Our Week - The One with All the Christmas Decorating

Remember how busy we were the week before last?  Well, this past week was the exact opposite of that and it was just what the doctor ordered.  I feel so refreshed, so caught up on the little things, and so relaxed, and that’s exactly how I need to feel since we’re heading into yet another crazy busy week. 

Monday, November 11

Monday was Veterans Day, but our kids weren’t out of school this year like they usually are, so it was business as usual for us.  I had a dentist appointment first thing to check the status of my TMJ and everything is going so well that they pushed my next check-up out by four months.  I’m hoping that means that I’ll be released soon.  I’m still clinching some at night, but my essential oils have helped tremendously with that.  And this new bite guard I’ve been using has been doing a way better job of protecting my teeth and jaw when I do clinch, so overall I’m feeling much better in that department.

Monday evening we finally had a chance to start watching The Little Mermaid Live that we had recorded from the previous week and I started taking down our fall decorations and putting up our Christmas mantle.  Ready or not, Christmas time is almost here!

Tuesday, November 12

Tuesday I had a meeting at the school for our annual ball, and then it was off to run a bunch of errands – Target, Fresh Market, Michaels, Dollar Tree, and Hobby Lobby.  After errands I made it back home to squeeze in a few loads of laundry and get caught up on some sponsored work, and then it was time to go pick up the kids.

After pick-up, I swung through the Dairy Queen drive-through and surprised the kids with Blizzards for their snack, and then the three of us had our bi-annual dental cleanings.  All three of us came away cavity-free!  Woo hoo! 

Wednesday, November 13

Wednesday I worked on the blog most of the day, and I also finished decorating my rainbow tree in my office.  You can see more about the tree here… it’s one of my favorite trees I’ve ever decorated!  Side note, I originally wanted to string the white garlands in between each color on the tree, but since I didn’t have enough of them, I strung them vertically.  Next year, I think I’m going to string them horizontally between each of the colors, though.  I think that’ll look really good! 

Thursday, November 14

Thursday was a much-needed gym day after taking several days off, and then I had to run several more errands, get my allergy shot, and visit the doctor.  Olivia had ballet after school and then we headed straight home so I could cook while the kids did their homework.  It was a busy day and I was exhausted by the end of dinner clean-up. 

Thursday evening we were able to finish The Little Mermaid, and with all that Disney talk, we also went ahead and signed up for a year of Disney+!  EEK!  Naturally we had to log in immediately and check it out!  So much goodness on there, y’all!

Before bed, I was tidying the kitchen and I came across this little animal that the kids had made out of leaves and twigs that they’d found in the back yard.  I told them it was time to throw it out since it was obviously something we couldn’t save without making a mess, so they asked me to snap a picture of it before it was tossed.  I thought it was just so creative.  They did it all by themselves here at home one afternoon last week.

Friday, November 15

Friday was the first day all week that I had no appointments, no meetings, no laundry to do, and no errands to run so I had the entire seven hours free while the kids were at school.  I used my time verrrry wisely, working ahead on blog posts, paying bills, filing paperwork that had been piling up, tackling tiny annoying non-important tasks that had been adding up, going over my Christmas list to see what all was needed, getting organized for the weeks to come, and purchasing lots of Christmas gifts online.  It was the best productive day and I feel like I’m so much more organized for the week ahead because of it. 

It also happened to be a very cold and rainy day, so it was nice to stay holed up in my office with the Christmas lights on, Christmas music on the radio, and a cup of hot cinnamon tea.  Such a cozy day!

That afternoon after I picked the kids up from school we made a quick stop at Hobby Lobby for one more item for our mantle, and then we headed home.  The kids played while I tweaked the mantle decorations and I finally got them just right.  It’s by far my favorite mantle yet.  It’s so magical this year!

B brought home Carabba’s take-out for dinner and we opened a bottle of wine.  After dinner we all got in our PJs, popped some popcorn and added some peppermint marshmallows to it, and we all snuggled under a blanket by the fire while we watched the new Christmas movie, Noelle, on Disney+.  It was so cute, y’all!  Kind of like a female version of Elf.  Not quite as good as Elf, but definitely worth watching. 

Saturday, November 16

Saturday we had zero on the calendar other than to watch the Georgia vs. Auburn game at 3:30, so I spent the day in my PJs watching football and decorating the whole house for Christmas.  The kids and I had already put up the trees in their rooms as well as the tree in my master bedroom, but we still had the entire downstairs to do, so it was out with all of the boxes!  I worked hard all day and got everything decorated.  The only thing left to do is to buy and put up our real tree in the living room and put up our outdoor decorations.  We always do all of that the Friday after Thanksgiving, so we still have some time. 

We watched the game from our couch and it went well until the fourth quarter.  I was hoping for a shut-out as the score was 21-0 (Georgia) late in the game, but then Auburn almost closed the gap 21-14 with a few minutes to spare.  B was on the edge of his seat and I was so nervous I literally couldn’t watch, so I spent the rest of the game stress-decorating while he told me what was happening.  Literally could not watch, y’all.  Lol.  Fortunately we were able to stop them and we won it 21-14.  It’s always so close when we play them and my heart just can’t take it anymore.  Haha.

After the game, we scooped the kids up in their PJs and headed to my parents house for a little bit to visit because my brother, sister-in-law, and niece and nephew were in town.  They had all gone to dinner, but we weren’t about to leave that game, so meeting up afterward worked out perfectly. 

Sunday, November 17

Sunday morning we were up before the sun to head to 8 AM mass and then we stopped and grabbed some donuts for breakfast on the way home.  After breakfast, the kids got all cozy on the couch with Disney+ and I got all cozy at the kitchen table with my planner to get organized for the week ahead.

We went to my MIL and step-FIL’s for lunch and they made one of the best chicken recipes I’ve ever had.  It was so full of flavor and the taste was so unique.  I got the recipe from my mother-in-law to try at home, and if I can get it to taste as good as she did I’ll have to put it on the blog for y’all. 

After lunch the kids played outside for a good long time.  Jacob and both of my nephews all play baseball, so they all love to go out back and hit and play catch with Poppie (my step-FIL).  Olivia usually plays with them, but Sunday my mother-in-law pulled out the bubble machine so she was perfectly happy chasing and popping all of the bubbles.  The weather was perfect on Sunday so we all got lots of fresh air. 

After we left their house, we had to make a quick stop at Walmart in search of rain gear for the kids.  We’re taking them to Athens this coming weekend again for the Texas A&M game, but unfortunately it’s supposed to rain.  Neither of them had any rain gear that fits, so we bought rain boots and rain jackets for both of them.  Even with all of the rain gear I’m not sure how they’ll handle watching a football game in the cold rain, so we’re keeping all of our fingers and toes crossed for a miraculously dry day on Saturday. 

Sunday afternoon the kids had some reading and studying to do, and then we all met my parents, brother, uncle, and his girlfriend for dinner at Cracker Barrel.  We love breakfast for dinner and theirs is always the best even though the service is sometimes slow.

Happy Tuesday to one and all… only four more days until Thanksgiving Break!  Woo hoo!