Unwrapped
Partially a wrapping paper mess, partially sorted and organized.
Christmas Eve
(not Xmas eve, as the Challenge suggests. Grrrr. Blasphemy.)
Tonight is Christmas Eve, y’all. It’s hard to believe we’ve arrived to December 24th already.
And the last week has been a whirlwind of weather. We had snow for a week straight….the kids around here had two snow days in their last week of school (lucky ducks!), then we got hit with a massive ice/freezing rain storm. And yesterday it snowed, then it turned to freezing rain, then rain then back to snow. Power outages all across the county – if not the province. (Picture it…December 23rd traffic and shopping madness….add in no power – no traffic lights, etc. CRAY-ZEE!! Oh, an when you’re in a large department store and the power goes off, expect to be herded to the front of the store like cattle.) Luckily, I didn’t lose power. Winston and I stayed nice and warm and watched Christmas movies last night. Poor guy had his booster yesterday and projectile vomited everywhere at least five times (well, five spots of kitty barf is what I’ve found so far) so he was happy to chill last night.
Anyway, tonight’s festivities are on….My dad is heading to pick up my granddad early this afternoon and he’s dropping me at Blair’s. I’ll help him wrap and get things in order then we’ll head back to my parents’ house for our family’s traditional Christmas Eve dinner of Rappie Pie.
My dad’s Rappie Pie
Which I am super excited about.
My nephews will be playing and so wound up that they won’t want to eat.
Boy #2 looking to see what trouble he can get into
After dinner and a rest we’ll either hang out or go visit – or have visitors. If we entertain we’ll be in the family room in front of the main Christmas tree (because my mom’s a nut and has a tree in pretty much every room).
Eventually, I’ll want my photo taken because, well, I clean up nicely.
Christmas eve 2011
And we’ll remember those we love who are no longer with us.
RIP Aunt Linda
*And my wonderful, incredible grandparents*
Usually, my mom and I (at least) go to church but last year our church’s Christmas Eve service was less focused on Christmas and Jesus and the celebration of his birth and more focused on other, more selfish things – not cool, church, NOT COOL. So, I doubt my mom and I will be heading there this year. We can certainly Praise Jesus elsewhere.
After a possible glass of wine and maybe a sweet treat, this girl will be zonked and ready to hit the sack. And soon enough it will be Christmas morning. 🙂
My Goal in Life…..
…Well, at least one of them….to be part of a crazy flash mob.
Enjoy this early Christmas gift. 🙂
Cheers!
Sparkle
My Christmas nail polishes….one for my fingers and one for my toes. 🙂
(My sister in law is gonna say this is a cop-out but it’s really hard to capture, on film, my sparkling personality.)
….unless you add wine. Getting sauced for Christmas can make anyone sparkle.
Cheers.
Cookies
When my brother and I were little, on the last day of school for Christmas vacation we’d get off the school bus and my mom would have the kitchen all set up for us to decorate Gingerbread Men cookies.
She’d have a big plate of cookies waiting:
And have all the supplies set up – different colors icing, all the colors of the rainbow; sprinkles, chocolate chips. It was great.
Then my brother and I would spend the next several hours making a mess our Gingerbread Men.
We worked diligently on those darn cookies – aspiring for perfection:
But most of the time having our cookies look like this:
And more often than not, like this:
Because honestly, the more icing and sugary stuff, the better, right??
We looked forward to that last half-day of school every year because we knew when we got home we’d have a ton of fun making those cookies – and not fighting as per our usual routine.
And it’s very fitting that today’s Challenge was a post on Cookies because my mom had my nephews over for the afternoon so they could make their own Gingerbread men:
And just like their Aunt Sandy, the kiddos are on the train of the more icing and sugary stuff, the better!
I’m very proud.
Cheers.
Memories
Meh…okay, this is a lame photo for the post but whatyagonnado?
It’s not my photo but it looks like Santa’s got some ‘splainin’ to do. (Betcha his “last night” made for some good memories.)
Bad Santa
Cheers!
Giving
I’m totally cheating because I’m tired and I don’t have any more patience or time to dig thru my photos and find a photo that represents “Giving”…..
Cheers.
Christmas Wish List #8
Funky Furniture
I love this Lee Jofa chair….
Lee Jofa
And this chair too – but can’t find who makes it (‘though that doesn’t matter to me…I am fully happy and ready to accept furniture without notice of who makes it…just puttin’ that out there)…
I don’t necessarily need new furniture but I really couldn’t/wouldn’t resist the styles – color, pretty, fun. I found a store not far from me that has similar styles as the Lee Jofa but pretty sure Santa has finished shopping building my toys for this year. Maybe next year.
Cheers.
Wreath
I have a really pretty white wreath that I bought at the mall probably 5 years ago. I keep it up in my foyer year-round because it’s so pretty. And I took a picture of it last night with my crappy Blackberry camera and it didn’t check it until today and OF COURSE – it’s a crappy photo. SO – you’re getting this picture instead:
It’s pretty and simple. Mine’s a little more festive and SandyLandish but this one ^is very elegant.
Cheers.
Christmas Wish List #7
Oliver Bonas Sweater
I absolutely adore this Oliver Bonas sweater but it’s probably crazy expensive and I’m cheap and I can’t find it on the website anymore anyway so it looks like I’m S.O.L.
Cheers.
Ornaments
I have boxes upon boxes of Christmas tree ornaments. But I’ve very particular and diligent in the decorations I hang. Of course I have a color theme, and I have to be careful to hang only certain decorations on the bottom branches so that big fat white cat doesn’t have too much fun with them (to be honest, so far he’s only slept underneath the tree and played with the ribbon on the bottle of wine – it’s my shower curtain that takes the abuse). The decorations that I do hang are displayed with love. Here are a few:
^Anyone who knows me knows that butterflies are sorta my thing. This is just one of many, many butterflies that hang on my tree, including a bunch of handmade butterflies that my mom made me a few years back. They are beautiful and are kept in a special box (that I annually forget where I’ve left it and then have to dig).
^Obvs I’d have a star on my tree to represent the Star of Bethlehem (also called the Christmas Star – duh!!). My Blackberry’s camera sucks but this is a beautiful bright gold star AND it glitters. Score.
^There are a few of these icicles. They’re silver and glittery and were expensive so they’re not permitted near the bottom branches.
^”…Three french hens, two TURTLE DOVES….la la la, la la….” (I love this turtle dove. It’s antiquey looking and elegant-ish.)
^This is the Christmas Pickle. It’s sort of a thing on my mom’s side of the family. A bunch of us got these ornaments as gifts. I’m not exactly sure of the story or the origin of the Christmas Pickle in my family but I promise, it’s a thing.
Cheers!
Warmth
Okay, I don’t actually have a fireplace (maybe this should be on the Christmas Wish List) but today we had our first biggie snow storm – which sucked because I had my Elegant Ugly Sweater Party planned for today and now it’s on the postpone list – so, after shoveling a crapload and a half of snow I finally got a bunch of things done around the house that needed to be started finished for Christmas…INCLUDING making cookies (which I wanted to have for the party today so I’m thinkin’ it’s probably some sort of blessing in disguise that Mother Nature is a super bitch and I got stormed in).
So, my oven’s been going for quite some time and I’ve got tons of cookies made so the house is nice and cozy. And now I’m sucking back a bottle glass of wine and about to enjoy yet another Christmas movie (which means I’ll have to surrender my Sleep Hollow episode and Tom Mison for the day – although, Tom Mison could probably keep me warm too – albeit, he is kinda skinny – but we could figure it out).
Give the boy a burger and send him my way…
Cheers.
Glitter
Q: “What’s your favorite color?” A: “GLITTER!!”
I get very excited about glitter. I think everyone needs a little glitter in their lives. In fact, I used to owns TONS of spray glitter back in the day (ahhh….actually, I probs still do). And Christmas is the best time to add glitter to everything.
Like these wine glasses I made last year:
And Christmas ornaments like this one my friend Amy K. has hanging:
Glitter should be everywhere. Enjoy it.
Cheers.
Christmas Wish List #6
A Painted Yoga Mat
My yoga mat is pink…..and that’s about it. BORING. Therefore, I would love one of these gorgeous hand painted mats (or any hand painted mat…I’m not hard to deal with):
This one ->
…ooooohhh…
Or this one ->
….aaaaaahhhh….
OR THIS ONE —>>
…because Yoga Kitties are AWESOME!
Namaste.
Festive
Wine with ribbon. Check.
Wine glass with pretty decal. Check.
Christmas tree. Check.
Wrapped presents. Check.
Snowstormy weather. Check.
Christmas movies. Check.
I’m feeling pretty friggin’ festive.
Cheers.
Vintage
This is sort of a cheat because I doubt I will be home in time to post a real photo of something vintage. BUT…..this is the next best thing.
My grandmother died three years ago right before Christmas. It was a sad time. Death is never easy – and even harder during the holidays.
After my grandmother passed, my grandfather passed onto me a bunch of my grandmother’s clothes (including her real fur – which I don’t necessarily agree with but, it’s now in my possession). So, in her honor, on Christmas eve I wore one of her dresses. My grandfather was with us for dinner that evening and, tho sad from the loss of his wife (of more that 60 years) he was delighted that I was wearing her dress.
So yeah, that counts, right?
Cheers!
Carols
I love Christmas Carols. Some of them are so tired and lame but I still find myself singing or humming along.
When I was in elementary school I sang in the school and Sunday School choirs and we always had fun singing traditional (and some non-traditional) carols. I think I may have even been suckered into going around to strangers’ houses a time or two to sing. Ahhh…Christmas.
One of my favorite Christmas songs is non-traditional and pretty bad…but it’s so funny and I’ve hung onto it since I was 14 and I stole my uncle’s mixed tape (yes tape – as in cassette – and I didn’t actually steal it…I borrowed it and make a copy and returned original to him). I love it: Father Christmas by the Kinks.
Enjoy.
Cheers!
Joy
I really wanted to post a few photos of my nephews and their excitement and happiness but my brother and SIL would kill me for blasting pics of their kids online. So, I’ll blast other photos online.
Joy is Love
Joy is Celebration (and wine…..wine causes joy, right?)
And one of my absolute favorite photos (story to follow below): Joy is Love and Excitement and Family and Appreciation and Surprise all rolled into one
So ^that there^ is my aunt Donna. She is a very talented musician and singer. She plays (and taught) piano, guitar, played trumpet in high school (lame) and sings beautifully. And a few years ago I bought her a wrought iron music stand. I decorated it with a pretty red bow and presented it to her at our family Christmas party. I made her close her eyes and when she opened them the stand was in front of her and I snapped a photo of her the moment she saw it. She was uber excited and, knowing Donna (and not relying on my memory) she was likely teary eyed. Ahhhh…what’s family for if not to make each other cry. 😀
Cheers.
Christmas Wish List #5
I want a Glitter Car….like this:
I’ll take whatever I can get but preferably in red:
But again, I’m not fussy.
Cheers.
Treats
Like my mom, the last few years I have made a bevy of treats for Christmas guests and gifts and parties. Baking for Christmas is part of the fun. I love the mess and the stress of it all. Unlike my mother, I only make a few batches of a few things and that’s it – she feels the need to prepare to feed everyone she knows.Some of the faves I make:
Pumpkin Butter (and it looks pretty and is a great little gift on its own – if you like pumpkin)
Pumpkin Butter
Oreo Cookie Truffles – These have been a huge hit and I receive requests each year since I started making them. Unfortunately, they don’t last long.
Oreo Truffles
Candy Cane Cake – Oh my…..I made this cake for a family party a few years back and it was a huge success. Everyone loved it. People who claimed they had allergies to certain things suddenly did not have allergies and went back for seconds. It’s oh so yum.
Candy Cane Cake
Shortbread Cookies – My cousin Anne made these lovely shortbread cookies a few years ago when she was visiting from Vancouver. They were so delightful and melt-on-your-tonguey and I have not been able to perfect them since. Probably because I’ve been using whole wheat flour and she absolutely depends on white flour.
Shortbread Cookies
Peanut Butter Pie – Okay, so Peanut Butter Pie is not really a Christmassy treat but man, is it ever delish. I’ve made a couple of these in years, threw them in the deep freeze and waited to haul them out for Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner desserts. Bam! They were gone like that!
Peanut Butter Pie
Bark – Blair loves my Christmas bark so I’ve been making it since we’ve been together. It’s easy. And yummy. And you can switch it up like that *snaps fingers*.
Christmas Bark
Anyone have any favorites or requests?
Cheers!
Tree
So, back in 2006 I got sick. I got really, really sick still have issues with my lungs and my voice and junk in my throat (sorry to spring that on all you). And I developed severe sensitivities to (many) certain scents (*yeesh* that was a mouthful) and so I haven’t had a real Christmas tree in quite a few years. It makes me sad because I love Christmas trees and I love the smell of them. But, y’know, breathing seems to be sort of vital so I have had the “pleasure” of having a fake Christmas tree. Can someone please tell me how on earth my synthetic Christmas tree sheds more than the real ones do? Honestly. Such a mess all the time.
My Tree
I spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day at my parents’ house and my mom always has the most beautiful trees – yes, trees. As in plural. As in there’s one in almost every room – but the main one is always pretty spectacular….here’s one from a few years ago. Not her best but still pretty lovely.
Mommy’s tree
Cheers.
Snow
Ya know, back in the day, here in Nova Scotia, we’d already have 100 feet of snow by December. But, we haven’t been blessed with too much of it lately – I’m blaming it on global warming. We’ve had a teensy bit here and there, and some freezing days, but it’s been unusually warm for the most part. Yesterday, for instance, could’ve been a skirt day – it was warm and rainy and kind of depressing. But, I’m no fool….I know Mother Nature has got some tricks up her sleeve and pretty soon I’ll be bitching that I hate winter and can’t wait for flip flop season again.
Cheers.
Sandy the Social Butterfly 