Stressing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Marilyn]

Well, things are a little better this evening. I took the Christmas cards with me to work this morning, and during lunch and stretching lunch a little, I got them finished and in the mail. This morning I did some online shopping again, during work, but oh well. I'm really good at not doing a lot of personal stuff at work, and most of our customers and manufacturers are taking off, so there is not a lot for me to do. Had one significant meeting with a customer this morning. I'm taking a little break here now and am headed for the kitchen to make the sugar cookies with sprinkles on top that my husband is so fond of.

We are all getting up around 7 tomorrow morning and attacking the decorating.

Whewwwww!! I think I'm feeling better. Lissa, thank you for helping with the house. Really, really appreciate your help.

Diana, thank you for the suggestion about the cream cheese and jalapeno jelly. I had forgotten about that one & will have to remember for future reference. There's a New Years party coming up. I have one more Christmas party on Monday evening, but we are supposed to take a desert. I think I'll just make an extra large batch of sugar cookies and take a tray of those, or just buy something.

Hope you all have a relaxing holiday.

[Marilyn]

Well, got the Christmas cookies made last night. What a job, made a double batch using 8 cups of flour. Thank goodness hubby come in and helped when I was about 1/3 of the way through or I'd have dough left for this morning.

I'm the only one who got up early. One daughter got in late last night from a Christmas party. The other, 'Lissa, has to go to work at 11 a.m.

But we will get it done, somehow.

Stress level is definitely lower now.

Sincerely hope you are handling things well this year!!!

[Janet]

I'm not stressing now at all. I thought I felt the booger creeping in on me, but today I went and did all my shopping except for my hubby. He finally gave a list of 3 or 4 things he'd like to have and......yeah....they aren't expensive, since I don't have a whole lot left. I bought myself something and showed it to him telling him it's what he bought me....LOLOL it was only $4.77. Now I'll make one more trip to the stores and get his and I will be all done. My son said he will finish decorating the tree tomorrow, so I won't have to worry about that either...yeah!!!

[Tink]

I got all my gifts wrapped today. Whew!
I also got the tree decorated. I've decided not to do much if any baking. I don't have time, am not in the mood, and often it just goes to waste.

Hubby helped me do some cleaning tonight and put up the new fire/carbon monoxide detector I bought, so hopefully we won't wake up dead from either.

I put out about 1/8 of the decorations we have so far. It's just no fun if you have to do it alone, and since we're having our family party at my brothers, I don't know that we'll have much for company for Christmas either.

This year Christmas just doesn't seem like it's gonna be a lot of fun. I can't get in the mood, and no one else here seems to be either.

[Marilyn]

Tink, wish there was something to say to help you get in the mood for Christmas. Doesn't it just seem like it just came to quickly this year. Because of that, it just doesn't seem like Christmas. And the weather, at least here is too warm for this time of year. I remember shopping for the holidays wearing a coat and gloves and rushing into the stores because of the cold wind. We don't have Decembers like that any more. It's like our climate changes are much more subtle. It's cooler than summer, but not like a real winter.

BTW, stress level is definitly down. The tree is up and decorated. Mantle looks good, dining table looks nice. Still need to put the garland on the stair handrail. Hubby did the outside.

Whewwww!!! Hubby's kinda acting like "ye of little faith". I just can't help it. I see all of this that needs to be done, and no one is doing anything toward the goal & I'm so busy on everything, and I begin to stress. Can't help it no matter how hard I try. I think God may have intended some of us to be that way to get others motivated to do something.

[Gina]

Well girls I am 98% finished with my shopping, just have to buy for Hubby and stocking stuffers for my kids. House is decorated, cards sent, gifts even wrapped. Now for baking I normally bake a lot of different cookies but this year I don't have the energy or desire to bake that much. No one helps!!! So I told my son to pick two of his favorites and towards the end of the week I will bake them.

[Marilyn]

Well, got the last of the fruit cakes baked. Finally!!! Grand total this year is 30. They range in size from 1 lb to 4.5 lbs. Made some pecan tarts and chocolate cookie kiss tarts for the last Christmas party tomorrow evening. Did some more Christmas shopping this afternoon, and even attended church services. I'm tired, but am definitely on the down hill side.

One of our daughters is planning the Christmas dinner, so I'm not stressing over that, yet. We're cooking a little extra this year because I think we are going to have at least a couple of friends over who don't have family to spend the day with.

Well, after the weekend, it's back to work tomorrow. Joy!!!