This is the year...

... for purging. Hopefully.

After the long holiday break... Happy New Year y'all!!... we began with Christmas stuff. We have boxes and boxes and more boxes of Christmas decorations. Indoor, outdoor, all around the door-door decorations!

So, before packing it all away this year, we added more boxes to what we already had!! Not really, but it sure seemed that way. We bought some plastic storage boxes (red ones!) to reorganize and purge things as we went, and in the process managed to dispose of several cardboard boxes and stuff we no longer want or use. For the moment, everything has a place and is in its place on a designated shelf. We'll see how long that lasts!

Next up is the overflow linen closet downstairs. And the bedroom closets. And my dresser drawers. And the books... oh lordy, the books! The seniors home will have plenty of reading material this year!

I think I feel a headache coming on ...

That's it, I'm finished...

...I've done all I'm going to do. I've taped my last piece of paper, tied my last ribbon/bow, and written my last gift tag! Now all I have to do is pack my suitcase (again!) and get my butt ready to hit the road on Thursday for the long drive south.

But before I go, I want to wish you all a most happy, safe and very...

Sometimes...

... the stars just line up right.

Back in December I was doing a little after-Christmas shopping on Amazon and came across a really pretty 5-pc nativity set I liked, so I ordered it. I also ordered an additional 2 pieces to complete the set - an arch and a shepherd.

The next day I wanted to show my friend what it looked like so I pulled up my open order, clicked on the photo of the set and got the following message:

Looking for something? We're sorry. The Web address you entered is not a functioning page on our site Go to Amazon.com's Home Page

Hmmm, thought I, that's strange. Maybe I got the last one? (not likely, but I was reaching!) So now I'm feeling a skosh uneasy, but figured I'll just wait and see how things go.

Well, to make a long story short, I spent several weeks waiting for and then returning the partial order they sent. After much back and forth dialog with the Amazon supplier (Christmascentral.com) I ended up with no nativity set, the news that the 5-pc set is out of stock and no longer being manufactured, an apology, and a credit to my credit card. Well, poop!!

Since I already have a child's nativity, I wasn't really devastated but I was disappointed because this one was really cool - contemporary and unique. Oh well.

So, fast forward to this month. I'm putzing around on Amazon and decided to look at nativity sets again. Hello!! Staring back at me in the very first position of indoor nativities is the very same set I wanted in December!! The one that was out of stock and no longer being manufactured! Hmmmm, curiouser and curiouser, thought I. Sooooo...

Oh no, you din't!! Oh yes, I did!! I ordered it again. And don't you know that when I tried to look at the picture on my order the next day I got the same message as above? That was on April 24-25.

All righty then - this is getting old and I'm really not expecting to get this thing, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?? And I was having a slow week anyway. Well, lo and behold, on April 27 I get an email that my 5-pc nativity has shipped! Get outta here! Now I'm wondering what they're sending me cuz I'm just not believing that I'm really going to get THE set.

So now, I'm tracking the package on FedEx... it's in Buffalo, NY on the 27th; then it's in Syracuse, NY; then it's in Hagerstown, MD on the 28th... with delivery estimated on the 29!! I'm still leery, wondering what will arrive...

Ta Da!! Looky what I got today!!

Oh me of little faith!! Isn't it purty??
(and I don't care about extra pieces!)

Slowly, but surely...

... the Christmas decorations are coming down and making their way back into their respective storage boxes for another year.

In spite of the lists Lew made last year that itemize what each box held, the living room and downstairs are still an array of filled and partially-filled containers, along with numerous "where the hell does this go?" items. The lists have definitely made it easier, but still, 'tis a mess.

Back in the day, when all I could afford was an additional ornament for the tree each year, it was all a lot more mangageable. In succeeding years, however, I became one of those kind who had to add to our Christmas collection of decorations each year. (I'm especially fond of on-line after holiday sales.) This meant more containers to hold stuff in, which meant finding more room in the back basement to store said containers and... well, you get the idea. Things were getting out of hand... and, we were running out of room!

So, while we were at it this year, we decided we really needed to purge some of this stuff; outdated, unused or unusable, "where did this come from?" stuff. So far, we've managed to empty one whole container to donate, dispose of, or recycle. Things are getting rearranged as we go, which will, or course, necessitate new lists. It's a slow process, but we're getting there.

On the plus side, I've only added one after-Christmas sale item this year!

Now to find a place to tuck it away.

Wonderland, my a$$ !!

While the southern grandsons were beyond excited at the prospect of the coming snow, I was of a different mindset and hoped it would hold off long enough for everyone to arrive. Oh well, so much for my plans!!

It started out innocently enough...

but by the time it was over...

we had a lotttt of snow. Bah, humbug!

My brother and sis-n-law started out early Saturday morning but had to turn back by the time they reached the NC/VA border. He's a retired truck driver so I figured if he couldn't make it, we wouldn't be seeing #1 granddaughter on this visit. Ha!! I temporarily lost my senses and forgot how headstrong and determined my baby girl can be!

Fifteen hours (!!) and 22 inches later, her car was safely parked in our driveway and she was snuggled in a warm, cozy bed, catching up on some much needed sleep.


The boys had fun pelting each other with snowballs...

we stayed warm (in front of a balky fire) watching Christmas movies together (Christmas Carol and Polar Express)...

and Zoey claimed her spot on the bed, away from all the hubbub.


In spite of all the snow...


we had a wonderful early Christmas, and everyone got back home safe and sound.


Only then did I really appreciate the winter wonderland beauty of our snowy weekend.

Warmest wishes for a very...

Ready and waiting...

The outside is done:









The tree is done...


complete with train...


and my mom's ornament in its place of honor at the tippy-top.


The rest of the upstairs is done:







And the downstairs is done:






with new, whimsical addition, a Charlie Brown tree! :)


The cookies are baked, the fudge and pretzel turtles are made, and the cleaning ladies left us with a spic and span house. All that's gonna be done, with the small exception of a rum cake tomorrow, is done!

The only thing left is to wait for all the bodies to get here before an expected winter storm does. Erg! Part of the southern gang will arrive at o'dark thirty tonight and the rest will show up on Saturday, all safe and sound and hopefully, sans snow!

Lots of cookies...

Back in the day, when there was a little kid needing to fix Santa Claus his midnight snack, shaped and decorated sugar cookies were an annual tradition around our house at Christmas time. I'd gather up all the paraphernalia we needed -- cookie cutters, candy sprinkles, colored sugars, Karo syrup, cheap little paint brushes, etc. -- and we'd make a night of it.

Nowadays, my little kid is far from little and is off making his own, so sugar cookies don't get baked here anymore. Neither Lew nor I need the extra calories and quite frankly, I just can't be bothered. I was never too good at it anyway and only made them because my little guy liked them. I've never really mastered the art of rolling out cookie dough and usually overwork it, which ultimately ends up with cookies tasting like, in my humble opinion, sugared sawdust.

However, since that same kid and his family will be here to celebrate Christmas this year, I've been a cookie-baking fool the past couple of days... none of which needed rolling out!

Chocolate chip and snickerdoodles...

butter cookies rolled in colored sugar,
my one concession to decorated sugar cookies!

'Course I had to sample them to make sure they'd be fit for human consumption and I declare them all right tasty, even if I do say so myself! ;)

Wishing you all a very...

&

May you celebrate this beautiful season
with joy in your house,
peace in your world
and love in your heart!

Taking a little break, be back in a few... :)

Christmas trees from around the world...

As we put the finishing touches on our own Christmas preparations, I thought a peek at some international Christmas trees of 2008 would be fun. (Photos are from the NY Daily News site.)


Starting with our own National Christmas tree...

© Getty Images

The National Christmas Tree is a living tree located on the Ellipse near the White House. It is decorated and lit as part of a three-week holiday celebration. The design is unique each year.

Credits: Duenas/Getty
Bolivar square in Bogota, Columbia.

Credits: Omar/AP

Workers lower a star atop a giant Christmas tree near the Mohammad al-Amin Mosque in Beirut, Lebanon.

Credits: Malukas/Getty

Illumination in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Credits: Grant/AP

London's tree in Trafalgar Square is a gift from Norway, a tradition dating back to 1947.

Credits: Kostyukov/Getty

Some trees have been the backdrops for more political activities. In Moscow, the members of the Russian Communist party hold a rally to commemorate the date the Soviet or "Stalin" constitution of the Soviet Union was adopted in 1936.

Credits: Directo/Getty

Workers build a giant tree in the northern Philippines, where the Christmas season begins on December 16 with dawn masses and ends on the first week of January.

Credits: Cizek/Getty

Prague's tree sits in front of the Tyn Church at the Old Town Square.

Credits: Coffrini/Getty

The Swiss light their tree in Zurich in style.

Credits: DeCrow/AP

New York City's Rockefeller Center Christmas during the tree lighting ceremony.

Credits: Wong/Getty
The official White House Christmas tree stands in the Blue Room.

The official White House Christmas Tree is an 18 ½-foot tall Fraser fir presented by River Ridge Tree Farms in Crumpler, North Carolina. The tree is decorated with 369 ornaments hand-decorated by artists from around the country. Each ornament was specially designed to characterize the unique, patriotic spirit of the artist’s state, district, or territory.