Christmas gifts (and then some)

Hi there.

This week has been hectic.

I have been frantically trying to finish my Christmas shopping and I will have everything done (with the exception of my MILs gift, which I have NO idea what to get her...) by tomorrow. I have found a bunch of stuff for Fuss and it's mostly little stuff, but I think she'll like it. Her favorite stuff these days are balls and books and I got her a bunch of new books (also this is a bit of a selfish gift, I admit. I have so many of her books memorized and I need some new material) along w/ new PJs, an outfit, playdough, crayons and coloring books, and a doll. I'm really happy to have a bunch of things under the tree for her this year - since she was so young last year and we had no money, we went really cheap and let the relatives spoil her.

I got a bunch of stuff for Daddy Fuss, but since he periodically reads the blog, I'm not going to write it here. (Confidential to my husband: Ha ha, ho ho, I know something you don't know.) But I'm pretty sure he will be pleased and also maybe pleasantly surprised.

I'm picking up the things for my mom and step-dad today and I got my dad a cool tool (he loves tools) and my psuedo-step-mom a bottle of wine that is better than my Dad's usual cheap stuff, but still at least of the proper description (red, very sweet). Tomorrow, I'm picking up the Christmas cards and pictures (along w/ diapers, since I'm getting them from Sam's and that's the place I get her diapers). I bought this cute little bowl to fill w/ the spiced nuts I usually make (my mom's recipe - they are excellent) for my friend Jo, but I haven't gotten around to actually making the nuts, so I'm really hoping to get that done on Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed.

So my Christmas cards will be a little last-minute, but I think it will all work out in the end.

I would be stress-free if my house wasn't STILL a disaster.

I can't seem to get my kitchen clean. I spend time working on it, but then I run out of time and by the time I get back to it, it's back to it's disaster state again. And did I mention that Fuss emptied an entire salt shaker on my bathroom floor the other day? It's still a little gritty, despite vacuuming, swiffering, rag-cleaning, etc. Will have to do something more about that, as well.

I did, however, get almost all the laundry done (including folded and put away - still have a little to do, but I am very impressed with myself about this) and finished cleaning almost all of the big pots and such in the kitchen.

Have I mentioned my husband's foray into wine-making? My step-dad started making his own wine in college and my husband and my sister both asked him to teach them how to do it. They had their first wine class over Thanksgiving break and my husband got very excited and began his wine making. We have 2 1-gallon jugs of wine-in-the-making on my kitchen counter (we have GOT to find a better place to store them!) and since there isn't that much space to begin with... that's part of my kitchen is such a disaster.