Had a great holiday! It was lovely to have the family here and it was not hard to have seven people in our little house. Took some planning to make sure everyone got showers, but it all worked out. Best of all, the five dogs all got along. Sister and BiL enjoyed Movie Day and want to come back next year. They've gone home. Brother is staying, and the DH plans on putting him to work helping clean out the garage.

Ornaments are re-packed in the new boxes, lights are wrapped up on the new organizers and the other christmas stuff is all packed into a plastic bin. Next up is a trip to the basement with all of that plus the tree and wreath.

Then if I have more energy I'll pack up more kitchen linens for basement storage. Kitchen linens are stored in the vintage turquoise clothes dryer and it is going to be sold, so I need to empty it out.

Back from Trader Joe's where I spent $130 (all on gift cards). We now have gin! And the makings of scalloped potatoes gratin. (Though sadly I have learned the hard way that I need to accompany this with a very leafy green salad and follow it with a whole bran breakfast the next day. My body is getting old and I am bran eatin' cocksucker. Pass me that prune juice cocktail, Mabel.)

JZ and Matilda are out running errands, including swinging by her workplace to discover that the new preschool at her work will indeed be open on Jan. 4th after three months of delays.

That means that Maggie, the only the care provider that Matilda has known besides her parents and family, will be spending her last week with Matilda. Sniff. It will be an adjustment.

Unlike msbelle's brisk ushering out of the xmas tree, we will let ours linger until New Year's Day.

Happy birthdays Jesse Theodosia and Rayne!!!!

Unexpected Benefit Of the Day: The garbage and recycling were picked up.

Hence, completely empty recycling bin which I have almost filled to capacity with boxes and wrapping so that the house is vastly less cluttered than it was this morning.

mac is enjoying set 2 of Animaniacs DVDs (the gift he got early and threw back at me saying it was not EVEN what he wanted).

I'm about to make trip #2 to the basement. The house is shaping up nicely. We may be ready for painting in a week or two.

Happy Birthday, Theodosia!

Happy Birthday, Jesse!

Happy Birthday, Rayne!!

So, the moved COSI is huge and wonderful - it's down by the river in what used to partly be Columbus' Central High School. If we lived anywhere nearby, we'd so have a membership. We cut out after lunch, because Casper was exhausted after two nights up to all hours chattering with her cousin, but the older kids stayed from 10:30am-4:30pm, and didn't run out of stuff to do. mr. flea rode a giant unicycle on a wire two floors above the entry. We didn't make it to Katzinger's, alas.

We frosted cookies and made my gingerbread house and I now feel more like part of MY Christmas has happened, finally. Much better than yesterday.

Much better than yesterday.

Boxing Day for the win.

I have home made scalloped potatoes gratin in the oven. Everything else is moot.

I have a lasagna in the oven, and I made it, so it should be good.

ION, Wii double dutch is hilarious whether played by 3 and 7 year old cousins or 41 and 44 year old siblings.