Random Christmassy type Ramblings

What follows is completely disjointed and lacking any flow (or connections whatsoever). Just some thoughts/experiences that I needed to share.

So I was going to write that this is what it must feel like to have Christmas in Dallas but then I thought I should check to see what the weather must ACTUALLY be like in Dallas. I was wrong being that at this moment it is something like ~24C (75 F) there! Ah beauty. Nothing beautiful at all about our weather. It sucks.

That is a debateable point out on the street though. MANY are enjoying this bizarrely warm (everything being relative) snowless weather. Jokes about tulips erupting from the ground and buds on the trees abound. We have had snow. Paltry amounts of wet snow that did nothing but tease and melted in the ensuing days. Whole oceans of rain have fallen from the sky though. Torrents. Floods. The sun is a rare site and when I got up on Sunday morning I lit the Christmas tree because it was just so dark. It was (although not having ventured outside I didn’t know it at the time) a balmy 10 C (50 F). It was amore reasonable 2C (35 F) today. So cold enough not to want to hang about in a cold wind but certainly not enough for snow. Winter without snow is just boring and ugly. With snow – 10 isn’t a problem. You don’t notice the cold (much!). You can ice skate and ski and build forts and toboggan. You can live. With just cold (even “warm” cold) there isn’t much to enjoy.

I have had only two Christmas in my life (to my memory) without snow. One was spent in the Carribean (they would NOT handly snow at all well) they other was a few years back. It wasn’t as awful because there had been snow and then VERY shortly after Christmas there was a good deal of snow. This year is somewhat different. As I mentioned – very warm, tons of rain and no sign that the weather will change anytime soon (although as a seasoned Ottawan I know that change is what our weather is all about.) I need it to be cold darnit! I need snow. Lots of snow. A good snowstorm with a solid foot of snow would be a good start. Okay rant about the weather over.

Despite the un-Christmassy feel brought about by our complete absence of snow we have gone about preparing for Christmas. Kamryn and I decorated our annual Gingerbread House this weekend AND I made cookies. I felt very… Martha Stewartish. Better though Daniel and I rolled up our sleeves and got to some real wor clearing out our basement (our aim is to finish it over the winter months so the kids will have somewhere to play come…ummm…. April(?) lol when they should be playing outdoors.)

I was very pleased with our progress but I’m staggered – completely and totally — by the amount of books the two of us have ammassed and simply stored in the basement. I don’t think I will ever purchase another book again (how’s that for an empty promise). The pile is embarassingly large. I have been ruthless in sorting (read I’m not sorting at all). I’m thinking anything that has been in a box six years that wse haven’t gone searching for we obviously have little need of. As such we’re at BIG box #6 and the pile still grows.

We have amassed quite a few boxes of clothes to donate though and that makes me feel warm and fuzzy this time of year. If a little embarassed that my family is the source of so much… stuff! Hopefully, someone can put them too good use and they can make someone elses life a little easier in the New Year.

Anyway…

Pictures of Kamryn and Sam decorating our tree and Kamryn and I decorating our Gingerbread House 2006 to follow - My picture server isn't behaving right now.

Cheerio.

A Whole Mish Mash of Stuff -- Life, Christmas, Birthparents.

I rule! Okay not really but I feel so in control this year (note I didn’t say I was in control just that I felt that way). House looking Christmassy – done. Christmas newsletter – written. Christmas cards – mailed. Christmas packages – mailed. Christmas shopping – done (except for some gift cards I have to pick up). The newsletter and the cards are generally the bane of my existence. It all just sneaks up on me. Not this year for some reason I got on the ball and got the pictures taken and the cards ordered in time. I got the newsletter written at work during the lull we are experiencing. I got them all out last week and for once MOST of the people on my list will get them before Christmas (might be dodgy for the outside of Canada people in that I think cards to Europe and the Carribean were supposed to be in the mail by December 5th and I didn’t get them out until the 8th. A well. Still they are gone!

My parents couldn’t watch the kids today and Claude had to work so I took a family day to play SAHM (okay I bent the truth a little and told them I had to take the kids for flu shots. We are allowed five family days a year but they must be used for illness or medical appointments etc. I do have to take the kids for flu shots but not until 5:30 pm). So Sam and I did a ton of errands this morning. We dropped off some old coats for the poor. We shipped Kamryn’s birthmother her presents and I bought all my supplies for baking cookies and squares. After I finish writing this blog entry I’m off to wrap all our presents.

Baking is the project for this weekend. We have no social activities planned for some strange reason (not complaining at all!) and Kamryn and I will bake, bake and bake some more. :) I even managed to pick up the raw materials for our gingerbread house. Unfortunately, I could only find an already assembled house which is kind of disappointing BUT really that step was pretty easy last year so I’m trying not to be too disappointed (I’m NOT doing one from scratch!). Kamryn actually asked about doing one without any prompting from me. It makes me all warm inside to realize that I’m creating traditions. :) Looking forward to the weekend.

Work has pretty much come to a grinding halt. Last Friday I had a last minute emergency tasking that I handled in stride and had me staying a little late at the office but that wasn’t too awful as it was the only work I had done all week. I also had to hang around because I’m competing for a promotion (and had waited until the last minute to complete my application!). I think looking at the many qualified people competing along with me that I’m mostly wasting my time (and my stomach lining!) but I couldn’t not put my name in. I will have to spend Christmas studying – ugh! I won’t mind if/when I don’t get the promotion (I kind of like my current job) but I NEED to get through at least the knowledge test (it's a pride thing). Let me get an interview and then don’t promote me but please let me get to the interview stage. The knowledge test is very scarey. To put it in perspective EVERYONE competing will have at minimum a Master of Arts (many will have PhDs) and EVERYONE is sweating this knowledge test. Merry Christmas. I’m guessing the exam will be in mid-January.

On the adoption front we have had an interesting development this week. We (well actully the adoption agency we used) has heard from Sam’s long lost birthfather. He sent the Children’s Aid an e-mail to ask how he find out some information about him which they then forwarded to our agency. Sam's birthfather still thinks that Sam is a Crown Ward and I guess had no idea he had been adopted (not for lack of trying on our part; he was served papers; he was called; he was pleaded with). Anyway he left his name, address and telephone number with the adoption agency. I have to sit down and write him an e-mail and find out what his contacting us really means. Sam has been on this earth 2 ½ years and he has NEVER even seen a picture of him – again not for lack of trying as Sam’s birthfamily were ready to move mountains to get him involved prior to deciding to place Sam for adoption. He had the opportunity to participate in the process once we got involved and all he did was make things difficult for us (wouldn’t sign any papers but wouldn’t return phone calls or show up in court either!) Anyway, I don’t know if his reaching out now is serious or not. For Sam sake we will reach back but we’re not even certain he is his birthfather. I don’t want to get to involved with him if he isn’t so I guess I need to find out the particulars of getting a DNA test done. At least I don’t have to hire someone to track him down first which I thought was going to be the case. I hope he is his birthfather (despite a rather unattactive history/profile) because any history (bad or good) is better than no history. :( We’ll see what happens. Watch this space.

Also in this edition of birthparent chronicles, Kamryn’s birthfather surprised us this Fall (I think I forgot to mention this byt pardon me if I already have) with a surprise wedding announcement. The guy we didn’t think would ever marry (he’s 45) got married. He’s living overseas right now and we don’t have a lot of contact with him (I keep asking him for an address and he’s yet to furnish one which is a little annoying and odd for him). I responded to his e-mail (the first one in almost a year) and he never responded back. He will (I hope) call over Christmas. He married a woman much younger than himself. Makes me nervous (and almost certain) that Kamryn will end up with some siblings. I had hoped that would never happen simply because it raises the question of “why them and not me.” :( Again, we’ll have to see. I’m also VERY nervous that the difficulty we are having staying in contact with him means he is drifting away. I hope not. :(

Okay on that happy note I better go wrap presents. Have to pick Kamryn up from school in an hour.