Hey there!

What a beautiful bargain post-Christmas gift to yourself! I, too, have the vase o' ornaments, but different altogether. Love it!!

Just a short note while I have a moment (which I really don't, since my house is full of kids (shocker!) and M is about to come downstairs in search of computer time. C and J should be home from shopping sometime soon...so here's my best effort!

Christmas was a really good day. I received very nice gifts: a killer purse from C, a kick-ass pair of shoes from my hub; stuff that was meaningful: "Football For Dummies" from JJ, my bronzed baby shoes and silver cup from my mother; and household appliances I had been begging for, since I'm not opposed to those as gifts: a tea kettle and a new vacuum! We lounged around, J cooked a big ole breakfast of eggs and sausages and croisssants and cinnamon rolls; C and I enjoyed Bloody Marys...opened presents, cleaned up a bit, seasoned my Prime Rib and put in the oven, took a nap, made a pie...somewhere around 3:30 I took a shower. At 4:30 we took our roast and our wine down to my brother's house for dinner. CC had invited a couple she knows (D&M) (she worked with M a couple of years ago). They were very nice, if young. Actually, they graduated from high school the same year as C. So they probably felt like they were have dinner with their parents' friends, but they seemed to have fun. J, Brother J, CC and I were all ready for our semi-annual game of Trivial Pursuit ( Thanksgiving and Christmas, always boys vs. girls), but when I brought up playing a game, D's eyes lit up and he asked "Is it Rock Band??"

Soooo....we played Rock Band, instead. Not that it wasn't fun; I am a sucky drummer by the way. Bro J had set up a big 1000 piece puzzle, which is traditional at my parents' house, so a few of us sat around working on that too. It was actually a very fun evening and the food was terrific. My prime rib (first time out) was fabulous. No one told me that it was easier to make than a box of Mac and Cheese, or I would have been making it long before now.

We came home around 10:00 or so; M had hooked up with some friends to spend the night (long story) and the rest of us were wiped out. All in all it was a super day.

Yesterday, C and I sat around the house ALL DAY and did NOTHING. She got a shower in early on, but I didn't do that until 5:00. Honestly, we didn't do a single thing, other than, oh yeah, vacuum. Because I could. Last night T called to ask what I was making him for dinner, so - you guessed it - everyone came over. K&R got home from Winthrop and came by for a drink too. We grilled paninis and then oinked out on the four thousand plates of cookies and candy and coated popcorn that's clogging up my kitchen counter. I was out like a light by 10:00, even though I had only had a couple of drinks all night. Probably from being stagnant all day.

This morning S and K went post-holiday sale shopping, J & C went return-shopping and R & T went to Ikea for some reason. I really had no desire to go anywhere so I took the kids. I called CC and invited my nephew A to come over, then I took all four boys to see Bedtime Stories. I had wanted to see it anyway; I wasn't disappointed. I love Adam Sandler. It was a cute movie. They all wanted to come back here and play war so that's what they've been doing ever since.

I think I'll try to get some ironing done and get a little caught up on the laundry. Seems like I haven't done laundry in a month, the amount that's sitting there. No plans for the rest of the weekend; next week I have a couple of appointments and will probably go do my own shopping stuff one day.

Oh, I almost forgot. Get this: yesterday, out of the middle of flippin' nowhere, K called M. Hey, like how was your Christmas? Want to go to lunch sometime? My God but he's a nut. M wasn't all that impressed, and when I offered to take him up there for a lunch date, he declined. Mom, I don't really want to go, he told me. What damage has been done. How sad.

And on that note, I'm so sorry about your cousin's cancer. There is always hope, so I'll keep her in my prayers. Hang in there.

More later if I get inspired...enjoy your day!

Love you,

A