Prepping for the holiday

It's hard to believe that Christmas is only 5 days away. The last couple of months simply flew by, what with buying the house and moving. We're still settling in and trying to find a few pieces of furniture that we're lacking (a small sofa for the step down den, barstools for the counter looking into the kitchen, a desk for the office) but it's difficult to shop for the house with the holiday looming. We don't go overboard with buying gifts, and we don't have a big family, so there's that. Friends generally get something small, like cookies or candles, and shopping for them isn't overly stressful. So far the only gifts I've bought are two books for baby Carsen. She's so little that there's no point in going too crazy with presents, but we will always buy books for the children in our life. Speaking of Carsen, just look at this sweet little face:



She's 7 months old now and growing into a happy, smiling girl! Isn't she cute?

Yesterday was our last day of school and now we're on holiday until January 7th. I have almost three weeks to make Christmas happen, then finish up with the unpacking, cleaning, and shopping for the new house. I feel so fortunate. This much time off is pure luxury after so many years of working in retail. I still haven't quit thanking my lucky stars for my job.

Our plan for Christmas this year is to have my parents over on Christmas Eve for food and presents, and then to spend a quiet Christmas Day together enjoying the new house. This weekend I'll be doing a little bit of baking and cooking to get ready, as well as lots of cleaning. Several friends of ours will be dropping by throughout the next couple of weeks, and Gregg's sister and niece are coming to visit the first week of the new year. There's also a possibility that his brother and sister-in-law will stop by on their way north from Florida to see us and especially the new house at some point next week. I want everything to look as good as possible!

Well, off to get started...there's so much to do! But even so, I'm going to take some time to catch up with all my friends' blogs and do some writing myself. I've missed spending time here with you all!