Deck the Halls.

Our first tree went up last Sunday. "First" meaning the downstairs tree that we bought last year, the 7.5" noble fir with pre-strung lights and little pinecones sewn in. Love this tree. Talk about ease of setup. Greg put it together in 5 minutes and then I was left to my own tree decorating devices which suits me fabulously as I get into 'The Zone'. Last year it was just gold but this year I supplemented with red as well and it looks awesome. Did about 1/2 the house decor on Sunday before I cried uncle.

Initial Results!

Next weekend we'll head out into the wild (tree lot on the corner) for our real 'family room' tree which is the one we spend all the quality time with..and the one under which Portia shreds presents while we are away from the house. What would Christmas be without having to re-wrap shredded presents continuously the entire month of December?? Really.

After the decorating I felt all inspired. So I made chocolate chip cookies, with oatmeal and mini chips and applesauce instead of butter and oil. Well I did use 1/2 a stick of butter but that was 1/3 of what the recipe actually called for. They came out fabulous and I liked knowing I wasn't clogging my arteries when I immediately consumed 4 out of the oven. HEY! It's the holidays.