I can't believe it's over!

Well Christmas has now come and gone- Boo Hoo! I am fighting off the after-christmas-blues. I love the holidays- from about Halloween until New Years there is always lots going on- lots of fun, lots of family events and just great chances for memories. This has been the case again this year and as I only have New Years left I am feeling a bit glum.

But a quick look back,...

Christmas was wonderful! The kids were soo happy with all the gifts they received. Visiting with both sides of our families was fun. And, to keep you in the loop- we did NOT do the Christmas scavenger hunt for gifts (as mentioned in a previous post). I had quickly mentioned it to my son who thought it was not a good idea- he wanted all of his gifts right there under the tree for him to open on Christmas- not all over the house. SO we will save the scavenger hunt, as our regular Easter basket routine.

We have soo much food left here from hosting Christmas this year. Our Waistlines are not doing well. (More on this in a minute)

I have done my After Christmas Shopping- which turned out to be much smaller than I expected. Not because the deals weren't there- but I just didn't need as much stuff. I did run to Target (with my SIL) right before it closed- which kept us moving and not lolli-gagging and picking up to much stuff- as they kept announcing how many minutes until they closed. Here's what I bought:

4 rolls of wrap(50%off)- Total: $8
3 packages of white tisssue paper (50% off $.49/ea.) = $.99
1 pack of reen/red tissue paper (50% off $.99) =$.99
2 packs of sticker-style To/From Tags (50% off $.74/ea)= $1.49
1 box of 12 ball-ornaments (50% off)= $3.99
1 package of White garland (50% off)= $1.99
10 twin-packs of Xmas Playdough (so cute in tree and snowman containers)= $9.90
2 boxes of 50 mini-candycanes(50% off $.49/ea.)= $1.99
2 Coca-Cola Lip Gloss & Lip balm sets (50%off )= $4.99
(While I was there I also picked up 2 bottles of soda and bought a water bottle- which have nothing to do with the after Christmas sales- but in the notion of Full Disclosure)

My Total was :$40.23
I used a $25 gift card I received for Xmas and only paid $15.23 out of pocket!!

I am total stocked for next year!! And a few extras- Like the 2 lip gloss sets for the girls for Valentine gifts and the 20 play-dohs will go in the 20 celephane bags my sister picked up for me at her Target along with 2 mini candy canes feach from my 2 boxes I bought -- these will be my gift bags for my students next year!!

What I didn't buy: no cooking mixes or sprinkles or candy-- why? well I aksed for muffin tins for xmas and my sister brought them for me and packed it with 4 boxes of cake mix and 4 tubs of icing-- so I didn't really need any, and as for the candy- althougth we like it- it brings me back to our waistlines.... more on that tomorrow!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you a Joyous New Year!!