My brother Joe turned 60 last weekend and a large, family party was planned. It began snowing at noon and didn't stop for 14 hours. I think the metro got between 11" and 21".
It was gorgeous, fluffy snow. Being out in it was like being in a Christmas movie. Driving was miserable but Joe's party was great. I'm guessing only about half the invited guests were able to make it but those of us who won't let a little blizzard prevent us from a party had a great time. Margy flew in for Joe's party. She stayed in an undisclosed location. Let's just say she was able to drive Mom to the party. They went early so as to not get stuck in the thick of the snow. They should have packed an overnight bag but it was all good.
AS usual, Heidi made sure the food was delicious; wings, crab cakes, mini pigs in a blanket, cheese, crackers, and goodies galore. Wine and cocktails were served. There was much talk, laughter and shouting. Games were played and everyone had a terrific time. H&J told us that they are expecting a boy!
The drive home took awhile but we had no mishaps. It was a good thing that there was very little traffic; we took it easy and had all wheel drive.
Saturday, I had invited a bunch over to bake cookies. Several bailed due to the snow and a few were just not feeling up to it. I'm not saying they were hungover, I'm saying they were still hammered. Those of us who did show up made a ton of cookies; gingersnaps, two different kinds of shortbread cookies, orange meltaways, peanut/kiss cookies, macaroons, sugar cookies, double decker lemon curd cookies, crinkle cookies and fudge. The party started at noon and went till long after dark.
Sunday the sun came out and tried to melt alot of the snow. It made for very puddly parking lots. Jay and I went off to watch Xena play in her first ever basketball tournament. She put her team on the scoreboard with a basket 20 seconds after we entered the gym. It will be fun to see her learn to play the game. She has an idea but has never played before. Unlike Babalouie, she isn't terribly interested. It's fun but not like rodeo. Her team won, 17-13. which is quite a high scoring game for kids that age!
Back home, I finally finished decorating my house. I'd put the tree up a week ago. I only had 9 strings of lights, which isn't nearly enough but when I went online to see who still had them, I was stunned by the prices! Last year, we bought lights at Menards for $2.99 per string of 100. This year, the cheapest I could find were at Home Depot for $8.59. Target is charging $12.99 for a string of 100!
That's INFLATION.
I made my 9 measly strings stretch to cover the whole tree. After BoopityBoop helped me decorate it, I realized I hadn't saved a string for the mantle. Jay went out and bought me a string. Is it any wonder I love him so?
That was a week ago. I was very busy all week, trying to crank out orders for all the ladies who've been waiting for their canvases since August. The mantle had to wait for the next weekend, which was yesterday. I went to the basement to fish out all the mantle decorations; I have a box that holds ten little 5" Santas that I bought years ago and like to hide in the greenery and 3 large (12"- 16") Santas I bought at Goodwill. I also hang the White House Ornaments my Aunt Helen sent us for decades from the mantle. They get lost on the tree and they're so gorgeous, I want them to be seen. In addition to all this mantle beauty, I found 9 more strings of lights. I had no memory of packing lights away in two different boxes. That's being over 60 for you: it takes you weeks to put up the decorations and you have no idea what you've got. So, I strung lights in my upstairs studio windows that you can see from the street and I'm going to put some on my front steps. I'm not about to let them go to waste!
Yesterday, I worked all day and took an hour off to walk around the Lake. It was a very good day.