Dazzling December

[Lavande]

Re: Dazzling December

Greetings Star & everyone else MIA -

Colder today but that's OK because it meant that I was able to get thru the night with no hot flashes, geez. Never a break.....

Star, I get rid of as many of the cookies as possible. For me they are more of a decoration, ha ha. Sugar fuels up hot flashes so I avoid them as much as possible
I hope your overnight guests are fun.
We are going to pick up our granddaughter after school tomorrow & bring her here for two nights, fun.

Pauly, I hope you are getting better!

Hello to SK & Cyn!

Rumor has it that we will be getting some rain on Saturday & may be waking up to a touch of snow on Christmas. A touch is OK, don't need much more than that
Have a nice night everyone!

Lav

[treegirl]

Re: Dazzling December

Happy Solstice everyone!

Too tired to write much now, sorry. Another strange long day working... and in the end is was all unnecessary... I was very annoyed, but what's the point of that? So I got over it. Two evenings and a day lost - not the most tragic thing in the world! At least I think we've put the drama and trauma to bed for a while, and that's a good thing.

It sounds like the new moon that is waxing now is really powerful and fiery and telling us to follow our dreams and let go of fear. What a great message! So happy new moon, happy Solstice, and happy life. ( Pauly, I really hope that you feel better soon!).

[treegirl]

Re: Dazzling December

X-post, Lav! So glad you will have granddaughter with you soon - what a joy!

[SKendall]

Re: Dazzling December

Cyn, that's good news about the moon.
Lav, sorry about the hot flashes still! YB certainly is a romantic with paper bags.
46 deg. rainy and cold today. Weather gets cooler on Xmas day with the possibility of freezing rain.
I had a great convo with SIL yesterday. He is trying to broker peace between daughter and I. New Year's resolution.
Pauly, I am sorry. I saw this coming.
Eye exam and gift cards for today.
The tax plan sucks and Barbie Trump can't wait to see everyone saving with child tax credit. Pfft. IMO this is why DT ran, plus to destroy Obama's achievements. His tax plan for the rich will save him 36 mill/year.

Starting to run a temp. hope it goes away soon.

Hello to everyone.

[Lavande]

Re: Dazzling December

Good evening friends,

I have my granddaughter here as planned. I just realized that now that she is half way thru first grade she can look over my shoulder & see what I am writing on my laptop. I'm going to have to be brief for a change, ha ha!

Cyn, I am sorry someone wasted your time like that. But you're right to just let it go. Hanging onto anger & hurt is self-defeating (been there & done that).
I am with you in hoping for a major shift......we all need it, especially those of us in the US.

SK, suddenly your weather is on par with ours, strange. We are expecting chilly rain all day tomorrow.
I hope your SIL is successful in his peace brokering efforts
I hope your eye exam went well. I need to go there myself.
I am just sick thinking about the 1.7 Trillion dollar deficit that our grandkids will be inheriting thanks to the GOP & their sick leader

Hello to Star, busy with family I guess.

Pauly, please tell us you are feeling a bit better.

Have a peaceful night everyone!

Lav

[SKendall]

Re: Dazzling December

Evenin'

Apparently the solstice has something to do with colder weather. Maybe Cyn knows.

Went for an eye exam and yes, there is a big old cataract. Can't wait to have it out because it is seriously affecting my sight.

I just needed Visa gift cards so I went to Target. Holy cow, everybody was there! Pure torture getting in and out of parking lot. The self check-out snaked across the store. Anyway, gave up and got my cards at Wahlgreen's.

Lav, I envy you with gd., have a very happy time.

Even colder and rainier today. Not looking good for Xmas Day weatherwise. Peggy does not enjoy the rain.

Pauly, how are you doing? I hope you feel better.

[treegirl]

Re: Dazzling December

Evening all -

Quick goodnight once again. I spent all day catching up from lost time, ran to a dear friend's house to lead a Carol sing - it almost gave me a little Xmas cheer to be in someone else's pretty house with a fire roaring. Almost.

Came home and made gingerbread granola, yum! 'Tis the season. Dying to make cookies, but I think there is no time, and no date bread in my future, sad to say. One break is that SD will be coming in Sunday, not tomorrow, whew. Except for all the groceries I bought special to feed her, oh well. We did put together our spare but beautiful "Re-Tree". Took quite a lot of doing to make the "branches, it then it got together quickly. Definitely a different aesthetic, but I love it this spared-down year.

SK, so sorry about the cataract, I hope you can get it taken care of soon - no sense struggling with vision. sorry Peggy doesn't like the rain. Lav, ha, granddaughter is a smart cookie! No surprise there. Star, hope you are OK! Pauly, are you feeling any better? Hope so - let us know.

OK, off to bed now so that I can get up early and get boy dog to the groomers --- I have totally let his nails go, and he is skating across the floor! Poor dear, he has been so patient with his crazy owners, bless him.

Hopefully more time to write tomorrow. Grateful to all of you here! Sleep tight.

[Snoopy56]

Re: Dazzling December

Good morning...

Sorry I did not check in yesterday, overnight guests and it was busy and messy. I felt exhausted when they left around noon, cleaned up, had leftovers and napped. We went to the Nutcracker Ballet last night and it was wonderful, I love the music, dance, costumes, festivities! Reminded me of times past seeing this with my mother, very emotional. So, all good.

Lav, nice to have granddaughter over, such a sweetie, know you will enjoy. Any word from your son regarding the holidays...hope so. My son upset his father yesterday, complaining about work, sad he is so childish and has a hard time, but we don't want to hear it. I was thinking, does he ever consider how his negativity affects us? Sorry to moan, just tired of it. The weather here is changing, woke up to rain, then changing to snow and ice. I have to get to the store early, just a few things left to buy. Tomorrow I am picking up appetizers for my daughter's feast, I did not want to prepare them myself. Call me lazy, I call me making it easy on myself. Plus, by the time I buy everything, it would have cost the same. She is making Italian, always good for a crowd. Hope we can make it down there with rain, ice, then snow. Typical winter weather, right? I am so upset about the tax bill, I have to shut off the news when it comes to that. The pillage of our country by the republicans is going to hurt all of us, bigtime. I am scared and angry. Let's focus on the immediate hear and now, that is all we can do.

Cyn, sounds like you are making Christmas what you want it to be and that is a good thing. I am focusing on letting some things go too, it is better for us emotionally and spiritually. Looking into gratitude and how much we are supported from everywhere. I am looking at the lights, fireplace, listening to Christmas music, and focusing on warmth and being content. I love being home with my kitty, your doggie will enjoy some down time with you and yours too.

Skendall, nice you have a sweet SIL. I hope you are able to work things out, relationships can be so messy sometimes.

Pauly, hope you are feeling better and are getting help from family.

Have a good AF Saturday.

[Lavande]

Re: Dazzling December

Good evening friends,

I have a few minutes while my granddaughter finishes splashing around in the spa bath - tons of bubbles, she loves coming here. I never ever use that tub myself, only the kids.
Rain off & on all day but mid 40's so nothing is freezing! Grateful for that!!!

Cyn, rolling back on the holiday usuals seems to be a common trend with all of us & that's perfectly OK! I am really tired of killing myself to make everyone else happy, LOL
When I was a younger person I used to do all the nail trims on our dogs but no more. I seem to have beat my hands up over my lifetime & just can't do that stuff anymore. I hope your boy enjoyed his pedicure. Don't overdue yourself to try to please SD, think of you first

Star, I still haven't been contacted by my son for my birthday yet, let alone Christmas. I am starting to simmer, just a little. The last thing I want to do is blow up at him over the holidays. I have been thinking a lot about my DIL absolutely making me & my daughter 'villans' in her world & the effect is my son turning against us. She is manipulating him, no doubt about it & it pi$$es me off
Your son sounds like my DIL in that they want to turn everything into a catastrophe & they just think way too highly of themselves, ignoring everyone else in the room - does that sound about right? Don't you just want to scream 'Get Over Yourself'!!! Sorry, I am really tired of all their drama, it's just not necessary.
I hope your weather holds up so you can get where you need to go safely. Have fun with the family, enjoy the kids.

Hello to Pauly & I hope you are back on plan girl.

SK, is it still raining on poor Peggy? I hope you get some decent weather too for the holiday!

OK, gotta go. Wishing everyone peace tonight!

Lav

[SKendall]

Re: Dazzling December

Cyn, sounds like a sweet and cozy night with your friends.

Star and Lav, we are on the same page right now. I'm upset with people honking about parking spaces and damned kids!

Last year I watched Vivian open her presents in the morning and there has been no invite and Vivian wants me there so bad. I am going to invite myself! Hell with these moody people.

I just needed wrapping stuff and a hostess gift and it wasn't nearly as bad as yesterday, but mostly men.

Lav, sorry about your son. He's stuck in the middle on this too, but I wish he would show at least some loyalty to you. Like many of us with grown kids, we've provided dinner, gifts and cooking all these years. It's time they did it and with grace I'm not doing any cooking etc., but still! Star, your daughter is doing Christmas for you and that's good. Where are you getting your appetizers from?

Cold 45 deg. but sunny and same for the next couple of days. I am watching the Bill Murray Christmas, I didn't know he could sing, hope it will cheer me up.

Seriously, Trump is spoiling the Christmas mood. Like a seagull, he craps and leaves for Mar a Lago.

See you tomorrow.

Star what a great cozy evening also I am picturing you sitting cozy with your cat purring. Your son tends to bring the mood down and I bet he doesn't even consider himself negative. Maybe a little self-absorbed? Christmas is too rushed in this town

[treegirl]

Re: Dazzling December

Evening all -

Wishing you all well - so sorry for the drama and self-absorbed folks around you/us... Lav, that is just inexcusable in my book. How do you not say happy birthday to your own mother. Sheesh. I don't blame you for simmering. Good luck with all of it, and do something nice for yourself - I know that YB has always been difficult at this time of year... enjoy that paper bagged present!!! SK, I think it's great for you to go be with Viv, I hope that all works out. Pauly, hope you are feeling better and stronger. Star, I love the sound of picking hors d'ouevres... they are way too fussy a food for me to ever deal with!

Let's treat ourselves with respect and move forward in solidarity together! We each have spent a lot of years caring for others... let's care for ourselves just as much -- I am sending each of you lots of strength and protective light to brighten your hearts and support you these next days. Good luck!

[Snoopy56]

Re: Dazzling December

Good morning...

Nice to wake up to understanding and introspective posts...

Skendall, you are a great addition to our thread, so grateful you are posting regularly. Thanks. I love the idea of your going to your daughter's invite or not. I would too. I always call and say, when do we get to see the boys next? My husband does too. My daughter actually told me that she and her husband like us to do that, they know we want to be involved in their boys lives. The traffic in our area is horrendous, so many people out trying to get the Christmas tasks completed, wow. I am getting my appetizers from Kroger, a local grocery chain. The dinner food theme is Italian, so I ordered a Antipasto and Olive platter and an Italian meat and cheese platter, each for 12-16 people. Whew, she is inviting three other families and another mother-in-law she likes, so there will be lots of people there off and on. We are big eaters too. Lots of men and boys, so you need lots of food. Haha. This will be my favorite celebration tonight, reminding me of my childhood Christmas Eves. Plus it is supposed to start snowing about two this afternoon, so will be like a Hallmark Christmas movie. You can tell I've got my hopes up!

Lav, my son has so much anxiety, it is really sad. He is off for ten days, was told a negative thing before he left by his boss, and was up all night freaking out. He attempts to drag us into his nightmare and succeeds to some extent. I got angry, I cannot take the drama, year after year, holiday after holiday. It is always a crisis with him as you have probably noticed as I have shared through the years. I am making an effort to turn the situation to the Universe and focus on happiness and all the good things going on here. I believe it is positive that you are getting angry with your son, he is disrespecting you, and good for you for focusing on your daughter and granddaughter. How much effort does it take to call and send a card. His behavior is on him just as my son's pattern of behavior is on him. I refuse to be hijacked and be brought down. I do understand that with your grandsons it is more complicated though. So sending you positive energy and love. May we have the best holidays we can by focusing on all the good. I have been laughing about a SNL skit I saw with Dana Carvey about dysfunctional families. He was singing: Leave me alone, please go away, I am just fine, just get away. I was singing that to my husband yesterday re: our son and we were laughing about all the BS that can go on during the holidays.

Cyn, hope you have some fun and are able to relax and eat a good meal. I took the turkey out to defrost and will be cooking up a storm tomorrow. I'll have help, my husband is my partner and we have been having fun. We went downtown and saw A Christmas Carol at a local theater and it was great. Really put us in the Christmas mood. When we got out it was just getting dark and the city was lit up, so beautiful. I love the Christmas lights. I know you enjoy your husband too, so it will be nice to all be together.

Pauly, sending you love and light, hope you are OK. I am sure it is very active and exciting at your house for the holiday season. Two days of feasting and then back to normal, just leftovers, right?

Have a lovely peaceful AF Christmas Eve to everyone.

[SKendall]

Re: Dazzling December

Just wanted to tell you all how much I enjoy this thread and being a part of it, thank you.

I received a delightful surprise today. Daughter brought Vivian over and she was smiling. Yes, I will be going over for Christmas morning. Viv is absolutely percolating with excitement. Last Christmas eve she was so excited the adrenaline was pumping and she was shaking. She will positively mourn when she finds out.

I won't be available until tomorrow and just wanted to say Merry Christmas to you all and enjoy your families.

[Lavande]

Re: Dazzling December

Good evening friends,

Well - I had a nice surprise too!
About a half an hour after my daughter & SIL arrived the door opened again & in walked my son & two grandsons bearing gifts!!!!
They were not invited, they did not ask to come over, they just showed up. ha ha!
I was a little scared not knowing what to expect because my son & daughter have not spoken to each other for the past 15 months. They really didn't speak to each other today but at least they were in the same room together & were peaceful - that was my Christmas wish Of course my DIL was sitting home alone but that's just as well, at least for now.
The 3 grandkids were happy to see each other, no discomfort noticed between them, which was great! We opened some gifts & had a bunch of appetizers but the boys had to be at church by 5 pm for a Christmas pageant so they went on their way. I am grateful for this, it's a start at least

SK, I love that you decided to just go & I am happy that your daughter has made a bit of a turn around. So long as they're making progress, we are happy, right?
The kids are all excited about Santa, they were watching his progress on my ipad, ha ha!!! What would we do without NORAD's Santa Tracker, LOL

Star, sounds like you are going to be having dinner with a huge crowd, that's nice! With that many people to feed I would be ordering appetizers too, ha ha! I hope the weather is good & you can make your trip safely. Enjoy the family!

Cyn, just when I've pretty much accepted what is - it goes & changes, geez. I have been asking the universe for some help 'fixing' this family dysfunction & today I received a blessing. Not perfect like I said but it's a start. I hope your plans with SD work out OK & you get a chance to enjoy the holiday.

Pauly, I am pulling for you, don't stay away. I know you can do this, I know you want to do this. Let go of the self pity & do what you need to do :hug:

Wishing everyone a peaceful & loving Christmas eve!

Lav

[Snoopy56]

Re: Dazzling December

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

Lav, a Christmas miracle for you! When I saw the picture of your grandchildren together, I knew something good was up. How wonderful and it is a great start. To see the cousins together had to have warmed everyone's hearts. Again, your Christmas gift. What are you doing today? I wish we could just chill, it was fun last night but after almost 5 hours visiting, I was ready to go. My daughter worked so hard and it was wonderful. My turn today.

Skendall, so great your daughter surprised you too! Wonderful. This Christmas is filled with miracles. Have a great time this Christmas.

Cyn, hope you are doing well and enjoying your holiday.

Pauly, I read on another thread that you are struggling, your family is upset and you are not feeling well. I hope this has past and 2018 will be a better year for you. You deserve it. PM me anytime.

Merry Christmas!