Going Through Life One Blog Post at a Time
We finished the Christmas tree tonight. This is Laura hanging her clarinet ornament.
This is John hanging his baptism bible ornament.
I might be biased, but I think the finished Christmas tree is beautiful. I cannot wait to spend mornings and evenings hanging out in our living room enjoying the view. I love Christmastime!
It is time to put up our main Christmas tree.
No, we do not have a pre-lit, artificial Christmas tree. We spent $300 on a beautiful, pre-lit tree once that lasted three Christmases. On the fourth year, one whole strand of lights quit working and was not replaceable because the manufacturer did not make that type of light anymore. What did I learn from that experience? Well, I learned how to mask that entire section of the tree by how the lights were wired. I wrapped another strand of lights all over those branches to hide the lights that did not work. We threw away that Christmas tree as soon as we could and picked out this non-lighted, artificial tree the next year. We bought light strands and I got to work. I now light our Christmas tree from the inside out as I put it up. Does it take more time? Yes. Is it a pain in the rear? Yes. Do I have a hard time being motivated to do this? Yes. BUT, it is beautiful when done, and we have had this tree and light strands that cost $150 for seven years. I cannot complain, and I will never get tired of the view once it is done.
I have been slowly buying more and more Grinch-themed items from Hobby Lobby every year. I finally have a place to group it all together in our dining room thanks to the wine chiller purchase and a related furniture move.
Of course, nothing will ever top these pillows. They are the perfect Christmas addition to our living room couch.
“Maybe Christmas” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more!”
It is time for the transition from fall decorations…
…to Christmas decorations. This is only about 1/3 of the Christmas decoration boxes.
After saying goodbye to Jon and Megan this morning as they left for Illinois, we ventured to Rocheport for the Wassail Walk.
We visited different stops and enjoyed Wassail, which is a hot mulled cider drink. It was nice to get some fresh air and enjoy a slower afternoon. We also stopped at the tunnel for pictures.
We spent our last evening together watching the cousins play the Apples to Apples “death match” and eating Shakespeare’s pizza.
Check another fantastic Kassel-Blume Thanksgiving off the list!
Today is all about food and family. As tired as I get during this time, I still love every minute. This morning was no exception as I was up at 6 am kneading the bread dough and beginning food preparation.
As a family, we spent the day together. We forgot about COVID. We ate snacks. We laughed. We talked. We watched football. We ate amazing food. We drank good drinks. We napped. We enjoyed each other.
As always, we took pictures. I am always thankful for Kristena and the photos she takes every year – even the goofy ones like this one that will be the main picture on our 2020 Christmas card.
Laura looks beautiful and so grown up in this picture. Where did my baby go?
John looks so much like Andy that there are times I wonder if I am looking at Andy.
It was a great Thanksgiving even if the older adults went to bed early. Family is what it is all about and we made the most of it.
It is all about food and family for the next few days. Ribs are for dinner.
Three pies – pumpkin, apple, and cherry – are for Thanksgiving day.
Family started arriving at just about noon.
It is time for the Kassel-Blume Thanksgiving!