Random Tuesday Ramblings

• Jill's Holiday Train continues to chug along, and I'm feeling so much more calm about things this week.  Most of the gifts have been bought, the house is decorated, Christmas cards are on their way... Christmas Prep Month was stressing me out last week, but I've got it all under control now and I feel 10 times lighter.
• I realize that my over-preparedness is ridiculous.  Absolutely.  I'm a nut job.  I recognize it.  I apologize for it.  But its all for my own mental sanity, and my way of laying the path for a stress-free December.  (or as stress-free as possible). It's just the way my nutty brain works.  *shrug*
• This coming Saturday is our girls Christmas get-together, and I'm very much looking forward to it!  We have moved it to an early date in November because, let's face it, everyone has SO much going on as the holiday season comes into full effect, it's almost impossible to find a date that works.  So I call this party the "kick-off", and I'm so excited to have everyone over!!
• Christmas decorating this past weekend was mainly to get ready for this party. The house got a thorough cleaning too, so I don't actually feel like I have much to do to prepare now!  I decided to just make the snacks myself this year - we always have so much when we do it potluck style, and I have the time between Friday night and Saturday to get stuff ready, so it's not a big deal.  I'm keeping it simple, and I've had fun thinking up my munchie menu!
• Last weekend, my niece Danica came to help me decorate.  On Friday evening, we assembled the tree and put up as much of the wall-hanging stuff as we could.  Saturday morning, we decorated the tree, then put out everything else, all while I vacuumed and dusted in between.  It was a long and tiring day, but I was so grateful to have her helping me. She does a lot of the running up and down the stairs with stuff, and then I just have to place things.  We were all done by 3 in the afternoon, and I mean ALL done.  Aside from my little shrub of outdoor lights, we got EVERYTHING up.  I was exhausted and aching from head to toe, and almost wondered if it's worth it to put up so much stuff.  But now that it's done and I get to sit down and enjoy it each day, I'm glad we did.
  
• You can't tell from this picture, but I have a crooked Christmas tree this year.  No matter what I did, I could not get the damn thing to stand up straight.  So I finally got it turned in such a way that it leans forward.  Sitting on the couch looking at it, it looks fine, but if you were at the side, you would see that it's canting forward.  It's solid, though - not going to topple - but just looks precarious.  Frigging Christmas trees. There's always something!
• I'm planning to run to the city after work on Thursday, to hit up Bulk Barn and Walmart for my holiday baking supplies and party supplies.  The baking seems to be the one area that I am behind in, but I just don't have any of the Christmas baking essentials:  candied cherries, chopped pecans, chocolate, mixed nuts...Any time I think of a cookie to make, I'm missing one of these key ingredients.  Next week/weekend will be all about the baking!
• Funnily enough, as I've been diving head-first into all things Christmas, our church is still running it's Harvest Draw, with the lucky winners to be chosen this coming Sunday.  So while every ounce of my being is immersed in Christmas, I'm now back-tracking to crochet dish clothes this week for the Harvest Basket.  I'm dying to try out a new Christmas pattern for ornaments, but I have to hold off.  Harvest stuff first, Jill!!
• There are shows coming out on Netflix that I want to watch, but I'm saving them.  I know the coming weeks will be filled with Christmas movies and specials, so I don't want to start into anything that I can't really commit to for a while.  So for now, I'm working towards finishing The Ranch (I'm into Part 7), but I'm holding off on watching The Crown Season 3, which came out recently, and Dolly Parton's Heart Strings, coming out this weekend.  I can already envision myself cozied up over Christmas break watching them!
• Of course, now that the busiest time of year is descending upon us, I have SO many movies I want to see in theatres!!  I'm really hoping to find time to get to see Doctor Sleep - it's been out for a while, but I'm almost done the book, so I've been holding off until I do.  Also, I want to see Last Christmas - it looks so good, and, I mean... it's a Christmas movie, how could I resist?!  And of course, there's Frozen 2, coming out this weekend.  I HAVE to see it.  Absoultely HAVE to.

Well, I think that's all the rambling I have time for today.  Hope you are all enjoying your week so far! :)