so this is Christmas

there's four loaves of homemade Amish friendship bread cooling on my server...  there's a giant bowl filled to the brim with Chex mix... another loaf of homemade apple bread... & over 50 peanut butter balls in the fridge awaiting a dip of chocolate in the morning.

lists are piled up on the dining room table... with notes like 'grab pj pants for mom & stepdad ...' 'hot chocolate!' ... 'stickers!' ... & numerous other scribblings, all to be completed by week's end.

there's a pile of boxes in the corner of the dining room - out of B's reach... boxes dropped off by delivery men in the last week that i just can't find the motivation to wrap ... guess they'll be birthday presents now...

there's random gifts hidden throughout our house, because if the huz knew they existed, he'd have guessed what they are by now.

my all time favorite Christmas cd has been re-synced on to numerous iPhone/iPod devices & is played at least once a day.  shout out to Alabama Christmas... no joke. i've been listening to it since the 80's.  nothing says Christmas to me like "Candle in the Window".

there was a trek to the grocery store today, buried under another 1/2 foot or so of snow... shoppers were rushing about or not. filling their carts with snacks & drinks ... & baking ingredients, like me.

the plans are all made.  most of the gifts are all wrapped.  there's more baking to do's on yet another list.  a dinner to be dropped by the neighbors, in celebration of their brand new baby boy.

there's a cookie exchange tomorrow night with girlfriends (while the other halves play poker & eat that Chex mix), a bedtime drive to see synchronized Christmas lights on Wednesday, a dinner out on Thursday to celebrate a very special lady in our family who will be beginning her 79th year of life, a Christmas Eve dinner with family on Friday... all leading up to the 'grand finale' on Saturday.

B's excited for Santa - exclaiming "Ho Ho!" & "Oh Goodness!" (his favorite new saying... & mine too, because it is truly the most adorable thing you've ever heard in your life)...  He calls our lights 'prise!" & "aweshum" ... & he's constantly sneaking a present from under the tree, trying to open it before we catch him.  He's infatuated with my snow globes- saying "shake it!" & then watching in awe as the snow falls - in the globe & out our window...

it's Christmas here ... & we're taking in & loving every moment.