Just like home

Well it may be early but I think it's safe to say that Project Simplify Christmas is a success. How do I know? As of Friday afternoon my Christmas shopping is not only completed, but wrapped as well. I know, you all hate me just a little bit. That's okay. Go ahead. I can understand. I used to hate people like me too. Also thanks to Oprah and her "Debt Diet" not one item was bought on credit. That's the part that astonishes me the most and likely the thing I'll be most proud of this Christmas. All it took was a little bit of planning ahead and a lot of research, price checking and ad matching. It's all well and good when a store has a great sale, but how often do they only get 5 sale items in and they're sold out by the time you get there. Most stores will match competitors prices and boy did we take advantage of that this year.

This year I also thought it was important to cut back on the activities and get togethers that seem to go hand and hand with the Christmas season. It seemed to me that we spent so much time rushing around and trying to be every where that we couldn't truly enjoy anything. So this year we've had time to watch Christmas programs with Abby. Mike and I totally fell in love with Polar Express as did Abby. The cartoon version of the Grinch Abby watched from behind her fingers which I found funny because she's seen the live action one about 45 times. And Michael admitted that when he was a kid Frosty the Snowman choked him up because he melted at the end.

Tonight I was out at one of the few parties that made the cut this year. Yes I left Michael alone with the girlies, which gave him a minor anxiety attack since tonight was bath night (only one kid got bathed, but I guess that's better than nothing) and I headed out to party it up with the girls from work. I went as Nancy's date because, well, she offered and we're practically family. I was very much looking forward to going and seeing everyone again, but I admit I was a bit nervous. A year is a very long time to be out of the loop (oh the things I had missed, eh Nance) and I wasn't quite sure how easily I'd fit back in. Turns out like most things I had wasted all that time worrying, which was really just how it took to walk from the car to the front door. Since most of them having been stopping by to read here (Hi Kaffy, Lynn and Nance) it really was like I'd been around telling them all about the lice debacle, Piglet's scary adventure and how my girls are just so amazing I can barely stand it. Before I knew it I was cracking jokes about Kathy being a little tipsy and Nancy being a little easy just like I had never left. It was just like home.

Gifts were exchanged and I came home with one beautiful Santa (I do love Christmas decorations) and a back massager I had secretly been coveting (Carmen, how did you know?) among other things. Also my beloved Darlene stocked me up with KitKat bars, that I will not be sharing, so don't ask. And Kaffy, well let's just say I love her and leave it at that. Linda hosted the party as she has for a few years now and as always it was fantastic. Chinese food was definitely the way to go, but then it's been well documented that I'm a sucker for an egg roll. I'd post a nice group picture, but I didn't get one of everybody together. I did get some of little groups of people, but Lynn said if I posted her here, well she didn't actually say what would happen, but it sounded vaguely threatening.

I can, however, show you this..... the hot seat for the evening.







Yes, apparently Kaffy's lap is the place to be this holiday season. Tell your friends.

Oh and yes they're real,



and they're spectacular.

Darlene, Lynn, Carmen, Linda, Delores, Linda, Nancy, Kathy, Lindsey and Andrea I love you all!!

For more photo fun from tonight check out flickr.