Tom I'm sorry that was part of your Xmas.

Hot chocolate bread pudding is cooling. Oven is heating for the next temp with dinner.

There was a slight oops with the main dish mom forgot about three part where the butternut squash should have been roasted with maple syrup and brown sugar.

We cooked it in the slow cooker. So we're going to heat it with some brown sugar MD maple syrup.

As soon as we get to a good point to stop in RED which mom is loving so far.

We've been in Oklahoma since Wednesday and mostly it's been fine but I'm starting to reach the point where I'm just irritated by everything. The bedroom we're sleeping in (all four of us) stinks of cat pee and my in-laws are so awkward with us and passive-aggressive with each other and the house is too small for all of us and all the junk they gave us and everything smells weird and I just want to go home.

Whew, it felt good to get that all out. The good news is that the girls are both having a great time and I'm glad they're getting to spend a good amount of time with the grandparents they see least often (my FIL and his wife). So it's fine and worth the aggravation for sure. But everything still smells weird.

Tom, I'm so sorry. You deserve better.

George Michael passed away.

2016 again: George Michael.

I hear that, Kate. Eesh. Maybe a "parents get away to a hotel for a night" next year??

Tom. Yeah, that sucks.

You deserve so much better, Tom.

I saw the news about George Michael on FB and literally yelled "ARE YOU KIDDING ME." The fuck, 2016? Are you not fucking done yet?

Your family doesn't deserve you, Tom. You deserve better and they should appreciate you.

My Christmas has been good. I'm very carefully skirting around politics this time. I fly back tomorrow, and I'm ready for milder weather and my own bed.

So I figured out the Menorah issue. It is Christmas tree or Menorah, not both. Apparently they share an extension cord. So they had the Menorah on for the time to light another light earlier, then the Christmas tree went back on and the Menorah went dark. So much for Hanukkah Miracle of Light. I brought a power strip with me I could lend them.

hahaha the pouty child who refused to eat is now hungry and wanted me to order papa johns with his Christmas $$ (when we have 2 frozen pizzas in the freezer that are the exact same toppings) - BUTTTTTT papajohns is closed. Wah Wah Wah - wrong day to throw a piss fit of spoiled child.

So the spreadsheet I drew up, showing if he did his weekly chore plus other things to earn $$ (and I have told him I will match anything he save btw now and his birthday in April) - he could be to $1200 easily by his birthday. Probably get $100 more then, and if he really started trying to get $$ and went to clean for g'ma once a week, my guess is he would be at or above $1500.