We wish you a meme-y Christmas...

I've been seeing several Christmas memes around, and this is a composite of them, with duplicate questions removed.

Decorations

1. When do you put up the tree/decorations?
   Sometime after Thanksgiving, if we decorate at all. On years we travel, we often don't decorate. The Advent wreath usually comes out a few days before the First Sunday of Advent.
   
2. When do you take the tree/decorations down?
   When we have decorations, right after Epiphany (Jan 6)
   
3. Do you have a nativity scene?
   Definitely. There are two small ones out this year, not counting the small one-piece version on top of my PC in my office.
   
4. Real tree or artificial?
   Artificial - one of ours is fiber-optic which is pretty neat. My tallest artificial tree is only 3 feet tall. I love the smell of real trees, but I don't like cleaning up the needles.
   
5. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
   The fiber-optic one has its own. If we put lights on the others, they're usually colored.
   
6. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
   Small ornaments (since it's a small tree), usually whatever's available. One of these years I'd love to do a tree of nothing but small crocheted snowflakes. Someday.
   
7. What tops your tree?
   Stars, usually. Not many angels for small trees.
   
8. Do you hang mistletoe?
   Not usually.
   Eating, Drinking, and being Merry
   
9. Do you like eggnog?
   Yes. It's been a long while since I've had homemade eggnog, though.
   
10. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
    Depends on the situation, but in general hot chocolate never goes amiss.
    
11. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
    DH made an awesome duck one year - that was delicious. I also love whole-berry cranberry sauce, and veggies. My dad is making fried turkey this year - I can't wait!
    
12. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
    My chocolate rumcake!
    
13. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
    We travel 2 out of 3 years. Both sets of family live long distances away from us and from each other, so we have a rotation. This year, we're seeing my family up north.
    In general, I'd rather stay home for the holidays. It's hard to establish our own traditions when we're always on the move.
    Gifts
    
14. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
    For children, wrapping paper works best because it's more peek-proof. But in general I like gift bags - they make wrapping go quickly and they're reusable. Much more so than wrapping paper (which my grandparents always had us remove carefully for reuse purposes).
    
15. Favorite gift received as a child?
    Hmmm. Hard to say. One year I received a nice set of crochet hooks and several skeins of yarn (I think I was 10?). I really liked that, and I still have the hooks!
    
16. Hardest person to buy for?
    DH, if he doesn't have a wishlist.
    
17. Easiest person to buy for?
    DH, if he does have a wishlist!
    
18. Most Memorable gift?
    DH got me a Celtic harp one year. It's a tossup between that and the Elan lap stand.
    
19. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
    Since I'm not sure who reads my blog, I might want to plead the fifth! Let's just say it was a gift with some pretty heavy conditions on its usage.
    
20. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
    Around Thanksgiving. I generally try to have all the shopping done by the second week of December.
    
21. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
    Only for a white-elephant gift exchange at work, where the gifts were intended to be recycled.
    
22. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
    Traditionally, one on Christmas Eve before Mass, and the rest the next day.
    
23. Which do you prefer Giving or Receiving?
    Giving, definitely.
    Here Comes Santa Claus
    
24. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers?
    Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen. Santa's sleigh is an 8rp (reindeerpower) vehicle equipped with optional Rudolph emergency lighting.
    
25. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
    For stocking-stuffers, Santa just puts them in the stocking. Larger gifts have special Santa wrapping paper.
    
26. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
    What truth about Santa? You shouldn't believe the tabloids, you know!
    Seriously, though, I figured it out as a child over time - too many things didn't quite add up. I can't pinpoint the moment, though.
    'Tis the Season...
    
27. Mail or email Christmas cards?
    Snailmail. I do email greetings to a few folks I don't have current addresses for, though.
    
28. Favorite Christmas Movie?
    I like a lot of the older animated ones, like the Grinch, Charlie Brown Christmas, and all the Rankin/Bass ones. I haven't seen most of the classics such as Miracle on 34th Street, although I finally saw It's a Wonderful Life about 3 years ago. Ditto with A Christmas Story (You'll shoot your eye out, kid!). My dad has quite the collection of Christmas Carol movies, and I like many of them. And this year's new release, A Nativity Story, I enjoyed as well. But as for clear favorites, I don't have one.
    
29. Favorite Christmas song?
    No clear favorites here, but there are a lot I like. I have a fondness for novelty Christmas songs as well as more traditional offerings. I love many of the traditional hymns/carols.
    Traditional/Hymn: What Child is This?, O Holy Night, O Come O Come Emmanuel, many of the lesser known older carols
    Modern: "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth" - Bing Crosby and David Bowie
    Novelty: at the moment, Twisted Sister's "O Come All Ye Faithful".
    
30. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
    The fact that the holiday sales pitches and decorations are being put out right after Labor Day. That, and the overcommercialism and greed.
    
31. Favorite thing about the Christmas Holidays?
    I like the liturgical season of Advent and Christmas - the music at church, decorations of candles and evergreens. That, and time off work!
    
32. What's the one thing you seem to never get done at Christmas time?
    Find time to relax! I also don't bake as much as I used to.
    
33. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
    My maternal grandfather used to make homemade ice cream (hand crank and all), and I always liked to help with that. One year he made purple ice cream, which was neat.
    
34. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
    I love it, but here in Florida I don't have to shovel or drive in it!
    
35. Can you ice skate?
    Not really - I'm lucky to make a complete circuit of the rink without falling on my backside! I do want to learn, though.
    
36. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
    Remembering what the season is really all about.
    
37. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
    We haven't really evolved much in the way of family traditions yet, what with travelling for the holidays most of the time, my stepkids alternating visitation at Christmas, and such. So I don't really have a good answer for that.
    Although I do like the holiday bowl games!
    

Twas the week before Christmas...

...and all through the house
So much needed doing
By myself and my spouse...

This coming week looks to be rather busy with the final run up to Christmas - incoming relatives, final wrapping of gifts, choir practices, and so on - so there may not be another entry until after Christmas. (Not that I've been as regular at blogging of late anyway, but that's neither here nor there...)

I do, however, have a gift for all my stitching readers - a simple freebie ornament. This was my first attempt at adding beads, and once again my scanner failed to do justice to the sparkle. Nevertheless, I hope that you enjoy it.


In other news, there are two big celebrations upcoming at Alternate Dementia (besides Christmas). One is that sometime this week, DH and I will celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. The other is a milestone birthday of one member of my family, but I won't say whom, or what milestone it is...

If I don't blog again before then, I wish all of my dear readers a Merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful holiday season, whichever holiday(s) you celebrate.

And bring on the bowl games!

Holidaze

The insanity has shifted a bit here at Alternate Dementia. The shopping is practically done, and the cards are almost done. Gifts have to be wrapped, still, but that's a job for next weekend.
Other things are picking up, though. DH has been in the choir at church for several years, and I've just started singing with them as well. Last night was my first real choir practice in, oh, about 20 years, and with Christmas music to work on, practice lasted about 3 hours. I think I did okay, though - I got asked if I would be joining permanently.

I am finally the proud owner of a laptop. It's a used one - DsS got a new one as his Christmas present, and I inherited his old one. I see why he wanted a new one - this one (a Presario 2100) has serious issues with the power jack - one has to have the AC adapter in *just right* and the planets have to be in perfect alignment for it to charge. Apparently this is a disturbingly common issue with Presarios. Fortunately, my laptop has a docking port, and I just ordered a little docking station, so it'll just bypass the power issue altogether.

Tonight is my one and only baking night for this holiday season. In the oven are two of my now-famous rum cakes. I'd been asked by several coworkers about them, and since tomorrow is our holiday social, tonight is bake night.

What is this rum cake I speak of?

---

Double-Chocolate Rum Cake (aka "Sin on a Plate")
1 pk Chocolate cake mix (18 1/2oz) (I use devils food)
1 pk Instant chocolate pudding
4 Eggs
1 c Dark rum
3/4 c Water plus 1 teaspoon
1/2 c Vegetable oil
1 pk Chocolate chips (I use mini chips or chocolate chunks)
1 Jar Raspberry preserves (10 oz) (I use seedless black raspberry)
2 tbsp Shortening
1 oz Vanilla baking bar (Or white chocolate)
1 shot Chambord or other raspberry liqueur, if desired.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 10in tube or bundt pan. (I use a 12-cup bundt pan) Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, 1/2 c of the rum, 3/4 c of the water and the oil in a large mixing bowl. Beat at low speed until ingredients are moistened, then two minutes at medium speed. Stir in 1 cup (about half the bag) of the chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan, finish cooling on a wire rack.

GLAZE: In a small saucepan, heat preserves and remaining 1/2 c rum (or rum and Chambord, if desired) to make glaze. Strain through sieve to remove seeds (if you didn't go seedless...). Place cake on serving plate. Prick the surface of the cake with a fork or a tooth pick (great stress relief!). Brush the raspberry glaze evenly over the cake. Use all the glaze, although this does take a few minutes.

ICING 1: In a bowl, combine remaining 1 c of chocolate chips and shortening. Microwave on high 1 minute. Stir to make a smooth icing. Drizzle chocolate icing over the cake. Let stand about 15 minutes.

ICING 2: In a small bowl, combine vanilla baking bar and remaining 1 teaspoon of water. Microwave on high 30 seconds (or until melted). Drizzle vanilla icing over the chocolate icing.

Serve and enjoy. It's very rich, so use in moderation.

---

Ah, there is the timer now...

The Madness Season

This reads like one of those "you know you're getting old when..." emails that tends to make the rounds, but this real-life example (my morning so far) illustrates why I'm surprised I still have some semblance of sanity.
Plan for the morning/early afternoon:

get DD to school

vacuum DD's room

weed through DD's books and toys while she's at school

get carpet cleaners in

finish Christmas cards

Actual, as of 10:30 am

get DD to school

get large FedEx food service order (which I'd forgotten was arriving today)

start unpacking food order into freezer

realize I should vacuum first in preparation for cleaners, so start vacuuming

try to fish sock out of vacuum hose

get call from school to pick DD up because she's not feeling well. Half an hour before carpet cleaners show up. School is 20 minutes away.

call carpet cleaners to slip arrival time by half an hour

go get DD

continue attempting to retrieve sock from vacuum hose

DD wants food. Doesn't want the leftovers I try to give her. Ultimately just nuke a can of chicken broth

FINALLY retrieve sock from vacuum hose and finish vacuuming

carpet cleaners show up, get them started.
Back now, hopefully, to my regularly scheduled morning.

Let the seasonal insanity begin!

It's December, and you know what that means...

That yours truly is hanging onto the vestiges of her sanity with raw and bloody fingers! There are Christmas gifts to buy, cards to address and mail, house cleanup to do, events to attend, family to visit...

But on the other hand, if I can survive that, there are bowl games to watch at the end of the month. Even if they didn't quite fall out the way I'd hoped.

This past weekend, the cast of Alternate Dementia drove up to Jacksonville to watch the ACC Championship game - Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest. I am sorry to report that my Jackets lost 6-9, but despite the putrescence that was the play of Tech's quarterback, it was rather an enjoyable event. I'm not a Georgia Tech alum myself, but I consider myself a Yellow Jacket by marriage (my own alma mater is somewhat uncertain - I attended one university for 2.5 years, and finished up my last 30 hours at another, with an AA from a community college in between. So am I a Terp or a Golden Knight? Who knows?). I had an opportunity to sing the coolest college fight song ever at the top of my lungs, twice, and join in the alternating crowd shouts of "YEL-LOW!" "JACK-ETS!" with my family. Even DD, who has said "football is lame!" was enjoying herself a lot! And for thinking it's lame, at 7 she's already figured out scoring and downs.

If I had a daughter, sir
I'd dress her in white and gold...

The Accidental Employee

DsS needed a new pair of shoes because the soles on his current pair were falling apart. So off we went to the shoe store.

The shoe store is right near the fabric and craft store, which I also needed to hit at some point in the not-too-distant future. Since I'm not a big fan of physical shopping and prefer to minimize trips if at all possible, I decided to drag him with me into that as well. My mission was to get fabric for DD's First Communion dress and for an evening dress for me for an upcoming formal affair. We came out with that...plus a job for DsS.

DD had picked out some white satin jacquard, and I had chosen a hunter green satin, and as we were at the counter getting our fabric cut, DsS struck up a conversation with the clerk. After she had commented about being short-staffed, he asked if they were hiring. She produced an application, and to make a long story short, while DD and I finished our shopping and checked out, DsS interviewed, and got, his first paying job.

All in all, not a bad shopping trip!

A flurry of activity!

Another Thanksgiving gone by, with a lot (perhaps too much!) of good food. But it was also a productive one!

By popular request, I have designed a second seasonal bookmark. And since the design ideas are really starting to overflow my brain, I figured it was time to give a name to my modest design efforts....

Allow me to present...Tor Rhuann Designs!

I've noticed that some of my more observant readers have already located the new Tor Rhuann button in my sidebar, which links to my designs page. That page has now been updated with the images for my third freebie, and the first "official" Tor Rhuann design. So here it is...Assisi Winter:

The scan seems to have washed it out slightly - it's rather more sparkly. I used Victoria Clayton "Glacial" for the overdye, and Petite Treasure Braid PB09 "Sky Blue". I may do another one on an opalescent with a darker blue at some point.

In the meantime, I have an idea or two for Christmas ornaments, so there might be another design by the end of the calendar year. We'll see.

Thanksgiving buffet

Thursday is Thanksgiving Day here in the US, and the cast of Alternate Dementia is travelling to visit family. Before we leave, however, here's a quick buffet of what's going on with yours truly and crew.

The temperature has dropped quite a bit here - at the time of this writing the official temperature is 42F. I'm enjoying it, although many of my fellow Floridians disagree with me!

Georgia Tech is going to the ACC Championship game in Jacksonville...and so are we! We're all really looking forward to it. Not to mention it satisfies #91 on my 101 Things list! GO JACKETS!

The (perhaps) lucky folks who signed up for the Pay It Forward sweepstakes are Michelle, Jenn, Allie, Nicole, and Natty. Thank you all for playing! I have a few ideas, and will work on sketching them out while travelling. I hope to get them all out in the next few months, and certainly before Nicole gets married this summer!

Speaking of sketching things out, my third freebie is complete, but I'm still stitching it. Look for an official release, and more news about my designs, this weekend. Although if you're absolutely burning with curiosity, surfing my sidebar might yield some information....
So that's it from my end at the moment. I've been busy, but not with much noteworthy. Typical for this time of year.

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

'R' is for Replicating

Another self-replicating meme here, brought to you today by the letter....
R

And by a wonderer who assigned it to me...

Comment to this message and I will assign you a letter of the alphabet. Then go to your journal and post a list of 10 words that begin with this letter and what they mean to you.

I was assigned R, and mine are as follows...

1. Reading - one of my favorite pastimes.
   
2. Redhead - Simply hair color, or personality description? You make the call!
   
3. Rose - one of my favorite scents, and the middle name of someone dear to me. I like the flower as well, although I'm not big on red ones.
   
4. Rosemary - one of my favorite culinary herbs (and another of my favorite scents).
   
5. Raspberry - one of my favorite flavors, known to my family to the point where DD will ask "pretty please with raspberries?"
   
6. Rumcake - I'm told I make a very good one!
   
7. Rush - one of my favorite bands
   
8. Rivendell - an Elven haven in Tolkien's Middle-earth, and my imaginary destination in my walking program.
   
9. Relax - What I don't take enough time to do sometimes...
   
10. Responsibility - Both blessing and curse, depending on my mood.
    

The Great Sneaker Conspiracy!

This morning I spent half an hour looking for DD's sneakers because she has gym today. I never did manage to find them, despite checking in practically every conceivable (and a few inconceivable) locations. Very frustrating. At this point I'm hoping they're in DH's car at the airport.

My DD carpools with another family at the same school, and the carpool was a few minutes late this morning...because the DD couldn't find her sneakers.

Kvetching to a coworker, another person overheard and mentioned that his son had *also* misplaced his sneakers and had to wear an old ratty pair this morning. Incidentally, he's of an age with my DD and the other girl in my carpool....

A conspiracy is afoot! (As it were...)

So...if you, dear reader, have a young gradeschooler, did they have a sneaker snafu this morning?

Update 6:45pm: The walkabout sneakers have been located! DsS found them in a box on the back porch that DD had occasionally used as a playhouse. That box should have been put out with the trash weeks ago, a situation which has now been remedied....