The week before Christmas
Dec. 20th, 2006 07:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fenchurchFor some unknown reason I woke up at 4:30 this morning and it quickly became apparent that I wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon... apparently, I'd simply had enough rest for the night. So, I got up, turned on the local news and resumed gift wrapping (a task I actually enjoy, even though I once worked as a gift-wrapper at Christmas-time). It also doesn't help that the house smells divine! We're making chicken stock and left it simmering overnight... I woke up VERY hungry. We're thinking we may try our hands at making Matzo Ball Soup later today.
I'm a bit bummed that I've resorted to so many gift cards this year... I *hate* giving gift cards. It feels like I've flunked remedial gift giving, even though I know some people love to receive them... but life has been running a few months behind all year and I just never quite got on top of my gift list. I'm hoping the new year will give me a nice fresh start on things!
We'd originally planned on trying to head out for Utah today (this year's trip with 100% fewer car accidents), but we're nowhere near ready. So it's looking like we'll be aiming for a Thursday departure, assuming the weather doesn't turn particularly nasty... and we're expecting another windstorm tonight (although nowhere near as bad as the last one).
Speaking of which, things I learned this weekend:
Always keep on top of the laundry, because you never know when you might not be able to do it again.
Always run the garbage disposal after you toss things into it (for the same reason as doing the laundry).
That debate over whether we wanted to get some sort of fireplace insert when we replace the fireplace surround? So totally over. Our current fireplace is designed to provide a decorative fire and will keep you warm if you're sitting about two feet from it, but that's it.
Also, the generator we've been talking about getting since we moved into the house... yeah, that's gone on the shopping list, too. Three days was way too long for the servers to be down (oh, yeah, and it would have been nice to keep running the fridge and freezer, too).
Keep some tar paper on hand... even if you don't need it, your neighbors might.
Never, ever, ever put off gift shopping until right before Christmas, because there might not be any stores open.
I am soooooo glad we decided to have a gas line piped into the kitchen so we could have a gas stove. Even when it was only 47 degrees in the house, we still had hot food.
Things my parents taught me can really come in handy... having been in so many natural disasters when I was a child, my folks were adamant about never letting a gas tank get below half. We were never in any danger of either of our cars running out of fuel.
If you clean out the older vegetables and fruit in your fridge right before a major storm is due to hit, be sure to replace them that day. If we'd done that, we wouldn't have needed to run to the store on Friday (although we did get some marshmallows then, which were nice to have while we were huddling around the fire), even if it was kinda fun to go grocery shopping with a flashlight.
It gets really dark outside without all the ambient light from the city.
Double-check that you actually have the batteries you think you do. We normally keep a brick of all pertinent batteries on hand... but apparently forgot to replace our D-cells after we used the last one. Oops. When they're eventually available in the region again, we're stocking up.
I'm a bit bummed that I've resorted to so many gift cards this year... I *hate* giving gift cards. It feels like I've flunked remedial gift giving, even though I know some people love to receive them... but life has been running a few months behind all year and I just never quite got on top of my gift list. I'm hoping the new year will give me a nice fresh start on things!
We'd originally planned on trying to head out for Utah today (this year's trip with 100% fewer car accidents), but we're nowhere near ready. So it's looking like we'll be aiming for a Thursday departure, assuming the weather doesn't turn particularly nasty... and we're expecting another windstorm tonight (although nowhere near as bad as the last one).
Speaking of which, things I learned this weekend:
Always keep on top of the laundry, because you never know when you might not be able to do it again.
Always run the garbage disposal after you toss things into it (for the same reason as doing the laundry).
That debate over whether we wanted to get some sort of fireplace insert when we replace the fireplace surround? So totally over. Our current fireplace is designed to provide a decorative fire and will keep you warm if you're sitting about two feet from it, but that's it.
Also, the generator we've been talking about getting since we moved into the house... yeah, that's gone on the shopping list, too. Three days was way too long for the servers to be down (oh, yeah, and it would have been nice to keep running the fridge and freezer, too).
Keep some tar paper on hand... even if you don't need it, your neighbors might.
Never, ever, ever put off gift shopping until right before Christmas, because there might not be any stores open.
I am soooooo glad we decided to have a gas line piped into the kitchen so we could have a gas stove. Even when it was only 47 degrees in the house, we still had hot food.
Things my parents taught me can really come in handy... having been in so many natural disasters when I was a child, my folks were adamant about never letting a gas tank get below half. We were never in any danger of either of our cars running out of fuel.
If you clean out the older vegetables and fruit in your fridge right before a major storm is due to hit, be sure to replace them that day. If we'd done that, we wouldn't have needed to run to the store on Friday (although we did get some marshmallows then, which were nice to have while we were huddling around the fire), even if it was kinda fun to go grocery shopping with a flashlight.
It gets really dark outside without all the ambient light from the city.
Double-check that you actually have the batteries you think you do. We normally keep a brick of all pertinent batteries on hand... but apparently forgot to replace our D-cells after we used the last one. Oops. When they're eventually available in the region again, we're stocking up.
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no subject
Date: 2006-12-20 03:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-20 04:29 pm (UTC)One of these days I need to see about getting your address so I can send you things like Christmas cards!
no subject
Date: 2006-12-20 04:06 pm (UTC)All good reminders. I need to double-check supplies in my house. Given our freaky weather, I'm sure we'll end up with at least one ice event this year!
no subject
Date: 2006-12-20 04:33 pm (UTC)Oh yeah... and, you know, I do feel sorry for the families of those people who have died due to carbon monoxide poisoning this last week, but it doesn't stop me from doing a *headdesk* every time a new one gets reported.
I need to double-check supplies in my house.
We try to check ours about every three months, but sometimes we forget to mark it on the calendar so it'll go a bit longer.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-20 04:19 pm (UTC)And I guess Homeland Security is right, for once, about keeping batteries, canned goods, etc in case of an emergency.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-20 04:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-20 04:54 pm (UTC)I noticed that at the bottom of an online article about the horrible air quality and the Air Agency urging people not to burn if they don't have to, there was a line about it being okay to burn if you need to AND KNOW HOW. Heh.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-20 06:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-20 06:55 pm (UTC)Okay, but just remember two things: don't forget to let the matzo ball mixture sit in the refrigerator for at least a half an hour before forming it into balls, and when you slip the balls into your simmering/boiling salted water (don't cook them in your stock or it will get cloudy) (I guess that's three things), cover the pot with a damp kitchen towel THEN the lid, and don't open it even once during the cooking process. These things will ensure light, beautiful matzo balls which will be totally unlike hockey pucks. Good luck!
no subject
Date: 2006-12-21 04:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-21 04:15 am (UTC)We've actually put off the matzo ball soup until after we get back. Tonight has been way too insane (with the packing and the cleaning) to try cooking something new. The chicken stock is in the freezer and will hopefully be just as good when we thaw it out in January...
no subject
Date: 2006-12-21 01:22 am (UTC)I gave a lot of gift cards this year, too, but I love getting them, so I don't feel too bad about handing them out.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-21 04:20 am (UTC)