Life: It Goes On - December 11

That cold I was whining about last week? Yeah, it knocked me out for several more days this week as well. I don't know about you but I sure can't afford to get nothing done for an entire week. Finally back on my feet and working hard to make up ground. Lots of online shopping is helping tremendously but I hate not to be giving my local businesses the dollars.

The great light fiasco yesterday didn't help - pulled out the lights for the tree and the longest strand wasn't working. The Big Guy headed off for all new lights while I took off what was already on. Got the new lights all up, plugged them in and...a good part of one of the strands wasn't working! Poor BG had to make yet another trip out for yet more lights. I finally got the tree decorated but not with the new ornaments I spent part of Thursday trying to find. Can't you just buy packages with one color of ornaments that are all the same any more, for Pete's sake? Isn't this supposed to be more fun?!

This Week I'm:

Listening To: Book-wise, I started Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings Friday and I'm enjoying it early on. Music-wise, I'm full on Christmas music. I've listened to most of our Christmas CD's this weekend as well as quite a lot of Spotify Christmas music. It's definitely helping me keep in the spirit even when things aren't working quite as planned.

Watching: Volleyball (our Nebraska Huskers are in the Final Four and local Creighton made it to the Elite Eight), football, and The Voice, of course. Also, Christmas movies - White Christmas, Love Actually, The Family Stone, and Elf.

Reading: Ugh, this is going so slowly lately and I have so much I need to get read for this week! I don't even want to talk about it!

Making: Sugar cookie dough to roll out later this week, dipped pretzels, grilled cheese sandwiches and Rueben sandwiches, homemade mac and cheese, chili mac, lobster and pasta. Damn! I didn't realize how much pasta we'd had this week until I wrote that!

Planning: On getting Christmas cards out in the next couple of days, finishing shopping this week, and getting presents under the tree. In my dreams, I'd have most of the "things that must be done" done by the time I write to you next week. We'll see.

Thinking About: Making a kilt for Mini-me for his wedding. For Christmas he'll get a muslin "first draft" to check fit and then I'm taking the plunge into the real deal. Have I mentioned that I don't really sew? I may have completely lost my mind.

Enjoying: Watching our great-nephew play high school hoops. He transferred high schools this year so can't play with the varsity until January. Can't wait to see what he can do then!

Feeling: There's a bit of melancholy underlying everything this season as it's the first year we've gone into the holidays without one of our kids with us. No Mini-me to drop in for a Sunday today with the rest of us, no Mini-me to dip pretzels as a family, getting presents together to get in the mail instead of having the kids here with us. Missing those two Wisconsinites every day!

Looking forward to: Book club this week. I need a girls night!

Question of the week: If you could only carry on one of your holiday traditions, what is the one thing you absolutely have to have/do to make the holidays complete?