Happy, Happy Christmas

I'm sure we're not the only ones who feel like we could settle in for a long winter's nap after the excitement of yesterday's Christmas festivities.

We had an amazing time with family, and even Wicket spent all day playing with her "canine cousins" Daisy and Muffin.  Needless to say - all three of us are completely wiped out.

Today I was able to spend time with my sister who is home from college for break and I'm looking forward to seeing her again on Wednesday before she heads out again.  Otherwise we anticipate fully utilizing Richard's time off from school to work on house projects and get started on the basement, so wish us luck.  The pantry project has begun, and I certainly hope that by this time tomorrow I'll be safely stowing our food away and off the kitchen counter.

And Winter Break Begins!

Today was the last day of school before winter break which means there's one prominent feeling in the air around our house: relief.

Aside from some last minute shopping we plan to get done tomorrow morning we're looking forward to some lovely downtime.  Our breezy tomorrow will also consist of some dog sitting for a friend, and we can't wait for Buddy to come over - he and Wicket always have a grand time playing together.  And when tomorrow is said and done we're just looking forward to spending the holidays with our friends and families and giving numerous house tours to out of town visitors.

There really aren't any photos to share from the past weekend as we spent most of the time doing little projects around the house like hanging shelves and organizing kitchen cabinets.  We did get started on the kitchen pantry, but it still has a few steps before our food can reside there.  All in all this home feels more and more like our home with every passing day.

After some much needed rest today I'm now feeling a bit on the restless side so I'm listening to some holiday music and tackling some paperwork and general tidying up at my desk until its time for bed... which isn't as far off as I think it is.

speaking of christmas...

It is usually around this time of year when the stores seem to skip right over Halloween and Thanksgiving to put up Christmas trees and stock.  Which is to say that this is when I'm generally rolling my eyes a lot.  But this year?  It's somehow different.  I'm trying to get a head start on Christmas presents this year because I'm afraid with everything else going on this year I won't be able to finish everything otherwise.

The checkout ladies at JoAnn Fabrics look at me like I'm crazy when I hand them a coupon for my single $1 item, but every little bit of savings means I can stretch our Christmas budget even further.  So I'm going to take full advantage of their coupon commotion promotion this week to get the last (hopefully) of the supplies for all our presents this year.

A few weekends ago Beth, Sara and I talked about reinstating Crafternoon where we get together at each other's homes and spend the afternoon making things and chatting.  Beth has already scheduled the first one for next Sunday at her place and I can't wait!  I only hope I have a portable project ready to take with me, and that Richard won't mind me leaving him behind at home.