irrelevant (and sometimes questionable) ramblings

Oot and aboot today with a pair of offspring, lookin’ to get into mischief.

Well, no, not really. Just doin’ stuff to keep ‘em occupied on this break week.

(Although it’s not a break for *me*, I might add. I’ve got to squeeze in revision work somewhere in here. Oh, well. Your kids are only little once!)

Catch you on the flip side, gang!

…have nothing to do with this post.

We’re in the middle of another deep freeze (thanks, Mom Nature!!) and apparently my brain has also been affected by the cold.

On that note, I am crawling into my bed and snuggling under the big duvet.

I would like to report something exciting, but being knocked up has pretty much trumped all else at the moment. Saturday will involve examining baby paraphernalia with B.E. (ie. starting a registry and selecting the items we’d like), Sunday will involve home-type stuff, and Monday will herald the start of another project. Stay tuned!

Clan Starr went road-tripping this past weekend, and while we had great fun, it’s awesome to be home again — despite the freezing rain going on.

Can I tell you just how glad I am that school wasn’t cancelled today? The Offspring had vinegar in her veins this morning or something, ’cause boy was she grouchy. Sheesh. I’m SO glad I was able to shuffle her off to school.

In the meantime, the book has been critted (thank you, D!) and I’m off to tweak and polish and EMAIL! Then it’ll be in the hands of the Editor Extraordinaire and I will do some housecleaning and eventually look at another project. Ah, the joys…

Before I get started, though, I think I need a mid-morning snack for fortification.

Once again, we’ve come to that time of year. (Already??)

I wish all of you Gentle Readers a very, very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a Joyous Kwanzaa. I hope you have lovely celebrations, whatever your faith, and that you are able to spend precious time with loved ones.

Cherish the memories and treasure the time!

Enjoy, and I’ll be back again soon!

This Christmas season has snuck up on me rather sneakily. It’s partly Junior’s fault — up until a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t have the energy to do anything holiday-related (and I certainly didn’t want to shop, clean or decorate whilst feeling as though I were about to hurl…) — but it’s also the fact that as a grownup, now it’s my turn to do the Christmas prep.

Being a kid meant not really noticing what was going on around the house (other than being told to stay out of the way) until the decorations were almost all up and the kitchen smelled deliciously of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Now it’s my turn (yes, technically mine and B.E.’s) to do all of the behind-the-scenes work that makes it feel like Christmas. And boy, oh boy, it’s a lot of effort. Thankfully, last weekend’s party forced a thorough cleaning out of us, so next week it’ll simply be a surface tidy in preparation for the Big Day.

(*Oooh. Note to self: monster 21lb turkey needs to move from freezer to fridge by Thursday to start thawing. Took the Thanksgiving one a week to thaw; this one will be no different.)

On the plus side, I got a chunk of shopping done yesterday, with a handful of remaining items to pick up. Should easily be done in one more trip out. Then the wrapping begins. And I really should choose some cookies to make and actually make them before we have guests over!

Next year will be even more interesting as there’ll be a six-month-old getting underfoot, too. *gg*

But anyway. One thing at a time. It’ll all come together quicker and more smoothly than anticipated. It always does.

…and now your hostess with the mostess is knocked up.

Heh.

Yeah. That’s the big news, folks. It’s also the reason why I haven’t been around much lately. This wee bairn gave me the most awful “all-day” sickness for the last ten weeks — so much so that I found it difficult to spend much time sitting at the computer. I spent my hours more comfortably ensconced on the sofa, reading. (One way to get through all those Jim Butcher books so quickly… )

However, I am starting to feel more like my normal self. I think. Whatever that is. So I shall endeavor to make my presence known here a little more regularly. My goal is to try and write at least a couple more novellas, maybe a novella and something longer, before the baby comes in June. Because after that, I’ll be taking a bit of a break to actually do some mothering, or something. Heh.

Anyway. Thanks for understanding, and thanks for coming back to check on what’s transpiring here. I’ll try my best not to inundate you with baby-related posts.

Catch you on the flip side, gang!

Okay, so I’m feeling somewhat nostalgic. And holiday-spirited. It *is* that time of year, though. And we finally got some snow up here in Northern Canuckland. Don’t know if it’ll all stick, but so far, so good.

Sorry I’m out of sorts, gang. I promise, all will be revealed soon. In the meantime, I’m still slaving away at Higher Learning and attempting to finish the damned thing. Combine that with all the pre-Christmas prep that’s steamrollering this way and, well, the next few weeks are going to be crazy, that’s all. But this story must be sent off before I completely rip out all of my hair. (Bald’s not me, I’m afraid.)

Be good, gang. Santa’s watching, you know!

Again, I apologize, Gentle Readers — yours truly is slightly preoccupied as of late, and the Blog has suffered as a result.

The house is quiet this morning, as the Offspring is having a sleepover at the Mater & Pater’s place, and B.E. is off running some errands for us. I’m (productively! honest!) surfing the ‘net and listening to some good ol’ Jim Croce. I’ve got to get myself ready for the day soon, though, as today is Clan Starr’s extended-family “Christmas” get-together. We’ve got a bit of a car ride later, followed by copious quantities of food, and then a car ride home. Should be a fun time — especially when one gets to see relatives one hasn’t seen for a while.

But I digress. Today is all about togetherness; tomorrow, I shall attempt to enjoy some solitude. We’ll see what happens, especially once we reach Monday.

The head is better, I think. More of a general fuzziness now than outright pain, which is a fabulous thing. Srsly.

We have Canuckian Thanksgiving this weekend, so one of my tasks today is to put together the menu for dinner. It’s looking like we’ll have upwards of 9 people here at the house, so it’ll be a tad busy. (I’m feeling the tiniest bit overwhelmed at the moment…!) I’ve got to then take the menu and determine what groceries we need from the store — I want to do this as early as possible because shopping later in the day on Saturday or Sunday will be *insane*. *shudder*

After reading the newest newspaper fliers, too, there are a couple of things I want to check out. So I’ll be off doing that, as well.

Note to self: Don’t overdo it. That headache will come back full-force if you’re not careful. *sigh*

Okay. I’m off. The WiP has to wait again, sadly. I think I left them mid-seduction, too. Hope there hasn’t been too much chafing.

We’ve got ‘em both here, in spades.

Well, the chaos of the birthday weekend is now over. B.E. and the Offspring are now well and truly feted, and so my work here is done. In that respect, anyway.

I am also very glad school is on today because said kidlet decided on a full-out tantrum this morning. Am still considering some sort of eBay or Kijiji-type deal on the back burner.

Anyhoo. It’s back to the book, some laundry, changing bedding, and then I’m off to do my duty and donate blood today. At the same time, I’ll pick up B.E.’s birthday theatre tickets — we’re going to see a show in October.

Hm. Today would have been a great crockpot stew day, if only I’d been prepared for such a meal. Well, I think comfort food is definitely on the menu on a blustery day like today. (Actually, in retrospect, I’d much rather stay home and not go anywhere, but I’ve already had to postpone this appointment once.)

Stay warm and dry, gang!