CHRISTMAS HUSTLE!

Well, Pat and I went out to get a Christmas tree on December 2, 2009.  We went to Whispering Pines to the NE of here.  I've ALWAYS wanted to go there, but for whatever reason, we always just stuck to the Christmas tree farms around home....but this year I finally talked Pat into making the big trip!  We had pretty good luck.  I found this "OOMPAH-LOOMPAH" tree first...

After this, we headed for our intended target, the Balsam Fir lots.  The trees were not as deep and dark green as I wanted.  So I scampered over to the next lot which held the Frasier Firs.  The Frasiers had MUCH better color, but the branches were shorter and weaker as a whole...but then...just as I was about to give up, I saw THIS:

Yes, I'm pretty sure I heard a choir of angels singing when I found this tree.  It was a great color, had a great shape and we wouldn't have to cut half of it off for it to fit in the house.  So we definitely had a winner!

As you can see I take my Christmas tree hunting very seriously!  My darling hubby cut that monster down for me, while I was supposed to be holding it and pushing it away from him so it wouldn't fall on him.  So you can see my "please don't fall on Pat!" face above, as well as my final hug to our tree for fulfilling it's Christmas destiny and letting me cut it down to bring it home.  LOL  Not to worry...I have beautified it very much.  I have a pic from when I put the lights on....

Love this tree with all my heart! It's now decorated with ornaments from many years and a grapevine/berry star and a bright red bow!  There was a tree I got a couple years ago, that actually tipped over a couple times before Christmas...I wanted to throw that tree out and get a new one, but no one would let me!

December 9, our first snow storm.  "Allison".  She left 17" of snow in her wake.  We went from having no snow at all, to a complete white out!

Here's the view from my bedroom window during the storm...

December 11, MN Amy came out to visit me for the day!  We had shopping and a trip to the Botanical Gardens light display on our minds, as well as meeting up with Ali at Olive Garden for dinner later on.  So we headed out into the cold with her mighty Sport Track, and braved the below zero wind chills.  Here are some pics from the Botanical Gardens...

These are the awesome purple daisies and sunflowers you see when you first walk in the gardens...

                                     

This was the Caterpillar vortex you walk through...SO COOL! All LED lights!

One of the many butterflies...

This is my favorite place in the garden.  A gazebo with stars cut out of the copper dome on the top!  It doesn't show up well in the picture, but it's there, believe me!

This is Amy and I in front of the gazebo!

Back into the heart of the caterpillar!

One last pic of Amy and I before leaving the gardens! 

Now my days are filled with Christmas tree set up, deocorating, and bow making.  Christms card writing and Christmas shopping.  Thank God for online shopping (and BING!)!  Can't wait til all the gifts are in the house and I can begin wrapping them!  Woot!  I hope everyone has a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a wonderful New Year!

FA-LA-LA-LA...??? AUGH.

So Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Another successful holiday where I stuff myself until I'm insanely full and pledge to "never eat again"....but then I get a craving and that all goes out the window! My deep dish pies were awesome!  Which was a relief since I really thought my pumpkin pies were not "up to snuff".  I don't know what happened to them...the crust turned dark and the filling just wasn't "right".  But no one died after eating them, so I guess all was good!
Sad part is, no one went to see Gram that day...so Sunday, dad brought Gram home and Scott made a beef roast and a ham with all the trimmings...it was like Thanksgiving again without the turkey.  But everything was soooo good!  I helped Gram write out almost all of her Christmas cards and it seemed to brighten her spirits a little.  Which is good, because she was feeling really sad.  I'm sure just "knowing" she had to "GO BACK THERE" was enough to make the experience bittersweet.  But once she started talking and telling stories she was in a good mood.  She even sat and watched the Viking game with us for awhile! Dad finally took her back around 6. 
I'm hoping we will bring her home Christmas Day as well.  She belongs at home for those days.  This past Saturday, was her Christmas party at SC, but I had a seizure (broke my 7 week, 2 day streak) so I couldn't go. Mom, Tina and Alice went.  The meal was to be served at 11:30am.  But mom and the gang got there at 11:15 and Gram was in her room and was already finished eating...WTF? Ok.... She was all dressed up in her Christmas sweater and she was saying..."I thought there was a party? Where's the party?"  So after a few hours mom and the gang left and all they saw was a long line to the dining room.  The next day I talked to a friend who also went to the party and apparently there was more stuff going on later in the afternoon.  There was musical entertainment so I really hope Gram got out to see that!  I also wish I would have gone....even if I was tired...I could have laid on her bed, pretty much the same way I did here at home...the only difference would have to have been that Pat would have had to wake me up sooner...he woke me up after 11 and asked if I was hungry...hell, I was barely COHERENT, let alone HUNGRY...but I did get up and he carried my pillows and blanket to the couch while I stumbled behind him...and he made a pizza and served it to me couch-side with a glass of soda...he even got me a refill :0) 
So today, mom and I put the Christmas decorations up outside.  It's been so hard for me to find my Christmas spirit this year...I haven't bought ONE Christmas gift yet, I have to wait until I get my check which isn't until December 23.  Nothing like waiting til the last minute, but really, I have no choice at this point.  But I made an executive decision that this week, every day, I will do something Christmas-themed.  Much like putting up the outside decor today (which was a bummer to find out all my trees were broken, so we are down to the lighted juniper bush, a lighted snowman, and 6 lighted candy canes...clearance sales in January, here I come!), each day will involve something to do with Christmas.  Tomorrow I plan to put the tree up in the house...the fine specimen of a Balsam/Frasier Fir that Pat and I hunted down last Monday at Whispering Pines.  VERY nice place! Will definitely go there again!  But, Pat had to give the tree stand to Kyle tonight to fix, as the stud in the bottom broke off, so Kyle is going to weld on a new one...crap...I should have had him weld the legs on too...it's a pain that they fall out every time you pull the tree out of the corner to water it...*sigh*...maybe I can still get that done.  MENTAL NOTE: LEGS FOR XMAS TREE.
Ok. 
The only other "set:" event for the week so far is Friday, when MN Amy comes to visit!  I cannot wait!  She was messaging me pictures from the Holidazzle Parade in MN tonight! I LOVE TECHNOLOGY!  Although I most likely will have to wait until next year to witness that for myself, we have plans to shop, walk through the GB Botanical Gardens light display (this will be my first time!) and finally meeting up with Tina and Ali at night for dinner at the Olive Garden....a spectacular day we have planned and I cannot wait for it to get here!
I still have to get going on my Weetabix Christmas Card exchange...All I can really do is get the "get to know you" forms printed for inside the cards, as the ones I have ordered haven't come yet...but I called and checked and they will be on their way shortly! I got my Lang Christmas Cards which are gorgeous, no doubt!  I can't wait to start sending!  But first I have to track down a few more addresses before I can make that happen.  That sounds like a good Monday night/Tuesday event. 
Tuesday night will be excellent...A Charlie Brown Christmas will be on, only after being pre-empted by the Pres and his speech last week.  After ACBC comes the new holiday series, Disney's Prep &  Landing...it looks REALLY GOOD! I can't wait to see it! I'm a huge fan of holiday cartoons and I think this will be going onto my favorite list as well.
Well, It's 11:56pm and my laptop battery is dead...I must go for now...pics added later.
Angi...out.