Merry Christmas Eve Eve

I haven't had to work on Christmas Eve for the last two years, so it's weird for me to have to work it this year. I do get the 26th off, though! Nice long weekend with the family. My brother has come to visit and, as well as deciding upon seeing the new Hobbit movie this weekend, we came to agree that it would be best if he joined our household Neptune until he can pay me back some personal loans. I think it's a wise decision! The environment he was in before wasn't entirely healthy for his needs, and I think he's come to realize that for himself now. It'll also help my mom and I out with paying bills while we have two homes to worry about. He'll be taking up the room that was formerly known as the cat room, that was formerly known as the junk room, that was formerly known as the office/guest room-to-be.

No Christmas presents this year, but my mom purchased tickets to see It's a Wonderful Life on the big screen. The film always makes me bawl, so I expect to be slightly embarrassed in a room full of other people who I hope will also be bawling.

Cough Fee

I'm starting to read The Lord of the Rings series. They've been sitting on my bookshelf for a couple of years now among other series I need to start or finish. Unfortunately, after reading The Hobbit just before the movies came out in theaters, I realized that I truly cannot stand Tolkien's writing style and why in blazes am I subjecting myself to a trilogy by the same author?

My eyes started drooping at around 7:00 pm last night reading through Frodo's naps and lunches on his way out of the Shire, and I couldn't help but curl up under the blankets by 7:30 pm. I can't say whether this was from the writing style or because I've exhausted myself over the last two weekends helping my mom paint our old house. But boy, oh boy, do my screaming muscles think the new wall, trim, and ceiling colors have been worth the pain. Unfortunately, we have one more weekend of painting before I think we will be finished, but we'll have to pick my brother up too to join us for Christmas week, and all that I believe calls for lots of coffee. Coffee. Cough fee. 

Photos to come of before and afters! 

Help me, I'm poor.

Wait. Did November happen? It's suddenly December!

Since my family is broke this year we aren't doing presents for Christmas. Instead, my mom and I are going to use my consumer credit cards to finance home improvement purchases for, unfortunately, the old house instead of the new house. The old house is having a hard time selling, and when we did repaint it a couple months ago, if you remember, we rushed through it and didn't verify colors and it ended up turning into a putrid mess of gross bleghs for your eyes. We're taking the thing off the market for a while to try and fix it. Do it right this time. Pick nice, modern and neutral colors. Unfortunately my mom isn't keen on changing the trim colors, which can actually be really constraining on palette choices. We'll see how it works out. Wish us luck. On the lawn we're going to try to grow in the backyard, too! Time to work off our Thanksgiving calories in painting and yard work. Gross and yay at the same time.

Thanksgiving was a grand ol' time. I invited a friend of mine from work who currently doesn't have any family in town (they are in Korea, booo) and she is super preggers and nice/friendly, so that was fun. She learned how to play Yahtzee and really enjoyed it and my brother being his goofball self. My mom and I decided we weren't going with a traditional Thanksgiving meal this year (turkey is not my first choice any day). The menu ended up involving olive oil and chili powder marinated rib eye roast, boiled then baked red potatoes with caramelized onions, and sauteed zucchini, carrots, and roasted garlic. Literally the most perfect meal of all time, and I am surprising myself by saying I am confident I can replicate it. WOW.

In case I follow my current trend of hardly updating ever, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.