Happy Holidays!

Well, the holidays are in full swing at the Branscome house! Our home renovations are about complete. The only thing we are waiting on is Mr. Montgomery to hang the new closet doors in Jack's room. He took them to his shop to shave a little off of the ends and should install them tomorrow. Our ceilings, walls, doors, trim and cabinets have been painted. We have a new roof and many new light fixtures. And, as usual, everything took at least a week longer to complete and came in about 25% over budget. John and I keep telling each other to let it go, at least it's over!

One thing I really wanted to get down before Jack's arrival, other than his room, was to decorate the house for Christmas. I've been worried he would arrive before we got our tree up. I know that seems a little dumb, but it is his first Christmas and he will wake up at home Christmas morning. So, we had to have everything lined up with Santa and the house had to be decorated. Last Sunday John got our Christmas decorations down from the attic. We were in the process of putting the tree up and I started having horrible pain and intense pressure. The pressure came about every 20 minutes at first. We decided about 8:00 Sunday night we better head to Jackson. By the time we got to Madison, the pressure was coming every 10 minutes. Everything turned out okay and they released me in the wee hours Monday morning. Over the next few nights, John would put up my decorations when he got home from work. He has been such a big help! Wednesday night, I put the finishing touches on everything - just in time for Thanksgiving lunch with my family. Normally we go to Winona for Thanksgiving, but I wanted Nicole to see Jack's finished nursery and my dad wanted to inspect the roof before the roofers finished Friday. So, it just made more sense for momma to pack up the food and everyone meet here. We had a fun day!

With all of that said, here are a few pictures of our holiday house. The only thing missing is Jack!



Look where we found Scout Thanksgiving morning, perched on top of our entertainment center. From there, he had a great view of the den, as well as the kitchen. We all noticed that he kept a sharp eye on my dad!

Our tree! It looks a little crooked in this picture. Maybe I was standing crooked when I shot it. That is always a possibility these days.

Our fireplace, complete with new stockings. Avery has a new stocking that I have yet to decorate and put his name on. That is high on my list this week.

Our Hallmark snowmen. My dad has been buying these for us for the last three years and we love them! He thought we might not want one this year, but Nicole and I were quick to let him know they were expected. When you push their buttons, they sing and dance. They are so cute. I know they will be a big hit with Jack!

My end table. The baby in the picture came with the frame. I can't wait to put Jack's first Christmas picture in it.

Our foyer.

The side board inside our carport door.

I started collecting these MSU Santa's for John several years ago.

I told him after the 45-0 loss Friday, I may have to cover them with a black

cloth for a few days.

Our kitchen counter top.

Our buffet.

Our baker's rack.

Our Thanksgiving day table.

I just have to say one more time, John has been so much help to me the last few weeks. He gets up every morning at 4:30, travels an hour (one way) to work, gets home around 6:00pm and then starts helping me around the house. Jack and I are so lucky!

I have a doctor's appointment Wednesday. My mom and I will head to Jackson early that morning. After our late night trip to Jackson last Sunday night, I had to go back Tuesday and while they had me hooked up to the fetal heart monitor, they detected a few mild contractions. Dr. Breeland said that was normal for some people at this point. So, I am very anxious to see what Jack's up to this week. I'll keep you posted.