Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!

It's over! Now onto the relaxation part of my holiday. *passes around leftover appetizers*

We got home around 2pm yesterday after a whirlwind 48 hours of eating, visiting, opening presents, and poker playing. It was a really nice Christmas but I was wiped out when I got home. Had a nap in my lazyboy, ate leftover pizza, and watched the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie that I got for Chistmas. Dave had to work today so it was an early night. Even though it was a nice Christmas, there were a few "bumps" just to remind us how lucky we all were to be there and healthy.

On the 23rd, my cousin had her baby boy, two months early. He weighs just over two pounds but is doing well. She's all by herself in Kingston (southern Ontario) because that was the only hospital able to take her when her water broke a few weeks ago. She's almost 40 and single and decided she wanted to have a child. Her Mom, my Mom's sister, doesn't drive so she wasn't able to be there with her. None of her siblings could be there either so she had to go through this by herself. We were all pretty worried about her but she's a very strong person and has pulled through with flying colors. Our Grandmother was born in the early 1900s and only weighed 2 lbs so hopefully this little baby will have as long and healthy a life as she did.

When we arrived at Mom's on Christmas Eve we heard that my Aunt had fallen down the stairs and broken her leg. My Uncle has agoraphobia and doesn't leave home so he had to send her to hospital by ambulance with their daughter. She was supposed to have surgery on Christmas Eve but ended up having her leg put in a temporary cast until they found a slot in the OR and a doctor. She broke her ankle and her leg so she'll be laid up for a while.

Then on Christmas Day in the middle of our Hold 'Em game, my Mom called for my Dad from the downstairs rec room. She sounded a little concerned so he went running. The downstairs bathroom had backed up and was flooding the basement. Woohoo! I send Dave down to help Dad out because as a maintenance millwright he's good at this kind of stuff. They had to bail out the pump to find out why it wasn't working. Crisis averted. It only flooded in the furnace room and didn't wet the carpet. Regardless, we took a vote and decided that my BIL should carve the turkey because we knew where my Dad's hands had been. *giggle*

Mom delegated the jobs for getting the dinner on the table and I was given the job of making the gravy because she thinks I make the best gravy. Nothing like having pressure to have lump free gravy. The whole meal was delicious and we all sat at the table, kids included, without any mishaps. It was the first year that we've been able to do that because normally my brother's kids have a meltdown around supper time. My SIL was telling us how Billy has so much anxiety on Christmas Eve that he can't sleep. Back when I was a kid we called it excitement, not anxiety. *rolls eyes*

This was a year for gift gaffs. I bought my sister a purple sweater, black cords and a white shirt. When I walked in the house on Christmas Eve, there she was wearing the purple sweater I'd bought her. Then my parents bought her and BIL an electric frypan and apparently they'd gone out and bought one just before Christmas. Darn people that buy things for themselves that they put on their lists. *grin*

I bought my Dad a bunch of Westerns on DVD for his birthday (which is today). As he opened his Christmas gifts it seemed that every one of them included a Western DVD. He was joking about how he had enough movies to open his own movie rental store. I giggled because I knew that the next day when he opened his birthday present he was going to double the number. Hard to believe but he ended up with 46 movies in total and not a single repeat. Who knew that John Wayne made so many movies? *snort*

My son's girlfriend drew my name in the gift exchange. This is her first Christmas with us and she bought me two sweaters. Nice present, yes. Only problem was that the sweaters were from a plus sized store and were huge on me. A size 10 I'm not, but I'm not into plus sizes either. Yet, anyway. Way to impress the future MIL! *grin* I was telling my Mom about it yesterday and then felt bad because when I got home I noticed that the shirts my Mom bought me were a plus size too! I'm really thinking that they're trying to tell me something. *snicker* The shirt Mom bought me is too big too but now I'm not sure if I should exchange it even though the seam under the arm on one of them is coming apart. I just thanked them both for the gifts and didn't let on about the sizes. Maybe next year I should specify a size.

It's so nice to be home and have a few days to relax before New Year's at the cottage. I got a call from my friend this morning. She was telling me that her sister got very emotional when she opened the present I gave her. This is the dialysis friend. I made her a blanket thanks to inspiration from my internet friends. Apparently she really loved it but didn't realize I had made it. I was telling her sister this morning that I'd made it and she said that when the sister hears that I made it, it would be even more special than it already was. Out of all the gifts I gave this year, this was the one that made me feel the best.

Christmas lights out...

Just getting ready to head out to Mom's for Christmas. We'll be there until Boxing Day. I hope you all have a very happy, healthy and safe holiday. I wish I'd had time to get around to everyone's blogs to wish them a special greeting but I'm running late.

I'm so grateful for every one of you! Thanks for being my friend, my sounding board, and just for being you.

See you in a few days!

love & hugs,

lights

The Spa According to lights

How lucky can I be? My friend wins a draw and the prize is a "night of pampering" for her and three friends. The night of pampering is described as a foot massage, a facial and a hand treatment. Just what a busy woman deserves at this crazy time of year. And this busy woman has never experienced any of the above so I was doubly excited about what was to come.

Last night after work I stopped here at home, made myself a drink and checked the blogs to wind down after a hectic day that included my first solo business lunch as a Buyer. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the restaurant and found four men at the table waiting for me. After an initial moment of panic I calmed down and actually enjoyed myself. More about this another time.

I picked up my friend and her two daughters and off we went. Now I must admit that I was curious about how long this was going to take seeing as there were four of us. That's a lot of feet and faces to rub. When we walked in the door we found a table with products proudly displayed all over it. This was my first clue that my first spa experience was going to be a little bit less than spectacular. The lady met us at the door and invited us in to relax, have a coffee, tea, or pop and a cookie. I passed on the pop because, unfortunately, I didn't have a travel bottle with me. *waves @ Kimmers*

She invited us to follow her into her kitchen where she had four chairs set up at the table. She asked us to sit down and take our socks off and brought us rectangle dishpans filled with hot water for us to soak our feet in. While we soaked, she asked us to fill out cards with our names, address, phone number, birthday, husband's name, etc, etc. This? was my second clue that there may have been a little false advertising happening with my spa night.

After soaking our feet for a while, she gave us each towels and told us to back our chairs away from the table so we could put the towel on our leg and put our other foot up so that we could do our own freaking foot massage! My friend and I had been giving each other eye signals through this and how we managed to not completely crack up is beyond me. So there we sit, with our dripping feet covered in little dabs of goop as we massage our feet. Once the feet were done it was time to do our own facials. The hand treatment consisted of us rubbing two different creams on our own hands.

She was a Mary Kay cosmetics saleslady and I guess this was her way of getting sales before Christmas. This "evening of pampering" which we renamed, "an evening of pampering yourself" was advertised as being worth over $150. I'm not sure if the little dabs of creams and microdermobrasion goop are worth $150 but her foot massaging efforts certainly didn't amount to much.

We were done in just over an hour. And of course I felt I had to buy something even though I know I didn't have to. I ordered an eye soothing cream and a lip gloss and it cost me about $35.
We got far more than $35 worth of laughs once we got in the car to head home. We giggled like schoolgirls all the way home. Too funny. I knew it was too good to be true.

*props feet up and waits for a real foot massage*

A Conundrum...

What to do? Situation is as follows. We've been planning to spend New Year's Eve at the cottage with two other couples (each bringing one 12 yr old child). That makes eight people. We have beds for six and a couch and love seat for the kids. Sounds good so far huh?

Saturday night I hosted my annual "Friends" Christmas dinner. The two couples who are coming for NYE were here as well as two other couples. One of the couples (the birthday girl and her 911 calling hubby) brought up the topic of NYE plans. The two couples that are coming to the cottage spent last NYE with 911/birthday girl and decided they wanted to come to the cottage this year. I didn't invite 911/bgirl for NYE because of space restrictions. It's just too crowded during the winter when you have to carry water, pile snowsuits and boots, use a porta-pottie, and have firewood stacked inside. During the summer it's no problem to have more people around.

So bgirl brings up NYE and asks the other two couples (not me) what THEY'RE doing for NYs. They looked a little uncomfortable but replied that they were spending it at the cottage with us. Bgirl didn't say much right away and I was busy getting the turkey dinner ready. A few minutes later she came into the kitchen and asked if it was okay if her and 911 came to the cottage too. They never go anywhere without their 15 yr old son (had to specifically tell her that it was an adults only dinner and even then she wanted to bring him). I said that it would be okay but that they'd have to bring an air matress and find space on the floor to sleep because the beds were all filled. Then she laid the bombshell on me and told me that her whole family would come. And not only her two teenage daughters, but their freaking boyfriends too!!! That's SEVEN more people! I told her that I didn't think we'd have room for everyone and she just went on saying they'd make room on the floor.

I was in the middle of serving dinner and didn't need a dramafest so I just said that we could try. All night I was inwardly fuming about this. Sunday morning I woke up and immediately thought about this and got so pissed off that I couldn't get back to sleep. It's not just finding floor space for sleeping, it's having enough room for everything we need for winter cottaging.

1. Do you think she was rude to invite herself...AND her entire family?

2. Would I be rude to call her back and tell her that there just isn't room for her whole family?

3. What would you do?

On top of the inviting herself thing, she was particularily annoying all night. She started talking about how people who don't attend church services but say they're religious are hypocritical and how she was told by her chiropractor that she's too petite to work. *rolls eyes*

Her hubby is a sweetheart and everyone loves him but I'm getting to the point where I can barely stand to be in the same room with her. I'm considering telling her that they can have the cottage for NYs and I'll just stay home.

Help me o wise ones of blogland!

You are cordially invited...

...to celebrate Swami's birthday in my blog while I'm at work tomorrow. Pants are optional. My only rule is don't do anything Carey wouldn't do.

Help yourself to the frozen margaritas in the freezer. The appetizers are in the oven. The cabana boys should be here by 8am to cater to your every whim.

Happy Birthday Swami! Love ya!!!