1.  I feel quite stressed out today.  I have too many balls in the air, and am feeling rather overwhelmed.  I am becoming a frantic list maker and it's still not helping much.  Once the weekend is over, things should settle down.

2. Took my mom to see Mirvish production of The Sound of Music on stage at the Princess of Wales Theatre here in Toronto. It was her birthday gift.  A nice performance, though not earth-shaking, and a couple of the voices were disappointing (namely, Liesl and Franz).  Maria sounded too much like Julie Andrews for my liking, which is a bit wierd, but it was almost channelling.  She was selected for her role in a reality TV series called How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?

3.  I'm planning a small family birthday party for my mom, my SIL, and my husband on Sunday.  They all have  birthdays in the last 10 days of November and I still have gifts to get and a meal to organize.  We'll be 10 adults plus three littles, some of whom are vegetarian.  I have no idea what to make.  I know where to get the cakes though.

4.  My niece is coming to visit this weekend.  She is originally from Paris but lives in Montreal now, working for a French multi-national dairy products firm.  We haven't seen her for a while, so it will be good to get together and find out how she's doing.

5.  Z just finished week 2 of three weeks out of town.  He got home late last night and will fly out again Monday or Tuesday, first to Dallas and then to Atlanta for the weekend.  My sister and her crew are coming next weekend to see our new niece (the object of my mother's visit THIS weekend.)  So our spare rooms are getting a workout!

6.  I've put the Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board on my Christmas list.  We already have a Wii, but I"m wondering whether I'll actually enjoy this?  Anyone out there with experience?

7.  I am trying to do some "experience" gifts this Christmas, as we've been struggling with clutter in our own household.  Magazine subscriptions, memberships, arts events, etc are all on my idea list.  My mom really enjoyed the show and so I'm looking for something similar for Christmas to enjoy with her.  Fiddler on the Roof is a definite possibility!