Lordy, lordy!! Better you than me :-) The Christmas shopping rush - and especially the last minute rush - is more than I can take!! In fact, I avoid all the stores except the grocery store from Thanksgiving until after New Year's. Can't handle the crowds nor attitudes, which tend to be on the poor end. Maybe that comes from working retail previously over the holidays..........that was bad enough and I got paid for it!!!

I'm trying to frame this print of a buffalo. The print was rolled up in a shipping tube. I need it to lay flat. Foam board and spray glue. Hobby Lobby was a mad house! So then I stopped in the grocery store AND Home Depot.....not nearly as bad.

That’s too funny! I had to go to Target today as well. I did the order online thing so I could just pick up my stuff. I got there right before they opened. It was just me and a man standing there waiting for the doors to open and he made a comment about the mad dash to shop. I’m done I said, just picking up an order of some last minute stuff, he laughed and said he hadn’t bought a thing yet. I don’t think he had much luck, the store was pretty picked over; lots of empty shelves.

We are having more people than expected tomorrow, so I had to run to the grocery store for extra provisions. The roads were packed and so was the store, looks like everyone else had last minute grocery needs as well.

Also stopped by Lowe's to pick up another poinsettia and some greens for table deco, they were completely out! The cashier lady told me it's because they put Christmas plants on discount sale just after Thanksgiving. If I bought them that early they'd be looking sad by now.

I was out of SALT! And needed 2 tsp of creole seasonings. So I called my friend, and asked if I could have some. And asked a question about adding andouille sausage to my shrimp and grits casserole.. He's from Louisiana and a great cajun cook.

Said he'd be right over.

In the door he walks after he had gone to Winn Dixie and bought everything. Of course, I reinbursed him.

Now my cooking is all done except for cutting the fudge.

Thanks to my friend for making my day and my NOT having to go back to the store.

I am just about to get dressed to go to DD's for her Christmas Eve dinner. I have been in my robe all day. DS helped me wrap my presents (his standard of gift wrapping and mine do NOT coincide but he was doing me a BIG favor so I just put the bows on these awkwardly wrapped packages and accepted it!. I've been in my robe, doing a bit of napping after my VERY busy past week and last night's dinner at my house, and listened to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas concert on my public radio station. I had no idea that they give this to all PBS stations royalty free! It's their Christmas gift to the nation. A very lovely one, too.

Not going near a store until I have to go to the grocery!

I refuse to go out today....I sent Mike. Lol. I only needed a case of Coke and maraschino cherries.

I went to the neighborhood Walmart yesterday and early, too.....9:00 a.m......that's early for me. :-))) I was pretty surprised to see it as crowded as it was, though not too bad. Just thought it was more crowded than I expected given the time. Then went to Trader Joe's and the check-out girl said she thought it was pretty busy given the hour. I can't imagine what it was like when I got home. I found everyone super friendly and in good moods. It was a very pleasant experience.

I went to the wal mart supercenter early this morning. It wasn't as packed as I expected it to be,but it was still pretty crowded. I also found the people working there to be more than usually friendly and happy. I had to get a last minute gift for SO, and a few essential (and some non essential but desired) groceries. I usually use self checkout, but as I bought SO something with one of those locked alarm things on it,it had to go through a regular check out line. Surprisingly, I got through very quickly. I spent more than I wanted,but i do that every time I walk in a store. And I forgot laundry detergent. :/

I was there for about an hour, someone's kid was screaming the whole time. And I felt like they were following me, as I couldn't escape the screeching.....

I went to Target and TJ Maxx yesterday and they were NUTS! It took forever to get out of there! But there was no screeching......so it's hard to decide which was worse....

I own a retail store; the weekend in general has been incredibly busy, but also incredibly pleasant! Happy people, fun gifts. It probably helps that as busy as we can get we’re small enough that’s there isn’t really any waiting in line, I put out snacks and candy and feed people while I wrap their packages for them.

My favorite thing today was all the men out with their children; I love that the kids are involved with shopping for Mom, love that Mom is hopefully getting a bit of a break, love seeing how excited they are for tomorrow.

Aviastar, My DH would take the kids shopping for me every year. They loved it. He gave them each $20 and said they could pick out gifts for me. Well, the 3 boys would get me a $1 or 2 item and spend the rest on themselves! Not my DD tho. I didn’t care, it gave me some well deserved alone time!

Our gifts are all under the tree but the daughters wanted to hit the antique stores. We attempted two, both closed. So much for internet accuracy!!

Well you're just weird Kathy! LOL I avoid malls at all costs on any given day. I need new runners and I should get some kind of boots. I dread every single minute of it.

My last shopping trip was to our small local market. Christmas Eve I didn’t go to any store. Parking is often a problem in my area when stores are crowded. Our mall is the worst for crowds. Some malls may be dying, but not ours.

This morning Mr. Coffee is barely working, so I went to the garage to get vinegar, while I was there I saw something pink, dead looking in the garage. I tried to pick it up, thinking it was a leaf, but no. I came back in to wash my hand, and no hot water. Oh my goodness, and it’s only 6:30 AM. Glad I’m not having a group over for dinner! We’ll manage just fine.

Best wishes to everyone for happy, pleasant day.

Friend of mine sent me a text, asking if I wanted to go to a movie... heck yeah, I wanted/needed to get out, after having been sick.

We saw the movie, and both went to our respective homes, glad we don't do Christmas gift giving, and didn't need to go to the grocery store.

Moni (who is feeling sooo much better, but still coughing)

Sock it to us, socks, ... please!

What was that pink looking, possibly almost dead thing in the garage that you nearly went to pick up??

And figured that you needed to wash your hands ... but there was no hot water!

Well ... you can expect to get into hot water from us if you don't clear up the mystery surrounding the "pink thing" ... that might be at/(well - near, death's door.

..... Yeah, I know - " ..... stay tuned four next week's thrilling episode!" (O.K. - wrong "for" - I'm still in training to use this phone).

ole joyful

Moni - what was the movie?

Honestly it looked like some animal entrails. Rats have broken into the garage, so could have something to do with that. Water heater working now, DH fixed with electric box switch. All is well, and I hope you are having a good day too, Joyful.

I went out around 3pm yesterday to get the cranberries that I had forgotten. Traffic was extraordinarily light, but still ran into a couple of "honkers" who felt that I wasn't going fast enough (and I was traveling over the posted speed limits, too!).

Ended up visiting 4 different stores; Meijer had a table out with free bottles of water, candy and mini cupcakes to refresh their last minute shoppers! Only one of the 4 seemed particularly busy. None of them had cranberries! So I am contriving a lemon walnut pie instead. Or maybe mincemeat walnut. Or maybe lemon mincemeat walnut LOL!

My Christmas Eve guilty pleasure was having a small glass of single malt scotch on the rocks. Been a long time since I had one of those. Dinner was at DD’s house.

the movie was welcome to Marwen. A movie where you really had to think. It also opened my eyes to some past stuff in my family. Not really entertaining, but I think, worthwhile.