The presents have all been distributed and unwrapped, the bags of paper garbage are in the dumpster, the presents I got are being incorporated into my house.  What did I get?  Well, I got a pink plaid flannel shirt with a zipper and a turtleneck to go with it, I got a solar light to attach to my porch, I got a 30-pair shoebag to put all my shoes in, a couple of books (yes, more books), a garlic jar (I still think the plastic baggie in the crisper drawer works well), a pedometer (I can stop counting steps now?), a small pair of binoculars, 2 movies, a 3/4 length winter coat, a tiny silver hookah(!? tree decoration?), a wedge of Italian Asiago cheese, a six-pack of New Glarus beer called Spotted Cow, a candy cane, a Spongebob Squarepants folder, an Orlando Bloom calendar, a meat/breadcrumb grinder (still to come), a wire basket and suet for the birds,  and I bought and kept two birdhouses for my chickadees and nuthatches.  Oh, and my dogs got a package of dog treats.

To my son-in-law, I gave a rolling office chair with arms; to my daughter, a set of Corelle dinnerware, a lamp and shade, 2 sweaters and a jacket; to my son, 50% of a guitar, an antique ukelele, a cordless drill and case with all the doodads, the movie Motorcycle Diaries, a pair of gloves, and 2 emergency space blankets; to my grandson, an Esteban guitar and case, with instructional video and 2 picks, a wallet and a hand-held video game.  To my son's girlfriend, I gave two baskets, 2 pairs of little stretchy gloves in black, a golden charm bracelet, a picture frame and a book about sewing lingerie.  To her son, I gave a dual cereal dispenser and the book, Aesop's Fables. 

My son-in-law did the cooking, and he made dinner of marinated Italian steaks, Tater Tots, salad with dressing, biscuits, and I brought 4 dozen cookies, 2 loaves of cranberry bread, a bowl of cranberry sauce, and a cherry cream cheese pie.  I had a couple of glasses of Asti Spumante wine. 

I hope everyone had a merry christmas and will have a happy new year.  I think I mentioned that I signed up for Blog Harbor, but haven't done anything about improving this site yet.  The future looks good for that, and my novel IS heading towards completion.  I am making a pot of chili and scrambling around to clean up the house for company coming at noon today.

There have been a number of deaths in the family and among friends, so this holiday season was saddened by their loss.  We are thankful for those that are with us still, and I got to see my grandson, who is here visiting since Thanksgiving.  Hadn't seen him for several years and he is 18 now, has just landed a job at Walmart!