Whoring my loot

That Chick wants to see what we got for Christmas. And I would show pictures but I am as sick as a dying dog and I just do not have the patience to wait while this piece of crap decides whether or not it will upload a picture or two.

Remember my Christmas list? Guess what I got that was on it?


NOTHING!

A great big fat zero. Not even the sex.

This is what I got:

2 Phillipa Gregory books (The Virgin's Lover and one other.) Suddenly, I am into all things Tudor. Thanks Debbie!

a nice big Winnie the Pooh mug from Taylor.

a gigantic Mr. Big chocolate bar from Taylor. I'm too sick to eat it though, just the thought of it makes me queasy.

a teamaker. Like a coffee maker but for tea. I quite like it, but I find it makes the tea a bit too strong for my liking. I am going to have to try it with loose tea.

sheets. 460 count sheets. Which I can't use, because William has psoriasis and tends to destroy sheets.

the movie Roxanne (because it was filmed in Nelson, where we went this summer), the movie Where the Heart is and the Dove campaign You're Beautiful CD because it had some great songs on it and some green tea bath salts. I bought those myself and told Taylor to wrap them.

a $30 gift certificate to HMV. This will pay for one season of Kate and Allie. Well, almost, it's $32.99. Plus GST.

In my stocking I had an electric toothbrush, the Feist CD (I really love that 1234 song), some Lindt chocolates and an Old Navy keychain. I bought my stocking stuffers myself as well.

I'm a grumpy fuck today. I probably shouldn't have posted this in this mood because I am coming off as ungrateful. And I'm not really. I am happy with what I got. Even if I had to buy half of it myself.

It's a Christmas Miracle

People! Look it! Here I am and with video. Had I known my computer would be so co-operative today I would have uploaded the picture of the fantastic ornament I received from Lisa in Julie's ornament exchange. I'll try that later this week. See, it really is a Christmas miracle. It's almost on par with walking on water or, dare I say it, immaculate conception. I've already done that, of course, having conceived Sophie in a month in which I am quite sure no one in my house was having sex. Including me. I'm babbling. Forgive me. It is now 12.20 on Christmas Day. I am operating on very little sleep as I have been wrapping presents well into the night ever since Friday. Last night there was a little crisis with two of Saoirse's presents from the big fella. Crisis adverted though. They were found safe and sound at my friend's as Taylor had accidentally given her a bag of my stuff along with the one bag she had in my garage. This was discovered at 7 am, a full 3 hours after I realized they were missing and after I spent 20 minutes on the phone with the night staff at Zellers discussing whether or not they carried a Princess laptop and the Princess dance studio so that I could run over in the middle of the night to spend another $120 I do not have.

Anywho...I leave you with a song by Saoirse. You can't actually see her, it's way too dark. I really need to figure out how to use this video camera feature. But she sounds really cute! She learned this song at school and when it was time for her concert she just stood there...I have 3 or 4 videos of her just standing there during all the songs. So did the 2 kids on either side of her, I'm pretty sure I got the only 3 kids who didn't move a muscle. However, she now graces us with this dong daily, and once yelled it walking down the mall, much to the amusement of some shoppers.



Where is Santa? from Emma on Vimeo.

Because that's just the way my life is going...

My computer's dead. I am officially computerless. Blah.

Thanks for the birthday wishes in the comments and on facebook.

I've been weepy all day. I don't know what my problem is.

Right now, I just want to be on a deserted island with a good book and no people.

See you in January maybe. Unless I get really, really lucky.

A little trivia contest

In honour of Frannie, who loves contests and giveaways I offer you this on a very, very small scale.

My daughter's school is named after someone from the court of King Henry VIII. Tell me who it is, what fate befell him/her and what you think her school mascot would be.

Any correct answers will be put together and the winner drawn by Taylor this weekend.

The prize will be sent in the New Year and you know all it's going to be is cards or something similar. Maybe some Canadian chocolate too, if the winner happens to not be from here.

And the prizes from the last little contest? Have been purchased and will be mailed to Chris and Karmyn this Thursday. Yeah, it takes me forever but eventually I do it.

Duh...I guess I should have said email me the answer because one could just copy the answer they see. emmamcdon@gmail.com Sorry to have deleted your answer AFF! But I'll remember what you said!

Bugger bugger

You know there is only so much yelling, crying and banging your head on the keyboard before you finally say you've had enough and give up on trying to post pictures of your favourite ornaments for Kaytabug's turn at hosting Fun Monday.
So I will take this moment to apologize for anyone who came here looking for a fun Monday post and did not find anythibng except for my usual drivel.

I would have shown pictures of Taylor, Saoirse and Sophie's first Christmas ornaments. I do have a son too, but as he will tell you he is not of much importance in our family and that is why his ornament has disappeared. This is so not true. I quite like him at times and I always love him. I have no idea what has happened to his ornament. It was crappy anyway. I think I picked it up for 50 cents at K-Mart back in the day when K-Mart was in Canada. It was a big blue ball one with Big Bird on it I think. And it said son. Hmmm...maybe it wasn't even a baby's first Christmas ornament. Poor bugger. Perhaps I should go on ebay and see if I can find a baby's first Christmas ornament from 1996.

I also would have shown you my very favourite ornament, which actually belongs to Taylor. It is a worm reading a book in an apple with a big bite taken out of it. It is dated 2000, the year she was 5 as she had started reading just before her birthday that year. To this day she is still a bookworm and everytime I see that ornament I think of Taylor at 4 with a Barney board book in her hands (the first book she ever read on her own), at 5 reading Junie B. Jones, at 7 reading Harry Potter, at 9 devouring the Dear Canada series ( I read these too! The one I linked to is my favourite) and at 11 loving Jaqueline Wilson.

I would have shown you the cutest little stocking ever, that Liam did receive for his first Christmas, from my mum's best friend. It has an embroidered hockey player in the Oilers colours with the number 22 on it (Liam's birthdate) and his name on the top of the stocking. Taylor has one too, but it is Liam's I would have shown you. Since I ripped him off in the first christmas category.

But who wants to read about ornaments when they can click to another site and see actual pictures.

Bah humbug.

While I wait for my camera...

This is supposed to be my Fun Monday post. But you know, technology and I? Not the best of friends. Why won't my camera let me pick and choose a handful of pictures? I know it can be done, I've done it before but no such luck today. It's either one, or the whole lot. So I have the one, which has nothing to do with today's Fun Monday topic of Christmas decorations, and I'm currently uploading the whole lot so I can get the 5 pictures that make up my Fun Monday post. Give me a couple of hours would ya? My computer? Slooooooowwww.

I was asked to post pictures from the Christmas party so here is the lone one that made it on to the computer:



So you thought I was exaggerating when I said I was fat did you? Yeah, I wasn't. But you know, whatever. I'm trying to accept me for me. And this? Is so not me! I never wear makeup and my hair never looks nice. And here? I think I look pretty fucking good.(But excuse me double chin and freaky smile? What the?) And that William...he cleans up pretty nicely. Oh, and I did end up getting blonde highlights and I had my eyebrows done. It was a lovely afternoon of being pampered.

The party was pretty good. Except that for some reason we weren't on the guest list. And so we had no seats at any table. We ended up at a table full of head office staff, at opposite ends. But it was okay. I talked to the couple sitting next to me and William talked to the couple sitting next to him. Our table won a prize (a box of Lindt chocolates each) for the best singing performance. We did Frosty the Snowman in rap. I sort of thought we sucked, but I think they were really looking for funny. And it was sort of. Even though they didn't have us on the guest list, they did have a card for William which contained $100 and a Christmas ornament.

He had to check today to make sure the kids were on the list for next week's Christmas part, because can you imagine taking a 3 year to a party and having her watch all these other kids get a gift from Santa while she has nothing? Luckily they were on the list, but it's odd that we weren't because he handed both forms in at the same time. Oh well, it all worked out in the end.

Tomorrow

I am so, so excited about tomorrow. It is William's staff Christmas party. It will also be our first child free night since the arrival of Saoirse, as my mum is having all 4 children for a sleepover. A birthday/Christmas gift should arrive early in our household, one should hope.

William is somewhat dreading tomorrow. He is not one for parties or crowds at all really. He is only going because he knows I want to. I am saying that after the amount we have spent he is going to go and stay until the end. It is at the Country Club so he needed a suit. Along with that he needed a new belt and a decent tie. I think he probably purchased his last tie in 1987...not pretty! He also needed dress shoes. I needed (well, wanted) a dress. I really lucked out as my friend Shelley found one that had been marked down from $90 to $15. It's nice and it looks alright on me. I suppose that for $15 I can not expect it to make me look skinny and gorgeous. I suppose that wouldn't happen even at $1000. I am what I am, she sighs.

I am taking the girls to our community league Christmas party tomorrow morning, which Taylor's Pathfinder unit is hosting. I will bring them home at 12.30 and then I am off to the hairdresser. I couldn't get into my regular gal, I guess phoning a week ahead doesn't work during the Christmas season, so I am trying a whole new place. I'm hoping my hair works out okay. I will go with the collar length layers that won the poll, but I didn't think I would have time to have it coloured. I am also having my makeup done for me. I don't wear makeup normally. In fact, I do not even know how to put on eyeliner. Yes, I am a capital L loser. I may get my eyebrows done too, another thing I have never done.

Now to just be able to get a picture of the two of us together would be fantastic. They are very few and far between and I usually delete any because I always look like a fat sack of shit. Hopefully, tomorrow I will not.


Oh and guess what? William said I could get him a Tivo for Christmas. He laughed when I asked if he would like one, because he is not a stupid man and he knows it is really for me. But I am fairly nice and will let him use it occasionally, he can record some of those silly sci fi shows he watches and all those Liverpool games on Setanta. Since we pay $14.99 a month for that one lone channel he had better take advantage! As long as they don't interfere with my shows of course. Because even though it will be his Christmas present? We both really know it will be mine.

Forgotten on the wish list

Can you believe I forgot to mention that I want a video iPod and a TIVO?

Yes, Tivo has finally made its way into Canada. And I want one. I want to be able to program in Melissa Gilbert's name and have every episode of Little House on the Prairie and every cheesy TV movie she has ever done recorded for me.

William! Don't forget to read the one below. The one with 13 other gift ideas on it.

Thursday Thirteen- 13 things I might just want for my birthday and/or Christmas

And I'm not fussy...I will take the following for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter and any other gift giving holiday. In fact, I will take them for no reason at all.

This list is being produced for one person specifically. He knows who he is. Don't tell me I haven't told you what I wanted.

Obviously I don't expect everything on this list, though if you happen to find a spare couple of thousand dollars I would be quite thrilled to see it all under the tree. Or wrapped on my birthday (which just happens to be in 10 days, hint hint.) But like I said...not fussy.


1. How I Met Your Mother Season 2 on DVD. How I love this show. And it's cheap, cheap. Can be from one of the kids. As can...

2. Kate and Allie Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD. Why is this fantastic example of the greatness of 80s comedy not on Dejaview or Prime or the I-refuse-to-call-it-Peachtree-TV TBS? I lurve this show. Which is why I would also like...

3. Kate and Allie Season 3 on DVD. Did I tell you that I love Kate and Allie? I really, I really do. But not as much as I love...

4. The Facts of Life Season 3 on DVD. Remember how I spent last Christmas week watching the first two seasons of this and the only (though really it should still be on the air, it was that fantastic) season of Freaks and Geeks? Wouldn't you like to see me lying on the couch for an entire week again? Ah, good times.

5. The Cricut Complete. This is, at $399.99, my most expensive request. I surely do love my scrpabooking supplies. And apparently I'm a bit of a scrapbooking loser if I don't have a cricut. And! it is on sale until Friday for the low, low price of $299.99. Just saying. And it even comes with the mats and tools and a couple of cartridges. Just saying.

6. A Project Organizer. Since I requested this last year and DID NOT GET IT, I am requesting it once again. The flyer from when it was on sale is still on the fridge, just to remind you of its craft holding goodness. Oh how I love this. Love, adore, would sleep with if it wasn't so big. Now if only I had my own scrapbooking room. That would be the bestest Christmas present EVER!



7. A gold membership to Urban Scrapbook. For $50 you would be giving me the following yumminess: 10% off each purchase, 25% off on my birthday, double reward points on Thursdays, 15% off all classes, 2 free classes a year and more.

8. A gift card to Urban Scrapbook. Because I would like to take advantage of that discount.

9. A gift certificate to Second Cup. Their green tea lattes? A thousand times better than Starbucks.

10. Homicide: Life on the Streets the Complete Series on DVD. Only $293.99. Well, it is my all time secind favourite show. And Homefront? It isn't on DVD yet.

11. A new blog template. Let's admit it. This one sucks. I needs me some help. Paid help. And while we're at it? I'd like my own domain actually. I've stuck with this blogging thing for nearly 3 years. I think it's here to stay.

12. A new kitchen table and 6 chairs. Slightly more expensive than the cricut I guess. I'm sort of fancying the pub style. Our current table is so waonky it has caused crooked lines on some of my cards. At least I'm blaming the table. Plus we only have 4 chairs and now that Sophie is out of the highchair (YAY!) I am sitting on a folding chair. Not so yay.

13. S-E-X. Sigh. Isn't it sad when you have to request sex as a gift? Yes that's what having a toddler in the bed does. I am requesting this for both my birthday AND Christmas. I know. It's asking a lot. I bet you can pull it off though. How convenient that I have booked my birthday off for the staff kids Christmas party.

Wordless Wednesday- The Asthma Attack

"Uncle Thom! Uncle Thom!"

This is from this summer when we were visiting my brother in Nelson. He made us so many delicious meals, here he is preparing one while Saoirse seeks out his attention. I often wonder how often food is dropped on the floor and picked back up to be used, here is my proof that at least one person does it. At least he washed it. Not very well judging by the length of time though.


Uncle Thom from Emma on Vimeo.

A Curse Upon You

When I go to work on the weekends I hope and pray for a slow evening so that I can read blogs. There are some blogs that my slow-ass-still-need-a-new-one computer just can't handle. Why I don't know, but for some reason the old girl just shuts down completely. Which is a shame, because I love both of those blogs.

So anyway, I look forward to getting into work and turning on the computer when it slows down. These are normally the first two blogs I read and over the course of my 2 days of nonwork, I hope to get through my blog roll. (Which reminds me I totally need to update my blogroll, I keep losing the all the little pieces of paper with urls on them.) And even comment sometimes, because I have become the blogosphere's shittiest commentor. I'm lucky a few people are still reading and commenting.

I get to work and it is dead. Love this! Do you know how quickly 8 hours can pass when you have a computer in front of you? I turn on the computer, erase the user name, out in the default one and type in the password.

What the fuck? "User access denied." The other computer said the same thing last week, but I did not worry too much because I always use this computer, my favourite computer with the nice comfy chair.

Excuse me, but do they not realize I have computer related things to do, blogs to read, card designs to look up on Splitcoast, the retired list is out on Stampin' Up. Do you not realize I enjoy being paid to mess about on the internet? $18.29 an hour isn't actually worth doing physical labour for.

I come to find out that my punisher is only a unit clerk. I'm assuming she must have went to higher ups first before she changed all the codes, but I am seriously unhappy and laying all the blame at her feet. She doesn't like us at all. She once took the handsets from the phones away so that we could not use them. Another time, she put a note saying "Porters, do not use the phones." Sometimes we need the phones to call a unit. It's not like I only use the phone to call home. True. Sometimes I call a friend or two as well. Apparently she thinks we have germs. Duh. A hospital is a pretty stupid place to work if you are a germaphobe. Unlike her I am unwilling to wear gloves for 8 hours. I hate the gloves actually, and only wear them when I am dealing with a patient with contact precautions. But I do wash my hands between patients, or a the very least use microsan.

So instead of catching up on blogs this weekend, I cut out 7 stamp sets, wrote out 20 cards, stamped 45 envelopes, addressed some of them and read my new Jodi Picoult novel, Perfect Match. (which I misplaced yesterday...where could I have put it? It was on my sofa the last time I saw it. Help me out here, I am having withdrawals.) I also spent some time cursing this unit clerk, with the wish that her over processed blonde hair will maybe fall out of her head.

Christmas cards continued...

I still need addresses. Just saying.

emmamcdon@gmail.com

30 down, absolutely none to go!

It's over, it's over!!!

I thought I did pretty good until last Friday when it all started falling apart and for the most part I have just been churning out shite since.

But now it's over and I don't have to worry about getting a post out ever again.

Do you know what this means? It means I can actually start reading blogs again. I am so, so, so far behind.

It means I can post at the other one where I have a ton to say.

It means that tomorrow is December 1st and my birthday will be only 15 days away, and Christmas will be in 24 days.

It means I better start buying my 2 oldest children presents.

It means I better mail my Christmas cards.

But I better finish them first. And my stampin up order needs to come in today so that I can make the non religious cards for those I know with other beliefs.

Can I tell you how excited I am about this order? 30% off plus free shipping meant I got way more bang for my buck. Oh you'll be seeing pictures you lucky ducks.

Who in their right mind wouldn't want to see my 7 stamp sets and 9 packs of designer paper?

Oh happy days.

Goodbye NaBloPoMo.

It was fun. Mostly.

Hello posting whenever I feel like it. How I have missed your sweet, lackadaisical ways.

Thursday Thirteen- 13 Fundraisers for the 2007/08 year

Fundraising. It's never ending. Some causes are worth while, some not so much.

1. Chocolate almonds. These were for Saoirse's playschool. I was required to take 2 cases EVEN THOUGH MY DAUGHTER WAS NOT STARTING FOR ANOTHER 2 MONTHS! My mum sold one in her office and we ate the other one. Yep, $75 worth of chocolate almonds right onto my fat ass. And I wonder why it is in the state it is in.

2. Mint cookies. Damn Girl Guides! No one wants the mint cookies! Again, these will end up padding my bum. That would be great if I tended to fall an awful lot but I don't. Another $48 down the drain. They are currently sitting in the cupboard. I wouldn't mind so much, but the majority of the money does not stay with the unit. Only a very small percentage does.

3. Sports tickets raffle. Saoirse's second major fundraiser. The raffle winner receives tickets to games for all of Edmonton's sporting teams- the Oilers and OilKings for hockey, Eskimos for football, the Rush for lacrosse and whatever other teams there are. Soccer, baseball, basketball. Teams I've never seen anyway. I have to sell $80 worth of tickets. I thought it would be hard but my friends Nancy and Shelley both bought $20 worth, I bought $20 and my mum and Jen made up the other $20. Easy peasy.

4. Sausage fundraiser. This is for Liam's school. They were selling sausage, perogies, cabbage rolls and beef jerky. The forms and money were due yesterday. I did not participate as I was in the midst of THREE hockey related raffles.

5. Oilers raffle. Liam's school is raising money for new chairs. Exciting no? This is a pretty good raffle...1st prize is a jersey autographed by all the Oilers including everyone's favourite Avalanche player, Ryan Smyth (apparently some people just aren't over the fact that he was traded), 2nd is a basket of Oilers merchandise and 3rd is $100. The draw is at Liam's Christmas concert and if I am as lucky as I was 2 years ago at the concert then I have a chance. (I won the 50/50...$205!)

6. Sig.n of H.ope campaign. This is a charity related to C@tholic Soci@l Services . Among some of the schools there seems to be a bit of a competition to see who can raise the most money. Last year, Taylor's school came in third even with their fairly small population. They are aiming for first this year and are having a few different events. Tomorrow is movie day, where they pay $5 and spend 2 blocks watching a movie. They are having a maid/butler day where students from each class are auctioned off. There is an in school raffle to win skybox seats to an Oilers game. The big raffle is an autographed Oilers jersey with second prize being 2 tickets to Van Halen. Taylor is loving all these "Fun"draisers.

7. Cookie/ cheesecakes sales. Liam's school's spring fundraiser. God, that cheesecake is delicious. I bet it would mail well. Okay probably not.

8. Spring Tea. Saoirse's third major fundraiser. I will be required to bake! Or buy baked goods to be sold at the very least. I am required to work at this tea. My daughter will sing cute songs (or just stand there while the other kids sing.) I will be required to buy something to put into the raffles that will be held. I will be required to spend many dollars on tickets so any one of my 4 children may win a raffle prize. One year, when Taylor was in 4 yr playschool I think, we won half the raffle prizes and the big raffle prize of a boy's bike. The next year? Liam cried when we won absolutely nothing.

9. Social Justice fundraisers. Taylor belongs to this club at school. For the most part they do things like make sandwiches and squares for the homeless who go to a local church. They have two big things coming up though...hampers for the Battered Women's shelter and a raffle in February for the people of Darfur.

10. Girl Guide cookies. The spring comes and so do the vanilla and chocolate cookies. These ones are easy to sell as I have at least 3 friends who like them. You so know who you are and that I will be ringing you the moment I have that box in my hands.

11. Monthly hot lunches. Taylor's school is introducing these on a monthly basis for the first time. Liam's school has always done them. They don't charge a fortune like some schools I could mention (Taylor's old one) but they still make a bit of money on them.

12. Optional playschool fundraisers. Jeesh, that playschool. Anything for a penny. The first was a hockey pool which I did not participate in. The second is a coffee sale and since I don't drink coffee I doubt I'll do that one either.

13. School photos. What? You didn't know that when you purchase your school photos you are actually making your school money? Yep, you are. A dollar a package. If I recall correctly schools can opt out, but I don't think many due. 300 students buying pictures is 300 extra dollars. I guess not all photography companies do this, but since Lifetouch is North America's biggest school photograper I would assume a good chunck of schools are making some money this way.