Why I Oughta...

This year, after a couple of years off, we brought back our front yard Christmas tree.  You can see it in the photo below, along with our guy Santa and three of his reindeer.  This is the second year for these blowmolds being up on tomato cages and they look great .   It appears that this is only the second year that we put up a front yard tree since we moved to Downers Grove.  That first Christmas - back in 2017 - we had one (here) .  But, I can't find posts from 2018 and 2019.   This year, Nat tried to get some of our neighbors to do a tree in their own front yards and we saw a few of them do it - which is really nice.  We always loved Indiana Street being lit up with these trees. Here's the history of our front yard Christmas Trees over the years on the blog: 2020 - this post showing the tree and our blowmolds are back. 2017 - our first year in Downers Grove, I picked up a little tree at Menards for the front yard . Here's the photo and post from 2016 when we were at Vic

 Just like in year's past , I wanted to take the space on December 23rd this year on the blog to wish everyone a very Happy Festivus.   I've posted about Festivus many times over the years here on the blog  and this looks to be the seventh (7th) year that I marked the moment.  Out of 16 years on the blog. Here's how I celebrated Festivus in 2019 . Here's how I celebrated Festivus in 2018 . Here's how I celebrated Festivus in 2017 . Here's how I celebrated Festivus in 2016 . Here's how I celebrated Festivus in 2015 . And the first post in 2010 about Festivus appears to be this photo of a real-life Festivus pole outside of a house in Elmhurst .  But, this year marked a new moment in our Festivus journey.  After many years of asking/hinting that we should include it in our Christmas card, she finally caved.  Our 2020 family holiday card included a tip-of-the-hat to Festivus.  Here's the back of the card with the kids all blurred out: Right there amongst Chr

Doesn't look like much progress, does it?  Feels like I've sat in front of this puzzle for multiple hours, but all that I have to show for it is PARTS of four scenes.  There are twenty-one (21) total scenes in the puzzle across five rows. I have one scene in four of the five rows started so far.  I'm running out of time but, I suppose that means that I'll have to focus even more on this thing in the coming days. As a reminder, I called my shot with a 'Christmas Break' project puzzle back on Sunday, December 13th .  Five days later, on Friday, December 18th, I did my first check-in that showed the border mostly done and some of the color pieces sorted into piles .  Today, it looks like this: I'm fearing that I did all of the EASY parts, so now the project might only slow down.  

 I own exactly one camouflage item of clothing.  It is this Doug Hayse for Illinois State Representative camo ball cap.  Based on the data on the Illinois Department of Elections site , it appears that this hat is from the 2004 general election cycle.  That means that I've kept this hat for more than 15 years.  But, I only wear it one day a year:  Christmas Tree Farm Day.   Just filing this away as one of my Christmas traditions  - I've successfully been able to file this hat away in with the rest of our holiday decorations.  Just to be pulled out when the tubs of decorations come out each Thanksgiving-time.   I'm pretty sure it started because we had (historically) went down to the Tammen Treeberry Farm in Braidwood.  That was in, or pretty darn close - to the district Doug Hayse was running in for State Representative.  If I was doing - (which...NOTE TO SELF: I should do one this year, right??) - one of the "my favorite Christmas things" from this year, this hat

  Here's a look at some of the Ash Firewood that I processed last Winter.  You can see the checking that is taking place as the log dries out and has properly seasoned.  I recently brought some of this in the screened porch to begin to burn along with the Cherry, Oak and Birch.  This is the same wood that I showed stacked on my far backyard rack .  It has come a long way since Summer with a much darker look and checking along the ends.

 On Monday, I posted a photo of our family room Christmas tree .  That was the larger of our two trees from Evergreen Acres in Wisconsin.   I said at the time that the tree was the 13th Christmas tree that I've posted about over the years here on the blog and the fourth Family Room tree in our house in Downers - that we moved into in the Summer of 2017. But, that was wrong.  I forgot to include our Green Room Tree in 2019 to my list.  So, technically, Monday's tree was the 14th.  And this tree makes 15. For our new house, we've been here for four Christmas seasons: 2017, 2018, 2019 and now 2020.   In each of those three previous years - and again this year - we have a second tree in our house - a smaller tree in the front room.  Or, Green room.  Or, Library.  Depends on who describes it.   This year - like previous - we cut down a smaller Fraser Fir and Nat decorated it with vintage ornaments in our front window.  Here it is below: White globe lights, vintage ball ornaments

Less than a week ago, I posted a photo of my new Christmas break project:  a big Harry Potter puzzle .  I posted it mostly to force myself to finish this thing.  Like all of you, I started a puzzle during the beginning of the quarantine.  But, I gave up.  This one, I'm doing out on the screened porch.  Hoping location would get me further along than the last time appears to be paying dividends so far.   The photo below shows you where I am about five days after starting.  I have most of the border done - but still looking for a few pieces to finish it out.  And I've begun to sort by color.   Putting the greens and the blues and the yellows into piles that I'm hoping will get me going. There's plenty to do and the kids don't seem to be interested in helping me, but time is on my side.  When I check out for work for a while (soon), I'll turn to this during the days.