Christmas is about upon us....

It sneaks up on me every year! I know....I know....it is the SAME day every year, but time seems to move forward at a faster rate year by year. It doesn't feel quite Christmas time yet here, but we are getting in the swing of it.

Last week, I settled on a Christmas tree theme-something I have done every year except last year (since we moved into this house). Last year, we had open studs, no walls, no floors, and only one room in the house finished. It is really hard to feel festive under those conditions, but we did do alot in the present area. My brother was supporting my sister and desperately short of space, so we did a tree together. That was really sweet and we spent a good portion of the holiday together. Our son was in Afghanistan, and he was our focus. We kept sending care boxes to him-hating that he was spending the holidays away from his family.

This year: our son is back at home, my sister is married, living in her own home, and expecting a son right after Christmas, and we have completed several rooms including the living room where the tree is! The tree is up howbeit the lights are not all working so we are having to restring our pre-lit tree (kind of negates the point of a prelit tree!), and waiting on the ornaments to arrive.

The theme: I found (yay) tool ornaments-too cute. I was beyond excitement! Doing a theme tree is expensive so I have to be created. I look for things that can be made into ornaments. I ordered the tool ornaments, working metal tool keyrings, and working flashlight keyrings. Keyrings make great ornaments-tie ribbon around them, hooks built in, and you can pass them out to holiday guests!!! Caution tape garland, some coordinating ribbon as fillers and presto: A contruction themed tree! This might be better than the rubber duckies...that one is sure hard to top!

All of that Christmas tree planning got me in the mood so to say and started me looking for Christmas gifts for Aaron and Caitlyn. I collect outfits for Aaron in the in between months (since he isn't here) and usually have a collection to sen when I send a box. I think I am up to 5 outfits right now (I sometimes forget how many I have purchases!). This past Saturday my husband and I ventured into Toys R Us (wow-crazy) and walked out with the cutest Saint sweat suit and talk about cute, cute, cute! I have been showing it to everyone! I KNOW his daddy is going to love it!

I text Robert Saturday to see if Aaron needed anything. He responded with, "A train set." LOL..my children's grandparents bought our kids a train set years ago. For awhile, we set it up around the Christmas tree, but it is in need of attention now soit doesn't usually leave the box. I am not even sure where it is, but my husband says he does. Apparently that train made an impression on the kids, because even Katherine was telling me she wants the train. She got to pick through all the Christmas decs I didn't want so I am thinking that disqualifies her from inheritance of the train set! Hmmm...might have to keep the train, repair it, add to it and make that one of our Christmas traditions.

Well...Toys R Us was a madhouse this weekend as is EVERY other store, so I say, shop the Internet in your pjs! I took that to heart on Cyber Monday and ordered Aaron an outfit and Caitlyn a pajama. This morning I opened up my email and saw an ad from CBD so....had to go check it out. We pretty much know what we are getting Aaron, but Caitlyn??? She loves this little peg game we have on our table from Cracker Barrel. She takes the pegs out and puts the pegs in over and over again. As she was playing with that yesterday, I made a comment, wondering out loud if they made something like that for toddlers, and they do!!! I found it today on CBD, so I ordered it for her. I also discovered a magnetic train set so had to get that for Aaron. I am thinking it will go on the refrigerator but not absolutely sure! Fun, Fun, Fun....although my hubbie gets a little nervous when I call him, "Honey, I am ordering from CBD." "What are you buying?" Then I go through the great deals I just discovered and why I want to get that!!!! He sighs and asks for the bottom line!

[Smile]....He doesn't say no when it comes to buying for the children!