Pre-Holiday Cleaning

Our Boise Thanksgiving was a real treat, but now we're back home and into the pre-Christmas rush of "Things That Must Be Done". First on my list: clean the carpet. We're hosting a Graceful Dinner this Saturday, not to mention family who will be here for Christmas, and the carpet was looking awful, really awful. As soon as we got home Sunday evening, I had DH retrieve the carpet cleaner from the office and I got busy moving furniture Monday morning. By Monday evening the carpet was looking MUCH better, though I was still pulling dirt out. No small city family does ground-in dirt better than mine, I'm absolutely convinced. Of course, there are a lot of us tramping around the house.

O.k. carpets are clean (mostly) and furniture goes back in, albeit in a slightly different configuration. This year instead of putting the Christmas tree in the window, I'm trying it in the corner by the fireplace, necessitating moving the couch and flanking tables and causing great upheaval in DH's pile of stuff in his corner of the living room. I'm not sure where it's all going to go, but I really need to have it gone.

Today I'm moving the cleaning machine on down the room to begin getting rid of some piles in the kitchen. Luckily I did a pre-emptive strike a couple of weeks ago, so it's not quite as bad was it could be. Good thing cuz I really gotta bake a batch of bread and attempt to do some laundry today too - and do something with my American Heritage Girls today - ack!

How are you doing with your Christmas shopping? Me? Well, I have started, but there's much more to do. Monday I did let my mouse do a little bit of browsing and we found a few gifts to order as well as my very favorite Christmas coffee - Gloria Jean's Mocha Merrimint!

Last year Gloria Jean didn't make this Paulson family holiday staple, and Christmas morning just wasn't the same. My sister-in-law and I both wrote the company about our utter disappointment, and now it's back!! Yay!! I'm sure our sorrowful letters melted the hearts at Gloria Jean's. :) I tried a couple of substitutes, but none compared. So I've ordered a nice supply of this, plus some other GJ offerings. . . can't wait till my order arrives!!

Hardanger makes such wonderful Christmas ornaments and I've started stitching a few. The smocking guild luncheon is this Saturday and I've really gotta find a lightning needle to get something made up in a hurry, as my current stitching has been for other uses.


Winter is creeping up on us here in the Mid-Columbia, but the pot of geraniums near my front door is bravely putting out a little color for me in spite of the cold December nights.