If you’ve been following our website this season, you know that September 1st was the Official first day of decorating.

We started the month with indoor trees and haven’t gotten any more tree pictures on the website. September seems to be throwing us a few roadblocks. Jeff was going to work on the 2 new 20 ft mega-trees but we’ve had some setbacks in parts. I have been battling the dreaded coconut allergy. It’s amazing all the places they hide coconut and coconut oil these days! So, long story short, we haven’t accomplished much and I spent most of last weekend trying to recover.

Enough about that. Here’s the rundown. The two white trees are up, shaped, and lit. Ornaments are continuing to be added this week and I need to pull the tree toppers out of the garage. These trees are “kitchen” themed. Basically, that goes with our Candy Land theme we’re building outdoors.

Brody’s tree is all set up in his room. He called his tree first (a tradition in our house) and chose a penguin theme. This was PERFECT because Jeff brought home TONS of penguin ornaments from the Hendersonville auction. I’ll be the first to admit that some of our trees aren’t the greatest. Truth is, the cheaper trees aren’t as full and seem to fit better in the small spaces. Plus, I bought them one season at Target on clearance for 75% off (at least). At 75% off, they work for me! So, back to Brody’s tree. He wanted the world to think he had the best tree EVER but couldn’t figure out how he was going to accomplish his goal. Jeff came to the rescue with a super snazzy rotating tree stand with a remote control and a fader that makes the lights change from red to white. Of course, Jeff is again Brody’s hero. Come on, what 9 year old boy wouldn’t want a tree that spins and changes colors that he can turn on and off from bed? He added some red and white balls and his penguins and is in love. I just need to find a tree topper for him…not that he cares about tree toppers.

Jeff’s cars for his car tree are all out of their boxes and ready to go on their tree. I’ll have that wrapped up by this weekend. You are all here to make sure I get it done, right?  I’ll tell you all about this tree after I get it put together.

The western tree is started as well. The tree is shaped and the lights are started. All the ornaments are ready to go. I’m just waiting for my helpers. Trees aren’t as fun if you don’t decorate them together.

I am debating the entry tree and the family tree. We can’t decide which one we want to replace this year. The family tree has been around a while, but I think the entry tree needs to be a little taller. I’m telling you, it’s a tough decision. All I know is, I don’t want to take the decorations off the tree and start over. So, I may hold off on those two and move on to the dining room and our bedroom. Or maybe I’ll put up a tree for the dogs. Who knows.

I went to Garden Ridge today with my littlest helper to scope out the new trees and grab a few ornaments. OK, maybe more than a few. I can’t help it!! Their gingerbread and candy ornaments were really cool. There were also a few that were amazingly similar to a Dept 56 ornament we picked up earlier in the year in New Braunfels. In fact, I almost like Garden Ridge’s cheaper version better. (Don’t tell anyone, ok?)

We should be updating the website with pictures this weekend. Until then, check out Brody’s super cool new hat for this season. Of course, the mother in me had to immediately tell him that he couldn’t ride his bike with this hat on (it goes all the way down to his knees!). This hat is so cool that if it’s a really cold Santa Saturday at our display it can double as a scarf. Brody says he prefers to think of it as a “Harf” because it’s half hat and half scarf. He’s a keeper!  Pretty cool, don’t you think?

We hope you guys are all as excited about this season as we are. One last thing, board game manufacturers are starting to offer great coupons. These make great charity donations! I’m sure we’ll be adding to our already growing pile of gifts our family is donating to Zenobia with The Forgotten Child!  If you are looking for a charity this season, our webpage has some great information on The Forgotten Child.  Check out the video!