Merry Christmas!

Just a quick post to wish you all a Merry Christmas!  I hope you and yours had a wonderful day!

Merry Christmas Eve!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas Eve!  Hubby and I are enjoying a quiet day at home, watching movies, and I will probably bake cookies later this afternoon.  In sad new, the little kitten that was looking ill yesterday died this morning (hubby was traumatized by this turn of events).  This wasn't the kitten that all the others shunned, this was a happy, healthy kitten just a couple of days ago.

So I made an online report because H1N1 is going around and seems to have made the leap to mammals, but got no response, probably due to the holiday.  Poor, cute kitten.  I hope he wasn't poisoned or anything awful like that, but his swift demise was kind of shocking.

In happier news, I have been tracking Santa throughout the day, and it's been a bright and sunny day (not really Christmas-like but infinitely better than having to endure the storms hitting both the Pacific Northwest and New England this week!).

A couple of interesting links: a vocal range test and some very cool historic photos.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve!

I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas Eve (or Christmas depending on where in the world you are).

Today we are baking for our last party of the year.  The brownies are done...

The Brussell's sprouts came on a branch (I've never seen them growing so I didn't know they grew on a branch!)...

And I opened a gift from a friend in Japan and have no idea what most of these things are.  There are two scarves, a couple packs of orange candy, but the other packets I have no idea what they are.  Maybe tea?  I need to break out my Japanese dictionary to figure this out (or maybe try one of those apps that translates written Japanese into English).

Merry Christmas Eve!

10 Things for the Last Week of the Year

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  Here are ten things for the last week of the year...

1. We are back on track with our annual Christmas Eve party with the cousins (it had been canceled for the last couple of years due to the pandemic).  As usual, it was a hodgepodge of cultures and events all crammed into one event--notice the menorah sitting next to the pile of ham(!).  We had Asian food (nice sushi boats!), American food, vegan food, Christmas gift giving and a prayer then lighting of the menorah.  A great time was had by all!
2. Christmas day was uneventful.  We didn't have any plans and didn't feel like going out so we stayed home and watched three football games!
3. It was weirdly quiet in the stores the day after Christmas.  Usually the stores are packed with shoppers looking for deals after Christmas yet yesterday and today when we were at several stores, there were hardly any shoppers!
4. I hope none of you were in Buffalo this past weekend--15 foot snowdrifts seem crazy (and cold!).  While I like the idea of a white Christmas, in reality, I hate being cold so I am more than happy to watch YouTube live and see the snow in various places from my house in 65 degree Las Vegas.
5. Speaking of YouTube Live, I love all of the live webcams that I can watch to see everything from mountain villages to Niagara Falls to a sunny beach.
6. And then there was the weird Amazon find of the week--silicone ears!?!
7. My task this week, as always during the last week of the year, is a deep cleaning of my house, getting rid of stuff we don't need (a couple of trips to the Goodwill are in order for this week), cleaning out the pantry, organizing all of my computer files, etc.
   
8. One of my goals for the coming year is to walk a "Centurion" which is a challenge my walking club hosts.  A Centurion is 100 10k walks during the year.  I've got my Centurion card to mark off, my walking shoes are ready to go, and I can't wait to start on the first day of the new year!
   
9. I found a missing person.  Someone posted on a message board that they were searching for a long-lost relative so with the bit of information they had, I was able to connect them to the person they had been looking for for years (OSINT is my thing apparently).
   
10. Finally, I was at Dollar Tree today and I can't believe that they are already featuring Valentine's Day stuff.  We haven't even finished up with Christmas yet! 
    
    
    
    

Less Than Three Weeks Until Christmas?!

I heard on the news today that there is less than three weeks until Christmas and I immediately had to check my calendar to be sure.  Sure enough, 19 days from now it will be Christmas Eve.  Yikes!

Currently we have no Christmas plans but we usually end up cooking for all of the cousins and their families so I guess we better get to planning that and I have friends in Japan that I send gifts to which I need to do ASAP.  Fortunately we culled our Christmas gift list (after our immediate family expanded to 100+ people!) and now only send money to the kids (5 of them) which they use to buy things for themselves and the grandkids (13 of them!).  We figure it is better for them to buy what they like instead of giving gifts they may not even want.  Hubby and I don't give each other gifts anymore since we just buy what we want, when we want it, but hubby does make me a home-made card for Christmas which I look forward to each year.  I don't even do Christmas cards anymore (Facebook is so much easier and faster and I'm a bit lazy so...), and we didn't decorate either (hubby's days of climbing ladders to put up lights are long past and we don't have any kids or grandkids here to need a Christmas tree--plus trees in the desert cost around $80 which is crazy considering that when we lived in Washington we just went outside and cut down a tree for the cost of a $5 permit!).

I hope your Christmas plans are coming along well...

It's Christmas Eve!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas Eve!  As for us, I'm still baking for a party tonight (chocolate cake and a Filipino dessert) and hubby will be cooking enough to feed a small army (we prepped everything last night so all he has to do today is cook). 

On another note, I need to take a geriatric psychology class or something because when we went to a party the night before last, I baked enough desserts to feed a small army like I always do and the cousin who was hosting the party put out a few pieces of each thing I baked then put the rest away and wouldn't let anyone have any to either eat at the party or to take home!?  She did the same with things other people brought.  We always bring a lot of food with the intention that people will take leftovers home so I can't for the life of me figure out why this happened.  I mean this couple is old but they aren't senile and they aren't poor (they are actually multi millionaires).  I told hubby she might just re-gift the things to her neighbors or something!  Weird. 

Tonight's party is at another cousins house so we will see how this goes...

Holiday Baking

We have attended three holiday parties in the last three days with a fish fry scheduled for tonight, a Christmas Eve party on the 24th, and the annual Christmas lunch and family bowling tournament scheduled for Christmas.  I bake for all of these events so today I was up to my elbows in sugar cookies and brownies.  I love to bake anyway so baking cookies and breads and cakes from scratch is a good (cheap!) way to contribute to parties without having to go to the store and buy stuff for each occasion.  Now to get the brownies out of the pan without mangling them...

A Christmas Gift Idea

We headed over to one of the nearby Nevada State Parks in our Area (Spring Mountain) and picked up our annual pass (plus got some great photos of the beautiful park!) and it dawned on me that a state parks pass would be a great gift to give someone for Christmas.  A state parks pass (most states have these) is a great idea since...

• instead of paying a daily fee, the pass is good for entry into any state park, every day of the year, for an entire year.
• many passes can be fairly inexpensive (our pass only cost $30 for a year because hubby is a senior).  Some parks give discounted passes to the elderly, to military members, low income folks, people who volunteer a certain number of hours in the park, etc.  Even at the regular rate, if the pass is used often, it can be a great deal.
• our parks always have fun activities going on--from outdoor yoga to guided hikes to sleigh rides and more--many of which are free!
• our park system also has a special "passport program" where if you visit 15 of the 27 parks in the state and get your "passport" booklet stamped at each park you will get a free annual park pass for the next year.
• the parks are a great place to entertain the kids, have picnics, go fishing, etc.
• the rangers and volunteers at the park are amazing!  They have lots of info about the park, about other parks in the system, they tell great stories, and really love to get people excited about visiting and enjoying the parks. 

This coming year we are making a concerted effort to hit every park in the state!

Luxury Christmas Gift Giving

Needless to say, I won't be the one giving luxury gifts for Christmas or any other holiday but I came across this article today on 'The Best Luxury Gifts for 2018' and was rather surprised at nearly every item on the list...

1. A hair blow dryer for $250.  I haven't used a blow dryer in years, I just let my hair dry by itself and it is much less dry and crunchy.  If someone absolutely needs a dryer I'm guessing a $20 one from Walmart will work about the same as this very expensive one on the list.
2. A smart speaker for $200.  Hubby and I are both kind of freaked out about having Alexa or any other smart speaker that listens to everything that goes on in our house so I'm pretty sure we will never have the need for such an item.
3. A set of two suitcases for $450.  Since hubby and I are both one-bag converts and each carry only a small backpack when we travel, I can never foresee the need for a super expensive suitcase (maybe if you travel a lot for business?).
4. A cast iron dutch oven for $325.  I love cast iron pans and have a few which are "buy it for life" items but you can find a good dutch oven from Lodge for under $100.
5. A robot vacuum for $950.  Holy cow have these things become expensive!  I know plenty of people who love these sorts of vacuums but I actually like vacuuming with our 10 year old, $35 vacuum which hubby keeps in excellent working order.
6. A Canada Goose coat for $950.  Apparently these are all the rage with high school age kids but again, for $950 I could pick up 100 nice coats from the Goodwill and donate them to those in need.  I'm glad I am past the need for expensive fashion items in my life.
7. Noise cancelling headphones for $350.  I have a nice set of very compact headphones which work OK but I just can't bring myself to spend hundreds of dollars on noise cancelling headphones (although I have several friends who swear by their Bose Quiet Comfort headphones so maybe one day...).
8. LaMer moisturizer for $340.  Again, I have never tried such an item and get by just fine with basic lotion I use on my face.  I can't imagine that spending hundreds of dollars is going to get rid of wrinkles unless I pay for an entire face lift or something (which I don't want, I'd rather be wrinkly!).
9. A 55 inch TV for $630.  TVs have dropped drastically in price over the years and if we absolutely needed a new TV this would probably be a deal I would look at but we have plenty of TVs which I hope will last for years to come.
10. A Peloton bike for $2250.  I've looked at these and I like the concept but the price is astronomical!  You can get a ten year gym membership for that much money!
11. A faux fur blanket for $98.  I got a wonderful blanket at Ikea for less than $15 which I use all the time.
12. A Nebula projector for $500.  On the one hand I can't ever see needing one of these, on the other hand I remember the days of $3000 Boxlight machines for making presentations so this is definitely a lower cost alternative.
13. A Kitchen Aid mixer for $280.  People love these and since I bake a lot hubby keeps saying I need to get one but I just see something I would need to spend a lot of time using then cleaning afterwards.  I prefer to use a wooden spoon or my hands when baking!
14. A luxurious purse for $2000.  Again, I am well past the need for expensive purses although there was a time when I was buying new Coach and D & B and LV bags on a near weekly basis.  Thank goodness I don't do that anymore!
15. Musical lights for $240.  I don't even understand the need for these...especially spending hundreds of dollars on them!  Yikes!
16. A Henckels knife set for $280.  This is the only item on the list that I would absolutely love to buy for me or as a gift.  We have a few $100+ knives and they are definitely worth the money!
17. A Polaroid camera for $190.  I remember the original Polaroid cameras and I think they cost around $20 back then.  Definitely not on my needs list but they were fun back in the 1970s!
18. High end shoes for $725.  I'm getting old and the only thing I look for in shoes these days is comfort and long wear.  I can find both of these qualities in the much less expensive Keen, New Balance, Brooks, etc type of shoes.
19. A personalized pen for $230.  LOL no way.  My very favorite pens are Pilot V5 and Pilot V7 pens for less than $10.  I can't even wrap my head around a "luxury pen".
20. Art work for $350.  My low-brow approach to art work is finding very nice (and VERY inexpensive) art work at the Goodwill!

On a side note, if you give gift cards, especially from restaurants, now is the time to buy them as many places are offering "buy a gift card, get an extra $5 or $10 gift card for free" which is a great deal!

Today I Am...Christmas Shopping

I really don't like the fact that nearly every store I have gone to in the last week is already decorating for Christmas.  Can't we just enjoy Halloween and Thanksgiving before we are inundated with Christmas stuff?  But even though I don't like to be slammed with Christmas stuff in early October, I don't mind Christmas shopping now. 

We were at Fremont yesterday and I saw some nice quality fold up Hello Kitty Las Vegas bags which were two for $14 so I picked up two for my friends in Japan.  We really don't do many gifts for Christmas anymore as we always give the kids and grandkids money (it's easier to send and they can buy what they want) but for friends in Japan, gift giving is pretty much a requirement.  Unfortunately there is no cheap way to mail gifts to Japan any more (I used to be able to send things via surface, like a slow boat that takes a month plus to get there and was really cheap) but now they only have air which is really expensive :(  But at least I have time to pick up gifts as I see them on sale so I will save money that way.

Meanwhile we are also getting a box of things together to send to the Philippines for Christmas and in this case it is relatively cheap--about $70 to mail a HUGE box--so we are busy collecting things to send the family there.  For our Philippines box we send a mix of stuff from the Goodwill, canned food and candy, and a few new things.  There is a lot of American TV there so so they always ask for the latest gadgets--iPhone X, Mac books...yikes!--what they will actually get may be second hand electronics if I can find these things at a good price.  At least with a couple months lead time I should be able to find some great deals on gifts!

A Cash Only Christmas

I was kind of amused by some stories on the news today about people's "Christmas credit hang overs." My simple answer is that if you don't have credit cards, you won't go into credit debt to buy Christmas presents. Then the first weeks of January, you can actually look forward to a happy new year instead of getting that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach as soon as the credit card bills start rolling in.

If you want to be able to enjoy Christmas next year instead of getting onto the nauseating "buy gifts you can't afford, celebrate Christmas only half-heartedly because the other half of you is feeling sick over the amount you put on your credit cards, wake up in January and wonder how the heck you are going to be able to make your minimum payments" roller coaster, here's some simple steps:

1. Beginning with your January budget, divide the amount you want to spend on Christmas next year by 12. Put that amount of money (1/12 of the total) into your budget under a Christmas category. When your paycheck comes in, put that money in an envelope marked "Christmas gifts".


2. Put the envelope away but remember that you can use all money that ends up in this envelope throughout the year to buy Christmas gifts.


3. Each month, as you find things on sale that may make a good Christmas gift for someone on your list (you do have a list don't you?), pick up the item, pay for it out of your Christmas gift envelope, then safely store the gift until next Christmas.

This system works out well for quite a few reasons. First, you are putting aside actual cash for Christmas instead of waiting until the end of the year then charging everything on your credit cards. Second, it sets a budget for Christmas spending--no money, no buying presents. Third, it gives you the opportunity to shop throughout the year so you can pick up some really good sale items as they come available, instead of trying to cram all of your shopping into a couple of weeks before Christmas which often forces you to pay top dollar. And finally, by shopping throughout the year, you can roll into December in relative peace and serenity--no battling mall crowds in order to buy dozens of gifts--they are already waiting for Christmas in your closet!