{Post 1,597} Holiday Time

This has been the most unusual Christmas for us, IMHO. We had a small gathering on Christmas Eve that included my husband and me, my single, still-living-at-home son, MIL (who was joining us for the first time...I adore her and love her company), another single son who lives on his own, and a married son, his wife and two little girls. Oh, there were two other young ladies who are my single sons’ girlfriends. I sat there thinking most of the time in the back of my mind...these girls might become a permanent part of our family. I was meeting one for the first time. When 6/8 of one’s children are married, one changes the way they think about their children’s relationship interests.

Timmy’s family (my oldest daughter and family) came over Christmas Day for a meal and spades game. Wes and I won ;)

~*~*~As usual, I did not take pictures. I like to prefer to think of it as living in the moment, not being a bad historian/mother.~*~*~

My dear husband and I worked for hours (and until the last second) to get the house ready for our little get-togethers. We put all the furniture from the living room, kitchen, and upstairs guest room in perfect place (they had been homeless for a couple months). We prepared our downstairs guest room and bathroom (think major cleaning) for our married son’s family, as they stayed overnight.

Another big thing we did was move all the toys from the guest room (where my grandson usually sleeps when he is here at least 5 days a week) to the living room closet. I usually abhor moving the “home” of items that have permanent dwellings. This time it was a great decision. The toys are now out in the living room closet, where our seasonal wall decor, movies, and game collection usually lived. Since we are sort of getting a fresh start with decor and belongings because of the recent renovation, it was a great time to do this.The TV is now downstairs, so all the movies went down there. I am still determining the best place for the seasonal decor. Some of it is large (old window frame and shutters amongst other giants).  I am currently decluttering at the “speed of life”, having just read two fantastic books on decluttering by Dana White. The first is “How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind” and the second is “Decluttering at the Speed of Life”. There is a little (OK, maybe a lot) of repetition in the books, but they have changed my mind and outlook on clutter. I am a reforming clutterholic. I need MORE than a 12-step program, but I had a lot of progress yesterday. The thing I like best about this system is that one sees results immediately and does not leave a bigger mess in the wake. If (or should I say WHEN) you are interrupted and have to stop, all there is is progress, not piles of stuff that belong somewhere else. It is glorious.

Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. These are mainly being posted for my one family member that I know reads my blog. Be sure to leave a comment!

I love the nativity picture that hangs above our console table here. It is very heavy. I actually tore off some of our new drywall on the wall under the quilt because the Command hooks lied about the weight they uphold. My hubby saved the day (again, and as usual—he is the best!)

The kids’ kitchen is a new item. It was in the guest room before, but we didn’t figure my MIL would be whipping up any plastic muffins during her visit. It might go back in the guest room. Time will tell.

Is that NATURAL LIGHT in my living room? These doors, although bothersome to have installed correctly and without dents, are one of the best parts of this renovation. The car mat goes into that closet when not in use.