Finishing Touches

Well, the gifts are all wrapped and under the tree. I heard this morning that Grace finally received her Christmas package that I mailed the week before Thanksgiving. All the decorating that's going to happen is done. Still not a single cookie to speak of, but there's plenty of time for that. I say, "Let the festivities begin".
 David is driving home from an interview in Philadelphia today  and my Dad should arrive on Monday. Everything is falling into place and that's just the way I like it. I decided to display my nutcracker collection this year. The poor guys have been stuck down in the creepy basement since we moved to Louisville. I  know that some people think nutcrackers are stupid and scary looking, but I've had most of mine since David was a soldier in his third grade performance of the Nutcracker.  They remind me of the "good old days". I put most of them in the guest bedroom and bathroom upstairs. My brother in law Don stayed with us the other night and he didn't seem to be too bothered by them. We moved the spinning wheel out of the craft room/Grace's old room and moved in a wee little twin bed. David gets to sleep in there this year instead of on an air mattress in the piano room. I think the accommodations are lovey, but he's been staying in some pretty "fancy" hotels lately, so he might think otherwise. We found his favorite old stuffed polar bear from when he was about 3 years old. A good washing and he looks like new. Sweet and cozy. I wish that one of Santa's elves would come and clean my bathrooms and mop my floors, but I'm guessing that I'll be doing that tomorrow.  I hope you all are enjoying the season as much as I am.
Sally

A Winter Walk

These darn FitBits. The other night Alan needed to get a few more steps in before plopping down in his favorite chair to watch TV. He's participating in a fitness challenge at work and didn't want to let his team down. We decided to walk over to the little park near our house and check out the Holiday Lights. It really is festive. I personally think the giant snowman is a little creepy, and I'm sure Maggie had no idea what to think of it. I wish I had a better camera, but you get the idea. Our understanding is that there is one man who sets them up every year. This year they went up before Halloween, which really made me crazy. They didn't actually turn them on until after Thanksgiving, but still... I guess if it's just one guy doing all the work he has to start early. Alan thinks they got put up early this year so that the guy to head on down to Florida for the winter. I'll let you know how long they stay up. If they are still there at Easter, he might just be right.
Sally

Are You Ready?

Whether or not, here comes Christmas. I feel like I should use "weather" instead of "whether". The snow we had in November has come and gone and now it's just kind of chilly here in Louisville. Honestly, the lack of snow is just fine with me.  A light dusting around the 24th would be just lovely, but otherwise, I'm good.  Alan and I went down to Memphis for Thanksgiving to visit with his mother and some of his siblings. It was a great trip, but it  put me a bit behind with Christmas preparations. We got the house decorated last weekend and finished our shopping yesterday. I finally feel like I can just sit back and enjoy it all. Isn't that the best? Just snuggling up on the couch listening to carols, or watching favorite movies while your beautiful Christmas tree sparkles in the background. I love it. I hope you are able to relax and just enjoy the next week or so to the fullest. It's always the small things that make the season special. I'm trying extra hard this year to pay attention to them. What's making me smile right now is the too cute wrapping paper that I found at Target with adorable knitted hats, sweaters, scarves and mittens all over it. I'm also quite fond of the cardinal pillow also found at Target and the forest friends platter and mini bowls that I picked up at Kroger. See, the little things. I've been filling that platter with those little hotdog/bacon bites I gave you the recipe for a while back. That's what I'm taking to every holiday party I've been invited to this year. Everyone seems to enjoy them and no leftovers makes the clean up even faster. I haven't made any cookies yet, which feels a little weird. I guess I should bake some to take to our neighbors  and have on hand when David and my Dad arrive. I will have to get right on that...
Sally