De-Christmasing the House

What goes up must come down, and that's happening here, little by little. Into the storage boxes go the Santas and angels and velvet poinsettias. Tomorrow, I'll start on the big tree. After I get all the ornaments packed away, my husband can take the bubble-lights off. It's been so cold here this month that we've had the heat on in the house every day, which dried out the tree a bit, so we won't be leaving it up for New Year's Eve. I'm hoping to get that tree out on the curb for Thursday's trash pick-up.

Spent this afternoon getting some errands done. Went to get my hair trimmed... went to the shoe store. My husband and I both went, so that was interesting... to see his reaction to a store filled with women's shoes. He laughed at some of the ridiculous styles they have, then made his way to a nearby bookstore while I shopped for shoes.

I went into that store to buy one pair of black dress heels for New Year's Eve. The satin heels that I've loved for years and worn for holidays needed to finally be replaced. Silly of me to think that I could walk into that store and find just one pair of shoes. I found six, put back two, bought four. Three pairs of black dress heels, one pair of gold satin that was just too pretty not to buy. I'm sure I'll be able to build an outfit around those gold heels.

I told my husband that I bought four pairs, told him the 'regular retail' price of the shoes, then told him the price that I paid in that close-out store, and then of course told him how much money I saved him. Four pairs of shoes for the price of two... now honestly, how can anyone buy just one pair?

The temperature is getting warmer again..... it was in the 70s today and should be in the mid-80s by the end of the week. It's so nice not to be bundling up in sweaters, scarves and coats just to walk Gracie around the block. While I was shoe-shopping, everyone else in the store was talking about the snow we had on Christmas Eve. And afterwards, when my husband and I went out to lunch, the customers and owner were also saying that the snow was a nice surprise.

Half an inch of snow on one night is a nice surprise. The last time it snowed anywhere near Houston was in 1947. Our friend F's daughter lives in Ohio... they had 26 inches of snow up there. I doubt if they're calling that a 'nice surprise.'