The tile installers have been here all day. I took a few pictures while they were at lunch.
The tiles are installed in the downstairs bath, but not yet grouted.
Upstairs, they have just started putting down the tile.
They will be back tomorrow to work on the third bathroom. I’ll be glad when the hammering and sawing are done!
~~Rhonda
Saturday morning, my sister and I took about four hours to string popcorn and six bags of cranberries for the living tree. DD helped for a little while, too.
This is not quite half the strings we need for a 9′ tree.
The 9′ tree sits on a 2′ box, making the top 11′. I put the garlands on the tree as far as I could reach, then DH took over.
~~Rhonda 
We are well underway with the Christmas decorating. Remember…we have to start early to have those 20+ trees up in time for our annual open house on the first Sunday in December. I’m seeing a lot of these lately.
Keeping in mind how much I need to get done this week, I am planning an easy menu.
Monday Leftovers today.
Rice and chicken
corn on the cob (if the store has any)
spinach salad with strawberries
Tuesday DD is home from school today. I think we’ll bake some bread. She loves to mix it.
sloppy joes
40 minute buns
chips / veggies / dip
Wednesday
flank steak in the crock pot
baked potatoes (microwaved)
corn
peas
Thursday
salmon
steamed red potatoes
asparagus
corn
Friday My sister is coming for the weekend to help with decorating.
beef stew in the crock pot
Saturday
pizzas (Crust made with 40 minutes buns recipe.)
Sunday
spaghetti
garlic bread sticks (made yesterday with the 40 minute buns recipe)
peas
corn
green salad
You can find more menu ideas at Menu Plan Monday.
~~Rhonda
Last evening I put lights on the middle tier of the 9′ living room tree and today I spent three hours finishing the lights on the bottom tier. Looks great! And it should. I used twelve boxes of commercial grade, 200 count light strings. This tree sits on a revolving stand and makes a beautiful display. The cats came to watch. I guess they got bored. Taking naps was more their speed. Buttercup settled down near the fireplace and Happy took up residence under my chair.
Happy took a long nap next to the warm glow of this light string.
My sister Genny is coming this evening to spend the weekend helping with the Christmas decorating. DH couldn’t find fresh cranberries in town last night, so Genny is bringing eight bags. It takes six to make enough popcorn and cranberry strings for the living room tree.
I’m moving on to the office tree. It needs one light string replaced and then we can finish decorating it. More later. ~~Rhonda
The twins went home on Monday, but before they left, we had an early birthday celebration.
Panda didn’t seem to care for that first bite of almond flavored frosting, but she got into it.
Tabby, not so much.
Now they are a year old! ~~Grandma
Yesterday, DH brought lots of boxes down from the attic. There are fifteen boxes just for the living room. This is the part of decorating for Christmas that looks like chaos to the untrained eye.
It’s all organized by box and by room. Each box decorates a particular part of the room. For the living room, two boxes hold the decorations for the top of the old square grand piano. One box has the mantel decorations in it, two have garlands for the arches, and there are four boxes of ornaments for the tree.
DH also brought down the living room tree. I put lights on the top part of the 9′ tree. DH will have to lift it onto the trunk, then I can begin on the middle branches. Last year, we decided this was the year to put all new lights on the tree, as several strings were very old and faded.
The lights on the top of the tree will stay on the tree when it goes back into storage after Christmas. The rest of the branches come off (with lights removed) and are stored in large black garbage bags. We have a room in the attic dedicated to the storage of the trees and branches. DH takes some of the trees to storage intact (with lights still on and decorations removed), but the 9′ trees are too wide and too heavy to take up the stairs and through the doorways.
I’ll put more lights on the tree this evening. It takes about six WOman hours to put all the lights on each of the two 9′ trees, one in the living room and one in the library.
Today I make chocolate creams, chocolate raspberry truffles, and baked Sugar Cookie Crisps. I also painted two coats on the laundry room door. One more coat and it can be installed.
~~Rhonda
The new tile in the bath was grouted yesterday, in the midst of getting our son and his family packed and on the road. The tile guy did a great job. The medicine cabinet goes back up tomorrow.
The tile goes around the window, over to the tub.
The view out the bathroom window…the trees are beautiful.
Next Monday, the floor tiles will be installed. We’re making progress! ~~Rhonda
DH make the eagle from the Great Seal of the United States. Ummm…riiiiight…. He didn’t add the extras…arrows, leaves, banners. You get just the basics with DH’s pancake art. ;-D Those other things are "dots," which DD always asks for.
Now that you’re inspired…get out there and vote!
~~Rhonda
The twins have been angels this week. A dream to take care of. They’ll be heading home tomorrow, which is sad for us, but happy for them and their mommy and daddy.
~~Grandma
The twins took the wagon for a spin again this afternoon.
It’s a beautiful afternoon.
The asters are covered with butterflies, bees and beetles.
The sugar maples are pretty this year.
The twins love to be outside.
And it was great to get out of the kitchen for a change! ~~Rhonda