It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

At our household!

Yes, still alive....

We have lights up - Eric and I spent a lot of time on Saturday the 9th, making the outside look pretty. Red and Blue lights on the gutter around the house, 3 spiral light trees in the front, the front door outlined in candy cane rope light, and the front walk lined with blue rope lights. The front window inside also has white lights arount it. I love Christmas lights. We could not put them up at our last house, because there was no outside power outlet... so I am happy we can do it now. Eric helped, but I actually did the majority of the work, including standing on the ladder and hanging the lights on the gutter of the house. He was going to do it, but then our son showed up to borrow the portable ice house, and they started doing "man" things... looking at fishing stuff, Eric showing off some of his home projects, so I just grabbed the ladder and started, being a do-it-yourself kind of gal.

Last Sunday, I finished decorating the tree. I didn't get to it the weekend before, because I had to go to our work Christmas dinner after finishing the lights outside, then I spent three days in Fargo last week. Good times. But, the tree is up and decorated, I finally bought Eric's gift, and my shopping is oficially done! Sunday, also amongst the many loads of laundry, I also got together the Christmas presents and stockings for April and Donovan (stepdaughter and her husband), and boxed them all up, ready to be mailed. That was also a relief!

And yesterday, I got out the Christmas letter. 60 of them. Not sure how the list got so long, but there you have it. If you want one, I still have plenty of cards left - let me know! All I can say is that I am glad that I got the mail merge to work, and that I could print the envelopes on the printer, rather than writing them all out by hand. A friend here at work was saying that she has been sending electronic Chirstmas cards, but even if I take a shortcut with the computer, I still enjoy sending the letters/cards. I know I look forward to the Christmas season and getting cards, so I need to send them myself - the traditional way.

Tonight, on the agenda is baking. At work, I have made a tradition of coming in the day before the Christmas holiday with banana bread and biscotti as gifts to the folks that are working that day. I figure if you have to work, you should get rewarded for it. And I make fabulous banana bread and biscotti, if I do say so myself!

This is definately my favorite time of the year....

So, on the WW and exercise front.

Yep, not so much. I have not been to weigh in since the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I guess I just don't want to. I'm not a big fan of the leader, and I don't look forward to going. I think I am done beating myself up. I am going to try and eat healthy, and in moderation. It has been working a bit, since the scale is down when I step on it in the morning. I just want to be able to live my life without being obsessed about food.

And I have not exercised in more than a week. I keep telling myself that I will go, then life seems to rear it's head. I actually think it has been good for me, since the hip muscle that was giving me some pain has stopped hurting. I think I started out again too hot and heavy. I have to just learn not to push myself so much - knowing that I can't crank out 6 miles when I have been doing no miles.

And I did go out and purchase myself some more pants, sizes 12 and 14's. And they fit. And I feel good about how I look. That's what counts, right?

That's about it. The work year and the Jaycee year are wrapping up, then on to the next!

Ta
~a