Almost Time!!!

We are officially only two days away now, guys!!  The excitement is bubbling, and I'm just trying to keep it all under control for another day or so!!

I keep bouncing between feeling relaxed and accomplished, and feeling like there's still SO much to do.  I finished my wrapping last Wednesday and Thursday evenings, then attended the live radio play production of Little Women at our church on Friday evening.  Saturday I had some free time, so I decided to bake cookies for the man who won my 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies in last year's Canada Day Committee auction - they were long overdue!  Then I went "Elfing" and delivered them, as well as tins of Christmas cookies to a bunch of folks around town.  I had hoped to have some crocheted Christmas ornaments to deliver as well, but I never got around to them.  I have been working on a blanket that I wanted to have ready to give at Christmas, and I FINALLY got it done last night.  I also got our games for Christmas Eve prepped this weekend, made my stop to pick up my Christmas booze, and watched some more Christmas movies.

However, there were things I couldn't get accomplished this weekend. I had wanted to take my gifts ahead to my mom's, but my brother's kids are there for a few days and I didn't want them to see me bringing them in.  Also, I'd have liked to get my Christmas Eve snacks ready but it seemed too early to do that.

SO.  Here's the plan for the next 2 days.  Tonight, I have our annual Christmas pizza party with my friend Lindsay and her family.  I'm also going to try to get laundry done when I get home.  Tomorrow, I work until noon and then I will rush home to spend the afternoon doing final prep: making Christmas Eve snacks, packing up gifts and my stuff for the night, watching Miracle on 34th Street, and hopefully doing my nails if I have time.  I will take everything up to my mom's late afternoon, likely have a light supper, then head to church with her.  And then... then the fun begins!!  Christmas Eve service, family games, snacks, and drinks at my mom's, spending the night there, and waking up to Christmas morning with family!!  We'll have dinner with my BIL's family that night, then my brother's kids return for Boxing Day, when we will have more gifts and our family dinner.

I SIMPLY CANNOT WAIT!!!

And yet, no matter how excited I am over the hub-bub, there are also quiet moments I look forward to, too.  For instance - after everyone has gone off to bed on Christmas Eve, I love lying on the couch watching the old A Christmas Carol in black-and-white by the glow of the tree.  They play it late every Christmas Eve.  I love sitting on the couch in the early hours the next morning, while it's still dark out, and waiting for Caden and Danica to join me.  I love that night, after we return from the Provost family dinner, finding a movie to watch quietly to unwind from the day.  And then, once the commotion of our Boxing Day celebration is over, I love to just go into hiding for a day or so, to hunker down and have a Netflix binge or movie day.

I hope that wherever you are and whatever your plans may be, that you are filled with the Christmas spirit and have a wonderful time celebrating with friends & family!! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!

One Week...

The countdown is on, my friends... We are ONE WEEK away from my favourite day of the year!!  I just can't wait for Christmas Eve!!!

While I'm feeling mostly on the ball at this stage of the game, there is one glaring area that I need to get moving on, and that is wrapping gifts!!  It is my favourite holiday task, so I usually leave it til one of the last things I do, but I feel like I'm leaving it too close to the wire this time.  I keep reminding myself that I've got time, there's no need to panic yet, but... I'm a worrier by nature, so what else could I expect.

I've been loving this December so much.  My crazy November Christmas prep has really allowed me to sit back and enjoy for the most part.  Last weekend especially was just... Christmas perfection, in my books.  First of all, I GOT TO GO CHRISTMAS CAROLING!!  Finally!!!!  I've wanted to do this for years, and I got close last year but it ended up being cancelled due to a pre-Christmas rain storm.  This year, the weather was perfect.  A mild evening, a great group of singers, and some very dedicated community members who organized the whole thing.  I still grin from ear to ear thinking of how we must have looked rolling around town, singing our little hearts out.  It was pure Christmas magic.

On Saturday, my friend Lindsay and I had the date circled on the calendar for our first ever Christmas Movie Marathon.  As you all know, I've been dragging her through Scary Movie Marathons for years, and this year she asked, "Um, why don't we do this for Christmas movies?  You know, like, movies we can actually enjoy??"  And so, by some miracle, we both had a free December Saturday to do just that. She arrived early afternoon, we settled in by the glow of the tree while it poured rain outside, and we watched The Man Who Invented Christmas, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, The Santa Clause, and Christmas Vacation.  We also enjoyed snacks, Linds made her world-famous carbonara for dinner, and I introduced her to her first taste of rum & egg nog.  (She was a trooper and made it through over half of a very large glass before she had to give up. lol)

By the time she left, the rain had changed to snow.. .and then I got another Christmas miracle, which was waking up Sunday morning to a beautiful blanket of white!!  (I was lucky - despite the power flicking off and on throughout the evening as the winds and snow picked up, I didn't lose my power completely.  Not everyone in our area was so lucky.)

Sunday was a big and bustling morning at church, as it was not only our White Gift service but also the Sunday School Pageant.  It was so good!  The kids did a terrific job and everyone loved it.  Then after church, we went to my sister's to celebrate my niece Danica's 11th birthday.  We had brunch, cake, and the birthday girl opened her gifts.  It was a wonderful day spent with family.

Truthfully, the only bad part of the past few days has been my battle with brittle. LOL!  Several years ago, I tried making peanut brittle for the first time and it turned out wonderfully using the stovetop method.  Some friends shared that it was much easier to use the microwave method, and the following year I tried that with great results.  Last year, though, I did something wrong and ended up with chewy, hard-on-the-teeth, undercooked brittle.  I wanted to make sure that didn't happen this year, but then I ended up with a pan of very burnt brittle on Saturday morning.  I was disappointed - what a waste of ingredients and time!!  Yesterday I saw a recipe for Buttered Rum Brittle, and I thought I'd try to redeem myself.  It was a stovetop recipe that didn't give temperatures so my candy thermometer was useless, but I followed the boiling times to a T... and... guess what... undercooked and chewy brittle.  *SIGH*  I think it's time to give up, before I spend a fortune on sugar and corn syrup and nuts!!!

I did get a go of peanut blossoms made last night, and with that, I think my Christmas baking is complete.  I'll spend evenings for the rest of this week getting a start on the wrapping, and also working towards finishing one last gift that I'm crocheting.  Friday evening is the production of the Pontiac Community Players' radio play Little Women at our church, and then Saturday I have no plans so it will be my opportunity to finish up the wrapping, watch the last of the movies (I don't have many left!), and maybe do some cookie deliveries.

It's all coming together... A week to go... Are you feeling it yet, friends???? ;)

The Christmas Wishlist: 2019 Edition

Did you guys know I almost abolished adult Christmas presents for this year?  Me. ME.  Jillian Elizabeth Young, the lover of presents.

!!!!!!!??????!!!!!!

Truth be told, I'm finding the present buying aspect of Christmas very overwhelming the past few years.  Spending limits, worries of gifts not "looking like enough", and just trying to come up with unique, useful gifts that will be appreciated stresses the hell out of me.  Even as my nieces and nephews get older, I'm finding them harder to buy for.  I mean, a 14-year-old boy who offers little in suggestions and doesn't want clothes?  What the heck are you supposed to get him?  I miss the days of DVD's and CD's being popular.  At least there was ALWAYS a movie or music you could share!!

There was a time when I used to proclaim that I NEEDED stuff!!  I mean, I'm single, and I'm child-less.  I have not had any showers like most girls my age have had at this stage in life.  My house is filled with hand-me-downs and things I have gradually purchased over the years.  But I'm now at a stage in life where my finances are somewhat OK, and if I want something... well, I just buy it.  Not only that, I really like the idea of just sitting back on Christmas morning with a mug of coffee & Bailey's and watching the kids open their gifts.  Relaxing...

But here's the sad, pathetic truth:  I love waking up in the morning and seeing that pile of gifts sprawled out beneath the tree.  The pretty paper and ribbons and bows... the way they sparkle in the lights of the tree... That vision just about makes me gasp.  If adults don't exchange gifts, that pile diminishes significantly.  I mean, there's five of us.  Take away five people's gifts and... it's a much smaller pile.  That thought hurts my heart.

Sad and pathetic.  I know.

Regardless, I floated the idea this year, and after a discussion, it was decided to go ahead with gift giving as some people had already started their shopping.  The discussion has been shelved for next year.

So this year... The Wishlist lives on!!!  Yes, there have been items that have crossed my mind throughout the year as something I would like, that I would stop myself and think, Save it for The Wishlist.  You don't need this RIGHT NOW.  Without further ado...

Books

Here are the selections for our 2020 Book Club reading list that I require:

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Into the Abyss by Carol Shalsen

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

One Night Promised by Jodi Ellen Malpas

And one that didn't make the list that I would like to read:  The Chain by Adrian McKinty

Bundt Pan

Do you know how often I see a recipe I'd like to try, and think, "Nope, can't make that, I don't have a bundt pan."  OK, so, maybe not that often.  But still. Seems like a pan that would come in handy from time to time.

Spring-form Pan

See above.

Deep-dish Pie Plate

I have regular glass pie plate, but some recipes call for deep dish.  This past fall, I made a quiche that pretty much overflowed the regular pie plate.  I also figure it would double for a nice dip dish.

Nutcracker decoration

I almost bought this for myself.  I'd like a larger Nutcracker - not necessarily huge, but big enough that it stands in the corner and is noticeable.  I saw one at the Dollar Store last week for $20, and it was relatively nice for a Dollar Store Nutcracker.  But because I put it on the Wishlist, I decided to leave it.  I may regret this.  I have had a Nutcracker on my Wishlist for almost as long as I had a bread maker!!  (Which reminds me... I need to make some fresh bread over the holidays.)

Peppermint Halo Stick

Last year, I got a "Natural Pharmacy" - a little kit of mini sticks of essential oil stuff that is for different reasons.  Digestion, pain release, immunity, that sort of thing. One of them is Peppermint Halo, which has been one of the best remedies I've ever tried for headaches.  I put it at the base of my neck, temples, and dab it all over my head, take an extra-strength Advil liquigel, and usually - usually - it helps.  For someone who has had headaches for years and rarely gets relief from anything, this has been a Godsend.  I've used it enough that my little stick is getting low.  The others still have lots, I just would like to get more Peppermint Halo.

New Water Cup Tumbler with Straw (Starbucks)

I can actually take this off the Wishlist, as I unexpectedly received this already!  My cousin Kenny asked me to crochet a stocking for their baby's first Christmas.  Last weekend, they came to pick it up and brought me a thank you gift for doing it - a set of 5 reusable Starbucks holiday cups with lids and straws! I LOVE them!!! 

The Crochet Stitch Bible by Betty Barnden

I'm the kind of girl who has to follow a pattern when it comes to crocheting.  Following Youtube videos are not my gig.  I need it in print in front of me.  Granted, I have found the Internet to be a very useful tool in this regard, so maybe a whole book isn't really necessary, but it would never go to waste with me.

Colour-changing Mug

I have a mug fetish.  I own far too many mugs.  I don't even have room for them all.  Yet still... I'd love a colour-changing mug!  The kind that changes when hot water is added.  Mugs make my heart happy.

Yarn

I have a stash, and I really don't need more until some of it gets used up, but my gosh, I love yarn.  One of my goals for the New Year is to somehow figure out a way to better store all of my yarn (right now, it is stuffed in boxes and bins in my junk room.)  So maybe what I should have asked for was some kind of shelving or better bin storage for said yarn!!

These are just a few ideas... I've always said I'm easy to buy for, because I love so much.  Cozy socks.  Comfy leggings.  Anything Ottawa Senators or Toronto Raptors related.  Candles.  Coffee.  I'm about to enter Hygge season, so anything that helps in that department goes!!! :)  Gift cards for movies or iTunes... never a bad idea.

What is on YOUR Wishlist this year?

Mid-Week Randoms: Hollying & Jollying

• We're in the thick of it now folks! Ahhhh December... my favourite time of year!!   I just love it!!
• I could do with some snow, though, dudes.  This barren and brown landscape just BLOWS.  And it doesn't look like it's going to get any better.  It's supposed to POUR rain on Saturday.  Merry frigging Christmas.  I was holding out hope because the long-range showed a blast of winter the weekend before Christmas, but I heard one of the guys talking about it in the office yesterday.  He was saying, "Everyone can relax, they'll get their white Christmas by the looks of things."  And I was thinking, It's still too far away to guarantee... the weather changes constantly... he's jinxing it.  And he totally did.  I woke up this morning, checked my weather app, and the snow for next weekend is gone.  BAH!!!!
• Despite the green and brown and blech, I am still feeling extremely festive.  Last weekend was our book club pot luck, the Santa Claus parade, and cookie baking with the fam-jam.  This weekend is caroling, Christmas movie marathon, and Sunday School Pageant & White Gift at church.  OH!  It's also my niece's 11th birthday, which we are celebrating with a family brunch after church on Sunday.  So much fun going on, I can't contain myself!!
• One small problem these days... For a week or so, I have been having weird light-headed spells.  I am now starting to wonder if I am imagining them?  I can't figure it out.  I don't feel like I could faint or fall down, I don't see stars or spots or anything, just a floaty light-headedness that comes and goes.  The Internet doctors give a list of signs to seek medical attention, and none of my symptoms point to any serious trouble, so I think I'm okay...but still, I just wish I could feel normal!!  (or figure out if I'm just imagining it.)
• Update on Christmas baking:  I'm winding down.  Still on the list to make are peanut blossoms, oatmeal lace cookies, peanut brittle, and cookie fudge.  Will it all happen?  I don't know.  Looking ahead, I'm not sure there's enough time to get it all done, because wrapping has to start next week.  We'll see.  I'm pretty happy with what I already have in the freezer, so if I don't get to all of it, it's not the end of the world.
• I have a Christmas gift on the hook these days, and I'm coming down to the wire to get it done in time... Fingers crossed that I can have it finished in the next week!  Otherwise, all of my shopping is done. I have a few parcels that are to arrive this week, and once they are in, I'll be ready to wrap.  My favourite part!!
• Sometimes, technology really sucks.  About two weeks ago, I noticed my wifi at home was consistently having issues.  It's normal for it to go down from time to time, but I realized I was having trouble with it almost every time I tried to watch Netflix or look at Facebook on my phone.  I called my provider a couple of times last week, and they finally called me back on Monday.  They said they were going to do some adjustments on their end, but might have to call me back to get me to change some settings on my wireless router.  They never did call me back, and so far, Internet seems to be back to normal.  Woo Hoo!  The trade-off is this: my work computer has suddenly become seriously afflicted.  I can't open my Microsoft Outlook email at all, I'm getting weird warnings every time I open Word or Exel, and while the Internet seems to be fine, my Facebook has not worked properly all week on my desktop.  Something is seriously up.  Tech guy coming today, so hopefully soon to be resolved!
• I don't like to rush this season away, but have I mentioned how flipping excited I am for my time off over the holidays?  I will be off almost two weeks - leaving at noon on Christmas Eve and not returning until the 7th of January.  I am literally daydreaming of Netflix and Disney+ binges!  I have so much I want to watch... the new seasons of Fuller House and The Crown, Dolly Parton's Heartstrings, and literally everything on Disney+.  I can't wait to hunker and hibernate!

I hope you are all enjoying the season so far!! I just love this Hollying & Jollying time of year!!!

Feelin' December

• For so long, I've been dying to get the Christmas season rolling... and now that it's finally here, I just want it to SLOW DOWN!!!  We're already 4 days into the month of December, and every morning when I open another door on my chocolate Advent calendar, I almost want to cry.  I need a pause button, and I need it NOW!!!
• Monday evening was the Christmas House Tour that our church holds as a fundraiser every year, and it was a wonderful success!  We came a long way, from late October when I thought I might have to cancel it for lack of houses, to early December when we got to tour the four beautiful homes that volunteered to be on it.  They were all so different and the home owners did a fantastic job of decorating.  I also could not have pulled off this event without the help of my mom and sister who helped out in many ways, my cousin Donna who stays at the church the night of the tour to look after the snack table, and all of the church members who helped   by making food, decorating the church, helping to wash dishes that night, etc.  It was a fantastic evening!
• Once the house tour was over, I was able to take a big breath.  I get a little stressed out over organizing things like that, and now that it's in the rear view mirror, I feel like I can kick back and enjoy the holiday season.  I mean, don't get me wrong - there's still plenty to be done.  I'm way behind in my baking, I haven't wrapped a single thing, I've hardly watched any movies, and I still need to finish up the shopping (mostly stocking stuffers).  But overall, I feel much more calm and ready to just soak it all up.
• Of course, the morning after Christmas House Tour, I woke up with a headache.  Because, you know.  That's life.  When you are ready to just lean back and enjoy, Life says, "Not so fast, lady!  You can't have your cake AND eat it too!"  So I trudged through the day yesterday feeling tired and dealing with the ache.  I've had it today too, but not as bad.  Not much I can do about it but deal with it.
• I took my mom out for supper last night.  Not long ago she was saying she never gets to have liver anymore because none of us like it (blech) and since my dad passed away, she's hardly ever had it.  I noticed the dinner special at Cartrite's last night was liver & onions, so I treated her.  (And I had a cheeseburger with poutine.  Definitely not liver!!!)  When I got home I got laundry rolling, then lay down on the couch to watch The Flintstones Christmas Carol, and promptly fell asleep.  
• On Saturday, my brother, my friend Lindsay, and I all took the kids to see Frozen 2.  And what did I think?  Well... I think I have to see it again. LOL!  I was so distracted by all of the little people in the theatre... the chattering, the crying, the laughing.  When I told my brother this, he was like, "Huh? I didn't even notice."  Such is the observations of the single, child-less aunt, I suppose. lol!
• My internet has been wonky for days now, and I don't know what to do about it.  It's up and down steady, making watching Netflix or anything like that almost impossible. I've tried re-booting the router, unplugging everything, etc.  I probably have to call but I don't want to be bothered dealing with it in the evenings.  I guess I'll see if it it's still acting crazy on Saturday and call then.  I need my wifi working for Christmas!!
• My plan for tonight is to get my bark made.  I make three different kinds, and I'm hoping to get it all done tonight.  Then maybe gingersnaps tomorrow night.  I'm also going to make some more pretzel treats.  I made a batch of them for the House Tour snack table and I got so many people asking how to make them.  Melt Hershey Kisses on top of pretzels and put red & green M&M's on top... can't get much easier! :)
• I'm looking forward to the weekend.  I'm taking Friday off to finish my shopping, then I'm going to our book club Christmas potluck that night.  Saturday is the Santa Claus parade in town (and maybe baking with Mom... she won't confirm these plans though lol.  If not, baking by myself.)  And then I hope to get some movie watching in.  Oh how I love this time of year!!!