Straight Out of a Magazine...

That's how our dining room table looks........ after two hours of fussing with tablecloths, napkins, plates and bowls, flatware, the centerpiece........ plus the ribbons and streamers hanging down from the chandelier that I did yesterday. One look at that dining room and you know it can only be New Year's Eve. It all looks very inviting, very festive and fun. Lots of silver and gold, with some red thrown into the mix to add a little punch. Colin Cowie would approve. (I think that's how you spell his name-- the tablescape designer who's always on Oprah's show.)

Tomorrow will be for the cooking.... I'm making crabcakes, crawfish bisque, and twice-baked potatoes. I plan to stuff the potatoes tomorrow and bake them on Saturday night. I'll prepare the crab mixture, then bake those with the potatoes. And the soup..... if I make it tomorrow, then let it sit in the fridge till Saturday, the crawfish and spices will "get happy" and taste better the day after. I'm also making those strawberry-champagne cocktails again...... they looked so pretty for Christmas dinner, so they should be a hit for New Year's Eve as well.

Our neighbors R & M are bringing dessert. Our friends R & C will bring a fancy-dancy vegetable salad. And our friend J & S--- I don't know what they're bringing yet. I hope they're planning to be back from their trip before Saturday night. I called them and left a message on their machine... usually they're very prompt and reliable, so I'll just hope for the best. Our friends from Dallas still have the flu..... B & P sent us a check to buy the wine for the party, so I've taken care of that. B said they'll be here "in spirits," instead of in person. Terrible joke....... I'll blame that on his flu.

We drove over to our young friend C's house this afternoon....... to say goodbye to her dad. He's leaving for Vegas on Friday, to start the new job. Long drive from here to there, and he plans to be on the road for three days. Not going to be easy for any of them, this moving out west. It still saddens my husband and I to think about all of this, but there's nothing we can do but continue to be friends with all of them, no matter where they happen to be living. The distance between Texas and Nevada will certainly change things.... no doubt about that. At least C and her mom will stay here till the school term is finished. After that, Vegas will hit the fan.

We went to Babbo Bruno's for lunch today.... our usual waitress K still wasn't back from visiting her brother in California. She was supposed to be gone just a week, then decided to extend her stay for a second week. I'm sure she loved it there, and I know how much she hated it when her brother moved away. It wouldn't surprise me if K ultimately decides to move out to California herself in the near future.

What's that old proverb: The only thing that's constant is change.