Decking Those Halls

Whew. The rush of the holidays is certainly upon us... and yet I feel surprisingly un-panicked so far. My shopping is almost finished despite the fact that I never really started, thanks to a couple early purchases, an agreement that a certain furball:

... was Dan's and my gift to each other, some plans for homemade treats, and a rather full amazon cart. Done and done.
Most of the stress has been decorating-related... it seems that making the jump from apartment to house takes that standard to a whole new level. I have been hard at work on a few DIY projects that I hope to share soon (ie when I finally get around to taking a few pictures), and the hubby did an incredible job with tasteful and cheery outside lights. We have a smallish but lovely tree that is Toby-approved for snacking... and if I have to clean up another pile of hacked up pine needles I just might scream (too much information for a Monday morning?). Lots of work, but I think it's finally coming together. If only I could also find time to tackle some of the lingering piles of "things that desperately need a permanent home," I'd be getting somewhere.
Other than finishing up the decorating, our weekend was busy, although a bit bittersweet. Friday was certainly a difficult day, filled less with work and more watching the news in horror. Filled with questions. Filled with heartache for everyone who lost loved ones to such a senseless act. Filled with a sadness that followed us all weekend and remains still.
That evening, we headed out to see one of our very favorite artists in concert:

mediocre pictures, great show

I love the skeptical face on the guy behind us -- I am terribly unphotogenic, so I took about 8 pictures in rapid succession, hoping at least one would turn out decent. In the next one I snapped, he is totally grinning like he was meant to be in the picture!

Our common love for Dave Matthews was one of the very first things that connected Dan and I when we were first getting to know each other, and I've been a huge fan as long as I can remember. It has been years since either of us saw him live, but we are incredibly lucky that our hometown is also the place that Dave and many of his bandmates call home. The band's drummer and violinist actually went to school with my parents! They played a fantastic concert and we had an absolutely wonderful time.
Saturday I got a ton of stuff done around the house while the hubs was at work, and spent a little time being productive over coffee and a bagel at Panera. That evening we took the pup for a long walk and worked on the tree and decorations before staying up entirely too late watching Miracle on 34th Street -- such a classic and a nice change of pace from the news.

our attempt at Christmas light pictures... tough with a wiggly puppy

even Toby gets ticked festive!

Yesterday we got a couple of errands out of the way, hit up Starbucks for a free peppermint mocha, and then went to see Lincoln at our town's brand new theater. What an excellent movie -- fantastic acting, music, and so much unexpected humor made it even better than I had expected. Definitely recommended! Yesterday evening, we made one of my favorites: breakfast for dinner.

eggs with cheese, onions, and dill, blueberry muffins, potatoes, and (purposely) burnt bacon... yum

Tonight, we are lucky enough to get another fun date night. We are heading out for dinner and then a performance of the Nutcracker by the Moscow Ballet. It comes to town every Christmas, and we have been wanting to go for years!
The rest of the week promises to be full of crafting, baking, and wrapping, but luckily I am able to take Friday and Monday off from work, so I am pretty excited about a five day weekend. Lots of time to finish all the last-minute projects on my list... and maybe even relax and enjoy all the decorations, snacks, and the holiday goodness that we've been working so hard to put together!

The Christmas-hating twins. Poor guy, life is just a series of torture scenes...

   Love,

    Meg