Holiday prep

 This was shopping weekend.  We did our usual trek out together to shop.  We didn't buy many Christmas presents, but we sure did have a lot of fun.  Just the two of us, relaxed and happy and enjoying ourselves.  We managed to buy things for one another without the other one seeing.  That kind of secrecy is always fun.  There weren't many shoppers out and we think that's a combination of less shopping this year and the fact we were out early in the day.  It was also cloudy and cool and that might have kept some people home.  Always glad when it's cool enough to Christmas shop in long pants.  It just doesn't seem like the holidays when we're shopping in shorts.  

I promised more pics of the house.  Here are the Christmas trees.

The big tree.  We have an ornament collection...several in fact.  We have ornaments from my Grandparent's tree, my parent's tree, a collection that my Mom started for me when I was about 3, and our friend Linda's collection.  I would say we have everything but the kitchen sink, except there's an ornament made from a dollhouse kitchen sink.  

Every year, the tree looks the same, but every year it's different because I place the ornaments I'm interested in that year where they can be seen the best.  This year, the ornaments from my Grandparent's tree are at eye level, even though they're not as bright and shiny anymore, they still mean so much to me.  

This is the LiBien tree.  These are all hand painted ornaments.  Pier 1 used to sell them and now World Market does.  We have at least one from every year since 1997.  We've filled the tree and added ornaments to the center and still bought more ornaments this year that we'll have to find a place to hang.  They hang in order by year, oldest at the top because yes, we are those people.  

without the lights so you can see the ornaments.  

And, the ceramic tree.  Everybody probably remembers one of these.  They seem to be making a comeback.  My Mom's was solid white, but I can't remember whether the bulbs were white or multicolor.  I think multicolor.   Anyway, Rob shopped and shopped for one, but they were very expensive.  We happened to stop at a garage sale one summer day and they had one for like $10.  He paid them more and explained that it was worth so much more than what they were asking, it would have felt like taking advantage of them.  

I decided I wanted a fruitcake this year.  Without a recipe, I bought dried fruit in the grocery; cherries, pineapple, apricots, dates, raisins, black currants.  Rob can't eat nuts, so I left those out.  To me, the problem with fruitcake is it's so heavy and dense so I spent about an hour reading fruitcake recipes and about what makes fruitcake dense (not enough liquid in the batter).  I found the recipe I wanted to try.  It seemed like it would make a very light cake, but when I put the batter together, it was heavy and thick.  I added buttermilk to interact with the baking powder and help it rise, and a half cup of rum.  I didn't realize that there weren't any spices in the recipe until I was started making it, so I added some Christmas flavors like nutmeg and cinnamon and clove.  It came out perfect, so I wrote down the recipe!  We couldn't resist, so we cut the smallest one last night.  Light, moist and even though the flavors haven't combined, it was delicious!  I'll wrap the other two and give them a drink now and then and these will be perfect by Christmas week.  

We are getting great fall color in the yard.  We don't always.  Sometimes, the leaves all fall in one day and it's over before you know it.  

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Just one thought today.  

Everybody have a great week.  Remember that the holidays are about the fun you have, not the number of presents under the tree or the size of the feast.

Lane