Last Sunday morning I made a meatloaf. It was loosely based on a recipe I found, and involved mixing grated carrots, zucchini, potatoes, and onions into the glop before shaping it into a loaf for baking. I covered it with plastic wrap and stuck it in the refrigerator to cook for dinner later. Later, however, we got a call to come over for dinner to my parents' house, and since both sisters and their respective families were there, we went. The meatloaf was covered with aluminum foil and put in the freezer for later.

Thursday, I took it out of the freezer to thaw, but it was still a rock by the time I got home and I didn't have the patience to wait for it. Besides we hadn't gone out for salmon tandoori in quite a while, so we were over due. Friday I actually had Richard plop it into the oven in preparation for dinner, but then it was discovered that the 'possible' dinner plans with the extended family had in fact become real dinner plans somewhere along the way, and so back the poor meatloaf went into the fridge to wait another day.

When I exercised all the remaining stock options after leaving the Big Fish (be patient, this really does have a point here), we decided to put the bulk of it in savings and investments, but take out a small chunk and go furniture shopping. The hefty check arrived last week, so this weekend we braved the weather and the after-holiday shoppers (of which there really weren't many, surprisingly) and went in search of end tables, chairs, and a table set for our breakfast nook.

We found them all, and managed to do it by lunchtime, no less. And better yet, everyplace we went had incredible sales. We even managed to find a little store that was closing shop, and that was its last day in open, so they were desperate to get rid of everything. We scored a pedestal table of dark cherry for the master bedroom bay window there for a price far lower than I would have thought possible. The chairs to go with it (found at yet another store) will be delivered in a bit over a week, but just by itself it makes the room look so much nicer!

We broke down the old table and stashed it in the garage to be donated to a thrift store at some later time. I've had this old table for years, ever since I bought it and the four chairs (only two of which have survived to this point) for $50 back in college. The entire set was cheaply made and all wobbled to some degree. I've desperately wanted to replace it for years.

The new table is gorgeous. Someone gave us a table runner decorated in dull greens and purples that looks really nice down the middle. We might even have to break out the placemats and nice napkins.

And so tonight, seated at our beautiful new table in our beautifully unwobbly chairs, with mugs of mulled cider and the Christmas tree lights on behind us, we finally ate the meatloaf.