Honey, it is all about Coffee and Christmas!!!

May your coffee kick in before reality does…”

Unknown (but really smart)

This post will be a mixed bag… a little about the new coffee cart, and a little about Christmas decor. First, let’s talk about my new cutie-pie coffee cart. What would we do without Wayfair? I picked up this little gem on Black Friday, and paid less than 50% for it! Woo-hoo! It is really darling (although the phrase “some assembly required” was a considerable understatement (even the baskets and drawers had to be assembled. Thank God I married an engineer!). It has a stainless steel top (love that!), and two pull out baskets (one for “leaded”, one for decaf). The drawers are for Nespresso pods and extra tea. Underneath are the majority of the tea things (extra mugs, acrylic bins with tea bags, etc). On top are the Keurig, the Nespresso, the milk frother, the electric teapot, and other sundries. I love having it all in the same place. And, how about that adorable mug rack? Amazon.

As you know by now, our house is 72 years old, and so the kitchen is a little funky, even after remodeling. I don’t mind that a bit, but sometimes you have to be creative. I have the coffee cart next to the fridge, and it works out nicely, as it doesn’t encroach on the dining area or the peninsula barstools. It makes the dining area look and feel more spacious than it is. Winning! And, best of all, winning on the cheap!

Now, we’re finally decorated for Christmas! In years past, we have always gotten all our decorating done the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year, we were a little behind, but now we’re up to speed and thoroughly enjoying the Christmas spirit:

I’m learning (slowly) to keep it simple. Last year, I had all appetizers for Christmas brunch, and it was too much work! It all tasted good, but I was incredibly stressed. Too many things happening at once (and of course, I had delusions of grandeur). However, on Christmas Eve last year, we had fondue, and it was so fun! We had apples, bread, sautéed sausages, and strawberries, and it was delicious. AND, we camped out in the family room (see above pic). Easy-peasy, and oh so tasty.

And, finally, the tree! I’m so pleased with the way it looks this year. However, it was another hard-won victory. (Honestly!) We’ve had this tree for many years, and it is still in great shape. We really invested in a good one, and we’re not sorry. However, it was pre-lit, and eventually, those lights give out. So, Mr. G. and I did our research, and decided that since the tree was in great shape, we would “just replace the lights” (JUST replace the lights…). Wellllll…. 13 hours later, we finally finished that little project!!! The “old” lights were clipped onto the tree at the end of every branch (EVERY branch!), and wrapped around that branch at least 4 times each, then joining a central light strand in the middle. I kid you not. We had to unclip (first we had to FIND the clip), then unwind, then CUT the lights off the tree. It was a nightmare. THEN.…. we had to start replacing the lights. 1300 lights later, we were finished. Mr. G and I like to have lights inside the tree as well as around the perimeter, so 3 trips to Home Depot (multiple Home Depots, because we started not finding the specific lights we were using at our nearby store – oh the panic!!!) later, we had enough lights. I’m exhausted just writing about it. The only consolation I have is that some of the lights were on sale, and we saved hundreds by not buying a new tree. (However, Mr. G. gets spooked every time I get a “dreamy” look, and quickly finds a reason to be outside or in the garage as he’s sure I’m contemplating yet another project…who could blame him?!?!)

As we move into the season, let me just say, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you. I have really enjoyed hearing from you all this year – old friends and new. Connecting with all of you on a regular basis has brought me much joy, and lots of laughter. God Bless Us, Everyone!!!