Updates of "stuff".

I now have the case for my phone.  It has gone from a deep blue super slippery panic inducing phone, to a black non slippery now just confusing phone.  I am still working on remembering basic things like not MAKING IT SCREAM AT ME because I hit the volume, not the off button.  Also have discovered that they have changed the way I take pictures, both of things on the phone, and with the phone.  I have taken several "floor and random blur" pictures.  But I am getting to the point that I am understanding some of the features, which are indeed nice.  Most of them, anyway... I am not so fond of the 4 zillion notifications for "oh, you need this app, don't you want to update/upgrade/up... stuff?" 

I worked very hard one afternoon getting basically all the notifications I could find either turned off completely, or changed to silent.  It was like living with a rabid video game at first.  But now, I have mostly the occasional buzz.  Buzzing, not so bad, but with all the dings and tweeting and noises, that crazy phone was perilously close to being returned, if I couldn't tone it down!

We had the party without my cookies.  I brought a gift for the toy drive, and a gift to trade for the group.  I did bring a big plate of cookies for my friend, thinking that she probably would not be doing much baking at this point. 

It was a... unique situation, I tried my best to help her, so that she didn't have to worry about where and what.  We lucked out that someone brought a gift in a BIG cloth bag, (which was really odd, as the two presents in it were combined, maybe a foot square... ???), so when she wanted to pick up the toys, we had a 'Santa sack' to put them in.  She had been holding it together fairly well, but when we loaded the stuff in her rig, Husband got the cookie tray, I gave it to her, with my usual admonition, if you like it, enjoy, if you don't, you now have something to put out for guests. 

She lost it, then. 

Turns out, her kids were coming over to help her the next day, and she didn't have anything for them.  So it was happy tears, for a change...

As for the group gifts, it was High Awkward... We didn't have gifts for everyone, and when I told anyone to come up and take a gift if they wanted...

Not one person moved. 

I encouraged table by table to come up and look.  FINALLY, a few wandered up.  I had my eye on a radio, but held back for a bit.  I had donated an M&M dispenser, and several folks said it was broken, as it didn't dispense M's at all.  I then repeatedly explained that yes, it does dispense, there is clear tape over the hole, so it doesn't throw M's everywhere.  ZOOOM as it goes right past.  I think my Dad eventually took it... These are smart people (mostly), it sure surprised me that a simple bit of tape would buffalo them so!

I finally figured that I would grab a gift.  It is a lovely AM radio, bright yellow.  Going to get with my Dad for some internal body and fender, and with a wash and wax on the outside (the body of the radio is metal, painted with canary yellow), it should be really nice for the kitchen or craft room.  One of those oddball things I like... :)

And all the extra cookies?  Let's see, the neighbors have had cookie trays, Mom and Dad, the poor starving deputies, and last but not least, Husband, who has said the variety is really nice...  So they are most definitely NOT going to waste...

So.  On to Christmas, and New Yearing!