I guess rescheduling the drive to my best friend's last night was a good call, as I slept until 12:30 in the afternoon. Hopefully I'm now rested enough to get through family time tonight.

We're in Ohio. Cousin togetherness is pretty cool, and Dillo is coping with the large (but gentle and friendly) dog okay (he is afraid of dogs.) The adults are dysfunctional, but that's why it's nice to have kids.

They have a mostly-melted dusting of snow, and Dillo is in heaven. Too bad it's unlikely to actually snow.

It's a hawaiian in the midwest syndrome.

Totally. I also have three bags of macadamias. But now I have two, plus two pie crusts with a butter/brown sugar/macadamia bottom layer in the oven.

I also have completed banana bread, but it has sadly suffered containment failure and is a yummy pile of banana crumbs. Oops.

I haven't been able to get to my email for a couple of hours now. wonder what the issue is.

well we are reaching the point of the day where we are both tired of sitting around.

I have braved two different grocery stores. Now, I need to clean but I have a headache and really just want to take a nap.

Ugh, I am all tired now. Cleaning, shopping, toddler wrangling. But Emmett and I accompanied EM to the stores and got about $300 worth of champagne, pate and fancy cheese. The pate is sooooooo good.

Now Matilda is off with Emmett and EM to do one last errand. We've invited our downstairs neighbor to dinner - that makes 8! Yikes. That's a crowd in our apartment. Oh well, it'll be nice.

JZ, Matilda and JZ's mom will go to the children's service at the local church at 5:30 and then come back for a big pot of clams, mussels and lobster. (Emmett will have steak.)

It's way too early to go to bed and yet that is all I want to do. I should really eat instead since I didn't have lunch.

Here's what I have learned from cleaning little areas in various rooms all day. TOO MUCH STUFF!

Mmmmmm...pate and fancy cheese....

I've wrangled kids and DH took a nap so he can survive the late night wrapping. We're having swiss steak and gravy for dinner and then the kids and I will decorate cookies for Santa.

Movie line up: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Olive the Other Reindeer, Shrek the Halls. After the kids go to bed, it will be Elf and Love, Actually.

TOO MUCH STUFF!

Speaking of which, my sister sent me two more big boxes of presents which just arrived. That's four boxes just from her. She about doubled the already abundant display under the tree. And Santa hasn't even made his deliveries yet either.

We shan't lack for stuff.

Pies are in for their final bake. The crust is already too dark, I can tell. And at our elevation it always takes forever for the custard to set. So, dubious. I have plenty of pumpkin, though, so if it fails entirely I can retry.

The Zmayhem sounds lovely, if hectic.

I definitely agree with the too much stuff assessment. The SO is cheerily clearing out his studio, though, and progress is being made. I am zonkered, though, and haven't even tackled the big cooking day yet!

Anyway, if I can completely clean the kitchen this evening to start fresh tomorrow, I think I'll be good. I think I can manage that, although we do have Christmas eve candlelight service to go to tonight. We have to read a thinger for the advent candle lighting, which is confusing to me because I swear it's the one they read last Sunday. But whatevs.