'Tis the Season

The holidays are almost here! I'll admit, it doesn't quite feel the same, given that we have yet to break out a winter coat and November is almost over ... but we're looking forward to enjoying all that the season has to offer in the South.

While Kyle was catching up with friends (and new babies) in Minneapolis, I decided to spread some holiday cheer with my good friends Chaney and Kaylie.

We pumped up the fireplace and warmed up by the flames ... hey, it's 40 degrees down here ... give us a break!

We whipped up some chicken pot pie ... with only a few malfunctions in the oven. (We skipped baking cookies since we were watching The Biggest Loser, quite the motivation.)

We unwrapped the ornaments and decorated the tree.

Then we finished the night off with a cheesy family Christmas photo!

Kyle doesn't know what he's in for when he gets back to town ... now that I'm filled with Christmas spirit. I hear Branson has beautiful Christmas displays, lights, shows and horse-drawn carriages. And, of course, as is our tradition, we'll need to go cut down our Christmas tree ... which, as you might imagine ... tends to be a bit more work for Kyle than it is for me. Get excited, Mr. Petersen!