Not being antisocial

I apologize, I'm not being anti-social, I'm just very BUSY (and happy) doing all the Christmas prep stuff.

Cards... sent

Gifts.... bought and wrapped MOSTLY, (except homemade additions...see below)

Decorating.... done in the house, but the outside lights are still in the box in the garage...

Baking.... HAS to be this week because I am doing a baking swap with a friend on Saturday!

Crafts... I am doing up gift baskets for the Grandparents this year. Almost done.

T and my parents are so hard to buy for but I want them to have something special for all the love and geerosity that they show our kids all year. As you know I had a fun time canning this summer, so each basket will have a couple preserves made by ME. Also a couple ornaments painted by the boys (see below), a school portrait of each boy (it has been years since I have bought these so they are long overdue), also some cookies that I have yet to make, and to round it out... a Christmas scratch ticket for fun. I hope they enjoy getting them as much as I am enjoying making them.


Here is Cami helping me with baking ornaments for the grandparent gift baskets (I got the recipe from Simple Dollar)... Cami helped mix, kneed roll, cut out and paint the ornaments too! What a crafty Santa's little helper he is!

The all-important Christmas tree hunt was this Friday afternoon!!! We loaded into the truck and went to the Christmas Tree Farm and tromped far a field to find the perfect spruce....

With our target chosen and chopped, my strong husband carried it through the fog, past miniature perfect trees back to the truck.

Back home, the tree fulfilled it's purpose and was adorned with glittery lights and many year's worth of happy festive memories and ornaments.

I love the trinkets! There are home made ones from friends and family, ones that came from my family tree as a kid, ones that were given to us to commemerate special times, etc. They all have a memory attached and it makes me all warm and fuzzy putting them out every year.

Now if only I can get some billable work done!!!

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Cami won a raffle gift basket full of toys last week! On his own, he went through the basket and selected some things for himself, some things to give his brother, and asked me to share the rest with other kids that need toys for Christmas!  I am so proud of him! I packed them up and took them to our local Boys and Girls Club, they were tickled pink.

Also, 3 more boxes of gently used items left my home and went to charity this weekend and I gave my sister a jacket that I don't wear. Small victories on the chaos of stuff!