New Year, Same Ol' Me
Yesterday was too crazy to check in with ya'll but I was indeed back behind my desk at work. Not to say that I was actually doing a lot of what most people would call actual work, but I was at my desk. ;-) I'll get to that later on this week. Probably. For now it's just a lot of catch up after two weeks off stuff, first of semester stuff, and remembering what the crap I was doing before I left. The answer to that, if my book truck and periodicals drop box is to be believed is, Not much.
But anyway, I've got the whole "What I did over Christmas Vacation" report to give. I'll try not to be too wordy.
First week
Monday I got up super early and took the DP to the vet for a mani/pedi. She was in dire need of one if the scars on my chest, arms and neck are to be believed. But since I had lunch plans with Mrs. B and Mama, I had to drop the DP off at Sis2's for she and Lyssa to Bibby-sit. (Bibby, being what Lyssa called Libby up until about six months ago when she finally started pronouncing her L's properly.) The DP was thrilled with this turn of events, no doubt.
Lunch was one of those lovely, long affairs where-in much catching up was done and lots of giggling, talking and a few sympathetic hand-pats. We were at lunch for two and a half hours, if that gives you any idea how good it was. And trust me, it did not take any of us that long to eat our quesadillas.
But besides the great conversation, Mrs. B gave me the best. Christmas present. EVER.
After lunch I finished up my very last little bit of Christmas shopping and went back to Sis2's to pick up Libby. I played with the kids for a bit and Sis2 and I made plans for our baking day that week. When I got ready to go home, though, Lyssa told me that Libby had said she wanted to spend the night with her. She cried and begged and honestly if I had thought Libby wouldn't go into cardiac arrest at the very idea of me abandoning her to her fate for the night with two toddlers, I'd have caved and let the child keep my precious baby overnight. But no matter what Lyssa said, I knew there was no way in heck that Libby would ever want to spend the night with her youngest human cousins. With Emmy, she'd have been in bliss. But Emmy doesn't smack her head, pull her hair or hug her till she can't breathe.
So, I left one very unhappy little girl Monday afternoon. Thus I enjoyed my new friend Baily's Monday night.
Tuesday I think I actually got out of bed though it's a little hazy.
Wednesday was our baking day. Sis2 and I (for some insane reason) thought it would be fun to get together and try some new recipes in the spirit of Christmas. Mama came along to supply the groceries and the childcare. (Baking supplies, FYI, are outrageously expensive!)
And even when you have a designated childcare provider on the premises, it's still difficult to read a recipe, much less assemble anything when you've got two toddling distractions.
But we had fun anyway. Even though it was a thousand degrees inside. And even though I only got to make three of my recipes. (I had five!)
Sis2 did most of the actual baking projects. Only one of mine required a stove or oven. The other two were things dipped in chocolate. (Turtles and peanut clusters.) Although, I did also start making peanut butter balls but Sis2 had to finish those because we had to leave to get to church on time.
I don't normally go to church on Wednesday nights, but that Wednesday night was our Christmas candlelight Lord's Supper service. It was special and beautiful and I was really glad I went.
Thursday I finished baking the two recipes I didn't have time for Wednesday. Coconut Macaroons and Paula Deen's White Chocolate Cherry Chunkies. The macaroons tasted fine but were a complete mess. The condensed milk separated itself from the coconut and egg whites during the first batch. The second batch came out fine and the third batch stuck to wax paper. I may have to invest in a silicone mat and try them again sometime as they should have been the simplest cookies to make.
The chunkies, though...Oh my. That Paula Deen knows some cookies. Those things were AMAZING. And they made a TON of cookies. I had enough cookies to divide between me, Mama and Sis2 and still have plenty to donate to a local family that our church had adopted. And did I mention that they were AMAZING? Yum. If macadamia nuts weren't so darned expensive I'd be making these puppies every week!
But by the time they were all baked, I was exhausted.
Friday (aka Christmas Eve) I started the morning out with a beautiful breakfast of biscuit and gravy, bacon, turkey sausage links and fried eggs. (I know.) The folks dropped off the ingredients for a batch of sausage balls (I'd offered to bake them for Mama) and while they were there Daddy gave me a box of Ferrero candy as an early Christmas present because he knew I loved them but hadn't gotten the sisters any so I had to keep it on the DL. And Mama gave me instructions to go get Milo and give him a bath while they were in town. They took Granny to breakfast and spent the day in town.
I baked the sausage balls first. (After I finished my breakfast, that is.) I had three batches to make and just to test my theory about the baking mixes I used Mama's Bisquick in hers and my Pioneer mix in mine and sampled them when all the batches were done. Because, you know, I made both batches. Theoretically they should taste the same. Not so. I still like the ones made with Pioneer mix better! (shock)
Once all of the baking was done, I went and got Milo for his bath. He was not a happy camper. Nor was Libby for having him in her house! So I quick bathed him, dried him and took him home where he pouted the rest of the day. He hates bathes. When I got back home I gave Libby a bath. Because everyone should get a bath for Christmas, right??
And then we went and collected the mail and found probably the most adorable gift from one of my favorite Wisconsinites. (Wisconsonians??) Although, Libby was not super fond of it.
She said to tell Santa Paws to elf himself. :-D
Seriously, though. Is she not the cutest little reindeer you ever saw??? So even if Libby was a little terrorized by it, THANKS TRIXIE! I loved it and everyone got a kick out of it Christmas morning. Libby says she's sending you her therapy bills, though. hehehe
I also got the most adorable cow in that same package. Which I promptly hung on the tree!
Happy Moo Year to you, too, Trixie! :-D
But my day was not over yet! I still had peppers to stuff, wrap in bacon and bake! We were having Christmas Eve supper at the folks house and I was in charge of the jalapeno poppers. They always give me the tedious time consuming cooking tasks. The bums.
Supper was fried venison, mashed potatoes and corn. And the poppers, of course. Though, they weren't entirely popular by anyone but me and Daddy because I didn't completely strip all the ribs out so they were...um...spicy. As in "Quick, give me a glass of milk before my head explodes" spicy. Merry Christmas, family. hehe
We then took a drive out to the big "city" of Woodland to check out their gaudy embarrassing display of Christmas lights. Emmy had a BLAST with that since she didn't get to see the display last year.
Then I got home so late that I was midnight finishing the stuff I was taking to Granny's for lunch the next day. (Mini cheesecakes and broccoli salad.)
Christmas morning was a mad dash to get ready, get the car loaded and get to the folks house at the appointed time lest I get strung up by my toes like last year's disaster. I had to get coconut toast baked and all my gifts loaded in the car AND get dressed. And in the spirit of overshare I'll give you the mental picture of me loading the car wearing nothing but my underwear (including bra) and clogs. My only defense is that after all the running around and baking and packing and whatever I was HOT. Like sweating and red faced and miserably hot. And thank goodness I a) live in the country and b) my neighbors are an acre away from me because one of them pulled into their driveway during my second trip out to my car. Hello streaker!
Poor Libby. She was so put out that she took her Christmas present (a fresh chewie) and went to her room. Everybody say "Awe."
But by darn I made it to the folks house on time and we were able to open presents and get breakfast ready and nobody snapped my head off and...what was that white stuff??
It snowed! On Christmas Day!!!! Color me excited!
It snowed for about two hours and then by noon it was all melted away. Sad. But boy were we all a bunch of dorks excited about a little smattering of snow on Christmas Day. hehehe
I don't have any pics of the melee of opening presents because I was using Mama's camera while she played the doting Nana. And the doting Nana has not sent me any of her pictures yet. The bum.
I will say that the day was pretty darn good. No fighting. No arguing or tears. The kids had a blast and a lot of yummy food was eaten and we all parted ways with hugs and love.
And then I went home. And I cried. LOL I think it was the Christmas letdown or something. You do all this work and preparation over a couple of months and you anticipate and then it's gone in a matter of hours.
And if I'm being entirely and painfully honest, I was a little disappointed in my gifts this year. I know.
Mama is not the most thoughtful giver. She buys stuff sometimes just to say she bought stuff and that's how I felt about my gifts. She only got me two of the the things I had shown her when we were shopping and the rest of it was a bunch of junk I have no idea what she was thinking when she bought it. Mostly kitchen gadgets that weren't even all that useful. I love kitchen gadgets, sure. But plastic salad tongs? Really? For all those big fancy salads I serve? And I don't use whisks. Sis2 was the one who said she needed new whisks. I can't stand the things.
And I don't know about ya'll, but I put a lot of thought into gifts, taking into consideration what I know my family/friends like and enjoy. I take the time to look for taste specific items. Or things that might have some deeper meaning behind them for the recipient. And I guess I was just disappointed because she couldn't be bothered. Sis2 admitted later that she felt the same way about a couple of her gifts. Most of hers was stuff I helped Mama get because I knew Sis2 wanted it.
So yeah, a few of the tears were disappointment. But mostly I think I was just exhausted. Because I knew even while I got teary about the gifts that I was being silly and childish.
Sunday I went to church to find Sis1 and BIL had left early that morning because BIL was feeling bad. They went home so that he could go to the free clinic they frequent. Emmy stayed with Nana, though, like she normally does. Turns out BIL had Strep. We spent most of Sunday trying to recall if any of us had eaten or drank after him and having phantom throat pains.
Second Week
Monday I vegged at home and did absolutely nothing until around 6pm when I decided to rearrange some of my kitchen cabinets. They were highly dysfunctional and having lived with the dysfunction for a year and a half I finally got the urge to do something about it. Halfway through, though, Emmy called wanting to come over and watch Eclipse. So I stopped what I was doing and she and I drooled over Jacob for two hours. She left around 9:30 so I finished up in the kitchen and went to bed.
Tuesday I rearranged my rearrangements and I like the layout much better now. I still instinctively go to the previous placement of glasses and mugs but maybe one of these years the new arrangement will be second nature. The rest of the day I did nothing. Well, I watched the Nate Berkus Show and Ellen and The Talk.
Wednesday I went to town and returned all of the kitchen gadgets that had disappointed me so, as well as some things I'd bought months ago and never used. Scored $23 out of it. So naturally I turned around and bought the kitchen gadgets I really needed. Like a new ladle because somehow I lost my old one. And I got a metal spatula because Mama had said they were better for getting cookies off of baking sheets. (Why couldn't she have gotten me one of those instead of the salad tongs??) I also bought a new pair of pantyhose. But you probably didn't want to know that, huh?
Was I completely bad for taking the stuff back? So long as I never tell her??? My theory was/is that it would be worse to waste the money she spent on things that I'd otherwise toss in a drawer and never use.
Anyway, after I got through drooling over dutch ovens and stand mixers (oh how I'd love to have either of them!) I went to Sonic and got lunch. Sonic bacon cheeseburger, small fries and a java chiller. Happy New Year to Jana!
I know.
Thursday I spent the day at the folks house. Sis2 and the kids came over and spent the day. We ate lunch and watched Toy Story 3--which is super intense, ya'll. Seriously. Awesome but intense. There's lots of bullying and threat of death by incenerator and I think Sis2 thought I was going to have to be medicated.
Friday, aka New Year's Eve we had the big family gathering at Paw-Paw H's. Actually, a lot of the family was missing this year (the bums) but it was fun. My cousin Mark (who I rarely see) and his boys surprised everyone by showing up. And I ended up babysitting his kids while he was on the phone with work or helping his dad work on a truck. Fortunately he has good kids and they played well with Lyssa, Ethan and Emmy.
Paw-Paw H has good days and bad days. He's not progressing nearly as quickly as we'd all like and sometimes I wonder if he'll ever truly recover. *sad sigh*
Had supper at the folks' house and Emmy wanted me to stay and toast in the new year with them but I was exhausted and starting to get all gripey pants so I gave kisses and bade all a good night. The DP was grateful. I think she hit her limit of Milo time over the vacation. lol
Saturday I spent most of the day at home watching DVD's and doing laundry and snuggled on the couch with the DP. And then I burned the tip of my finger trying to make homemade donuts. I was dropping in the donut holes and my right index finger decided to take a dip into the hot grease. (Ouch! is right!) Quickly (and tearfully) finished frying the donuts and made a quick trip to the folks' to borrow their aloe gel. That stuff works wonders. Sucked the pain right out and kept the burn from blistering up into a gross yucky mess. Plus side...the donuts were good, if not exactly what I had a craving for. What I really wanted was some Shipley's Donuts. *sad sigh*
Sunday was church, of course, and then we took Emmy to lunch at Pizza Hut before taking her to meet her parents at Reform to go home. Poor baby did not want to go home. I honestly think she'd live with Nana and Bobo if she could. And I couldn't blame her. Her mama's a piece of work. *shakes head*
And so that concludes my Christmas Vacation. I was back at work yesterday and came home with a raging headache for my efforts.
So, Happy New Year, Ya'll!
But anyway, I've got the whole "What I did over Christmas Vacation" report to give. I'll try not to be too wordy.
First week
Monday I got up super early and took the DP to the vet for a mani/pedi. She was in dire need of one if the scars on my chest, arms and neck are to be believed. But since I had lunch plans with Mrs. B and Mama, I had to drop the DP off at Sis2's for she and Lyssa to Bibby-sit. (Bibby, being what Lyssa called Libby up until about six months ago when she finally started pronouncing her L's properly.) The DP was thrilled with this turn of events, no doubt.
Lunch was one of those lovely, long affairs where-in much catching up was done and lots of giggling, talking and a few sympathetic hand-pats. We were at lunch for two and a half hours, if that gives you any idea how good it was. And trust me, it did not take any of us that long to eat our quesadillas.
But besides the great conversation, Mrs. B gave me the best. Christmas present. EVER.
I had not yet discovered the joys to be had in a bottle of Baileys. But I have now. And the joys? They are great.
After lunch I finished up my very last little bit of Christmas shopping and went back to Sis2's to pick up Libby. I played with the kids for a bit and Sis2 and I made plans for our baking day that week. When I got ready to go home, though, Lyssa told me that Libby had said she wanted to spend the night with her. She cried and begged and honestly if I had thought Libby wouldn't go into cardiac arrest at the very idea of me abandoning her to her fate for the night with two toddlers, I'd have caved and let the child keep my precious baby overnight. But no matter what Lyssa said, I knew there was no way in heck that Libby would ever want to spend the night with her youngest human cousins. With Emmy, she'd have been in bliss. But Emmy doesn't smack her head, pull her hair or hug her till she can't breathe.
So, I left one very unhappy little girl Monday afternoon. Thus I enjoyed my new friend Baily's Monday night.
Tuesday I think I actually got out of bed though it's a little hazy.
Wednesday was our baking day. Sis2 and I (for some insane reason) thought it would be fun to get together and try some new recipes in the spirit of Christmas. Mama came along to supply the groceries and the childcare. (Baking supplies, FYI, are outrageously expensive!)
Sis2 did most of the actual baking projects. Only one of mine required a stove or oven. The other two were things dipped in chocolate. (Turtles and peanut clusters.) Although, I did also start making peanut butter balls but Sis2 had to finish those because we had to leave to get to church on time.
I don't normally go to church on Wednesday nights, but that Wednesday night was our Christmas candlelight Lord's Supper service. It was special and beautiful and I was really glad I went.
Thursday I finished baking the two recipes I didn't have time for Wednesday. Coconut Macaroons and Paula Deen's White Chocolate Cherry Chunkies. The macaroons tasted fine but were a complete mess. The condensed milk separated itself from the coconut and egg whites during the first batch. The second batch came out fine and the third batch stuck to wax paper. I may have to invest in a silicone mat and try them again sometime as they should have been the simplest cookies to make.
The chunkies, though...Oh my. That Paula Deen knows some cookies. Those things were AMAZING. And they made a TON of cookies. I had enough cookies to divide between me, Mama and Sis2 and still have plenty to donate to a local family that our church had adopted. And did I mention that they were AMAZING? Yum. If macadamia nuts weren't so darned expensive I'd be making these puppies every week!
But by the time they were all baked, I was exhausted.
Friday (aka Christmas Eve) I started the morning out with a beautiful breakfast of biscuit and gravy, bacon, turkey sausage links and fried eggs. (I know.) The folks dropped off the ingredients for a batch of sausage balls (I'd offered to bake them for Mama) and while they were there Daddy gave me a box of Ferrero candy as an early Christmas present because he knew I loved them but hadn't gotten the sisters any so I had to keep it on the DL. And Mama gave me instructions to go get Milo and give him a bath while they were in town. They took Granny to breakfast and spent the day in town.
I baked the sausage balls first. (After I finished my breakfast, that is.) I had three batches to make and just to test my theory about the baking mixes I used Mama's Bisquick in hers and my Pioneer mix in mine and sampled them when all the batches were done. Because, you know, I made both batches. Theoretically they should taste the same. Not so. I still like the ones made with Pioneer mix better! (shock)
Once all of the baking was done, I went and got Milo for his bath. He was not a happy camper. Nor was Libby for having him in her house! So I quick bathed him, dried him and took him home where he pouted the rest of the day. He hates bathes. When I got back home I gave Libby a bath. Because everyone should get a bath for Christmas, right??
And then we went and collected the mail and found probably the most adorable gift from one of my favorite Wisconsinites. (Wisconsonians??) Although, Libby was not super fond of it.
She said to tell Santa Paws to elf himself. :-D
Seriously, though. Is she not the cutest little reindeer you ever saw??? So even if Libby was a little terrorized by it, THANKS TRIXIE! I loved it and everyone got a kick out of it Christmas morning. Libby says she's sending you her therapy bills, though. hehehe
I also got the most adorable cow in that same package. Which I promptly hung on the tree!
But my day was not over yet! I still had peppers to stuff, wrap in bacon and bake! We were having Christmas Eve supper at the folks house and I was in charge of the jalapeno poppers. They always give me the tedious time consuming cooking tasks. The bums.
Supper was fried venison, mashed potatoes and corn. And the poppers, of course. Though, they weren't entirely popular by anyone but me and Daddy because I didn't completely strip all the ribs out so they were...um...spicy. As in "Quick, give me a glass of milk before my head explodes" spicy. Merry Christmas, family. hehe
We then took a drive out to the big "city" of Woodland to check out their gaudy embarrassing display of Christmas lights. Emmy had a BLAST with that since she didn't get to see the display last year.
Then I got home so late that I was midnight finishing the stuff I was taking to Granny's for lunch the next day. (Mini cheesecakes and broccoli salad.)
Christmas morning was a mad dash to get ready, get the car loaded and get to the folks house at the appointed time lest I get strung up by my toes like last year's disaster. I had to get coconut toast baked and all my gifts loaded in the car AND get dressed. And in the spirit of overshare I'll give you the mental picture of me loading the car wearing nothing but my underwear (including bra) and clogs. My only defense is that after all the running around and baking and packing and whatever I was HOT. Like sweating and red faced and miserably hot. And thank goodness I a) live in the country and b) my neighbors are an acre away from me because one of them pulled into their driveway during my second trip out to my car. Hello streaker!
Poor Libby. She was so put out that she took her Christmas present (a fresh chewie) and went to her room. Everybody say "Awe."
But by darn I made it to the folks house on time and we were able to open presents and get breakfast ready and nobody snapped my head off and...what was that white stuff??
It snowed for about two hours and then by noon it was all melted away. Sad. But boy were we all a bunch of dorks excited about a little smattering of snow on Christmas Day. hehehe
I don't have any pics of the melee of opening presents because I was using Mama's camera while she played the doting Nana. And the doting Nana has not sent me any of her pictures yet. The bum.
I will say that the day was pretty darn good. No fighting. No arguing or tears. The kids had a blast and a lot of yummy food was eaten and we all parted ways with hugs and love.
And then I went home. And I cried. LOL I think it was the Christmas letdown or something. You do all this work and preparation over a couple of months and you anticipate and then it's gone in a matter of hours.
And if I'm being entirely and painfully honest, I was a little disappointed in my gifts this year. I know.
Mama is not the most thoughtful giver. She buys stuff sometimes just to say she bought stuff and that's how I felt about my gifts. She only got me two of the the things I had shown her when we were shopping and the rest of it was a bunch of junk I have no idea what she was thinking when she bought it. Mostly kitchen gadgets that weren't even all that useful. I love kitchen gadgets, sure. But plastic salad tongs? Really? For all those big fancy salads I serve? And I don't use whisks. Sis2 was the one who said she needed new whisks. I can't stand the things.
And I don't know about ya'll, but I put a lot of thought into gifts, taking into consideration what I know my family/friends like and enjoy. I take the time to look for taste specific items. Or things that might have some deeper meaning behind them for the recipient. And I guess I was just disappointed because she couldn't be bothered. Sis2 admitted later that she felt the same way about a couple of her gifts. Most of hers was stuff I helped Mama get because I knew Sis2 wanted it.
So yeah, a few of the tears were disappointment. But mostly I think I was just exhausted. Because I knew even while I got teary about the gifts that I was being silly and childish.
Sunday I went to church to find Sis1 and BIL had left early that morning because BIL was feeling bad. They went home so that he could go to the free clinic they frequent. Emmy stayed with Nana, though, like she normally does. Turns out BIL had Strep. We spent most of Sunday trying to recall if any of us had eaten or drank after him and having phantom throat pains.
Second Week
Monday I vegged at home and did absolutely nothing until around 6pm when I decided to rearrange some of my kitchen cabinets. They were highly dysfunctional and having lived with the dysfunction for a year and a half I finally got the urge to do something about it. Halfway through, though, Emmy called wanting to come over and watch Eclipse. So I stopped what I was doing and she and I drooled over Jacob for two hours. She left around 9:30 so I finished up in the kitchen and went to bed.
Tuesday I rearranged my rearrangements and I like the layout much better now. I still instinctively go to the previous placement of glasses and mugs but maybe one of these years the new arrangement will be second nature. The rest of the day I did nothing. Well, I watched the Nate Berkus Show and Ellen and The Talk.
Wednesday I went to town and returned all of the kitchen gadgets that had disappointed me so, as well as some things I'd bought months ago and never used. Scored $23 out of it. So naturally I turned around and bought the kitchen gadgets I really needed. Like a new ladle because somehow I lost my old one. And I got a metal spatula because Mama had said they were better for getting cookies off of baking sheets. (Why couldn't she have gotten me one of those instead of the salad tongs??) I also bought a new pair of pantyhose. But you probably didn't want to know that, huh?
Was I completely bad for taking the stuff back? So long as I never tell her??? My theory was/is that it would be worse to waste the money she spent on things that I'd otherwise toss in a drawer and never use.
Anyway, after I got through drooling over dutch ovens and stand mixers (oh how I'd love to have either of them!) I went to Sonic and got lunch. Sonic bacon cheeseburger, small fries and a java chiller. Happy New Year to Jana!
I know.
Thursday I spent the day at the folks house. Sis2 and the kids came over and spent the day. We ate lunch and watched Toy Story 3--which is super intense, ya'll. Seriously. Awesome but intense. There's lots of bullying and threat of death by incenerator and I think Sis2 thought I was going to have to be medicated.
Friday, aka New Year's Eve we had the big family gathering at Paw-Paw H's. Actually, a lot of the family was missing this year (the bums) but it was fun. My cousin Mark (who I rarely see) and his boys surprised everyone by showing up. And I ended up babysitting his kids while he was on the phone with work or helping his dad work on a truck. Fortunately he has good kids and they played well with Lyssa, Ethan and Emmy.
Paw-Paw H has good days and bad days. He's not progressing nearly as quickly as we'd all like and sometimes I wonder if he'll ever truly recover. *sad sigh*
Had supper at the folks' house and Emmy wanted me to stay and toast in the new year with them but I was exhausted and starting to get all gripey pants so I gave kisses and bade all a good night. The DP was grateful. I think she hit her limit of Milo time over the vacation. lol
Saturday I spent most of the day at home watching DVD's and doing laundry and snuggled on the couch with the DP. And then I burned the tip of my finger trying to make homemade donuts. I was dropping in the donut holes and my right index finger decided to take a dip into the hot grease. (Ouch! is right!) Quickly (and tearfully) finished frying the donuts and made a quick trip to the folks' to borrow their aloe gel. That stuff works wonders. Sucked the pain right out and kept the burn from blistering up into a gross yucky mess. Plus side...the donuts were good, if not exactly what I had a craving for. What I really wanted was some Shipley's Donuts. *sad sigh*
Sunday was church, of course, and then we took Emmy to lunch at Pizza Hut before taking her to meet her parents at Reform to go home. Poor baby did not want to go home. I honestly think she'd live with Nana and Bobo if she could. And I couldn't blame her. Her mama's a piece of work. *shakes head*
And so that concludes my Christmas Vacation. I was back at work yesterday and came home with a raging headache for my efforts.
So, Happy New Year, Ya'll!
Comments
I'm glad you had a good Christmas. Mine was weird. Surreal. Last Christmas here. Still trying to get my mind wrapped around that.
Can you email me your mailing address? I've got it somewhere, but I think it's packed away. With the way things are going, that'll be my excuse for 99% of this disaster. lol
Also, I don't think it's bad of you at all to exchange presents you can't use for something you can. If your mother had cared to pay attention, she would have known your sister was the one who wanted a new wisk, and you were the one who needed a ladle and metal spatula.
Glad you got at least one day to rest up before you went back to work! And hey--at least you weren't sick in the middle of the holidays. :-\
Happy New Year!
Bridget~Girl, I know what chaos moving is so I completely understand. I'm excited for you, though. I'll get my addy to you asap. Happy moving!
Heather~Yep. I'm eternally thankful I didn't get sick. A couple times I was sure I was getting a sinus infection but managed to knock it out with meds before it could ever get a firm grip on me. I'm truly sorry you weren't so fortunate, though. (((hugs)))
Also, Libby's antlers will definitely be making an appearance again next year. hehehe