I woke up with a hot flash. I heard the fog horns in the distance. Chris got ready for work. I got up when he left. Sometimes sleeping is easier during the day, so I went out to the livingroom, donned earphones and listened to a BWE CD, hoping to sleep. No. I drank and swished and did my exercises. I boiled water for coffee. I tapped and listened to an interview on brain health. He recommended eating grains. After the coffee, I started cleaning but Chris came home. We talked. I contacted Amber about the party tonight. I noticed Chris had brought home packages, so I put the festive one under the tree and opened the Swanson boxes. I realized I hadn't taken any supplements lately because I had run out and not had time to make up more. After Chris went back to work, I started a batch of rolls. I forgot that I had an open can of coconut milk in the fridge and I opened another one. Grr. I tried the giant snowflake with origami paper and it turned out cute. I ordered ghee from Swansons. I got dressed and went to Housing to get my origami paper back and to check on supplies for a project Maria wanted to do. When I got home, I made the dough into rolls and started a loaf of bread for Chris. I made and ate breakfast. I baked the rolls, then rubbed half of them with butter. They looked really good with cranberries sticking out all over. I left them to cool. I selected some red and white fabrics to make stuffed ornaments. I used the cup from the Magic Bullet to draw circles. I cut around them and sewed on the line. But I was running out of time. I moved the sweet potato mash into a baking dish. I crumbled the topping over it. I covered it with plastic wrap. I threw the craft supplies into a bag, and put the rolls into a bag, grabbed the other rolls and the bread wreath. I put needle, thread and scissors in a baggie. I figured while the casserole heated up at the chapel, I could be practicing. So I grabbed my trombone, too. I put it all in the car, managing to keep it all dry with my umbrella. I prayed that there would be a parking space at the chapel. It did not seem possible since there are only 2 and I saw people driving down the hill ahead of me. But when I got there, there was a space. I parked there and carried my stuff in in several trips. Amber put my casserole in the oven. I put my trombone, coat and bag in the sanctuary. I reparked the car at the FFTC so others could use the space. Then I sat in the foyer and finished the ornaments: I turned them right side out, filled them with these dried red berries that I got at the market thinking they were goji berries, and sewed them shut. I wanted to practice, but there were too many people, so I pretended to practice as I sewed. Anna sat down to help me and I gave her the ornament that I mistakenly sewed shut before I stuffed it. She had just opened a hole in it when the admiral's wife arrived. Then she had to go. The admiral's wife brought a present for Chelsea but Chelsea wasn't there so it was given to me to give to Chelsea. I was almost finished with the last ornament when Anna came to get me and sat me with the group in the other room. We waited for a few more people to arrive, then Amber said a quick prayer. Diamond jumped in line for food and was a little taken aback when no one joined her. So I got up and made ushering movements until the ladies rose up to join her. My contributions were two kinds of rolls and sweet potato casserole. I took some of the casserole and it wasn't very good. Someone said it might be the Korean sweet potatoes, which are whitish inside and more starchy. I ate my plate of food, listening to the other ladies at my table converse. Kelly really liked my cranberry rolls and asked me to make her some for Christmas. Then I realized that the bread wreath wasn't out. So I found it in the kitchen and brought it out. But everyone had already filled their plates at that point. At 7 Amber asked for the tables to be cleared to start the dirty santa game. Some ladies were not done eating. But the plates went away and they brought small tables of gifts inside. Amber had us pick numbers from a jar. Mine was 3. I was contemplating the strategy of picking my own gift, thus avoiding disappointment for myself and another. But person 1 chose it, probably because it was the nicest wrapped gift. She wrapped the scarf around her neck, obviously enjoying it, so there went my strategy. When it was my turn, I chose a wrapped gift. Stealing isn't my style. It was a box of face masks from a Korean beauty shop. I hoped someone would steal it but no one did. Surprisingly, someone did steal the scarf from person 1. That made me feel good, but person 1 was disappointed. At the end of the game, the giver of the face masks took it back and gave me the gift she opened: a matching potholder, towel and dish cloth. She felt badly for me and then I felt badly for her. Great game, huh? Out of 22 gifts, only 3 were stolen. And then the party broke up. I told Kelly she could have the leftover cranberry rolls because I wasn't baking any more before Christmas. She took them all but then someone else showed up looking for a few extra and she shared. I hung behind, finishing the last ornament, waiting for a parking space so I could bring my car around. I had three loads to carry out. I gathered together my foods and the plate of cucumbers and tomatoes that Amber brought. I also got the used wrapping paper. Score! I took a load out to my car and drove it back to the chapel. Anna brought out the rest as she and Amber locked up and walked to her car. I drove home and brought one load in with me, then went back for the other two. I had Dynee's bread basket but decided not to return it until I washed the red liner. Chris helped me put the food away, then asked me how the party went. I had to admit that it went better than I expected, but that I felt like crying and did not know why. He suggested that I was just tired from being so busy and worrying. Probably right. We talked for some time. Then we heard the skype sound. Faye called me and we had a nice chat. Then I went to my new laptop to type up my blog post before going to bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment