Wrap it up, wrap it in, let me begin....

Hello, my gorgeous and intelligent readers! How was your weekend? I hope you all got to relax and spend quality time with your loved ones.

I have an important announcement to make: I figured out how to redirect the new url so none of your links will change and you don't have to do a thing. Yay - you know how I value laziness in all forms! So sit back, do nothing, and enjoy.

Now back to my regularly-scheduled shtuff.

On Friday I went to Target and spent a small fortune on gifts, finally. I got some good stuff but still have a long ways to go before I'm close to being finished. I'm not gonna stress over it, though. What gets bought gets bought and what doesn't, doesn't. BAH, HUMBUG! ;)

Saturday was very, very cold and windy. We started the day with me cleaning and the boys playing superheroes, which is pretty standard Saturday AM fare. M has discovered D's old Spiderman costume, which is a bit ripped and tattered. My favorite part is the ripped mask, which allows for just the right amount of faux-hawk to pop out.

M decided to keep poor Jim up for most of the night on Friday, so I took the boys out to give Jim a chance to catch up on some sleep. I had a lab appointment at my doctor's office and had to bring the boys with me, which was hectic. Thank goodness they're very quick and efficient at the lab so I could get in and out without the boys tearing down a drape and taking out some viles of blood or something equally disastrous!

Quote of the morning: "It's okay, baby. Mommy doesn't mind a little prick."

I kept the boys out of the house for as long as I could, but eventually we returned home and we had a nice fire, then Jim erected (heh heh) an 8 ft. tall inflatable Santa Claus that my mom got for the boys. We had shied away from it because of its extremely high cheese quotient, but once it was up we all had to admit that it kind of rocks. It's lit up and you can practically see it from space. Our neighbors had all gone Clark W. Griswold on us and have twinkling lights, garlands, candles and all that jazz, so now we finally look like we celebrate the holiday too, however cheesily.

On Saturday night we were invited over to the home of some new friends for dinner. Jim had gone skiing with this guy one time last year and had a good time, and for some reason we just never ended up getting together even though he called us several times asking to do stuff. Just goes to show you that I am Julie the Cruise Director (without the coke problem) on our Love Boat; I plan all the excursions. When you leave it up to the men it takes a full year to coordinate a dinner party.

They're a very nice couple, they have a huge, gorgeous home that makes ours feel about as luxurious as a double-wide, and our kids are the same ages and got along well. Turns out the dad is a bit of a wine snob, and while I'm not snobby in the slightest I do love to drinka de wine, so we got along just fine. He is a collector so for every bottle he opened the price of admission was listening to him wax poetic about the origin of the grapes and whatnot for 5-10 minutes. We just nodded appreciatively and ooohed and aaahed when necessary. Hey, as long as somebody is gonna keep opening $80 bottles of red, I'm all ears.

Quote of the evening: "This wine is opening up now. Do you taste the notes of oak and hazelnut?"

Me: "Yeah, sure." [glug glug glug]

It was a love connection for Jim and the guy and for our kids, who had a ball. I can hang with the mom too; she's a nice chick, but I don't see us being tight friends or anything. She's got that patented "MOM" look down-pat. She's my age, sure, but... well, we're just not much alike. I really don't want to be mean, so I'll stop now and let you all close your eyes and envision the frumpy-ness on your own. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Get the picture? Yeah, I thought you would. You guys are smaht like that.

I don't care how long I live, I will never just give up and embrace the frump like that. I am young and hip and THAT IS THAT, damn it!



Luckily one of my many talents is an ability to befriend and have a good time with just about anyone (especially when wine is involved), and Jim really needs some closer male friends and he has a lot in common with this guy. They went snowshoeing together on Sunday, too. I think it's man-lurve. ;)

Sunday was nice and quiet, just as I like 'em. We went and got our Christmas tree in the morning and then the kids and I stayed home while Jim went off into the woods with his new BFF. We just sat around and watched Christmas specials and played, and the day went by in a blur of Legos and cookies and Rudolph. We had a simple dinner and shuffled the boys off to bath/book/bed, and not a moment too soon.

Quote of the evening: "Life is not just broccoli and corn, Danny."

Did anyone see last night's season finale of Dexter?! HOLY CRAP! I won't spoil it, but... HOLY CRAP! Mind-blowing, am I right?!

Ok, that's all I've got. It's actually more than I thought I had, but you know me - once I get chatting, it's hard to slow my roll. Have a nice Monday, everyone!