Northern California Nesties
Passanie
member
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
How's your holiday prep going?
So, how's it all going? The shopping, the baking, the wrapping, the stress? How much shopping do you have done? Are you freaking out? Are you calm? What's the holiday pulse of the nesties? (Man, that was cheesy!) 
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Re: How's your holiday prep going?
I know! Your post is what inspired it. If you're anything like me, you plan to do all these things way earlier, but it never seems to happen.
I'm feeling pretty good. I think all our shopping is done. Now just packing for our trip and running some errands. I wish I had more time to bake.
I still have to wrap everything!! About 15 gifts....I guess that's not too bad. I still have to shop for ingredients so that I can bake, buy Jacob's gift and my mom's gift, and try and figure out what I'm going to wear (I have tops but my pants are getting uncomfortable).
I have 1/2 a day off on Thurs. and Friday off so I'm sure I'll get everything done. I'm also done with school for 2 wks starting tomorrow, so that will help too.
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Last week, I got the first batch of baking done: toffee with sea salt, chocolate cheese fudge and molasses spice cookies with orange sugar. Got second batch of cooking done today: sea salt caramel thumbprint cookies and chai spice snickerdoodles. I have all my gifts (I may get one more thing for DH if I get a chance to run to the used book store) except for the one for DH that still needs to come in the mail. Tomorrow night I am finishing SIL gift, then I can finish wrapping everything. DH needs to get his Dad's Christmas gift. Then on Thursday night, I am making my last batches of cranberry orange bread to give as gifts and to set up the cookie basket for my dad and step mom.
I'm mostly done though!
We just finished up weekend 2 of holiday parties we are hosting...all that's left is the IL's coming over for Christmas morning brunch. I still need to shop for that, plus find something for my mom because I'm totally stuck when it comes to getting her gifts. I'm more stressed that I would normally be, I just planned way too much instead of relaxing and enjoying the holiday. I don't want to end up as one of those people that doesn't like all the craziness holidays bring.
No clue when I'm going to shop more, since I'm working pretty much all day. Mighth have to do some last minute stocking stuffer gifts on my way home one night, and hope Dh doesn't catch on to my procrastination! Oh and I still want to bake...but it probably won't happen.
Christmas in a hotel means scaling down out of necessity. But I found a genious shortcut: I took ALL my gifts to Barnes & Noble, where a high school debate team was doing gift wrapping for a fundraiser. I donated $40 (the going rate looked to be between $1-$5), and they took care of everything for me. Now my gifts are all gorgeously wrapped, and I didn't have to lift a finger!
(I had about a half-dozen gifts, that's all. I figured it'd cost me $20 just to buy wrapping supplies.)
I knew I'd be busy last week, so I purposely did all my shopping, wrapping, and decorating early. Cards are out, but people moved on me this year, so I have to resend a few.
(Another part of me just doesn't care.)
I'm not really into baking this year. Usually, I'm all over it. But I just haven't had the time or patience. Lots of ambitions though. I have plenty of butter in my fridge.
But - we hosted a holiday brunch yesterday for all the dancers in show over the weekend. I'm pretty beat. I could probably churn out another batch, but I think I'm getting sick.
I have a reasonable amount still to do, but not overwhelming.
- pick up/clean house for company on Christmas day - this is my pain in the rump to-do (we're hosting lunch for our families, about 8 people)
- grocery shop/prep Christmas lunch
- wrap all gifts (pretty much done shopping, just need to wrap and figure out where to stash them so C doesn't destroy them)
- bake another batch of bread as gifts (hopefully this afternoon)
I had a productive weekend and got the following done:
- finished our DIY Christmas stockings! Cost me a total of $5.50! Much better than $75 to PBK
- got all the Christmas cards written and in the mail
- mailed the two packages for far-flung aunts
- made a double batch of bread/cinnamon rolls
- drafted the Christmas lunch menu
ugh! Stupid Nest!!
anyway...
I usually do the wrapping on Christmas Eve. I still need to shop for Christmas Eve dinner because we are hosting but I have my list ready to go. All in all I am just not stressed..the kids have 2 weeks off from school and we are lounging. Planning on taking them to see Yogi Bear today!
Is it bad I am all done.
. I only have three working days of this year (incld. today).
I just need to make the meals and sides for Xmas Eve dinner & Xmas morning. Those will all be done Thursday.
We did not do cards this year again...just did not have the time.
The weekends this month have been full of fun stuff...so I took today off to finish my Christmas stuff. I have shopping bags full of ingriedients for Oreo truffles, Xmas cookies, and Guiness cupcakes. We decorated our (sad) tree last night and I bought the last gift this morning.
My small group of cards are mailed out. I have a 2 craft projects to do this afternoon and I am done!
T and I are celebrating Christmas with each other Thursday night and then heading to MA on Friday morning. Despite my earlier scrooginess, I'm really looking forward to the holidays now.
what holiday prep ?!?
i've got the stockings up and some soft ornaments that rosie can play with but no tree or wreath .. yet
i've got the nieces, nephews and rosie their gifts but i still have h to buy for. i haven't sent out my holiday cards yet .. i have until 1/6 right ?!?
this december as been a mess .. between getting sick and the horrible weather, it's been a nightmare trying to get anything done. i'm not stressing, it will all get done and JUST in the nick of time but it'll feel rushed .. which i don't like
This year has been crazy since I'm furiously trying to finish my dissertation (umm.. I actually think its done and I'll be a doctor in less than 48 hours!) and John is trying to make his billable hours for his first year as a law associate. Plus, we're trying to prep for the arrival of our LO in a few weeks.
BUT, on Saturday morning we happened to wake up super early and we went to the mall at 7:30 am and did most of our shopping and were out of the mall by 9:00 am. Crazy. I just need to wrap our gifts and John is in charge of buying a few more for some of his cousins.
I caved and John and I already exchanged gifts. I think he gave in b/c I was in such a bad mood on Saturday morning about my dissertation. If it wasn't for John, I would have been a total scrooge this year.. he went out and bought a tree and wreath and put up all the decorations this year.
ERD 01.16.11
Surviving postpartum depression & OCD one day at a time.
Also experienced antenatal OCD.
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Ugh, I had such grand plans... Then I got the flu.
All our gift-stuff is done (with the exception of one of Corey's gifts which I don't think is going to get here in time), but we're having a party at our place on Christmas day for anywhere from 20-30 peeps and I'm scared now. I was planning to be shopping/cooking/baking/cleaning for it all week, and instead I've been lying on the couch while my house gets progressively more disgusting. Now I have 3 days left and who knows how it's going to turn out...