Bopeep

I have just 1 or 2 more gifts to buy. I haven't wrapped a darn thing yet, lol. Wrapping is my least favorite part . I've gotten started on my candy, but only because cordial cherries take 2 weeks to set up. I have so much more to do, plus the cookies. It seems like every time I'm ready to get things done, something else comes up. I did a small batch of cookies this weekend, because I'm mailing them out, and discovered my oven doesn't work. UGH. Yes, I'm going nuts like never before.I tried to be all organized and make a calendar to get it all done, and I'm already behind and it's just December 4th. LOL. I decided last night that I have to quit stressing. Do what I can do, and don't worry about the rest. I do it all because I love it all, and right now I don't love any of it, and that's on me.

I believe that is how it used to be done by most. So, my question is when do you take it down? I mean, how long do you get to enjoy it? Honestly, I love the tradition, but as soon as Christmas is over, I'm ready for the tree to be gone (but maybe I wouldn't be if it hadn't been in my living room for a month already).

We have chicken & dumplins for Christmas dinner. I make 3 big stock pots of dumplins, my sister fries the chicken, my other sister makes the mashed potatoes, and we all meet up at Mom's the Saturday after Christmas. Now, I have done a big dinner for when my kids come to my house on Christmas Eve, but after it's all over and I'm tired, they leave the mess. So I don't do that anymore. LOL

The deadline for shipping is this Saturday, the 8th. If you are not going to be able to hit that date, please let me know as soon as you can.

Personally, I don't care for the Misto sprayers, but a lot of folks love them. Another option, and my preference, is the EVO sprayer: https://smile.amazon.com/Trigger-Sprayer-Non-Aerosol-Cooking-Capacity/dp/B01MT673U6/ref=sr_1_6?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1543853034&sr=1-6&keywords=evo+oil+sprayer

I did B&BW Saturday for the candles too. I checked the night before to see what time they opened, hoping to beat the worst of the crowd. Well, it turns out, they had opened way earlier than normal. It was already shoulder to shoulder. Worth it though. I won't pay $25 for a candle, but if I can get them for $7 (20% off coupon) I'll stock up for the whole year! I bought 20. Got ready to bake a batch of cookies yesterday, and discovered the bottom element in my oven isn't working. Since I had to get the cookies done, I ran to Walmart and bought a counter top oven that I didn't want and don't have room for. Then I burned a couple batches while learning the new oven. What my oven took 8.5 minutes to do, this thing does in 6. Maybe my element has been bad for a very long time . Oh, and "Happy December"!

We'll be praying. Question - does anyone find it helpful for the names on the list on page 1 to be linked to the post where the gift was received? If anyone uses that, I will certainly do it again this year. But if not, I'm not going to mess with it .

OH NO! I'm sorry that happened. Will Kohl's make it right and send another one?

So, I went back and read your list. I think you gave plenty of information and your Santa shouldn't have any trouble .

Did you get enough oil on your chicken? The breading will not crisp up without the oil. And if you use flour, it will stay a nasty pasty white. I spray the oil until the breading is completely coated/wet.

Congratulations everyone!

WooHoo! Let the game begin.

It wouldn't let me see it

That jailhouse scene was the best!

Please don't forget to send tracking #s when you ship. And PLEASE don't forget to comment here when you receive!

I'm so glad you're enjoying it!

Did y'all watch The Christmas Chronicles on Netflix? It was a cute movie. Really made me cry at the end though .

I had to read it a couple times, LOL. I will be pushing the deadline this year. I've gotten one thing for my SS, but a couple other things are going to be a little time consuming.

We stood in line outside Cabella's last year. Froze our tails off, but I loved it. LOL. My 18 year old niece was with us and I told her THIS is what Black Friday is supposed to be about! We had to get up early for Academy and Home Depot this year, so we got a little taste .

I already can't wait!

It sounds like what you're describing is typical of Black Friday at most stores. I can tell you the Academy I was at this morning had 2 lines for the firearms. One to get a ticket, then a 2nd line at the gun counter. I'm not sure about quantities in our store though, the first line was right by the front door, so if there were any issues I didn't hear about them.

We received more comments on our t-shirts this year than ever before (there are 3 of us), including 1 person that asked if were "sponsored" by GottaDEAL. LOL

I can't believe it's already over. It went so fast this year, I almost feel like I missed the whole season. I know you and your troop of volunteers worked your behinds off for us, as usual. Thanks for everything Brad!

We didn't get in any big hurries this year. The only places we stood in line were Bass Pro on Wednesday and Academy this morning. But I'm pretty sure we were able to get everything on our lists. The only exception was a little doll set at Kohl's that we just couldn't find. It was still available online, but my daughter said she had just wanted to look at it and wasn't sure she wanted to get it anyway. Of course, we weren't after anything like TVs or Computers, but it sounds like we would have been alright even if we had been.

I've really enjoyed the Discord server. I wonder though...Do you think it affected the number of posts here on the site? Also, (just because I don't know how it works), does less traffic on the site itself matter in the grand scheme, as long as we use the partner links?