What the !?!

So the holidays are almost over. Kerry is back at work, if you can call it that! I think he's really eating chocolate and surfing the net. Anyways, holidays almost over...and not a single picture on my camera has me in it. Not one. Not opening presents, not eating dinner, not eating breakfast, not in my pjs, not filling my face with chocolate, not napping, reading, hugging, celebrating, playing, sitting, standing or even complaining.

So I doctored one in PS and sent it to Nancy and Heather. It's bad, really bad. Shaun says the lighting on my face is so off. No kidding, you big teenaged dummy, I'm not in the real picture. See that head at the bottom, it's mine, it's from months ago and if you can remember, I know it's so long ago on Christmas Eve, but I wasn't sitting on the floor in front of you. NO, I was the big dummy taking pictures!

Years from now my great-great grandchildren will think Kerry raised the kids on his own, with help from Sally the Wonder Dog (why else would a dog have a whole scrapbook devoted to just her?)

So my New Year's resolution (if I had to make one, I really hate them) would be to get out from behind the camera and take some shots of me!

And my A-HA moment regarding clothing came today while at Mellow Yellow. While shopping, I have noticed that t-shirt makers are cheaping out and the shirts are almost see-thru. Really thin! So I don't buy many, I suck at buying clothes. You know, "oh I love this shirt but yikes, $25 for a shirt you can see my bra and my rolls through" no thanks. But today the very nice sales person cleared this all up for me. I bought a sweater before Christmas and I just didn't wear it like the cute mannequin in the store did. I found all the clothes she was wearing and one of the shirts was really thin, so I said something to the sales person and she said "of course, it has to be thin because if you have 4 layers on (like the mannequin) you will feel and look like the Pilsbury Doughboy." The thin sleeveless, yes, sleeveless shirt is not meant to be worn out and about, it's for laying! This woman started glowing and angels were singing! So I bought the shirt and another one. Isn't she a great sales person? I wanted to run out and buy all the thin shirts I had not bought before Christmas.

Besides, I didn't lose weight so I could dress and feel like the Doughboy!

Lazy!

I need to get back to the school day schedule or I am going to be one grumpy mom in January. I have taken to staying up late reading and sleeping in late. And I am not sleeping very well. It could be all the junk I have been eating.

And I have not done one single creative thing in weeks. I didn't even make my own gift tags. Nope, just cut the fronts off old cards and used them, dug really deep in the gift wrap accessories box and found tags I had stamped about 3 years ago. And I am almost out of gift wrap...which brings up another thing. When did gift wrap get so darn thin? I used to buy the nice stuff at Michaels, so about 3 years ago, it was so thick. Then with each year it got thinner and thinner. Now when I wrap a box, the corners of the box tear the paper. I have put off replenishing my stock because it seems most papers are as thin as what I already have. I am thinking of making my own gift bags out of fabric to use next year. We'll see, I like sewing about as much as I like getting a tooth pulled.

I lied. I did do one creative thing...I finished the calendars for the grandparents. They turned out great and everyone loved them. Even with doing most of the layouts digitally, the thing weighs a tonne. Good thing I had so many pictures of Sally. Those darn kids of mine are so uncooperative when the camera comes out.

Got cut off!

I had to end the last post early. There was some wrapping I had forgotten about. But now I think I am officially finished. Every year I say I am going to start earlier and every year I think I finish later. Although I did see on the news that it's not a bad thing because you get the better deals. Like Hillary Duff boots for $5 when the original price was $34.99. Never mind that they are two different sizes, E. says she can't really tell. They look like moon boots, I think she can float with them on. Oh, and the fact that they are Hillary Duff boots isn't something she wants people to know.

Emily says the weirdest things. Yesterday we were discussing a New Year's party in which siblings were invited to join in.

Emily: I'm not a sibling.

Grown-up: Then what are you?

Emily: I'm a dumpling.

I had great intentions of making a calendar for the grandparents. Every month would have a special picture of the kids and Sally if she would co-operate. I planned on taking all the pics this week but with the crazy schedule we have had I got one picture taken, well, maybe 6 but of the same thing. Kids pissing themselves laughing infront of the tree, no dog to be seen, at least they had matching clothes on. At one point E. declared "I'm crying here!"

So that didn't work. The calendar now has 11 months of Sally. It looks great but really wasn't what I envisioned.

I just finished Stuart McLean's newest Vinyl Cafe book, I think it's Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe.(He's the funny guy on CBC that talks about Dave and Morley.) I love his stuff. It's hilarious. Short, quick stories. Very much like everyday life for some people, not us, no way. It is laugh-out-loud funny. Read it, read all his Vinyl Cafe books. Go to the library and get them or buy them at the Superstore but don't ask me if you can borrow them. They are too precious. So far 3 out of 4 Williams give them the thumbs up. Emily would probably read it but she's reading the freakin' dictionary right now. Like really reading it. I was just joking when I asked which chapter she was on, only to be told the exact letter of the alphabet and word she was on. Weird.

I have been told that the Grinch is on and I better get my butt upstairs to watch it so I know how not to behave this year! Too late!

2 more sleeps!!!

I think I am ready for the big day. And after today, if I'm not ready, too bad!
I realized I missed sending a few cards to some people. I might have to do Happy New Year's cards! Sorry, Jenn Y. if you are reading this! I totally forgot and I think I missed a birthday too.
Kerry and I were discussing the terrible memories we both have, not like childhood memories, but our brains and what we keep forgetting to do. Maybe we need personal recorders to carry with us. Every time we think of something to do, we can record it and set an alarm to listen to it later. Kerry had one, a perk from work, and of course he loved it and it really helped. But then he forgot to record "take recorder out of pocket before putting in laundry". So I washed and dried it for him.

The day after Sunday

Monday again... I am finding that I am letting the little things get to me at my 'other' job. Why can't people read numbers? Why do they have to move the pegs instead of using their eyes to find where a product goes? Why is it so hard to do something right the first time?
Enough of that...

Back to my boots. Boot guilt didn't last long. Not after wearing those babies out to music class and having to walk in the snow to get around a car...no way I could have done that in my shoes. My feet were warm and dry. Boot guilt is now boot love! And a little boot envy from Emily. She put them on the other day and said they almost fit. No way I am sharing those things. Back off, get your own boots!

My fruit cake is delicious. It was so easy to make. I picked up some little foil loaf pans and tonnes of fruit for the cake. The first batch had chocolate, dried cherries and rum along with all the usual fruity things. Definately better with booze. I did the whole brushing with rum every day bit too. The second batch is chocolate and booze free for my dad, not as tasty. So today I put 2 more aside for him and drenched the rest in rum. I can't believe how easy fruit cake is to make. And Kerry doesn't like fruit cake but he loves this stuff. I could give that lady in town a run for her money. We paid $13 or 14 for a cake from her and it was good, but mine is just as good and probably cost just over $25 for 13 cakes. If you are worthy, I might share.

I put out a little challenge in my newsletter. Mostly a sad deperate cry for handmade Christmas cards. No one sends me any because apparently no cards are worthy of being sent to me. Whatever...
I have my first 2 handmade Christmas cards, Barb and Amanda are going in the draw. Both cards are beautiful and both were made with fancy techniques. Good for you two! That might set the standard for whatever I decide to send out! Not likely!

Oh the GUILT...

Yes, these are the same boots you may have seen on Fern's blog. And now they are mine. I have been looking, sort of, for new boots this winter. I wanted cute, but still warm and waterproof, practical, of course. It is so hard to find boots that don't have wedges or that aren't leather, but are still stylish. And I didn't want hiking boots. So when Fern posted this pic on her blog...I said that's it, that's the boot for me!
So today, which may be my last day on earth when Kerry finds out how much I spent, today I bought the boots. I had them put on hold, looked all over the mall with Heather and then took her to see my precious boots. She agreed they were the nicest ones we had seen. She's an enabler. The only problem was the cost. They were not the cheapest or even the most reasonable, at $170 before taxes, I wasn't sure my feet were worth. But I was raised to spend money on my feet. These babies are waterproof, Gortex lined and can be washed in the washing machine. Of course the sales person said they were the last ones, not just in the store, but in any of the Ingledew's.
So I bought them, I have 14 days to think about it. The thing is, I'm not a shoe person. I find a pair, they are comfy, I wear them, they have to be practical, go with everything and although they are never cheap, they are reasonable and usually on sale.
I know I will keep them. I know Kerry won't care. I did just call him at work and his boss answered and I asked him if $200 was too much to spend on boots and he laughed because his wife just told their daughter that $80 was the limit, but she spent almost double on her boots. Boss said Marks has some boots and then laughed and said they were not cute boots. He also suggested Grower's Supply. Ha Ha Ha. When Kerry called me back, and I told him how much, he said "Holy Cow" and I could hear the guys in the office laughing like crazy. Poopy MEN. And then Kerry said "We need to get the van fixed." Bubble burster! He did seem happy that the boots are machine washable.
Off to build a boot shrine!

Oh, and on the way home I stopped at a few stores just to see whatelse was outside the mall for boots. Shoe Warehouse, I think, by Safeway, has some nice stuff. And Hollywood Shoes in Rutland has some freakishly expensive shoes, very nice, definately unique ones too. I told the lady to buy the $400 boots she was trying on because it would make me feel better about my $200 ones.

We are having an Open House/Craft Sale at Heather's on Sunday, Dec. 10. Come up to her place and take the stuff off our hands so we don't have to store it.

Preened and Plucked

Kerry's Christmas party is tonight at Ric's Grill.
I have plucked, scrubbed, Satin Handed, clear cutted the forest on my legs, coloured my hair, and moisturized this morning all so I can look good while eating a yummy meal in a probably dark restaurant!
I am on my way to the mall to look for a snazzy top. Wish me luck. I'm an odd shape, very broad across the back so it's always a treat to find something and then try it on only to realize I will be pulling an Incredible Hulk if I reach for anything or lift my arms!