C: Sharing a "Good Deal!"






V and I have a wonderful group of friends with whom we regularly meet and swap commiseration. The core of this group is five of us who have known each other in excess of twenty years. I cannot tell you what a blessing this group is to me.
About five years ago we decided to meet regularly as a "book club," and we did, in fact, read for a while. Then the bottoms fell out of our lives, one by one. It is uncanny, really, how each of us experienced some pretty wrenching times, kind of all in a row. We abandoned literature in favor of tequila and beer, and we started meeting every couple of weeks at a local Mexican restaurant.
Last year I hosted all these girls, plus a few, in my home for a slumber party. We had such a good time, and it lasted well into the next day, so loathe were we to part company after such a time. We determined to make it a habit and here, a year later, we will meet next weekend for the "Second Annual." I can hardly wait.
No real preparations are required for this group; they just want the chance to be together. Still, I am excited so about it that preparations have been made anyway. You've heard it said that "the devil is in the details." Well, it's true, but it is also true that delight is in the details. This year I am pleased with those, although I can't share them with you just yet--some of my girls may read this and spoil my surprises!
But something that is not a surprise to anyone is that we need "special" glasses for our "special cocktails!" I went in search of martini glasses for my Christmasy table. Oh, my! Do you have any idea how much they want for one stem of these things! And I needed at least ten! I was about to give up when I happened into one of my favorite stores: The Dollar Tree.
How, on earth, I survived without this store is a mystery to me. I go there annually for the trinkets I give out on Christmas Eve (see traditions section in side bar for more on this). It was this purpose that drew me there this week, and what do you think I found? The photo above is one of the martini glasses I bought for a mere $1.00 apiece. It has a stylish, wavy stem in just the right shade of green for my table. I was so excited!
I will keep you posted on how the party goes and, after it is all over, will let you in on some of the fun things that made it "special." In the meantime, just a word to you: If you have a Dollar Tree in your neck of the woods, get over there! You'll be surprised at what you find. C 12/08/2008

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