Whew. Today I did the grocery shopping and then attempted to get through the Christmas stuff. I built the tree (my husband and I will light it and decorate it together tonight...it's something we have been looking forward to doing together). The tree is MUCH larger than I remembered so I had to do some rearranging of the living room...no biggie. And then I started going through the big plastic totes to see just what it is we have and what I want to put out. In the process of this goes the usual sweeping behind and under things that don't get swept out as often and removing all other *stuff* on surfaces and a really good dusting before putting out the Christmas gear. I'm not putting out EVERYTHING as there is just too much and some of it just doesn't interest me anymore. The first thing I put out though, after the tree was built, is my nativity set. The creche is hand carved and was brought back from Germany with my Nana. I absolutely love it. There are also hand carved figurines to go with it but I use different figurines that my mom has collected for me over the years. There are a few handmade things that my other nana made that I have put out too. The older I get, the more I love those things that relate back to my family. :)
    And oh yeah....I made a big pot of vegetable soup too....no canned or frozen veggies...just lots of chopping!!! Soon I'll be off to yoga. If I hadn't promised a friend that I'd be there, I think I'd be inclined to stay home and dig through more of these totes!
   
Michelle