I guess I really ought to update huh?

Well, like everyone else (except my sister DomestiCat who’s having her bathrooms remodeled!) we have been trying to get the house decorated. You’ve seen the tree, but we’ve also decorated the house outside

It looks alot prettier without the flash washing out the lights. *sigh* We had to wait though, to decorate outside because the porch roof edge had to be repaired and I know it was worrying Dennis. But once he decides to do something it gets done and it came out professionally gorgeous!! Just to remind you, it looked like this

and this once the boards were down.

But Dennis replaced all the rotted wood and even made the corner look great!

So that was one more major project behind us and we were able to get the Christmas lights up:) Yay! Oh! That reminds me, we even stumbled onto a half off all Christmas stuff sale at Lowe’s yesterday and I got Santa and Mrs Claus animated figures!! I just LOVE them! They stand about 3 feet tall each and are perfect in front of the tree and we got them for only $15 each!! What a deal!

We have also decorated the cookies (well, if truth be told, Dennis decorated outside and I decorated the cookies! But we did cheer each other on! lol)

This was my first time decorating Christmas cookies with something else besides sprinkles and I was actually quite tickled pink at the results:)

I am in my usual race to the finish line with the poinsettias…can I make it to Christmas before they all lose their leaves and croak on me? It’s neck and neck right now folks!   We did finish all our Christmas shopping yesterday! And the wrapping is even almost done! I have done the bulk of it this year. I haven’t wrapped a Christmas present for about 3 or 4 years around here. Dennis has always done it to take the pressure off of me (since I was busy losing my mind to menopause and 3 wandering kids! Sorry if that’s too much information! lol) But this year we are enjoying the season and I have pitched in quite a bit. We need to get the house ready a couple of days ahead of time this year because we have to leave on Friday afternoon to drive a 2000 mile round trip to pick up the boys. We don’t stop since there are two of us driving so we will be home around midnight Saturday. That’s actually not bad because we will wake up here on Christmas Eve so it will only be one day of listening to the kids whine to open presents! lol.

So what else has been happening around here. Let me think…Oh Yes!! Steven has been working for a whole week with no end in sight!!! Wooohooo Baby!!! He actually LIKES his job!! It’s only making pizzas at Pizza Hut but he’s working and making money and not in a depression. Plus he knows this is just to get him on his feet. Oh!! And pick me up off the floor…yesterday he asked hubby and me if he took classes at a college or VoTech and he got A’s and B’s, would we pay for his tuition and books? WOW! We never in a million years thought we’d hear that from this boy!! We told him that’s definitely negotiable! WOW!

I’m guessing that the few months spent with his brother and his wife made him realize how he doesn’t want to live! lol. I got to see the "palace living" this weekend when we brought down their Christmas gifts. Well, we would have mailed those, but we used it as an excuse to get Steven’s stuff out of there. There’s a long long story I don’t know if anyone’s interested in hearing going on so I won’t bore you all. But big brother and bitch wife were definitely using this kid and are all pissed off to high heaven that we moved Steven back here. Dennis was amazing in keeping the peace because this was a situation that could have really gotten blown out of proportion and made life miserable for all involved.  It was not easy though. Both big brother and bitch wife (did I mention this broad’s a bitch? lol) are both hotheads and Dennis had to get pushy sometimes and persuasive other times and stay in the middle being dad to both boys. He was even dealing with the bitch’s father who himself admits his daughter has a mouth on her and loves to inflame situations.

So anyway, Steven is home, employed, feeling good about himself and thinking about school! WOW! (Did I say that already? LOL!) Alysia is graduating college this year and is in love with a wonderful young man, Stephanie is a happy mom despite being only 18 and the boys are coming up for Christmas. Life is pretty damn good even if we are broke and worn out from fixing the house and stressing about the move and the jobs and everything else that goes with relocating.

Yup, it’s just a Christmas kinda feeling around here lately! Hope everyone else is feeling it too!