A handful of days that involve lots of bon bons.

Really, notsomuch. 

I had many days filled to the brim with much to do.  Let's see.

Tuesday: 
Worked all day, then came home, did homework with K- and made chocolate/chocolate chip bar cookies with her for the PTA cookie drive.  Our post office has an orphan Thanksgiving for all those living around here that have no family to spend the holiday with. 
Wednesday:
Did that thing called work all day.  Came home and started some prep for Thanksgiving.  Got rolls on the rise and baked two pumpkin pies.  They always take longer than I anticipate.  They never take the 45 - 50 minutes that they say.  Hubs and I watched the Biggest Loser update show while we smelled them baking.  Well, it was only me smelling them as Hubs' cold had reached the point that tasting and smelling no longer occurred. 
Thursday:
Got up at 7 AM to start the prep to get the turkey in the oven by 8 AM.  Turkey got in the oven by 8:15 AM.  As I prepped the turkey, I baked 3 1/2 dozen dinner rolls and a double pan of corn bread.  As the turkey cooked, I steamed potatoes (a few carrots, too) to mash, prepped the cornbread stuffing to bake, steamed some fresh green beans and got glazed carrots rolling along.  Hubs was feeling a bit under the weather, so he stayed home.  He didn't want to share his cold.  K- and I had lunch with my parents and dessert with Hubs' parents.  I got home, got my ads together and took a two hour nap.
Thursday evening:
Left at 11:15 PM to go get my sister for shopping.  Worth noting, it was 44 F when I left.
Friday:
We were at Walmart at 12:05 AM.  Their sale started at 12:01 AM.  All DS and Wii games were wiped out before I reached the cardboard carcass of a rack.  We scored some $4.00 jammies and my sister got some $5.00 fleece coats.  We stood in a long line to cash out, but everyone was kind.  No gun involved this time! A highlight this year was that my sister's partner decided to call her 7 different times.  I mean, he called to tell her that L- was crying.  He called back to have L- scream in the phone.  He called to ask when we were coming.  He called to ask where we were at.  He called to ask if we had left.  He called to have L- scream in the phone, again.  He called again and by that point I announced loudly, "IT'S THE 7TH CALL!"  We were in the store for about an hour.  My sister turned so that she could keep talking with him.  When we left, I drove her back home, watched a couple of episodes of Cake Boss (boy that guy is obnoxious!  I had never watched him and don't think that I could.) before going out on my own at 2:45 AM.  I hit Kohl's and stood in line for an hour.  I then drove to Target about a half hour away, fetched the items that my sister was going to buy but wasn't allowed to leave the house for.  I went to Joann Fabrics after that and scored myself a steamer iron presser thingy to use on K-'s uniforms, as well as some odds and ends that I cannot remember right this second.  I went from their to our local mall to hit Big Lots.  They had nothing left of the Zhu Zhu pets that they had advertised on sale.  After all, I was there 1/2 hour after they opened.  Who could expect anything to be left?  I decided to slide on over to that Target to use the $10.00 gift card that I earned at the previous Target for spending over $100.00.  I figured that I bought things for two people, combined them to make the $100.00 and since I stood in line, it was a reward for me.  I used that card to buy K- a robe that I'll use as gift wrap for her birthday gifts.  I hopped on over to Toys R Us, found absolutely nothing and drove on to Lowe's in a completely different section of town so that I could get Hubs the light spikes that he was longing for.  I, being a good wife, decided to give him a call to let him know I was there.  He then needed another extension cord.  Then he needed two additional sets of lights.  Then he needed a drill.  A new drill.  A drill that was on sale for "Only $99.00, but it was originally $199.!"  Reluctantly, I picked it up for him, knowing that we have a couple of other drills at home.  I scored a poinsettia for me, a set of tools for me to gift to K- and I was out of there.  Since I was so close and I was still riding high on an additional 15% discount from Kohl's, I went on an undergarment replacement mission.  I caught sight of the fact that they were on sale when I was in the never ending line at the previous Kohl's, but without my sister, I couldn't abandon my post with my belongings and expect people to save my place.  Besides, I didn't want to explain to a stranger that I had an undergarment let go earlier the previous week and I really needed to replace it, especially in light that they were 50% off and I had an additional discount.  After scoring at Kohl's -- again-- I had to stop by Joann's to return the tool box that I now didn't need since the tool set I bought K- conveniently comes with a tool bag and apron.  I called my sister, told her that she owed me $50.00 more for more presents that I scored for her and that I was dropping her things off.  She was thrilled.  She kept saying, "You saved me $55.00!"   She also promised to have my nephew weaned before next year.  I made my way home and none too soon.  I was starting to fall asleep on the way there.  It was 9:30 AM, I had been out since 11:15 PM and a cold front came in as I was out and about.  By the time I reached home, it was light out and a crisp 27 degrees.  Hubs and K- understood my collapsing in bed exhausted.  I laid down at 10 AM with the intention of sleeping just an hour and woke up three hours later.  Hubs and K- had put the tree up, so it was my task to start the decorating.  I was still so tired and spent that I started it, but the task had to roll on over to Saturday.
Saturday:
Stayed home all day and decorated the tree with K-.  Yes, it was an all day affair. My tree?  Some branches have 3-4 ornaments per.  It is a study in engineering.  Can I really get that much stuff to go on that amount of fake greens?  It takes a bit of work.  I think that we watched Girl with a Pearl Earring, Year Without Santa Claus, Santa Claus is Coming To Town, The Toy that Saved Christmas,The Star of Christmas and one of the Home Alones that involved a kid that was not MC.  Every now and then, I must walk away for a few to uncross my eyes.  By 10 PM, I put the finishing touches on.  Part of the time it takes rolls into a walk down memory lane.  It always takes a while.
Sunday:
Went to Bass Pro Shops.  We had a drive ahead of us, but we got there by 10:30 AM.  Hubs took K- to enjoy their Winter Wonderland as I did some much needed shopping for him for Christmas.  K- enjoyed the activities, she took an absolutely awesome picture with Santa, made a "Bobber Santer," had lunch and before we left, we got some ice cream.  I had pumpkin with bits of graham crackers and pumpkin.  Oh, it was lovely!

A funny thing to note:  I noticed that they had gift wrapping tables set up with paper, scissors and tape.  "Oh!  You have gift wrapping!"  The cashier apologized that their gift wrappers weren't there.  "Would it be okay for me to wrap the gifts that I purchased here today?"  "Oh, sure!  It's not a problem.  Just have your receipt with you."  So K- and I went out, fetched my gifts and went back in.  I hurried up and wrapped them, got ready to go and the blasted alarm went off.  The guard lady stopped me and said, "Well, since your packages set the alarm off and we DON'T have gift wrappers on duty today, I'll just have to unwrap all your packages."  "Are you serious?"  "Well, I have to see what is going off."  "I have receipts for all I purchased.  I have four things.  I have four things on the receipts.  I swear I didn't steal anything."  Someone else went through, set the alarm off with the motorized cart and she let us go.  We dropped the things off in the car, then went to track something down for K- to buy for Hubs.  She found her thing, we picked up pictures that we had developed, went to the counter, paid for all and quickly wrapped up her item.  The guard lady came through and said, "Well, let me check and make sure that it doesn't set anything off.  Make sure that you hide the scissors because we really aren't encouraging people to wrap their gifts."  "I'm so sorry.  The cashier told me it was fine!"  For the love that is all good and right with the world.

When I reported being stopped by the guard at the door, I was teasing when I told Hubs that, "They were gentle, though."  I was so kidding and he seriously thought I really had been patted down and searched! 

Today we brought The Elf on the Shelf home with us.  His name is Buddy.  He has brown hair, blue eyes and he is currently resting with the Christmas books awaiting his child to find him in the morning.  K- read the book to us tonight and totally got into the whole thing.  Let's see how it works.

In the last few days, we've managed to get our whole house decorated and Hubs even gave me beautiful woodwork around both kitchen windows as a holiday bonus.  Go Hubs!

I have some turkey that I need to freeze, so I'm going to scadoodle here.  Besides, there is a half gallon of caramel cone ice cream calling my name.

Smiles in my week off:
-  Listed above. 

Have a great day!