It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

I can't believe it's almost that time of year!  Just a few days ago, a friend asked if everyone had finished their Christmas shopping.  My response:  Haven't even STARTED!  Nor had I even thought about it!  And then I realized that there's only about a month a half left.  So I've started my shopping.  Have one family member completely done, one person halfway done, and lots more people to think about! :)

  My mom is coming next weekend, and we will be decorating the house.  Yes, my house will be decorated for Christmas BEFORE Thanksgiving!  In my house growing up, we always went and got our Christmas Tree the weekend after Thanksgiving and we started decorating a little then and just did a little each day.  Since Jake and I have been married, we have done very little decorating, so I waited until December.  This year will be different for a few reasons.  Jake and I are having a Christmas party the first Saturday of December, so I knew I wanted it decorated for that.  And we will be gone the weekend of Thanksgiving, spending that holiday with Jake's family. And I like to get decorations up fairly early so we can enjoy them.  So next weekend made the most sense.  And I'm so glad my mom is coming to help!  Although she will probably never admit it, she has great decorating ideas!  She always has touches of Christmas in every room of the house, and I am hoping to at least attempt to copy some of her great ideas!

I went home to Mom & Dad's last weekend for Cleveland's Holiday Open House.  We had a great time. Two of Mom's sister's were also in town and we hit Paul Michael's on Saturday before the Open House Sat. night and Sunday.  For anyone who has never gone to a Paul Michaels (there's one is Arkansas, Louisiana, and 2 in Texas) you HAVE to go! I LOVE that place.  It is like a huge warehouse filled with home decor.  And for Christmas, they do it up BIG!!  Jake worries every time I go, he's afraid I'll wipe out our checking account and max out the credit cards.  And I could!  So between Paul Michaels's and the Open House, I've got all my ideas of what I want to do, and pretty much everything I need to do it with, if only next week would come!