Pre-Christmas festivities

So, we began the Christmas season per Jasen's idea of putting up outdoor lights. It goes without saying that this did not go smoothly, and Jasen reminded us all about how much he dislikes two story homes. :) So, many hours later, the lights were up, but the environment friendly christmas lights labeled "cool white" that Jasen bought in good conscience actually looked blue, and the red and green lights that I put up around the windows looked like they were done by someone who maybe had been doing some boozing recently. Ha! Regardles, we had a good laugh and it is safe to sat that we did NOT win best christmas decor in the neighborhood.

The tree decorating went much smoother. We all three helped decorate the tree, and Matt insisted that he just might be tall enough to put on the star....almost! Maybe next year! :) Roxy was scared of the christmas stuffed animals, and after barking at the bear repeatedly, she finally made a friend.

On December 20th we hosted our second annual Holiday Party! Although Jasen and I were a bit partied out from all of the wedding celebrations this year, we managed to pull together the event. It's amazing how these ideas sound simple, but turn out to be quite time consuming! I spent at least 10 hours baking cookies, plus grocery shopping and preparing half a dozen homemade appetizers. While I was doing all of this cooking, Jasen cleaned and arranged the whole house. It seemed to be a big hit though, and everyone looked like they had a great time! The chocolate fountain was quite popular again, and after the party I used the left over chocolate to make chocolate covered pretzels...one of my favorites!

Matt and I finished some last minute christmas shopping today, along with many other procrastinators who apparently like to write checks. Who does that? Anyway, I fly back to Illinois to see my family on the 26th, and although I will be very sad to leave Jay behind, I'm really looking forward to spending time with my family.

Happy Holidays!

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