And the Yuletide begins

With Thanksgiving safely behind us, I am now beginning to prepare for Christmas. Now that the children are grown, my Christmas shopping duties have dwindled quite a bit. Taking a tip from a fellow blogger, I will attempt to do most of my shopping via the internet (and a glass of wine).

I will begin my cookie baking marathon shortly - I'll even invite the neighbor's kids to help...Time to start some new traditions in my new house!

Allison and her friends arrive on Dec. 8 - my goal is to have the tree up and decorated by then. Considering we always get a real tree, this will be quite a fete! Decorating the outside of the house will be a snap as there are no bushes or trees to put lights on! Mr. Wonderful just has to decorate and hang the giant wreath and "voila" - DONE!

Unlike some other bloggers who have chosen to complete their Christmas 'chores' before Thanksgiving, I am going to thoroughly enjoy every aspect of Christmas this year and I am going to do it starting NOW!

Did I mention we are even going to sneak in a trip to Disney? Guga and Papa have decided we must be there to experience Ava's first trip (just as we were there for Ally's). We will meet the kids there right after Allison (and crew) leaves.

Oh yeah, I am really going to enjoy this season...

Ta-Da!

This is what it used to look like.


This is what it looks like now.

I think it was worth the wait.

Note to self, "Tell Mr. Wonderful he was right..." - Oh yeah, like that is going to happen anytime soon!

Thanksgiving, already?

I have barely cleared the dishes since the Christening and I am starting to prepare Thanksgiving Dinner!! There is something wrong with this picture! The only up-side to the whole thing is MY HOUSE IS STILL CLEAN!!! - Hey, Wait, that's Mr. Wonderful's job!@##! - There is no up-side!

God Bless Ava

What a wonderful day! Good Food, Good Drink, Wonderful Company - AND NO ORIGINAL SIN!

Ah, yes...

While I am TOO thrilled with all the wonderful improvements in my house, I am also tired of coming home to a construction site everyday. Whereas the outside is near completion (except for the landscaping which will wait until Spring), the inside has taken on a new look too! I have been assured that all will be complete in time for Sunday's gala - and although I have my doubts, I am choosing to believe my Mr. Wonderful and respond to his assurances with a simple smile - all the while thinking.... to be sitting in my comfortable chair, relaxing in front of a roaring fire, ah yes, I remember it well...

Under the Gun

I guess men like to work under pressure. Mr. Wonderful decided TODAY that it is a good time to change all the inside doors in my house - TODAY???? The Christening is Sunday!! This morning, at work, I get a phone call asking, "What kind of doorknobs do you want for the new doors?" TODAY???? I JUST CLEANED THAT WHOLE HOUSE AND NOW YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE ANOTHER MESS????? (Of course I said that all to myself) - In reality I said, "Honey, I will go after work and pick out the doorknobs and bring them home this evening."

The Big City

Had a wonderful, though exhausting, day yesterday. A change in plans put me in Manhattan with my daughter; my granddaughter, Ally; and her best friend, Olivia. We took the girls to an authentic Italian Panini Place for lunch (I am ruined for life, can never eat Paninis on Long Island again) - oh yeah, they shared a plate of linguine with pomodoro sauce. Trish and I also indulged in some of the best wine I've tasted in years. Then it was off to Carnegie Hall to see a Dan Zanes (who?) concert. The surprise guest was Natalie Merchant (that name I recognized). The girls had a ball, dancing in the aisles, clapping their hands, singing along... I was still savoring lunch! The girls were so well behaved, we treated them to a trip to FAO Schwartz where they danced on the giant piano (ala the movie, "BIG"). Trish bought a disposable camera to take pictures - those two are such hams! I bought them each a Raggedy Ann and Andy doll to commemorate our fantastic Halloween and then it was off to dinner - highly uneventful compared to lunch). We drove two sleeping beauties back to their haven on Long Island, leaving all the hustle and bustle of the city behind us. I was in bed before Trish got down the block! I am looking forward to going back to the city after all the decorations are in place...

A Job Well Done

Now that I look at my hutch and see the beautifully shining crystal glasses, I can truly appreciate the beauty inside. Hard to believe that just hours ago I was cursing under my breath as I took each piece of stemware out (and boy, in 29 years of marriage, I have accumulated a lot of stemware!) and hand washed it, laying each piece on a heavy turkish towel to air dry without water spots. Then I carried each piece back into the dining room, carefully placing them on the diningroom table as I spritzed each mirror and glass door in said hutch and polished it to the shine that my mother would be proud of. Oh, how I pondered over placement of these items, to make them visually appealing, yet easy to maneuver - WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?@#$!#$

A Christening

We are now getting ready for a Christening. Ava Brooke will be Baptized this month and Uncle Bobby and Aunt Allison will be the proud God-Parents. There will be a small gathering for lunch afterwards at Guga and Papa's house. YEAH!! A Party! (be that a teeny tiny party).

I told a white lie to my contractors - I told them the Christening was Nov. 12. In reality, it is the 19th. Do you think God will let me slide on this one?? I figure I need at least a week to CLEAN this house!!!