Winter Wonderland

Sorry about the lack of posting, but work had been kicking my ass and the last thing I want to do when I get home is get on the computer.

I worked through Christmas Eve - until 4:00 - and then came home for an eight day vacation. Woo-hoo!

Don and I had a very nice Christmas - we spent most of the day just relaxing in front of the fire and watching VH1's Best Of series (Best Songs of the 90s, Best Songs of the 80s, Best 100 Toys). It was a very low-key Christmas, which is what I needed.

Today, I braved the weather and traffic to hit Mall of America to spend my gift cards. I got a ton of stuff - black jeans, flannel-lined jeans, a sweater. a few blouses, a few books, some new undies (that fit!!), 4 bras, a skirt and a dress. I still have more $$ to spend at Target and Borders, but that will be easy.

We've gotten a bit of snow - the big, heavy white stuff that sticks. Luckily, the sun is out today and that will melt the driveway. It's very pretty out, and I'm glad I don't have to be out too much. I have been, periodically, running a shovel up and down the driveway and the walk so the snow is thinner and will melt as the sun hits them. Of course, my back, legs and arms are sore but it will be worth it if Don doesn't have to shovel again.

I do need to go into work tomorrow for a four hour training. It's a webinar, so I have to be logged on to my computer plus on a phone. Ugh. It's also 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM, so right in the middle of the day.

Off to put away clothes and maybe vacuum. Or sleep - it's still up in the air.

Not Ready To Go Back

I don't know what it is about a 4-day weekend that just kills my motivation for going back to work. I didn't even do anything fun - just kind of putted around the house, did some cleaning, some laundry, a few errands (car wash, Target run). Heck, I didn't even go to the grocery store or Trader Joe's. I figured we had enough food in the house to last us for a few more meals.

I'm late night leader today so at least I don't have to go in until 10:00, but it does mean I have to stay until 7:00 PM. I actually get a lot done between 5 and 7 when everyone is pretty much gone. I have filing to do, a few meetings to prepare for and reviews to read. I don't have a lot going after work this week - just one appointment on Wednesday. I might actually get into the gym on Tuesday and Thursday.

The best part is that I have another 4-day weekend next week when my Dad comes to town. Then it's just a few short weeks until I have the week between Christmas and New Year's off. I don't have any plans for that week - probably just recouping from the holidays. I haven't even decided if I am going to decorate this year. It just seems so pointless. We put up lights, the tree, other assorted decorations for no real reason other than it's habit.

I guess I'm in a bit of a holiday funk. I miss having family around this time of year. With Don's travel schedule, we can't really go any where together and I really don't want to spend the holidays apart from him. I am just not in the holiday spirit this year. Maybe it's because I realized that we have now spent as many years in this house as we did the one in Los Angeles, and it still doesn't feel like home.

Anyway, enough wallowing. I need to finish getting ready for work and head in a little early. I'm not accomplishing anything sitting here waiting for the clock to strike 10...

Oh, So Thankful

What a perfect day. It started when Don was kind enough, despite a bit of a cold, to get up at 6:15 to let the dogs out and feed them. They came back to bed and we slept until 7:30. We spent the next two hours sipping coffee, watching a bit of TV and planning our day.

At a little before 9, we headed out to Staring Lake for a hike with the dogs. It was cold - 28 degrees - and it was flurrying. I put the dogs coats on to keep them dry and warm. Plus, they just look cute. Anyway, it took us a little over an hour do do the 2.5 miles (we let the dogs set the pace) and we were both chilled to the bone. We came home, took a very hot shower to defrost and had some hot apple cider while we read the paper.

I started cooking at around noon. I had made the cranberry sauce on Monday and the stuffing on Wednesday, so I only had to do the green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy while the turkey (with sage butter and a maple glaze) cooked. The meal came out perfect. The entire menu was Maple Glazed Turkey with Sage Butter, Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grandma's Green Beans, and Cranberry Orange Sauce. I didn't make the dessert - pumpkin pie from Trader Joe's. I think we both ate reasonably well and didn't overdo it.

I think by making a few dishes early helped with my stress level as was just keeping on top of the dishes as I cooked rather than waiting to do them until the end. Don was a huge help - he did most of the post-dinner clean-up while I relaxed.

Of course, two of the best things that happened was the Cowboys and the Trojans won. The Cowboys win sets up a 10-1 showdown next Thursday against the hot Green Bay Packers. That should be a huge game. The Trojans win means they could share a portion of the Pac-10 title at worst and actually win outright and make a trip to the Rose Bowl if Oregon loses to either UCLA or Oregon State (a huge possibility since Oregon lost their QB). Of course, USC needs to beat UCLA next weekend as well, but after last year's beat down, I think they will be up for it.

Anyway, I am avoiding all shopping today. I just don't believe in Black Friday. We're not in the market for any large electronic items, which is where the biggest savings are and the fact most savings are $5 or less just doesn't make it worth getting up at 3:00 AM. I have dishes to do and I really do need to go through my closet again. I could join the throngs at the gym working off their third serving of pie, but I didn't gain anything, so I think I may just be a homebody and couch potato...

Is It December?

The first smack in the head was on October 31 - when most are dressing up in scary costumes and begging for candy - that the mall in Ridgedale, specifically Macy's, already had their Christmas tree and trimmings up - IN OCTOBER. Today, in several stores, they were playing Christmas carols - IN NOVEMBER. On top of that, in front of the grocery store this afternoon, there was the iconic Salvation Army bell ringer - THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING. I've also gotten e-mails that my local mall is opening at 1:00 AM on Friday. Retailers - desperate much?

Even around the neighborhood, lights are not only going up (typical in these cold climes - who wants to hang Christmas lights when it's icy out?) but coming on! Yes, I have my wreath out and my pumpkins are still on the front porch...

I remember when Christmas wasn't even visible until after Turkey Day. I don't even think we had a "Black Friday" when I was growing up. We usually put our Christmas decorations up 2 weeks before Christmas and took them down one week after New Year's. Now I'm hearing about families decorating their (fake) tree over Thanksgiving weekend.

So my new mantra is "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." — Carl Bard. It's very fitting for me at this point, as I've come to realize that spending energy trying to change my past is doing nothing to progress my future. I'm getting so stuck in what I was I neglect what I'm becoming. To that end, I did my own Rune reading a few weeks ago. I've been reading Runes for a few years - mostly for my own entertainment. Runes are like a primitive Tarot that the Vikings used as an oracle. Each stone was marked with a symbol that could be used to write, read the past or predict the future. The nice thing about reading Runes is that there is really only two ways to see it - upright and reversed (upside down). With Tarot, there are symbols, colors, pictures to interpret. It's much more complex, although some might say more accurate.

Anyway, I drew a Runic Cross of 6 Runes plus one for Resolution. The six that make up the cross are:

1. Past - from where I am coming; what lies behind
2. Me Now
3. Future - what lies ahead; what's coming into my life
4. Foundation - unconscious elements
5. Challenge - obstacles in the way
6. New Situation - success in meeting the challenge
and then
7. Resolution - essence of the situation

1. Past - The Blank Rune
Rune of the unknowable, the Divine
This is my past
The end is just the beginning
Connection to my destiny; rises like a Phoenix; Fate
Death is symbolic
Relinquish control - I am a Spiritual Warrior
This is potential
Total being - what is to become
There are Deep Fears - failure, abandonment, taken away
There is willingness
Leaping into the void
The past tests the faith
This is the Rune of Karma
Lessons are learned for a life time
I must shift and evolve
There is progression

2. Me Now - Rune of Disruption and Power
There is change, freedom and liberation
I must break free of identification
It's beyond my control
There is a great awakening/coming to my senses
I need to rip away the fabric of my former reality - sacrifice security and beliefs
There is disruption
But there is growth

3. Future - Rune of New Beginnings and Fertility
Intuitive part of my nature
There is harmonizing and adjusting to personal relationships
There is a need to share and to be desired
There is new life and new paths
Strength to achieve completion
Resolution
Emergence from a closed state
Clear away the old
Release from tension
Free myself from a rut, habit, relationship, behavior pattern
Movement may involve danger (change) but also remove me from danger
Need to be centered and grounded
Open to the will of Heaven
Ultimate calm certainty

4. Foundation - Rune of Opening and Fire
Renewed clarity
Dispelling darkness that's been shrouding life
Clear intent
Concentration
More light = seeing in what needs to go
Operating in light

5. Challenge - Rune of Withdrawal and Ice (see the relation to #4)
Winter of spiritual life
Feelings of powerlessness, need to submit, surrender, sacrifice
Rebirth
Freeze on useful activity
Plans are on hold
Outmoded habits to cope
Feeling of being out of touch with life
What am I holding onto and what can I let go of?
Shed, release, cleanse
Sacrifice of the personal
Submit and be still
What was full now must become empty to move forward
To surrender is to display courage & strength
Time of restoration
Do not work my will
Watch for signs of Spring

6. New Situation - Rune of The Warrior
I am a spiritual warrior
The battle is within the Self
I need to stay out of my own way
Cut away the old, the dead, the extraneous
Patience
Look within; delve down to life itself
Find my deepest needs
Allow it a voice
Self-conquest is powerful - calls for awareness, compassion, total trust
Courage
Dedication

7. Resolution - Rune of Breakthrough and Transformation
Major shift
Breakthrough of self change
Complete transformation
Transform life forever
Radical trust
Leap into the void (see #1)
Warrior nature reveals itself
Period of achievement & prosperity
Darkness is behind; daylight has come
Hard work is ahead but undertake it with joy

I know this might not mean a lot to most, but it means a lot to me. This is so where I am right now - and so where I want to go - to the light and the understanding and the shedding of the old. This speaks to so many layers - the old body, the old mind-set, the old self hate. I really need to focus on who I am now, not what I was or who I thought I was. That really goes back to the new mantra of not trying to change my beginning but my end, which is what ultimately matters.

Ringing In The New

Today is the last day of my 10-day vacation and I'm both excited to get back to work and a little bummed I don't have more time off.

The good news is that I did get a ton of stuff done around the house. I de-cluttered the heck out of pretty much every room, although I didn't touch the basement. I still have to box/bag it and call Salvation Army (the only organization which still picks up goods). I figure I can get that done this week. All in all, it will be about 5-6 boxes and probably 5-6 trash bags. I could probably stand to de-clutter even more, but this is a good first step.

Of course, I wish I could have done more on my To Do list, but all in all it was a productive, relaxing week. Most of the Christmas decorations are down and on the dining room table. We still need to dismantle the tree and pack everything away.

After a very dry and (relatively, by Minnesotan standards) warm winter, we were finally hit with 6.5 inches of snow yesterday. It had been raining straight for the last few days and it turned to snow around noon yesterday. It stopped just in time for Don to have to make the drive from downtown home. The roads weren't too bad, he said, but mixing fresh snow, slippery conditions and New Year's (read: Drunk Drivers) and there will be plenty of spin outs, fender benders and crashes. I was glad when he got home safely.

I did make New Year's Eve dinner - Honeybaked Ham (OK, I didn't make that), corn pudding, roasted Brussels sprouts, and mashed potatoes with spinach. We didn't make it to midnight, so I figure we can have a champagne toast tonight with the leftovers.

The rest of the day will be spent watching the Rose Bowl (Go, Trojans!!), finishing laundry (it's dry, just needs to be put away) and maybe playing a game of Scrabble.

Like everyone else, I do have a list of resolutions, however I think I am going to tweak it a bit and follow Cark's lead and come up with an Uberlist for 2007. I know things like spend more time reading (less time watching TV), getting healthy emotionally and financially, continue eating and exercising according to plan, etc. I just want to make it more specific.

Only 12 more hours of Vacation Shannin, and then it's back to the real world. Sure hope the roads are clear!!

Channeling Julia Child

I am in full holiday cooking mode. Last weekend, I made two kinds of fudge (peanut butter with pecans and chocolate with toffee chips) and two kinds of cookies (my dad's Mexican Wedding Cakes and Paula Deen's White Chocolate Cherry Chunkies - oh, my!).

Today, I was at the grocery store at 7:00 AM to avoid the crowds, but had to go back for a few forgotten items. So far, I have made Very Berry Scones, 2 loafs of bread (Vermont Cheddar and Italian Herb), chicken noodle soup for tonight, dressing for my Christmas salad, mushrooms duxelle & horseradish cream sauce for the Beef Wellington, gingerbread & blackberry sauce for the Gingerbread Lemon Curd trifle. The dinner menu is my Christmas salad (red & green lettuce, pomegranate seeds, bleu cheese, candied pecans and pears), Beef Wellington with horseradish cream sauce & wild mushroom gravy, mashed potato crisp, peas & pearl onions, roasted gingered carrots and the trifle. Christmas morning we'll have scones with coffee as we open gifts and then I'm making a Huevos Rancheros with a chipotle hollandaise sauce and guacamole.

We did get a hint of bad news today. Don took Jager to the vet since she has been limping a bit and showing some soreness in her left rear leg, which is not the leg she had surgery on earlier this year. I have to take her in for x-rays on Tuesday, but the initial thought is that she has a partial tear. That could mean another surgery. She was sent home with pain meds, which seem to have knocked most of her mojo to the curb, but she still has her frisky moments. Of course this means no walks or hikes for awhile...

Anyway, the big plans for the rest of the long weekend are having some soup and playing Scrabble tonight, cooking and watching football tomorrow, and opening gifts and vegging out on Monday. I have next week off and a lot planned to do including housecleaning and errands, and maybe taking advantage of a few post-holiday sales with (expected) gift cards...

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!!

It's Starting to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Don and I finally got our lights out on Saturday - except one part of the icicle strand on the deck is out and one part of the green lights are out on the small bush in the front. I'll have to check those out when it's light outside. I thought I figured the deck lights out but they are now dark - just one portion. Grrr...

I spent today preparing some meals for the week. I made a batch of tuna salad for sandwiches, a meatloaf (just needs cooking) and my fire roasted tomato soup. I usually serve turkey sausages in puff pastry with the soup, but those are best the day they are made. They're easy to make and only take 20 minutes to cook so not that big of a deal to prepare. I'm just doing all possible to make sure I have food to pack for lunch so I don't have the "excuse" not to eat.

Speaking of Christmas lights - do they multiply when we're not looking? When I went down to sort things out, I had boxes of unopened lights plus many, many strings of lights that I know we didn't use last year. Where did they all come from? I mean, I have enough lights to decorate our house, our tree plus your house and your tree. Where did I think I was going to use these?

I do have the stockings hung (with care), the banister covered in garlands and bells, the wreath out. I still need to do the dining room table and the centerpieces but I have all the components except the right color candles. For someone who makes candles one would think this isn't and issue but I don't have "Christmas" smelling candles! I am now done with Christmas shopping. Chocolates and Barnes & Noble gift cards for my staff, Bath & Body Works stuff for my admin assistants, wine for my boss, Wine Cask club membership for my brother, parents and best friend. I won't blog about what I got for Don since he reads, but I am pretty much done other than checking one one thing to see if that's within the budget.

We did get the carpets cleaned on Friday - what a difference!! They actually look cream-colored. The real upshot was we found a new kennel for Baja & Jager. Granted, it's a half-state away (OK, it just feels like that - it's really only 30 miles), but they really show an interest in Baja & Jager. Plus, the dogs were tired from Friday night through mid-Sunday. Any kind of play that wipes them out like that is alright in my book!

Off to clean up the kitchen and get ready for Don to get home tonight.