I'm really a lucky woman.
I was talking to Jim, over a piece of that Apple Crumb Cake... and mentioned that I needed to check craigslist or something to find a fake tree for Christmas, as my last one ate it in the storage unit fire, and things were too tight to go to Target or Walmart for a fake one at full price.
He looked at me as if I had gone completely crazy and said, why not just get a real one?
I explained that I didn't have a stand either, and certainly wasn't going to buy a stand so I could lug a real tree in by myself and put it up by myself. Hey, I know I'm a brute, but seriously, not gonna happen. Then I mentioned the pine needles and I ran out of excuses.
He said there was no way he was getting a tree for his place, and he had an extra tree stand at his old house still, so I could have that, and that we would all go out to the tree farm out off route 292 and pick out a tree.
I explained that I had never been to a tree farm before, and done that, and it was settled. We made plans to caravan out there with his truck and me and the kids in my car on Saturday.
This was the first time in my thirty years, that I have ever been to a tree farm, much less to cut down a tree. It was SO cold, but it was a lot of fun. Jim, true to his word, showed up on Saturday for lunch with us (I made Chili), then we got everyone ready to roll, and we were off to the tree farm.
It was FREEZING. After trips to the bathroom for the girls, a quick conversation with the owner of the tree farm (the property was in his family for four generations, and he lived on the same farm during the Depression), and a trip back to the car for more layers of clothes for Kate (who had sworn at home she was warm enough, and didn't want the extra layer when we were home- I brought it anyway), we went up walking through the fields.
Up and down rows, in and out of trees, while Frankie and Madelyn discussed which tree to pick, and Kaitlyn sighed and just said, "let's get one already". Joey got tired of everything and cold, so he headed back to the car for a while. Once we decided on a tree, we sent Kate to get Joey, so he could okay it.
Frankie had been walking around with the saw, anxious to cut the tree. He quickly realized it was tougher than he thought it was going to be. Both Frankie and Madelyn had a turn at cutting the tree. Kate wanted no part of it, and Joey was on his way back from the car to help drag it in.
When we got home, Jim brought the tree in, and we set it up on the tree stand in the dining room. I had dinner in the crockpot, so I put on noodles and veggies and we had a quick dinner together. After dinner, I put on the white Christmas lights, while the kids and Jim watched football, with Joey helping me untie the strands of lights.
After searching through the basement, I realized I didn't have any ornaments here either. So I figured I would go get some on Sunday and we could finish the tree then. Jim mentioned he had a bunch of old ones at his old house and it was silly to buy them, so he would bring it over for us.
Well, Saturday night after the kids were tucked in, we decided to see if we could go out on our own for a little while. While we were out, it started snowing, and on the way back to the house, his truck was sliding a little on the roads, so I told him he could camp out on the couch rather than driving all the way home.
I woke up to the sound of laughter early Sunday morning, and when I came downstairs, Jim was on the couch, with a couple kids piled around him, and they were all watching Spongebob Squarepants. We had about an inch of snow on the ground. I couldn't help but smile myself, and chuckle at the sight.
I made breakfast sandwiches, and cleaned the kitchen, then we all sat around watching TV, after lunch (leftover chili) I even managed to snooze a bit on the couch! (I never do that!) Mid-afternoon, the roads were clear, so Jim ran down and got the ornaments, as well as dinner fixin's. We had make-your-own Italian bread pizzas- cheese & pepperoni and Jim had onion on his. The kids LOVED those, and so did I! It was better than French bread pizza, and such a fast and easy dinner. (Easy cleanup too!) We watched the Steelers game, which I told him, that since I'm a Titans fan, the countdown is on in two weeks, when the Steelers vs. Titans game is on! We joked about how we could like each other except for that day. I fully plan on painting my face Titans blue for display in my living room! Haha! I am going to decorate with handmade GO TITANS signs and everything!
After dinner, I threw in the laundry, and the kids raided the ornament box, and hung things on the tree. The kids got the tree decorated, and I took a few pictures. The kids got in bed and Jim and I watched more football till it was getting late and I was getting sleepy.
All in all, it was a great weekend, and I have this beautiful tree to look at in my dining room, and the kids have already been asking where he is, and if he's coming over today (he's not).
I was so spoiled this weekend, and it was something that made me so happy... and it was being spoiled with quality time with the kids... and hearing laughter... it was just awesome. I'm pretty thrilled right now.
