Yesterday morning, we had to meet with Janna about the rehearsal dinner. It was about 11 before we got going. I made the orange cookies and the chocolate topping, but left it to Amelia to put it on artistically. I had a walk out to the mailbox by myself, because Ray got up, but went back to bed. I put some ginger muffins in the oven. Then finally everyone was ready to go, but I couldn't leave them. Fortunately, Ray was awake and I could tell him to get them out for me.

Molli and Amelia and Adrian and I drove to Janna's house. It was fun to see Mark and Francesca and Dani. Janna and Francesca are duly excited about the rings and planning the events. She is hosting the rehearsal dinner--for 50 people! It will have a Mexican theme, including decorations.

I took the rings and the marriage license to the safety deposit box and came back. We dropped off my library books and went to the florist. Oddly enough, although it is right there on Baxter Street, I don't think I have ever been in that store before, Always Always Flowers. I have a gift certificate for flowers that I am planning to use for the wedding. They were quite busy and couldn't discuss it until next week, when Molli will be gone. She and Adrian were able to see some of the flowers close up, though, and she and Amelia discussed what she would like. Then we went to a shop nearby (the Healthy Gourmet) and were able to get the kind of cocoa Amelia wanted (Ghirardelli). So we didn't have to go to EarthFare.

I had been planning to do all the grocery shopping for Christmas Eve dinner, but also wanted to get home and eat lunch and prepare for the party last night. As a further complication, I had left the list at home. I was able to recreate most of it from memory as we drove and Amelia wrote it down. We rushed into Kroger with a mission and a plan and bought another $150 worth of food, sending Molli to get 2 or three things at a time, leaving Amelia to choose the perfect produce, and buying way more fish than we need, of course.

We got home about 1:30, ate quiche and Amelia got busy on her plan. She baked two or three more kinds of cookies and assembled everything on trays and platters. In addition to cookies (and ginger muffins), she made Parmesan crisps, shaped into little funnels and filled them with a sort of corn-guacamole salsa. Yum! and they looked gorgeous. There were carrot sticks and cucumber rounds with hummus piped onto them beautifully. There were macarons, two kinds, with two kinds of filling, and lemon curd between two heart-shaped coriander sugar cookies. Perfect chocolate crinkle cookies rolled in powdered sugar. I would love to be that talented, but I don't have the patience she has.

I hovered around the edges, doing some picking up and waiting until she was done so I could run the vacuum. I had taken a chicken and rice casserole out of the freezer, but it wasn't quite thawed yet and had to cook--as soon as she was done with the oven! My Dad had picked up ice for the drinks and was ready to start making Scarlett O'Haras, as soon as we wanted him to. We had to take the dirty tablecloth off when we finished eating and set the table for the party, but we couldn't do that until we ate supper. I wrapped a couple presents and cleared away my cookbooks (the study is a mess!). Finally, I even washed some of the windows. It was a beautiful sunny day--cool but not cold. It was hot in the house from the sun and the cooking. (I wonder what my electric bill will be like!)

Molli and Adrian zipped to the mall--he had to buy Dockers, the kind of khakis he likes, which they sell at Macy's. He also got a beautiful Ralph Lauren coat, on sale for $100. They were back by 6. Molli chipped some casserole out and stuck it in the microwave so we could eat something. I went upstairs and changed into my party clothes--a short tight green dress that I have had for a while. The last time I put it on, my Mom said she didn't like it, so I changed out of it. I have lost some weight since then and it seemed appropriate for the event.

The first guests came pretty close to 7, bringing cookies to share and gifts for Molli and Adrian. Molli's friend Adam from Atlanta who we all adore, her friend Chloe we haven't seen in years, Suzanne and Rick, Andy and Jack and Sam, Mary Jean and Ruthanne, Deb and John, Kevin and Kasey, and finally Janna and Ron, Francesca and Mark and Dani. My Dad cranked out the Scarlett O'Haras; they were a big hit. I know he and I missed my Mom, probably we all did.

Almost everyone brought cookies as instructed; they admired everything Amelia had made. I missed Becky and Kent too. Very few people took cookies when they left, as they were supposed to.      

Sorry, I wrote this yesterday, but never posted it, apparently.