Happy New Year!

2011 is definitely starting off on the right note. No, I don't mean the children who woke up whining about the french toast I was making for breakfast. I guess they are a little "hung over" from staying up past midnight (for a change). What made this New Year great was that the first call I got in the year was from my friend Christina in Greece. I even mentioned my friends from Greece in the last blog post (albeit briefly). They must have sensed my thoughts of them. So, there is nothing like having an hour long conversation to catch up on everything in both countries and families. They are definitely my kindred spirits on the other side of the world!!

Last night we actually attended a New Year's Eve party -- for the first time in years. Usually I'm in bed by 9pm on New Year's Eve. I figure it's midnight in New York, yippie, good-night. I guess it was a couple of years ago when the kids realized that all their friends were staying up until midnight to celebrate and they had no idea it was even a holiday. I guess that comes partly from my history with New Years. It's usually a holiday for couples. And I traditionally went through some sort of monster break up at the holidays and was left solo for the New Year. So, New Year's Eve and Valentine's day, I felt, were two contrived holidays out to mock me as a lonesome single person.

My life went a little something like this: Oh! Look at the calendar. It's December already. I guess it's time for one of us to end this thing. And then it would end. I would spend Christmas crying into my stocking and then just get all jaded in preparation for New Years. It seemed perfectly reasonable at the time.

And although I haven't been alone for several years now, I'm still not generally inclined to celebrate them. I think Valentine's Day is a cruel joke. And New Year's still seems like a last ditch effort squeeze another party out of the winter holidays. And frankly, by New Year's I'm done.

But I digress. So, last night we went to a really nice New Year's Eve party with the kids. It was nice and mellow with good people and good food. The teenagers and kids were all really well behaved, as well as the adults in attendance. We weren't even sure what to expect since we hadn't been to a New Year's party for years.

We brought a nice gluten free cherry/blueberry crisp as well as some good champagne ... and then we realized this was our chance to ditch the giant bottle off Cook's that's been in our garage for the last four years. Let me say that again: Cook's. GARAGE. FOUR. YEARS. Ewe! Let's call it our "white elephant gift". And it didn't seem fair to pass it off without a warning. So, Michael created a special label for it:



I love having a graphics guy for a husband. He can make anything!

So, now my plans for the actual living in 2011? Well, I'm starting off with another candida cleanse. Yes, it's three weeks of some harsh dietary restrictions (which I sort of started last week to get used to the idea ... no sugar. no grains. no fruit. no vinegar. no mushrooms. no coffee. no dairy. Ouch). Last night I sipped at my water. I will confess to tasting the crisp I brought. MMMMmmm! (if I do say so myself). But now, the real deprivation.

I did do a cleanse last spring. But someone kindly sent me a box of See's candy right near the end of the cleanse. Just as I came off it, I thought one piece of candy wouldn't be bad. Then I promptly at the entire box. Doh! Totally un-did the cleanse. So, this year I will try it again and put chocolate far from my mind for the next several weeks. And wine. And baked goods. And dairy. And coffee. Go ahead, feel sorry for me. Okay, don't. It's self inflicted and temporary. I guess I can try for a little self control this time.

And with the kids all going back to school Monday (yay!!!) will have the whole house to myself ... imagine all that time to clean and fold laundry without interruption?

Happy New Year, everyone!