THE HOSTESS WITH THE MOST-ESS

Unless you've been in jail with Lindsey Lohan or hiding under a rock like Kim Kardashian, chances are you know the east coast was hit with the first noreaster in decades last weekend, which dumped 32" of white stuff in our front lawn, knocked power out until yesterday and wreaked havoc from Maryland to Maine and everywhere in between. Of course, this native Westerner LOVED the cold, wet stuff and was more disappointed that it melted as quickly as it did (note photo was taken this morning...five days ago we couldn't walk, now, sadly, it's gone!). The part I didn't love, however, was feeling hopeless with no power. In our neck of the woods no power doesn't only mean we don't get to watch our favorite reality TV shows, it means no water, which in turn means no showers, no flushing...you get the nasty picture here! So, we grabbed our goods and headed to a little slice of nirvana known as Joe's Dad's house. Equipped with an earthquake kit from the west coast, this down time also forced me to come up with a different kind of survival kit for the east coast. Actually, my camping supplies came in handy for this week long power outage, using my battery operated candles, solar powered Christmas lights, Coleman lanterns and bottles and bottles of water. This morning I ran to Target and bought a large plastic bin and filled it with canned food, water, a battery operated radio, extra batteries, matches, flashlights, a can opener and several other goodies that should last at least a year. I marked the outside with today's date so I know how long the canned goods can survive. Now that I've prepared us with emergency supplies, hopefully next time the power goes out we won't feel powerless! To thank Joe's dad and stepmother for hosting two gay guys, a dog with attitude and two suv's full of dirty laundry for a week, I hopped on over to Ikea and picked up these cute little bottles for $1/each and the festive holiday napkins, also for $1/each. Because they were such a great deal, I picked up several to use as hostess gifts throughout the holidays. For a holiday party I might fill one jar with candy cane martinis, for another maybe I'll put special eggnog, for a Thanksgiving get together maybe I'll fill it with gourmet olive oil. For our sweet hosts from this week, however, I filled it to the rim with tasty candy. Nothing says THANKS like a trip to the dentist!!!
TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Five minutes
COST: Jars and napkins are $1/each at Ikea or you can find similar bottles at Home Goods, Pier1, etc.
STRESS LEVEL: Feeling the power of power: LOW