Merry Christmas to all and to all...
Monday, December 26th, 2005 04:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
basildestinyWell no sleeping for me. I've gotten some sleep, but nothing that meets my criteria. I like sleeping!
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I didn't think that mail ran on Christmas Eve, but I checked the mailbox on Christmas Day to find there were stamps! So Christmas cards will start filling the air as I mail mine out a little too late, but better late than never.
This is has been a whirlwind holiday. Christmas Eve was spent at my mom's house and Christmas Day at the in-law's house. I had a really great time both days. My mom's Christmas dinner was nice and low key and quiet and relaxing. His parents was lovely and festive and merry.
I really enjoyed it. It was like the best of both worlds. The quiet adult Christmas with a few family members around. We watched most of "It's a Wonderful Life," before it got too late and we had to go home. We didn't have a lot of gifts, but everyone got one.
Of course it's a family tradition to give tricky gifts! I'm sure I tell this story ever year, but one year my brother got a can of nuts from the next door neighbor. Really nice of them to think of us, but it was a can of OPENED nuts! We laughed so hard at that. It was such an obvious last minute gift. You could just imagine in a panic that they were dashing around trying to think of something a thirteen year old might like. So he usually gets a can of nuts every year. Last year I got a can of nuts and cash. Cash is the best gift for a Marine. They don't have a lot of room to store things. This year I had to think of something different to put the cash in though. Last year it was in the can of nuts. I give cash so much that I like to think of something other than a card to put it in. So this year I was in the line at Wal-Mart shopping on Christmas Eve Eve and I happened upon 2/$1 hot peanuts! I cut the peanuts open, put the money in and taped it back. Great stuff! I got one for my brother and one for my step dad. I put my step dad's in a gift bag because I didn't get him anything else. I got everyone else a DVD to go with their money.
So Leland got Apollo 13. He was glad and said he had just been thinking that he needed more movies and that he hadn't seen that one in a while. I got it because it was one of those movies that I think of him when its mentioned. He downloaded some of the soundtrack from old school Napster and read the book. I got him the two disc DVD set. And a bag of hot peanuts with money. I told him to try the peanuts because they were good and he was really wondering why in the world anyone would bother wrapping them.
Richard, my step dad, got a bag of peanuts! With cash.
My sister got The Emperor's New Groove which is a DVD she's been wanting that since before her birthday. I gave her money on her birthday to get it, but she ended up spending it on a field trip for school. The funny thing is that I was looking for it and there were NONE! So I started pulling fallen DVDs out from behind the rack and the second one I picked up, which was certain wasn't the DVD actually was! I was so happy to have found it. And then I put her money in sour apple Altoids!
Mom got Little Monsters and A Knight's Tale. She loves both of those movies, but got around to buying them. Little Monsters is such a cute movie. Kevin Savage in his adorable fro days! And I put money for her in a sour cherry Altoids can. I had to eat a few of her pieces to get the money to fit and let me just say that if you like sour things, get those altoids. Ugh!
Matt and I opened gifts after we got back from my mom's house. He got a 19" LCD monitor. It isn't widescreen like mine, but he loves it so that make it fabulous! He also got a new power drill to replace the one that has a short. I was glad to see him surprised by that one. And he also got Serenity and The Ultimate Edition of Star-Gate. This DVD is freakin' gold! That'll be fun to watch.
Now I made out like a bandit! I got an Ipod that is personalized! I says "To My Soulmate Janina White White Christmas 2005." I got a ton of Harry Potter cards in my stocking. I also got Matilda and Behind Enemy Lines. Both movies which I really enjoy. Matilda is just so cute. I got money. My sister made me this awesome pillow case that I don't want to use on the bed and ruin so I'm trying to figure out what pillow I'll use it on! I got soooooooo much candy. I also got car adapters for the Ipod so I can use it in the car!
And that was just on Christmas Eve for our Christmas and my mom's Christmas.
Now Christmas at the Whites was awesome! I wish my mom and sister and brother had agreed to come along. They were invited. But maybe next time. Wanda goes crazy over Christmas. And I LOVE it. It's that kind of crazy that I'd like to go. Well actually it may be a little bit further than I'd like to go, but it's close. She has all sorts of Christmas decorations. A light up Rudolph. A staircase covered in press the button animated figures which dance and sing. A Santa head that lights up festively. Several manager scenes. She had a hat tree and a 9-11 tree (miniature trees though). There were stockings galore. There were snowmen and snow! And the Christmas tree was covered in decorations with a moving angel on top. And the tree spun around! Serious Christmas people here. And the food. We had ham and a turkey, mashed potatoes (which I made), peas, black-eyed peas, corn, stuffing, deviled eggs, sweet potatoe cassorole. There was desserts! Pecan pie, apple pie, 2 pumpkin pies, a baked cake, fruit salad, candies, and home-made holiday chocolate lollipops!
They would have had a great time! But let's talk about the loot, we got. There was stockings for each of us (Matt, myself, and Matt's two younger brothers and then Wanda and Harrison). They passed out garbage bags and told us to go to town. And we literally put our goodies into garbage bags so we could take them all home! And I don't mean kitchen sized garbage bags. We're talking outdoor bags. It was little things, Christmas ornaments, Harry Potter cards, tons of candy, but it was all tailored for the receiver. And it felt like family. I hope my family can get back into that mood. They have a good excuse. It's tough when you lose a son, but hopefully grandchildren can bring our families together on the holidays. I know his mom loves it and my mom would love it if she tried it.
Now the gift wasn't a surprise. The boys pick out their big gifts. So we got the awesome carpet cleaner we wanted. It'll be great for piddle dog the German Shepherd. And we got a hand mixer. Which is great. While I love the hand blender we got for our wedding, I don't like the on/off button. So I'm sure we'll use both, but I'm glad for the classic model.
His brothers got a surround sound system and a new video card.
Then the extended family got there and we ate and did Kareoke. His mom didn't think it was that great, but I thought it was fun.
Then I came home and found out a friend is expecting a baby in 6-7 months! How exciting.
So I guess that leaves the best for last. On Christmas Eve, we got up early and drove out to look at the puppy from the paper. The breeder met us at the driveway with this cute little black and white Cardigan Welsh Corgi puppy. She was so beautiful. We talked for a bit. She's got all of her shots and just needs one more booster and she'll be set. So it's time to start calling around for a vet. And we need to get heartworm medication. And Riker gets to go the vet for his de-gender operation! But we have a new puppy. Her puppy name was Peanut. Which is a good puppy name. But we call her Kira. Like Major Kira, Odo's girl! And Matt had bought her all of these little things on Friday. She got a blue collar with a jingle bell on it and little puppy toys. After we picked her up, we took her to PetSmart and got a black harness for her and smaller leash because Riker's was just plain tooo big for a little puppy. And we got her a gold bone id tag. She will be AKC registered when I send in the papers.
She's so sweet. We picked her up and brought her over to my mom's house. My mom loved her! And my sister said "Thanks for my Christmas present." We also brought her over to the inlaws. His mom doesn't like dogs, but she loved this one. She was quiet and snuggly. And at one point in the evening yesterday, the puppy was chasing one of the little kids around and the little kid chasing him. And this little kid, Alex, doesn't like dogs due to a bad experience. But by the end of the day when he was leaving, he gave her a hug and called her by her name. It was very sweet. We didn't get any pictures of that because it was so impromptu and unexpected.
Kira is 12 weeks old. And a little older than we had expected. The breeder, Sheila, said that another couple had looked at her, but didn't make up their mind and would her know. So she had us come out and look at her. They wanted to keep her, but she's too small to breed. And they were already keeping three puppies! But she's got a great personality. And big brother, Riker, has been great with her. Especially when they go outside at night. If she starts barking at something, he runs over and investigates.
I will have some pictures when we get them off his parents' computer.
What a Christmas!
~Kira's mom
ETA:
Kira
Kira 2
Kira 3
Kira 4
Kira 5
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I didn't think that mail ran on Christmas Eve, but I checked the mailbox on Christmas Day to find there were stamps! So Christmas cards will start filling the air as I mail mine out a little too late, but better late than never.
This is has been a whirlwind holiday. Christmas Eve was spent at my mom's house and Christmas Day at the in-law's house. I had a really great time both days. My mom's Christmas dinner was nice and low key and quiet and relaxing. His parents was lovely and festive and merry.
I really enjoyed it. It was like the best of both worlds. The quiet adult Christmas with a few family members around. We watched most of "It's a Wonderful Life," before it got too late and we had to go home. We didn't have a lot of gifts, but everyone got one.
Of course it's a family tradition to give tricky gifts! I'm sure I tell this story ever year, but one year my brother got a can of nuts from the next door neighbor. Really nice of them to think of us, but it was a can of OPENED nuts! We laughed so hard at that. It was such an obvious last minute gift. You could just imagine in a panic that they were dashing around trying to think of something a thirteen year old might like. So he usually gets a can of nuts every year. Last year I got a can of nuts and cash. Cash is the best gift for a Marine. They don't have a lot of room to store things. This year I had to think of something different to put the cash in though. Last year it was in the can of nuts. I give cash so much that I like to think of something other than a card to put it in. So this year I was in the line at Wal-Mart shopping on Christmas Eve Eve and I happened upon 2/$1 hot peanuts! I cut the peanuts open, put the money in and taped it back. Great stuff! I got one for my brother and one for my step dad. I put my step dad's in a gift bag because I didn't get him anything else. I got everyone else a DVD to go with their money.
So Leland got Apollo 13. He was glad and said he had just been thinking that he needed more movies and that he hadn't seen that one in a while. I got it because it was one of those movies that I think of him when its mentioned. He downloaded some of the soundtrack from old school Napster and read the book. I got him the two disc DVD set. And a bag of hot peanuts with money. I told him to try the peanuts because they were good and he was really wondering why in the world anyone would bother wrapping them.
Richard, my step dad, got a bag of peanuts! With cash.
My sister got The Emperor's New Groove which is a DVD she's been wanting that since before her birthday. I gave her money on her birthday to get it, but she ended up spending it on a field trip for school. The funny thing is that I was looking for it and there were NONE! So I started pulling fallen DVDs out from behind the rack and the second one I picked up, which was certain wasn't the DVD actually was! I was so happy to have found it. And then I put her money in sour apple Altoids!
Mom got Little Monsters and A Knight's Tale. She loves both of those movies, but got around to buying them. Little Monsters is such a cute movie. Kevin Savage in his adorable fro days! And I put money for her in a sour cherry Altoids can. I had to eat a few of her pieces to get the money to fit and let me just say that if you like sour things, get those altoids. Ugh!
Matt and I opened gifts after we got back from my mom's house. He got a 19" LCD monitor. It isn't widescreen like mine, but he loves it so that make it fabulous! He also got a new power drill to replace the one that has a short. I was glad to see him surprised by that one. And he also got Serenity and The Ultimate Edition of Star-Gate. This DVD is freakin' gold! That'll be fun to watch.
Now I made out like a bandit! I got an Ipod that is personalized! I says "To My Soulmate Janina White White Christmas 2005." I got a ton of Harry Potter cards in my stocking. I also got Matilda and Behind Enemy Lines. Both movies which I really enjoy. Matilda is just so cute. I got money. My sister made me this awesome pillow case that I don't want to use on the bed and ruin so I'm trying to figure out what pillow I'll use it on! I got soooooooo much candy. I also got car adapters for the Ipod so I can use it in the car!
And that was just on Christmas Eve for our Christmas and my mom's Christmas.
Now Christmas at the Whites was awesome! I wish my mom and sister and brother had agreed to come along. They were invited. But maybe next time. Wanda goes crazy over Christmas. And I LOVE it. It's that kind of crazy that I'd like to go. Well actually it may be a little bit further than I'd like to go, but it's close. She has all sorts of Christmas decorations. A light up Rudolph. A staircase covered in press the button animated figures which dance and sing. A Santa head that lights up festively. Several manager scenes. She had a hat tree and a 9-11 tree (miniature trees though). There were stockings galore. There were snowmen and snow! And the Christmas tree was covered in decorations with a moving angel on top. And the tree spun around! Serious Christmas people here. And the food. We had ham and a turkey, mashed potatoes (which I made), peas, black-eyed peas, corn, stuffing, deviled eggs, sweet potatoe cassorole. There was desserts! Pecan pie, apple pie, 2 pumpkin pies, a baked cake, fruit salad, candies, and home-made holiday chocolate lollipops!
They would have had a great time! But let's talk about the loot, we got. There was stockings for each of us (Matt, myself, and Matt's two younger brothers and then Wanda and Harrison). They passed out garbage bags and told us to go to town. And we literally put our goodies into garbage bags so we could take them all home! And I don't mean kitchen sized garbage bags. We're talking outdoor bags. It was little things, Christmas ornaments, Harry Potter cards, tons of candy, but it was all tailored for the receiver. And it felt like family. I hope my family can get back into that mood. They have a good excuse. It's tough when you lose a son, but hopefully grandchildren can bring our families together on the holidays. I know his mom loves it and my mom would love it if she tried it.
Now the gift wasn't a surprise. The boys pick out their big gifts. So we got the awesome carpet cleaner we wanted. It'll be great for piddle dog the German Shepherd. And we got a hand mixer. Which is great. While I love the hand blender we got for our wedding, I don't like the on/off button. So I'm sure we'll use both, but I'm glad for the classic model.
His brothers got a surround sound system and a new video card.
Then the extended family got there and we ate and did Kareoke. His mom didn't think it was that great, but I thought it was fun.
Then I came home and found out a friend is expecting a baby in 6-7 months! How exciting.
So I guess that leaves the best for last. On Christmas Eve, we got up early and drove out to look at the puppy from the paper. The breeder met us at the driveway with this cute little black and white Cardigan Welsh Corgi puppy. She was so beautiful. We talked for a bit. She's got all of her shots and just needs one more booster and she'll be set. So it's time to start calling around for a vet. And we need to get heartworm medication. And Riker gets to go the vet for his de-gender operation! But we have a new puppy. Her puppy name was Peanut. Which is a good puppy name. But we call her Kira. Like Major Kira, Odo's girl! And Matt had bought her all of these little things on Friday. She got a blue collar with a jingle bell on it and little puppy toys. After we picked her up, we took her to PetSmart and got a black harness for her and smaller leash because Riker's was just plain tooo big for a little puppy. And we got her a gold bone id tag. She will be AKC registered when I send in the papers.
She's so sweet. We picked her up and brought her over to my mom's house. My mom loved her! And my sister said "Thanks for my Christmas present." We also brought her over to the inlaws. His mom doesn't like dogs, but she loved this one. She was quiet and snuggly. And at one point in the evening yesterday, the puppy was chasing one of the little kids around and the little kid chasing him. And this little kid, Alex, doesn't like dogs due to a bad experience. But by the end of the day when he was leaving, he gave her a hug and called her by her name. It was very sweet. We didn't get any pictures of that because it was so impromptu and unexpected.
Kira is 12 weeks old. And a little older than we had expected. The breeder, Sheila, said that another couple had looked at her, but didn't make up their mind and would her know. So she had us come out and look at her. They wanted to keep her, but she's too small to breed. And they were already keeping three puppies! But she's got a great personality. And big brother, Riker, has been great with her. Especially when they go outside at night. If she starts barking at something, he runs over and investigates.
I will have some pictures when we get them off his parents' computer.
What a Christmas!
~Kira's mom
ETA:
Kira
Kira 2
Kira 3
Kira 4
Kira 5
