DECORATING BEGINS

Yuck, the clouds and rain are still here this morning as I head out to do the chores. There is so much mud everywhere it is hard to keep from slipping and falling.
Back inside with breakfast and devotions done there is no better day to begin my Christmas decorating. I hauled all the storage bins from the storage shed in my Pilot.

While a light rain fell all day I decorated the inside of the house. I got most of it done.
The Santa collection is all out and I have a list of new stockings and holders to pick up this year as our family continues to grow. I need 2 more adult stockings and 2 more childrens stockings.

In the kitchen/dining room the old wood stove came to life with the old village and the small tree filled with handmade ornaments.

The nativities are a favorite part of my decor.

To finish today's work in here I got all the kitchen implement ornaments on this tree.

I didn't get the living room tree decorated yet and still need to do some work in the kitchen and sunroom but the lighting in the sunroom is too dark to finish in there tonight.
That is a great start to my favorite decorating time of the year. In years past I have juggled the first week of December's decorating with baking lots of cakes for a business that has ordered 60 - 120 caramel cakes but this year I haven't gotten an order from them. He came through market about a month ago and said he would be calling me but he must have found something else to give this year.
I will miss that big pay check but it is nice to have time to enjoy putting up all my decorations.
When hubbie got home we put out hay for the cattle and shut the lower pasture gates as we are still under a flood watch until tomorrow evening expecting heavier rains over night and tomorrow.
I emptied only 3/10ths from the gauge this evening but as darkness fell the rain got heavier.
We are complaining about all the rain but I am thankful that we don't have the snow and ice that parts of the country have. The snow cover area for the country is pretty large for December 1st.

Hubbie and I watched part of the UNC / Maryland basketball game tonight before calling an end to this busy day.
 She's growing up way too fast !!!

Thankful for the strength God gives us each day and for the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior.
God Bless and Good Night.