Holiday Trimmings

Are you all feeling "Christmas-y" yet?? I LOVE Christmas! If you haven't done the "get to know your friends at Christmas" survey yet, see below. Lots of you replied to me personally with your answers, which was really cool to read!

I was able (miraculously) to get my tree and decorations up last weekend (after three round trips to storage ;) We made room for our regular sized tree (it's not huge, but my apartment is tiny, remember) And I even have our stockings hung from our wall mounted bookcase, with our nativity scene up on top. (maybe I'll put pictures up later, so check back)

I have been hearing lots of Christmas music at work, and a great local radio station has 24 hour Christmas music too, which is great! I love it!

I have done a few homemade gifts this year, but need to finish all of them yet. A couple is just finishing touches, but a couple others need some dedicated work, which is why I am on the computer, "playing". Pictures of those will have to wait until I am done and they have been received.

Actually, I finally got around to printing some pictures... I haven't printed any since we moved, or more acurately, since Gabriela's birthday (umm... that would be 9 months and counting). So there are a lot even when you print the best, but some will go to Brasil and a few may even be gifts ;)

Next week I am taking all of our friends' kids and doing a Christmas craft night while their parents are studying hard for finals. I'm excited. It should be fun, and I'm offering it as part of "repayment" for them watching Gabriela when Fares is in school a couple times a week. I made baking soda and cornstarch ornaments (super easy) that they will paint, and we'll make some bells out of egg cartons and the reindeers from candy canes AND clothespins. I hope to find a good kid movie and we'll have hot dogs for dinner... should be fun, but crazy as there are eight in total. But they are elementary aged, so easier than pre-schoolers ;)

Fares' birthday is next weekend, so hopefully I can get us away for a dinner and a movie alone. We have a couple of cheap movie theaters in town, which we have not tried out yet, but makes the idea of movie going a fun one (rather than dishing out a lot of dough for a little bit of entertainment).

Are you done with shopping yet? I would say I am mostly done. A few things left to get probably, plus we'll be doing some baked goodies too. I have some mini bread and bundt cake pans I'm excited to use this year.

Gabriela will also be doing some singing in Christmas programs this year, which is just fun and even more an indicator of how much she is a little girl now. The first will be tomorrow at the church she has pre-school at, then later on the preschool is doing a Christmas program. How fun.

Well, I best be off! Still lots to do before working late this evening. Happy Holidays y'all!!