'Twas the Night before Christmas....

Not a creature was stirring.....except for me because it's 10 o'clock at night and well, Kyle fell asleep on the couch about 2hrs ago and I just sent him to bed. Oh and everytime I move Boomer has to reposition himself and then go back to sleep.
But besides that I'm still awake.
It's our first Christmas in our new home - and it SNOWED today!! It was so pretty, didn't really stick, but enough to see it sitting on the roof tops and on the grass.
Everything else is to be expected...
Christmas cards in the mail on Weds. Hopefully everyone will get them by New Years. {check}
Still haven't had a chance to mail out Dad and Sharon's Christmas present. ugh. Hopefully they will get it by New Years. {check}
Kyle and I made a deal with each other that we wouldn't buy each other presents and would instead buy a new refridgerator that we desperately need. Tonight he asked me, "you didn't buy me anything did you? Cause I didn't get you anything and I'm going to feel bad".
"Well", I said, "I can't help myself". I didn't expect him to, but I can't help it. I really think I have a problem with shopping. Or actually it's quite the opposite. I kept coming up with ideas or passing something in an aisle that I thought he would like. Now I feel bad.
Oh well! lol
Oh my gosh I DO have a Christmas Story!!
Ok, so we are sitting in the living room watching a movie - no it wasn't the Christmas Story or even the Griswold's...some Michael Douglass drama (but it was really pretty good) -
So we're in the living room and I keep hearing these sirens outside, sounds like they might be out on the highway. I can hear them, but can tell they are off in the distance. Figured that the roads were probably slick and there may have been an accident or maybe even a fire.
30mins or so later, I can hear them again and they are closer. I even said something to Kyle about "that can't be good".
Boomer is even a little freaked out by now.
So I don't know, another 30mins go by and the sirens are there again but even LOUDER - which means closer and closer - So I jumped up to run to the front door and all I could see was Red shining through the front door - Oh my God - whatever it is, is right outside!
As I opened the door, I was deafened by the sirens - took me a second or two to focus in the dark through the red lights......
It was SANTA CLAUS sitting on top of a fire truck driving up and down the streets of our neighborhood!!!!
By that time, it woke Kyle up and he came stumbing to the door, not sure what was happening. I was so excited and was trying to get him to come outside. When he realized what woke him up and why I was jumping up and down - he was not amused.
I'm sure there will be some comment tomorrow about how our property taxes pays for the Fire Dept to drive around all night....oh well, made my night!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

It snowed!!...for a whole 5 minutes...

It's that time of year!!

Although I tend to spend all of my Christmas shopping money on the Christmas decorations....after the tree, the lights, the decorations for the tree, the stockings, the stocking hanger (now that we have a fire place and mantle), Christmas cards (that I promised myself I will fill out AND get them in the mail this year)...whew....

Growing up we have always had a real tree, they smell so good and I think they are just prettier.

So we went Tree hunting on Saturday...went to a nursery as opposed to the grocery store where we got one last year. Kyle knows the owner....lets be honest, who doesn't he know??

Picked out a great tree! It was leaning a little on the lot, but figured it was just how it was in the stand. Bought the tree, bought the special tree stand from the lot and we were off!

Took us about an hour to get the tree set up....the nursery drills a hole in the bottom of the trunk and there is a spike in the stand that the tree sits on. So it wasn't the stand that was making the tree lean...it was the hole drilled in the tree!

After Kyle got a mallet and some shims (?) to straighten out the tree, I filled the stand with water. After putting a pitcher full of water in the stand, I noticed a slow leak! I guess after we banged and twisted the tree and the stand, we damaged the stand and now it won't hold water.

After digging around in the garage I found some caulk and a caulking gun and then soaked up the water out of the stand so we could caulk our tree stand.

Everyone having fun yet?!?!? It was an all day event.

But finished decorating it today and filled the stand up with water and so far so good, Boomer even curled up underneath it...too bad I didn't have the camera ready.

Next week outside lights!! We were going to do it this weekend...but the tree wore us out and I didn't have the heart to ask Kyle to do anything else!

Wish us luck!!