Latest loves

 I don't know about you but I do love a good post about someone's favorite (insert product here) or why that product didn't appeal to them; along with all the comments that results in possibly finding another product to love.

And I'm not talking about sponsored "product."  No, I want ALL the deets from someone who has no reason to lie; not that all sponsored posts are based on lie, but a normal, everyday person who doesn't have an agenda, either way.

Anyway...recently, a few new products have found their way into my home that I thought I'd share along with my thoughts about each.

The Girlfriend curated a sweet basket of luxuries for me at Christmas that I've been savoring these past few months.  I recently pulled this scrub out and I am in love!  

I AM a sucker for a good scrub - sugar or salt.  But, I'm VERY particular about scented products and generally veer away from most which I find to be over-powering, cloying, sickly sweet or medicinal - I KNOW, I'm a trial to live with...  

A coconut scent - when done right - is generally pleasing to me.  This one is perfect.  Not only that, the scrub works really well.  And this really amps up the "spa vibe" in the shower.  Once this jar is done, I will definitely buy another one; maybe in a different scent (the pineapple one sounds blissful)?  Based on a quick internet search, it appears to be available at all the usual places (Target, etc.).

Also, in the past few months I have taken to deep conditioning my hair once a week.  This product is one that I can find consistently at my local CVS and I love it.

The smell is divine and, I think, it is really helping my hair live its best life.  Between this and the sugar scrub, the shower definitely has that "spa" vibe going on.  Have I tried any other deep conditioners?  No.  But, knowing me, I will eventually - but for now, this is my go to.  Are any of you deep conditioning your hair?  What's your current favorite?

The last love affair with a product that I am having is pretty specific.

I love CeraVe products in general.  But this one really seems to get the jump on new outbreaks.  I'm not so sure how well it would work in the event of a major outbreak - but it seems to work very well for small areas.  And is unscented.  The only negative I've found is that many stores claim to have it on the shelves...but they don't.  My local CVS website consistently tells me it is in stock - but it never is.  So, my only option seems to be Amazon.

My latest and most prized love?  Drum roll please....

Of ALL the orchids in residence (six currently), this ONE has actually bloomed again!  I KNOW!  I'm ridiculously happy about it.  In all the years that these plants have been in my home only ONE attempted to re-bloom prior to this...only to, literally, wither on the vine before blooming and then?  To add insult to injury succumbed to an ant invasion and had to be put out of its misery.  I am seriously contemplating moving this particular lovely to my office where I can enjoy her - but am afraid of messing up whatever "magic" is making her bloom.

Now to figure out how to make the others bloom again...the angst of an orchid owner.

So what about you?  Any new products you love or hate?  Other than Suz (who has the "orchid touch"), have any of you successfully had your orchids re-bloom and were as over the moon as I am about it?  Dish in the comments.

Saturday Chit-Chat

I'm sure a good majority of you are sometimes honestly as surprised as I am when I pop up here.  I mean, at times, I actually post on a pretty regular basis...and then I fade away for a time (some times are shorter than others).  And then I pop back up.

I know.  I wonder about that too.  At any rate, here I am again today.  Let's just go with that.

While things have been relatively quiet around the Gigi household - many behind the scenes things are taking place.  Nothing new (really) or exciting.  Just things.

The back to work order commenced on Monday with BIG fanfare (aka...Super Spreader Events - welcome back reception in the lobby (masks optional), complimentary food from popular local food trucks in the courtyard for lunch (again, masks optional), etc.

Thankfully, those events were mainly restricted to the first three days of last week - at least they were thinking of us that aren't quite ready to jump back into "normal" life...I guess?

In reality, I DO appreciate the effort that went in to welcoming (most) of us back to the office.  AND I appreciate they also recognized that some of us would prefer coming in without so much fanfare.  Which meant that I showed up on Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday, I encountered a sweet co-worker I haven't seen since we walked out nearly three years ago...unmasked; naturally.  I pleasantly declined riding up in the elevator.  When I eventually arrived on the fourth floor, I found that only seven of us were in attendance...and I was the only one who masked in the common areas *sigh*

Friday was even better - there were only three of us on the whole floor (again, with me being the lone masked individual).

***

We shan't go into the very worrying things I keep reading about the latest strain; as I don't want to bring anyone angst.  Just...keep your masks at the ready and stay home as much as you can, okay?  I care for you too much for anything to happen to you.  Just sayin'... (and yes, I realize several friends, co-workers, etc. think I'm overreacting...but, I'd rather be safe than sorry, ya know?)

***

As usual, in the Gigi household something weird is ALWAYS happening.  I can't decide if it's just our luck, the natural order of things or if a poltergeist might somehow be involved.

About two weeks (ish) ago, The Husband was outraged when he claimed our relatively new (ish) television just died.  He informed me of this as I was reaching into the fridge; where I noted the light was out.  When I gave him this particular bit of data; the hunt was on.  The television and the fridge are not on the same circuit breaker - so that was our initial riddle.  Eventually, we discovered that the master bath electricity wasn't working, the fridge in the garage wasn't working and a few other areas.  None of which were connected to each other in any way, shape or form.

The Husband checked the breaker box while I texted a couple of neighbors to see if this was only happening here.  It was.  And the breakers were fine; despite the random outages.  The Husband then called his electrician while I consulted with Google.  Both the electrician and Google agreed that we had a bad "leg."  (What does that even mean?!).  The electrician advised that we call the power company because if this was the issue it would be something they would have to fix.

The Husband called the power company and we prepared for bed figuring nothing would happen before morning when all of a sudden - everything was working again!  We decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and considered it a fluke.

Until the next morning, when The Husband wandered outside and noticed a weird contraption that looked like something out of a Sci-Fi sixties movie connected to our house.  Eventually, we decided that the power company must have snuck out in the middle of the night to deliver this contraption that was surely gathering data as to what might be wrong with our house.  We were curious as to why we hadn't heard from them...but since it was coming up on the weekend, we figured we'd hear something on Monday.  We didn't.

The next week, I happened to be in the garage when I heard several truck doors slamming and I went to the windows to investigate (Gladys Kravitz, I surely am).  The Husband was out; so it looked like no one was home since my car resides in the garage.  When I saw that TWO power company trucks were parked in front of the house, I opened the front door...so they would know that someone was home.

Eventually, they did - and they sent one of the guys to speak to me.  Apparently, a "leg" WAS out and the contraption attached to our house was giving us supplemental power until they could come out and fix it.  Which, I guess, was that day.  Would they have even bothered to try the bell to see if anyone was home before attempting to fix the problem?  That is anyone's guess.

At any rate, after a couple hours of work they informed us that the cable company (not ours) had placed their equipment right on top of theirs and they would have to come back.  So they hooked up the contraption again and left.

Two days later, we lost power again.  Except this time it was an all out power outage.  The guy came back (same day - shocker, I KNOW!)  Showed The Husband how to reset the contraption but stressed that we should call it in - even if we successfully reset the contraption.

And on Thursday, the power went out AGAIN - this time without anyone being home at the time.  The Husband discovered it upon returning home.  And once again, he reset the contraption and called.

Sometime, late Thursday evening, the power guys showed up again and this time (I guess because they'd figured out a way to work around the cable company's stuff) and supposedly fixed it.  Fingers crossed.  Unless a poltergeist IS involved, then who knows what kind of ride we are in for.

***

I've probably got about three or four more things to chit-chat about - but I am tired and I'm sure you are bored.  But I posted...so there's that.  xo

Saturday bits of random

 Rather than respond with multiple repeats to your comments on the last post, I figured I would respond here.  

I think part of the reasoning behind the return order is partially because we own our building.  I can see the thought of "Well, we are paying to keep the lights on, the HVAC running, etc...we might as well be IN the building a little."

I have been informed that the building is currently on the market - which may mean that the in office policy "could" (theoretically) change in the future.  We shall see.

And yes, I am grateful beyond measure that they have recognized that working from home has been a success (as they should.  I know for a fact that most of us have worked longer hours working from home than we ever did in the office - where we all just stopped working and went home at the end of the day usually) and will allow us to work from home for the majority of the week.

As I stated, my whole issue with returning to the office is the "mask optional" bit.  My plan is to continue to mask, avoid as many people as I can and continue to refuse when asked to go for lunch.  

Despite the nonsense the CDC has recently put out (most Americans can forego masking, etc. - which honestly, CDC - WHAT in the actual hell?); it just seems to me that it is too early to rush to judgment (IT'S OVER!).

No, it is not.  Even the American Medical Association stated that it's not over.  There are still those with compromised immune systems to think about and children under the age of five - or do they not matter?

Ok - enough.  The title of this post refers to random...so let's move on, shall we?

***

Thanks to Nicole's (HI NICOLE!) last two posts, this morning when I was getting dressed to head to the (thankfully) empty office, I actually stopped to take the time to spritz on my favorite perfume, add my jewelry and pick out a cute pair of red driving shoes.  While I have continued to wear actual clothes, apply makeup and fix my hair throughout the pandemic - I haven't had "fun" getting dressed.  Today, I had fun and actually looked forward to figuring out my outfit for the day.  Thank you, Nicole!  

Also, did you know that if you let your silver jewelry sit unused for two years it will tarnish?  Huh.  Guess I'll be cleaning jewelry tomorrow; not as much fun - but it will be ready when I want to wear them.

***

The home office.  It is sort of kind of together.  My initial plan had been to move the bed upstairs - but for now it's still in the home office.  And that's fine.  The desk could be a *smidge* longer but works.  The chair is nowhere near as comfortable as I'd like - but it works.  Having a dedicated space?  TOTALLY WORKS!

To the point that The Husband actually said, "I guess I'll never see you now..." as I walked in and shut the door to start the testing/training that was the impetus of the home office in the first place.

I love it - when I'm in the home office - it is quiet.  Imagine that!  I should have had one of these eons ago.  I have also turned to the home office during off hours just to experience the quiet...or compose a blog post (guess where I am right now?). ;-)

Speaking of the testing/training...OH MY GOD - the system seems fine - as long as everyone is properly trained (and they will need to be after spending decades doing something a certain way) - but the remote testing/training could be better managed.  So far, we've had five sessions.  Of those five sessions, only ONE was informative to me.  One particular session, we spent over an hour trying to get all of us logged in on our "mobiles" (said in a British accent).  And one session went nearly an hour over (which ok, if it is informative and NOT impeding lunch hour - which it did.  Lunch at 2:00 pm?  Not fun.)  Extremely frustrating.  Most of the other sessions were spent on a module that 90% of us in the meeting would never use.  As far as I can determine, we've got at least three more sessions; I'm hoping those will actually be useful and not a waste of my time.

***

I thought there was one other topic that I wanted to visit - but for the moment can't remember what that might have been.  

The memo I've been dreading has arrived...

As I've watched all the local restrictions and mask mandates drop away, I knew this day was was fast approaching and I have been DREADING it.

We have been summoned back to the office in two weeks - masks optional.

Granted, we have been told that the status quo from now on will be that we only have to be in the office two days a week and can work from home (or where ever) the other three days.  This particular bit of news was pleasant and also came as a shock because I never saw THAT coming.  And they aren't even mandating which days - we get to pick and choose.

But...it still feels to early to go back - particularly sans masks - and based on several conversations, I feel fairly confident that there will be a lot of people who will choose not to mask.  I hope I am wrong on that score...

I was talking to my boss the other day on another matter when he asked how I felt about the news.  I was honest and told him I wasn't thrilled - especially the mask bit.  I also told him how I have been told point blank by a few co-workers that they REFUSE to get vaccinated and that I really wasn't comfortable about being in the building with this information.

I know if he had a say in the matter, our little team could continue to work from home.  Sadly, he does not.

I also know - based on several conversations with various co-workers that they are "done" with the whole thing and think it's nuts that we are still being so very vigilant.  But here's the deal - we've avoided it so far and I'd like to continue that trend for the time being.  And the more I read about possible long term effects - and knowing our risk factors - the more I know that I REALLY don't want either of us to get it.

What baffles me is the insistence that we NEED to be in the office.  I mean, I can see having the building open and available for people to come and go as necessary; but what is the point of mandating that we NEED to be there two days a week; particularly since most of use have adapted and don't need to be there very much?  My usual method of madness, during the past two years, has been to head in on a Saturday/Sunday or random holiday (basically when I knew it would be just me and the security guy in the building) to check the mail and do a few tasks that I can't do from home.  This practice opened my eyes to just how much I CAN do from home (basically, 99% percent of my job can be done from home).  Usually, those once a week visits were wrapped up in less than an hour.  I can understand that there might be times where it's an "all hands on deck" kind of situation but that seems like that would be the rare occurrence.

I know things will have to go "back" to normal (no, we will never go back to the way it was, I don't think - some of us have been changed by this shared experience in so many big and small ways) eventually...but it just feels too soon to try to force it right now.

Waffling...it is what I do best

I've been pretty MIA around the blog-o-verse lately.  Sorry about that.

Life has been pretty quiet around here - well, not "quiet" exactly, since The Husband is now home a good majority of the days.  My quiet hours have drastically dwindled to next to never and I miss them.

Last week, I was informed that I am to be a "lab rat" to test a new system our company is hoping to roll out soon.  I haven't started this training/testing yet, but I can already hear the howls from many of the old-timers (of which, I am one now shockingly - just a few years ago, I was still considered a "newbie" even after being with the company for 15 years) at the thought of drastically changing the way things are done.  Maybe it will be a good thing; I've got my fingers crossed.

At any rate, this news finally lit a fire under me and I have ordered a desk and a chair to put in the current guest room - this training/testing will take place over several hours for several weeks; and it just isn't feasible for me to continue to work from the dining room table any more and expect The Husband to disappear or tiptoe around while I am engaged in this extensive training/testing.  

As is my wont, I looked at EVERY.SINGLE.DESK on the internet; narrowed it down to ten or so.  Then left the tabs open in my browser while I waffled about which one would best meet my needs.  Once I finally figured out which one I wanted (this was a DAYS long process, by the way); I then realized I needed a chair to accompany said desk and the whole process started all over again.

At any rate, they have been ordered and, hopefully, I will have transitioned into my new "home office" by the end of the week.

I must admit, I WILL be pleased to have all the office detritus cleared out of the main living area. 

Now I am off to waffle over what I will waffle over next.

Ding-dang it! I did it AGAIN

 Last year, I happily ordered a 2021 planner (knowing that the odds were good it would see little use after a month or two, given my history).  But I love the "idea" of a planner and acquiring one that suits my planning desires and is cute appeals to me every year.  

My working theory is that if the aesthetic of the planner is "pleasing" I might actually use it (friends, this theory has yet to pan out past three months.  Usually, I pick it up again several months later; only to find it at the end of the year - mostly unused).

The "new" 2021 planner I had ordered was, indeed "new", but was a 2020 version. *sigh*

You can probably guess where this going...

A few days ago, I happily ordered a new (eventually to be ignored) planner.  Guess what arrived yesterday?

A very cute, 2021 planner. *smacks head to desk*

Honestly, how is this EVEN possible?  I open the website, I type the words "2022 5 x 8 planner," skim the results, looking for something that appeals, find one and click "buy".  

WHY on earth are 2021 planners EVEN showing up in the results??

Can I blame this brain fog on COVID?  Even though we haven't had it (thank God; knock wood)? I think I can and will.

Because what else could account for me doing this TWO years in a row?

Christmas 2021 and the aftermath

 Hello!  We made it to the other side; to that weird, quiet period between Christmas and New Year's.

I hope you (if you celebrate) had a wonderful Christmas.  Ours was wonderful.  We had Man-Child and his girlfriend for Christmas Eve AND Christmas morning.  Our friends, two doors down, joined us for a full on seafood feast that The Husband presented us - and it was perfect and delightful.  

The littlest of our guests was delighted when he discovered the exact Transformer he wanted was under our tree - watching the delight on a child's faces as they open a gift that they had their little heart set on is the best gift ever, don't you think?

Since Christmas Eve was a late one; we got off to a slow start on Christmas morning.  But, in the end, we were all ridiculously spoiled and felt very blessed.  I did feel a bit bereft after the kids hurried out the door to the girlfriend's parents but I also understood - I know how stressful it can be for them to balance the "important events" between her parents and his - it's just life.  And I am grateful for every minute we had with them.

After Christmas, my mind then turned to the issue I had been avoiding thinking about...Man-Child had surgery scheduled for the 27th.  Back surgery.

Yes, it was an out-patient surgery but still...a mother worries.  

It was scheduled to begin at 5:45 pm on Monday.  All of Monday had me in a snit due to my nervousness.  His pre-op was scheduled for 3:45 pm - that's when the anxiety really began to ratchet up.  We were not able to be at the hospital, as they only allowed one guest in and he chose, you guessed it, his girlfriend.  Luckily, she agreed to keep us updated and let us know when he was discharged so that we could meet them at the apartment to see him for ourselves and, more importantly, help get him up the steep stairs that leads to his apartment.  The surgery was then pushed back to around 7:15 pm due to a prior surgery going longer than expected.  Which made me wonder...when is it too late for a surgeon to operate after a full day?!  They finally arrived at the apartment around 11 pm, we got him up the stairs somehow (we were all in a row, clutching the stair rails hoping he didn't fall - he didn't).

The surgeon said that everything went really well and our fingers are crossed that this surgery will give him some much needed relief.  In the meantime, I'm happy to report, he is recuperating well.

New Year's Eve was a quiet one here.  The Husband created a beautiful, tasty (although too large for just the two of us) charcuterie board to give us some nibbles.

That will be (one) of his challenges as we move into the new year; learning how to scale DOWN in regards to food.  As I expected, we still have more nibbles for the next few days.

I went back into the archives to see what I had to say at this time last year - and I'd have to say it pretty much still rings true.  Yes, this was another hard year.  But, we have each other to lean on as needed; and that is a true blessing. 

Happy New Year, my friends.  Let's face it together. xo

Last minute Christmas bits and bobs

 Well, we are down to the wire now, aren't we?  As of tomorrow, we only have a week until the big day.

For the most part, I think I'm ready.  I've got one gift left that I would love to track down but, so far am not having any luck.  Yes, Amazon has it.  But for a price that I am not willing to pay.  At this point, I think, I'm willing to let this one go, if I can't chance upon a local store that carries it.

Currently, I'm knee deep in Christmas candy/baking (peanut butter fudge? Done.  Almond bark?  Done. Peppermint Double Chocolate Chip cookies?  Done.).  The spritz cookies still need to be done...probably tomorrow.  Today, I just could not face wrestling with the cookie press.  And I am still deciding whether or not I need to throw another candy/cookie into the mix for the neighbors.

Short aside, the friends two doors down, just sent over a home-made peanut brittle that is out of this world.  No one else in my family cares for it (the ogres) so it's all for me!  And then I wonder why I am not pleased with the scale lately.

I bought generic Christmas cards, since we have ZERO pictures of us this past year, about a week ago with every intention of sending at least a couple.  The cards are sitting on the dining room table, glaring at me.  Hopefully, tomorrow...but I'm beginning to think this may also just go by the wayside.  

I have to say, having The Husband home all day every day (yes, we are wrapping up his first full week of retirement) is putting me off my game.  Okay, FINE!  That is the excuse I am using for why so many things are going by the wayside.

On another note, it's probably too late to order this for a Christmas gift but I ordered this shirt for myself that arrived the other day.  It calls itself a sweatshirt but it doesn't look like a standard sweatshirt.  It has a boat collar, is a nice weight and has a curved hem; I do love a curved hem.  Currently, it appears to be mostly out of stock but if you are on the search for this type of shirt, I highly recommend this one since I fell in love with it as soon as I opened the package.

Yes, I am a person who can fall in love with an article of clothing.  This shirt will be worn on repeat for the majority of this "winter." (Can we call it winter when it is currently 70 degrees Fahrenheit?  Why do I have a feeling that February is going to knock us for a loop regarding winter weather?  That being said, the remainder of those damn pine trees need to figure out how NOT to fall down in my yard; I simply cannot deal with that again any time soon.)

The other last bit of Christmas that I need to deal with is stocking stuffers.  Particularly for The Husband.  For some reason, this year, I am running into a road block with stocking stuffer ideas.

How about you?  Are you all set and ready to go?  Have any stocking stuffer ideas to share?

Back to the regularly scheduled chaos

 As you know from my last post, I had to go to the office this week to "train" the person who has released me from the nightmare I'd been living in for the last three months or so - and so she wouldn't be sitting in an office by herself (her new boss was traveling for company business).  You can't really "train" a person for this particular job so I spent four days trying to show her the ins and outs of the way we do things around here.

She seemed pretty quick and capable but only time will tell whether or not she will stick it out (please God, let her stick it out because I don't think I can go through that again).  

She did come across with an "I've done it all and I know best" attitude but I'm hoping that was just nerves on her part.  Other than that, she seems nice - which is good because we will be working closely (via Internet mostly).

And I am SO happy she came when she did.  As of last Monday, the torrent of emails from her boss just stopped.  Now, I am back to my regularly scheduled chaos, finally!

Just in time to start my Christmas vacation...which...really isn't a "vacation" but it means I'm not tied to the computer all day every day.

So now it's time to start thinking about Christmas baking; Christmas shopping, wrapping, etc.

I did get my mother-in-law's gifts bought, wrapped and mailed on Monday.  Shockingly, she received it this morning; I was so afraid it wouldn't make it time.  She was so pleased; of course I could find a rock in the backyard, paint it and send it to her and she would still be pleased.  As usual, she called to thank me first because "I know you did all the work."  I informed her that The Husband actually mailed it, so he could get a little credit too.

The Husband's last day on the job was today - so next week brings a new chapter to our lives.  I mentioned quite some time ago that we were trying to fix up the guest rooms (which have pretty much been ignored the whole time we've been here) for guests that were supposed to come in October; which they didn't because of - surprise - COVID.  It's actually a good thing they didn't come because the guest rooms, once again, fell off our radar.  So now, we are pivoting and thinking that one of those rooms is going to be turned into an office/guest room after Christmas.

Working at the dining room table has been fine (except for the office clutter that litters the table every day; which makes me itch...but I need it nearby) but with The Husband being home while I'm working...that's just not going to work.  And our company has announced that if/when we ever go back to the office we will be doing a hybrid model where we need to be in the office at least two days a week and can work from home otherwise.  A move I never saw coming but am very happy to embrace.  It only took a pandemic, that's coming up on TWO years (!!) for the powers that be to realize, "Hey...we don't have to micro-manage these people.  Not only are they getting the job done but they are also working more hours and thinking outside of the box to make it work." Duh, powers that be, I could have told you that years and years ago.

At any rate, between the work thing being resolved and quite a few presents landing on my porch in the past few days, I can feel my shoulders relaxing and my panic easing off a bit.  *sigh*  I think it's about time to pour a glass of wine, crawl into my bed, read until my eyes/arms get tired and luxuriate in the fact this short period of insanity is over.

Boosted (after minor triage) and panic and a wonderful Christmas gift...

Friday I went to our local pharmacy to get my COVID booster.  In typical Gigi fashion, when the in-take person handed the forms I needed to complete around the clear, acrylic barrier, I somehow slammed my hand into said barrier.  I remember that it hurt but didn't think much of it.  Until after I filled out the form, handed it to the nurse and realized that my hand was bleeding profusely, because of course it was.

The kind nurse treated and dressed my wound before giving me the booster.

After Suzanne's last post (HI SUZANNE!), my back of the mind, slow burn panic blossomed into a full blown panic (it's not your fault, Suzanne - I promise) as I looked at the calendar and then looked at the list of gifts thought about and/or purchased. 

I have so unbelievably busy/stressed these past months, coupled with the absence of our regular Thanksgiving completely pushed Christmas off my radar.  This weekend has been an epic push to get gifts landing on my front porch.

Man-Child and his girlfriend came to celebrate "Thanksgiving" yesterday...again salmon was on the menu and it was delightful.  The Husband asked about their Christmas plans.  It seems they are planning to be here for both Christmas Eve and Christmas morning - which is a treat...BUT I was assuming it would be the same as last year - both here for Christmas Eve dinner and her going to her parents after.  With Man-Child following later on Christmas afternoon.

Cue the utter panic of  - I still have my usual people to buy gifts/stocking stuffers for and now I have to add in her? (I would have gotten her a gift, of course, but since she will be here for the opening of gifts on Christmas morning there needs to be several more with her name on them, obviously.  Does Man-Child know her sizes or anything helpful?  He does not. *sigh*).  I'll figure it out.

In the meantime, the person who left me high and dry and supporting way too many people has been replaced!  She starts tomorrow! YAY!  The downside?  I'm expected to be in the office to train her next week...for the entire week.  Which, of course, puts me that much further behind in the Christmas department.  And, honestly?  An entire week?  Luckily, I think, for the most part, it should be just the two of us.

Here's where we all pray, "I hope she is a quick study, capable and not prone to jumping ship after she figures out what she signed up for (I WILL hunt her down if she does)."

Are you smug and all set for the holiday (YAY if you are!) or are you, like me, in full on panic mode?