Shopping, Planning, in Empty Nester Style

I just have a few minutes before I am off to finish stimulating the economy with Christmas presents for family, friends and charities.  The last day of shopping always seems so strange to me.......how many gifts is too many?  If Billy gets 4 presents, must Susie get the same?  Or should you spend the exact amount on each person?  I hate thinking about these things.  I prefer impulse buying which can sometimes lead to an inequality of gift allocations.  Shame!

I am definitely stopping by Trader Joe's on the way home. They better have those sea salt chocolate caramels or I might just have a personal meltdown right there in the middle of their recycled floor.  I wrote a poem about these delicious morsels a few years back......yes, they are that good!  

I have become quite an efficient little empty nester when it comes to planning and preparing for the return of my household, even if it's just for a few days.  Most meals are planned, the house is ready and screw the Christmas cards for now; I'd rather get a picture of all the kids home for a picture and maybe send out cards later.  I know the time when everyone is here will fly by at record speed, so I am already prepared for the letdown when they leave.  I have scheduled an afternoon at the spa.  Truth is, I miss the flurry of activity that exists when children live with you.  The most I can get out of Bill these days is a 'harrumph' and Wrigley is only excited when his dog food comes out or just before we go on our daily walks on the golf course.  I am perhaps the most boring and blah one in the bunch, too.  But that is going to change after the new year.

The Arizona sky is clouding up with a 10% chance of rain tomorrow, not exactly a winter wonderland, but it'll just have to do.  At least it looks a little more like Christmas everywhere I look!