Thanksgiving is over, and it's time to get the Christmas decorations out...{gulp}

Well, today is the day. The Christmas decorations are coming out…A day that is a mix of anticipation and dread…

It used to be without the dread, but the older I get, the more decorating has become work instead of joy. It’s an ugly process, but I do enjoy the final result.

…but it takes a couple of days for me to get to that point.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving week. We got to host our niece, her husband and their two boys…Yes, those smart and adorable boys we had fun with when we visited Spokane. Even more fun to have them here, and greet us every morning!

Hudson & Carter

And Jess was home! Well, kinda…Since his stuff is occupying one bedroom, and our guests were occupying the others, we greeted him with a “So glad to see you!” and “Here’s your air mattress. You’re staying at Caitlin’s…” Nonetheless, we got to see a lot of him, which was wonderful. He’s in that awkward transition phase right now – going from insanely busy to not knowing what you are going to do next – but it was great to see him free of constant pressures.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving gathering with the Honcoop’s: the usual good food, good visiting, and precious little kids. Great Grandma got the old Marble Game out, and now the next generation was mesmerized by it.

Marble Game: The Next Generation

I did not join the throngs of shoppers on Black Friday, but still got a migraine, and spent the day on the couch. Fortunately, the media cooperated with my need for entertainment and broadcast the Lynden Lions semi-final football game for my viewing pleasure…And since they dominated, and won handily, it was just the right kind of entertainment!

Thank you, Root Sports...

The rest of the weekend was spent in recuperation and consumption of leftovers – and everyone headed back to normal life by Sunday night.

Monday, The Farmer headed east of the mountains for a week of meetings, and Daisie and I are here alone…Which is perfect for decorating and shopping and crafting, and watching NCIS re-runs at any time of the day.

And now it is the fateful day: the snowmen and Santa’s and all manner of glass balls and snowflakes and garlands and angels come out of hiding…But first I have to crawl into the depths of the under-the-stairs closet, stand on my head and find them…

Can’t wait.

If you don’t hear from me for a few days, direct the rescue team to the under-the-stairs closet…