What's on your TUESDAY menu, RNY'ers

posting late again today but OMG I hate year-end in the insurance/medical pre-cert world. People go insane and everyone turns into a bunch of jerks who need things done IMMEDIATELY and have no consideration for the human beings that are actually doing all the work to HELP them get it covered by their insurance.
I am feeling very stressed and my SAD is starting to hit me. I could tell last night when I had every intention of going home and working on some of my commissioned portraits I need to finish in the next 2 weeks, and instead I was in bed at 8:30.
I did sleep 9.5 hours which felt nice but seriously I need to get motivated. I really just hate winter :(

QOTD: we usually decorate the weekend after thanksgiving and our christmas tree is an artificial, pre-lit one we bought on clearance after christmas last year. prior to that we had other artificial trees but they were very small since we used to have a one bedroom apartment. when I was growing up my parents NEVER had artificial trees- we always went to pick them out as a family even on the coldest days ever LOL. it was a tradition.
I just don't have the energy to take care of a real tree now, and we have wood floors and a cat...it's just not ideal. the artificial tree we have is very pretty though, so I think it's OK.

B: cinnabon flavored coffee w/sf italian sweet cream creamer, greek L&F yogurt
L: 3.5 oz ham, green bean casserole
S: turkey meat sticks & light string cheese
D: DH is making his famous chili, i am really looking forward to it!

Hello my friends,

I started reading this thread during MY insomnia bout last night, but what with one thing or another am just able to finally post now, at almost 4 PM on the west coast!

I need to pull back on my cheese habit! AMAW was good, but wow I get into cheeses with a vengeance! I had some with breakfast and some with lunch but I hereby REFUSE to have any with dinner! Fromage is hereby banished from the rest of the day...and should be for the rest of the week!

QOTD: I have never had an artificial tree, only live ones, other than tiny little ones for dark corners, etc. I adore my Christmas trees every single year, to me they are truly works of art and magic! But as much as I love them, I don't know if I'll put one up here this year. My space is small and tight and I am feeling sad and extremely stressed, and am looking for a new place to move - so I don't know. Maybe. I will, however, put up garland and one or two of the very tiny fake trees I do have - they are only around 2' or 3' tall and I usually put them on the piano. So it will look festive, I just may not have an 8' tree this year. Next year I hope my living situation will be much nicer and I will re-enter with a full heart Christmas decorating.

My ornaments are those I've collected and saved from my childhood home, from my son when he was little, and from every year since. I even have some ornaments my mom brought from Europe when she came here in 1949. I love them all. I don't do theme trees. I just make the most beautiful tree I possibly can, using every precious memory that each ornament embodies. If I had a big house I could see having a second tree in the kitchen that was folksy, with red plaid and tin stars and popcorn, etc., or a white tree that was very ethereal in the bedroom, perhaps, but my main big tree does not substantially change from year to year other than with some accents like different ribbons, gauze, perhaps a concentration of red balls here and there, or gold and silver, etc. But the main ornaments are always there, and I love them very much.

Below are some photos of last year's tree and mantle.

First: tea

B: Ham and Wensleydale cheese

L: Tuna and Wensleydale cheese

D: eggs and ham - no cheese!

S: Tons of tea!

Sending everyone love!

Beautiful pictures!! I feel the same way about my Christmas ornaments - so precious - every piece!

They really do mean so much. I always enjoy seeing theme trees, but they seem a little cold in comparison. Even though they're beautiful, they never can pack the tender emotional punch of a very personal tree.