"I brought muffins!"

One positive thing is that I've finally been able to indulge my need to play hostess this year.  I never had a party in my life, sleepovers were infrequent at my house, and any get-together was usually taken care of by a family member in the past.  From Labor Day on, I have realized that I can have these events occur more frequently.  And now the sofa bed downstairs can be fully used more often than my grandmother's visits.

I often called my domestic goddess tendencies as going into "Bree mode" after the amazing character Bree Van de Kamp Hodge on Desperate Housewives.  I'm not as crazy as her, but I do love baking and making sure everyone has an excellent time when over, whether through food, activities, you name it.  One of my friends who flew down and stayed over for the funeral last month said our house looked like A Very Merry Martha Stewart and Tim Burton Christmas.  I'd say that's downright accurate!  We are cozy and creative with a definite twisted flair.  I like to call the house our humble nerd abode.

It was just so weird how I kicked into gear on New Years Eve when I got home from work, calmly beginning to make and set up all the snacks and appetizers and drinks, get the dinner order ready, make sure those who wanted alcohol knew what and where to partake...it was quite nice.  I enjoyed it greatly.  I like being generous, especially the older I get.  It's more fun to watch people get excited over something I came up with. 

Tonight, I've been lying down, re-reading the best Judy Blume book ever, napping, and cleaning up from the previous night.  Sounds lazy as hell, but sometimes we just need those kinds of weekends.  I'm not going to let myself feel guilty for something like that.  Just don't let me look at the kitchen sink.  Bree-mode doesn't kick in when piles of dishes are involved!