Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Deckin' the Halls

I'm supposed to be cleaning the house right now - that was the reason I set my alarm so early. But, here I am - caught by the enticement of the computer, unable to resist catching up with you all. (And, hey, it's a lot quieter than the vacuum cleaner for the rest of my sleeping family).

On Sunday we purchased our Christmas trees. We've been going to Campbell Farms for nearly a decade now, very simple - LOTS of trees, and cheaper than practically any other place we've seen. (Especially for Nobles and Fraisers). Here's a few shots, you can tell it's nearly dark by the time we're done.


We've begun getting two trees each year - a small one for our "bonus room" (which is really just the other half of our kitchen), and a larger one for our living room. I grew up with every different kind of ornament put on the tree, making it very festive. However, when we got married, I wanted something a little thematic. So, I made salt-dough stars and painted red dots on them with fingernail polish (working with little money folks!), and they've been part of our "homespun" tree ever since. However, their numbers have diminished over the years with kids and dogs deciding to eat them along the way. Nowadays, we do both - the kids decorate the bonus room tree with all of the ornaments my parents have given us each year, and I tackle the living room tree.

This year, Brayden made a special contribution. He learned how to crochet from a boy in his class (the naughtiest bully of the grade, whodathunk?) - and since he does it around his fingers, the scarfs he creates are just a little too narrow. However, I thought it might be just perfect for a garland - and sure enough, with some crimson chenile yarn - it looked very sweet. Way to go, buddy!




=) Challenge Day One: The smiles I contributed came from filling out a comment card at Target for the harried cashier, lots of small talk with whoever I came in contact with (generally regarding my own goofiness), and letting a gentleman enter into the line of traffic who was clearly caught off guard by my willingness. It's kind of an addictive habit once you get going - I had a lot of fun yesterday.

As for John, he actually lost some sleep Sunday night thinking about his ideas. So, yesterday, he pulled the "Pay It Forward" at Starbucks by paying for the drink behind him as well as contributing some extra money so it could continue for a while if certain folks chose not to do it. While he didn't ask to be kept abreast of the results, I have a feeling the barista (who he's gotten to know well) will give him an update today as to how it went...

5 comments:

Growin' With It said...

hey girl, i do need to get on board with your challenge. and beverly...i love that woman!!! what a fabulous drive thru idea. she is one of my favorite peeps from oklahoma!!

okay, so you make me feel soooo much better that i decorate our tree and let the kids do their own.

and lastly....confession time...we have a fake tree. i KNOW, i live in oregon for cryin out loud. but we got it in okc and it has spoiled us ever since.

cute pix of your beautiful kids!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE that garland - that is so cool. Is Brayden taking orders??

So here's my confession: I am so worn out by the time I get the tree and put it in the stand (usually crooked) that I just let the kids put on the lights and all the decorations. It's sort of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree and I love it that way! (Picture this: ornaments clustered on the same branches, heavy ornaments pulling down small branches to the floor, all the ornaments stop at about 4 feet up the tree, etc....it's fun to see people look at it and try to respond politely - I can tell they're thinking, No way I'd let MY tree look like that.)

But knowing me as you do, Steph, you can see what a wonderful treat it is that I've let go of some perfectionism here - and the kids get so much joy from doing it, they are very serious and work together through the whole process, while I sit back and think of how much I love them.

Anonymous said...

Great pictures and wow - you're right! The smiles are addicting!!

Beverly said...

Wowzers! Those are great prices and your trees are perfect in every way - decorated with love!

I was cracking up at your first ornaments and how they've been eaten by the dog and kids. I can certainly relate to that. Your family is beautiful!

SoonerAggieMom said...

WOW! I wish I lived near Campbell's trees, that is so cheap! No wonder peeps up there have live trees (except for Linda blaming us Okies on spoiling her).

ps--this is Laura in Houston, transplanted Okie