It's A Wrap

So how are you doing?  Are you on top of the whole holiday blitz?  In the spirit or being Grinch's best friend?   How's the shopping going?

I have everything under control.  If not, I will convince myself that I do because things wouldn't look very pretty otherwise.  No pretty lights, no mistletoe, no holly decking the halls.

As I mentioned last month, I went out on Black Friday and accomplished a great deal.  Since then, I have made a few occasional trips to intentional places for intended gifts.  Those opportunities don't knock on my decorated door very often because they just don't.  Me and myself rarely get time to ourselves.

So, I did manage to get my packages and bundles from point A to point B to their present location, point C.  Point A was Meme's house.  It is so convenient that she lives just up the road.  I knew I couldn't leave everything in the van because my intuitive kids knew I was out shopping on Black Friday and I would never put it past them to go snooping in the van.  So before heading home, I dropped them off at Meme's house.

Then last Sunday when I was out, I stopped over and repacked the van, only I didn't have the convenience of using the hatchback because the day before when I was putting things in it, a spring unsprung or something like that, disabling the door handle.  Remember, I have a 2000 model, which is NOT like those that have the easy automatic open/shut system by simply pressing a button.  So my hatchback is now useless until I get it fixed.  What is it with Toyota and their door handles breaking?  That will make three out of the five handles that have broken on my nearly 8 year old vehicle.  

So, inconvenient, yes, but not keeping me completely out of commission.  Groceries can be put in the passenger areas, and so can gifts.  Unless ice covers my driveway, I can get out and get around and participate in the holiday blitz.

Anyway, on Monday the kids were out playing in the snowstorm and I siezed the opportunity and moved everything from the van to Point C.  Point C used to be downstairs in the circuit breaker room in a corner with blankets covering them.  But the kids have gotten too smart that spot has been taken over by another pump we found we needed in the spring after our water-proofed basement flooded.   So Point C is now the bulkhead stairs.  This entry rarely gets used, and we have a towel in front of the door to block the draft.  There is never any reason to open this door unless we have to rewaterproof our basement or get a new well pump.  Since we crossed both of these requirements off our list in the last year, odds are in our favor that we won't be opening these doors again until at least spring.

Now I just need to get everything wrapped.  Again, an opportunity that is rare, if not impossible because I AM NEVER ALONE.  I either get rid of the kids for a few hours or stay up late after they've gone to bed.  I absolutely cannot leave this task until Christmas Eve because I will see the midnight hour and if that happens, I might as well go and enjoy Midnight Mass.  

So one way or another, it will get done.  All of it.  Even the remainder of the shopping yet to do.  G and I are hitting the stores together next Friday and making a day of it.  He gets his birthday off from work and gets to spend the day with me spending money.  What a great birthday present to himself!