It's almost Christmas, and to be honest, I'm hoping the electric company has a no-turn-off policy for this week. Bills were all doing ok, then hubby got his paycheck plus the mileage pay from going out of state last month. So, did we pay the bills with it? Of course not, we went Christmas Shopping!
I kept sighing, like over lunch and then on the way home, saying we spent too much money... and Hubby just said, 'It's Christmas!" So, I went along with it. It was obviously more important to him that the kids have a good Christmas (well each kid only gets one gift really), and we'd just deal with the bill stuff later. Well, I've been able to defer some things and let other go into overdraft... but it's already past the time they normally come to collect Electric. I should have paid it in person. I know. They won't take checks from us at the window anymore, and they were closed Saturday when the paychecks went through. So, yeah I should have taken the money out of the bank and held it til Monday and paid it in person. I didn't. So, now I hope and pray that they do not try to collect it this week. I mean really, are they that heartless as to turn off a family's power the week before Christmas? I would totally tell the local paper! Well, no not really. But anyway, if they hold off til at least next week, and with the bank holiday, maybe I'd be able to write the guy who comes to collect a check and then it not go through til we get paid again on the 31st? Cause it would bounce.
This isn't what I want to be thinking about at Christmas time. So, I have been trying to keep my mind off of it. I am SO not in the Christmas mood though. I've barely even listened to any Christmas music, even when shopping. Have no plans for baking anything special. We do have nice family plans all 3 days of Christmas at least.
Christmas Eve after everyone gets off work, all my girls, my husband and the oldest girl's fiance will all be here to open gifts. There should be Christmas music and candles lit. Got to get these traditions set in place and make some memories. Then Christmas morning the kids will find stuff from Santa and we'll play with our new toys and lounge in PJs for a while. Then hubby and I will start cooking the dinner which we serve at lunchtime. This year we are having a Mexican meal. We'll have everyone's fave turkey and spinach enchiladas, along with a taco salad, refried beans, Spanish rice, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, cheese. Sometime during the day my Mother In law will come over and we'll exchange gifts with her too.
All day Christmas day, BBC America is showing Doctor Who episodes! HOORAY!! So, we'll be watching those. At 1pm, they are showing the Doctor Who Proms which is the original orchestra playing the music from the show used this past season. The stars also show up and introduce some of the music. So, we'll be watching and listening to that as well. We'll snack on the food all day and play and hang out. Then at 9pm is the Doctor Who Christmas Special. We'll all be gathered around the TV for that. It's going to be a great one this year!
Then on Sunday evening, we'll head off to my hometown to have Christmas with my extended family at my sister's coffee shop (she prefers to have it there instead of her house). We have a big meal there with my brother and his family including his newest grandbaby I haven't met yet. My sister has 4 kids as well and one of them is married, plus all of us. So with all the kids and grand kids and great grandkids and the spouses, there's a bunch of us. So, we do a white elephant exchange which can get really funny. I used to try to take nice gifts, but now I take silly things. Like one of the gifts this year is a polar bear candy dispenser that "poops" sugar babies. There's also a chimpanzee coffee mug. Plus others.
So, I am trying to look forward to those days to come, and not dwell on the overwhelming dread these bills can create. At least in January we should be able to get everything caught back up and get back on our financial plan. But right now Hubby wanted a good Christmas, and we'll do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.
Another thing going on, is I have finally made a decision about my office. If you've been reading here for a while you know there seems to be a ridiculous saga involving my work desk. When we first moved here, I had it in the rear window of our bedroom. Then it was in the kitchen. Then the laundry room. Then back out to the living room. Now it's back in the laundry room. The laundry room is great for having enough privacy that I can work without the TV distracting me or being out there where people are playing video games etc. However, it's a lot more crowded now that I have the laundry sorter which I LOVE and will not part with. It's just so inconvenient trying to do laundry while not disturbing my computer or getting stuff on the clothes when I eat at my desk etc. Plus the cats love to be near me when I'm working and they lay on the clean clothes and get them all covered in hair. The worst part is having to sidle past the laundry sorter in this tiny little hallway I'm in, especially if I'm carrying a plate of food and there's clothes hanging on the hanging rack.. or if I have a full mug of hot tea and it gets jostled. It would be an awesome office... if it weren't also a laundry room. SO... yeah I'm moving once again. But this time it's a bigger kind of change.
My 14 and 18 yr olds have sort of been sharing the smallest bedroom, though the 18 yr old only spends a few nights here and the rest at her fiance's family's house. So, usually the oldest just sleeps on the couch if she's here. That's worked out ok except that the 14 yr old has stopped caring about her room. She's left it a huge mess and now that she has no computer that works in there, she refuses to go in there. She'd rather be in the living room or in our bedroom working on her art and sculpting while texting like 20 people. So, Hubby and I decided the sleeping arrangements are changing once again. We're letting the 8yr old have the smallest bedroom, complete with the big antique full size bed. And my desk will be there as well. So, it will be her room/my office. I have no idea if this is really going to work out or not, and I've been wishy washy on the idea for a while. But tonight on my break, I was trying to do a load of laundry and was trying to take a basket of clothes to my room to be folded (I usually fold and hang stuff in here, but I've gotten behind).. and I could not get the basket past the laundry sorter. It ended up turning sideways and spilling clothes onto the floor. I was so annoyed and fed up, I decided that was it. I'm moving everything tomorrow. My 14 yr old's stuff comes out of there and the 8yr olds' goes in, along with my desk. I'll have a desk lamp for light and she'll have me there to get her to go to sleep on time... and she sleeps with a nightlight on anyway. Should work out... I hope.
I kept sighing, like over lunch and then on the way home, saying we spent too much money... and Hubby just said, 'It's Christmas!" So, I went along with it. It was obviously more important to him that the kids have a good Christmas (well each kid only gets one gift really), and we'd just deal with the bill stuff later. Well, I've been able to defer some things and let other go into overdraft... but it's already past the time they normally come to collect Electric. I should have paid it in person. I know. They won't take checks from us at the window anymore, and they were closed Saturday when the paychecks went through. So, yeah I should have taken the money out of the bank and held it til Monday and paid it in person. I didn't. So, now I hope and pray that they do not try to collect it this week. I mean really, are they that heartless as to turn off a family's power the week before Christmas? I would totally tell the local paper! Well, no not really. But anyway, if they hold off til at least next week, and with the bank holiday, maybe I'd be able to write the guy who comes to collect a check and then it not go through til we get paid again on the 31st? Cause it would bounce.
This isn't what I want to be thinking about at Christmas time. So, I have been trying to keep my mind off of it. I am SO not in the Christmas mood though. I've barely even listened to any Christmas music, even when shopping. Have no plans for baking anything special. We do have nice family plans all 3 days of Christmas at least.
Christmas Eve after everyone gets off work, all my girls, my husband and the oldest girl's fiance will all be here to open gifts. There should be Christmas music and candles lit. Got to get these traditions set in place and make some memories. Then Christmas morning the kids will find stuff from Santa and we'll play with our new toys and lounge in PJs for a while. Then hubby and I will start cooking the dinner which we serve at lunchtime. This year we are having a Mexican meal. We'll have everyone's fave turkey and spinach enchiladas, along with a taco salad, refried beans, Spanish rice, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, cheese. Sometime during the day my Mother In law will come over and we'll exchange gifts with her too.
All day Christmas day, BBC America is showing Doctor Who episodes! HOORAY!! So, we'll be watching those. At 1pm, they are showing the Doctor Who Proms which is the original orchestra playing the music from the show used this past season. The stars also show up and introduce some of the music. So, we'll be watching and listening to that as well. We'll snack on the food all day and play and hang out. Then at 9pm is the Doctor Who Christmas Special. We'll all be gathered around the TV for that. It's going to be a great one this year!
Then on Sunday evening, we'll head off to my hometown to have Christmas with my extended family at my sister's coffee shop (she prefers to have it there instead of her house). We have a big meal there with my brother and his family including his newest grandbaby I haven't met yet. My sister has 4 kids as well and one of them is married, plus all of us. So with all the kids and grand kids and great grandkids and the spouses, there's a bunch of us. So, we do a white elephant exchange which can get really funny. I used to try to take nice gifts, but now I take silly things. Like one of the gifts this year is a polar bear candy dispenser that "poops" sugar babies. There's also a chimpanzee coffee mug. Plus others.
So, I am trying to look forward to those days to come, and not dwell on the overwhelming dread these bills can create. At least in January we should be able to get everything caught back up and get back on our financial plan. But right now Hubby wanted a good Christmas, and we'll do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.
Another thing going on, is I have finally made a decision about my office. If you've been reading here for a while you know there seems to be a ridiculous saga involving my work desk. When we first moved here, I had it in the rear window of our bedroom. Then it was in the kitchen. Then the laundry room. Then back out to the living room. Now it's back in the laundry room. The laundry room is great for having enough privacy that I can work without the TV distracting me or being out there where people are playing video games etc. However, it's a lot more crowded now that I have the laundry sorter which I LOVE and will not part with. It's just so inconvenient trying to do laundry while not disturbing my computer or getting stuff on the clothes when I eat at my desk etc. Plus the cats love to be near me when I'm working and they lay on the clean clothes and get them all covered in hair. The worst part is having to sidle past the laundry sorter in this tiny little hallway I'm in, especially if I'm carrying a plate of food and there's clothes hanging on the hanging rack.. or if I have a full mug of hot tea and it gets jostled. It would be an awesome office... if it weren't also a laundry room. SO... yeah I'm moving once again. But this time it's a bigger kind of change.
My 14 and 18 yr olds have sort of been sharing the smallest bedroom, though the 18 yr old only spends a few nights here and the rest at her fiance's family's house. So, usually the oldest just sleeps on the couch if she's here. That's worked out ok except that the 14 yr old has stopped caring about her room. She's left it a huge mess and now that she has no computer that works in there, she refuses to go in there. She'd rather be in the living room or in our bedroom working on her art and sculpting while texting like 20 people. So, Hubby and I decided the sleeping arrangements are changing once again. We're letting the 8yr old have the smallest bedroom, complete with the big antique full size bed. And my desk will be there as well. So, it will be her room/my office. I have no idea if this is really going to work out or not, and I've been wishy washy on the idea for a while. But tonight on my break, I was trying to do a load of laundry and was trying to take a basket of clothes to my room to be folded (I usually fold and hang stuff in here, but I've gotten behind).. and I could not get the basket past the laundry sorter. It ended up turning sideways and spilling clothes onto the floor. I was so annoyed and fed up, I decided that was it. I'm moving everything tomorrow. My 14 yr old's stuff comes out of there and the 8yr olds' goes in, along with my desk. I'll have a desk lamp for light and she'll have me there to get her to go to sleep on time... and she sleeps with a nightlight on anyway. Should work out... I hope.
I just wanted to say that I read your blog all the time and through it may not seem like everything will work out I just want to tell you that God is still blessing. You have a beautiful family and just by reading your blog I love your honesty. You are not like some of the blogs I read where they pretend to be living the high live always. We all have been there before some may admitted it and some may not. But dear sister please keep the faith and may you and your family have a merry Christmas from my family to yours.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gloria, and Thanks so much DeNiece. I love your blog. I'm keeping the faith, but I know that we seem to be one of those "special" ones who get tested and tested and tested some more. Other people seem to have such a much easier life. They never worry about whether there will be heat in their homes on Christmas day. I just wish that for once, we could be in that group of people. Oh well, at least someday we'll have our heavenly reward and not have to worry about these things anymore.
ReplyDelete