Christmas time!

I will admit it typically this time of year I am in a funk. I am not excited about Christmas and just really fun to be around. But this year I decided that instead of getting into the Christmas Spirit on the 20th of Dec (yes that is typically when I snap out of it!) I would get into the festivities a bit earlier. So the day after thanksgiving I went out and got lights for the house, so we could decorate the new house. We have never put lights on the outside of the house so I was pretty excited to do it.

A little back ground here - as you know we just moved in and the first weekend we were here at 9:00am I think every neighbor started their lawnmower and started doing yard work.... I actually called my mom and said I think we live in the Stepford neighborhood - what is wrong with these people? laughing Derrick and I went out and mowed the lawn and got the yard ready for the winter... then we "one upped" the neighbors and got are lawn aerated! ha take that! Anyway we were actually excited to be in the yard for just a few hours and actually see that we had done something to it. (we had an acre of black berry bushes before and could work for hours and no one would know we did anything)

So back to the story: I went and got lights and Detrix and I started to put them up - after a death defying moment on the steep pitch of our roof ( I was clinging like Spiderman in terror) I don't think I have ever been so scared - I thought I was going to fall off the roof! I was so hoping no neighbors saw me - I was having a complete meltdown on the roof - Derrick was in the garage getting the Christmas boxes so Detrix and I were trying to yell for him with out sounding desperate! Later I found that we could easily step through little John's window and avoid the steep pitch of the roof! Detrix really put up all the lights I was more there for moral support - I was shook up all day after my stupidity.... Derrick who doesn't like heights at all actually got up there and did the front - it was a full family affair!

Did I mention I have a ridiculously large collection of penguins I bring out for Christmas time? I have been collecting them since I was probably 4 or 5 years old!

We had many neighbors come by and said we were doing great - one said he couldn't do his yet 'cuz the roof was frozen - true that would be scary on a roof with ice, no good. Another said he did the whole house one year and won't be doing it again! So we felt pretty good about our festivities! So the lights are up - we have turned into "those people" you know who rush out and put up decorations for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving... but I will tell you a secret - I am feeling really good about it - I love that the house is done and we didn't stop there - we also did the Christmas tree and the whole house! If you live close you must come by we are all ready and in the Christmas spirit... no we don't have a fake tree - we have a 11' tree - it is huge!

We couldn't reach the top of the tree on this ladder - we had to get the bigger one!

Here is Hobo and Josie - I know Hobo is getting old - look at his grey.