I got a phone call this afternoon about 30 minutes after lunch. Wade was supposed to be at work, but he was calling to tell me he had locked his keys in his car. I laughed and asked him where I should bring the extra key. Then he got very quiet. Finally he said, “That’s the problem.” He was out buying a Christmas present for me and telling me his location gave it away. He did finally tell me and I did take him his key. Even if I already know what I am getting, I am very excited. I have wanted a new glass front door since we moved in!
I mentioned yesterday about the packages I inadvertently had shipped to our old address. Now I will tell you the whole story. I ordered three things for Wade for Christmas. Two were from Sam’s Club and one was from an individual through paypal. I waited over a week before I thought to track the packages. Then I discovered that all of them had been sent to our old address. Both places had saved my previous address and I hadn’t needed to use them since moving. I called Sam’s Club and they told me they would take care of the items and refund my money. The individual wasn’t any help and he had shipped through USPS. After I realized I wasn’t going to be able to reorder the gift from the individual, I thought to contact my old landlord. She told me her current renters had mentioned the boxes to her and asked for my number – which is now different from what she had on file. I emailed and called the current renter asking her if I could get the boxes on Wednesday when we drove through Atlanta. She didn’t return my call till we were out of Atlanta, but I did arrange to pick up the items on Sunday evening. She had only received the two from Sam’s Club, but I did get those. Now I have two items that I haven’t paid for. I called Sam’s Club and explained it all to them. They decided I was too much trouble and told me to keep the items and not worry about paying for them. At least Wade now gets two of the three gifts I had ordered.
Wade and I took a couple more pictures in front of the tree – now decorated. Then we started our long return trip. Without the shopping the trip only took 7.5 hours, which isn’t too bad. We did stop in Atlanta at our old house to pick up some packages I had inadvertently had shipped there.
Today was a great family day. The entire family woke up around 9 am. Melissa ran out to get us all donuts and then we sat around in our pajamas till 11 am. We talked, ate, read, slept, etc. There was talk of decorating the tree. We even pulled out the box of ornaments, but all of the ornaments are still in the box.
Kate, one of my friend’s from high school, brought her husband, Scott, and daughter, Taylor, by for a visit. They live in Florida and I definitely don’t get to see them often enough.
Kate’s daughter, Taylor, loves dogs. Thank goodness Tubbles is great with kids.
Taylor quickly learned that the dogs love treats. She would get a chip, split it in two, and then feed both dogs. The best was when she tried to ride Madison like a horse. Madison started running from Taylor at that point. Tubbles was more inclined to just sit there.
Mom, Melissa, and I braved the crowds today. We did choose non-mainstream shops, but we were out shopping on Black Friday. I even got five or six Christmas presents. Once we were home we decide to put up Mom’s tree and begin decorating. Then we got in the mood to take Christmas card pictures. Wade has a little photoshopping work to do on the dogs’ eyes, but here is a possibility of what we will use.
Melissa and Chris joined in too!
Happy Thanksgiving!
My mom hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year and we had about twenty people at our house. We started eating around 1 pm and people were here for the first round of leftovers. I saw lots of extended family that I only see at holidays. My two cousins are both married with kids and my little cousins grow like crazy between visits. Here is a big family picture – minus a few people that had to leave early.
Wade’s family also had Thanksgiving in Paducah so we drove to Reidland for a visit. Wade’s parents, grandparents, sister Emily, Emily’s boyfriend Brian, and a few members of his extended family were all recovering from a big meal when we arrived. There were a few naps and some Christmas discussion throughout the evening.
Wade didn’t have to work today so we decided to make a leisurely trip to Paducah. We left Anderson around 11 am and made our first stop at the outlets in Commerce, GA. I picked up a Christmas present and we were on our way. We stopped at a furniture store in Lawrenceville, GA and found a leather couch we both like – a miracle in itself. Our next stop was REI where we bought another Christmas present. Our last stop in Atlanta was at the GaTech bookstore. Wade has misplaced his hat and needed a new one. Then we got serious about heading north. Traffic was horrible the entire trip, but we made it to Paducah just in time for El Chico’s with mom. It was awesome to walk in the door and see El Chico chips and cheese – my favorites!
Because I have nothing to do while the paint on the walls in the dining room is drying, I decided to start a second project. I bought an old tool chest at an auction a few months ago and it has been sitting in my basement every since. I’m not sure if the wood is stained or painted, but it is a horrible green color. My plan is to refinish and then stain the chest, but the project is always pushed to the back burner.
I decided to start small – with the inside of the lid. This way, if anything goes wrong, I can always paint the inside of the chest. I have used chemical strippers in the past and been very pleased. Chemical strippers are very messy and have horrible fumes so Wade suggested I work in the basement. I think he is just worried about his nice new shop.
After working and working, I have determined the chest is going to be trouble. I tried two chemical strippers, but neither removed the paint. I tried the heat gun and that didn’t work either. The last option is sanding – a lot of sanding. I think I’ll wait till after Thanksgiving to begin that.
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