WHO'S CRANKY?

When the Marine got out of boot camp, one of his favorite drill sgt. catch phrases to imitate was "who's confused?" He told us that the drill sgts. would bark out an order and then forcibly ask...WHO'S CONFUSED?

That makes me giggle, using it in my everyday pollyanna housewife life..."Dinner is ready! WHO'S CONFUSED?" Try it at your house.

Today my question is WHO'S CRANKY? Well, I am. Not so much cranky really, I am full of holiday cheer and joy...but I am over all the preparations/obligations. Done, over, I am through, closing up shop, thanks for asking.

I thought this week would be smooth sailing...but take 2 days out of your life, due to strep throat, the week before Christmas and you are sunk.

The house is a MESS. I did appropriately Lysol & bleach all potential strep contaminated areas & wash sheets. It is worth mentioning that I did also wash my pajamas which I may or may not have had on for 3 days straight. But other than that....A MESS.

Monday and Tuesday were a wash. So Weds. I geared up to make up for the previous 2 days. Which included quilt blonde rascal's quilt, make gift for teacher and treats for classmates, prepare for class party and throw in attempting to eventually cross everything off the mother of all pre-Christmas to-do lists.

Luckily on one of my favorite blogs came to the rescue for classmate treat ideas. Meg at Whatever gets all the credit for these...Unfortunately at this late state in the game WM was sold out of the more budget friendly simple treat bags so I was forced into buying these danged pricey Hallmark numbers. With that in mind I opted out of the candy cane and ribbon embellishment route like Meg did. Hers DO look so much cuter though! Go visit her blog, seriously. She totally keeps it all real, her photography is amazing and her house is family friendly wonderful and so charming!!!

Blonde rascal's teacher is the best he has ever had and we love her to pieces, so for her... a stay up half the night in order to finish in time for the party tote bag was the only way to go.
I had whipped one out last week for my neighbor's who are in Russia adopting a boy, so the motions were still fresh in my brain and luckily it is an easy pattern.(please excuse the ham in the background)

The class party went off without a hitch thanks to the rawkin' room mom (ahem) and on top of decorating gingerbread houses there was enough sugar to have all the wee children spazzing out for days.
So on Weds. & Thurs. between all that hoopla made cookies to send to the Marine. He doesn't get leave to come home until the 29th. So I sent him a package of a few small presents, snacks and of course cookies. I wanted him to have a little love on Christmas day.

I am done with the gift shopping, on a positive note, and all is wrapped & under the tree. That is a huge woo-hoo!

Sunday morning the kids will be having a birthday party for Jesus at Sunday school. The children's minister asked for volunteers to each make 2 dozen mini cupcakes each. I volunteered, no biggie because what's a little more baking at this point...

He sends an email asking that the cupcakes be peanut free, due to peanut allergies of course. Okiedokie. While at WM a few days back I spy their mini cupcakes in the bakery and upon further investigation of the package see that they are made in a nut free facility. Perfect. I planned on running by later in the week to pick them up. That was until the NEXT email from the children's minister asking that we do not buy bakery cupcakes due to potential cross contamination. And that specifically if we buy a mix that it be Pillsbury or something.

Good grief, I can't buy bakery, I can't use the mix in my pantry...this simple volunteer act is now stressing me out!! I bought the Pillsbury mix feeling really good about myself. Then I realize that the cookies, I previously mentioned making for the Marine, were peanut butter cup cookies. So now MY kitchen is cross contaminated for the love of pete!

I think I will send my 2 dozen cupcakes Sunday morning with an epi-pen (sp?) strapped to the Tupperware container. I will not be held responsible for a throat swelling up at sweet baby Jesus' birthday party for crying out loud! I thankfully don't have a child with a nut allergy and bless your heart if you do, I can't imagine how that must worry you senseless on a daily basis. But please if that is your child, bake him a sterile nut free cupcake and send it to Sunday school...just so I can sleep peacefully.

SO I finished quilting blonde rascal's quilt THIS morning. Now I have to attach the binding, which has to be done by hand...and now school is out meaning b.r. will be home ALL day and staying up late at night....leaving me when exactly to hand sew the binding on a gigantic quilt???

I may have to lock myself in my sewing room a few evenings. Darn the luck.



What's left now? Well, breakfast with Santa tomorrow morning at church and hub's office party tomorrow night....and then the calendar is clear. Blank. No writing anywhere on it at all next week. Amen.

While I love volunteering and being involved, but that tied in with Christmas preparation stress, shopping, strep throat and going 90 to nothing all wadded up in a crazy 2 week period is waaaayyy too much and I am so glad it is over. Now it is time to chill with my family and enjoy the season!

Speaking of fun, after school blonde rascal and I went to PetsMart to pick up dog/cat food. What was entertaining was that we took Missy the wonder weenie dog. Much to our amusement she, in no particular order... barked ferociously at some people, peed on aisle 6, took many, many toys off the shelves and made a valiant effort at getting into the cat in the adoption area. Good times at PetsMart.

And lastly a very special Merry Christmas to the post office employee who was cleaning the glass doors as I entered the post office today. She politely stopped cleaning & stepped aside so I could get in the door. Which is ALL she did while I schlepped in my large 20lb box to send to the Marine, balancing it in one arm while awkwardly reaching for the door with the other. Her hands were apparently too full to open the door...with her one bottle of Windex and all.

Little did she know I pressed my hands all over the clean glass as I exited. Hmmmph. Merry Christmas to you! (I was gifting her with job security, really)

What about you? Are you past the frenzy? I really hope so! It is time to have fun, right??