OK, yes, it has been over a month since we posted, but no we have not been idle. Instead, as the observant have noticed, the Christmas Season is upon us. And that in Lisaland means: Decorating. Our attic breathes a sigh of relief as we approach T-giving and then enter December, as tons of supplies and decorations are hauled down the stairs, and down to the first floor for decorating.

I recall driving back from Santa Fe a few years ago and passing, going the other way, a caravan of 18-wheelers. It turns out the caravan was Paul McCartney's tour moving on from Dallas or Houston or somewhere in Texas to the West Coast. I thought as I saw truck after truck after truck pass by, "They have almost as much stuff as we have in the attic for Christmas. Only Paul has roadies. We have Brad." A sad observation indeed.

This process literally takes weeks, but it is (sort of) fun. And, in all fairness we could have accomplished it probably somewhat easier this year if we had not been interrupted by Lisa's appendicitis and then her Return of Appendicitis (Hello insurance company: They ARE the same medical illness so no you can't charge multiple deductibles!). But, it all came together anyway.

The front of the house at night?






The daytime show is pretty good, too, but unfortunately I am not capable of (a) taking a good picture under the best of circumstances, and (b) holding my stupid Blackberry still long enough to use it for a photo:



Front porch:



And check out the cupcake behind Mr. Gingerbread - hand made by yours truly. And it has a twin on the other side of the door (it was night when I took these and the other one didn't really turn out well on the photo):

The back yard was not overlooked (note the new grill cover - $46 from Sears, as opposed to the tons of money and time we invested in the cover we made earlier this fall):

And, let's not forget the garage wreath (the site of me climbing that darned ladder was probably not pretty; I don't know - I had my eyes closed):

A few inside:

Can you spot the inanimate object in the following dining room picture? Hint, there's a tree in the corner and a 12-year old boy sitting at the table.

That's it for now. This weekend was consumed with cooking for the holidays. Bolognese sauce for 20 Christmas night; enchiladas for 10 Christmas eve; Lisa baking dozens and dozens of cookies. AND Lisa making a gingerbread house!!! I will post that photo later.