Random Ramblings

rockerVu2 wrote:

Yesterdat night, we've had a very cool evening.
My son invited his brother, his sister-in-law and me for a very cool ccol and tastefull menu.
It was great to sit around the table with 5 persons.
I've to eat alone many time a weeks.

That sounds like a great evening!

Stomach bugs are the devil!  I have been off work for two days with one and I am so over it!

Been snowing nonstop here since 10pm last night. However it’s 35 degrees and having a hard time sticking. Just a dusting. If the temps were around 29-30 I’m confident we would already have at least 6 inches of snow.

Having a stomach flue is not fun. I've had one earlier this month.

Last week was not fun. It was raining a lot. Friday we awoke in a white world.
Yep, snow.
I didn't like it.

I've had a nasty cold and was feeling not very well.
Today it's over.

After the bad weather we've had last week, is it today warm 12 degrees Celcius.
I think, that's the reward for the bad weather we've had last week.

A good Thanksgiving with the family. We ordered a precooked meal this year from a smoke house. Awesome smoked turkey and sides. Then woke up today to some Lake Effect snow! I love living in Michigan!

We are having our Thanksgiving celebration today.  Why a day late you ask? (even if you didn't).  Well someone had to work yesterday (not sure who)... not sure why that person matters more than my son-in-law who has to work today and will miss the celebration instead.
If I sound a little bitter its probably because he is the only other guy I like to talk to in my wife's immediate family.  Now I'm stuck talking to my brother-in-law or my wife's mother's boyfriend (who is more deaf than I am).
Again I am making the Turkey and stuffing (separately because yuck, nothing is worse than turkey blood in your stuffing).  Oh yeah and apparently my wife's sister doesn't know how to make mashed potatoes so we have to make those too.  And we are bringing the apple pie.

I'm trying to be thankful and not rant, but I have made the turkey 34 out of the last 37 years, and frankly I'm getting tired of it.  The three years I didn't make it was because my step-father's cousin made it (man he is a great cook), but we don't live near him anymore.  
I kind of jokingly told the wife that we should just stay home by ourselves since we are making all the good food.  But my mother is bringing her homemade rum cake (which I love), as well as the deviled eggs (which my wife loves).  I think the sister-in-law and her husband are making the greenbean casserole (yuck), and my daughter is bringing the pumpkin pie, whipped cream, cranberry sauce, and making sourdough rolls from scratch.  What's my mother-in-law providing (other than the venue to eat at) you ask?  (I know, you didn't ask but I'm gonna tell you anyway).  She is going to make a ham.  Actually she isn't going to make it, she flew her sister in from out of state to do it for her.  At least we will get to see Auntie!

Sounds like a typical gathering of the dysfunctional.  Try to enjoy yourself.

Your wife has a boyfriend?

Staybrite wrote:

We are having our Thanksgiving celebration today.  Why a day late you ask? (even if you didn't).  Well someone had to work yesterday (not sure who)... not sure why that person matters more than my son-in-law who has to work today and will miss the celebration instead.
If I sound a little bitter its probably because he is the only other guy I like to talk to in my wife's immediate family.  Now I'm stuck talking to my brother-in-law or my wife's boyfriend (who is more deaf than I am).
Again I am making the Turkey and stuffing (separately because yuck, nothing is worse than turkey blood in your stuffing).  Oh yeah and apparently my wife's sister doesn't know how to make mashed potatoes so we have to make those too.  And we are bringing the apple pie.

I'm trying to be thankful and not rant, but I have made the turkey 34 out of the last 37 years, and frankly I'm getting tired of it.  The three years I didn't make it was because my step-father's cousin made it (man he is a great cook), but we don't live near him anymore.  
I kind of jokingly told the wife that we should just stay home by ourselves since we are making all the good food.  But my mother is bringing her homemade rum cake (which I love), as well as the deviled eggs (which my wife loves).  I think the sister-in-law and her husband are making the greenbean casserole (yuck), and my daughter is bringing the pumpkin pie, whipped cream, cranberry sauce, and making sourdough rolls from scratch.  What's my mother-in-law providing (other than the venue to eat at) you ask?  (I know, you didn't ask but I'm gonna tell you anyway).  She is going to make a ham.  Actually she isn't going to make it, she flew her sister in from out of state to do it for her.  At least we will get to see Auntie!

Don't make the turkey anymore!  Find someplace that will cook it for you.  I am all about doing something to save you time so that the holiday is more enjoyable!  Let the family know that you guys are putting in more effort than everyone else and that you are pulling back to a certain level.  Let them pick up the slack or have a much smaller meal.  If they blame you, it's only because they want you two to continue supplying the lion's share so they don't have to do anything.

We eat with my family one year and my wife's the next.  I understand talking to someone you don't really enjoy.  Holly's brother-in-law is ultra liberal and somehow wants to always take pot shots at anything conservative.  I shut him down really fast with facts.  Holly's sister thinks everything revolves around her, and if all the attention isn't on her, she gets in a huff and has to leave as soon as everyone is finished eating.  It then ends up being my wife and I plus her mom.  That's how we eat every Sunday after church.  I wish sometimes it were just the three of us getting together, but you don't want to hurt feelings.

This year was my family's year.  My brother has always had this annoying habit of adding people to Thanksgiving that we don't know or would rather not spend our holiday with.  This year, his wife was invited to dine with a family that runs a wedding venue near us.  She is one of their preferred vendors for wedding cakes.  They told the family that runs it that they were supposed to have Thanksgiving with us, so they said to bring us along.  We kept our peace and went, so here is yet another holiday with people I don't know.  It is always so awkward, but Darren and Kim seem to love doing things like this.

As I get older, keeping the peace is more important than opening my mouth.  In the end, it won't matter especially since the years bring a smaller and smaller family.  Neither side has that many of us left, so keeping the peace means we get to try to enjoy our families for a little longer.

Xid wrote:

Sounds like a typical gathering of the dysfunctional.  Try to enjoy yourself.

Your wife has a boyfriend?

That must have been some kind of Fruedian slip on my part.  It should have been "my mother's boyfriend"
He is turning 90 in about 2 months and has really started slowing down the last few months (both physically & mentally).

alldatndensum wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

blah-blah

Don't make the turkey anymore!  Find someplace that will cook it for you.  I am all about doing something to save you time so that the holiday is more enjoyable!  Let the family know that you guys are putting in more effort than everyone else and that you are pulling back to a certain level.  Let them pick up the slack or have a much smaller meal.  If they blame you, it's only because they want you two to continue supplying the lion's share so they don't have to do anything.

We eat with my family one year and my wife's the next.  I understand talking to someone you don't really enjoy.  Holly's brother-in-law is ultra liberal and somehow wants to always take pot shots at anything conservative.  I shut him down really fast with facts.  Holly's sister thinks everything revolves around her, and if all the attention isn't on her, she gets in a huff and has to leave as soon as everyone is finished eating.  It then ends up being my wife and I plus her mom.  That's how we eat every Sunday after church.  I wish sometimes it were just the three of us getting together, but you don't want to hurt feelings.

This year was my family's year.  My brother has always had this annoying habit of adding people to Thanksgiving that we don't know or would rather not spend our holiday with.  This year, his wife was invited to dine with a family that runs a wedding venue near us.  She is one of their preferred vendors for wedding cakes.  They told the family that runs it that they were supposed to have Thanksgiving with us, so they said to bring us along.  We kept our peace and went, so here is yet another holiday with people I don't know.  It is always so awkward, but Darren and Kim seem to love doing things like this.

As I get older, keeping the peace is more important than opening my mouth.  In the end, it won't matter especially since the years bring a smaller and smaller family.  Neither side has that many of us left, so keeping the peace means we get to try to enjoy our families for a little longer.

We would totally just have the Turkey made by someone else (actually did that one year for Christmas... with limited success).
Part of the problem though is the expense of buying all that food, and having to host every year.
I'm not just tired of cooking the bulk of the food, but my wife is tired of cleaning the house, entertaining, and cleaning up after all those people.  Some of your family issues rival mine, so I shouldn't complain... but I will anyway.  My sister-in-law will always bring the easiest side dish to make and then be the first in line to try and take half (or all) of the leftovers home.  My wife even told her one time that if she wanted any of the left-overs she needed to host the next year and make the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes etc. herself and then she could keep all the leftovers she wanted. 

But I will go and despite my ranting we will enjoy ourselves.  Since we black-mailed my mother-in-law into hosting we won't have all the clean-up responsibility this time!

Staybrite wrote:

Xid wrote:

Sounds like a typical gathering of the dysfunctional.  Try to enjoy yourself.

Your wife has a boyfriend?

That must have been some kind of Fruedian slip on my part.  It should have been "my mother's boyfriend"
He is turning 90 in about 2 months and has really started slowing down the last few months (both physically & mentally).

Your wife’s boyfriend is 90 years old?   Sorry could resist

MikeInFla wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

Xid wrote:

Sounds like a typical gathering of the dysfunctional.  Try to enjoy yourself.

Your wife has a boyfriend?

That must have been some kind of Fruedian slip on my part.  It should have been "my mother's boyfriend"
He is turning 90 in about 2 months and has really started slowing down the last few months (both physically & mentally).

Your wife’s boyfriend is 90 years old?   Sorry could resist

My wife's husband certainly feels like he is 90 some days!!!

Hope you'll have had a great Thanksgiving.

Wednesday we celebrate Sinterklaas with my family.
Sinterklaas is a very old Dutch tradition.
It was a man who cared for others.

For my grandkids it's exicting what brought Sinterklaas for them.
Someone knocks on the door and on the window and ther'e's a sack full with gifts.
It's so exciting for the grandkids when they see the bag fiull with gifts.

We drew lots.
You have to buy a gift for the name on your ticket.

We had a very good Thanksgiving.  Tori's brother and sister-in-law came up and spent a few days with us.  It was nice to spend time together.

It's the time we can watch Christmas movies.
I love watching Christmas movies.

For weeks it's cloudy, gloomy outside.
It makes me gloomy too.
This time of the years is hard.

I hope the sun comes back soon,

After 12 years, I toasted my Facebook account. They suspended my wife's account for no reason, and I decided enough was enough. I'm done with the draconian like atmosphere there.

December is almost over.
It has been a  rough month with all the celebrations.
We, my family and I have had a wonderful Christmas together.
But we all missed a husband, a father-in-law and an opa.

We are going to get somewhere between 4-8 inches of snow tomorrow.  Every schools system in Tennessee is closed tomorrow!

alldatndensum wrote:

We are going to get somewhere between 4-8 inches of snow tomorrow.  Every schools system in Tennessee is closed tomorrow!

I've got my snow socks on.

Xid wrote:

alldatndensum wrote:

We are going to get somewhere between 4-8 inches of snow tomorrow.  Every schools system in Tennessee is closed tomorrow!

I've got my snow socks on.

You will need more than socks if you want to go out in this mess!  We are getting closer to the 8 inch mark and it's still snowing!

The fires are devastating my old stomping grounds. It's incredible what's been wiped out in a matter of hours, minutes for that matter. Thankfully we're 2 hours East of L.A. and out of range for the fires. But they've been shutting our power off for several hours at a time due to the winds and fires. I tell myself when it gets cold in the house that there are those who don't have a house at all now and are much colder than us. So sad