Posted By Kathleen David on December 27, 2011
And Just in Time apparently. The wind is howling and the rain is pounding the house.
We had a really pleasant visit at my folks. My parents got to see all four of their adult children in one place at one time rather than some clever photo-shopping that has been done in the past. Caroline got to play with her cousin which she loves to do. The cousins are getting older. They use to play with the adults around but this time they took their new toys and went off to play by themselves creating a grand adventure. Both girls have vivid imaginations. It was fun listening the story the two were telling.
The trip back was pretty uneventful which is how I like my road trips. Peter and I passed off the driving duties as needed and we got home within half an hour of the original projected time. We got everything in and ran a few errands in the afternoon before the storm that is currently pounding my house.
The cats were happy to see us. Stalin was stand offish for a bit but once I sat down he hopped up and attached himself to my hip with lots of purring. Figgy followed Caroline around for a bit. The greys joined me for a nap settling in their usual places.
The larder is bare but I can take care of that tomorrow morning before heading off to the city to see some friends and the Froud exhibit. Laundry is not an issue since I did it at my parents’ house before we left.
I am grateful that we had such a nice visit and left just before the storm.
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Posted By Kathleen David on December 25, 2011
As I write this I am waiting for the pitter patter (or rather thump thump thump) of feet coming down the stairs. It is Christmas morning and I am the first up amazingly enough. But it is not an usual time for me to be awake since it is the time that I am usually up to get Caroline off to school.
The Christmas tree is lit and the presents glow from the light of the tree. It is that pause before Christmas really begins.
We have our day pretty much planned. Breakfast of an excellent Eggs Benedicts then onto present opening. We will see a movie this morning/afternoon. Some of us are seeing Chipwrecked and some of us are seeing Sherlock Holmes. There will probably be a nap in there somewhere. Then we will get together for dinner with rare roast beast (OK a lovely beef tenderloin) and feast on cookies afterwards.
As a child I had a competition with my brothers and sister as to who was going to see the tree first. There were rules to the contest created over the years to allow for proof that one had been there and allowing one to go back to bed after seeing the tree with the presents. We were very structured in our contests.
I sit here in the glow of the tree looking at the glow of my computer screen remembering Christmas presents past. I remember getting a space helmet that I really wanted and wearing it going up and down our hall pretending I was in space. It had a strong plastic smell to it that I now associate with space travel. I remember getting my own portable transistor radio. The radio still works even after all these years and the antenna being snapped in half. I remember getting ELO Out of the Blue album and listening to it with headphone for the rest of the day.
I remember trees we decorated. A couple of years we got live trees and then replanted them. One of the trees was later cut down for that year’s Christmas tree, which had to have the top lopped off to fit in the living room. My father and brother took the top of the tree up to my sister’s room and created the illusion that we had sawed a hole in the floor to accommodate the tree. I remember learning how to get a tree straight and how to look at it to get the branches and the look of the tree just so. And how to set up the lights which was dad’s job, he took great pride in making sure that the lights were diverse colors both on the strand and around each light itself. He also had to make sure that we had a white bulb at the bottom of the tree for the stable for the crèche.
We did midnight mass at 4:30 yesterday so we are good for that. I learned that the vigil mass was written for the monks who would go to that mass and then the midnight mass and then the morning mass the next day. So they heard the whole nativity story in three to four masses. We prefer the midnight mass readings to the vigil mass anyway. All that begetting gets a little tiresome.
So Happy Christmas everybody. I hope that Święty Mikołaj was very good to you.
I am going to spend some time with my family and just enjoy the day.
I am grateful for my Christmas memories.
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Posted By Kathleen David on December 24, 2011
We made it to my folks’ house. Travel was not that bad. A layover in Philly was about an hour longer than originally planned but we got to where we needed to go. Peter and Ariel arrived this morning from their travels.
Going to be a rather quiet day today. Getting ready for tomorrow. Caroline is vibrating she is so excited. There are family things planned for today. I will be seeing my sister, one of my two brothers and my sister-in-law today. I hope to see the other brother, sister-in-law and niece on Monday.
Going to take today to relax for a bit and just catch my breath. It has been a pretty busy month. And the rest of what is left of the year is pretty packed too.
So Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. Happy Chanukah, which continues tonight. And may you have a happy (whatever holiday you celebrate).
I am going to listen to the broadcast of Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.
I am grateful that everyone made it here with not too much fuss.
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Posted By Kathleen David on December 21, 2011
As in I don’t think I am ready now but I will be shortly.
Big monkey off my back sent out yesterday so now we are down to what I can get done before leaving. I had such great plans for this week and then reality hit with that lovely cold splash that sends the potential schedule into the round recycling bin. I have an obligation this afternoon and tomorrow morning at Caroline’s school which chops the day up a bit. Also I need to go out and get the cats food since they are down to the bottom of their respective bags of food.
My mind is going through the things I want to do and the things I need to do before we go and there is a lot on both lists. I also have a couple of online obligations that I didn’t think they would be a problem until now because my time is so short. Yes, I have over scheduled myself yet again.
Caroline looked cute as an angel yesterday. I got her halo and wings done and she wore her first communion dress. The pageant went well and she sang the Gloria with all her heart.
This afternoon is all about gingerbread and geometry. This evening is continuing to work on one of my three big projects around the house. Although I may need to get it to a point and go onto the 2nd for a bit before getting back to the first.
Whatever happens, I know what I must do and I will not get angry at myself for what I can’t get done. Took me a long time to learn that one but I think I have got it under control now.
I am grateful for Caroline picking up after herself without being asked.
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Posted By Kathleen David on December 18, 2011
And I think a number of retailers are holding their breath. I keep reading that “the numbers look good” but let’s see what they are like after returns, which is something they have to deal with in January. I hope that they do have a good year and they can hire some more people because some of these stores are really hurting for personnel.
The Kmart Santas have been amazing in helping people who are really down on their luck have at least one bright point to their year. Giving without screaming about how you are giving is sometimes the best kind of giving. I have done what I can here and there within my community with things like hats and gloves and money for a family that lost just about everything in the space of six months.
Peter has another e-book out but this time it is exclusive to Barnes and Nobel for a month and then will roll out on other platforms. It is Darkness of the Light which is the first book in the Hidden Earth series and it can be found here. The second book in the series will be out next month.
Off to pack and see Sherlock Holmes today. I hope that y’all have a pleasant day and week. I’ll be blogging but it may be spotty for a bit.
I am grateful for finding the right gift for people.
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