They did it all in one day...

Our family has developed our own method of Christmas shopping.  It works for us.  One of the main reasons is that when Syd came to live with us, what did we know about buying gifts for a girl?  Or for any child?  Rob and I were used to going out and buying what we wanted without waiting for Christmas.  And, we'd both been wounded in past relationships by bad gift givers and receivers.  So, we started going out shopping together, all three of us.  We pick what we want and we put it in the pile and somebody takes a turn paying.  And, we come home and wrap it all up and put it under the tree and on Cmas morning, we unwrap with abandon, knowing the other person will love it and it will fit.  We haven't returned an unwanted gift in YEARS! 

And, we have a few surprises.  There are things that we know one another will like and we pick those up or have them delivered.  And, Syd is always trying to hide something in a pile at the store so one or the other of us doesn't see it.  And, because we do all our shopping in one day, it's easy to forget what we picked out, so there's always someone saying "oh, I forgot that." 

Anyway, I digress.  Friday was our shopping day.  Syd works weekends, so Rob and I took Friday off work.  It was rainy and cold, so that gave the extra benefit if keeping most people at home or work.  I made breakfast and then I turned all drill sergeant and told them we had this much time and don't do anything that isn't directly related to getting out of the house and getting started.  We shopped from 9 to 4 and then had an early supper at a deli that serves great soups.    And, when it was over, we were done.  And, on Saturday, Rob and I wrapped.  And, wrapped.  And, wrapped. 

We were in one store and stumbled up on the clearance section.  And, Rob saw a Hawaiian shirt from across the way and I saw him beeline to it.  And, I knew he loved it.  I wandered over as he was touching it.  But, it was too big and there was only one left.  Not to be deterred, we checked the fabric content (100% cotton), and I told him I could cut it down to his shirt pattern.  So, now it's disassembled and ironed and ready to be recut.  I've done this several times.  It's sometimes hard to get good shirting, so I will buy a really nice very large shirt and cut it down.  The bigger the easier it is.  The only thing that's weird is the collar, but I'm good enough now that I can work through that and end up with one oddly placed seam.  I have to take size out of the middle of the collar, not the ends. 

I quilted when I could, which didn't seem to be very much.  I finished knitting a hat and scarf.  I have a green coat and no hat and scarf to go with it.  Brown didn't work and neither did black.  So, I made something.  I even splurged on some really nice wool. 

When I started making socks, I didn't really know how much yarn it took, so I bought two really pretty balls, but they were only large enough to make one sock each.  I can't match them, so this weekend, I decided to give them a try together, alternating, one inch from one ball and one from the other.  I had no idea how nice it would turn out.  One ball seemed to be green, but has a lot of brown and gold in it.  The other seemed to be gold, but has a lot of brown, and some green.  This is what I'm ending up with.  I'll make one heel from green and the other from gold and do the same with the toes to make sure I have enough to make the pair of socks.  These two self striping yarns together make an even more interesting stripe.

And, finally, yesterday, I baked.  I made cinnamon rolls, oatmeal cookies to take to work as a "thank you" to a team that helps me out regularly.  I made a pot of soup, and I made Mary Berry's fruit cake...the one she puts under her tennis cake on the show. 

I can't wait to cut into that.  For some reason, I think fruitcake should "set" for a little while to let the flavors meld.  But, soon, we're going to cut into that and I can hardly wait.  It's full of fruit; cherries, pineapple, apricots, raisins, and almonds.  Mmm-mmm good.  And, we finished the day with tomato basil soup and grilled cheese sandwiches again. 

We don't do a lot, but we eat good. 

Everybody have a great Monday.  I hope all your holiday priorities are working out and that the season is as low stress for you as it is for us.  Don't get me wrong, it's still stressful, but not as stressful as it is for a lot of people. 

Lane