December 06, 2002 - 11:32 p.m.

Christmas Spirited Away

I didn't have to work today, so I slept in a bit. My peaceful slumber was cut short by the thumping of three pairs of young feet in the kitchen directly above my room - who came up with that "pitter patter of little feet" crap anyway??? But I stayed in bed and read for a while. Then I whiled away the rest of the morning on the computer and watching TV (mostly Changing Rooms and Surprise by Design). I didn't even shower until almost noon. :) With all the snow outside, I much preferred to just lounge around. I did clean out Percy's cage, though, so I wasn't entirely a couch potato.

In the afternoon, I gathered up my courage and braved the mall to do some Christmas shopping. I've decided that (at least up here in the frozen North) malls need coat checks during the winter. You have to bundle yourself up to survive in the frigid wind sweeping through the parking lot, but by the time you've been shopping for half an hour, you're far too warm in your coat and either have to suffer or lug the thing around in your arms for the rest of your shopping trip. They could even have a charity do it, like they sometimes do gift wrapping. I'd pay a dollar to have them keep my coat while I shopped! Think of all the money they would make with all those people doing their holiday shopping!

Anyway, I had a fairly fruitful outing. My list of people to purchase gifts for is hopelessly bipolar - there are people who are very easy to find gifts for (like my Mom) and those who are impossible (like my Dad) but nothing in between. Actually, this year I have taken care of two of the most difficult people on my list early on - my brothers. After today's shopping, I have almost all the gifts that need to be mailed to people, with the exception of a couple friends I don't see very often, so I am low on ideas. One is engaged, so I would like to get her something funny and wedding related, like a book or video or something. I also still have to find gifts for my sister-in-law, my Dad, and the three munchkins. I have a couple of ideas for the kids, but nothing that jumps out at me. What do you get for kids who already have plenty of toys, books, etc? Ugh.

I also got a cute top for myself that I can wear for holiday parties and such. It's a dark red velvet camisole. It looks nice on me, though seeing my arms without sleeves made me realize that I really need to get back to the gym. I only just finished filling my wardrobe with "skinny clothes" that fit, since I have been gradually losing weight over the past couple of years. I don't want to give them up so soon!

Tonight I had a cooking class on Christmas cookies. It was really fun. We made 7 different kinds of cookies, and they were all pretty different from anything I have made in the past. Another woman and I worked on Cornmeal Orange Glazed Cookies, which were one of the favorites of the entire class. They were very easy, and quite flavorful! My other favorites were Coconut Pyramids, and Apricot Cream Cheese Cookies. I think I will make all three of those to give to friends that I want to have a gift for, but nothing major. I am also planning on throwing a post-holiday dinner party for some of those friends. That hinges on approval from R & S, since it would necessitate me pretty much monopolizing the kitchen and dining room for an entire evening. I don't think they will mind, though.

today's project: going to bed but tomorrow I will probably start working on burning a Christmas mix

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flutter back - fly ahead