Tina from Carrots N Cake is hosting a blog bake sale (today only) to go towards the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through Team in Training. My peppermint mocha fudge is up for bid there. So, put in an offer! Making fudge makes me feel better. 😉 CLICK FOR THE BAKE SALE!

Blogger Holiday Gift Exchange Info & Reminders: I sent out emails with the information on who you will be buying for yesterday afternoon. Please let me know if you did not receive one! A few reminders -

• $20 spending limit before shipping, but anything in a $10-20 range is fine
• Ship your packages before Dec 20th so people should definitely receive them before the end of the year and closer to the holiday celebrations
• It’s Secret-Santa style so try not to tell who you are buying for. Let her be surprised! It’s not a huge deal, but “Secret Santa” is what I had in mind. DO include a card or note letting your recipient know who you are with the gift. 🙂
• Please let me know when you receive your package, so I can keep track. And share a link if you post about it for a gift exchange round up I plan on doing. 🙂

Look for a regular post around noon – well, regular for another emotional post. I just wanted to be sure to get this info out there as soon as possible. 🙂

It feels like we went through all the life stages on Saturday. We started with the pregnancy/newborn stage during our tour of the fabulous hospital. I still can’t get over how NICE it is!

After the tour, we entered the childhood years. Our little town had a Christmas parade down one of the main streets. We had the chance to act like kids again with little M.

This year blew last year’s parade out of the water. There were so many floats! From snowmen to the Grinch to Santa to holiday angels to birthday cakes for Jesus. I like seeing that. It always makes me smile when a little reminder pops up.

Makenzie started off pretty tired since she had to miss her nap for the parade…

…but she quickly got into it when she saw people passing out lollipops and Chick Fil A cows riding by. The kid loves dressed up characters. I hope that bodes well for when Santa visits her kiddie holiday party in a couple weeks.

All in all we had a great time. I sometimes think I have more fun than her!

We decided to grow up a bit for Saturday night. We had a special party to attend – our friend’s surprise 40th birthday party!

His birthday is not until the very end of the year, so he had no clue. I loved the shock on his face! And his reaction was priceless. I know I would have felt the same way seeing a group of loved ones all in one place. But I’ll share a nicer picture of him with some of the ladies instead. 😉

Over the course of the evening I had so much fun sipping my water while eyeing my friend Cory’s famous sangria. Have I mentioned I miss wine? Oh, yea. I have. I did get to munch on a few snacks…

…plus more fruit and some cake. I wish my friend Angie and I had gotten a picture of the cake’s aftereffects. Black icing = attractive teeth. And without a doubt, I spent a large chunk of the night laughing and chatting. It never fails that a gathering with our group of friends makes for a fabulous night. Even when I have to check out early at 10 with some body aches. I had fun though and that’s all that matters.

• How was your weekend? Any nice acts for others in the mix?
• Would you ever want a surprise party? I would LOVE a surprise party, but I know Peter could never manage putting one together. He admits it.