So that's Christmas for another year

Done and dusted. I worked Christmas night, so we didn't really do anything special here, apart from open the presents in the morning. My mother and sister went out to my other sister's place for Christmas dinner, so it was just the three of us.

Patrick did the best, getting toys, including a very cool red VW Bug car cushion. We got him books and a couple of toys. I got Jeremy a book he wanted and a Bon Jovi concert DVD. We can't afford to go see them when they play in Christchurch here at the end of January, so this is the next best thing. He got me Good Omens, which I asked for, and a DVD. I said "get me this book and then a wee surprise." One of the bookstores had DVDs for under $15 _ some good ones, too. Unfortunately he went shopping on Christmas Eve and they were basically out. So I ended up with Date Movie. Which I've seen, and I thought it was okay, but ... I was takne aback. So much so that I couldn't hide it and he was gutted to see me disappointed. However, it was a minor glitch really.

Well, The Boss is expressing an interest in breakfast (ie: crying) so I should go.

Christmas Eve ...

... and it's raining. It was sooooooooo hot yesterday; today, not so much. Go figure.
I'm finally going to put the tree up today. I've either been too tired/busy/grumpy to do it before. But at least it'll be up before Christmas! I have today off, working tomorrow, then I have Wednesday off. So we're having our Christmas dinner on Boxing Day because we'll both be home.
Patrick is doing well, apart from a habit of waking up at 5.30am lately. 5.30am!!!! That's just ... uncivilised! It's the teeth and the heat, I guess. But sometimes it's hard to be patient, you know?
Jeremy's not home from work yet, but I think he's out braving the crowds to get the rest of my Christmas present. I know what part of it is, but I want a surprise as well. I'm a very recent convert to Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is one of my favourite authors. I happened to see Good Omens in hardback in one of the bookstores, pointed it out, and that's my main present. Heh ... I predict much reading tomorrow. Well. Before I have to go to work, anyway.
We set a limit of about $50 on each other and his is all wrapped up and ready to go, as is Patrick's. At least his was easy _ some books and a couple of toys. I have a feeling he'll be more interested in the wrapping paper!
Not sure if I"ll get much stitching done today, after having such an early start, but I'm working on Circe by Jill Oxton. Well. Right now I am anyway!
Merry Christmas!

Over for another year

I couldn't connect with Christmas at all this year. Put up the tree, wrapped the presents, spent the day with loud and drunken family members ... and all I got was a lousy headace. And if my sister talked to me ONE MORE TIME about thebabythebabythebaby like she did all day, there was going to be a family rift. I don't mind answering questions and getting advice (she has two children) and I think it's nice that she's excited about this baby but ... hey! HEY! What about me?
Anyway. My mother seemed to have a good day, spending time with her grandchildren and getting proportionally louder as the day went on. For myself, I was glad to get home again.
J and I exchanged presents the night before, when all was quiet. We set a limit of $30 for each other, as things are a little tight this year. I got J the DVD of Sky High and I got Evanescence's new CD and a box of chocolates. Things could definitely be worse!
This year got completely away on me, after we unexpectedly lost Dad in January. After that, it kind of felt like one thing after another.
My sister had her baby in February; I switched shifts at work; J was out of work for a while after the works season finished (he's back at the supermarket now); there was Chloe's ongoing health issues with her leg; and we found out we're having a baby of our own. I'd just like to crawl under something and not come out some days.
But Chloe recovered, the baby's healthy and because J works part-time he does all the housework and the cooking, so all I have to do is go to work and pay bills. I don't have a lot to complain about, really, it's just that some days are better than others I guess.
Next Friday will be a year since Dad died, so that'll be a hard day.
Speaking of things getting away from me ... I'm going to try setting monthly goals again, see how I go. For this purpose, I'm counting from today until January 31. If I wait until December 30 to do it, I'll talk myself out of it for sure.
So I've been thinking about what I'd like to get done in the next month:-
-Write 1000 words a day; see if I can get my mojo back
-Finish the page I'm on and the next one of the Iris pattern for my friend S's wedding
-Get as much possible done of window on cat pattern for the baby's room
-Start DD's Here Be Dragons as your 2007 January start
-Make a list of everyone's birthday
-Finish Pandora's Star and Lord of the Rings
-Read one or two review books; write the reviews every Wednesday or Thursday
-Find out about ante-natal classes
-No Starbucks!
-No buying tea at work
-Get credit card under its limit
-Do one thing off 101 in 1001 days list
That'll keep me off the streets, I think!

The Day Before Christmas

Don't worry, I"m not even going to try and make a rhyme out of it. It's just a handy title because it's Christmas Eve. We don't have a lot to do because we're travelling tomorrow to have dinner with family. And I WON"T go into that particular saga, I"ll be here all day. But my sister is driving me crazy. It's our first Christmas without Dad, which will be hard enough for everyone, but she's made it all so much harder than it needed to be. And she's winding up about Mum being alone tomorrow night, after all the Christmas stuff is said and done. The thing is, my mother is FINE. She's actually pretty resilient and probably hasn't even thought about it. But that doesn't stop my sister from rambling at me on the phone about it. Grr. Grr. Grr.
So I'm calling a time-out today. I'm going to work on the cat picture for the baby's room and do my Lord of the Rings marathon that I've been promising myself.
Merry Christmas.

Monday I have Friday on my mind

The Friday at the end of this week, not last week. Because AFTER this Friday, I have three days off (woo hoo!). Saturday (obviously), Sunday, because there's no paper on Christmas Day AND I'm rostered off on Christmas Day. I want to work all the other stats but wanted Christmas off because it's Mum's (and our) first Christmas without Dad.
We're going to name the baby after him _ we've already started calling him Patrick.
So it'll be Patrick Ross, after my Dad and J's Dad. He's started to move around a bit more, and really seems to like it when I'm at work, for some reason. I think of him as practising for being a person out in the world :)
I have Plans for the weekend and I just hope the Universe is looking in the other direction, otherwise something will happen and I'll end up running around like a chicken.
We don't have a tree up yet, because of the cats, so Saturday's to-do is putting up the tree and wrapping presents :)
Sunday, I'm planning an LOTR marathon and some stitching. Monday, of course, is Christmas and we'll be with family, so all bets are off for Monday.
I signed up for the Beta-blogger thingy which seems to be working...
That's all I have for now. :)