The doh! gift

I think everyone gets those gifts each year that just kind of make you cringe or wonder why. Each year my Aunt M seems to buy that gift. She bought me a digital meat thermometer one year, a terrarium where you grow your own herbs one year, two years ago it was a bathtub volcano that made little eruptions as it floated along in the water... AND this year I can grow Rudolph, play with my Winnie the Pooh yo-yo, and I don't have to go to Mars to play with my very own Mars Mud.

Aunt M is an interesting character. She is very reclusive and doesn't often come to family functions, so when she does it is nice to see her. And did I mention she always brings my favorite blueberry cream pie to family functions?. I last saw her 4 years ago at a funeral for her mother. She is a nice woman, but plain boring to be around. She doesn't carry a conversation well and her voice often trails off in midsentence. It was nice to see her though and see that she was still alive. She just told me how much I've grown and I told her about school.

And of course, it is the thought that counts when it comes to gifts. I am going to go grow Rudolph right now before Christmas has passed. I have something to do in the bathtub tonight!!! So here's to Aunt M for making me feel like a kid tonight... haha

I got a Hollister sweater from my Aunt S that I just love- she is such a distant relation, yet she always buys the most awesome gifts and she knows what I like so well.

And family drama? There was plenty. My cousin threw a fit her daughter wasn't there because her brother (my other, oldest cousin) was at work, but also he is conservator of her daughter. My oldest cousin doesn't like his sister. He also doesn't like his own daughters, one of which, his daughter doing lesbian porn was at the celebration with her boyfriend, the producer of the videos. My oldest cousin was at work most of the day though until everyone he didn't want to see had left. My cousin was at work though since 11p.m. last night when he got a call. Without saying what he does, let's just say he was working this story. The details he gave us were gruesome and we got a lot of info the media hasn't been told. He arrived after presents and during dessert and we almost lost the dessert with these details.

And the hit of the party? My dad's cherry cheesecake. Nobody has ever brought cheesecake. My family never brings anything major to the get togethers, though we offer. We usually bring sweet potato balls, but few eat those except for my aunt and uncle, Aunt S, and my family. Well, each year we bring rice krispies or some sort of cookies to compensate and they usually go well. But my dad said yesterday at the store let's do cheesecake. He made it in a lasagna pan and half of it was gone by the time we left. Everyone raved about it.