The holiday season is over, and now we can all sit back and relax. The past week was more or less what I expected it to be, although it did start out with a resounding bang -- literally. While we were stopped at a light, just leaving Fort Saskatchewan, someone rear-ended us. It was completely unexpected, at least for me, but James said that he knew the guy was going to hit us eventually, cuz he was being an idiot. So, our bumper is bent, but that's it. Not too bad, but we'll need a new bumper before we sell the truck, whenever that happens. My neck also hurt for a couple days after that, but just like I'd strained a muscle, so nothing serious.
Beyond that, we arrived in Olds in good form, and ready to start the holidays. My parent's Christmas tree was huge and beautifully decorated. The mound of presents under it was rediculous, and that was before we added our three garbage bags full of gifts to it.
So the big question is, what did I get? The best presents would have to be from my husband... he got me some diamond and ruby earings, and sapphire and diamond ring. It was such a great gift simply because I knew it pained him to spend so much money on something that he considers to be useless. I was really touched because of it. :) And I so totally didn't expect it. Otherwise, I got movies (Finding Nemo and Ocean's 11), music (Queen of the Damned Soundtrack), books, (Gregory Maguires "Confessions of an Ugly Step Sister" and "Mirror Mirror". I got tons of clothes and new shoes, and a goosedown duvet for my king sized bed, from Santa. Oh, and the game Balderdash ....that's all I can remember getting at the moment, but there was more, I'm pretty sure.
All in all it was a really good holiday. My mom ended up with the flu, so now I have to hold my breath for a week and pray that no one here gets it.
About Me
So, Christmas shopping is done. I went out to West Edmonton Mall a couple weeks ago with my mom and sister to do my Christmas shopping. I managed to get a couple things for my husband, and for my dad, but because I was shopping with my mom and sister, I couldn't get anything for them. I had rented a car that weekend, because our insurance on our SUV had expired. So, that Tuesday I tried to finish my shopping...didn't have much luck. I only managed to finally get the last two presents this Saturday. So we have lots of presents under our tree, and the house is decorated and lights are up. I'm all full of Christmas cheer.
However, on the way to the mall on Saturday, the heater in our truck blew up... or something. It had been acting up since we bought it. At first it was just this trickling sound, that we though should get fixed some day. Then a couple of weeks ago the heater started screaming.... so we thought that really should get fixed. Then, last weekend, we're just getting into Fort Saskatchewan when smoke starts coming out of the defrost vent...by the time my husband pulled over it was pouring out of the vent and we had to open the windows to air it out. And it smelled horrible. So, now we have to get it fixed.... although, apparently it seems to be working again.
And this morning I was given a heart attack. My husband drives to the city every day for work. It takes him about 1 hour to get there. He left late this morning, (cuz he can't get up before dawn, for some reason) so I knew he wouldn't be at work until about 9:30.
Well, at 9:15, just as I was about to give the baby breakfast, the phone rings. Knowing that James shouldn't be at work yet, I worry slightly that something's happened and he's calling me to call a tow truck for him or something (it wasn't a completely rational thought). So I answer the phone and a male voice asks if he's speaking with Mrs. Atkinson. I tell him yes, and he says he's so and so calling from the Edmonton Police Department......(my heart starts pounding, imagining my husband in a horrible accident, cuz it is snowing and the roads are icy)......and he's soliciting for a charity to help police widows.
And no, I didn't give the charity any money, because he said that only half the money raised would go to charity...the other half was to pay for the charity drive, and to pay solicitors like himself.
That's it until after Chrismas. :)
However, on the way to the mall on Saturday, the heater in our truck blew up... or something. It had been acting up since we bought it. At first it was just this trickling sound, that we though should get fixed some day. Then a couple of weeks ago the heater started screaming.... so we thought that really should get fixed. Then, last weekend, we're just getting into Fort Saskatchewan when smoke starts coming out of the defrost vent...by the time my husband pulled over it was pouring out of the vent and we had to open the windows to air it out. And it smelled horrible. So, now we have to get it fixed.... although, apparently it seems to be working again.
And this morning I was given a heart attack. My husband drives to the city every day for work. It takes him about 1 hour to get there. He left late this morning, (cuz he can't get up before dawn, for some reason) so I knew he wouldn't be at work until about 9:30.
Well, at 9:15, just as I was about to give the baby breakfast, the phone rings. Knowing that James shouldn't be at work yet, I worry slightly that something's happened and he's calling me to call a tow truck for him or something (it wasn't a completely rational thought). So I answer the phone and a male voice asks if he's speaking with Mrs. Atkinson. I tell him yes, and he says he's so and so calling from the Edmonton Police Department......(my heart starts pounding, imagining my husband in a horrible accident, cuz it is snowing and the roads are icy)......and he's soliciting for a charity to help police widows.
And no, I didn't give the charity any money, because he said that only half the money raised would go to charity...the other half was to pay for the charity drive, and to pay solicitors like himself.
That's it until after Chrismas. :)
So, my husband tells me that one of the keys to having people read your blog is posting in it every day. So...I'm going to try to do that. I don't promise anything, though.
This weekend was really tiring. After a week of looking after the baby all day, (and that can be exhausting...how many times can you say "no" without losing your mind?) I really look forward to two days where I don't have to do it alone. It's enough just knowing someone else is there and I can be alone if I want to. Well, once a month James has to work a Saturday, so I get screwed out of one day. This weekend, however, he also went out and played games all day Sunday. So I didn't get a weekend off this week. The only upside was I went shopping with my mom and sister and then had dinner and drinks on Saturday. James took the baby after he got off of work and I go to hang out and forget about being a mom for a little while. That was nice of him, I admit.
So I tried to get my Christmas shopping done on Saturday. I'll be taking back at least one present, I couldn't shop for my mom or sister, because they were right there, and I lost a present I got for my son. So basically it was almost a waste of time. Except Quint got to see Santa, so that was fun...waiting in line for 20 minutes holding a 22lbs wriggly weight in my arms....He didn't know what to think of Santa....he just stared at him. So, like I said, then we went out for dinner and drinks. Well, they drank. I had a white russian that might as well have been milk, it was so weak, but that was it, cuz I was driving. They were staying in the hotel across the street so they could drink all they wanted.
And today....today I'm doing nothing. It's -20C or some such idiotic cold temperature and it's preventing me from even walking the 10 feet to the garage to get the othe baby gate, so I can lock the baby out of the computer room so I can be on he computer while he plays. I tried just letting him play in here and now it's a complete and utter disaster. That happens to any room he goes into, really, so I shouldn't have been surprised by the mess.
Oh, the excitement.
This weekend was really tiring. After a week of looking after the baby all day, (and that can be exhausting...how many times can you say "no" without losing your mind?) I really look forward to two days where I don't have to do it alone. It's enough just knowing someone else is there and I can be alone if I want to. Well, once a month James has to work a Saturday, so I get screwed out of one day. This weekend, however, he also went out and played games all day Sunday. So I didn't get a weekend off this week. The only upside was I went shopping with my mom and sister and then had dinner and drinks on Saturday. James took the baby after he got off of work and I go to hang out and forget about being a mom for a little while. That was nice of him, I admit.
So I tried to get my Christmas shopping done on Saturday. I'll be taking back at least one present, I couldn't shop for my mom or sister, because they were right there, and I lost a present I got for my son. So basically it was almost a waste of time. Except Quint got to see Santa, so that was fun...waiting in line for 20 minutes holding a 22lbs wriggly weight in my arms....He didn't know what to think of Santa....he just stared at him. So, like I said, then we went out for dinner and drinks. Well, they drank. I had a white russian that might as well have been milk, it was so weak, but that was it, cuz I was driving. They were staying in the hotel across the street so they could drink all they wanted.
And today....today I'm doing nothing. It's -20C or some such idiotic cold temperature and it's preventing me from even walking the 10 feet to the garage to get the othe baby gate, so I can lock the baby out of the computer room so I can be on he computer while he plays. I tried just letting him play in here and now it's a complete and utter disaster. That happens to any room he goes into, really, so I shouldn't have been surprised by the mess.
Oh, the excitement.
So, I've been with my husband for 7 years and in all that time he has been a really picky eater. He refused to eat anything that doesn't look good or that he doesn't think will taste good, and there is a very long list of foods that he just doesn't like. Unfortunately I'm the exact opposite...there are only 2 foods that I refuse to eat. One of my most favorite foods just happens to be chilli....and one of the foods that he pronounced as gross, without ever trying it. So I have gone the last 7 years without ever making my own chilli, until Friday.
While we were in BC visiting my inlaws, my husband's dad, on hearing that he didn't like chilli, but had never tried it, got him to taste the chilli that he had made. My husband said it was "okay" and that he'd eat it if he had to. However, he opted for soup instead of chilli for lunch that day. So on Friday, I asked him if it was okay if I made chilli, seeing as how he tried it at his dads. He said it was okay if I did, but "it better not suck". Oh, great, I think.... I just hate it when he doesn't like the food I cook...it's like it's a comment on my abilities and ends up as a blow to my ego.
So we sit down to dinner and begin to eat, when he asks me, "if I tell you something, will you promise I won't hear about it for the rest of my life?" I tell him that he's not allowed to tell me anything that's going to hurt my feelings....fully expecting him to say that he didn't like the food. But he promised that he wouldn't hurt my feelings, so I said that I promised not to bug him about it.
So he says....
"This is really good!"
"Ha! Ha!" I exclaimed, "I told you so!"
It was a triumph, I'm telling you. It felt like I'd won a battle that had been raging for years. Victory was mine!
Now the only thing I have left for him to try is chicken pot pie and my spaghetti sauce.
While we were in BC visiting my inlaws, my husband's dad, on hearing that he didn't like chilli, but had never tried it, got him to taste the chilli that he had made. My husband said it was "okay" and that he'd eat it if he had to. However, he opted for soup instead of chilli for lunch that day. So on Friday, I asked him if it was okay if I made chilli, seeing as how he tried it at his dads. He said it was okay if I did, but "it better not suck". Oh, great, I think.... I just hate it when he doesn't like the food I cook...it's like it's a comment on my abilities and ends up as a blow to my ego.
So we sit down to dinner and begin to eat, when he asks me, "if I tell you something, will you promise I won't hear about it for the rest of my life?" I tell him that he's not allowed to tell me anything that's going to hurt my feelings....fully expecting him to say that he didn't like the food. But he promised that he wouldn't hurt my feelings, so I said that I promised not to bug him about it.
So he says....
"This is really good!"
"Ha! Ha!" I exclaimed, "I told you so!"
It was a triumph, I'm telling you. It felt like I'd won a battle that had been raging for years. Victory was mine!
Now the only thing I have left for him to try is chicken pot pie and my spaghetti sauce.
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