I am mostly taking it easy. I had a hectic day yesterday. I had to pick up two possums in Santa Fe...about 20 miles away, and then a squirrel in Friendswood, about 15 more miles away, and take them to Houston to the Wildlife Center. From there, I had to go to another location....1960 in Houston to deliver a sign my friend who owns a shop asked me to deliver. She paid me $40 to do it. When I left the Center, I should have gone back to the interstate and went from there, but the traffic was so heavy to go back that I went a different way. I ended up going about a total of 100 miles out of the way. Got lost twice because I went the wrong direction. I was in Tomball, where Terilyn lives but I didn't have her phone number to ask directions, so I called a mutual friend and she helped me a lot. I had to call her three times but I finally found the place. Traffic was so bad, and when I was ready to go home, it was rush hour and so I got on the toll road because it was moving a little faster. As it was, I got home about 6:30....having left at 11:30. I called my husband and asked him to get some horse feed for me....he got the wrong kind...so had to go to Tractor Supply to get the right kind because the other feed store was closed by then. This afternoon, I have to take that sack of feed back and trade it for the right one. Other than that, doing laundry....every day chore....and plan to bake a cake and make pot roast for supper.

Supper is made. And lunch! DH made a huge turkey pan full of veggie cabbage rolls before going off to work early this morning. I'm in heaven! I have to work and then I will be walking dogs and cleaning! Tomorrow is a big cooking day for us. Pies and zucchini lasagna are first. I'm a dawdler and the zucchini takes forever to cut up even with the mandolin. I also have to make the veggie broth for the stuffing and gravy. DH will take care of the meat side of things. We celebrate Xmas eve and it's a bit rushed with working full time and overtime.

I made a batch of cookies this morning and made tomato sauce- one for the lobster tails and one with sausage. On Christmas Eve the family will have lobster sauce and spaghetti and other fish dishes. My daughters and sons-in-law look forward to this dinner all year. Soon DH and I will prepare the other fish dishes for Christmas Eve. I cannot procrastinate wrapping the gifts any longer. I have set up the wrapping station in the garden room, and I will watch TV probably the Hallmark channel while wrapping. I have some laundry in the works but DH will fold and put away. Busy hectic time for everyone.

I am approaching the holidays so lacksy daisy any more. No Cards going out, no presents bought except for myself... ;) and the Christmas Dinner is just for me, myself and I. No, I don't feel bad, I am just stating fact.

But today, today I drove over and met Mel, for lunch. It's his birthday. I go out of my way, to do something that day. I found out, when he was a kid, he got a birthday/Christmas present, and never had a birthday party. Well, wasn't done as much back then, for me either... but even Mel's wife doesn't do "just his birthday". Her brothers birthday is a couple of days earlier, and they all go out to dinner where either Judy, or Dan want to go. I find this sad, and started to do lunch with Mel once I moved to OKC.

So, it was a Chicken Sandwich, and then some ice cream at BRAUMS in Midwest City today. Happy Birthday Mel!

I had to work half a day. Now I'm surfing, drinking coffee with a purring cat in my lap, cheesecake in the oven, and dishes soaking in the sink.

Mine is like Monis'.....just our little group of four. DGS is mostly being with us and his Dad as the Mom has gone away. No tree....yet. He has one at his house, and here it is the 23rd and no promise of one here. Actually I found a huge bag of old USMC fatigue-like uniforms (circa 1977) for the GS...he will be 'over the moon' to have them; need only to wrap them. (He is 27 and autistic and like 12) . My Oklahoma family were here in Oregon to celebrate my birthday a week ago, for 5 days....what a gift!!!!...so our Christmas is sorta 'over'.....and we just go thru the motions and savor the past week, knowing they are safely home in Ok and SD. And, every day, my DS cooks us a special dinner....today I am making split pea (Andersons) soup.....my speciality.

Hope everyone has very special weekend and day!

Cooper- coffee and a purring cat sounds dreamy!

Not much. No need to cook or bake this year, well I could have made cut-outs but decided not to. Neighbors brought some plus candies, a jar of homemade tortellini soup(! my supper tonight), homemade spag.sauce with a bag of red/green striped tortellini, trail bologna, cheese from another neighbor. Plus I have my little mince meat pies. Too many sweets I really don't need right now.

The only running I did today was to Hallmark for another Balsam/Cedar Yankee candle - the large jar size. Love it. My other one is burning very low and getting smoky. Then to a market for some breakfast sausages which they were still out of. Bummer. Then home.

The traffic was a nightmare! It was the busiest I've ever seen on a Friday before Christmas. Granted this was at the North End of the city where Walmart and all the big box stores and restaurants are. If not for kind drivers waving me in, I would probably be still sitting there waiting to get into the lane of traffic. I was so happy to see my country roads again.

It is starting to rain. I did a few things outside. Brought in my trail camera and want to put fresh batteries in it. Hope my card is still good. Moni, Mel should not feel bad about no birthday parties growing up. I only had one when I was 17. My birthday is not at Christmas either. It sounds like everyone is busy with something or other.

Sue

Raked leaves and twigs in the yard.

Took a nap for the first time in several weeks. Not good at all.

I ran an errand for my daughter this morning picking up a ds game for her. Before that I made a batch of cookies (the only ones I baked), got a pedicure, went to the bank and got gas for the car since I'll be driving alot over the weekend. Tonight going to the clubhouse for card night. There may be only a couple of us there tonight.

I gave my DD a couple of breaks today, by watching the baby and rocking him to sleep. In between I made almond toffee--oh what toothsome, crunchy, sticky goodness. Younger DD arrived home a little while ago and pronounced it delicious. It's all packed away in snack bags for gift giving, and stockings, with a tin in the kitchen for the kids.

Someone is in the LR, running the vacuum cleaner while I take a break. Music to my ears. ;)

Been in the kitchen most the day preparing for our Christmas Eve breakfast and the Christmas meal also. Watching TV the rest of the time.

Son (19) and I made a few things for the family coming tomorrow - oreo truffles, bruchetta, & broccoli salad, and will finish up everything else in the morning. Taking a coffee break before tackling a few more tasks - laundry, washing up dishes, etc.

Worked my behind off. My left foot and ankle are throbbing. started off a nice good day but turned into a nightmare. Work in a hospital and usually we discharge before a big holiday but most of our patients can't go for whatever reason and we got admissions too. Kinda sad. I feel bad for the patients who don't get to be home this weekend. It's not too bad when our census gets down to 5 or 6 on holidays but we are nearly full today. Warming up the oven for cornbread muffins to take to work tomorrow. so, got to stay up a little longer.

Son and I met, for coffee, a girlfriend in town from Savannah. Then, we went to a craft store so he could stock up on beads for his jewelry making, and we rushed back to this side of town to get his stitches out (even though it made no sense, and the old doctor was really wrong). He wanted a blow torch for more jewelry stuff, but I bought it out of household money so I too can use it... for creme brulee. I bought my boss movie tickets for the holidays, because we often talk movies, and he gave me movie tickets! We used them to see Moana. Just took a duck out of the oven. Watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. For now. If I don't talk to y'all again, happy holidays.

I worked in the yard today since it was sunny and mild. We live in a grove of pines and had limbs down from the last two rains. I got about half of it done and will try to do the rest tomorrow. Two loads of laundry was also on the schedule. No more Christmas cooking for me. We are finished after two family parties.