Christmas

Well Christmas has come and gone! I love Christmas! The kids were pretty pleased with their gifts....however, Phillip didn't make it home. We're going to have his Christmas on Saturday....so that means we get two Christmas's again this year! We had Christmas dinner at Nanny and Grampy Allens on Christmas eve and then dinner again on Christmas Night (supper) at Grammy and Grampy MacCollum's.

I also went to the Fire Hall and helped to serve Christmas dinner to folks who had no-one to spend Christmas with. Folks were so appreciative and I enjoyed it so much!

I know that this is a short post...but I just wanted to let all know....Christmas was great and happy new year to all!

The GREAT Christmas lie(s)

First and foremost, from the beginning of this blog, everyone can tell that I love my Manumanum! This post is dedicated to her as an "apology for all the lies I told her in the last three weeks", and as a Christmas present to her! Manumanum, Manumanum!

I received a call from Amanda (Manumanum's daughter-in-law) in mid-November telling me that she and Curtis (Manumanum's son) wanted to come home for Christmas...and they wanted to surprise the family...would I be willing to be a part of it? Well....of course my answer was YES!

So for the last three weeks I have lied to Rhea pratically on a daily basis. I convinced her that I had to go to Halifax shopping and that she should come with me....then Amanda thought that Rhea might be suspicious...so I called the trip off telling Rhea that my boss had cancelled my vacation (work was calling). :-)

Then 3 or 4 days later I told Rhea that the trip was back on but that I would have to work for an hour or so on Saturday!...I had a couple of clients that I would have to meet with to show them reports that needed to be filled out.

The plan was that I would drop Rhea off at Frenchy's or some other destination of her choice around noon, drive to the hotel where Amnada and Curtis were checked into (they would have arrived late on Friday night)...pick them up, then call Amanda's brother "D" who lives in lower Sackville...tell him that Amanda had sent something for him in my Christmas package...could I please drop it off....then Amanda and Curtis would surprise him first. "D" would then be in on the plan, I would go back and pick up Rhea and we would continue shopping. "D" would phone Amanda's mother who was on her way to lower Sackville to babysit for "D"'s Christmas Party....ask her to meet him at East Side Mario's for supper....I had already made reservations for 10. Hope (Amanda's mother) and Dave would drive to East Side's for 3:00, I would take Rhea there for the same time and then "D" would arrive with Curtis and Amanda....and the big family reunion would happen. Not to difficult a plan right? Not too many lies involved in that right? Well....then life happened.

Friday night we stayed all night at Rhea's mom's house. Around 11:00 my dad called on my cell phone...and around midnight Amanda called. Their flight was cancelled in New York and they couldn't find a flight out....she'd call me in the morning and let me know what was happening. I then get up to go to the washroom...Rhea's still up...so I fell the need to explain why my phone is ringing into the night! Lie # 20 or so..."My dad has been calling me (he only called once).

In the morning...while at the Sears Bargain basement, the phone rings and it is Amanda....Lie #21 (or so)...Hello Marcel...how are you? Amanda is saying...we don't have a flight until tonight...can you talk mom into staying? I say..."Call me back in a couple of hours and i'll tell you what i've worked out."

Lie #22 (or so)...Rhea...Marcel wants to meet with me tomorrow instead of today...they are caught up in their meetings with HC...would you mind staying overnight again tonight? Rhea said she would rather go home...I said..."no worries..." I won't stay.

Sitting at East Side Mario's....my phone rings again....I said "hello Marcel, (Amanada is on the other end of the phone)...excuse me Rhea I can't hear anything...I'll go by the door...and talk to Marcel...(what number lie is this now? I've lost count!) I tell Amanda that I plan to take Rhea home and then come back to the airport to pick her and Curtis up when their flight gets in around 10:40 p.m.

So Rhea and I eat our supper and continue on to a couple more stores....then I start driving her home. We're going through the notorious Cobequid pass....up until now the weather is fine, however through the pass it's a regular blizzard. I called my Dad..."watch the news and tell me what the weather is supposed to be"....He calls me back...not going to storm until tomorrow...you're ok...! I practically yell back at him..."no, I'm not ok...It's storming!"

While driving home, Rhea and I are doing what all friends do...we're talking! She told me about a time when she went to bed early one evening and told Richard before she went that she only wanted to be woken up if her children called.....well...I happened to call later that evening and Richard automatically brought the phone in to her. I'm thinking to myself....that's good...cause he's going to be bringing it to you at 2:30 this morning! LOL

Then she said...a good friend is one that always tells the truth even though it hurts....I try to explain to her that sometimes a friend has to lie to a friend....but she was having none of that....I told her that "some day" I would explain it to her....(she told me afterward that I really baffled her with the comment about friends lieing to a friend)

I get Manumanum home safely, drop my parcels off in my kitchen and then go up to my parents house. I crash on their couch for about an hour or so...and then call Mel...please check the flights..."their early" she says....So dad and I leave immediately for Halifax, knowing that we are now going to be late to meet the flight.

When we arrive at the Halifax airport, the board states that the flight from New York is in customs...so I proceed to "WAIT"....I wait for about 30 - 40 minutes and no-one comes out of customs....finally, I go into the customs office and ask about the flight. Customs tells me that they cannot tell me if my friends are on the flight...but they have NO flights in customs and according to their board, no flight has even left New York yet!

Dad and I head down to the Tim Hortons and WAIT some more....and then back to the airport to WAIT again! The flight arrives at 1:22 a.m. and is now in customs! About 15 minutes after the flight arrives in customs, Amanda and Curtis come through the doors! A grin starts on my face that is there until 4:00 a.m.!

We drive home from Halifax around 3:30 a.m., drop my dad off at his apartment and then....I call Manumanum! This is how the coversation goes...(please pretend that there is a little tear in my voice as I am talking!)...."Rhea?" Yes, Dear? "Can I come over?" Sure dear, come on! And so I drive over.....Curtis and Amanda stay in the van....I go right into Rhea's house...walk straight to the couch and bury my head in my coat (don't forget, I have a permanent grin on my face!

Rhea says to me..."Whats the matter dear?" and I say..."Oh Rhea...when will it ever stop?"....."What dear?...is it the kids?" I say "Yes!" She says...."Is it Scott?" I say "yes" (How many lies is this?)...and then I hear a gasp...and then another gasp...and then...she's off and crying! She has seen her Christmas surprise!

I will tell you that this moment made my Christmas! And Rhea thought that this moment also made her Christmas....but then the next day, she finds out her Christmas surprise is not complete....She's going to be a Grandma!..and for the first time! Yes...the Christmas surprise is now complete!

Isn't God Good! And isn't Miracles what Christmas is all about?

Love Carolyn

Daughters!

Tanya (my daughter) had a basketball game last night against CCA from Truro. They worked really hard but lost by seven points....and may I say....Tanya did an awesome job of guarding....so much so that two of the girls that she guarded...were getting kinda ticked because they couldn't get any work done for their team! Go Tanya!

I asked Manumanum if I could borrow her Christmas Sweater as I am invited to a Christmas potluck today and I wanted to have something "festive" on. The sweater, I think, is very beautiful and not at all old fashioned like some of the Christmas Sweaters out there! As stated in another blog it is lime green in color and it has a little "gold bling" in the form of stars sewn on. It has 4 small reindeer heads around the front part of the waist each with a different scarf...(one has bells on the scarf that jingle!) I love it! (I told Manumanum that it made her look pregnant in hopes that she would give it to me....but that didn't work...! LOL) (INSIDE JOKE FOLKS!)

Anyways, my daughter, the fashionista, who has told me in the past that I am too old to wear bling, that my bottom is too big to wear prints etc., stopped by the house last night to get some clothes. (it seems that the older the kids get, the house is just used as a stopping point, sometimes to sleep, definitely to eat us out of house and home, and a laundromat.) Back to the story though...she saw the sweater hanging nicely by the fire with care...I mean...hanging on the wall outside the bathroom and said..."What do you have that for?" I said..."I'm wearing it to work tomorrow"....she said "Why? Is it ugly Christmas sweater day?"

A knife to my heart wouldn't have hurt any more I'm sure...cause I love that sweater. Anyhow, I'm proud to say that unlike the sweater with the bling she told me I shouldn't wear and...that I didn't buy...I am wearing the "ugly Christmas sweater" (her words) today! And...I'm wearing it proudly! And I love it! So today....if you want to sing Jingle Bells.....I'm Fanny Bright by your side!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Twas the day before I left on Holidays

Thanks to Karl for helping me update my blogspot by adding my playlist!

I'm starting to get a bit hyper....I get to leave work tomorrow at noon and not return until January 5, 2009! Of course...I will have a short time of work related "things to do" on Saturday...but other than that...I'm Free!

Don't get me wrong. I love (and am grateful for) my job and when January 5th comes around...I will be more than happy to come back...but just the thought of not having to come to work for 2 weeks and still bring home a paycheck....that's a little bit of heaven on this side! LOL

Last night was a quiet evening....spent it with Mark and Mel! I love the way that Mark laughs at funny things and Mel...well...I just love Mel! Cole and Bowen are pretty cute too (and cuddly)

Tomorrow, Manumanum and I leave for Halifax. We will drop of Colin and Ryann's Christmas gifts in Windsor...then on to visit "Grand" Manumanaum! On Saturday....shopping, work and more shopping and we mustn't forget...a little bit of eating along the way!

I may not get to post again on my blog until after Christmas...so just in case! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and that you get to spend time with people that you love! Remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Fanny Bright was by my side!

So, yesterday wasn't a total waste of a day! I got to see my Manumanum in one of her 3 Christmas sweaters! I thought it was quite beautiful (it was very lime green which is a favorite color of mine!)....however, while caroling I was able to pick on her when we sang Jingle Bells and came to the part about Fanny "Bright"! Very cute! I love friends you can pick on and they love you anyway! LOL After caroling, Manumanum and I went around and "voyuered" some of the Christmas lights! If you are one of the people that saw flashes of camera lights outside your houses...we're sorry...but some of the decorations were beautiful!

I only have a few more presents to look after now because my dad wrapped more for me last night. Love him to pieces...but I'm willing to hire him out for the right price too! I think I can do gift bags for the rest if y'all keep him busy!

Ok...so now I want to know....why does my husband get to spend Christmas in warm places and I'm stuck up here in the cold? He's loading today for Houston, Texas. REALLY...couldn't he have waited until Saturday when I was available to go? The kids are old enough to fend for themselves...and they're happy as long as they have their gifts....which are under the tree already! LOL.....Well, there's payback too...I'm not inviting him to CUBA! or MEXICO! or DR...right Mitzi?

Oh yes....and yesterday was also my wedding anniversary! Thanks Phillip for remembering and for the roses! I think that this is the first year ever he has remembered and I had forgotten! 19 years and holding!

God is good - All the time!

Life in General

Ok....so I am quite proud of myself today. Yesterday morning when I left for work I didn't have a single gift wrapped for either of my children. (Ok, they are not children anymore, they are 16 and 18....but they are still my babies!) Back to the topic at hand though!

Last night when I went to bed, every gift that I have purchased for them is wrapped. I dropped off all of Scott's gifts at my parents house at lunch time yesterday and my dad wrapped them all. After work, I took all of Tanya's gifts and my dad and I sat and wrapped them. Then I PILED them all in my van and took them home and placed them under my tree. So now, my living room is a sea of lime green wrapped and blue wrapped gifts.

I have a method to my madness....I don't put name tags on my kids gifts....I wrap Tanya's gifts in all one color (every year it is different), and Scott's gifts are wrapped in a different color. Last year it was Red paper with snowmen for Tanya and Blue paper with snowmen for Scott. This year it is plain paper....lime green and blue. That leaves them guessing as to who's gifts are whos! To bad my parents wouldn't have thought of that when I was a child...because I used to open all my gifts and re-wrap them while they were at work! LOL.....although that wouldn't have even worked one year....because I opened theirs too and rewrapped.....they had no clue until Christmas morning and I made the mistake of "guessing the right color sweater in a gift!" lol.

Isn't Christmas fun? I love Christmas! I love to give gifts....but any friend of mine knows that I don't like to be surprised with a gift! In fact...if you give me a gift before Christmas, rest assured that I will have peeked in the gift and re-wrapped and placed it under the tree!

Today - I'm blogging

Ok...so I've created a blog. Now I have to get used to coming here and blogging! And then....I have to actually find something interesting to say....and not that I'm just busy, busy, busy. My title of Manumanums is in honor of my friend manumanum! She is so good at writing and I am hoping that 1 100ths of a part of her talent will rub off on me! I'll write again soon!