Walking Backwards

It seems that we are now only a few hours away from the end of our four-day weekend. While Joe and I did very little, I can't say that it was entirely wasted. The sitting on the couch time was greatly appreciated and enjoyed by all. We put our Christmas tree up and put lights on it. No ornaments yet as our house is a three-ring circus most days, but I do like looking at the lights while sitting in our front room in the evenings, drinking hot chocolate or tea and reading my books. I'm finally entering the part of the holiday season I enjoy: getting to be with my family and enjoying their company. Almost all the gifting is done and we are scaling back this year, both with travel and activities. I can't wait. Nicholas and I are going to build a gingerbread house and take walks after dark when our neighborhood lights up. Joe and I are going to watch old movies and maybe build a fire. It is going to be nice.

Today we went to a local nursery to gather information for our big yard project this winter - putting in new planting beds and building a pergola. Winter is one of the best times to start things like this because there is little else you can do in your yard and, since we live in south Texas, it isn't insanely hot outside. Nicholas loves the garden center and ran around most of the time we were there. He didn't seem to fond of the roses for obvious reasons, but really loved looking at the plants and statuary. We picked out the three trees we are going to be planting in the spring (we'll be buying them in a couple of months when they go on sale), bought some dirt to plant our lime tree in, and picked up a variegated jade plant for inside the house. I love this plant so much I keep going back into my room where it sits on my dresser just to gaze at it adoringly. It's insane. I just hope that I don't find myself kissing it uncontrollably because, you know, that would damage its leaves. I really have no idea about gardening or planting, so I felt this little foray into the world of experts would do us some good, especially considering that the projects we are about to be undertaking are complicated and require a level of skill that my husband and myself find sorely lacking. The truth is that no one out there has a solid, 'best-way-to-do-things' idea in their heads. So it looks like we're winging it. Hmmmm, winging it with power tools should be fun. I'll try to update about this project as events develop, that is, if the bloody stumps where my fingers should be still have the ability to type.