Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Not As Planned

Not much happened yesterday that I thought would happen. We all have days like that and we can choose to either beat our heads on the proverbial brick wall or go with the flow and decide to be happy and enjoy the day anyway. Really. We get to choose. We can choose frustration, self-blame, and anger or we can choose appreciation, laughter, and the realization that an alteration in our plans isn't that big a deal.

I was going to have a big cookie baking day. Had the butter out on the counter softening first thing. Then before eight o'clock, I got an e-mail from my baby quilt website designer (aka my daughter) reminding me that it was Tuesday and we had neglected to post the Monday Featured Quilt of the Week on my quilting blog. (We've set up a link on the website that takes you to Monday's blog post and the featured quilt of the week.) Oh . . . heck. What was I thinking? Obviously, I had NOT been thinking.

I told her I'd get the post written as soon as I could and put it in Draft where she could access it and add the required pictures which she had to take off the website. (I don't have access to them . . . nor the technical expertise to do that operation.)

As soon as I had written the post, I notified her via e-mail that all was in readiness for her and could now be completed.

Then I realized I had to go to town to mail a package that needed to go out pronto. Rats. So I made a list of other stops to make as long as I was in town, bundled up, started the car, scraped the ice off the windows (it was only 10°) and headed into town with nine (yes, 9!) stops on my list.

Arrived back home shortly before lunch time to discover that the blog post wasn't up yet. Hmmm. That was strange.

Put the butter back in the refrig and made us a little lunch. The mail I picked up on my way home contained the last of the Christmas presents I was waiting for so decided to get them wrapped which I did in the afternoon. Also put tags on all of the gifts which I hadn't been able to do before because I couldn't find the leftover tags from last year for love nor money. (Bought new ones in town.) So all of the ones I had previously wrapped got pulled out from under the tree and proper tags added. But the unbelievable thing is I now have all presents wrapped. December 9th and the task is done. Complete. Finished. Can't believe it. That's the earliest I've ever had that job finished.

Well, okay, the above is a teeny white lie. There are three presents for me from my dear husband that still haven't arrived. You see, I have a terrible time spending money on myself and Roy has a terrible time picking out something I will like . . . especially clothing which is what I really needed and decided I wanted for Christmas. So I stalled and diddled around for ages but finally picked out two shirts and a scarf from a catalog and ordered them. And when they do arrive, I will be wrapping them myself. It's not that he isn't willing to do it but it's such a painful operation to subject him to. And a great waste of wrapping paper because he uses so much! No need for him to do it when I know what the presents are. So I'll wrap those last three myself when they show up.

Our first big snow of the season that we prepared for and were told to expect yesterday and today . . . hasn't appeared yet. We didn't see a flake all day yesterday. Sounds like it may stay south of us now. Less to shovel and move around but the temperatures are getting low enough that we need the insulation on septic tanks and drain fields.

What happened to my quilting blog post that Chicken Mama was going to get up? Turns out that shortly after she e-mailed me in the morning, she lost satellite reception and has been without a working computer since then. (Her day did not go as planned either, I'm sure she would tell you!) Sigh. Oh well.

So not a Christmas cookie in sight yet but the day certainly wasn't a wasted day. Just different than what I had planned. Dare I say I'm going to bake today? Maybe I won't announce that's my plan and I'll just try to sneak it in when Fate isn't looking.

5 comments:

Chicken Mama said...

WHAT? Your Christmas presents are all wrapped?? But, but . . . I still have more Wish List items to give to you! ;)

(And Dad should still be forwarding your gifts to ME to wrap. It ain't fair that you wrap your own - even if you DO know what they are!)

Morning chores outside (brrr!) & then website updating. FINALLY.

P.S. Word verification? Bedroll. Yup, that's just where I'd like to be right now!

Jennifer Jo said...

Sounds like a pretty productive day despite the changes---NINE errands and you were home BEFORE lunch!

What will you (maybe, if you get around to it) be baking?

Mama Pea said...

Chicken Mama - My file of things you have given me for your Wish List is so big I can hardly lift it. If you never gave me another suggestion for the next 10 years, we could find things for you for not only Chrismas, but birthdays, anniversaries, Easter baskets, Summer Solstice, and Ground Hog Day.

Mama JJ - When I go to town with my list, I don't fun around. I'm not a shopper so I get in, do what needs to be done, and get out!

IF I ever do get around to it ;o), this is my Christmas goodie list for this year: Frosted Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Snowballs, Almond Spritz, Toffee Bars, Peppermint Ice, Peanut Clusters, Bourbon Balls, Honey Caramels, Fudge, and batches and batches of Caramel Corn. (I gave away so much of the Caramel Corn last year, we never even got any ourselves!)

Erin said...

I can't believe you are getting anything done with the weather lately! And I am with you on the gift thing - I don't want my husband picking out stuff and spending money on it, I just get what I need or want when we can throughout the year and Christmas we usually wrap up new socks or something, lol, and save the "real gifting" for the kids! I don't even get around to wrapping or putting under the tree until Christmas Morning before the kids wake up, since one of our dogs "Sprocket" loves to tear open gifts, and she doesn't stop tearing after the paper is done, lol

Mama Pea said...

Hi, Erin - We were scheduled to go to the big city (130 miles one way) today but cancelled because of the 25-35° BELOW zero windchill factor. I haven't been out yet but Roy did morning chores and reports it's brutal out there. [Still wanna retire to northern MN? ;o)]

But it's a WONDERFUL day for baking Christmas cookies and as a friend just suggested to me, "cuddling under the Christmas tree" which would be a real gymnastic feat for us since the tree is on a cabinet in the living room!

(Sprocket must have had a bad experience when she was a pup with receiving a Christmas gift she wasn't happy with!)