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Oh Christmas Tree!
Last night Toby took us to the farm across the street and bought us a ginormous Christmas tree. I would have been happy with a little twig of a tree or our old pink fake one but it made him happy to spoil Bug. I can’t complain.
Our neighbors came with us too and considering Christmas is still pretty new to them, I think it was extra special for them too. They ran around crazy pretending all the trees were a forest and posing like fools for cheesy photos.
Especially this fool.
Then they found the perfect tree and claimed it.
Mohammed claimed a little branch for me. I think I might try to make a wreath out of it.
Then we had it delivered to my little apartment and got to decorating. Toby strung the lights.
Bug hung the ornaments.
Bug and Toby have a running joke about how this glass icicle ornament is snot. I just roll my eyes.
Have you all experienced six-year-old humor? We are in the thick of it here. Bug will tell a joke, something thrilling like: “What does one hundred plus one hundred equal?” Then she’ll answer, “Two hundred eighteen million! Hahaha hahahahaha hahaha hahah hahaha haha hahahah ha!” like it’s the funniest thing in the whole wide world. She’ll laugh at her own joke for a good fifteen minutes straight and hear absolutely nothing that comes out of my mouth—especially any admonitions to get her shoes on or to brush her teeth or anything like that. It must be some kind of strange developmental phase she’s going through. I’m glad she’s got a sense of humor but man, I think I need to buy her a joke book for Christmas. She needs some new material.
Back to Christmas…It was fun looking through old ornaments. So many old memories.
So many news ones…
I remember when I bought these reindeer for Bug. She was probably one or two. I thought they were so cute at the time but she was really too little to get my joy. This year when she discovered them it was like my long ago dream came true. There’s a big one and a little one! she exclaimed gleefully.
She gets me.
And then we started a new tradition: Post Decorating Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies!
The end.
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It’s going to be okay.
The good news is yesterday turned out okay. Thank you for all your kind comments. My Dad is still alive and happy. They aren’t home yet but so far so good.
I plowed on through with my crazy craft project and Isabel loved it. Yay! I guess it did turn out pretty cute even though it was a pain in the neck when I was in the thick of it. I think most of my pain was just my time constraints. Stupid wintertime lack of sunshine. If I could have taken my time, it probably would have been way more fun. So if you are going to try it, pour yourself a tasty beverage and savor every step. Haste makes waste.
I especially love all the paper boxes. I may have to use them in another craft someday. While I was in the middle of making them, it crossed my mind that it might be easier just to make an extra twenty four and use them as box lids and forget the whole calendar cover page thing. But of course little paper boxes has been done before and well so I had to stick with my original plan.
Bug thought it was cool and really, that’s all that matters. I love having a kid at Christmas time. It’s the best.
The other day we put up Christmas lights on our little patio. I’ve never actually put up Christmas lights outside before. I didn’t celebrate it when I was a kid and when I got older it seemed too daunting of a task. But now that we have a tiny little smidge of a patio, it seemed like just the task for me. Two nails, done.
Plus, I hate the sound protection window panes on my patio. I know why they are there, they block out the road noise from a pretty busy street nearby but I used to live on a highway. That road noise is a mere rippling wave compared to the all the squealing crashes, blundering Harleys and bus air breaks that I used to put up with. Mostly I don’t like the windows because they are always dirty and there’s no way I can clean them easily. Half the smudges are paint splatters from all the times they’ve repainted the place. I guess I could ask the management to clean them but I just feel too high maintenance asking. Everyone else seems to be okay with them. I might as well be too.
So lights fixed them right up. Our patio is so happy and cheery now. I can’t stay stressed out that long. Everything is going to be okay.
