Thanksgiving Week Daily Check-In

[LittleDudesMom]

The Official start of the 2013 holiday season has begun!

The kids and I worked on getting the tree up yesterday and it was a total mess! The tree is pretty big. It's always a little bit of a hassle to get it in out of storage and into place since it's so big. I've had the tree for about 7 years. Originally it was a pre-lit white light tree. A few years ago two of the strands blew with no way to repair. If you've had a quality pre-lit, you know those lights are on there to stay! easy child and I went shopping that year for a new tree but couldn't find one that was as real looking and big for a decent price. We made the decision to go with colored lights and just add them to the tree :christmaslights:.

*It worked and we enjoyed it for three years. Last year, on Christmas morning, half the tree went dark (and I had family in town) and we couldn't find the problem. So from Christmas to New Year by tree was limping along. I was determined to buy a new tree this year. I went out shopping early and couldn't find one I liked as much as my old one (again). So easy child ad I decided that we could find the problem this year since it would be easier with all the ornaments off. No such luck….

We spend about an hour taking ALL the colored lights off the tree only to find one strand of 200 (yes, 200) had blown! So, with all the colored lights off, we went to work on the white. We decided to go out and get a few strands of white to fill in where the original was blown even though we wouldn't be able to duplicate the size of the lights (they are slightly larger than the minis you find).

So, it only took us about 4.5 hours to get the tree up, lit and into place with only the angel on top!! I have a dinner party Saturday night and wanted to get the whole house and exterior done before then…..we'll see if with working and cooking and shopping I will get the tree decorated, the house done, and the exterior complete -- it's a lofty goal but I'm going to strive for it (if it kills me!!!! ).

So, it's a new day and hopefully things will be smoother from here on out!!!!

Happy No Meltdown Monday.

Sharon

 

[SearchingForRainbows]

LDM,

Glad that you finally got the tree up, angel on top! It is progress! Love your attitude! With a great attitude like that, anything is possible! Keeping my fingers crossed you get everything on your to do list finished before your dinner party...

Saturday was a wonderful day! Our new front door was installed. No more knowing what the outside temp is like before stepping outside! Usually we don't put begin decorating until Thanksgiving but this year, I just had to put a wreath on our new door right away. I'm now in the holiday spirit... It's amazing what a new front door can do!

Going to refill my coffee cup. As always, hope everyone has a good day or at least one reason to smile... SFR

 

[tiredmommy]

Good morning.

LDM~ It sounds like you had a Clark Griswold" decorating day.

SFR~ I remember putting a wreath on my door... this time it was my freshly-painted-red door. Enjoy your new found warmth!

I also did some decorating but only because the timing made sense. I've been cleaning up the basement since the renovation is about 90% complete. We had a problem early on where the hvac guy had removed the furnace vent pipes from the chimney to vent outside but had not resealed the chimney before the workers on the second floor started to remove that section of the chimney with sledge hammers. Luckily, I was actually in the storage area when the thick dust and debris started pouring out of the vent holes but I couldn't stop them before most of the storage area was coated. I've been slowly cleaning that area and piling the stuff out in the finished area of the basement. Well, I figured I was wiping down boxes with Christmas decorations so I might as well sort and decorate. We still have our tree stuff and outdoor things to do, they'll wait until at least Friday this week.


Have a great day!

 

[KTMom91]

Good morning, ladies!

Hubby is feeling better, finally. We have all the Christmas decorations in their boxes stacked in the living room, but haven't gotten around to setting anything up yet. Miss KT and her hubby won't be home for Christmas after all; she got a new job and they won't give her the time off. I'm disappointed but I understand.

Celebrated birthdays all weekend-Saturday night at Red Lobster for mine and my mom's, and last night at mother in law's house for Son #2, K, sis in law, and me. It was fun to see the family since everyone has other plans for Thanksgiving. I made reservations at Marie Callender's for Thanksgiving dinner. mother in law and Son #1 will be joining us.

I have the week off from school, and I really have nothing planned except general cleaning and naps. Hope everyone has a great week!