Exceedingly Mundane

Shamelessly swiped this from Dawn… thanks Dawn! 🙂

Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog? Hot Chocolate

Does Santa wrap the presents or just set them under the tree? he just sets them out, same with the stockings. Nothing is wrapped. Santa is way too busy to stop and wrap presents for all the kids. Heck, he can barely get around the world and deliver them all on Christmas Eve as it is.

Do you hang mistletoe? only if Tim shoots me some down from the trees at his family’s house

When do you decorate? We usually start right after Tim’s birthday, hopefully always by the first week in December

What is your favorite holiday dish? hmmm, hard to pick. Fudge, probably! 😀

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I finished the Christmas paperback book “Home for the Holidays” by Debbie Macomber last night. It was a book with 2 short stories in it, light “women’s fiction” about people who meet and fall in love, and resolve issue with their families, and discover the joys of Christmas, all wrapped up in a short book. I thoroughly enjoyed both of them, though, and am happy to report that with the completion of this book, I completed my goal for the year! I read 35 books (my first goal was 30, so I revised it when I reached 30) and met my goal. Yippee for me!

I would like to start a new book, but hey – I have to be realistic. I still have to do Christmas cards, finish shopping, do all the wrapping, then do some baking and cooking next week. I’m fast running out of time, so I don’t think starting a new book now is prudent! I really would like to read though, it’s a good escape and stress reliever for me. Either way, I look forward to jumping back into my reading in January, and setting a new goal for 2006.

As for other news, Tim is taking off a half day today, and we’re going to go shopping this afternoon. I hope to finish up all the shopping then! I might still have a couple of small happies to get for his stocking, but otherwise, I hope I’m done later today. Then, there’s all of them to wrap!

Well, thank goodness we got some rest yesterday, for today it’s back to the grindstone. 😀 Tim is back at work today, and I’m headed out after lunch to run errands, do more shopping and go to the dentist. I will probably be gone all afternoon, so another busy day. Out fighting the holiday hordes and traffic. Yuck.

On the bright side, I’m nearly through shopping. Still all the wrapping left to get started on, but at least it’s some progress!

After a really busy day on both Friday and Saturday, I pushed for some down time today, and Tim agreed. We’ve been hanging out all afternoon, playing on the computer, playing games, watching football on TV and just generally hanging out and resting. It feels pretty good!

We’re going to watch the Survivor: Guatemala finale tonight. It was supposed to start at 7 PM, but the football game ran late and now they have 60 Minutes on. Looks like it won’t start till late, around 7:40. I’m glad we were here and not gone and set the tape – we would have missed the end! 🙂

On my way out the door, so here’s the short version:

I went Christmas shopping almost all day yesterday and am about 90 or 95% done now. The stuff left is stuff that Tim has to help with. We went to eat supper at the new Applebee’s in Madison. Good food, good service. Gotta love a new restaurant that just opened!

We’re headed out in a few minutes to Hattiesburg. Zack’s All Star game is today at 1:30 at the big stadium. Going to see all of Tim’s family plus my dad too, so it should be a good day 🙂

Head to toes

1. What’s on your feet? My favorite new socks (chenille ones from Target). They’re pink!

2. Turn to your right — what do you see? Lots of papers that need filing, notes about Christmas stuff, bills that need to be paid

3. What is the last thing you ate? Yogurt Burst Cheerios

4. What can you smell right now? Nothing really, I’m a little stopped up

5. Do you wear hats? Only when we go walking and it’s really cold out, I have a couple of warm knit hats to wear. Oh, and baseball caps when we walk or I work out in the yard.

Gotta love the Internet – click here for a link to a live “tree cam” of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree in New York City. You might need to click on Holiday under Channels on the top left, then Live Tree Cam in the top right if the link doesn’t take you directly there (which it probably won’t!). As an added bonus, it plays some nice Christmas music too 🙂

Ho, Ho, Ho and Merry Christmas!

I’ve blogged a blurb or two here and there about how disappointed I always am when one of my favorite shows has a rerun on, and not a new episode. I reiterate – what’s up with that, people?! I mean, these actors and the networks make millions of dollars, why can’t they churn out more new episodes? This week, none of our regular shows have had a new episode on. No new NCIS, no new Threshold, no new Criminal Minds, NO NEW LOST, argh. At least tonight, we’ll get to see Survivor.

So, with nothing new on and some good looking commercials for the Sci-Fi original miniseries “The Triangle”, we tuned in the last 3 nights to watch that. It had some big names in it, both stars and guys producing (the guys behind the movies Independence Day and XMen), and it was a pretty good miniseries. Good sci-fi stuff, if you like that kind of thing, which we do.

However, I must stop here and point out the most important thing, the whole reason for this blog entry – during commercial breaks of The Triangle, they kept showing commercials for ALL NEW episodes of Battlestar Galactica, beginning January 6. I screamed and hollered “woo-hoo” every time they showed one. I think Tim got tired of it after 3 nights 😀 I’m very excited though, I love that show, and can’t wait for new episodes. And new podcasts too, to download to my iPod and listen to. Yippeeeee!

::Seventeen Shopping Days Left!::

Onesome: Seventeen Shopping– Malls? ..or one Internet? Are you doing more online shopping this year? The polls say we are, but I’m curious about what the real people are doing. Well… I had planned to do more online, but so far, I’ve only ordered a few things. I have gone during the day, during the middle of the week, to do some shopping, when it’s not as crowded. I am not, I repeat, NOT getting out on Saturday or Sunday afternoon to go Christmas shopping.

Twosome: Days– …or “Daze”? Are you finished with your shopping? Do you still a few things to go? What? Not even a game plan? …or is there just one person you’re having trouble finding something for? Well, I’d guess that I’m about 60% done. A week ago, I hadn’t really started, but several concentrated trips have helped. I have to do at least one or two more, and then get busy with the wrapping. Haven’t started that at all.

Threesome: Left!– What’s left to do at your place (or where you are going)? Is the tree up? …or maybe you’re just happy you found the Christmas coffee mug and are calling that good? I haven’t started Christmas cards yet, haven’t started wrapping, and both of those need to get underway soon. The baking and stuff will only start a week or so before the big day, with most of it the last couple of days before Christmas Eve.

OK, for those of you who read this post, I thought you might enjoy a little update.

Yesterday, I got my “rear in gear” and got busy. I went Christmas shopping most of the day, and then when Tim got in, he offered to take me out to dinner, and go Christmas shopping with me. Tim is much more decisive than I am, and is better about getting stuff for everyone (I can’t decide, and stress over whether I should get this or that, or if they’d like something else, and on and on ad nauseum). So, I’m happy to report that things are looking a little better. At least some of the presents are bought now. The decorations were already up, although there are no wrapped presents under the tree and no Christmas cards ready to mail, but at least it’s a big step in the right direction. I think once more of the “work” is done, less stress will equate more Christmas spirit to me. I do enjoy listening to my music (which I’m trying to do more of), and when I start wrapping, I will put on one of my favorite Christmas movies and watch, so that will all help. And, it does help that it’s cooled off and feels more seasonal.

Oh, and for those of you who are interested, Tim took me to Logan’s last night. It was really good! Tim had Southwest BBQ chicken and I had Carolina Shrimp (fried) with one of their yummy sweet potatoes. It was all good, and we ate too many warm yeast rolls!

Today’s Ten on Tuesday’s topic is…. Ten Household Chores You Hate.

{OK, note: I started this on Tuesday, but didn’t get it finished… so I’m posting it a day late. And still unfinished, but maybe some inspiration will hit me later!!!}

1. Dusting
2. Mopping
3. Cleaning white sinks, countertops and toilets (white always looks dirty)
4. Filing receipts, statements, paperwork
5. Ironing
6. Cleaning Windows (easy, I rarely do this one!)
7. Watering flowers in the summer (the pots dry out every single day)
8. Cleaning out the refrigerator (again, I rarely do this, just wipe the shelves periodically)
9.
10.

I haven’t really had any Christmas spirit so far this year. We’ve put up the tree, my Snow Village, the outside lights and I’ve been listening to Christmas music on my iPod, computer and the surround sound in the den. And… nothing. No Christmas spirit. Not one bit. I’m having a very Bah Humbug kind of holiday so far.

I finally bit the bullet and started doing some shopping. I did a little bit when Gail came down last week and I went again today. I got a few things done, so at least it’s a start. We still have a long way to go though. I wonder if the presents will now magically wrap themselves and appear under the tree?! 🙂 Same thing with the Christmas cards… I wonder if somehow, during the middle of the night, they might suddenly be addressed and written and all ready to go. Ya think?! 😀

This week’s questions are all about moving… Have fun, and thank you so much for playing! =)

1. When is the last time you moved? 12 1/2 years ago

2. How many times in your life have you moved? Not counting to and from dorms in college, probably about 6 or 7. All of those were to and from different apartments after college, before I was able to buy this house.

3. In your opinion, what is the worst thing about moving? The whole thing, really, is a pain. The packing, moving, unpacking, changing utilities and phones, etc, billing addresses, etc. Just a lot to do and usually not a lot of time!

4. What is the most exciting thing about moving? Cleaning out stuff and going someplace new and fresh and usually cleaner!

5. If you’ve lived in the same place all your life, do you plan to move in the future? Depends on Tim’s job

6. Do you WANT to move somewhere else; if so, where? I’d love to live in the mountains in a big (I mean big) cabin. 😀

The bad weather we were forecast to receive has yet to materialize. No storms blew through overnight and we’ve only had one little drizzle so far this afternoon. It is a lot cooler than yesterday, when it got in the upper 70’s. It looks really dreary outside though. 🙁