Deck the halls with boughs of holly! Well fir, ok?

Len just relaxing at the market

Today is December 1st and in celebration of the reason for the season our little family will start the month with our annual tradition of decorating, eating, drinking, laughing, singing and following it all with a Christmas movie. Yes this will get us into the spirit! The kids have been begging me for the past week to decorate and put up the tree but I refused before December 1st. We just have too many other events in November and I just need one month at a time per event or celebration.

Yes we DELIVER!

Birthdays DONE Christmas COMING. The best part of decorating for Christmas is the big clean before you set up and the big clean after. I refuse to decorate the interior of the house without scrubbing it up first and if the little lovely's want to decorate they also get to scour it up! Seems like a win/win situation to me! That means that in a half hour the TV is off, vacuum out, dust bunnies inhaled, laundry switched, toilet scrubbed, spiders vamoosed, dishes washed AND put away - voila! Time to decorate!

Almond Bark
Loads of almonds
white or milk chocolate

Snowman Soup
Any woman or child gets that this
is hot chocolate, men, not so much!

We like to do it up and have fun, so we prep appies and get the eggnog out for the kids, pour a drink for Len and a glass of wine for mom. I always know it is time because we have stocked the liquor cabinet, no we don't drink a lot but we do like to have a little supply on hand for guests and variety in our life. This week we stocked up on meats, cheeses, crackers, fun supper food and lots of delights that will surely make us wish we hadn't eaten so much by the end of the night.

Reindeer Poop
(Not real!)
Chocolatey Raspberry lumps

Snowman Poop
Need I say, Not REAL?
Mini marshmallows

Now that the house is cleaned it's time to sort through decorations, see what survived since last year, what the mice got into and recall memories as they flash through our minds - when we got that bulb, who made that item, where we were that year, etc... Jess and I like to sing along to the tunes except that I like the classics or the '80's songs and she tends to lean to Justin Bieber and One Direction's Christmas versions, oh well, music is music, right?

Some rustic decor

6 hours of drying
the house smelled GREAT!

This past week I created items for the farm market - decorations to sell but with my usual "wise" thoughts, I only create items that I will enjoy if/when they don't sell. I had lots of fun making cinnamon applesauce gingerbread men, dried apples and oranges and stringing them together into wreaths, candle holders, garland and tree decorations. They are pretty, smell great and are rustic and earthy. They look pretty at my market table and will possibly look REALLY pretty on my tree! AND if the "poop" doesn't sell then the kids get stocking stuffers! 

3 fruit cakes, 11 cups fruit/raisins
1.5 cups almonds
1 cup Captain Morgan Rum

 I also realize this is the last year that we will all be together. Next year Rachel will be living in Vancouver and won't be able to come home for Christmas. It will just be Len, Jess and I and as much as that girl can make us crazy or wind us up, we will miss her desperately! I hope I don't cry all day on Christmas 2013! Poor Jess, being the youngest, she gets to look forward to the next 7 years with just her old parents... maybe Rachel will make it home the following year. I do know that my family and friends will take care of her and include her next year ....

She's moving out!

My lovely 11 year old

From our family to yours, have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Enjoy the season, spend time not just money and cherish each moment... even when you feel nuts!

Me and my girls on Jess' birthday
8 years since our last photo shoot
minimal photo shop