It's beginning to look alot like...

I'm going to actually be ready for Christmas AHEAD of time this year! Woo hoo! Not that I am that Christmas Eve/last-possible-hour-that-the-mall-is-open-shopper, but I usually am not done with my shopping the first week of December. That is a glorious feeling. I'm sure I'll end up lending a shopping hand to Pete so he can finish up in a timely manner but that doesnt count-I was done first!

We decorated the house this weekend and I am SO BUMMED that I cant post pictures of it cuz it looks darn good to me. Pete picked out the tree on Saturday and did a great job! We were turned on to Frasier Fur trees by our family, the Macaulay's,a couple of years back and havent considered getting another kind since. This kind of evergreen has very soft needles (unless you dont water it at all like we did last year, then they get a bit stiff) and smells WONDERFUL. Of course I have a million candles out around the house but with this tree I wouldnt even need them-its gentle pine tree scent fills the main floor and I just smile to myself-I love it. Every water-me-everyday-and-vacuum-up-needles-every-day-for-a-month-and-a-half-and-try-to-keep-the-kitties-from-breaking-bulbs-and-batting-off-the-pinecone-ornaments minute of it. That is all part of the fun at Christmas and even though we have talked about getting a fake tree-I just cant bring myself to do it. I love the hassle of all of it-it just wouldnt be Christmas without it.

(I will hopefully be able to post pictures again soon. We have a different computer hooked up currently while Pete works on a side project. But my Christmas card list is also on the other computer so Pete is going to do a switcheroo for a night while I retrieve my list...I'll try to sneak in a picture or two!)

Grayson enjoyed watching us decorate on Saturday and even got into it a little yesterday and destroyed some ornament boxes. Most of the time he looked at the lights and laughed at me while I belted out songs I didnt quite know the words to. I look forward to future Christmases where he can help put ornaments on the tree and sing along. I tried to step back at each task this weekend and observe so the memory is burned in my mind. I got teary just thinking that some day I'll remember back on these memories and be sad that they are long gone. Does that even make sense?! Man, I think I am becoming more and more like my Mom everyday...crying over things that havent even happened yet. Love ya Mom!

We also watched Pete's favorite holiday movie (Love Actually) and drank hot cocoa. It was fun. That movie is growing on me. I didnt like it at first, even with Hugh Grant. But I slightly ignore one story line that isnt really tied up (!) and enjoy the rest of it. I am more traditional in my holiday movie preferences and we'll be enjoying those later on in the month. You'll have to tune back in to buurstra+buurstra to find out what they are...although if you know me at all you'll probably be able to guess!

I need to run and start my holiday cards...first one out goes to the Black's. Although I hear they arent willing to go to the post office to pick theirs up this year...jeez, Jeff! Dont be such a scrooge!!

Anyways, that's it for now. I had to get a quick update in for Jess-there is only so much harrassment I can take at the holiday season and trust me, I get enough at work.