Well, no cookies were baked here yesterday.   I, for some unknown reason, decided to start organizing drawers on Friday, and I kept at it yesterday.  So, it was late afternoon before we started decorating.  But, the tree is done! 

Every year since Gracie was born, we've added a Little People Christmas set to their collection.  (I didn't order one this year - I'm hoping Target will have something when we stop by this aftenoon).  Here's Gracie holding one of the cows from one of the manger sets.


Uncle Tim gave the girls matching singing Rudolphs two Christmases ago - Abigail loves them!



Gracie enjoying a Three Muskeeters!



Kissing Rudolphs....



I loved hanging the ornaments this year.  The girls were both so in to it - Gracie wanted to know the story behind each on that we hung up.  Abigail kept asking for me to open her bedroom door and it took me a couple of times to realize that what she was doing was taking ornaments off of the tree and stashing them under her bed!



I decided I'd take pictures of a few of the ornaments.  It's so fun to go back and look at them....

Here's A  Christmas Story one that I got for Steve in 2006.



Here's one my sister gave me in 2002.  I love, love, love this one....






In the middle of decorating, the girls asked for me to take their picture on the step ladder.



Here's one from 2000.  This would have been the first Christmas that Steve and I were dating....


These next few are from my Celebration In The Oaks collection.  Celebration In The Oaks is a beautiful light display in City Park in New Orleans.  I have an ornament for every year from 1994 to 2004.  My family went every year to see the lights (I missed one year because I had to work, but my mom still picked me up an ornament).  Each year they do a different gold filagree oranment.  They are so beautiful and really are some of my favorite ornaments that I own, partly because they are so pretty and partly because it's so fun to remember going and seeing the lights.  We haven't been back since Hurricane Katrina hit - they still have the lights - our schedules just haven't worked out to go since then.

Here's my latest ornament, from 2004


And my oldest - from 1994...


A close up of the date...


I love this one from 1995....



Here's what happens when you use a really long exposure on moving targets....my ghostly girls....



Here's a musical egg that Steve's boss gave him in 2006...



Just a close-up of one of the tiny Christmas lights....



This is from a strand of lights that I bought several years ago but never hung up.  I have them intertwined with our stockings.



And a final one of my beautiful girl...


Today, it's raining and the girls are still coughing so our plans to go and see the lights at Bellingrath have been canceled.  We're going to go to lunch and do a little last-minute shopping.  Hopefully, we'll start our baking, today, too!  I hope you have a blessed Sunday!