The Good, Bad, Ugly & Unfinished of Xmas...

I thought I was almost ready for the holidays...

Guests arrive on Friday...

The tree is up...Looks good...And the lights are working...So far...

Yesterday I finished my Xmas shopping and wrapped presents this morning...

I even used tape and some ribbon as opposed to just mashing the paper around a box...

One year I promise myself I'm going to do a really bang up job with the wrapping...

But until that day gets here used ribbon and gift bags will have to do...

The cookbooks and food magazines are piled on the kitchen island and the menu is 90%...

The wine delivery is here and C made a wine tree! 

That C, he's so creative...

I need to decorate the mantels...

But if I lose interest I'm stripping them empty,

tossing a couple of silver ornaments at them and calling it clean and modern...

I emptied the console in the front hall...The plan was to load it with candle lights and fill the branches with dried sliced oranges, limes and tiny ribbons...This is as far as I've gotten...

Every year I go to a nearby small town to buy paperwhites...

Every year the Junior Leaguers beat me to the nursery and scoop up all the paperwhites...

This year I decided to plant my own...

I waited too late and they're only up this far...

By the rate of things I should have a house full of blooming paperwhites the third week of January...

I'm out of town the third week of January on business...

I hope C enjoys the paperwhites...

I went beyond my usual wreaths on the doors this year and even the pool is decorated a lovely shade of Grinch Green...

We started lowering the water level so the poolman could drain it for the new liner...

He was supposed to be here the week after Thanksgiving...

The water level is now too low to turn on the pump...

The frogs seem to be having a festive holiday...

...oh well...I have a couple more days to get it together...