Thanksgiving

which obviously we don’t do, what with not being American and all ;).

But there has been a thread on a forum I’m on about if you were to celebrate Thanksgiving what would you be giving thanks for and quite aside from the usual stuff about being happy, healthy, solvent etc. my big thanks would be for friends. We as a family have some amazing friends and I personally have some amazing friends too, many of them crossover and if to love and be loved is one of the things which makes life worth living then I utterly include my friends, whom I love, in that too.

We’re off tomorrow to embark on a friend-rich week with a weekend stopover followed by a NicCamp, both of which I am ridiculously excited about and keep hugging the knowledge of to myself like a child at Christmas, but we kicked it off today with a visit from Ali and Freya.

This morning I had piles of things to do like packing (but lots of what was to be packed was either dirty and needed washing or was clean but needed drying so I was processing that), baking (but most of it needed ingredients which had not arrived and were not due until a later shopping order had been delivered). Instead I managed to get myself very wound up by observing a woman walking her two dogs and pushing a small child in a pushchair on the opposite side of the road stop while her dog had a poo and then walk away from it. I was utterly insensed – very few things make me as mad as irresponsible pet owners and dog crap generally. I didn’t think about what I was doing and just opened the window and yelled across the street at her ‘CLEAR UP AFTER YOUR ANIMAL!!!!!’. Unfortunately she didn’t take this well and wanted me to ‘come here and say that’ and stood glaring at me for a good few minutes before walking away. I happened to be on the phone to Ady at the time so he ‘witnessed’ the whole thing and is still fretting about it now, utterly convinved that she will return and vandalise the house or car while we’re away for the week, or that she’ll mount some sort of terror campaign on us.

It wasn’t sensible, I am not big or clever or proud of myself and it was bloody stupid to lean out of the window of my house therefore identifying my home address and whilst in years gone by that was so typically me I have both mellowed and gotten more sensible but I was just so bloody cross I acted without thinking. Hopefully she got home, realised just how in the wrong she was (morally,legally and every other way) and has no intention of taking it any further. Davies and Scarlett however are very proud of me for standing up for what I believe in and tackling someone for doing something wrong. The redeeming fact is that I didn’t swear or continue the confrontation.

We wrapped our Secret Santa gifts and D & S did loads of drawings. I keep saying how much Scarlett’s drawing is coming on and I really should take some photos of it. I’m definitely planning to get both the children more art supplies for Christmas and do some arty stuff with them, maybe book the display space at the library for a joint exhibit for themand try and visit an art gallery for some inspiration for them.

I then checked the grocery order due later and realised a couple of things were missing from it so we dashed to Sainsburys for a few bits. When we got back I had plans to do some baking but realised I was still missing some vital ingredients.

Ali and Freya arrived so we had lunch. They gave Scarlett her birthday present which was a new DS game – Animal Genius which I’d spotted on Amazon and thought looked quite Tarly-esque so suggested to Ali. It turned out to be completely spot on – she loves it :). It is totally at her level with minimal reading which is all read out for you and loads of quizzes about animals, facts and figures, some of which she knew already so got to feel proud of her prior knowledge on and some of which was news to her so she kept rushing to come and share with Ali and I. Suffice to say it has been a real hit :).

Ali and I left the DSrs to it (some of them moved on to Xboxing after a while) and hung out in the kitchen. As ever we had some fab conversations (when I shut up for long enough to be classed as a conversation and not a Nicologue ;)). The shopping finally arrived and Ali helped me carry it in and put it away and then I actually did do my baking. We declared it wine o’clock at about 3pm and I made some rice crispie cakes and a ‘red velvet cake’ which is coming to Helmsley for Scarlett’s birthday cake. It was from a recipe book and I’d been dying to try making it and it was a very complicated recipe calling for whisking egg whites, making buttermilk and doing the whole vinegar and bicarb fizz thing but although the resulting cake is very nice and chocolatey it is not vastly different to a normal chocolate sponge so I probably wouldn’t bother again.

I made pizza for the kids’ tea and then suddenly realised I’d run out of time so Scarlett and I dashed round to Rainbows leaving Ali in charge of the cake (and doing the washing up too – thanks mate 🙂 x) with Ady crossing us on the doorstep as we left.

Rainbows was the last one in the hall this year so they made Christmas cards. I’d eaten several polos on the way round to mask the wine fumes and I think I hid it as the leader came and chatted to me for ages and didn’t seem repulsed by wine sodden breath from me :lol:. Tarly took her DS and new game for show and tell and went round the whole circle of girls showing them a little snippet of the game which took ages when it was her turn :).

Back home again and Ali and Freya headed off with Ady while Davies and Scarlett went to bed – Ady promised them DSs in bed which is one of my (very few) rules but I had to relent as he’d already said it. I packed up all our clothes and had a nice bubbly bath then made pizza for Ady and I’s dinner. I rather rashly chopped all my hair off before my bath. I’ve been thinkking about doing it for a few days and just decided to hell with it and did it. It is perhaps rather shorter than if I’d thought about it properly first but it grows quick and today has obviously been my day for recklessness!

I think I’ve done everything I need to before we go, I’ve done a list for Ady of stuff he needs to load into the car in the morning and now as I have to be at work soon and am now doubt at the start of a load of late nights I’m off to bed.