sandycombs | Holiday Crazies

I can't believe I haven't posted anything since Thanksgiving Day! December has been a hectic month so far. Here's a little bit of what's been going on:

Mom finally got out of rehab the week after Thanksgiving and is now back in her own apartment and doing quite well. She doesn't exercise her arm as much as she should, but it's much stronger than it was even a month ago. Her orthopedic surgeon said she may never recover full use of the arm, but every little bit helps.

I managed to get Christmas presents for our "adopted" grandkids wrapped and shipped off to Florida on the 10th. I always say I'm going to have the box ready to ship the week after Thanksgiving, but it never works out that way. At least everything arrived in time for the kids to have something under the tree on Christmas morning.

The very next day Hubby wasn't feeling well, but decided to go to work anyway. An hour later he was back home, doubled over in pain. I felt really bad about it because he tried to call me to come pick him up. He was afraid to drive in his condition. Unfortunately, I was in the shower and never heard the phone ring. I hustled him out to the car as soon as I got dressed and took him to the ER. Turns out he has another kidney stone. He's been back and forth to the urologist three times since and it looks like he'll probably have lithotripsy in either late January or early February.

Monday, my brother-in-law's mother died. She had been in a nursing home for a couple years with advanced Alzheimer's and other health problems, and while her passing wasn't unexpected, my B-I-L is taking it very hard. Christmas, his birthday two days later, and New Year's Day are all going to be very hard for him this year. He and my sister will be here Christmas day and I'm going to try and make the holiday as pleasant for him as possible. The memorial is on hold until sometime in January, which I think is smart.

With everything else going on, I've neglected my holiday baking. Finally got started today. I cropped the picture of my roaster full of Chex Mix since I didn't think anyone needed to see my dirty dishes or range extender. So far, I've made four gallons and will make another 2-4 gallons more. If I didn't make tons of Chex Mix every holiday, people would be disappointed. I didn't take a picture of my Holiday Hello Dollies. They were a mess! The bottom layer was under-cooked and the top layer was over-cooked. (They taste amazing, though! LOL) Gonna have to decide something else to make and go back to the grocery store for more ingredients. I'm thinking Fudge, Holly Jollies, and Saltine Toffee. On Monday I'll bake pies and a cake and put casseroles together for Christmas dinner.

Whew! Made myself tired just typing all that. In case I don't make it back online before Tuesday, I wish all of you, my LJ and DW friends, the merriest of Christmases. And, if you don't celebrate Christmas, may the holiday you do celebrate be festive and full of joy.