Wow, how many people do you know that celebrate Christmas on January 29???? Not even in the USA do we do this, but the Adams family of Bellbrook, Ohio is doing it. This is the first weekend that all 32 of us could get together, it's hosted at our home every year and our Christmas tree is still up. I took two vacation days to clean the house and my hubby took off today and we rearranged furniture, since our daughter is getting married in June and has moved out, we painted her bedroom about a month ago and have spent the past two days moving things and cleaning behind wherever we go. I'm making roast beef in au jus, a cheese ball with crackers (I will probably only cut of a few pieces of cheese ball throughout the day as I go by it) and we provide the punch as well. If my oven holds out, I will make au grautin potatoes for those on carb lovers diet (aka the hubby and daughter and the rest of the family, I'm outnumbered here) Everybody else will bring side dishes. It's a hodge podge of things to eat but surprising it all ends up going together very well. My Mom comes since we're the hosts (and my sister in law's father comes as well... Maggie lost her mother two years ago, so she invites my mother to Thanksgiving at their house and we invite her father to our house in return)

Was very very sad today. I went to my "bird room" to feed the flock of 11, only to discover I now have a flock of 10. My beloved Lacey, a cockatiel, fell between the wall and an old stereo stand that I house my supplies on. I KNOW to let a gap between the wall and the stand, NUMEROUS times I've found Lacey, Kringle and Molly, the three that have free run of the bird room, lodged there, but even though it's been a close call, I've always rescued them. This time it wasn't a rescue. I feel bad because Lacey and Adam (a blue crown conure, a type of parrot, that I've had since 1987) are my favorites and I raised Lacey from the time he was 3 weeks old and he was 9 years old, he was a hand fed cockatiel. It's like losing one of my own "Babies". He was so tame and would fly to me whenever I opened the door. He will be sadly missed.

Sorry, I'm not usually this doom and gloom. Christmas tomorrow, more cleaning to be done and then I'll check in with all of you tomorrow night when the family leaves.