Omg I love the
"Day Before the Night before Christmas"- PERFECT!!

Nic- I am so excited for your festivities- I love you "let us in like that". ENJOY yourself!!!! You are an awesome mom and make a home a home!!!!

I will be doing alot of what you are doing. Thawing Shrimp- laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, and kitchen. Straightening up a bit before the DS rolls in. Cheers on having kids come home!

Glad to hear that you mom home and out of hospital. I am glad that did not go sideways!

Lori- I would have curled up and melted into the floor with a frekin bat com thing towards me!!!!!!!! OMG- So so so so scary. I just DON'T do bats inside!
Anyway to get an exterminator to check out your attic????? - I could not live with that. Oh Hell to the no.............
I can just see it as you wrote it......... god love ya!!!!!

I am hopeful you got everything IT touched wiped up. GADS!!!!!
Do your Gabby react to bats?????
Hopefully you have a quieter night!!!!

Trig- OMG- KEY WEST!!!! Seriously- JELLY!!!! So on my BUCKET list!!!!!
You know a year will fly. I also bet you cram a few more beach RV trips in there between now and then!!!!!!!! I think you should head to St. Simon!!!!! I know some of the state parks around there are dynamite from what I have heard.
I am going to try to get to the wild horse island while I am there in the Spring!!!

Are you ready for Christmas? Is you mom coming over?
I know you will "hold the line!" .

Blue- Warm thoughts and wishes your way! Updates-
----------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday was hard- not going to lie. It is now behind me and there is nothing I am beholden to in Atlanta! Nothing.

So- As stated today is a thawing shrimp, wrapping all the kids gifts, and cleaning bathrooms and laundry. I am not dirty- my I have Stuff laying around. I haven't had anyone here.

So the DS is going to hit up his sisters house tonight and then come here tomorrow and stay through Sun.
Christmas Day we will go to DD and littles for dinner and celebrate.
It will be awesome to have my family for the holiday. We all have been diligent about being in public, around others.
I just can't live in a bubble ya know.

I am FINALLY getting into the the HOLIDAY mood!!!!! I haven't been until this morning!
The prep is sorta fun. I dislike wrapping- I don't mind it this year. Not much to wrap- but it is festive!

I have always had Pizza on Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember and not going to this year. That tradition goes back 30 years.
We would put on holiday music, and movies, order pizza and wrap gifts!
DS will be here. I have another curbside order in for tomorrow morning for a couple things for him I don't have. He eats fruit, oatmeal, more eggs, couple things. Light order. That will be ready in morning. It was a 2 day wait!!!! I am not hitting up a grocery today or tomorrow.
Gotta plenty to do here anyway.

Yes the count down IS on for Island life again!!!! I am thrilled that the complex is the same as last time- I know the island now like the back of my hand. Feel like home!!!!
Going to go back and get my bike too!!!! I am READY.

Well ladies - I hope you all have a wonderful day.
I am staying as close to plan, lucky both my kids are Keto eating!!!!!
Ham and green beans- and that is about it. No sides that are junk- no rolls, no noodles, no high carb junk, so relieved. Deviled eggs and shrimp.
My kind of meal.

Check back later later- washer done. Next load!!!!!

Jazz, you and DS have a blast :) sounds like you are setting up for a nice little holiday! Cool. Ham and green beans is enough for anyone....lol...we don't need other crap. You got this holiday in the bag!!

no one for the holiday. hubby kid and me going out to eat tonight. tomorrow is simple dinner for us...nothing 'big' but the OLD moms both said no thanks LOL My mom is 92 and she said her age and of course hubby's mom is a trainwreck of disease of some sort all the time and she is sure if she gets it she will die so......just us and quiet and we are fine with it all. tis what it is ya know... :p

Nicco.....wow that is just a great read on the fun and festivities you guys got going down! yea don't make the bread pudding, too much food ya know. whiskey cake and flan, woof, more than eough :) doesn't sound too overwhelming, sounding manageable for sure....nice when the holidays get easier ya know.....everyone being older it isn't all 'kiddies' that we want that super special Santa feeling, older they can help ya with some work too LOL

Lori....omg the flying bat, rat, bat rat in your house and you hiding under a blanket.....hell I was laughing big on that story!! Your hubby chasing it and swatting......darn cool LOL You and your bats every now and then, hey, they entertain me :p :agree: :lol:

OK....3-400 per night on a hotel room is kinda cheaper than I thought being key west in a way but yea that is pricey but not 'terrible' for such a wanted tourist location actually. So my $170 is reasonable for sure being just a stone's throw from key west and in that area and Boyd's does have a pool and recreation rooms and bathhouses and laundry available so I do get some amenities for my money :) I feel better than knowing my cost is in line ya know....thanks for that info.

So my 11 days at $170 is $1870 and if a hotel room was say, $350 per night then it would be $3850......ok so yea, I feel good on my price at this point HAHA Of course I pretend also that I never paid $50K for my RV LOL, no no we never think about that part :D :cool: Alright, I am letting this price wash over me now....frugal me hates these prices but in the end I want key west so I am paying it :D :thup:

Hey Blue, happy christmas eve and merry christmas day to you.


Today is hubby off to work for a bit to drop off car he has outside coming back late from outer banks....no other work today, he is coming home to rest, long drive yesterday for him.

Italian restaurant tonight.....all good, got steaks and shrimp. Me covered. Will have a bit of festive fun and chat, make kid put down the damn phone for at least, hmm, 15 minutes? :lol: ;)

Put out prez. tonight under the tree and hmmm, that's it. Can't put prez out cause always worried damn dog might pee on something, can't trust the little bastar....ya know HAHA

have a wonderful eve everyone!

Good Morning!

All quiet in the bat house last night. :lol: All part of the charm of an old house....right? :q: ;)

We got take out last night and I was a bad girl. Stomach rolling all night. Today will be liquids only till dinner when I'll eat a pork chop and maybe some salad greens.

Jaz.....hope you have a wonderful time with your family the next few days. It sounds awesome. The Littles will be so excited...how fun.

Trig...next year at this time we will all be so jealous of you having fun in the sun in Key West! Worth every penny, I say. We're hoping to be able to go there again next Fall, but who knows? DH turns 70 next year and the kids are already talking about what they can do and where we could all go. Hopefully we'll be able to make some plans next year. It's great that you have the RV and can pick up and go....your DD will have lots of good memories of your travels.

Nic....I know you are busy with last minute details. You'll have a great holiday with family.....all together and healthy....awesome.

Blue....thinking of you and wishing you the happiest of Holidays.

---------

Another year coming to a close.....and a trying one at that. It has all been made better for me because I have you all to "talk" to each day. Ups & downs...we share it all! I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year! (((Hugs)))

Lori that is so true.....we got such a great group here!! We can chat, vent, rant, yell, laugh, cry and just KNOW someone else is there hearing us and I love that too!!!

I know you are a key west lover....hey we gotta get there before it goes under water, I think they say by 2030 most of key west should be gone forever?? hmm?? but 'they' say that LOL, but like 9-10 yrs away and key west gone? I don't know, I sure don't see that but hey I ain't the brightest bulb in the light fixture ya know....maybe that is really true? No clue, hope I am here to see if it is tho ;) :lol: :lol:

I want relax time there. Last trip was staying in Homestead and 'doing Everglades National Park' and other stuff in that area and then it was a 'side' trip to Key West, and heck it was like still 3 hr drive from that part.....and that damn dog we brought....omg....just dealing with him in high heat ya know so we never 'did key west'....but hot darn I am this time LOL

my time is now all key west exploring and fun.

nice thing is kid will be 16 and allowed to drive a jet ski. We wanted to to that but she was only like 14? then but can drive a golf cart and more ya know but not legal for a jet ski rental, this time she will be. But darn that cost too.....I think $150 for like 1.5 hrs. of fun? so for 3....$450 for 1.5 hrs OMG MY TINY frugal brain can't accept that but I will HAHA I am banking now for just that experience.....gonna do it all.

and I am gonna get a saltwater fish license while there, I am doing kayak fishing with hubby......omg I hate ocean fishing.....I am SO scared what the hell might be on the end of that line....could be anything, shark, turtle, fish with TEETH and spikes and eels and more.....oh heck UGH.....but this time, hell yea I am going for it.

Year can't go by fast enough now for me LOL
Talked to kid, we are gonna shop after Xmas for a 'RV Christmas Ceramic' lighted tree and some decorations to bring for the rv since Xmas will be there. Heck she is excited on that LOL

oh boy me chatting up a storm.

hey what is this takeout and guts rolling? ugh, girl don't do that to you :) :) gosh I can't stand the guts rolling anymore, all cause of 'food' ya know and I have to say at this point I always feel so good, I can't go back to gut ick any more, some bloaty is bad enough.

but I am gonna party up with some booze tonight and tomorrow.....using my little tiny bit of sugar free cheap azz fruit punch powder crap and add in water and a hefty hit of rum...oh yea LOL

Trig......OMG....you talking about the "stuff" that comes out of the ocean made me remember the last time we were in KW and DS & DH went fishing. DH caught some God awful ugly thing and when he reeled it in close, the fishing boat captain yelled "Don't touch it!!!" It had big teeth and spines all over it that they said were poisonous. They cut the line and let it drop in a hurry. I forget what they said it was, but DS snapped a picture and it was the ugliest thing you've ever seen! So.....if you catch something spiny and ugly.....don't touch it! :eek:

OMG Lori you just confirmed the crazy of fishing the oceans and I hate all the deadly crap of it at the end of the line!!!

poisonous....geez louise.....I don't wanna die on this trip and that is for sure HAHA

Yea the ocean fishing is scary as hell but my hubby, omg he runs towards it. loves surf fishing so much and 'can't wait' to see what is on the end of that line and drools over it, me, I run from it HAHA

too funny

your DH is just like my hubby. Outdoor guys to the ultimate! what they do alot won't LOL and they are crazy but they love it for sure. I cringe thru alot of that stuff LOL

Hey when in Key West what do you do? like is it all sightsee relax type thing or do ya jet ski and all that yourself? just wondering on it cause I don't remember a golf course near that area? or is there something and I missed it? not sure on that one cause land is tight down there and a course requires land for sure.....do ya 'ocean golf' ever :p :D

Trig.....to be honest, my favorite thing to do is go for walks, maybe shop a bit come back to the Hyatt and sit there at the outside bar and gaze out at the water. DH, DS and others did the Jet Ski thing one year and of course, they always do the fishing charter. Then it's out for a yummy dinner and early to bed. I don't go in for the night life craziness that KW is known for. Not my thing anymore. We did the little Trolley around town the first year we were there..see the highlights of stuff to do. We always go out to Sunset Key to a restaurant called Latitudes. You have to take a boat from Mallory Square to get there. It's a bit pricey, but food is awesome and you sit there and watch the sunset....so pretty. We always try to get an outside table....awesome. Definitely need reservations WAY in advance. Look up what time sunset is and try to plan your reservation to be there at the right time. You'll find lots to do and see some "sights". It's a crazy place! :cool:

OMG- Trig/Lori- cracking me up with your FISH stories!!!!!!!-

Yes- Agreed, you ladies are the BEST- EVER!!!!!!!!

Yup another year coming to a close- 2020 can GO!!!!!!!

Trig- yup at this time next year you will be sending pics of blue ocean and rum drinks. Truly a year FLYS!!!!!!!!!
Just think how fast this year went!!!!
I know you are going to get in a few trips in between now and then!!!!!- You even have those to look forward to!!!!

Enjoy your evening out and your steak!!!!!! Your holiday sounds great!!!!!!!!

Lori- Are you recovered from the bat scare!!!!! Or as Trig called them- Flying RATS- GROSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS_
You still got snow on the ground? Are you supposed to get any more?
What are you making for tomorrow?

NIC- I know you are in the THICK of it right now. I am smiling knowing you are so in your element right now!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy your family time.

Blue- I hope you have a wonderful evening and day tomorrow. Sometimes the best times are had when it is just a small party of 2!!!!!!!!
---------------------------------------------------------------
Have just a couple things to get done before my DS gets here. He stayed with his sis last night.
Then we will go to her house tomorrow.

I still need to wrap! My LEAST favorite thing to do!

I got surprised from the "landlord"- people I am renting this condo from. They live next door so I see them almost every day. We chat over the fence. Very sweet people. Anyway they rang the bell and had a gift for me and Bella. How sweet it that!
I got a VERY NICE bottle of Merlot, and Bella got mini doggie bones.
So very very sweet! They are good people.

Well I best do my few chores and then I am going to treat myself to a bubble bath before son comes. I have SMOOTH JAZZ Christmas music playing on the big screen. It is a 7 hour play list......... Very nice!!!! The TV has You Tube on it- so I just pulled up the Christmas music, BOOM festive!!!!!

Ok- Enjoy your day ladies!!!!!!!!!!

Good Morning & MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Just feels like another day to me. No gifts here....my golf clubs are already put away! ;) We had HEAVY rain all day yesterday and all last night. Add that to the almost 20 inches of snow that we had on the ground.....not a good scene. There is a lot of flooding around and the river is coming up. We'll be fine, but there are some stories on TV about people having to evacuate their homes due to rising water.....on Christmas Eve....how sad. Just another thing for 2020 to hit us with!

Jaz....I know you'll have a wonderful, hectic day with your kids & Grands. You'll be playing games etc etc.....have fun! It was so thoughtful of your landlords to surprise you and Bella with a Christmas gift!

Trig....anxious to hear what your DH & DD got you this year. Hope your dinner out was wonderful last night and that you have a lovely family day today.

Nic....busy family day today for you too, I'm sure. Enjoy it all!

Blue....Biggest of Christmas hugs to you.

--------

I'll enjoy my coffee this morning and then early this afternoon I'll put a ham in the oven for a mid afternoon dinner. I'll make Betty the candied sweet potatoes that she loves and we'll go and have dinner with her around 3. Then it'll be home to watch football till bedtime. Exciting, right? It's ok......we are safe & warm with plenty of food to eat.....what more can we ask?

Love you all!

Lori.....you said, We always go out to Sunset Key to a restaurant called Latitudes. You have to take a boat from Mallory Square to get there. It's a bit pricey, but food is awesome and you sit there and watch the sunset------thanks for the info. That sounds wonderful and I will call/book reservations for that one night for sure....great info, appreciate it!

Your day sounds great.....Xmas day doesn't need to be exciting LOL I hear ya on that :)

Hey guys.....will chat up later......dinner nailed me to the wall last night eating out.
Dinner destroyed me!! The steak at the Italian restaurant was ‘tuscan-style herb coated’ and I said NO. Plain steak. Very rare. Came cooked perfect but must have been cooked on grill with ‘herbs’ cause omg it had this weirdo herby taste to it. ugh.

chicken breast had some herb goat cheese on it. So overpowering I scraped that off and ditched it…but when eating it I found it had a thin layer of herb goat cheese stuffed inside it…yuk.

Shrimp scampi, how can that get screwed up you ask? HA…6 nice shrimp came submerged in some thick gooey yellow overpowered garlic and lemon weirdo fake I swear sauce. I ate one, omg gross. I wiped the others off in a napkin and finished them off.

I ate as much as I could before I started to truly get icky. I kept my mouth shut and said ‘all was great’ on my plate cause the hubby and kiddo were so enjoying their pasta stuff and I just didn’t wanna ‘ruin xmas dinner’ so I sucked it up buttercup LOL

I knew I was gonna die and I did fast.

In the car driving home my guts started rumbling. All the taste was herbs herbs and nasty herbs :wink: Tummy was getting indigestion and little bit of heartburn but the guts…omg the rumbles and gurgles!!

Yes it was inevitable…got home and had to hit the bathroom fast. 2 more trips after that. I got bloated up, passing gas and more…yuk, that food went right thru me like lightening.

All night I had gut rumbles and these little mini like hot flashes. Did not sleep great at all.

So it is 8am and gonna go wake up kid. Do some presents. Be back later to chat up a bit with everyone.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE AND PEACE TO ALL, enjoy your fine day :) :)

Thank goodness I am cooking beef short ribs, shrimp, lobster and crabmeat stuffed flounder at home for dinner! No more eating out ANY time soon for this ol' gal HAHA

Trig- Ugh, that sounds awful!! So sorry that you had that experience. It is crazy that restaurants can't prepare plain food even when asked to. It was nice of you to let them enjoy their meal though. :)

Lori- Sad news about the evacuations and river rising. We had a ton of rain yesterday as well including some torrential rain around 11 PM. But yeah, all day with about an hour of respite.

Enjoy your time with Betty!

Jaz- Have a wonderful time with your son and your DD, SoIL and Kidlets. :) I know you will!!

Blue- Merry Christmas! Have a wonderful one!

•••••••••

We had a really nice day yesterday. Scavenger Hunt and Nerf gun wars (all Dh's doing!), Symphony of Lights drive through, pizza and Disney Singalong, Xmas stories. It was really fun. Late night though and I had insomnia and didn't fall asleep until 4 AM. I will be drinking a Bang around noon to get me through Part 3!

So, Trig and Lori, I hold you both PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for the fact that DH and I booked a fully refundable condo in April for KEY WEST. I told him about you all and your trips there and he caved quickly! Fingers crossed we can go! It looks like a perfect place for us to stay too.

Okay, it's about time to get this show on the road. More later!

Still with kids- and DS - having and it will be hot chocolate for him, glass of wine for me and movies and PJ's- still full night of festivities.

Time for jammies-

MERRY CHRISTMAS LADIES

XOXOXOXOX

Till tomorrow

Good Morning!

The day after! Hope everyone had a fun day, no matter what you were up to. We went and spent time with Betty in the afternoon and then home to football and trying to stay warm. Good grief it's cold! I don't know how I'm going to survive until Spring. :(

Trig....hope you didn't have any lasting effects from your dinner out. So sorry you had to go thru that on Xmas Eve. How did your Christmas dinner turn out? Hope it was yummy. :yum:

Nic....A scavenger hunt and Nerf wars.... :lol: That sounds like SO much fun! Oh man.....an April trip to Key West! So jealous here. Don't forget to make reservations for dinner at sunset time at Latitudes on Sunset Key. Ask for outdoor seating! I'm also remembering that there is a great place for breakfast called Pepe's....nothing fancy and not very big, but OMG...the food is so good! I can't wait to be able to go back to KW....I would be happy to just stay at the Hyatt and eat/drink at the Blue Mojito bar and their restaurant called Shor is very good too. Oh man....I'm getting hungry! :D

Jaz...I bet you're going to be a tired girl today after a day of excitement with the Littles! Did you have the best time? What are you and DS up to today?

Blue...thinking of you and hoping you got to spend some virtual time with your DS yesterday.

-------

We talked to DD on the phone yesterday and she sent us some pictures. It was also our youngest grandson's birthday yesterday...he turned 12. We sent him a card with a gift card enclosed, but he didn't get it. I'm hoping it's not lost. If so, we'll give him some cash when we next see him. DD and her whole family are leaving for FL tomorrow for a week. DGS17 is playing in a baseball tournament. He has cleared the virus and no one else in the family has gotten it. DD was just tested again on Wednesday. I worry about them traveling and being around others, but they have to make their own decisions about what level of risk they are willing to assume. It does me no good to worry and fuss about what others are doing. I/We just need to do what we think is best for us and those depending on us.

DS worked yesterday(police work) and will work the whole weekend. Talk about "golden" time! He thought why not? They had nothing special going on for the weekend so might as well work and make some $$. He used to be a full time police officer, but now just does it part-time and has a job with the local township as his full time work. We'll drop off their gifts at some point. Maybe we'll sit in our car in the driveway while they open their gifts.....we don't want to go in since our step grandson tested positive last week. Sigh........

Cold & windy this morning so I'll be glad to just stay inside today. I may send DH to the grocery store for a few things as he'll be out and about at some point.

That's it from here. Staying warm and laying low waiting for Spring. Take care everyone.

Lori, I am right there with you waiting for spring. No kidding it is freaking cold...we had wind and like 16 deg. temps and it is bone chillin'. I can't stand it one bit :lol:

Your are right....you can only truly protect your little world and you have to do what you think is right around others. There is no other options kinda, so you are smart to control your lifestyle now as you guys need....not a darn thing wrong with just that but it sucks when the party times and are more just not normal :( ugh. Hope he gets his card in the mail!! I am sure it will come, those later deliveries are backlogged a bit, I am sure it should arrive!!

I didn't know your DS could 'do part time police work'.....did he retire? or ? I don't know LOL Very cool tho he made some nice golden big bucks :thup:

Nicco sounds like you guys had a blast! Nerf wars, bet that was fun LOL
AND YOU booked Key West also! OMG that is so cool and you will be going in April before me you furball you, I got a long long wait, your trip will be coming up alot faster....omg you will have a blast. I tell ya a change of scenery is so important to me, I require trips in my life or I would go bonkers for sure. I am waiting for about March and then will book some closer RV trips when we get thru the tough icky winter. I can't wait, I will go anywhere at this point HAHA

Sorry on the sleeping, I didn't get great sleep lately either. I need back to normal and over all the festivites time and get back in my personal groove.

Jazz, Merry Christmas....let us know how all your fun time is going when ya can!!!



So Christmas dinner was good. beef short ribs and a ton of shrimp. made few roasted taters, a crabmeat stuffed flounder filet for them and only 2 dinner rolls, 1 each. Kid was fine, hubby was like, more bread? and I said nope ya don't need it and he said OK pass me more shrimp LOL Time for this old gal to cut back the carbage crap in this house again! I did that, controlled more on what came into the house but that gets so tiring, but now hubby getting heavier and kid is ok but have to watch her too tho.....I am gonna cut all that crap back. Less is more and it will be that way on my shopping trips in the future :)

Got me a nice birdhouse I wanted. Nice candles. My purse I bought me is fab HAHA Kid and hubby happy on their stuff....all good here.

Was gonna do mom yesterday with the 3 of us, fast trip to say Merry Christmas but she didn't want company cause she didn't sleep good so today I am driving up to take her to Dollar General to get out of the house. Mom's world at 92, heading into 93 soon is getting smaller and smaller and smaller. She is hating grocery shopping and doesn't want big commotion or anything around her. I get it. So today is go up alone and do the normal easy with her and let it go.....hell she forgot a few times on the phone yesterday when we chatted that it was Christmas LOL It is what it is. Just let it go down the way it has to go down and go with the flow of it all.

over and out and be good all. I am so FREAKIN' happy the food focus holiday time is behind me! ugh....tired of food food and more food.....today is simple steak and chicken. I love the simple of it all!

We all gotta think a word for January and the new year......I am thinking just 'WELL-BEING'....I just want my overall well being to be complete and good ya know. I don't need no big goals or anything at all, I just need an entire package of well being washing over me :p :o .....ok guys think of your word, Jan. is coming fast at us :D

Good morning! Happy Day-After Christmas!

Jaz- I am so, so glad you are having good family time with both your kids AND the Littles. That is just wonderful and you are so deserving of that. I know you enjoyed every bit. I also bet you are WORN OUT.

Trig- I love how respectful you are of your Mom and her needs changing as she gets older. You are such a good daughter to her and it seems your brothers are equally as thoughtful and caring of her. Lovely family.

Sounds like your Christmas was very nice, chill, good food and some family time too. Hooray!

Blue- I hope your Christmas was lovely, although I know you were missing your dear son. I'm looking forward to hearing about it!

Lori- I had missed the part about the bat! I would totally have had something over my head too! :help: :lol:

YES I will make reservations for Latitudes at Sunset Key. I should probably do that fairly soon. Sounds lovely! I have been to Key West before, just one half day only, as a cruise ship stop, and we went to a nice place for breakfast. I think it was called Blue Heaven? So we'll plan to go there. We will rent bikes- the condo we are renting has a gate to the walk up unit that locks so we can store our bikes there. I am crossing my fingers that we will be able to go.

It sounds like the virus is mild in your family members and I am really glad to hear it.

•••••••••••

Yesterday was really, really good. That being said, I was SO FREAKING TIRED last night. As in, too tired to cry. I tried to sit down and watch a YouTube video to relax and I could not. When I am really overtired or overloaded, my sensory issues (usually mild) kick in fierce and I could not listen to a thing- my ears wouldn't allow it! So I just sent myself up to bed. Slept like a rock, only up once, and I have been having insomnia lately so that was a welcome thing, to sleep so well!

Christmas Day and evening were really nice though. We did stockings and a couple of gifts (we round-robin it, one at a time) then had breakfast together (overnight monkey bread, sausage, bacon) and then gifts. Started at 8:30 and finished close to noon. Then a bit of downtime, then doing the things that needed to be done a bit at a time before folks starting arriving a little after four. DH and I do this pretty well together by now since we have been doing it for years. He always does the table (he is so much better at things that like than I am!) and he is in charge of the crab cakes. He gets the crudité out too, stuff like that. I had made the bread pudding and sauce the night before so got that out to come to room temperature, corn puddings were ready to go in the oven. Mixed up the artichoke dip and had that ready to go in the oven. Shrimp had been done the night before. Brought the tenderloin to room temp, tied it, oiled it and seasoned it. SoIL did the cocktail sauces. Each kid had a cleaning chore before folks arrived and done! That's not to say it doesn't get stressful in that crunch time right before and the cleaning afterward sort of sucks (three loads in the dishwasher, plus silver and crystal) but it is still wonderful and special and lovely. :)

My favorite gift was from my DH and I didn't ask for it- he got me something called Ember- it is a mug that is temperature controlled so that my coffee will always be hot and the exact temperature that I want. Pretty cool! It is even controlled on an app-- it is that exact! DS18 got me a small task food processor (3 cup) and DS22 got me a "Diamond painting" craft set that I wanted to try. DD and SoIL got everyone several gifts and my DD made ornaments for us as she does every year - she needlepoints them by hand, after SoIL draws them for her. So special. Mine this year was Graceland, which I loved! DH's was the passing of the torch (from AHLA President), DS22 got one denoting his engagement and DS18 got one about graduating high school. :)

Today will be an absolute CHILL DAY. I couldn't be happier about that! :) DS18's birthday is the 28th and it always sort of kills me. TOO SOON! :lol:

Super cold out today although clear and sunny. I doubt I'll get out and walk although you never know! I got 12K steps yesterday just doing all the things in the house. It was crazy!