This Week In My Home: Mad Dash

This week in my home...

Christmas 2014 door.  Oh the mess the glue dots made on that door!  And still didn't hold on to those delicate snowflakes, lol.  All photos here are from Christmas past, 2014.

...we are caught up in a mad rush.  It seems nearly every one wants to get things out of the way before Christmas so dinner parties get planned for that first week of December.  And the rest of December is a tad downhill from there.  This week we'll attend John's work dinner and then we've got the kids coming in to spend the day with us on Friday and the rest of the family comes in on Saturday and we have our quarterly family day and incidentally, Christmas, too.  We always give an early gift to our kids so they can use as needed to help the season along in their homes.  We combine these activities with a Sunday at church and John working one day so we'll have to push grocery shopping in somehow and prepare for company as well. It will all get done, it always does and we'll enjoy it all, but thinking of it before hand is always a tiny bit stressful, lol.

I'd planned a meal for the coming weekend but it turns out it was heavy on one of the few foods that cause Bess to feel ill. I laughed when Sam mentioned that my menu wasn't a good idea.  Bess never would have said a word about it.  So the menu was replanned and as luck would have it the substitute item was on sale this past week. 



The house is very nearly decorated.  I want to do a few more things, nothing elaborate really but I confess I did nothing last week but decorate the tree and add bows to the wreaths.  I plan to finish it all up this week and I'll share when I'm done.

Friday night I spent time typing up a post and listened to Christmas music and sipped hot cocoa as I did so.  The tree was lit and glowing.  While I'd normally pull the curtains at dark, I find it pretty to see the reflection of the lights in the glass of the windows.  It makes the dark beyond the window seem friendly and lovely somehow.   In the country the darkness is lovely anyway but it can be a bit stark and lonely on cold nights. 

...I plan meals: 

The dough bowl was actually filled with pretty pinecone picks but the photo certainly doesn't show it well.  More of the canning jars with 'snow' aka salt and bottle brush trees and Santa  ornaments.


I must cook the spaghetti squash this week.  I saved a meatless recipe that sounded good but it didn't get made.  John took me out to eat at our favorite restaurant last week and we had no need of a further meal.   Not a big menu this week at all.  You'll see...

Hot Dogs, Oven Fries, Coleslaw, Snack Cake

Leftover Hot Dogs, Baked Beans, Leftover Slaw, Leftover Cake

Mexican Spaghetti Squash, Salad, Mexican Corn Bread, Butterscotch Pudding

John works x 1/on my own
Out to shop for groceries/deli meal
EMS Holiday Meal
Dining out with family    I plan to set a pizza dough to rise just in case we want something later that evening but we'll see how late we get lunch...

...I plan work:



 Bills, errands, groceries

Finish decorating. 

Finish shopping (so very nearly done!)

Prep for family weekend.

Bake a cake.  I'm thinking Carrot but it might be Williamsburg Orange...

...I plan my leisure:

Poor photo with that bright sunlight, but the tree was actually quite pretty if subtle.  Brown beaded birds, glass pinecones and burlap ribbon. 

I think gazing at the Christmas tree will be the most restful time each evening. Along with a cup of cocoa or Vanilla Milk.

I should have a couple of new Christmas issue vintage magazines arrive.  Those will be welcome reading material.