TIM-BER!!

The Layers x 2 and the Tatlows got their Christmas trees yesterday.

(It’s so weird calling Carolyn a ‘Tatlow.’)

We missed Abigail and sent her a play-by-play in pictures.

We all went together to a teeny, tiny tree farm run by someone who works with Andrew’s dad.  Andrew, bootless for the first day, kept up as well as he could.

Here are some snapshots (although not in order since WordPress updated their media upload function and they all imported themselves…):

Carolyn “catching” the Layer’s tree as it fell…

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Carolyn, Andrew and myself, all sporting our Sorel winter boots (despite the clear lack of snow we’re experiencing…

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Andrew, cutting down our tree…

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Andrew’s mom and dad pulling while Ben cut down his and Carolyn’s tree…

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me, dragging our tree…

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more dragging…

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switch hands, more dragging…
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What was Andrew doing while I was dragging the tree?  Limping alongside with a tree branch, snapping these photos.

I love getting real trees for Christmas.  One of my first memories with Andrew’s family was going with them one year in college on the day after Thanksgiving to get their tree.  Growing up, we always had real trees, although I don’t know that we always cut our own.  It wasn’t until Andrew and I got our first apartment that we had to use a fake tree.  Artificial ones, especially the really nice ones, are certainly convenient, but lack the ‘magic’ a real tree brings to Christmas.  With our windowed porch, I could definitely see having an artificial one all lit-up with white lights in the future out there (I love Christmas lights and seeing trees through peoples’ windows), and then having our ‘real’ tree somewhere else in the house.

We’ll probably get the tree up tonight and then maybe plan a night this week to decorate it.  I have three giant tests in three days (and it isn’t even finals week yet!) starting tomorrow, so I’m not sure ‘tree-decorating’ tops the to-do list tonight…

how long has it been?!?

…since my last post?  I have no idea.  Seriously.

Let’s just say I’ve been busy.  It’s not like we just experienced a giant holiday or anything, not to mention tons of school work, a last push to spruce up the place and hosting relatives.

I don’t know what else to do other than this: a list.

1.  I’ve been trying to paint my nails for three weeks.  As in, on-my-to-do-list-and-polish-sitting-out-on-my-dresser.  Impossible, I tell you.  I just do not have the time.

2.  Andrew’s in his boot (meant to post–with pictures–about that) and “walking” without crutches.  It’s nice to have him back in relative self-sufficiency-mode, but he’s still very limited.

3.  He’s also thirty.  3-0.  Can you believe it?  I can’t.

4.  I have more ice cream in our freezer than even I want right now.  I’ve made some of it–Cognac-flavored for Andrew’s birthday, plus black raspberry chip (I experimented with lowering the melting point of the chocolate chips–a blog in and of itself) and pumpkin–as well as store-bought vanilla, pumpkin pie and rainbow sherbet, AND a gifted half-gallon of chocolate brownie-something-or-other from a dairy at Penn State.  Whew.  (What else was I supposed to do with all those leftover egg yolks from the angel food cake I made for Andrew’s birthday? BTW–homemade angel food cakes are WAY better than from the box.  Just saying.)

5.  Thanksgiving was yesterday.  (Duh.)  We hosted Andrew’s Aunt Linda and Uncle Dave, who traveled from Indianapolis.  (Their son, Luke, and Andrew’s grandma stayed with the Layers.)  We had a great time chatting with them at our place, running together on Turkey Day and Aunt Linda was a huge help in the kitchen–so glad they came!  We ate the big meal at Andrew’s parents’ house, along with Carolyn’s new husband’s family, so it was quite a gathering.  Despite the large number of people, there are TONS of leftovers.  YUM.

6.  I’ve already done a bunch of school work on this break.  I SO want to be productive and feel caught-up and prepared for my upcoming finals.  I just have to make it to Dec. 13…

7.  My little (almost 6-foot-tall high school senior) brother has his license AND a very cute girlfriend.  What is this world coming to?!

8.  I have done so much yardwork it isn’t even funny.  Andrew totally got out of it this year because of his bum leg.  I enjoyed the time outside–really, I did–but my schoolwork suffered. And I have a scar from one of the blisters I got.  A SCAR.  Seriously.  But, at least I got all the leaves and beds cleared and ready for spring.

9.  The house is really starting to feel homey.  We’re still down a couch–darn La-Z-Boy–but it should be here soon.  Before we hosted our visitors for Thanksgiving, we hung some photos, bought bathroom towels (finally!) and decorated for Thanksgiving a little.  I CAN’T WAIT to finish up the fireplace room once we get the new couch.  I promise pictures over Christmas break.  I PROMISE.

10.   I am so not ready for Christmas.  Like, at all.  I don’t even want to really listen to Christmas music yet (but I will, since it’s after Thanksgiving).  I’m just too overwhelmed with school; I can’t use any extra brain power to think about buying presents.  Let’s just hope I can get all our shopping done in the 12 days before Christmas…