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everybody got their hair done this weekend
November 24 2014, 9:05 P.M.
Friday was a bit of hell. Got stuck in traffic twice--once for road construction and once for a funeral. It took an hour and a half for me to get home, and I ended up missing my haircut appt. I was able to re-schedule it for 3:30, luckily, because my head was a total mess. Since the haircut was later in the day, I went home and made some shrimp for lunch, then took the first nap of the day--about 45 minutes of puppy-cuddling snooze. Got up, popped out long enough to run over and get my hair done, then back home for another brief snooze. Can you tell I was really beat?
Spouse made dinner my choice, and for once, I showed no hesitation. I was sick of humanity, so we ordered dinner delivered (HP chicken w/mojos).
Saturday, Spouse popped out early to get his hair cut & pick up the dog's meds at the vet, while I did some housework and got myself ready to go out. We ran to the Festy to get groceries, then came home for a while before going back out to drop the dog off for grooming and do more shopping. Sam's, a few other quick stops, a quick lunch at Taco Bell, then poked around Bed, Bath and Beyond for a while to kill time till B was ready for pickup. Looked at kitchen stuff, and bought a new cutting board. Also a Christmas CD for Auntie. Then we picked up the B and headed home. He was worn out, so the rest of the afternoon was quiet time. The boys crashed, I did some laundry and eventually crashed myself. Spouse used his cast iron grill pan to make some fantastic burgers for dinner, on bakery buns. Served with shoestring fries and a tossed salad. Extremely tasty. I even broke down and did something I almost never do--had a Coke with my burger.
On Sunday, Spouse made one of his signature "Fabulous Sunday Breakfasts". French toast from cinnamon crunch bread, with sausage. I cleaned up the kitchen, and then I called Phoenix and talked to Daddy. I hadn't heard anything more from him than the one brief text, so I gave him a jingle. Found out what has been keeping him so busy: Auntie broke her leg, and walked around on it for two weeks before getting medical attention. She is in a wheelchair at the moment, but doing pretty well. I'm sorry it had to happen, but I'm kind of glad Dad is there for her. They are all driving to Tucson on Thursday morning, to spend the holiday with her sister.
After I talked to Dad, I did some more housecleaning, and then Spouse decided he wanted to run up to Sturtevant to see if he could get some more of the long-sleeved shirts he likes from Farm & Fleet.
Well...I found another sweater like the two I bought a few weeks ago (I have the Fuchsia, the Black, and now the Teal, which was on clearance for $18.00) at F&F, but they were out of Spouse's shirts. And since they were having their holiday baking sale, I bought supplies for more peanut clusters (orders from Phoenix!).
After F&F, we stopped at Menard's. I bought a small and powerful Honeywell fan (excuse me--"High-Velocity Air Circulator") to blow the co-worker hairspray stink back over the wall. Also found actual draft-excluders! Nice ones, for only $2.99 each! They will certainly look prettier than the ones I made last year, out of old beach towels and strapping tape! (I have to admit, though--they did the job.)
Spouse made a lovely dinner last night--although I didn't really care for the rub he used on it, the pork roast was pretty nice. And we had mashed potatoes with gravy, veggie medley, and applesauce.
I did no baking this past weekend, as I will be doing pies on Wed. night, and the day after Thanksgiving is Fruitcake Friday, as well as the start of my hot-heavy holiday baking schedule.
Oop--almost forgot. Progress on seasonal donations: We did food last week, and this week it was a combination of two different campaigns. Got a kid to buy for off my office's giving tree, 7-yr-old who wants an RC Helicopter and is into Superman. Found a helicopter and a snuggle-blanket both featuring the man of steel. Spouse has a co-woker who is collecting food and winter clothing items to fill backpacks for distribution to the homeless. Apparently it's a student project for that her daughter at UW is working on, so we decided to donate some stuff. We got a big package of PB cracker sandwiches at Sam's, and when we were at Menard's, we picked up some nice stocking hats and gloves on sale. And since Spouse managed to win the little girl's bicycle in his company's United Way raffle, we have a nice donation to TfT, as well.
Interestingly, I ordered the Superman stuff from Amazon Thursday night, and it came on Sunday! Apparently the new "fulfillment center" out by the interstate means that we get Amazon packages delivered on Sunday. I dug out some wrapping paper and a bow and got it wrapped up right away, but since it was raining this morning, I decided to wait till tomorrow to bring it in and drop it off.
Y'know, I really wish I could still get the little thrill that used to come with the season. (And there used to be one--once I could separate out the horrible parts and focus on what I liked.) I am going through all the same motions I usually do, but I can't feel it. I made the decision to drop the card mailing altogether. I know for a fact it's going to be a non-decorating year. And I am even having to feign enthusiasm for the donating, and baking, and general spoiling of Auntie that I do every year, because I don't want to disappoint my family...but there is no joy in it. Christmas has never meant too much to me, and it seems that it means even less this year.
Maybe I just miss my mom. Specifically in this case, it's that "having somebody to live up to" thing that I miss. For years, my Christmassy endeavors were in tandem with Mom's--it's what she expected, so I did it. For the most part. The parts of it I could stand, anyway.
Then, for the last several years, it was more of a proxy thing--I did it, because it meant Christmas to her and Uncle, and she couldn't do that stuff anymore. And now...that whole aspect of it is missing. My mom and my uncle and my little brother were the true Christmas lovers in our family, and they're all gone. It all feels so pointless.
It's pretty clear to me that Christmas was mostly about my mom for me--surrendering to reason and giving up religion didn't make me feel this way as much as losing Mom has.
Item of note: tomorrow will be a double quit anniversary: 46 months/1,400 days.
Reading: Re-reads this week (even though I have a big stack in the slush pile): The "Miss Billy" trilogy, by Eleanor H. Porter, and "Busman's Honeymoon", by Dorothy L. Sayers.
Listening: Abra Moore, Fishbone, Living Colour, Sponge
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