Felicity's Retirement Party and Other Stories

I slept in again and started today late with a Tomato, Mushroom, and Colby Cheese Omelet and a ride to the Haddon Township Library. I got in around 11:30, and while it wasn't busy, there were plenty of DVDs to put away and books to shelve. I didn't want to stay too long because of my sore ankle, and I had no intention of taking out books. I have plenty to read at home! I did take out three more DVDs - the 60s Journey to the Center of the Earth with James Mason, Please Don't Eat the Daisies with Doris Day and James Niven, and another set of recent Care Bears cartoons.

Made two quick stops on the way home. There was nothing I needed at Super Fresh. I did get a turkey and swiss hoagie and Cherry-Chocolate Iced Tea from the fountain to have for lunch at home.

I spent the rest of the day in and around my apartment. Bored, I decided to try something different that wouldn't tax my ankle. Inspired by the many photo stories at the AGPlaythings Message Board, I decided to try my hand at creating a story about several Care Bears, the other AG dolls, and my Sailor Moon Barbie-sized doll Sailor Mini Moon holding a "retirement" party for a morose Felicity to try to lift her spirits.

Felicity's Retirement Party

I was going to go swimming, but I wasn't up for it, and I'd already done enough on my ankle. I opted to read the rest of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm on my porch instead. I really enjoyed that, by the way. A coming-of-age tale similar to Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, Rebecca is about a young girl in New England who is sent to live with two spinster aunts in order to get a better education. The story follows her adventures in trying to please her aunts, especially stern Aunt Miranda, making friends, and getting into scrapes. It's not at all as saccharine as it's reputation suggests, and nothing like the Shirley Temple movie of the same title. If you enjoyed the Anne series, I'd highly recommend giving Miss Rebecca Randall a try.

Seeing Is Believing

I spent the morning doing the usual errands and grocery shopping. I went to Staples to look at prices for USB data save things, but I'm really trying hard to not dip into my savings. I just walked out with a set of DVD-R discs so I can save videos from my digital camera. I peeked at FYE; they do have the new WebKinz I wanted, but I'm going to hold off there until the new 2-disc set of Mary Poppins I want comes out on Tuesday and I get my next paycheck. I looked at a shoe store, but I didn't see any good sales on cheap sneakers.

I didn't really need much at the Acme, so I wasn't there for very long. I came home with yogurt, peanut butter, Apricot fruit spread, grapefruit, bananas, celery, and ham and collard greens for dinner. After everything was put away, I ran back out to the bank quickly, then came back home and worked on a recipe for French Bread made with egg whites.

While the bread rose, I worked on another project. I made Lauren the first 12-minute video clip using my digital camera. I'm not going to post it here tonight. I really made it for her, and it's taking long enough to upload as it is. I'll post everything when I finally upload everything. I didn't realize how long it would take for these files to get on here! This is why I don't like all this fancy technology. Why should it take so long to upload? It's supposed to be "high speed" internet, right? I like things better when they come out right away, like film and Polaroids.

Peace On Earth, Goodwill Towards Men

It was an unusually peaceful day today. I seem to be one of the only people on the planet who isn't running around, trying to get everything done! I started Jodie's pudding pie this morning and finished this afternoon. I always make Dad's girlfriend Jodie something for her Christmas Eve party for her Christmas present. The pudding pie I made for her son's graduation party last July was such a bit hit, I thought I'd make her another one.

Dad was one of the people running around, trying to get everything done. He was wrapping presents when I went over to his and Uncle Ken's house to do this week's laundry. I got to show off my new camera to Dad, and then Dolores and Uncle Ken when they got home. I even got a really nice shot of Uncle Ken sitting in the couch in the downstairs den area known as "The Eagles' Den," where he keeps all of his Eagles paraphernalia.

I also got to show it to Jodie and Jessa when they came in from shopping and confirm our Christmas Day plans. Sounds like we're going to meet at 10AM and visit various relatives, including Samantha and her family, Karen and Jim, and an aunt of Jodie's.

Rose passed through as I put away my laundry. She, too, was apparently knee-deep in unwrapped presents, but she wanted to pick up my presents (wrapped) to deliver to the family in Cape May County. She'll and her boyfriend Craig will be going down to Erma tomorrow morning and coming back in time for Jodie's party.

I did run into Collingswood to donate the three videos I replaced with DVDs yesterday to the Friends In Deed Thrift Shop. I picked up a few Christmas gifts for myself, four more records and a Peanuts Christmas comic book. The records this time around were a studio cast recording of The King & I featuring Broadway leading lady Barbara Cook, the original Broadway cast recording of Irma La Douce, a double-disc set of Glenn Miller songs, and a set of Leonard Bernstein and the London Philharmonic performing Christmas music.

I spent the rest of a quiet afternoon watching It's A Wonderful Life and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and finishing A Christmas Story (which I started to watch at Uncle Ken's). It's really weird to be finished with everything. The only thing I need to do is deliver my remaining gifts. Everything is wrapped. Everything is baked. Everything is made. There's nothing left to do.

It's really a lovely feeling.

Christmas In the 21st Century

A package arrived for me just as I was putting the cupcakes in the oven this morning. It was another Christmas present from Lauren, and it was a doozy - my first digital camera! I've never had the money for a digital camera. It's such a cute little thing, and once I figured out how to backlight the pictures and insert the memory card (Lauren sent me three of those and rechargeable batteries), it was easy to click away. I took nine pictures today, ten counting the one of my Sailor Moon dolls I deleted because it was too bright. I'll try posting them here once I figure out all the logistics. I got a really nice one of the sun just as it was setting.

I had a harder time getting the camera out of that damn blister pack than figuring out how to work the thing! I literally had to cut into the blister packs for the camera and the memory cards with a knife, and I still haven't opened the rechargeable batteries. Isn't there a way they can package electronics that doesn't require the aid of sharp, heavy objects to open them?

I popped my head out for a moment shortly after the cupcakes came out of the oven. It was still windy, brisk, and cold, but not quite as cold as I thought it would be. It was probably in the low 30s, freezing but not intolerable for someone who prefers the cold anyway. I decided I'd let the cupcakes cool before frosting them and head over to the Acme's employee luncheon and to the FYE to use the gift card I got from Lauren.

The employee luncheon is a potluck party. Everyone brings something, from hot pasta dishes to desserts. The produce and deli departments donate trays of vegetables and hoagies. It was just after lunchtime when I arrived with my container of cookies, my contribution, and half the store was in there. I had a hard time finding a seat! I had a good time, though. The food was so good! There were deviled eggs, two different kinds of pasta salad (I liked the one with the light dressing and vegetables), heavy caramel brownies, rice pudding, baked ziti, these delicious little garlic pierogies, two different carrot cakes (one round, one in a pan), cupcakes and gingerbread bites from the bakery, a plate of salami and three cheeses...and that's just what I can remember! I had a lovely time, chatting with my fellow employees and not having to worry about being too long on my break.

I went to FYE next to spend my gift card. I made use of the sale on Christmas movies and Disney movies to replace my videos of Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas, Miracle On 34th Street, and Christmas In Connecticut. Connecticut in particular needed to be replaced. I taped it off of TCM during my last semester of college in 2001. I also finally bought the first Now That's What I Call Christmas! double CD, which I've wanted for years but could never afford during the holiday season. I made a brief return to the Acme after FYE to use their bathroom. A co-worker admonished me to try one of her cookies after she promised to try one of mine yesterday, but I'm afraid I was so stuffed by then, I barely had the room for a very tasty coconut macaroon. (I was so full, all I had for dinner was yogurt and a granola bar!)

The rest of the afternoon was spent frosting the cupcakes and watching the Laurel and Hardy March of the Toy Soldiers, the 1986 TV version of Babes In Toyland, and the Sailor Moon "movie" Hearts In Ice. Hearts In Ice isn't technically a Christmas movie. It concerns Sailor Moon's cat Luna falling in love with a human scientist while Serena and the Sailor Soldiers try to figure out why an evil ice witch and her snowy minions are attacking Earth. However, since it's set during the winter and one scene does mention Santa Claus, I tend to watch this one around the December holidays.

The cupcakes finish my actual holiday baking. The pudding pie I'm going to make tomorrow doesn't require an oven or a lot of time. I may go to Collingswood to drop the videos off at the thrift shop after I do the laundry.