As I have done for the last two years, I am going to bake again for Hubby’s staff.  I even searched for last years post, but I just can’t find it. I know I wrote one because I remember some of the comments.  Alas, if I keep searching I won’t get this one written either.

For the last two years I filled boxes full of cookies, and when I mean full, I mean full.  I bought 4x4x4 (inches) boxes the first Christmas and thought 400 cookies would be plenty to fill them.  Ten a piece for the staff, no problem.  Then the night came to fill the boxes.  Well, ten cookies looked like ten crumbs the boxes were so big.  So while I started baking another 400 cookies, Hubby went to the bulk store and picked up chocolate balls and sesame snaps to help fill the boxes.  Thankfully we started early and got them finished in time.  And the staff loved them, which I truthfully would never know the difference, but I do know that they were so surprised that Hubby even thought of his staff.  (It was his first year there and in the past we would buy a box of Chocolates for each of his staff, but back then he only had eleven staff members, not 44.)

 Last year, I was prepared.  I made a thousand cookies, bought sesame snaps and an ornament for each box.  Some of the staff called to Thank me, I was touched.

This year, I have started baking, in between other stuff and have about 300 cookies on hand in the freezer, ready for baking.  I also had to purchase more boxes this year, so I opted for the 3x3x3 (inches) size box which is considerably smaller, but I will be able to get away with ten cookies each and some sesame snaps.  I hope to tie them with some twine and an ornament again (we bought a big box of ornaments for very little money and so it was festive to put them in the boxes). And hopefully this will be the start of less cookies is more.

My waistline is almost (and I mean I am on my last 5lbs) as small as it was when I first got pregnant with J, so I don’t want to ruin it all by baking as much as I did last year.  Because when baking for others one must always sample the wares, just in case.  Actual cookie photos to come when baked, promise.

 Let’s start off with the slipcover.  I love doing slipcovers, don’t get me wrong, but…and yes, there is a but…  I also hate them.

I love them because they turn previously loved but no longer in fashion chairs and couches into newer in-style, chic items.  Slipcovers refresh and renew and overall are an easy way for a makeover.

I hate them because there is always one spot that frustrates me.  Not one slipcover has gone perfect from beginning to end.  I make the pattern, I cut the fabric.  Everything goes well until, I hit that one spot.   For this slipcover it was the back of the seat.  I played and played with different patterns, but I decided to go with the one piece for two reasons.  First because I could have made it out of two or three pieces and ended up with the same puffiness and two I had to remind myself that it was a slipcover and not a recover.  I often forget that I am slipcovering and not recovering.  My Mother’s voice in my head rings every time.  You see my Mom gets me to do slipcovers, but truly she would like to get her couches recovered. And these are two different things.  Slipcovering means you can take it on and off easily and recovering means it’s permanent.

So here you see the before (minus the seat cushion that I had already put into the cover) and the after.  Please ignore the mess that is my sewing area.  After Christmas I will need a serious month to put this room back in order, but for now the time I spend reorganizing this room is better spent on the work getting done.

My girlfriend and I had been working on getting these chairs done for quite a while, so I am thankful that they are delivered in time for the holidays and it is one more thing checked off my todo list.  I hear she is liking them, for which, I am very thankful.

Now onto the Tree!

It was a stellar year for tree trimming this year.  Everyone helped, everyone except for Hubby.  But he gets an exemption because he took photos for us.  Even the teenager put down the Rubic’s cube for fifteen minutes and put up a few decorations.   It was fast and furious, but enjoyed by all, Apple included.

J was my biggest helper.  He was going strong until he saw his brother not helping much, that was when the cube went down and he joined in.  J had a plan and quite frankly his plan worked quite well, the Tree is gorgeous.

Little Miss Apple, the busiest little body I have ever known, was right in there helping me with the lights.  J only started helping last year, so it was pretty cute to see her dive right in to help.

 Here we all are getting all the decorations out.  We even got a smile or two out of A!

And the finished product.  The Tree on the right, along with J playing with the ornaments.  And the dining room on the right, almost ready for some holiday dinners.

I have been dropping by sites all day to see how you all have been decorating, and I think it is so wonderful to see how we all put things together for the holidays.  The most important part of course is that we remember the ‘Reason for the Season’ and that we all enjoy time together getting ready for the holidays.

Happy Tree Trimming everyone.