NYE/NYD

We had a few people over New Year's Eve.

I invited a lot of folks, several families, and with ONE exception, nobody RSVP'd. I guess I need to make more formal invitations. Maybe engraved? In the end, it was a pretty low turn-out, but those of us who were there had a great time.

I roasted a beef tenderloin and a pork tenderloin, and we did little sliders. They were delicious! I wish I had better photos. This is the only 'even close' shot I got. Our friend E, getting her bun ready. The mustards and mayo and (imported from Aigues-Mortes) salt are behind her. You can also see a lovely glass of raspberry-laden sangria behind her.

Even though there were only about 15 of us, we managed to polish off a 3 pound beef tenderloin, and a dozen or so little dinner rolls. Later in the evening, we started putting slices of beef and pork on pieces of heavy bread. Yum.

We didn't serve a lot of alcohol. I made a pitcher of sangria, and served the guys 'man drinks' out of the fridge (micro-brew beers and ales). And then I offered the ladies "girly drinks", and made Cosmopolitans.

I'm pretty pleased with this photo. The lighting is something I couldn't have done before I got my Christmas present from Ken:

Kelly made her cookie-press cookies again on New Year's Eve, and almost all 8 dozen got gobbled up. *burp*

They were these more-ish little bites that you could eat without thinking, while you played Ubongo 3-D...

or while you pondered your next move in Bamboleo...

We cracked open the sparkly juices at 8:45, so that everyone had a glass ready while we watched the ball drop in New York City.

There's nothing like ringing in the new year while you're still fresh.

Interestingly enough, all the childless folks left before midnight.

It was Toni and The Other Ken who stayed until nearly 2am. Oh, my aching head. I think Toni would've been happy to leave (as I would have been happy to pack it in and head to bed), but the Two Kens started playing a new board game, and it didn't end until 1:30. I was almost at the point of flicking the lights, and Toni was getting ready to marshall the kids into their car, so they could just wait out on the street and sleep while her husband finished his last turn. Heh.

---

I still haven't figured out what hit me the next morning.

If it's a hangover? I can TOTALLY understand why people are so miserable now. I've never had a hangover before, and I swear, I thought I was going to die. I had a fever, I had chills, I was throwing up, I had the runs, my head hurt, my left cheekbone was on fire, my hips ached, and I could hardly turn my head without my shoulders and back screaming at me. I got up at 10, and got breakfast for Nate, did a load of laundry, and then promptly went back upstairs to hide in my bathroom for a while, before going back to bed until 4pm.

What a waste of a day.

And besides? Who gets a hangover on a half a cosmopolitan and two glasses of watered-down sangria? What a lightweight!

---

Today has been a bit more productive. I've finished up the laundry, moved the kids back into their respective rooms after Grandma's return to Canada early on New Year's Eve, and gone through Nate and Kelly's wardrobes, and removed anything that doesn't fit any more. There are now two big bins of clothing and out-grown books that will be going to the thrift store at my earliest convenience.

I need to keep this momentum going. I made the mistake of watching an episode of Hoarders last week, and oh man! It makes you want to go through your stuff and just THROW THINGS AWAY!