As usual, our weekend started on Thursday. This is not a great photo, but I was wearing a new outfit to our Sunday School Christmas party and I was texting the photo to a younger friend to find out whether or not I needed to front tuck this shirt.
We picked up our neighbors, Laura Lea and Tommy, and headed to the party at the Pearson's home. Their house is pretty amazing.
We challenged each other to make donations to charities this week and everyone who did donate . . .wrote the name of the charity on a star and hung it on their tree. It was anonymous and we didn't put the amount given - just the name of the organization. It was so cool to see all of the stars!
Everyone brought something to share.
I thought the little Grinch hats were cute!
Here is a long view into their kitchen.
Our hostess, Claudia, is to the left in the apron. I made little ham and cheese sandwiches using a recipe from an actual cookbook! It is one of those recipes that everyone used to make back when I was a newlywed. They ate both pans in a flash and Mark nor I got one!
Their house is so large that everyone spread out and no room was crowded. There were at least 50 of us enjoying the party!
Friday morning found me at my third doctor's appointment of the week. The Thursday appointment was a killer because I had to wait a LONG time and had forgotten my phone!! Friday morning's appointment was much better - I ran into an old friend in the waiting room and chatted with her for a few minutes and then I was called back! I love how they have a cut out of Chevy Chase by their tree!
I left the doctor's appointment and headed straight to Peggy's house for a Friday morning brunch. She has hosted the women from out office for several years now. Going to her house is like walking into a Hallmark movie. She replaces all of her artwork with paintings of Santa - see the one over the mantle?? Her den tree has more ornaments than I have ever seen on a tree . . . and her tree rotates!
She takes everything out of her bookshelves and replaces it with Christmas items.
We all brought brunch items and ate together.
We also played Dirty Santa with ornaments. It was fun!!
I ran home to drop off some stuff and while there . . .the doorbell rang and it was a delivery man with flowers for us!!
It was from our friends we met on the cruise. They sent the sweetest card.
I was literally working on the centerpiece for our dining room table and was able to slip that arrangement right into the middle of my wooden box. I've added more things since I took this photo, but it turned out great.
Mark was at the farm on Friday night and I worked . . .and worked . . .and worked on our Christmas card. I watched White Christmas while I addressed cards. No decorations on the mantle yet - just wait!! I snapped this photo during the sister's song. I love that movie.
I love sending and receiving Christmas cards.
I snapped this on Saturday morning. I had on an apron I found at Mark's mother's when we were dividing up her things. I have a shower cap on my head because I was getting ready to bake. My sweater is drying on a towel on the bathroom floor and you can see junk on the counter behind me. Oh well!
At some point, I sat down for just a moment.
Mark brought greenery home from the farm. He brought a lot which was wonderful!!
It was nice enough outside that I had on shorts and a t-shirt for about an hour while I decorated my mailbox. I wanted to do it before dark because we knew a bitter cold front would be arriving during the night. I had presoaked my oasis so it was ready to go when he got home. He brought limbs from the Bay tree - smells so good! He brought magnolias, cedar, long leaf pine, and the plant with red berries - not holly (can't remember what it is called).
Ta da! Here is the mailbox. I'm pleased. It actually held together during those crazy north winds on Sunday.
Sunday morning was extra special because I was able to attend worship!! It was the service of Lessons and Carols and it was spectacular.
I used one of the silver trays I inherited from Mark's mom as the base for our kitchen tree.
On Sunday afternoon, I bagged up the brown sugar brownies and cookies I had made and even though it was SO COLD, headed out to deliver. Mark drove while I hopped out and ran to each door.
In addition to brown sugar brownies, I made the Ritz, peanut butter, and chocolate bark cookies. A few people received those instead of the brownies. One pan of my brownies went into the trash. I think I didn't let the pan cool enough before filling it with the next batch of batter.
My friends, Marietta and Tim, brought this fun pink bag to me last week as a thank you gift. I love it!! I used it to pack the cookies/bars for delivery.
On Sunday afternoon, I decorated the mantle while watching The Muppet Christmas movie.
I use a 9 foot long piece of fake garland as the base and then I work live greenery, along with battery operated lights, into that base.
Just one more shot of the tree . . .
That is our weekend in a nutshell. What about you? Did you do anything fun this weekend?
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