getting into the spirit
This is why I need a laptop. Which is just a little bit crazy, because this is the first time I've ever packed up my computer and moved it to a different room for a couple of hours. I wouldn't normally do this. I'd be quite happy to either be upstairs or downstairs, on or off the computer. Today, however, I am making my Christmas pudding, and I have to stay downstairs while it boils for four and a half hours so that I can watch it and make sure it doesn't boil over or something doesn't catch on fire. So today I got my computer down here so that I had plenty of things to do in this four and a half hours. So my lounge room is now a mess of cords, which I have to try not to trip over everytime I walk past it. The lounge is comfortable though, which is a bonus. It's way more comfortable than my computer chair. I've got my iPod plugged into the stereo instead of playing music out of my computer, which means that the stereo and speakers could stay upstairs.
That's a bit crazy though. I think I'd be weird with a laptop, because I like to play games occasionally and stuff. And I like my huge massive monitor there, flat screens irritate me.
I've got a list of things to do in this time. The pudding has been boiling for just over half an hour now, and it took about half an hour to make, which was really fun. If I had known that I'd love cooking and baking this much now, I definately would have taken cooking in school. Mum always said that I should have. I've got to wash up, because there was dirty dishes, and now there's dirty dishes from making the pudding. I've also got a load of washing to hang out on the line, if I can be bothered. They're sheets, so I can't hang them inside. I'm going to make one or two batches of Christmas cookies as well, which I'm using as gifts. I need a smaller star cutter, which I haven't been able to find, save for a set at Big W that's $15. I also don't have a small enough piping bag, but I can just make one with a snap lock bag or something.
This is the contents of my "baking cupboard" thrown out on the bench. This is a good portion of my bench space, and a lot of ingredients. This was before I started the pudding. There's things like flours (obviously), sugars, mixed fruit, essences and dyes, icing sugar, chocolate biscuits, jam, coconut and hundreds and thousands. And then some. I haven't been stocking up for long, but luckily all this stuff is pretty cheap. Most of this I've bought over the last few weeks, and there's still some things I need to get I think. Mark commented the other day that there was a lot of butter in the fridge and that there was no possible way I could need that much. There was about 1kg of butter in the fridge, and I told him that after my four batches of biscuits that I'm planning, it'll be all gone. In fact, I'll probably need to go and buy some more.
I'm a little bit nervous about this cooking for Christmas thing. I remember cooking cupcakes for Louise's birthday party, but other than that, I've never really cooked for anyone. I've always cooked because I've wanted to. I made those apple muffins for my TAFE teacher as well, but it's not like I said I would, I just did, and he didn't have any expectations. Now I've jumped in the deep end with making Christmas desserts (for both my family and Mark's family) and making biscuits to give as gifts. I've only made biscuits once, and that was the gingerbread men, which turned out fairly good (or so everyone said). I'm confident, but still a bit worried. I'm sure they'll all turn out fine. Biscuits can't be that hard to make, can they? My cupcakes have always turned out alright, and I'm good at following recipes.
In other news, I just realised that our Coke pile is slowly diminishing. At least we're not providing drinks for Christmas! We'll be drinking some alcohol perhaps, at Lisa's, which is dinner. Just as long as we can get a lift home. We could taxi it, but it'd cost a fair bit on Christmas, and Lisa lives in a little suburb a few kilometres out of town. It's only a ten minute drive from Mum's, but it'd be a little further for us. We drank Zibibbo last year, maybe we'll drink that again this year. I am getting excited for Christmas now. My work hours are pretty good as well. I've got open on Tuesday and Wednesday, and I'm not on for Boxing Day, which is a miracle because there's no way I was going to work it. For some odd reason we're all opening on Boxing Day now. Mark is working it, but he's not working New Years Day like I am. None of the holidays are sacred anymore, consumerism is too much and we have to be open every single day. It sucks, but I like the money. I'm sure New Years Day will be an easy day anyway. Most people will be too hung over or already doing stuff with their families to come shopping.
I'm feeling pretty good today. This week has been up and down. Yesterday was good, even though I did ten hours at work. It was a better day than I'd hoped for, and it wasn't that busy. I had sex this morning, which wasn't planned. I put a g-string on today, not to make Mark horny, but just because I wanted something to make me feel like I looked good, but of course Mark found out and jumped on me when I went to wake him up. Not that I'm complaining.
Yesterday I started a diary of my thoughts and emotions for Eden. It's a emotion/trigger/thought/challenge chart so that I can realise what makes me feel which way and how I can challenge my thoughts so that I can ultimately feel better. I've only written a couple of trivial things in there at the moment, like the bullshit with Mum and John over the last few days that I am so sick of hearing about. And that's all really. I'll get more stuff on there before I go see her again no doubt. She also wants me to go back through the big events in my life where I've fought with people, and try to dissect it objectively and figure out why it happened, mostly just so that I can reason with myself that it was ok. That it's not my fault.
Off to wash up now. I think so anyway.