More Christmas Things

The Murph and I received a gift certificate to Pier 1 Imports for our wedding.  I tried to order some things online, but their website doesn't seem to allow you to pay with gift cards so today we went to the actual store nearby and shopped in the "old fashioned" way.   I got these candles and candle holders, a tiered serving tray, a condiment holder, a cheese board, a rectangular serving dish, and two raised cake stand, one white one and one clear.  And yes, of course we went a little over the gift card amount when we went inside the store and saw all the cute, festive things we really didn't need, but that's what happens.  Stores are planned out that way and I fall right into the buying"trap."

I also discover The Murph's one small, lonely box of Christmas ornaments hidden in a closet downstairs.  Before I moved in he hadn't had an actual tree up in years.   Instead he had one of those indoor/outdoor spiral lighted trees in the corner of his family room.    Who knows when the last time these ornaments have been on a Christmas tree.  I took care of that this year and divided them up between two of the trees.  Most of his ornaments were either lighthouses or baseball theme related with the occasional green leprechaun Irish Santa and some Catholic angels thrown in the mix.

This one is really cute!  My Murph's team, The Mets.  Now my adopted team too!  Maybe they will start winning more now with our combined positive energy directed at them.

This one looks like something you would find at McGuires Irish Pub, one of my favorite restaurants in Pensacola and the Boy's all-time favorite that doesn't involve Mexican food.

So happy to have the Murph's ornaments commingling with mine this year!  Hope they get along better than the cats do!

Christmas Things

I have been a little off today.  The Murph and the cats beware!  It didn't help that I tackled the outside Christmas lights which were in a tangled mess as strings of lighting usually get and the extension cords too.  Good thing is I finished most of the outside Christmas decorations and most of the lights still work from last year.  My mood got a little better until I got a call from The Boy.  Things went downhill again.  He can be very disrespectful.  I don't know when he will ever get it that he's an adult now and some of the things I automatically did for him as a child, I do now to "help" him out of the goodness of my heart, but not a mommy requirement anymore.  Especially when I'm being called "stupid" or an "annoyance" or he tells me "I don't know what I'm doing" etc, yet he needs my help.

Will he ever learn?

On to happier things!  Here's some of my favorite Christmas decorations collected over the years or adopted from The Murph's collection.  I've spent a month going through boxes and getting stuff out and still am not finished.  The Murph offered to help, but mostly just wanted to avoid the whole mess of it.  He did say tonight that while he doesn't like the decorating process, he does like it when it's all done.

 I do love this little pink Christmas tree purchased at Michael's a couple of years ago.

One of The Murph's favorites is this nativity scene.

And I always have a stocking for the cats.  They are almost human after all. (at least they think they are)

Our first Christmas ornament.

More of my favorites.  Not surprising that most of my favorites involve clothing, shoes or cats.

From the days I actually thought SouthPark was funny.  I'm just sick that way.

The Murph wanted to know why there was a dress hanging on his tree.

And shoes too.  Lots of shoes!

That's it for now.  I'm still working on The Boy's tree where I have all of the ornaments he ever made from toddlerhood through the school years.  Some of my all time favorite, one of a kind ornaments ever.

Jazz Cat's Relaxing On Their Favorite Christmas Comforter

You can always find Cadence in the dark.

I bought this comforter last year at Pottery Barn.  I think it is perfect for Christmas.  I love it!  Obviously, the cats love it too!

Thanksgiving and Christmas Decorating With The Jazz Cats

Today was Christmas decorating day.  We still haven't eaten our Thanksgiving dinner, but we got a lot of decorating completed.  Last year I had a tree in every room in my house, all with their own themes.  This year I am living at the Murph's house so it was a little more difficult trying to figure out where to put everything.  All my decorations were bought for my house with a space in mind.  Here at the Murph's house I had to improvise.

We used most of my trees, but not one in every room.  He has way too many rooms that we never even use.  I put up four big trees, one in the living room, one in the office, one in the dining room, one in the family room and one in the Boy's room.  My 9 ft tree didn't fit under the Murph's 8 1/2 ft ceiling, but we got it in there anyway.  The top is a little tipped over to one side, but maybe nobody will notice....

I added my Christmas village houses with the Murph's and we have quite a little village, complete with an ice skating rink, a snow skiing mountain, library, toy shop, church, Irish pub (for my piss drunk Irishman), train station, country inn and another Victorian house and golf shop.  Sparkling "snow" is all over the house now.  I had some stuck to my forehead when I woke up this morning.

The cats LOVE all the trees.  Each one has their favorite that they are sleeping under.  They haven't tried to climb them yet which is good.  Phantom is to big, Ed and Boo too old and Cadence knows better.  Ed and Boo like the tree that's in the living room best because that room is their usual hangout anyway.  They were all over the place while I was putting them up and decorating them, especially Phantom.  He had to supervise everything.  I guess the trees meet with his approval.

We have lights outside along with garland, a blowup Santa and a blowup snowman, but the lights are not set to techno music like I had hoped.  I think we are doing good if we get the icicle lights hung over the porch roof.  Dancing lights set to music is just out of our expertise.  Phantom couldn't get outside to supervise us although he certainly tried.  He's an indoor only cat.

Now it is time to relax and wait on the turkey to finish cooking so we can eat Thanksgiving dinner.  We are having turkey, the Murph's grandmother's secret stuffing recipe, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls and apple pie.  For the Jazz Cats, turkey for Phantom and Fancy Feast chicken florentine for the rest of them.

The jazz cats are very thankful that it is Thanksgiving too.  I asked each of them what they are most thankful for and here's what the said.  Phantom is very thankful for turkey and dressing and that his boy's home from college for the holiday.  Cadence is thankful that he didn't get squirted with water today like Phantom did for going after Ed.   Ed is thankful that Phantom didn't catch him and bite him today and that he gets to hangout under a really cool tree with a nice fluffy, soft tree skirt.  Boo is just thankful to be alive and able to eat soft food everyday.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Jazz Cats.