The tree is starting to look sad and droopy. I’m getting to the point where I don’t want to take it down, but I also don’t want it to still be up. Sigh. I’m thinking we’ll leave it up till New Year’s Day.
Today was my first day off since Christmas, and I took the opportunity to return a bunch of items. My husband gave me a sweater from Old Navy that I liked… I mean it was nice and soft and it fit well. But it was brown, and I don’t usually wear brown.
I tried it on and asked my son if the color suited me (I can count on him for an honest opinion.) He stared at me for a few moments and said “I don’t know- this is perplexing!” What? Then I’m returning it! No, no, he said- it could be a fashion challenge for you. “We just have to find you the right shirt to wear under it, and some jeans…” OH FOR GOD’S SAKE! I’m not up for a “fashion challenge’ right now, so I exchanged it for the same sweater in light blue.
I also had to go to the mall to return things to Victoria’s Secret, and Bath and Body Works. Guess who else went to the mall today? EVERYONE. When I got there, I saw such a large throng of people heading to the entrance I looked around for the bus- I thought surely a bus had just discharged a load of people. Nope! They were all just arriving at the mall like I was.
After some long lines (I practiced being mindful and having gratitude) I finished my returns and went to the Container Store to replenish our supply of wrapping paper, ribbons, and tags:
Then, home where I baked a cake! I mean, obviously- doesn’t everyone make a birthday cake on December 29th?
It’s my daughter’s 16th birthday! She’s having a sleepover with two of her friends, and requested a “cookies and cream” cake. I just make a vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream, and throw chopped up Oreos into the frosting. It works.
All we have to do is get through the birthday, and then it’s New Year’s Eve! My husband will be working, as always, so it will be me and my son at home, and possibly my daughter as well. If it were up to me I would spend the entire evening finishing my book (The Wedding People- it’s so good!) but we’ll probably make some festive food and watch something. It will be a low-key evening though!
What are your plans for New Year’s Eve? What would you do if you could spend the evening any way you liked?
26 Responses
Happy Sweet Sixteen to your teen, Jenny!
I like the blue sweater… and I was looking forward to the cookies-and-cream cake! Where is the cake, woman?
My teen is having a few friends over for NYE, and A is off for once, so we’re actually going out this year, BUT WE HAVEN’T TOLD THE TEEN WE WON’T BE HOME… yet.
Ha ha! If it were my teen, she would much rather have us be out. And, photo of the cake coming up tomorrow!
Happy Sweet 16 to Angie! I hope she has a wonderful day. But dang – both of your kids have December birthdays! That is NOT FAIR!! I can see why you celebrated their half birthdays! That is a big month of December. I have one December birthday and feel like it makes Christmas shopping so hard. It will be easier when Will is older and his interests expand to things because toys made from plastic… Right now I want to block all gifts from coming into our house since a lot of it is plastic sadly… I know, I’m no fun.
We are decidedly not “NYE people.” I feel like it’s the most over-hyped holiday. So it will be a pretty typical day for us. Paul doesn’t have childcare so he’ll be home with me and I”ll work a half day since the market closes at 1. Phil got a bottle of champagne so we’ll pop that open after the kids are in bed. Then dry January starts which I am ready for as there have been too many glasses of wine consumed in December!!
Yeah, i probably won’t drink at all for New Year’s! I have a long run scheduled for New Year’s Day so I don’t been any alcohol.
Two December birthdays are a nightmare. Angie’s is especially challenging. I’m glad she has friends over- that makes the day a little more special.
I’m going to be driving to Michigan on NYE and staying the night by myself in a hotel. Do you dare to live it up like I do. *eyeroll*
If I could spend the evening any way I wanted to, I would watch old episodes of Taskmaster with my husband and the cat on my lap. My husband would make tea for us. And then we would go to bed by 10pm with no alarm set for the morning. That is NOT going to happen, but just typing it out made me so very happy, so thanks for this little mental break for the day.
Aw, your ideal NYE sounds so sweet! Tea! And bed by 10 pm. I wish that were going to happen for you- maybe you can do a HYE “makeup” when you get back from Michigan.
We are not NYE people at all, but this year we are going to have company. We’re ordering in pizza, my husband is making dessert, and they’re bringing a salad. It’s a family we don’t know super well, but our daughters are really good friends. Having dinner together seems like a great way to get to know them a lot better.
Being in bed long before midnight is always my preference.
I can’t decide when I’ll take down my tree. Part of me is itching to do it right away, but I really love the glow in the morning. Decisions, decisions. And it’s a lot easier to decide this year since we have an artificial tree and could literally leave it up the whole year. That’s obviously NOT going to happen, but maybe mid-January?
I think having an artificial tree makes it HARDER to decide! Our tree is starting to look so scrappy, I feel like it needs to come down soon.
Your NYE sounds fun, but it’s giving me a little anxiety, the thought of hosting dinner for people you don’t know that well. But- I’m sure it will be fun, and you’ll get to know them a lot better. Have fun!
I agree. Blue is a better color for you.
I am so happy to have gotten almost zero gifts… just gifts cards to a restaurant – that’s what we are doing on NYE.
I’d love to hang out with friends and laugh and play games… too hard to arrange and everyone has their own plans… When we were younger, we actually dressed up and went out with friends and danced until midnight…
I was definitely at plenty of NYE parties past midnight in my youth. Not anymore! I just remembered you texted me today about February… I’ll get back to you and we’ll figure everything out. I’m planning to do the race but haven’t registered yet.
I did register but that doesn’t mean it’s definite. I paid to defer so whether or not I run it it doesn’t cost anything.
Wow! Sixteen! That is a big milestone birthday! Congratulation to you and your daughter! I still have not stepped foot in a retail establishment of any kind, but I need to go to Costco today or tomorrow so I need to get ready. I’m not looking forward to it.
Can I ask what your husband will be doing over the break? I thought he works in education. Does he not get these weeks off?
I’m sorry about your tree. You really might want to think about an artificial tree. They never start drooping! I’m still taking mine down today, because all I see when I look at it is a giant chore to be done with.
YES! That’s exactly how I feel about our tree- it’s a huge chore just waiting for me.
My husband does work in education- he’s a band director. But he’s also a trumpet player. He was a professional musician when we met, and he still plays professionally in addition to teaching. He always has a New Year’s Eve gig.
Happy sweet 16 to my birthday buddy, your daughter. It is a lot to have a b-day in the middle of EVERYTHING. Tomorrow is NYE. Busy busy. I laughed, half expecting to see that you’d bumped into someone you knew at the mall – but then got to the ‘everyone’ punch line. Ha. I did some returns, exchanges, etc. on the 26th nd 27th because Curly’s b-ball tournament was right next to the mall which is sort of a hike from home. I didn’t think the crowds were too bad, until Tank had to exchange a pair of pants at Lulu. Heaven above. What on earth? Mob scene. But they did have about 10 checkers working so the line moved fast.
We used to have NYE plans, but with teens and college kids, we typically hang at home and double check that everyone has a ride, gets home, etc. Not that much fun, but I don’t really mind going to bed at a decent time.
If I had an evening to myself, I’d write until my offspring found a movie (this is an hour or so long process, so plenty of time to write something while they duke it out) and then I’d watch a movie with them. Hope your daughter has a great b-day. Happy New Year!
Thank you Ernie! I hope your birthday was great as well. I hope you have a relaxing New Year and everyone in your family makes it home safe and sound.
Awwww! Sixteen! What a milestone! Happy birthday to Angie and congratulations to you Jenny on sixteen years of being her mom!
Your NYE plans sound spot on. I would also like to read and/or watch something with my family. Probably it will end up being the second and third in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, ugh.
That would not be my first choice of movie! We haven’t decided what we’re watching yet, and I still have dreams of just reading on the couch. I guess that’s kind of anti-social though.
You know that Jimmy Buffett song “Why Don’t We Get Drunk (and screw)?” That’s my NYE plan! It’s just my husband and I (and Rex, but you know, he has a crate) in the house until Jan 2 as the boys are visiting friends. Huge empty nest holiday upside? SEX ANYWHERE. I mean, not totally because I do live next door to my MIL and she does have a tendency to come a-knocking. If the house is rocking…
Did I just give you more info than you needed? Probably! But hey, I just wrote about Santa and his peppermint scented boner, so anything goes now.
Oh wait, I never did give the “peppermint scent” detail. Well, now you know.
I’m just imagining anyone who doesn’t know me reading this comment and thinking “who is this Nicole and why is she here?”
So anyway. Happy birthday to your daughter! I don’t know any good segue from my sexytime comment to wishing your teen a happy birthday but here we are.
Oh! I know what I was going to say. The blue is great but I bet you could rock a brown too! Brown sweater with some nice jeans and boots? It’s a great look! Brown isn’t a colour I wear either but I can get behind it.
Ha ha Nicole, yes people may be wondering about you! Well, they’ll just have to scoot on over to your blog to see waht this is all about. Have a, ahem, great New Year’s Eve!
That sounds like a lovely low key NYE (both the social and reading options)! We have friends (a family with 3 young kids) about to arrive today (NYE) for 3 nights, and if the weather holds we will probably head to a beachside New Years festival with kids fireworks at 9.30. To be totally honest I would rather be reading myself, but I’m not our friends would be into that haha. So I’ll remind myself that my “remembering self” will appreciate making the effort to go out.
AH! I like that- “remembering self.” There’s really not much to remember about sitting on the couch all evening reading is there?
Your plans sound really fun, especially for the kids. But that’s what being a parent is all about- kids are happy, you’re happy.
Yay for The Wedding People! I could not put it down.
Um yes if the first words said are “perplexing” you know it’s getting returned!
We usually stay home on NYE but this year we got invited to one of the Hubs’s friends parties. Lots of people that I like who I don’t see very often, so I’m excited. Hubs asked if we could bring anything and they said desserts so yay, I get to bake tonight and tomorrow!!! Yes I’m excited about that.
That sounds fun! I’m also doing some baking tomorrow- we always make “clock” cookies for NYE. Your plans sound fun- but I’m still happy I’m staying home.
A cookies and cream cake sounds really good!
I’m planning a trail run in the morning on New Years Eve and then staying home with my parents and the dogs and probably playing games and watching the CNN New Years coverage. My mom is also making me a vegan mushroom scampi which I’m excited about! I’m likely taking a rest day on New Years Day because I never feel great staying up past midnight so hopefully NYD will just be chill.
Happy birthday to your daughter! A birthday between Christmas and New Year’s… oof. I hope she had a good day!
I am planning on going to my friend’s house to celebrate NYE! I contemplated staying home but decided to be fun, haha. It’ll be a low-key event, so I’m debating if I want to show up in my pajamas.
Happy Sweet 16 to your daughter!
My birthday is December 9th and my sister’s is the 29th – I’ve always felt bad for my mom in having to deal with that.