Weekender Thread 17-20 November
Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 4,251
agh!!!! I will never be able to follow this tread, but am having a lazy morning here so just checking in to say hi and with all of you lovely folks a nice weekend.
I have been preparing all week for my son's 8th birthday. Friends, I am ON THE BALL this year. Everything is turning out perfectly. It is going to be a simple event, not over the top, but everything done with love and care. I have found the trend here is to have a bakery come in with all kinds of focaccia and mini pizzas, chips and sodas. People usually hire entertainment. I am going to go the pizza route, but have my local pizzeria deliver pizzas. I am going to make french fries to serve as well. I have a veggie plater with dip (very american, I can't wait to see the faces of the other moms!) ad then I have made tons and tons of chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies with m&m's and oatmeal raisin cookies. The kids and parents go nuts for these. I need to make the cake today. That is our special thing. I always home make their cakes according to their request. For some reason baking birthday cakes here is not a thing and everyone orders a cake from the bakery- very unlike the sheet cakes I grew up with. But I have a go-to sheet cake recipe and then adjust it according to their wishes. They usually com out a mess, but they are always made with love and my kids really look forward to it. This year my son has given me free reign. I am going to make a basic sheet cake and found a numeral 8 mold. I will color the frosting light blue and then cover the 8 with mixed sprinkles and put that on top and then write his name. Simple but special!
Tomorrow is the party. To entertain the kids I bought a bunch of paper plates and then loose feathers, stickers, coloured pencils, fake flowers, glitter. They can make masks and then glue a big popsicle stick to hold it up. I then splurged and bought a €20 photo frame- really large, I will empty it out and then hang just the frame from the ceiling to make a photo booth type area, surrounding it I will hang balloons, streamers, etc to make it look festive. I also bought various cheap props that I will put in a basket by the photo booth. So after they make their masks they can go take photos there with their parent's camera phone and I will have a camera as well and then get prints made that my son can hand out in class. He has recently been the victim of some bullying incidents. I don't believe in "buying" the friendship or affection of his classmates, but I think coming together to take fun photos and then giving out some prints of hi with his classmates might be a good thing.
Saturday night I will be focussed on staying sober. These parties stress me to no end. Right now I feel ok, no cravings, no real worries, I am prepared, on schedule and although everything is very home made, I am really pleased with my ideas and how it is turning out. However, I know myself and I fear tomorrow I will go into panic mode and drinking will come up as way of dealing with this. I also know the come down after these parties is intense, I am usually exhausted and the stress comes seething out and it might be an opportunity to drink. So today I want to focus on putting together a plan for those moments.
Sunday, I am sure I will be resting and then doing homework with my sons.
I have been preparing all week for my son's 8th birthday. Friends, I am ON THE BALL this year. Everything is turning out perfectly. It is going to be a simple event, not over the top, but everything done with love and care. I have found the trend here is to have a bakery come in with all kinds of focaccia and mini pizzas, chips and sodas. People usually hire entertainment. I am going to go the pizza route, but have my local pizzeria deliver pizzas. I am going to make french fries to serve as well. I have a veggie plater with dip (very american, I can't wait to see the faces of the other moms!) ad then I have made tons and tons of chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies with m&m's and oatmeal raisin cookies. The kids and parents go nuts for these. I need to make the cake today. That is our special thing. I always home make their cakes according to their request. For some reason baking birthday cakes here is not a thing and everyone orders a cake from the bakery- very unlike the sheet cakes I grew up with. But I have a go-to sheet cake recipe and then adjust it according to their wishes. They usually com out a mess, but they are always made with love and my kids really look forward to it. This year my son has given me free reign. I am going to make a basic sheet cake and found a numeral 8 mold. I will color the frosting light blue and then cover the 8 with mixed sprinkles and put that on top and then write his name. Simple but special!
Tomorrow is the party. To entertain the kids I bought a bunch of paper plates and then loose feathers, stickers, coloured pencils, fake flowers, glitter. They can make masks and then glue a big popsicle stick to hold it up. I then splurged and bought a €20 photo frame- really large, I will empty it out and then hang just the frame from the ceiling to make a photo booth type area, surrounding it I will hang balloons, streamers, etc to make it look festive. I also bought various cheap props that I will put in a basket by the photo booth. So after they make their masks they can go take photos there with their parent's camera phone and I will have a camera as well and then get prints made that my son can hand out in class. He has recently been the victim of some bullying incidents. I don't believe in "buying" the friendship or affection of his classmates, but I think coming together to take fun photos and then giving out some prints of hi with his classmates might be a good thing.
Saturday night I will be focussed on staying sober. These parties stress me to no end. Right now I feel ok, no cravings, no real worries, I am prepared, on schedule and although everything is very home made, I am really pleased with my ideas and how it is turning out. However, I know myself and I fear tomorrow I will go into panic mode and drinking will come up as way of dealing with this. I also know the come down after these parties is intense, I am usually exhausted and the stress comes seething out and it might be an opportunity to drink. So today I want to focus on putting together a plan for those moments.
Sunday, I am sure I will be resting and then doing homework with my sons.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Adelaide, Australia
Posts: 28,658
Mera- the thought and planning for the weekend stuff is self evident. You are taking it very seriously- very well good stuff for you. Enjoy.
For me the weekend will be interesting. I accepted a long time ago I am without family now. They do not want me. I've done the guilt, resentment, accepting too much and tears. Now there is just final, exhausted acceptance and I think I've finally come to truly believe and understand this (sniff). So lots of art work and studying. Plus new gym regime to strengthen and add flexibility to the burns areas , meetings, journaling, a bit of piano stuff...and of course the common thread of this thread- no drinking. Did not work out too well last time I did that.
For me the weekend will be interesting. I accepted a long time ago I am without family now. They do not want me. I've done the guilt, resentment, accepting too much and tears. Now there is just final, exhausted acceptance and I think I've finally come to truly believe and understand this (sniff). So lots of art work and studying. Plus new gym regime to strengthen and add flexibility to the burns areas , meetings, journaling, a bit of piano stuff...and of course the common thread of this thread- no drinking. Did not work out too well last time I did that.
Guest
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Ashburn, VA
Posts: 30,196
Phoenix, this time is different, because you've got the whole SR community for support; plus, you've accumulated plenty of good tools, and you're really using the heck out of them. As the book of Proverbs says, "All hard work brings a profit."
Same proverb for you, Mera! You are knocking yourself out with sheer love!
Everybody, kids and adults alike, will love this party! When it's finally over and the last kid goes home, you will be exhausted, but in a good way. You will sink into your chair with the deep satisfaction of a job well done!
Same proverb for you, Mera! You are knocking yourself out with sheer love!
Everybody, kids and adults alike, will love this party! When it's finally over and the last kid goes home, you will be exhausted, but in a good way. You will sink into your chair with the deep satisfaction of a job well done!
Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Georgia
Posts: 3,062
Congrats Gatorman and Hawkeye! I'm grateful today is Friday and a holiday week ahead of me. I need the break! I'm not flipped about it either I just realized - yay me.... I must be growing.
Sunny and warm here in Vermont next few days; high of 62 tomorrow...that is really strange for us. But boom back to the 30's on Sunday...that is normal for us!
Sunny and warm here in Vermont next few days; high of 62 tomorrow...that is really strange for us. But boom back to the 30's on Sunday...that is normal for us!
A simple guy making his way
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Maine
Posts: 7,867
Hi LadyBlue!
Hi Trees!
Woke with a fever this morning. Yuk. But working from home and resting at teh same time.
Remember... Friday is just like any other day ending in Y. No need to go with the butterflies in the belly that can come this day.
K
Hi Trees!
Woke with a fever this morning. Yuk. But working from home and resting at teh same time.
Remember... Friday is just like any other day ending in Y. No need to go with the butterflies in the belly that can come this day.
K
saoutchik
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: London
Posts: 16,199
Trees i'm always pleased to see you on the thread
Meraviglioso all that love and work going into your son's birthday party is evidence of great parenting. I hope you get to know the parents of some of his friends/classmates
PhoenixJ, that's a shame about your family but with continued sobriety these things don't have to be permanent, at least I hope not.
Congratulations Gatorman and three huge cheers Hawkeye, that is a real milestone
Hometime here, I have had a good day at work today, come up with a few good ideas or at least ideas that some of my customers seemed to approve. Let's hope they are still as keen on account settling day
Meraviglioso all that love and work going into your son's birthday party is evidence of great parenting. I hope you get to know the parents of some of his friends/classmates
PhoenixJ, that's a shame about your family but with continued sobriety these things don't have to be permanent, at least I hope not.
Congratulations Gatorman and three huge cheers Hawkeye, that is a real milestone
Hometime here, I have had a good day at work today, come up with a few good ideas or at least ideas that some of my customers seemed to approve. Let's hope they are still as keen on account settling day
Last edited by saoutchik; 11-18-2016 at 09:49 AM. Reason: Autocarrot
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 3,010
I'mnot feeling too good today.
I have a pretty boring week really. The highlight of the week for me was on Wednesday when the doctors had their team meeting and one of them brought back the leftover scones for us.
I decided to go to my parents for the weekend - not really sure why. Mostly because I usually get my hair done in the next town over and I wanted to do that tomorrow.
Anyway my mom took me aside a while ago and said "your dad is worried about you". I wondered silently what have I done now?
Then she said "he is worried that you are putting too much stock into your office party and it is going to be a terrible let down for you".
I'm not sure why they worry about me all the time. Do they not have other things to do? I often wish they would just leave me alone and let me get on with things.
Anyway the truth is that I am not hugely looking forward to it, no. It was nice to be asked, yes. This time last year I had no job and now I am going to a work party, Honestly for most of my life I have been a kind of loner. I got few invitations even before my drinking got completely out of control. I am not hugely looking forward to it though. Socialising with a group of about 30 people is not something I ever pictured myself wanting to do. But I think after everything I have been through, and the years of isolation, the fact that I am willing to put on a pretty dress and make an effort shows I am still changing and still growing. Even my therapist was encouraging me to go.
I feel bad about something each time I walk through that front door.
I have a pretty boring week really. The highlight of the week for me was on Wednesday when the doctors had their team meeting and one of them brought back the leftover scones for us.
I decided to go to my parents for the weekend - not really sure why. Mostly because I usually get my hair done in the next town over and I wanted to do that tomorrow.
Anyway my mom took me aside a while ago and said "your dad is worried about you". I wondered silently what have I done now?
Then she said "he is worried that you are putting too much stock into your office party and it is going to be a terrible let down for you".
I'm not sure why they worry about me all the time. Do they not have other things to do? I often wish they would just leave me alone and let me get on with things.
Anyway the truth is that I am not hugely looking forward to it, no. It was nice to be asked, yes. This time last year I had no job and now I am going to a work party, Honestly for most of my life I have been a kind of loner. I got few invitations even before my drinking got completely out of control. I am not hugely looking forward to it though. Socialising with a group of about 30 people is not something I ever pictured myself wanting to do. But I think after everything I have been through, and the years of isolation, the fact that I am willing to put on a pretty dress and make an effort shows I am still changing and still growing. Even my therapist was encouraging me to go.
I feel bad about something each time I walk through that front door.
Guest
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Ashburn, VA
Posts: 30,196
It's a shame that your mom is still so troublesome, Tetra.
I dislike large gatherings too where I am expected to mingle.
One good ploy is to walk up to a small group who are talking and just stand there smiling and nodding. If somebody actually makes eye contact, great. If not, move in on another small group and smile and nod.
If it's really horribly boring, or especially if it tempts you to drink, leave early. All you have to do is put in an appearance.
Probably most everybody else is bored, too, and waiting for their discreet opportunity to escape.
I dislike large gatherings too where I am expected to mingle.
One good ploy is to walk up to a small group who are talking and just stand there smiling and nodding. If somebody actually makes eye contact, great. If not, move in on another small group and smile and nod.
If it's really horribly boring, or especially if it tempts you to drink, leave early. All you have to do is put in an appearance.
Probably most everybody else is bored, too, and waiting for their discreet opportunity to escape.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 3,010
I posted this last year but the local Christmas market opened today and I am in a funny mood tonight.
The holiday season in Spain unofficially kicks off with the much-anticipated annual ad for the Christmas lottery. A national tradition since 1812, the Christmas lottery is more of a group affair than other lotteries—it's traditional for people to share the winnings by buying shared tickets with colleagues, friends and family.
This captures the sentiment beautifully through the story of Justino, a lonely overnight security guard at a mannequin factory. Justino passes the time by playing with the mannequins, and setting them up in poses for the factory's daytime staff to enjoy. And in the end, they repay his kindness in an unexpected way. This is their Christmas ad from 2015.
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