I wish I was that organized.

Linda @LSlycord your house looks amazing with the luminaries and the decorations!! I'm sure you froze getting them out then removing them - it must have been really nippy by then. It's cold in Ft. Myers even - yikes - it rarely gets that cold down there. It's only 47 right now, going down to 38 tonight. That's cold for that far south.

Vicky @vickyday Eva @tanteva and Rae @bcgal00 I'm running out of steam doing personals. Sending hugs to ALL and Merry Christmas!!!

I need to get organized and clean the house a bit. Casey didn't come yesterday because she was afraid of the roads, so Adrienne and we didn't get our houses cleaned. They're coming here for Christmas Eve dinner, so we need to do a little "cleaning". We weren't either one terribly thrilled that she didn't make it, but what are you gonna do?

 

[vickyday]

I'm back... No, today won't be a PJ day!!! #mad Nothing like coffee spilling down the front of me to get me dressed so early in the AM!!! In sweat pants and holiday sweatshirt which is almost as comfy as PJs..

@faerywings just saw your Good people post and my heart swelled with love to the person who found Scott's wallet and the policeman who returned it to your house. I had to LOL over his telling you his body cam was active as you stood there in PJs.... messy hair and all! That will be a Christmas memory that will be told over and over again. BTW, I knew you would pull everything together for the holiday in time. Enjoy the evening with the parents and family.

@LSlycord Love the photo of your house with the luminaries. The red and green lights by the garage add such a festive touch. Luminaries are used here in New Mexico for holiday decorations a lot. Glad you braved the cold weather there in FL to get yours set out and lit.

@vickyday WOW... that is cold! Glad your DH was smart enough to not work outside when the water on the saw blade began to freeze! Did you get the crèche finished???

@tanteva So nice that Urban has some time off and can work on his writing. Enjoy this break in the routine for both of you.

@Cherylndesigns So sorry to hear about the broken water pipes in the rental houses... but glad a plumber was able to come and fix them. Hope you are staying warm and the temps climb up into more 'normal' range. My DD#2 who lives near you in Branson was without power for a couple of hours during the worse of the storm... and bless all the linemen and others who were out repairing and restoring power.

Sending Merry Christmas greetings to all - hope you have a joyous holiday.

No creche. I really didn't plan on it to be done for this Christmas. And after it turned as cold as it did, there is no way I am going outside to cut wood! It will wait! I've been this many years without one, another one won't bother me, LOL!

 

[Kythe]

Merry Christmas All
We have just come through a 141 year record breaking cold spell here. Snow up to my knees and -15C and the wind chill made it even worse.
Last night was the start of the thaw with a stormy ice pellet rain ....warming to a 7C high. We now have a slushy icy mess. The province is so not prepared for this type of weather, ferries. plane travel cancelled and bridges closed.
I am so thankful we are not wanting to go anywhere.

I have spent the morning doing Christmas dinner prep. I like to get as much done ahead of time as possible so that I get to enjoy some of the company and not be stuck in the kitchen.

Wishing you all a very happy and safe holiday time. Christmas TreeChristmas TreeChristmas Tree

 

[tanteva]

10.50 pm & Urban is going to bed. I guess that means Christmas is over. We watched the new Norwegian Christmas series on Netflix. Not sure what it's called in English? Christmas Storm, maybe? Any way, it's about a lot of people, getting caught at Gardemoen (Oslo air port) due to a snow storm. We really liked it. Saw all 6 episodes in a row.

Too early for me to go to bed. Trying to decide whether to watch a movie & knit, or start the computer and make a layout.

So weird, I bet you all are stressing to get all the last things done for tomorrow, and here I am, and it's all over. I will think about you all, when I sit scrapping tomorrow. I'm usually all alone on the forums on Christmas Day. LOL

 

[taxed4ever]

Popping in here to say Merry Christmas to you all !! I am sending all my love and best wishes to my O family!! I love you all and will be back here in the New Year to catch up with everyone!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

 

[faerywings]

Just a quick pop in to say good morning and Merry Christmas Day!
We had a wonderful night together and the Cousins' Secret Santa was a hit! Just drinking coffee and waiting for the kids to wake up and then we have Round Two

If I have time for personals, I'll stop back in later. If not, I'll catch up with everyone tomorrow
Hugs!!

 

[tanteva]

Woke up to a cold house. This time it was our own fault, we forgot to fill up with pellets yesterday. And I'm being nice here when saying we, since it's usually Urban who does that thing LOL

Freezing.

 

[LSlycord]

Merry Christmas friends! Busy cooking. I’ll be back later…probably after a nap!

 

[BrightEyes]

Sending best wishes to you all on this Christmas morning! #kiss3

Going to be a very laid back day as no cooking is needed. I plan on spending the day watching some DVD movies and munching on goodies. LOL Watched a couple of musicals last evening that had me singing along. Great way to spend the time. Oh, I did check out the laptop in the afternoon and discovered that there was a corrupted file in the print queue. Deleted it and was able to get the DVD inventory printed with no problems. Glad it was a quick fix after all.

Trudy and Karen... so good to see you popping in to say Hi. You have been missed.

 

[vickyday]

Merry Christmas to You and Yours! #kiss

 

[bcgal00]

Merry Xmas everyone. We had breakfast and relaxed for a bit, hanging out with the dogs. Now Jen is up, the dogs are downstairs with her and she'll be up in a bit for gift opening. I know this morning is much harder for her than me and I am having a hard time this morning. Good food, family, dogs and lots of snacks hopefully will perk her up. I think she'll love the gifts I bought her. I think the day will be easier as it goes on.

I'm thankful for all the goodness in this past year that came along with all the sadness and loss. But am looking forward to a new year.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Merry Christmas everybody.

We had the family over for dinner last night and we're going up to Adrienne and Roger's for dinner this evening. There will be several people there - all the people who live on the property are invited (4 of them and two of them with a plus 1) and a few of Ava and Alyssa's friends.

We're taking green bean casserole and corn pudding for our contributions. We had ribs plus all the fixings for dinner last night - Chuck ordered from The Rib Crib - they were sooooo good. I'm getting hungry again thinking about them. He also got a little cheesecake "sampler" - about half regular and half other flavors. I even broke down and had some of that. The pieces were very small, fortunately.

Wishing everybody a Merry Christmas and sending special hugs to you and Jen, Rae @bcgal.