SHOP TILL YOU DROP, COUGH TILL YOU PUKE

I woke up in the night coughing my brains out.  And...I was glad to see that even in my sleep, I was holding my eyes to keep them from popping out!  And I can't help but think that this is NOT good for my blood pressured head.  Stroke causing coughs are not good.  At least I did make arrangements with Monte to understand that one blink is no and two blinks is yes.  I say no way more than yes so I made the no easier.  I hope he remembers!!!   I can see it now, "Do you want me to pull the plug?"  NO!!! I blink once.  "Hmmmm I am pretty sure she said one blink is yes."  I scream silently in my wounded head.  And HE gave me this damned cough too.  He better remember!  Maybe I should make a few IMPORTANT notes and stick it with my will and my funeral playlist.

On Friday I finally sat down with paper and pen and made a plan...for the few days left before all hell breaks loose!  Can't wait!!!  I LOVE Xmas!!! Yesterday was finish ALL the shopping day.  And I did!!!  I even had time to sit down in the food court and have a limp Greek salad.  Thats a beef with me...they put the dressing on the salad in the morning and by the time we get it its all limp.  And whats with the vinegar?  Vinegar does NOT belong in Greek salad.  Its supposed to be just oil.  Grrrr....

I always take a big bed thats not being used and separate the gifts into piles.  That way I can tell if things are even.  But this year there is only two things in Monte's pile.  There are a couple of things coming in the mail but you know, he has a box in his cupboard that has half of last years gifts still sitting in it.  He just does NOT need stuff.  He doesn't use stuff and doesn't really even want stuff.  Gift cards and money he uses.  So I told him that his pile is pretty tiny and he said he doesn't mind.  I would rather give him money and he can go spend it where he wants to.  He likes that too!

Today is wrap day.  I have already moved a table into the middle room, nice and low so I can sit on the edge of the bed and NOT get a back ache this year.  Oh how I miss Spod!!!  But I am not going to bed until all is wrapped and under the tree.  I will leave the wrap station up for others to use as necessary.  Last year I was out in our garage in Langford.  I loved it.  It was cold cold cold which kept everyone away.  Alone time!!!!  And I had the radio going so I could sing along to songs.  But my back hurt like hell.

I think we are going to go retro, a little, for christmas eve food.  Seven layer salad (with a new twist), jelly salad!, cheese ball, and I know Kathy and Jo and Do are adding stuff.  I can't wait!  And its going to be a hoot watching Ainsley.  Maybe some tarts and cookies.  Mincemeat....no one eats it but it smells so good when its baking!!  Bulk store here I come!!!  Mom used to make perogies, shrimp wiggle and chicken haddie.  Kathy is doing the perogies mmmmmm...and I may or may not make shrimp wiggle.  Chicken haddie in a can, with paper inside wrapped around the fish, is no longer available.  But the shrimp wiggle?

I looked up the recipe on several different sites and discovered that somehow my mother did it very differently than all the recipes.  Basically shrimp wiggle is creamed shrimp and peas served on crackers, bread, pastry etc.  She made it this way:  cook rice, then add peas and canned shrimp. That's it.  Rice, shrimp and peas.  If I decide to make some, a small some, I will use prawns, peas, rice and something to spice it up and make it tasty!  A toast to mother!  I am pretty sure my dad would NOT have liked this dish!  Hahaha!!!  No rice or pasta for him!

I just proof read this and noticed the number of times I emphasized the word NOT.  Now you know why I made it one blink for NO.  TTYL