Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Secret Shindigs and My Digs

Kori at My Life as a CFers Wife arranged a Secret Santa Shindig with over 66 people!
I sent my package off to my secret partner,
and I received a gift in the mail today from the person who had me.

The card was cute.
And I found out my secret santa gifter was Hollie!


I LOVED my gifts.
Chocolate, a compact case, lip gloss, an adorable Annie-looking Christmas decoration, photo albums and a journal.

Hollie, you did an awesome job.
I was so surprised, and I LOVED it.

THANK YOU!



I had a lot of fun with this secret santa shindig.
If you want to see other's gifts, go to Kori's blog to check out the links.

*******************

Now, Tuesday it got downright freezing here in North Texas.
And everything shuts down when that happens.
Schools were canceled, and the temps never left the 20's all day.

It was COLD, y'all.

So, we stayed home and decorated.

I don't have a ton of decorations, and I'm not super crafty, so it's meager.

Here's a little of what we did.




OH, we got the tree Saturday, but didn't decorate it until today.








I think they love using a ladder.



It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

40 comments:

lynette355 said...

neat! come put a tree up for me too.
lol schools did not close here in central texas and was colder than a ticks behind too!
hope you enjoyed your day with the boys.

Twisted Fencepost said...

You hauled in the booty!
That's a big tree you got there.
And pretty, too. Just like you!

Justine said...

Hey, your tree looks great. I always laugh at those kind of trees when I see them on the lot (their branches are weird and fuzzy), but man, seeing it up makes all the difference. It's just beautiful!
No fair that so many people did this secret Santa thing and no one told ME about it! WTF????? Am I no longer loved? Am I not worth of anonymous love??????

Justine :o )

Unknown said...

Lovely tree. We had the same weather as you guys on Monday, and we didn't get out of school, I was so mad!

Tiffany said...

Your decorations looks great! How fun to get a "snow" day from school to do it together.

Loved the haiku you wrote over on my blog! I hope your cats stay out of your tree!

tiarastantrums said...

wow - that tree is so full and gorgeous!! (and I love your son's name)

Susie said...

Secret Santas are so fun! I am going to have to play along next year:-)

Kori said...

So glad you liked all your goodies. I had a blast orchestrating the whole thing.

That tree is so pretty and full. My boys like to use ladders too. Guess it makes them feel above us. ha

All Things BD said...

That is a SERIOUS tree. I don't think I'd have enough ornaments to fill it up. :)

Live.Love.Eat said...

Awesome Secret Santa, love the chocolate in the case!! And that's a beautiful tree!

Beth said...

What a gorgeous tree!! And awesome Secret Santa gifts! I can't wait to be able to participate in something like that. What fun!

Lula! said...

That tree is for real? For real, real? It's fantastic!!!!

I cannot believe y'all got snow...it's been in the 50's here all week, pouring the rain. Famine or feast...that's the weather here...famine or feast. It gets on my nerves.

I digress...

Jen said...

what a lovely gift and a very nice tree. So there is still hope for me? Good to know.

Anonymous said...

hahahahaha! 20 degrees isn't cold. With windchill it is 9 degrees here! And that's warm compared to what it has been. My friend from Fargo called today and said it's -27.

Anonymous said...

We're having a snow day in Western Washington today - all the schools are closed, heh.

Love your tree!! Wow! And your decorations are awesome.

KimmyJ said...

That tree is GORGeous!!

Marrdy said...

That is one big tree. Great presents too!

Keys to the Magic Travel said...

Ya'll had school canceled because it was in the 20s? That is insane!

And your tree? Gorgeous. And how tall is it?? I want a tree...

Mama Dawg said...

oh, I heart you for getting a real tree.

Anonymous said...

Trees are like boobs and bank accounts, the bigger the better. But I think your lack of a professional to help you to trim it is just appalling honey! What's up with that? Good thing your kids like climbing ladders. But shouldn't they be climbing social ladders more than actual ladders? It really is a pretty little (oops I mean big, it's just that mine is two stories high so everything else looks little...) tree though!

koopermom said...

I'm so glad you liked your gifts! I saw the Annie decoration and knew I had to get it for ya!
My swap gift has arrived but I haven't had the chance to open it yet! Ahhhh, I can't wait to go home!

Ashley said...

Love your tree!!!

Captain Dumbass said...

That is one big tree.

KP said...

that is a HUGE tree!

Cristin said...

That's really cold for you guys, but cancelling school?

Love the real tree... allergies don't allow us to get one...

Tracy said...

Hi there Rhea,
Just wanted to thank you so much for my Secret Santa Shindig gifts you gave me. Wooohooo, I love them all! You did a great job.
Hasn't this all been so fun, it's just so exciting to get a gift when you don't know who or where it's coming from.
Thanks again and hope you and your family have a Very Merry Christmas.

Tracy :-)

Valarie Lea said...

Love your tree! I am to impatient to get a real tree. I always want mine up to early. :)

Becky W said...

Great job on your decorations and what amazing gifts you have! Glad you enjoyed the Santa Swap.

Trooper Thorn said...

That is some tree! It's true everything is bigger in Texas.

Thanks for your comments on my blog. I thought maybe Joe Biden could play God, but that likely hits too close to home.

Mariah said...

I was involved in a different SS group, but it was so fun. I couldn't organize one, I'd mess it all up. Nice BIG tree

Britt said...

Did they shut everything down just for the temperature, or did you get snow/ice with it too?

I'll take that twenty degree weather for you, hun .. it hasn't been warmer than 5 degrees all day, and the highest it's been all week is 10. *shiver*

We're expected an ice storm tomorrow .. ya-freakin'-hoo

Love your ginormo tree!

The Blonde Duck said...

20s, whew! It was 40 in San Antonio.

Rachel said...

your fireplace is gorgeous hon!!

The pics are darling and your tree.. woo hoo!!

We didn't dip into the 20's but we did make it into the 30's ;-) yippee and yee-haw!

Tyne said...

How fun... wish I knew about the secret santa party! I will have to go by to see what is up next.

Linda said...

Fun fun!

Alas, we still have not decorated our tree. I don't know why ... just not feeling ornament-y for some reason.

Tiffany said...

Wow! Look at that tree!

WheresMyAngels said...

Love your gifts and that tree! WoW, that is a big tree!!

Country Mouse, City Mouse said...

Enjoy your gifts from your secret santa. I am waiting for mine to arrive, very excitedly. Merry Christmas to your family, from mine.

Pam

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

What a fun exchange!

And, your tree is beautiful..and it really couldn't be any taller, could it? It's just perfect.

Shannon said...

The Christmas-y dog is cute!

Just how big is your tree?!!?!?? It looks huge!!!