Lunch with Sissy, Middle, Little and Lynne. Had yummy salad at the club. Then Lynne went to Festival, Sissy to the mall, and I hit Marshall's and the Rack. Sissy and Big met me at the Rack. Then they left, and I headed home. Been doing fashion show all night. Going away soon and need pretty outfits. Had soup for dinner. House is a mess. Company coming this week. Gotta get everything together. Hope you all had a nice weekend. Love and hugs. xoxo

Got up at 8:30am

Got dressed

Ran to Starbucks

Got a soy pumpkin spice latte with whip,

...and a soy chai tea for Suzanne.

Then ran across to get my hair done.

Suzanne has been doing my hair for about 8 years now.

Last year she took time off to have a baby.

I went somewhere else for a cut and color once and I hated it.

I started coloring my hair myself after that.

It started off ok, but then something went wrong.

Each time I would color it, my hair would get darker every time.

I was starting to hate it.

Well, now the baby is almost one and Suzanne is back at work.

Yayayayay!!! So today was beauty makeover day.

After my gorgeous locks were done, I met Hubby at the house.

Rita was here! (yay!)

Hubs and I went to do some errands.

Then we went to a 4:45 movie.

Saw "The Tourist". The new film with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.

It was real good! We enjoyed it!

After, we had sushi and then came home.

That's it. Nice day.

Here's my new hair.

Isn't Suz a magician? ...a true artiste of locks. Love her!!!

Friday

Worked. Got lots done. Ran home at 6:00pm, changed, and went to the In Laws for a Hanukkah party. G'ma was there too. We had chicken, veggies, salad and potato pancakes. We saw photos from their trip to Israel. We exchanged gifts. They brought Hubs and I home beautiful sterling silver shabbos candles and a Hamsa with a blessing for the home printed on it. Very nice and thoughtful gifts. Thank you!

(A hamsa is a charm, symbol or talisman used by both people of Islamic and Jewish faiths. It is thought to ward off the evil eye and offer protection from the hand of God. The hamsa, also called the hamesh hand, looks like a hand with three fingers pointing upward and the thumb and pinky pointing outward.)

After our Hanukkah dinner, Hubs and I drove around the neighborhood to see all the pretty Christmas lights. We love the beautiful holiday decorations. We just actually heard about this Pastor who was mad at our town because City Hall was decorated with a Christmas Tree and a Hanukkah Menorah. Sounds harmless enough right? A menorah to represent the Jews and a tree to represent the Christians. A little bit of this. A little bit of that...Keep everyone happy. Not the Pastor though. Nope. He wanted something to represent the birth of Jesus. So he lead a crusade asking for everyone in the community to come rally at City Hall and bring a Nativity scene. Yup. This Pastor was urging people to bring their Baby Jesus to City Hall. He felt it was wrong to have a religious item, such as a menorah, and nothing to represent the birth of Jesus accept a tree and a wreath. Some people are never happy. Why can't we all just coexist? ...like this neighborhood Hubs and I found. How cool? We are totally decorating our house next year!

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_s_palm_beach_county/boca_raton/controversy-over-holiday-decorations-in-boca-raton

Worked 'til 7:30pm. Got a lot done today. Bossman was travelling. LBM was busy. Everyone left me alone. Ordered Chinese with Tracy. Hubs came to visit. My phone had been broken, and the new one was delivered to the house today. He brought it to me. I know why they call the Blackberry a "Crackberry". I'm way too addicted to that thing for my own good. Got home, had soup and baked another cake. Chocolate with cinnamon, pecans and white chocolate chips. Smells yum. Tomorrow night we are going over to Hubs' parents for a late Hanukkah party. They have been away since Thanksgiving, travelling. They were in Israel and just got home. We're gonna continue the celebrating with them tomorrow. G'ma too! Then it's the weekend! YAY! I love weekends!

Last night of Hanukkah

Worked, then ran home to wrap gifts and write out cards. We were invited to Sissy and BIL's house at 6:00pm for hors d'oeuvres and then dinner at 6:30pm. I worked 'til almost then so we didn't show up 'til 6:45pm. I hate being late, especially when people are waiting for me. Sorry!!! I missed the hors d'oeuvres. Spinach dip, chopped liver and hummous. But I was there in time to light the menorah. We had salad, roasted chicken, potato latkes, a kugel, (made by yours truly) squash and asparagus. So good. I feel like I've been rushing and running so much, it was so nice to sit at the dinner table, surrounded by family, and just relax. After we feasted, we moved to the living room and exchanged gifts. Hubs and I got the neph's gift cards, Outback for Big, Muvico for Middle and I-tunes for Little. We also brought BIL a monogrammed decanter and Sissy got a shoe shaped cake server. (She collects shoes)

...and they got us amazing gifts!!! Hubs got new sneakers! He got a pair of VANS. Little wears them and wanted Uncy to have some too. Then BIL picked out a shirt to go with his new sneaks. What a crew. My Sissy got me the best gifts ever!!! I got an OM necklace. I do yoga. Yoga teaches us peace. Yoga helps bring a sense of calm within. We strive to lead a stress free life. In Hinduism there is a symbol called an "OM". There are many explanations of what the symbol stands for. I like the one I read by Dr. Malia. She says, "The OM is a symbol of a thoughtless state of mind-a present that is free from all tensions of life-the way to touch the depths of our real self in the purest form." To me, the OM means inner peace.

Sissy also bought us the most wonderful piece of art for the house. It's actually a sculpture that goes outside in the garden. It has crystals that the sun needs to bounce off of...but I hung it in the house. It's too awesome to stay outside. Here are some pictures...

Here's the art. A peace sign. my favorite.

Here's Hubs sneaks and shirt.

...and my beautiful om.

Here's BIL, modelling his new underwear, and me giving them a thumbs up. (Weird family, I know)

Big, Hubs, Sis and Middle.

BIL's parents, Gramma Shelly & Pop Pop with Little. After gifts, we had dessert and coffee. I brought the star cake I made last night. It looked gross, but it really was quite moist and tasty. There was also Apple strudel and rainbow cookies. It was such a nice night. Great way to end a beautiful Hanukkah ...2010! Thank you!

Today I got a lot done. Worked, lunched, and left about 6:45pm. Came home. Baked a cake for tomorrow nights Hanukkah party. It was raw in the middle. Oozed out and fell apart. Baked another cake. Stayed together. Not sure how it tastes. Frosted it. Decorated it. Looks like a kindergartener made it. Then I tried to make latkes. Fell apart. Kitchen is a mess. Not sure what happened. I'm usually a great cook! Then I went to wrap gifts. Couldn't find the tape. My oh my. I need a vacation!

I'm going to bed. Gonna try again tomorrow.

MONDAY

So tired at work today. Travelling always sets me back a few days. I need to catch up on my sleep. Bossman took me to Palm Beach Bagel for lunch today. Had a chicken sanny and fries. I've been wanting to get back on track with my eating...especially since the cruise is coming...but I haven't been able to pull myself together. Sad really. Food is winning. After work, no yoga. Had to go holiday shopping. We are having a Hanukkah celebration with the family on Wednesday, and I needed to get my gifts for the office too. Bossman is having a birthday next week too. ...so is Katie's daughter. Lots to do. Actually got lots of shopping done tonight. I feel better. I like checking items off my "TO DO" list. Usually I just take care of the work "TO DO" list...I need to take better care of my own "TO DO" list. I think that will be my New Years resolution this year. Take care of me. Diet. Cleaning. Doctors. Exercise. There's lots to do for me.