I can laugh about it now . . .

So this is the story of my life. (And yes, I'm pouting.) But I think blogging this, may be the therapy I'm needing. Oh and Mom! I love her! She always listens when I go on about my crazy happenings and reads my blogs too! Yes, she deserves a very large gold, crown!! I bet she can't wait until her hearing starts to go, so she can just turn down her hearing aid to tune me out!! LOL!! Love you, Mom!

I have been right, straight out busy with this crazy holiday. Not a second to breath, hardly a chance to get sleep. Yesterday was no exception, Charity's Christmas Party in the morning, which was a blast (and I'll post pics later) and then I was supposed to get my packages to Maine out and help out a neighbor in the afternoon.

Well, as it turns out, my neighbor's plans had changed and she needed my assistance immediately. As I arrived home from school, I had to run over to her house and watch as her carpets were cleaned? OK. Charity was upset as she wanted to tear into her gifts she received from school. So I let her come with me and we opened and played with her gifts as we froze in the house, because the door was open from the hoses, while they cleaned the carpets for nearly 2 hours.

Finally finished, I came home and started to wrap up my Christmas projects. Not finishing, but knowing I had to grocery shopping for this same friend, I stopped my work to complete her task. It was task-ing for sure. 2 hours in the store shopping for stuff I never buy and Charity was with me! Recipe for disaster, but we made it home. And since my neighbor wasn't due home until later she asked me to put the groceries away in her house for her. So me trying to remain in the Christmas spirit (though very stressed about much stuff still to do) decided I would leave them a little gift. Charity and I picked out some things we thought they'd enjoy as a family, which wasn't easy . . . like 6 stores later and 4 calls to other stores to find if they had what I was looking for. And after neatly putting away the groceries, we left their little gift on the bar. (Sorry I thought he was so cute, I had to snap a picture of him with my phone!)

I was hoping when they came home that the little gift would brighten up their day, but didn't here anything until this morning when I had received a text: "Where you here when they cleaned the carpets? A doesn't even look or smell like it's been cleaned." Well, I had explained that I was there and enjoyed meeting the carper cleaner guys (saints from Goodlettsville and we knew a lot of the same people) , in a previous text, and a text that I was there and another text that they were done and I was out of there. Guess she kinda' had a bad day. OK?

Well, that's fine. So this morning I realized I didn't give her the receipts for the groceries I purchased and some returns I had done for her, so after the mail arrived today, I brought them over to their mailbox. And you wouldn't believe what was in there . . . one of the gifts I had purchased for them!!

I'm assuming she was leaving it as a gift for the carrier!!! Ha!! All I can say is, I'm glad she got some use out of the gift I gave!! :-P

So for those that do it, I've found some rules for regifting so you don't get caught under these circumstances:

Rule No. 1
Please, whatever you do, make sure you don't give the present back to the person you got it from. That would be bad. Very bad! Simma Lieberman, a leadership coach from Albany, Calif., still remembers the time her son got the same LEGO toy she had once purchased for the friend who regifted it. It even had the original card attached to it! So, avoid embarrassing yourself and always keep track of who gave you what.

Rule No. 2
The previous anecdote illustrates how important it is to remove any cards or distinctive marks before you send the gift off to another home. Many gift receivers have tales of presents that came with cute notes addressed to someone else.

Rule No. 3
Don't regift something that is very distinctive, especially if you live in a tight-knit community, and don't give it to someone within your usual social circle. Surely your friends and neighbors will remember the polka-dot punch bowl you got last year from a distant relative.

Rule No. 4
Wrap the present in new paper, or place it in a new bag. This will cost only a couple of dollars, or even less, and will make the item look like new. A small detail can make a big difference -- don't be lazy.

Rule No. 5
The advice above brings us to the next rule. Even if you get the glossiest, most eye-catching wrapping paper, it won't make a wee bit of a difference unless what's inside is in good condition. If something has been worn or looks shabby, don't even think of regifting it, says professional organizer Elaine Bloom.

Rule No. 6
Unless you care to do some sheepish explaining, don't give something that clearly comes from abroad (when you haven't taken a trip in 18 months), or that's from a discontinued brand or defunct store. You're just going to have to keep that gift, or take it to a goodwill store. Sorry.

Rule No. 7
Avoid items that scream REGIFT! The list includes, but is not limited to, a box of small scented soaps, the proverbial scarf (unless it's pure silk and made by Hermés), random CDs (like "karaoke versions of hits from the 80s"), socks (nobody likes to get socks!) or small home appliances the gift receiver clearly doesn't need (remember the bread maker Will Ferrell kept trying to get rid of in the movie Old School?).

Rule No. 8
It's perfectly acceptable to regift a good bottle of wine, champagne or liquor, like an aged Scotch. Make sure to buy an appropriate bag for the wine, and to keep the original box for the liquor.
If the person is a wine or whiskey connoisseur, you might want to be a little more careful about the choice.

Oh, and I've added Rule No. 9:
Maybe the next day is a little too soon to regift a present!!

Lesson learned: The joy in giving does not come from what the receiver has done with the gift once received, but comes from the giver secretly leaving it in one's home as a surprise!!