Easing into the holidays

Thanksgiving and Christmas are the bookend holidays for my favorite time of year.  I love the focusing in on family, and traditions - even more so than the rest of the year.

Of course Thanksgiving is all about our family getting together, but the rest of the weekend is spent pulling out the boxes, and beginning to think about how we can spend the time together. 

Black Friday is not a crazed experience for me generally. The younger 2 girls and I spent the evening getting ready to see our little cousin (4 years old) CJ, perform in her first Nutcracker with the local ballet.  Last year she sat through it with us, but this year she was a cherubim.
 
She is the second to last one in the video.  She came out in line from the back curtain, looped around and exited through the front curtain..... twice.  She was PUMPED! Cheesie and Blondie were very excited for her.

 

Thankfully Aunt Amy remembered the flowers, and let my girls give them to CJ. Afterwards we all went out to IHOP.

 

Saturday, T-rex and I got the America tree up in the dining room.  This is our 2nd tree in the house on which we hang our onaments from historical places, or patriotic themes.  We may actually have to find a bigger tree soon because this one is filling up. Our big tree still needs ornaments, but has the lights (thank you Brian).

 

 

Cheesie has apparently always wanted to make a gingerbread house..... which is not my kind of "thing."  I pictured this sugar laden cookie sitting on a sideboard with ants crawling all over it.  One of my friends has assured me that it isn't a problem, so I bought a kit for her to try out.

 

 

Don't let the happy face fool you.  She thought she had the cookie parts all put together and then moved a can holding it up and disaster struck. Both sidewalls collapsed, broke into pieces, and the tears flowed for awhile.  Thank goodness I could fix everything with frosting. Once we let it sit for awhile she was ready to finish it. 

 

 

Another accomplisment for the weekend was all of the outside lights are now strung on the bushes or trees.

 

 

Brian worked for a long time, with the help of Blondie and Cheesie to get them in front of the house, and up our Bradford pear tree.

 

It also included the garland around the front door. 

 

Coming up this week:  SOMEONE'S 16th birthday, and a church retreat for her, and hopefully more working on ceilings and Christmas ornaments.