Just Things

11/22/2017

Day before Thanksgiving.  We're going to Andrew's house for dinner, so all I (actually probably Jeff) has to do is make two dishes for us to bring.  When it comes to cooking and/or baking, I seem to have lost my "mo jo".  We're bringing pretzel salad, which is very, very yummy - you'll just have to take my word for it, and corn casserole.  Both are pretty easy to make, but I think I'll turn the kitchen over to Jeff.  

If you know me, and most of you do, then you know that I take my Christmas shopping very seriously.  And, I try to be fair in what I buy for everybody.  For instance, if one gift is more expensive than other gifts, I try very hard to even up the gifts, as well as the number of presents.   No favorites here.  I had a blast buying for Elly, which is Wendy's daughter - my very first "pink" little person!

Since Jeff and I have been dubbed the dubious honor of being hard to buy for.  Keeping this in mind, I gave Stacey and Wendy some gift ideas for the both of us.  Small things for me, like pot holders and kitchen towels that hang on the oven door, stuff like that.  People say I'm hard to buy for, but I disagree.  I pretty much like everything!  Jeff was/is a bit harder to buy for.  He likes practical things, which at times is pretty boring, but I try to keep his preferences in mind.

For Scott and Andrew, they get the oft dreaded shirt boxes (clothes - ugh) from us.  I leave it to Jeff to take care of buying more manly presents - tools and such.

The fireplace man was out yesterday to fix our gas log.  He dusted and cleaned everything and $300 dollars later said we needed a new gas valve, which will cost somewhere between $150 and $200.  He struggled to get the unit in and out from the actual fireplace.  When the new part comes in, he's bringing someone to help him, since in his words, our fireplace is a "beast". So, until the new part is installed, we have a 50/50 chance that the log will turn on.  Luckily, it's pretty nice at the moment weather wise.  During the winter, we rely on the fireplace to heat the den, where we spend the most time.  The heat from the fireplace keeps us nice and toasty, and there isn't much need to run the furnace.  I did notice yesterday, when the fireplace was working, that the girls snuggled up on their bed which is close to the heat.

I've found a station on my channel list, that plays Christmas music.  That channel is playing as I type!  They play a nice mix of oldies, like Bing Crosby and newer songs from artists that I'm not familiar with.  As you know, my music genre is oldies - 50's and 60's.  Every night when we sit down to watch some of the late night shows, we never recognize any of the bands that are going to play.  I guess we're just old. 

It's time for me to do some clean-up in the kitchen.  When I cook/bake, I manage to make a mess on all of the counter tops.  I'm just a sloppy cook, and always have been.

Enjoy tomorrow while visiting friends and family and eating great food!

P