Extra Five Pounds

Between my injured leg and all of the  holiday goodies I had over the past two months I’ve put on a good five extra pounds.   I usually exercise more self control with all of the goodies.  This year I just couldn’t help myself.  I baked ten different types of cookies myself.  This doesn’t even include the twenty five different types of cookies we had present at our new annual cookie exchange.

I know tons  of people put on extra weight during this time of year.  Most of them make a new years resolution to lose weight.   I will of course loose the weight but I’m thinking maybe next year I’ll see if I can drop a few extra pounds before Halloween. That way Once the holidays are over with I’ll be right back where I started. Haha!  I know it’s probably not the best way to look at it but it’s still a bit funny to think about.

Big Family Gathering for Christmas

We had a terrific Christmas this year!  My mother in law came to visit and we had about 15 other people come over for Christmas dinner too!  I served a traditional turkey meal with all of the fixings.  One of the guests even brought a tofurkey because their family is vegetarian.  I tried it and it surprisingly wasn’t that bad at all.

Most of the day the kids were in the back yard.  Santa brought them a giant trampoline.  It was great to see their faces as they bounced up and down trying to get higher and higher each time.  My husband and I even tried it out with them.  We jumped pretty high.  I was afraid I might fall off myself.  I know I really shouldn’t have gotten on it with my leg but I did anyway.  I’m glad the kids got something that will keep them physically active.  I know a lot of kids got electronics and will end up sitting on the couch for the next month or so.  I really want top make sure the kids get enough activity so we convinced Santa to get them the trampoline.

 

Major House Cleaning

One thing that always ends up being one of the last things to get done is the major cleaning before the holiday guests arrive.  My mother in law is coming to stay with us for the holiday weekend and I want to make sure the house is nice and clean.  I would hate to have someone come over to my house and not have it be clean.  I need to straighten out the guest room and add more towels to the bathroom.  I like to leave out a few different lotions and soaps for people to choose from when they come over.

I don’t want my mother in law to take a shower in a dirty shower so I really need to scrub it out.  I wish those automatic shower cleaners worked really well.  If they did I would have one in all of the bathrooms we have.  Once I’m finished with the shower I need to scrub the toilets and mop all of the floors.  Dusting is another thing that really needs to be done but doesn’t get done often enough.

There is nothing like a host guest coming to get you to clean your house.  My house isn’t dirty I just like it to sparkle when we have company.

Gift Shopping

Sometimes I hate shopping for Christmas gifts.  It’s the crowds that bother me.  I don’t like walking into a store and being surrounded by a million people. It drives me nuts when I can’t move my cart through an isle without having to wait for someone to move theirs.

This year I’m finishing up my holiday shopping online.  I love the ease and conveninece of being able to shop at any time, day or night in the comfort of my own home.  And, I don’t even have to get dressed up to leave the house.  I did my shopping in my pajamas!  I got some great deals on Amazon and didn’t have to pay tax.  I love that part too!  I even saved on the shipping since everything I bought was eligible for the free Super Saver Shipping.  I love Amazon for that reason.

I’ve finished just about all of my shopping and an rest easily.  Now I just have to worry about wrapping everything.

 

Cookie Exchange

What  a great turn out we had this year for the cookie exchange.  There were soo many gorgeous cookies and tasty ones too!  One person brought cookies that looked like a snowman was melting on top of them.  They were absolutely adorable.  She frosted the cookies with white icing and then stuck a marshmallow on top and partially melted it to look like the snowman head.  She decorated the rest of the cookie with items for the face, and hat etc. The kids went bonkers over them.

We also had a few other treats that I’ve never seen before that I just couldn’t get enough of.  I LOVED the little pretzels with a Rolo candy stuck on top with a nut.  Rolo candies are chocolate covered caramels and are one of my favorites. When I discovered this little tasty treat had Rolos I was in heaven.  I’ll definitely be making them in the future.

The party was a hit!  We had twenty five different varieties of cookies and everyone went home with a box filled with an assortment of their very own.  A few people asked if we could do it again next year.  Since we had such a great time I think we will.

Congratulations Sharon

One of my really good friends just told me that she is expecting her first child.  I’m sooo excited for her.  I told her I’d be here for her to answer any questions that she might have along the way during her pregnancy and of course after she has the baby.  I feel like I am going to be an auntie again.

I told her I would start shopping for her now for all kinds of things.  I want to find her some really nice plus size maternity clothes that she can wear to work.  I know it’s hard finding things that fit let alone something you actually like.  I figure if I start looking now I might be able to have a broad selection for her when she actually needs them.  She’s only seven weeks pregnant now so she should have a little while to go before she starts showing and needs maternity clothes.

I told her I’d love to throw her a baby shower.  I have a bunch of games that we can play at the shower.  I have a file on my computer filled with all kinds of things to do to make it a very memorable occasion.  I’m so excited I want to go get decorations now.  I know I have to wait awhile so we can find out the sex of the baby so I’ll know whether or not to buy pink or blue things.  I’m just soo thrilled for her and can’t wait to meet the baby.