Low Down on my (shopping) week

Wow, has it really been so long? You must have missed me! Here's a low down (the facts) on what's happened the last week.
Thanksgiving:
My sister and I were up at our regular time (hers being the crack of dawn with that baby, so she had to wait around for me to get up). Anyhow to make a long-(winded) story short, yes we had turkey (it was fresh), we cooked it in an oven bag, so it was done much faster than "the other way", M slaved away at making flaky layer rolls (wow, that was complicated). I slaved away at the pecan pie and bourbon whipped cream (my obsessive-compulsive version in which every pecan is lined up in ring patterns). The other foods weren't quite so complicated (green beans, 5 cup ambrosia salad, roasted red potatoes, stuffing (Stove-Top with embellishments-yes I know, the sodium!), an already prepared Costco baked yam dish and pumpkin pies. Perhaps I'm forgetting something, I'm not sure, but you get the gist. It was yummy, and yes there are still leftovers (which need to be thrown out at this point). I just haven't gotten around to it. Busy shopping.


Black Friday:
No shopping! We did drive by and get a glimpse of the crowded malls on the way to Seaworld. Thank God we weren't there! One of the security guards at Seaworld told us a Walmart security guard in NY was killed by a stampede of frenzied bargain shoppers. They looked pretty spooked. I was stunned. What more reason for us to stay away from the stores on Black Friday?


Jus chillin' wit my homies

The Christmas tree at Seaworld. V says we should have used this one for our Christmas card. (He didn't see it till today)

Yes, indeed, it snows at Seaworld every December
Saturday:
N sick. Threw up first thing in the morning. Refused to stay home with dad while I took his aunt and cousins to the airport. Instead, threw up in bucket in car. Could barely walk in to the airport by the time we got there, so we had to leave them at the door.
Sunday:
N better (activity restricted). Today I decided to do a "little" shopping. When I returned home we decided to go out with a tripod and camera taking pictures at a local park for the Christmas cards. But the sun set so fast, we had very little time. Returned home to decorate the house and trees. This year each child has a tiny-tree they decorated themselves in their rooms. V put up most of the lights. We need a taller ladder! Online research/shopping into the wee hours.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday:
Painted the girls' bathroom yellow. That was quite a bit of work! All those nooks and crannies. You never would have thought! Cyber-Monday traveled to Toys R Us, Linens and Things, Gap, and so forth for shopping. It was a lot less crowded than Black Friday. (Hey, aren't I doing things backwards?) N received an award at school on Tuesday for math. I missed bible study (Christmas party this time) again, instead attending the awards assembly with my camera and my hugs. Well, I wouldn't miss it for the world! See my post below about the math award. Tuesday afternoon squeezed myself into a (canceled) orthopedic surgery appointment. Wednesday morning, while A was at school, I took a little Christmas shopping trip to Costco. Then online research/shopping into the wee hours. Can you see why I haven't had time to blog?
Thursday:
We had to drive to school this morning because N forced us home with an "emergency" bowel movement after we had already walked several blocks to school. So, since I had some extra time before A's dance practice, I made a quick trip to Target for a little in-store shopping. (I'm starting to notice a pattern here, are you?) A received her dance costume this morning and had pro-photos taken this afternoon. She sure can scream! (Combative too). I had to wake her up from her nap to "curl" her hair and get her ready for photos in 20 minutes. I'm sure everyone else did it in an hour. Well, at least the pictures turned out good.
More shopping online (oh my, these kids are going to be spoiled), and now...a neck massage?