Christmas Lights @ MindSay

so have I reported that I purchased one of those animated light up deer?  jim suggested  ( well more like  pleaded) we place it where no one will see it because he it considers it to be one cut above a garden gnome. It's in the back yard, light up brightly and placed so that it looks like it is munching a rhododendrun bush. Now that it's up he thinks it might ward off coyotes in the summer so we will leave it up if I can spray paint it brown. what a man.

 

 

last night before dinner we went on a small portland christmas tree light excursion on the "other" side of the river, I brought abi because the last few times she has been in her carrier has been for the doctor and i wanted her to use her carrier and have some fun. so the three of us took off. after a few yowls of protest because jim is a very fast turn  love to knock you about driver, she decided to come out of her carrier- which was on my lap- and sit in my lap- she is tethered so she can't get under the gas pedal etc. and jim thinks we could go anywhere or do anything as long as she is  in my lap.

 

there is this very kitschy area called peacock lane (P.L.)  where every house on the block decorates to the nth degree We toured the tasteful eastmoreland -where we considered buying a house but are glad we did not because life would be  too formal  over there near Reed College and the east side is a flat grid of streets, while the west side is rolling twisting roads and hills. And beside the house we bought would have cost 800,000- 900,000 over there and then we couldnt afford it anyway.  P.L. did not disappoint with its tackiness quotient and i cant imagine why you'd want your street to become a city attraction for three weeks every year. really creepy.

 

Abi loved the show however. she got to see dogs and lots of lights and smell a horse from a carriage ride concession. and then she was happy not to end up at the doctors but rather at home and her favorite places to snuggle. we had a pizza and then played "guess which ornament" built a fire, watched a movie and dug into two of the stollen we are keeping- I wrapped the others as to avoid temptation. tings are back to the stable able to appreciate the wonderful things in life. and I am staying away from toxic daughter. well off for another cappaccino and some stollen. happy happy.

Well here's the demigoddess' tree in all of its glory. It didn't come  out the way I imagined it would, but my kid is quite happy with the results. :D

 

 

At first, we didn't like the way the pine cones looked on the tree and the bow that I bought was too big. I ended up having to make this one.  Since the ribbon was red and green, it looked even better than the solid red one I bought. Now the entire tree is made of handmade decorations. 

 

 

 

 

The husband suggested we try the pine cones again and here's the result.  The pine cones and the styrofoam balls look better in person because the camera didn't pick up the glittery shiny-ness.

 

 

The kiddo poses in front of her creation. She wanted to wear a Christmas tree skirt, too!

 

 

Here's a  grainy video of our outdoor Christmas lights. It was about 75 degrees outside when I shot this.  Tomorrow another cold front is moving in. *sigh* I'll be popping Claritin all week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, the tree is put together, but not decorated yet.  I"m going to try and get the lights on yet tonight, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow to work on decorating it.

 

I LOVE Christmas!

My husband and I are proactive in the fight against high electric bills. If we can save energy in the process and help the world go green, even better. One item I always look for around this time is Christmas lights. When I was little, I remember my mother telling us not to touch the tree because the lights would burn us. Thankfully there are LED lights that use less energy and give off less heat than the traditional lights I am used to using.

Want to know something even better? The LEDs have a lifetime warranty and burn for 50 thousand hours. How many Christmases can that get you through? I mean, there are 24 hours in a day, 31 days in December. Comes out to around 67 Christmases if you burn your lights every day in December nonstop. That's pretty good for $25 lights! This year I would like to get emerald lights. We have a white tree, so I can change the lights and ornaments to suit my fancy every year.