OT: Help! Help! Please............Scrooge ness!!......

This doesn't always work, BUT when I KNOW "I" am the one doing all the work, I stop doing the things that DH could be doing to help. I don't put the new roll of toilet paper on the roll---just set it in the floor. I wash dishes but don't put them away---DH will need to if he wants to use the toaster oven later on. I get the clothes out of the dryer and throw HIS clothes onto his recliner next to mine. I fill up my supper plate at the stove and leave HIS plate for him to fill up/ All this helps ME to feel better! We are both retired! Barbara in FL

Oh, Nana, I'm so sorry. I really don't think I'll be of much help to you, but I'll send a hug anyway {{{{{{{{Nana}}}}}}}}

We have your freezing rain today - fortunately the streets are simply slushy, but the sidewalks can be slippery, and there's a glaze of ice on all the snow. Our backyard looks like a white skating rink (but I'm not going to test it out!). I just walked down to the mailbox and had to take a rather long trek to get there. The drive is so slippery, I had to slowly make my way across it near the garage door where there wasn't so much gunk and then proceed down to the mailbox in the snowy stuff that had accumulated and wasn't pure ice. I'm sure if anyone was watching me they would have been laughing at the look on my face as I was doing all that!

As for DH, just go tap him on the shoulder, give him a list of things that have to be done, and ask where he wants to start. Somehow they sometimes seem to get the idea that because we don't say anything, we have it all under control. WRONG! I have to admit that DH is pretty good about asking if he can do anything, but sometimes, I just plain have to ask him. Of course, I don't ask him to do much Christmas-y - I'm not one for a tree, decorating, baking cookies and all that, so he's off the hook for that! I guess I could ask him to wrap the presents - and I'm sure he would - but I don't think I'd be happy with the results, so I'll keep that for myself.

Now, go sit in your favorite chair with a cup of hot coffee or cocoa or any other beverage of your choice - curl up with a quilt if you'd like. Take 15 or 20 or 30 minutes just to pamper you. I'll bet you'll feel better!

Do you want my Ponty Toe Boots for rear-kicking duties? ;)

I drove to the post office instead of walking out to my mailbox!! Not taking any chances! KJ

My husband and both my sons say that for all they care, we could put the little table top tree out and let it go at that. Why decorate? It's just to be taken down later. And why on earth are gifts really necessary? If somebody needs something, then get it for them when they need it, and if they want some thing they can get it themselves.

I swear, I tried to raise them "right." But they are obviously male. I trimmed the tree alone. The stockings are lying in a heap cuz I'm really not feeling good this year. I haven't baked any cookies. One son did make a slew of candy, but that was for a Christmas party for his friends. That was fine, but nobody wants to make those Christmas cookies that they really like to have, and this year I'm not up to it.

So come Christmas this year, we are eating breakfast at Denny's. I'm not even cooking oatmeal. There are no gifts to open except those that my MIL sent. And she sent me the sales slips so we can return them (usually semi-matching sweaters for four). My husband is in charge of cooking dinner, and I really don't care. And nobody, nobody will go to church with me Christmas Eve. DH says he will, but under protest.

I have never been a big Christmas person, and it seems to be harder every year to make it work. Maybe when there are grandchildren, if there are ever grandchildren. Until then, I think we should all just sit back, breathe, and take a page from the men's book. It seems they got easier instructions than we did and they don't seem to be any the worse for it.

Sunny

OOOHH!!! YEAH!!!! I'll really do a number with them. ER!! They might come back to ya with lots 'o brown **** on them

Nana feeling so much better!! Thanks everyone!!

Oh Sunny, I am sorry for the tough time you are having. You are probably saving lives by not doing all the baking. Since dh had his last heart attack a couple of months ago I have to go back to being the nut about cutting fat. That doesn't leave a lot of room for all the goodies I usually bake. I did a bit but am spending most of my cooking energy following the cardiologist advice. He has gotten very serious about where we are. I am really thankful that dh is alive and doing better than I could have hoped as I sat waiting to see him in ICU. DS was in a couple of truly life threatening situations this year (in addition to all that I didn't read about in the paper and he isn't talking about). I won't see him on Christmas day but I am so thankful he is ok. I think ever since my mom passed almost 10 years ago I just don't get into the small stuff like I used to. We all survive and although I have a really tough time with the season I am trying. I hope the meds help get you feeling better even though they have their own problems. Hugs, Taria

"Sunny" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@u16g2000pru.googlegroups.com...

Just hose them down - they've been there before! ;)

Good!

I woke up at four am this morning, roasted! Hot flush... So I put the energy to work (I'd had a wole four hours sleep, after all!) and iced and decorated (just with Regal ice stars and bells and things) four Christmas cakes, and chocolated three more (one is a ring. Not the easiest thing to spread melted chocolate on!), and rolled 50 marzipan balls in chocolate. All cooled and hardening off in their boxes now. GMNT helped by making the marzipan yesterday while I cooked dinner and marzipanned the tops of the cakes. He made two double quantities, hence the acres of marzipan balls covered in Belgian chocolate!

I'm also minding the cranberry, orange and red wine sause... Needs to simmer with the occasional stir until it's a sort of dark red and jam-like look. It'll get potted up and left to mature for next Christmas. About 4-5 jars worth this time. I'll get more cranberries after Christmas and do some more.

Tree done, prezzies done, almost got the house straight. Done my rear-kicking, so you are welcome to the boots! :D

Actually, Himself and the GMNT have done really well, considering that both are recovering from an Evil Cold that has left them both with a nasty chesty cough.

Fortunately I'm pretty much ahead of myself this year as DSisIL arrived last night having forgotten today's dinner which is her contribution to the Christmas cooking. She brought the cheese and breadcrumbs for the topping, but left everything else in her fridge 200 miles away.

Fortunately I have prepared to feed the 5000 instead of 5!

Off to cook the ham.

Sally at the Seaside~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk

Kate XXXXXX wrote:

Oh, poor thing! I bet she nearly died of embarassment! And you can dine out on the story all year! ;)

I tend to do that...

Salmon parcels for us tonight, Roast Beef, a pheasant, and a guinny fowl tomorrow...

The GMNT will be making mince pies later, and I will be making Nigetlla's Bouche de Noel.

Where does one find a pheasant an a guinea fowl? I haven't seen anything more exciting in the butcher case than a couple of sad looking ducks and some really hot Chorizo (thought about making it into stuffing but decided I wanted to survive dinner).

sunny

I s'pose the shop up the street could order them if I wanted them to. For the longest time I thought only rich people bought such things. On my planet you ask a relative that hunts if they have a spare pheasant in the freezer. You ask somebody that you know that raises chickens if they have a guinea to spare. Lots of people who raise any kind of poultry have a guinea or two about, they are great bug eaters and more importantly make the most awful racket if a predator is about. A good many people are terribley fond of guinea eggs as well.

NightMist

A few years back we had wild boar, and that was good, but not quite good enough for the magnificent price!

I was ever so delighted that we (DD and I) went to my sister's for Christmas. However, on the drive home Friday night, we hit freezing rain in Rochester. My defrosters were on hi and i got the nastiest headcold from it. Couldnt go very fast either, maybe 45-50. good thing, cuz those crazies on the Thruway are Nuts! Safe home and stayed in bed all weekend. Still stuffed up, but did make it to work today. Wish i was home with a hot coffee and tv. Snowing like the Dickens today. Glad i didn't have to cook at the holiday. DSis is so much better at it than me!!

amy in CNY (sneezing, sniffling, coughing.....drip, drip, drip...Puffs are my friend.)