Christmas brought me another addiction...

Watch what you ask for. I got The Sims 2. It took me over two days of trying different things to figure out my sound driver was downlevel before I got it running. It's ok. Eric also gave me a massager I really wanted. Ahhhh! Melt that stress away! He was upset that a gift he got me was so much trouble so he picked up Rollercoaster Tycoon 4 after Christmas. It's really cool too! I refused to try that until after I made him the cinnamon candy I'd promised. He's happy! I still owe him fruitcake. The candy was easier than I remembered and it's so pretty! The boiling sugar is very pretty by itself. I took pictures. Once the sugar and corn syrup get hot enough, you add the color and cinnamon oil then pour it onto cookie sheets to cool and harden. Then you "drop" the cookie sheets to get it to break into chunks. I had to work at it to get the pieces small enough. Even with the suggested wax paper over the top a few little pieces jumped onto the floor. Oh well. The recipe made two cookie sheets full so no big loss. Mmmm!

On Christmas Day itself we went to my sister's house. We got the whole story of Mike's engagement over dinner. Apparently he wrote a book about the history of their relationship in Dr. Seuss style poetry! He hollowed out the last pages to make a hiding place for the ring. He took Katie to Florence, Italy with the promise of a surprise. They went on a hike along a well-known nature trail (the name escapes me) and when they found a good isolated place for their picnic, he gave her the surprise. She was not expecting a proposal. She didn't think he was ready for that. The wedding won't happen until after she's all done with school. That's a year and a half from now. She is working in a country that starts with Z this summer... Zimbabwe?... as a teacher's aide for a professor from UC San Diego as part of her post-graduate work. If enough students sign up Mike will be a second TA for the class. His biology degree qualifies him for that. It blows me away how they travel the globe doing things I've only wished I could do. It makes me happy for them!

I've never felt the full extent of my limitations as I am right now. Education = adventure. Stupid learning disabilities! >:(

Anyway, we missed Mike on Christmas. He called and we took turns talking to him on the phone. My sister invited a friend of hers from school to join us on Christmas Day. I was doing great that day focusing on THIS year and not getting tearful about Dad until she asked me about him. Then she talked about how her husband died ten years ago two weeks before Christmas and how her mother died and gosh, I got so sad. I had my camera with me but forgot to use it except to take two pictures of Chris. The one I'm posting was crooked, but it's the best one of him.

My family loved their calendars. I took advantage of my cellular phone company merging with another and switched my plan to a less expensive one with roll-over minutes so I could add Eric and pay the same monthly fee. We got brand new free phones with it. I wrapped his up for Christmas morning. He has had mixed feelings about cell phones. He doesn't like the idea of being at people's fingertips all the time, but then he likes the idea of having the phone for emergencies and for times like Mike's birthday last year when he couldn't find the restaurant until we were finished eating. He was excited when he unwrapped it! Whew! The new phones are so tiny it's amazing! I added international calling on my phone so I could call Mike. Hey! I could call some of you! (hint hint)

We all got totally spoiled by gifts. My sister bought me a couple of tops to wear to work and some new silicone spatulas. I used one making the candy. My old one would have melted in that situation! Mom totally spoiled all of us as usual. After dinner, dessert and gifts we played Mexican Train with dominoes. Mom hadn't played it before so she just watched at first and joined in for the second game. It was a nice day together.

( pictures! )

I've been working on other gifts for my friends from schooldays. Since I have a lack of funds I'm trying to make them gifts. Not sure if I'm going to finish completely. I had picked up metal sleighs after Christmas some years ago and came across them last summer when Jonathan was "helping" me sort through things. So I've put together little red felt bags mostly stuffed with fluff and topped off with miniature presents, toys and candy canes plus I've sewed miniature jingle bell harnesses to lay across them as if they're preparing for Santa's big journey. I've started making nylon stocking Santa Clauses but that's the part I'm not sure I'll finish. One has a face and a body I'm not happy with. Plus I can't find hair for them. Every place is sold out of white curly doll hair. They'll have to wait for Santa. On top of that my sewing machine is not working. Something is wrong with the bobbin and causes it to create a tangle underneath the seam. It occurs to me that I haven't oiled it in years since I rarely use it. Hope I didn't break something! Mom gave me some money for Christmas. I might use it to repair my sewing machine. Sewing by hand makes my fingers go numb. I think I'm finished for now. I might do the other two Santa faces since those have to be done by hand. The clothes will wait for a machine.

Since Eric is home this week we've been watching a lot of movies on TV. We switch to the news now and then to see what is happening with the tidal wave disaster. It seems so unreal. I anxiously checked to see if New Zealand was mentioned. Whew! It wasn't. Later I found out that my cousin's daughter is on a world tour with a group of friends. Right now she's in Egypt learning to scuba dive. One of her next stops is Thailand. She had a bit of a fright thinking about that. What if they'd moved faster in their tour? She would have been there on the coast. But she wasn't.

Sure seems like a lot of things have been taking a downward turn right now. An actor from a TV series I really love died this morning. Jerry Orbach from Law and Order died from his chemo for prostate cancer. So sad.

It's easy to look at the sad side of things especially when they're as huge as the tidal wave disaster. Good things are happening too. I must remember to look at my blessings list and not let the the bad stuff override it.

That being said, I need to get showered and out the door. VoiceTrax has called for me to work today.

Hope all is well with you!