Is this the calm before the storm?

In the UK, many people get the whole week between Christmas and New Year off.  I am one of those lucky people and I absolutely love this down time!  I was beginning to wonder if I would ever feel relaxed and happy just to be home due to trying to do too much and help and/or enjoy all my family members! I put too much pressure on myself and lost the first 5 days of this holiday break. 
To be fair, Christmas is always pressure packed and stressful, so I cannot blame the lack of relaxing time on family and guests.  It is just a sad fact of life.  However, last night, I found myself sitting in my living room, by myself.  I was surrounded by a book, my cross stitch project and my Ipad.  Sheer, unadulterated bliss!  Finally, I feel like I am having my Christmas holiday break! 

Monday was Boxing Day and I always go shopping on Boxing Day!  I had hoped Whitney would join me, but Corbyn and she didn't feel like going, so Alan went with me. The first time he has accompanied me to the Boxing Day sales and it was so nice to have him with me!  Not only for carrying all my bags though!  I did actually enjoy Alan's company.  (but the carrying was a big plus! I might have to make this part of my yearly tradition!)

Tuesday was officially another shopping day, but this time it was Alan's idea.  The furniture store where we got our beautiful dining room set was not open on Monday and had advertised a good sale. We were not interested in furniture, if you saw our house - it is overstuffed with so many things we really should part with!  But Rotherwood has really cute accessories and we were especially interested in their Christmas items.  They did not open til 9:30 so we ended up shopping on the High Street for 30 minutes. Alot of damage can be done in 30 minutes, including 2 new tops and a darling party dress and a new set of tableware to replace all our unmatched spoons, knives and forks.  If we are going to have a grown up house, we need to start with not expecting tableware to disappear like it does when kids are in the house.  ( once we got to Rotherwood, we realized even at sale prices, we could not justify buying their Christmas decorations, oh well.)

Whitney and Corbyn went to Glasgow with her friend, Ryan. But that ended in disaster.  Corbyn is going through a really bad patch and there are days when it is completely "unfun" to spend any time with him. This is the terrible twos with a terrific vengeance.  Sadly for Whitney and Ryan, they drove all the way there and didn't manage to even get into one store.  And poor Corbyn did himself out of doing something fun too. They had intended to take him to Xscape and go to an adventure thing there.  Not sure what it was, but it sounded like Corbyn would have loved it. She was so bummed out about this day that they decided to just go back to their flat.

Question:   Could that be why I finally relaxed on Wednesday!

Wednesday found Alan, Martin and me going to a kilt shop to get information on how to go about buying a kilt.  There is alot to be taken into consideration, it is so much more involved than buying a suit!  Me and my bright ideas.  Martin will be 25 years old in September and I suggested getting him a kilt to mark the occasion.  His homework between now and the summer is to decide on what tartan he would like. Everything else builds around that. 

On the way back, we stopped to get Corbyn so that we could play with him!  Unfortunately, the weather was really bad, with 70 mph winds predicted - so not a day to play outside.  Martin and Corbyn had a good time playing sharks and other things before sitting quietly and watching Toy Story 3.  I came in at the last part of the movie since I had never seen the end.  And then I just sobbed!  I had heard it was very sad, but did not expect it to be so sad, and so close to home.  It is all about Andy leaving home and packing away his toys.  I won't give away the end, but if you have a son leaving home soon - don't watch it!

Why was I in a room all by myself on Wednesday night?  Well, Rangers and Celtic had a big game that evening.  Alan, Martin and Alan's friend, Kenny, were in the tv room watching, Mom must have known I needed time so she only came in to see if I wanted to split the last bit of trifle (I didn't!) and that was it! 

Today should be another quiet and peaceful day, but the build up to New Year's is just around the corner, so I am cramming in all the relaxation I can!

"Give me books, fruit, French wine and fine weather and a little music out of doors, played by someone I do not know."  John Keats

Why is it all fabulous?

On Friday morning, my husband told me he just realized this is our first Christmas with the family coming home! 
Martin caught a train after work on Friday and arrived just before 10pm. Whitney and Corbyn arrived about 6:30 Saturday night!  Such excitement.....

Thursday was the last time this year Corbyn went to his childminder.  I always pick him up on Thursdays to take him home, apart from last week when I forgot!  We had a lovely detour after leaving Karen's, all her neighbourhood is lit up and decorated for Christmas.  Corbyn loved looking at all the lights and he asked "Why is it all fabulous?".  I love little kids, they have such a way with words.

When I moved to Scotland 26 years ago, no one put up lights outside their house.  Coming from the US, I found the dark houses so odd and unfestive.  Through the years, things have become brighter and more decorated!  I think it is very much an American influence.  When we moved to Alloway, loads of families there worked for Digital or other American businesses. They would travel from the US to Ireland or to Scotland.  As a result, the lights for Christmas and Jack O'Lanterns for Halloween became more popular.  There was one family around the corner from us who really decorated their house.  I stopped and asked them once why, they explained they had been based in Boston for years and just loved all the Christmas decorations. Last year, they did not decorate.  I can only guess they either moved or got too old for the effort.  This year, the house next door looked like they had inherited all the decorations from their neighbour.  However it happened, the street looks better for their effort!

I attended what I hope is the last Christmas party of the year, for me anyway.  It was at my other employer.  I work 2 part time jobs doing exactly the same thing in both, but the procedures and personalities of the different offices is so different.  This can be extremely confusing sometimes. But this party was very nice, in the office, complete with Secret Santa!  Whoever got my name apparently knew me pretty well.  I got 2 vanilla candles and two cupcakes shakers.  Where you can put sprinkles in and decorate your cupcakes.  They were all laughing at me when I was trying to get them out of the box and then they began talking about Calendar Girls.  You decide - why did that movie come up???!!!

On Friday our new manager has brought in lunch for us before we are set free at 1pm. How nice of her.  Then a bit of mad shopping before going home to put the final touches in the bedrooms for our "guests"!

Alan and I thought we would have a rather easy weekend because we thought we had everything down to a fine science after doing this sort of thing for over a quarter of a century.  On Saturday, we did go into ASDA for some last minute items, including a 50th birthday gift for a friend.....but nothing we couldn't live without if we had not gone there.  We had hoped to go to St Columba Church for the candlelight service, but Corbyn was just too wound up when he came back from spending the day with his daddy, so we really didn't do much, and should have done more to prepare for today's dinner......

I was lucky though, with Corbyn staying in bed long enough this morning to put the turkey in the oven and make my cranberry sauce before we had to stop everything and go open presents!

This year, Corbyn was much more interested and opened most of his gifts before he got tired of it all.  He started with a little bicycle and was delighted with everything. The best part though, was when Santa appeared!  Corbyn was not sure about him, but did manage to force himself to accept the gift he gave him.  He then realized his uncle was not in the room and wanted him to see Santa too. Of course, Santa left too quickly for Martin to see him when he returned to the living room.  The only thing we could figure was that the sign they put up last night only asked Santa to stop at this house for Corbyn, it never mentioned Martin!!!

All of us enjoyed our gifts.  It was a bit shocking, Alan and I decided to not go overboard this year, but it still felt like too much.  How is it possible to cut back when there are so many fabulous things to buy people! 

Alan and I then got busy in the kitchen and worked much harder than I ever remember.  And I messed up the turkey timing, we also broke a glass that exploded all over the kitchen floor and I almost impaled my middle finger on the very sharp knife Alan was using.  Plus my knee twisted yesterday and is really sore. 

Eventually, we all sat down together and had a lovely dinner, got sleepy, watched clips from Martin's work and generally relaxed.  Corbyn went away to spend some time with his daddy and I thought we could shut down for awhile.  Silly me, with a house full of people, we had to chat and make sure everyone had dessert and coffee.....everything....all up to Alan and me. 

I honestly do not remember struggling and being so tired and busy the entire day of Christmas.  What has changed?  Did we get more relaxed and forget what it takes to keep 6 - 8 people fed and entertained? Either way, it was hard and I wonder what we will do next year?

Oh I also failed to mention that Whitney is in need of a break - it is so hard being a single mom. So I asked her to stay here for the week while I am off work.  with Corbyn of course!  With all the best intentions and lots of love, I think this is going to be a long week!

Sleeping through "The Holiday"

First of all, a correction - the picture of my Mom and me going to the Trefoil Guild lunch in the previous blog is wrong!  We are going out to lunch with Karen McGarva at the Horizon Hotel on Sunday.  Obviously a Christmas lunch, what else do I seem to be doing but going out for Christmas meals!

The Trefoil Guild lunch was on Tuesday and I was able to work my schedule around so I could go! I joined the Trefoil Guild recently, mainly to spend a bit of time with my Mom. She joined this soon after moving to Scotland.  http://www.trefoilguild.co.uk/     There were only about 16 women there, and the table was set out so we could all actually speak to one another, plus - the food was wonderful!  It made for a lovely afternoon and I was sorry to have to leave right after coffee to get back to work.

Mom with a friend at the Trefoil Guild lunch

Modeling the mustache I got from my Christmas cracker!

I have already mentioned getting ready for the Alloway District Unit Leaders' Christmas dinner at the Kylestrome. Another fantastic meal too!  This group had about the same number of people at the table, but the table was long and narrow, so it was difficult to speak to everyone, without the mid-course mix up we decided to do. 

Friday evening found me at yet another Christmas dinner,but this was also a party night at the Ayr Racecourse.  My friend, Christine, works with me but travels in to work from close to Glasgow, so I offered her a bed for the evening. Alan very kindly offered us lifts and then cooked us breakfast on Saturday morning! 

I had heard about the party nights at the racecourse for years but had never had the opportunity to go to one, until now.  They do have party nights down to a fine science too!  Maybe not the highest quality service or food, but a good time was had by all.  We danced and danced and ate every course offered, with the main course as a buffet, I got one of each item!  (Weightwatchers? oops)

Christine and me at the Racecourse Christmas party

Although Christine and I finished off all the red wine so kindly provided by the Board, plus another one-it really was not alot of alcohol to consume when you take into consideration the length of the evening. So waking up too early on Saturday morning was not a problem for me. I even baked biscuits for breakfast!  (not biscuits in the British sense (cookies) but proper biscuits you might find in an American home!) This is a very rare treat for me to do, and I even offered Christine some of my preciously hoarded Grape Jelly to put on her biscuits!

After Christine left, I was raring to go, the sun was shining, it was the last Saturday before Christmas, I had energy and no idea what to do with it. Alan and I drove away to the beach for a walk. Only then did I realize how extremely cold it was and jumped back in the car.  Then I realized I was totally exhausted, not hung over but even more uncomfortably tired. So we went back home, got out one of my favourite Christmas movies "The Holiday" and snuggled into our own respective couches for an afternoon entertainment.  Needless to say, I missed most of this movie! But never got enough sleep to feel decent the rest of the day. I struggled on bravely! But it was a totally miserable day for me.  I do not do well on tiredness!

It was Alan's turn to go to his night out at the Racecourse on Saturday night, so I did return the favour and give him lifts there and back, but I slept while waiting for his late call!  So unfair because I had planned to accomplish so much, baking, wrapping gifts, watching the Strictly Come Dancing final and who knows what else? Only to do absolutely nothing.

The church I attend has a children's singing group called Mini Intro. My daughter and her friends were members of this when it first started 10 years ago. They were all invited back on Sunday to either be guests or join in the singing with the current Mini Intro group.  Whitney and Corbyn came along, but Corbyn was in a terrible mood and they spent the whole service in the other room with a few other children unable to cope with sitting still! It was a lovely service with the Sunday School doing a darling nativity play and Mini Intro singing some very sweet Christmas songs.  Plus all the other more traditional Christmas hymns too! 

There was coffee after the service and then Whitney, Corbyn and I were going out to lunch.  Unfortunately, Corbyn's mood never improved, even after a nap, so we ended up picnicing in the car at McDonald's parking lot.



My beautiful daughter, Whitney

Corbyn!

Driving to work this morning, it occurred to me that in 4 days, my kids will be "home" for Christmas! So I need to get busy, do some baking, get their rooms presentable, plan menus and make sure there is enough food in the house to keep them going.  All the things that were second nature as recently as 6 months ago!  How quickly we forget and how exciting to have to do it all again!

All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.  ~John Gunther

Confession

Oh boy did I mess up last night!  I must be the worst grandma going.  Every Thursday, it is my responsibility to pick up my grandson from the childminder and bring him home.  This is always very awkward for me. Thursday is a bad day anyway, with the pressure of getting to work on time and the pressure of being ready for my Rangers meetings in the evening.  Add to that the responsibility of picking up Corbyn on alternate weeks and always bringing him home...not  a great mix.  But I do feel lucky that I am able to help my daughter and also sneak in a few extra minutes with Corbyn that I would not get otherwise. 

Yesterday was different though - first thing wrong - I arrived to collect Corbyn, only to be reminded that this was not one of my weeks to do this. He spent the night with his daddy.  Next different thing - I didn't work at Kilmarnock but at Saltcoats instead. And then only for the morning.  I attended an Energy Awareness training session in Ayr in the afternoon.  When I booked this training, I was very pleased at the timing of it because it would allow me to get home early on a Thursday and be able to get ready for the Alloway District Leaders' Christmas night out at the Kylestrome.  Fantastic.  Looking back, even then I had forgotten that I had to get Corbyn home as well.

And that is exactly what happened!  I was sitting at my dressing table getting ready for dinner when the phone range and my daughter asked if I had forgotten anybody.  My first thought was if I had left someone out when offering lifts to the hotel.....but no, it was Corbyn!  The poor guy was still at Karen's and Whitney had arranged for someone else to go get him.  So sorry, Corbyn!

After feeling a bit guilty, I did manage to have a really good time with all the other leaders at our Christmas outing. The only sad thing was my friend, Linda, was too ill to come with us.  She and I got involved with running a Guide unit at the same time and I always feel odd when I am at a Guiding event like this and she is not.  It is only the flu or something, nothing serious, but incredibly bad timing.

We had a long table with 15 people seated around it, so one end was completely separated from the other.  Lynn suggested moving between courses, and since she was trapped on the bench in the back, I got up and counted people down and got them to move after the starter.  It was a very good suggestion, but was not repeated after the main course.  It was my turn to be trapped at the back and I also did not want to appear to be taking over!  I bided my time but no one else got us to move.  It was ok with me, I got to meet a new leader and had a great conversation with her!

Mom and I ready to leave for the Trefoil Guild Christmas Lunch at Carrick Lodge

Alan and I really enjoy Corbyn's company and look forward to our Sunday evenings when he spends the night with us! Whitney has not put up a tree yet, although she does have a darling snowman in her living room - he is the same height as Corbyn!  So when we put up our tree last Sunday, Corbyn was really excited to help us!  He kept saying "We did it"! even when we were not finished!

Teamwork

"We did it"

Tonight is yet another Christmas outing with another 3 course dinner! This time with one of my employers.  Thankfully, this is my last official party, meeting, celebration, dinner or lunch celebrating Christmas.  I will have a week to recover before enjoying my own cooking on the day!

"Vegetables are a must on a diet.  I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. " ~Jim Davis

the build up

Waiting for Santa to arrive

This will be the first time our kids will come home for Chirstmas!  Last year we would have never expected both Martin and Whitney to be away!  Things happen so fast in families sometimes.  Of course, they are both in their 20's so they could have left years ago.  I think we were very lucky to enjoy a huge family life for extra years, based on the average family!

Martin is away to London working with ESPN in London.  It is a 12 month internship, and I hope this will continue as a job when the 12 months is finished.  He really enjoys his work and I often quote Mark Twain to him, which I think he must be tired of hearing by now:  "If you find a job you like, you will never work again."

Whitney and Corbyn only live about a mile away, but sometimes it feels like they are farther away than Martin. Whitney is busy being a single mom, working and going to college. I was heartbroken when they left, but have since learned to focus on the extra quality time we have with Corbyn. This more than makes up for not seeing his every move (and mood!).  I am sorry to say we have not really found a pattern to see Whitney and I do miss spending time with her.  But maybe I should make that a New Year's resolution!

The build up to Christmas started late for Alan and me because we were on a Transatlantic cruise until the middle of November.  Then Martin came home for Thanksgiving!  This was very special to me since I have tried not to miss celebrating Thanksgiving since moving to Scotland 26 years ago. We usually have our dinner on the Saturday though, too muc pressure to have it on the correct day - after working all day!

I am the baby of the family when it comes to Christmas and would prefer all things to be secret and special. But the kids take after Alan's pragmatism and gifts are often discussed in advance.  This time, I think Martin especially, will be getting cash since his situation is temporary, regardless of whether he stays in London or not, he says he will be moving after this year lease is out.  He was lucky to find a flatmate and a flat relatively easily when he moved to the London area and I think he wants to go somewhere a bit more affordable if he stays.

At least with the economy being a bit slow and our decision not to go crazy this year, I am not spending so much time wrapping gifts!  All I need is to get around to Christmas cards! 

One really different thing - I am going to Christmas events almost on a daily basis!  And I have been going to Weightwatchers since July and really don't want to gain all that weight back.  Dilemma!  I only gained 3 pounds on the 14 night cruise in November, so I am hopeful the festive season will not knock me back worse than that.  In the past week I have entertained friends on Friday night, with cheese and crackers, nibbles and wine. Saturday - Alan and I joined another group of 10 friends for a lovely 3 course meal at one of their homes. This has become a yearly tradition and we always have a great time.  Sunday - Mom, Karen McGarva and I went to Christmas lunch (2 course) at the Horizon Hotel (lovely), Monday "day off" whew!

Ready for Saturday night!

Tuesday was the book group meeting, I always do the December one, I had baked St Louis Gooey Butter Cake and then forgot to serve it!  So I have been picking at that, but we also had pretzel M&M's, Mintrels, potato chips (or crisps as they are called in the UK), and wine.  Wednesday was the volunteer Christmas party for East Ayrshire Citizen's Advice  Bureau, complete with buffet and wine (although I managed to resist the wine this time!) and today is Girlguiding Alloway Districts unit leaders' Christmas night out at the Kylestrome, and tomorrow is the East Ayrshire CAB's official Christmas night out at the Ayr Racecourse.  Wish me luck!

I don't remember a more social or food packed build up to Christmas but I am certainly enjoying this one!

Santa arrives at Dobbies Garden Centre, Corbyn was not impressed. All he wanted to do was go see Nemo in the fish department!

"Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands- and then eat just one of the pieces."  - Judith Viorst