Monday, November 12, 2007

Baking bread & Christmas shopping.....

I have today off from work for Veteran's Day, so I'm actually being able to get some bread baking done today. It's been months since I last made bread and I've been wanting to do so for the last couple of weeks but just haven't had the time. Today, it's getting done. I'm going to go punch down the dough after the first rising here in a few minutes, and get it going for the second rising & baking. I'm just making my Onion-Dill golden egg bread, so the recipe is somewhere down in my archives.

**********

Christmas shopping..... Hmmmmm..... DH wants to get himself & DD a Wii for Christmas and call it good. I'm just not so happy with that idea. For one thing, I'm kinda tired of them collecting these brain-rotting video games & doing nothing but sitting on their bums playing them & being anti-social. (Not that either of them is as bad as other kids & hubbies I've seen, but the point being......) I'm not terribly far along with my christmas list, but here's what I've got so far.

Mom: Know what I'm getting her, but I won't say here.

Shelli: Know what I'm getting HER, but I also won't say here. (Sorry, they both read this blog. So, no beans getting spilled.)

Big K., Little K. and B: a $45 GC to Walmart & they can buy whatever junk they want for Christmas

Dad: Probably a GC to Sportsman's Warehouse so he can pick out something he actually wants or needs.

FIL: No idea
MIL: no idea
SIL: No idea (and, should we really bother?)
Nephew 1: no idea
Nephew 2: no idea
SIL's current BF: who cares. He's not part of the family yet so we're not buying him anything.
Great Grandma (Dh's grandma): not sure yet, but we're leaning toward a GC for her hair salon.
Aunt M. (Dh's favorite Aunt): no idea

DH: a cut-steel welcome sign with a cut-out of wolves howling at the moon on the inside of this oval, underneath the "Welcome".

DD: So far, just a generic version of Jenga. Also want to get her "The Daring Book for Girls". And so far for stocking stuffers I've got a couple of small leather-working projects. I would like to get her a couple of metal brain-teaser puzzles for her stocking as well (we'll see, these look more expensive than I thought they'd be). And maybe a GC for some music downloads. Also going to get her the American Girl Kaya mini-doll. Other than stocking stuffers, I don't know that there's really anything else TO get her. Esp. if DH decides to get them a Wii. I'm not going to go shelling out a crap-load more money if he gets one of those things. But, at the same time I DO want her to have SOMETHING under the tree on Christmas morning, and SOMEthings in her stocking. But I'm still not going to go overboard if _I_ can help it. And obviously whatever _I_ get her or "Santa" puts in her stocking is hopefully going to be something worth-while. That's why I'm leaning towards metal brainteasers & puzzles.

I think that's it. So, I've got a start on our christmas shopping. Some if it I'm going to leave to DH (his parents, his sis -if he wants to get her anything at all, his nephews -so the SIL can't blame ME if she doesn't like the gift, and Grandma & Aunt M.) The items for my mom & Shelli are going to be gotten online. Getting Dad a GC will cut down on shopping time immensely. And considering K's previous distain of whatever nice things I've gotten her, and her current financial situation, I think a Walmart GC will be the best bet for the 3 of them.

**********

Tori, just to answer your question...... I know that there are plenty of reasons for me to leave my current workplace. But at the same time, I DO love the kind of work that I do. And, I've got great insurance for my family through this workplace. If I were to leave this library and come back to the library here closer to home, I'd still be doing the type of work (and with a boss that I get along with) but I would be forfeiting insurance for my family and would only be working 10 hours a week. That's just not an option. And, I'm sure there are other places I could work that would provide insurance and be closer to home, BUT, would they be places where I'd be doing the kind of work that I love best???? So, that's kinda the quandry I'm in. And for now the decision is going to have to continue to be shelling out gas $$ and putting up with a boss that I don't like and who doesn't like me, in order to do the kind of work that I love and have insurance for my family. But, I'm also keeping my eyes open for a job closer to home.

Supposedly a couple of weeks ago there was a position open at the local HS (where DH and I went to school) for a library assistant. It was a full-time position, but it paid $16+ per hour, and is a brief walk from my house (we live less than a 14 mile, as the crow-flies, from the HS I graduated from). But, it was open internally (ie: open only to other school district employees) and hasn't yet come open externally. (So, either they found somebody from internal who qualified, or they're putzy-slow about posting the job for external applicants.) That's just one possibility. If I can hold out for a couple of years, I'm sure that a position out here at NPB Lib. will open up eventually. That's another option.

**********

Other than that, Dad took me into town with him for lunch at a new little place called the Kosmonaut Kafe. It's a little Russian deli/store in Fairbanks. We each had a bowl of Borcht & shared a cabbage pirozshky. YUM! The bowls of borcht were HUGE (we could have easily done with half!) and it wasn't cheap. It was $27 & change for the two of us. Of course Dad also got a "Russian taco" (I forget the real name for them) to have for supper tonight, and we each got something to drink. But, oooooh was it good! That borcht is really, really warming & hearty. The pirozshky (or however they spelled it) was one big deep-fried cabbage dumpling. Kinda like if I filled my fry-bread dough with cabbage filling before frying it, really. YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY! I would DEFINITELY eat there again, given the chance. I hope they stay open because it's nice to have options for food around here, instead of the multitude McD's, Burger Huts, Pizza Kings, Taco-ways and Sub-bells that we've got. We do have a lot of oriental resteraunts, as well, which IS nice (don't get me wrong, I love oriental cuisines) but sometimes it's nice to have something hearty & filling that ISN'T your standard American fare.

Anyway, I must go punch down my dough & get it rising a second time so I can have fresh-baked bread with dinner tonight. *drool*

Have a Blessed Day!

5 comments:

Robin said...

Why not put in an ap at the HS, anyway? What can it do, but say you're really interested?

Just a thought. Send a slice of that bread my way, would you>

Robin said...

I posted something....a question for you. I'd be so grateful if you'ld look and respond. It's a serious inquiry....

Thanks....

Michelle said...

Dude. You don't understand. Wiis are awesome. I mean, like several orders of awesomeness over and above any other video game system out there. And you get the sports game attachment for it which is actually a pretty decent way to burn some energy (so long as you're doing something like playing tennis rather than bowling).

whimsical brainpan said...

Well at least you have gotten started on your shopping. And after the MP3 player I can understand your reluctance to buy anything electronic.

Turtleheart said...

You know, what really sucks so much about your job situation is that you have been lucky enough to find a job that you LOVE-- and one person there is making it miserable for you. What is wrong with people? Why do they have to spread their insecurities and misery around? I feel for you.

I have a friend who is in a similar situation-- she likes her job, but the woman she works closely with is always out to get her, undermine her and find ways to complain. My friend has to totally walk on eggshells all day long, every day.

As for x-mas/Yule gifts, I have not a clue. In all honesty, we don't really have any extra money for gifts this year. Trying to figure out what I can make for people.