Christmas Wrap-up

This holiday season has been interesting. I'll start with Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve

I woke up at 7:00 AM to the ringing of my alarm clock. I set it for 7 so that I could shower before me and Dad went to get the cannoli for Christmas Day breakfast. When we got to the bakery, it was around 9:00, and they didn't open until 9:30, so we had to attempt other errands for the half hour. I say 'attempt' because we weren't successful. We stopped at Winners to look for an ornament for Mom, but they weren't open, so we tried Shoppers Drug Mart because Dad wanted to get Mom a Terry's Chocolate Orange for her stocking, but they were cleaned out of the milk chocolate and white chocolate ones. We didn't get her a dark chocolate one because she isn't keen on dark chocolate unless it's mild dark chocolate.

Now that I think about it, we should've seen if the Dutch imports shop in the little shopping mall was still open for business, because they carry a different brand of the chocolate oranges. That mall's being demolished, though, because a SmartCentre is going in.

We did some last-minute cleaning, and then after we had our Harvey's hamburgers I put on It's a Wonderful Life. Katie and Dan got in at around 9:30 PM, and me and Dad helped them haul stuff out of the trunk of Katie's car (she bought a used Toyota recently) because not only did she have her gifts to us, but she also had Dan's family's gifts to him and Katie.

Christmas Day

I can't remember when I eventually got out of bed. I just remember not wanting to get up. I felt kinda sad that morning. Lately I've been feeling sad about holidays. I guess that's why I listen to so many Christmas songs and watch so many Christmas movies - because I'm trying to distract myself from the future and cheer myself up.

It wound up being a great Christmas morning. We ate out cannoli first - Dan gave me the other mini Yule Log, which was nice of him. Normally I think we would open presents first and then eat, so it felt a little odd. And then Katie was like, "Dan, finish your cannoli so that I can give you your stocking!" It was cute. And we put on Bell TV's Yule Log channel, but we muted it so that we could put the stereo on and listen to the CBC.

So, in my stocking, I got:

A bag of red licorice allsorts (because I'm not crazy about black licorice much)
Two Sherbet Fountains
Three little bags of British candy - one of Jelly Babies (which I ate this afternoon), one of Bursting Bottles, and one of Fruit Gems (?)
Two trios of nail polish
A pouch of lip balms
A bottle of anti-frizz hair serum
Two pairs of tights
A nail buffer
A marzipan pig
A bag of coconut truffles (I ate a few)
A bag of toffees
Mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner

From Katie and Dan, I got:

A Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll
Bookends
A CD holder that matches the bookends
Leonard Cohen's first CD

From my parents, I got:

16" circular needles
Woolwash
A pink Namaste bag!!!!
Fleecy pajamas
A fleecy houndstooth-print robe
A sleep shirt
The soundtrack from Juno
Bob Dylan's Christmas album
A self-healing rotary cutting mat
A rotary cutter

After we finished unwrapping gifts, Katie and Dan drove down to Nathan's place to pick up him and Steph (I've been calling them Kurt and Courtney ;p). Nathan actually like the hamburger patty press thing I gave him, because he makes burgers a lot, from what he told us. He and Steph gave me a white shortie fleece robe with skulls on it in different colours - kinda pop art-y. I like it.

I freaked out when I was getting ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa's, because I couldn't fit into my pantyhose, and then in a fit of rage I whacked my heel on the underside of my bed and it started bleeding, so Katie came down to see if I was okay, and then got some peroxide and a bandage for my heel and helped me with my clothes. I wound up wearing my black eyelet kneesocks instead of pantyhose, because kneesocks are idiot-proof and look flattering.

I went with Katie and Dan in their car to Grandma and Grandpa's place, and Dad took the food first and then picked Mom up from the house. When I got there, Patti's friend Lorraine was there, talking to Grandma (thankfully, she didn't stay for dinner - probably because Patti wasn't there). Me and Grandma talked a little bit, and then Uncle Brent, Justin and Breanne arrived. Not long after that, Mom arrived. And then Grandma asked us to change the tablecloth on the table in the living room because Grandpa had put down a beige-coloured one with grapes on it, and she preferred the solid white tablecloth. It was funny.

Once everybody was sitting in the living room, Grandpa started handing out gifts. I got two books off my list (Terrier by Tamora Pierce and Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr), a clock radio (which I didn't think I needed, because I have my wind-up alarm clock, but I like it and will probably use it) and a hoodie from Aeropostale. Grandpa even asked me to try it on to make sure it fitted okay, and it did. Breanne and Justin got Aeropostale stuff, too. At first, Breanne told Grandpa that her stuff wouldn't fit, but she tried it on and it fit well. She really liked the green and purple shirt she got. Katie, Uncle Brent and Mom all got these Magic Bullet blenders, Dan got a Transformers DVD, and Dad got a bottle of Jack Daniel's and a case of Dr Pepper - which was really funny, because it's Dad's new favourite drink, and he keeps telling people about it. Justin got a book off his list also, and Katie got the Wilton cake decorating course kit she asked for. She's pretty happy about that kit :)

Dinner wasn't as pleasant. I was at the table in the living room with Katie, Dan, Breanne and Uncle Brent. Brent was being a complete ass, bitching at Breanne about irrelevant things. He wanted her to put on her button-down shirt that she had with her, even though it was roasting in the living room (it got so warm that Grandpa asked people to open the front door for a few minutes). And he even had the nerve to tell her, "Go to your mother's." Now, Breanne was being a little bit of a madam, but she would be keeping to herself and eating dinner and Brent would pick fights with her. It pissed me off immensely. If I wasn't trapped between Dan and the Christmas tree, I would've left the table, I was that mad.

Dessert was a little more civil. I ate my trifle like a jackhammer, though, because I was so mad at Brent, and when I went to grab some cookies and squares from the platter, I sat at the kitchen table with Mom, Grandma, Grandpa and Jack instead. After dessert, we hung around while Brent, Breanne and Justin were leaving (Brent forgot his laundry and hair gel from when he used Grandma and Grandpa's shower 'cause his cistern was empty at home, and he was supposed to take the raw veggies and dip with him, but forgot that too, so Katie grabbed it all and put it in her car).

Boxing Day

I ate a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast. As usual, after I eat, somebody offers to pick up take-out. In this case, it was Katie offering to pick up breakfast from McDonald's. She asked me if I wanted anything, though, which was nice, so I asked for hotcakes. She asked me if I wanted a hashbrown patty, too, so I said yes. I like McDonald's hotcakes. There was no butter in the bag, but that was fine. I just ate them plain.

Katie picked up Nathan at around 1:00. Steph didn't come because she wasn't feeling well, apparently - I'll believe it when I see it. Hey, I wonder if she was... never mind. Not gonna say it. Bad, bad taste.

Anyway. I put on jeans and my red shirt with 'I'm sorry. My fault. I forgot you were an idiot.' printed on it in white. It's another gem from Giant Tiger. I took Blood and Chocolate with me in case I got bored (Mom thought it was rude, but too bad). I managed to read a page, or almost a page, on the way. It was hard to read in the van because it isn't as smooth a ride as the Honda, so my book kept wobbling. It was really soggy outside, but a pretty kind of soggy. The natural light was good for reading, and I wish I'd taken my camera with me 'cause the scenery was really pretty. I saw horses. And cattle. Or maybe they were bulls. I think they were cows, though. But the sky itself was really pretty - very dark and overcast with a little stripe of light on the horizon. It would've been a great shot to use for a book cover for my NaNoWriMo '09 novel.

Brent was on his best behavior. I think it was because Heather (his girlfriend) and her kids were there, and Breanne and Justin were at their mom's. If Breanne had been there, he may have even been civil to her, just because of Heather being there and him wanting to impress her. Yeah, Brent, you're sooo Father of the Year. Pfft.

We had ham, green beans, scalloped potatoes (which were really good), sweet potatoes (which were mediocre in comparison to Mom's sweet potato souffle that she made for Christmas Day dinner. That, and Patti brought them.), lasagna (which was soupy and weird - another Patti contribution) corn, and salad. I think my favourite was the scalloped potatoes. It looked like there was onion in them, which was neat.

Heather's girls are adorable. I met Tegan when we went out for Chinese food, but I hadn't met Jenasee until yesterday. Tegan really likes Katie and Dan. Poor Dan became a set of playground monkey bars! ;P

Today

Mom whacked together a blueberry French toast casserole for breakfast last night and baked it off today. It's pretty good. Katie and Dan went out to do some shopping at various places. I'm not sure if they're home yet. This post has taken me a long time to write because Dad has called me down several times to dry dishes.

I'm drinking ginger ale.

I ate the packet of jelly babies that I got in my stocking.

That is all.

Thanksgiving Day Weekend

Thanksgiving was interesting to say the least. Let's start with Friday...

Friday

We did a bit of cleaning because Katie was arriving in the evening. She came just after Dad left to pick up takeout from the local Italian restaurant, so she had a bit of my fettuccine and a bit of Mom's gnocchi. And she gave me my birthday present - Japanese Inspired Knits! I think she went out to meet with friends after dinner, if I remember correctly.

Saturday

This was pretty much Thanksgiving prep day. Mom baked her pumpkin pies, and then I think she and Katie got started on the potatoes. Or was that Sunday morning? I can't remember.

I went to the library to pick up my stuff, and not long after I came home I went back out with Katie to pick up Justin from the bus station, and then we went to a cafe downtown that sells fair trade stuff. I got a hot chocolate, Katie got coffee, and Justin got coffee and a bowl of soup because he hadn't eaten much.

Then we went back home and Katie and Justin went to visit Grandma while me and Mom watched the soccer game, then Katie and Justin came back and hung out, and then we all got hungry so Dad and Katie went to Wendy's to pick up burgers for Katie and Mom and chicken sandwiches for me and Justin. I accidentally took a bite out of Justin's spicy chicken sandwich, but he didn't mind. I had fries and a chocolate Frosty to go with my chicken sandwich, and Katie got a Frosty - not sure if it was chocolate or vanilla - and fries. I couldn't drink my Frosty with a straw so I chucked it out and got a spoon, haha. Then Uncle Brent came to pick Justin up.

Sunday - family dinner day

The morning was pretty calm. We watched Sunday Morning, then Katie and Mom made the corn casserole that Grandma loves (which Grandpa said he didn't want, and pretty much told Grandma she couldn't have it, but whatever). I think the potatoes were made on this day, but it might've been Saturday. Anyways, I put in Pieces of April, because it's a Thanksgiving movie and it's awesome and me and Katie love it and Mom loves it and yeah. Then Katie went to pick up Nathan and Steph, and I fretted over my hair while Mom showered, and I finished watching Pieces of April, and then I got dressed as Katie was coming back with Nathan and Steph. We stopped by the liquor store (where some idiot decided to walk right next to the van as it was moving, and acted like we were dumb or something), then we went to Grandma and Grandpa's (where Brent was being a douche by coming up right behind us and leaving no room for the back doors to open, so Dad had to move ahead). I threatened to stay in the car, but Mom told me to behave myself.

It went somewhat well. Patti was being polite, Grandpa was being a child, and it seems that Jesse has developed a wicked sense of humor. And Patti's boyfriend Kevin's mother kept sticking her oar in - first, with my Christmas list, telling me to unfold it for Grandma, and then asking me if my name was on it. WHAT. THE. HELL. MAN. And then Patti asked me to put pickles into glass dishes, so I filled up the big dish first, and when I got to the smaller dishes I was finding a lot of picked cauliflower, so Kevin's mother was taking cauliflower out of the smaller ones and putting it in the bigger dish, saying something like, "We should have it all evened out." I was like, WTF? Was that necessary? If it was that important, Patti would've asked me to move some cauliflower to the bigger dish.

Dinner was hilarious. There were two tables set up in the living room - one big-ish table and one small card table - and the dining room/kitchen table was set. Grandma sat at the dining room/kitchen table, because it was easier for her wheelchair, and with her sat Katie, Grandpa, Patti, Kevin, Kevin's two kids and Kevin's mother. In the living room we had...

At the big table: Mom, Dad, Justin, Breanne, Uncle Brent and Becca.
At the small table: Me, Nathan, Steph and Jesse.

So you might say I was at the 'cool tables'. We kept cracking jokes that were slightly dirty, and another joke that went back a long ways, back when my mom's cousins were young. Two of these cousins - I think Mom said their names were Leanne and Shelly - would ask for mayonnaise or Miracle Whip to go with their turkey, because that's how they liked their turkey. Well, I guess Grandpa would complain about how they 'shouldn't be eating mayonnaise with their turkey' because 'warm turkey is meant to be eaten with stuffing and gravy, not mayonnaise!" So, Mom told Becca she'd pay her $5 to go ask Grandpa for mayonnaise or Miracle Whip to go with her turkey, but she wouldn't. Dad even offered her $10, but she wouldn't. So, Breanne took the dare, and got a laugh from Grandma (and I think a glare from Grandpa) and $5 from Mom. And when I bit into my leg of goose, I found a beebee! I guess Uncle Brent, who shot and cooked the goose, forgot to run a magnet by it! lol. The turkey wasn't too bad, considering that Patti cooked it.

Grandpa was being very childish. For instance, when I was dishing out the pickles, I had to set my can of Pepsi down. I left the room when Grandpa bitched at us to clear the kitchen, even though Patti had told us to stay still because she thought he was coming with Grandma in the wheelchair. So, I went back to get my can of Pepsi, only to find that it had mysteriously disappeared. So, I got another one from the cellar downstairs. Sometime either before or after dinner he made a public stink about 'someone being wasteful and leaving a half can of Pepsi lying around'. JERK.

Dessert was lovely, but Patti was skimping on the whipped cream as she dished out pumpkin pie, which pissed Mom off because Mom not only made the pie, but also brought the cream. There was leftover whipped cream, so Jesse came out with the bowl and asked if anybody wanted some, and I held my plate out and he plopped a spoonful on my plate and then ate the rest out of the bowl. 'Twas funny.

Monday - today

Today was the day of rest for me and my parents. Katie left at around 11:00 in the morning. When I was up on my computer, Mom suddenly yelled, "Sam! You wanna go see Zombieland?" So, we locked the dogs up and went to the movie theatre and saw Zombieland. It was EPIC. Seriously, it's funny. There's nothing quite like leftover pumpkin pie and zombies on Thanksgiving Day.

Boo!

It snowed.

At least it's partially melted now, but I didn't get to walk to the library. Oh well. I renewed my DVDs, so I only have one item that's due back soon - the David Bowie CD I'm borrowing. I have two CDs to pick up (Pink Floyd's The Final Cut and David Gilmour's Live in Gdansk album), and a book on Pete Townshend. And I have a CD in transit - Coldplay's Prospekt's March EP, which should be pretty neat.

Hmm, what else is going on? I'm probably going to youth group tomorrow - wait, maybe not. My dad's working different shifts this week, so he might be working tomorrow night. I'll have to ask him. Katie and Dan are coming up this weekend (Easter weekend!!!!!), so that should be cool. I don't know if I'll see Nathan over Easter, and I don't care much anyway. I'll probably see Breanne, and maybe Justin, because we're supposed to be having Easter Sunday dinner in this room at the hospital that Grandpa rented or something so that we could have dinner with Grandma. Should be interesting...

Oh, and I have to post this...





But it's even funnier in Spanish:

More loot!!!

Yup. I got more stuff for Christmas. It came from Katie and Dan. I recieved...

It Girl Knits by Phoenix Bess (!!!)
Stitch N' Bitch Nation (!!!)
It's a Wonderful Life and White Christmas (now I don't have to watch them on CBC!)
A pretty journal

Katie and Dan came over on the 27th, and then they picked up Justin and Breanne the same day. Justin liked his scarf (yay!), and because I hadn't bought anything for Breanne, I gave her some nice soap that Mom bought at Winners, and because we had these pen-and-pencil sets in the house, I gave her one one of them - they're rather nice, too. She liked the soap, and I think she liked the pen-and-pencil set, too.

Nathan came by today to get his pressies. He seemed to like the lamp I gave him.

Unfortunately, though, my keyboard is acting up again. Actually, it's the USB port, so my dad may have to take my CPU to Summit to have the USBs replaced. Whee.

Just the seaming to do now...

That's right. I'm DONE sewing the yellow triangles on Justin's scarf. It was actually not that difficult - pinning the triangles down and fixing the bind-off holes on some of the triangles, that was the hardest. Well, that and aligning the triangles. But the sewing part was not that hard. So now I just have to seam the ends, wrap 'er up in a gift box, and I'm all set. I think I might also include a little notecard with washing instructions written on it. Might be helpful.

And holy crap, it's already the 20th of December! EEP! I have to wrap pressies! Well, I've got Dad's done already. I'm giving him a shirt and The Essentials: The Blues Brothers CD, which we got at Indigo during the bitter-and-sorta-pointless shopping trip.

...And now my left speaker has kicked out. Dammit.

Anyways. Uncle Brent is probably dropping in on Christmas Eve, which is cool. Christmas Day is just us three - me, Mom and Dad. Katie, Dan, Nathan and Steph are coming up on the 27th.

I only have Nathan's lamp, Katie's pressie and Mom's pressie (can't say what they are, because they both know about my blog!) to wrap. Oh, and Justin's scarf, of course. I was going to make Breanne something, but I decided not to. I feel a little guilty, but she's been giving Uncle Brent a hard time, so maybe I'll knit her a scarf for her birthday instead.

Holiday to-do list.

I got the idea from AJ's blog. Hope you don't mind, AJ :)

Holiday To-do List

1. Help Mom clean up the house for Christmas. This includes sweeping, dusting, washing the couch covers, maybe vacuuming the couch (ah, the joys of having a Jack Russell Terrier!) and washing the dog bed.

2. Play lotsa Christmas music!

3. Help Mom with the holiday baking.

4. Get Justin's scarf finished.

5. Start and finish Breanne's Calorimetry.

6. Buy Mom and Dad's Christmas presents.

7. Wrap presents.

8. Make sure my room is relatively clean. This is a bit difficult, since my room is the basement!

9. Watch as many movies off the Holiday Movies to Watch list I made (see this post).

10. At least finish the pockets for my vest.

11. Attend the Christmas Eve service at the Unitarian church, even if Reverend Barrett isn't there. I miss her :( I hope she DOES come back in January. At first I thought she was forced to resign, but now they're putting the minister down as 'parental leave (January)'. So hopefully she'll come back. If they DID force her to resign, I might cut down on services.

12. Put up a post on Christmas Eve with 'Happy Xmas/War is Over' by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band in the post - via YouTube, of course.

13. Hopefully put up a post on Christmas Day.

14. Put up that video of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band playing 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' in the Bruce Springsteen group on Ravelry.

15. Hopefully hang out with Holly before the new year.

16. Every year, the youth group volunteers at a place that is a food bank and a place for the poor to get Christmas presents for their families. If I can, I'll volunteer there with the youth group, but last year I didn't because of Dad's work schedule AND the fact that there were no permission forms.

17. Set up the tree, of course! We got a red tinsel tree last year with lights already on it, and it's really pretty, so maybe we'll put that up. We would have to stick with mostly silver-coloured ornaments, though, because gold would be too much for our yellow-painted living room! Actually, we have some pretty cool straw ornaments that would look pretty on the red tree.

18. Put on the Galaxie Traditional Holiday channel on December 1st. This also falls under #2.

19. Sort out my sister Katie's birthday present. Her birthday is in the first week of December, so it's a bit difficult!

20. Find out where Christmas dinner is going to be, so I can prepare myself for any bullshit.

21. If we're going over to Grandma and Grandpa's for Christmas dinner, I want to put together a punk outfit ahead of time, to shock my grandparents and my least favourite aunt.

22. Play Grandma and Grandpa's piano, if I can. Usually they have a table in the way, though. Or then there was Grandma's 70th birthday party, when Aunt Patti (my least favourite aunt) got all pissy and wouldn't let me play the piano because it was annoying her. Well, it's not my fault it's out of tune, Princess Patti!

23. Stand up to Grandpa if he decides to be a complete asshole to someone I actually care about.

24. Hopefully go carolling, even if I go alone.

25. Send a Christmas card to Holly. And maybe one to Erica if I feel like it. Even though she usually sends me one, and I always forget to, we're still not as close as we were. But sending her a card would be a good gesture, I think.

26. Say 'happy birthday' to Holly on Facebook. It must be a real bummer to have a birthday shortly after Christmas.

27. Hopefully finish my fingerless gloves, but they can wait. Gifts come first.

28. Go with Dad to the Italian bakery we love on Christmas Eve to pick up some cannoli for our Christmas Day breakfast. Cannoli are Italian pastries, and they're GOOD!

Oh my god, 'Stuck in a Moment' by U2 just came on iTunes. I love that song, but it always reminds me of 9/11...

I haven't posted in three days :p

I went to Winners with my parents. I got my sister's Christmas present and my brother's Christmas present :) I think I've decided what I'll make for Breanne - a dropped-stitch scarf. I think she'll like it if it's in a colour she likes. I might have to either look through Mom's stash for yarn or go to Michaels, though. Or Len's. I heard Talk by Coldplay at Winners, too, which was pretty cool.

So, NaNoWriMo is going good. Just look at the widget! I'm not doing too bad! :D

Breanne, my cousin, was supposed to come over today, but it didn't happen :(

BUT, we have more chocolate in the house! :D

ETA: Hey, guys! I just put a Coldplay widget at the bottom of the page! What you do is click 'start', then rub the glass with your mouse. Don't click on it, just run your mouse across it back and forth. If you're lucky, you'll hear a portion of a song from their upcoming EP! I would have left it at the side of the posts, but it got chopped off when I put it there.

Time for some awesomeness, people :)

1. YouTube is liking me again. It turns out that they were doing updates, which is why it thought that my Flash was out of date or my JavaScript was turned off.

2. I think I have my new library card memorized. Although I find it pointless that they gave me a 'teen card' when I'll have to get an adult card next year.

3. Coldplay's gonna be on Saturday Night Live this week!!!!

4. I'm doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year, starting on November 1st.

5. I sent an e-mail to the Knit.1 staff asking when the next issue would be out, and I got a reply - they said that it will be out on December 16th.

6. I think we're having chicken wings for dinner, but I'm not sure. My parents bought chicken wings today.

7. My parents also bought chips today.

8. While my parents were out doing grocery shopping, I read We're Going to See The Beatles! and drank a huge mug of hot chocolate. And then I started drinking some Dr Pepper. I didn't finish the whole can yet, I figured I'd put it in the fridge so that my teeth won't get too rotten :p

9. I just remembered that Ugly Betty is on tonight!!!

10. I think I'll make a funky scarf for Breanne for Christmas.

Knitting, the roof and a trip to the library.

The roofer guys started working on the roof this morning. The dogs were upset at the noise for a bit, then they calmed down. I didn't see the cat much while they were stripping off the old shingles - I think she was hiding in the basement ceiling, because I went down to do something (I think I was getting clothes for my shower) and she jumped down from the cubby next to the fireplace.

I went to the library with Dad later, to pick up A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties by Suze Rotolo, who was a girlfriend of Bob Dylan. I looked at the CDs and noticed that Bryan Adams's newest album, 11, was in, so I got that out. I forgot to take two CDs back, but luckily they aren't due for just more than a week, so I have time to get them back. Besides, I have to pick up Across the Universe soon... even though I've already seen it. I'd like to watch it again, anyway. It brings out the artistic side in me. Actually, The Wall does, too, because after watching that and the American Folk-Blues DVD I had out of the library, I started writing a poem/song about the mug cozy I was knitting (which, as I mentioned before, became a catastrophe that mom helped me fix). Anyway, Across the Universe came in after I left the library with Suze Rotolo's book. Yay. I'm still waiting on four CDs: a Blondie compilation, Pink Floyd's Meddle, Peter Gabriel's So, and Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen. Awesome :)

For knitting, I've been working on that kerchief scarf, which will become a shawl. Hehe. I need something to keep the chill off me, so why not a giant triangle? ;) I've pretty much decided to make a headband for my cousin Breanne for Christmas. I hope she likes it.

The Holiday Weekend in a Nutshell, Part 2

Time for part two, folks! :)

Sunday (yesterday)

Dad had to work again. Katie and Dan went to IKEA to eat the breakfast and look for stuff, so me and Mom had the house to ourselves. We watched SNL. Katie and Dan came back in time for the four of us to go to Len's Mill Store to buy yarn. We were there early - they weren't open yet. So we went to the nearest Tim Horton's to get something to drink (Mom and I got tea, Katie and Dan got chocolate milk). What was really funny was that an older couple drove into the Len's parking lot, and the woman got out to check the hours on the door, and was motioning to her hubby to park. It was cute. We were all laughing.

I bought some S.R. Kertzer On Your Toes and some marked down Patons Be Mine, using my money from The Other Grandmother (or, as I called it, 'The Angela Money'). It cost less than I thought, actually. I thought I'd have to pay a little over $10 for the On Your Toes, because I thought it was a print. It was actually considered a solid, so I had about $2 in change, plus the coins already in my changepurse. I might have just enough change to pay my library fines, but Mom said she'd pay them anyway. Katie got some Patons Decor.

Katie and Dan left for Grandma and Grandpa's before Dad came home, because they were eating dinner there. Dad came home at around 6:00-ish. We left shortly after. I was in casual clothes - my denim cargoes, my toothpaste green t-shirt with trees and stuff and 'Vernon Canada' printed on it (I got it from Katie), my green-and-blue plaid flannel shirt and my fluffy pink socks. Juno chic, with a touch of super-cute anime girl. Mom made cupcakes, but we didn't bring them with us because they were too warm to travel.

Aunt Patti and Becca's dog, Chelsea greeted us when we arrived. She's one of Bailey's puppies (Bailey, in case I haven't mentioned before, is my uncle's yellow Labrador), and she's rather cute. Everyone was still eating when we arrived, actually, so we sat by ourselves until they finished eating. I spoke with Justin for a bit, and Dad paid Chelsea some attention, which caused the coffee table to flip over. Justin's sock got covered in some kind of dip, but luckily, my pink socks were spared. I thought Patti was rather rude when she moved Justin's dip-dipped foot onto his lap. When he pointed out that his sock was soiled, she said, "Are you renting those jeans?" When he said he owns them, she replied snidely, "Then they can go in the wash." Uh, you don't talk to someone like that, Patti. Either before or after the table-flip, Patti said something about a fan being in the basement years ago for ventilation when they'd smoke in the basement, to which Uncle Brent replied, "That was only at your parties." ZING! And Dad said something like, "Is that what this burn mark here is from?", and he pointed at a spot on the carpet. Patti must've said it was at a New Years' party, because Mom said to Dad quietly, "It wasn't New Years', it was her sixteenth birthday party!"

I love having a blog that my extended family doesn't know about :D

So anyway, we ate some of the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard Cake, which had candles on it for my grandma's birthday. I'm not sure if her birthday was that day, or was coming up, or had already passed. I was feeling too bitter to sing 'happy birthday'. I later found out that Jack, our family friend who is in his nineties, told Katie, "You deserve a medal", because Katie made the cake. I thought that was so sweet of him.

I didn't get to talk to Breanne much, because she felt sick and went upstairs to lie down, but I did get to say "Nice shirt" to her, 'cause she was wearing a 'The Wall' shirt. I actually had a conversation with Becca, which was a bit surprising. She said she was reading Twilight, and I said that I liked it, but I would've liked it better if there wasn't such a hype, and that I don't think I'd own it (I might own it, but I'd rather buy other books first). Anyway, she told me that she's liking it, and that she's going to continue reading the series.

Grandma had these bags that someone she knows made, so she offered them to us. I picked one with lots of pockets, perfect for knitting projects. It has a flowery design on it, kinda like an old fashioned table runner, but I like it. Mom got a bag made out of fabric with saddles printed on it, and Katie got the bag with leaves printed on the fabric. Becca wanted Katie's bag so bad, and she didn't like the other ones. We went out to the car shortly after, and it was quite foggy. The car was slightly damp. I found out, to my disappointment, that I'd missed the beginning of The Legends of Classic Rock. I'll have to catch it on Saturday morning. When we got home, Dad moved the table downstairs and we ate some of the cupcakes. While everyone else was watching True Blood and Dexter, I went downstairs and read with my headphones on.

Monday (today)

Katie and Dan left close to noon. She took some of the cupcakes with her. Dad washed the dishes, and I dried, but when I opened a cupboard to put a muffin tin or something similar away, we had a slight avalanche. So that cupboard has to be reorganised. Yay. Other than the muffin pans and things on the table, the kitchen is clean. Dad deflated and packed up the air matress, and then moved the elyptical so I could get to my computer! Yay! I have eaten:

Two slices of pie (one pumpkin, one cherry)
Two strips of bacon
A bowl of mashed potato casserole mixed with gravy.

I have drank:

One glass of water
One glass of chocolate soy milk
One can of Pepsi

That's just today. I don't want to list everything I ate on Saturday and Sunday...