A Gemini's Life

OMG I am SOOO excited!!! I adore decroating my house and going to parties and being festive. I love giving gifts and being creative and outdoing myself. And I get all of those things in a 3month span of time called... THE HOLIDAYS! 

Halloween: I am again hosting the Halloween party for my sorority. I love decorating this because it's the perfect opportunity for my to express the macabre, dark side of me. The last couple years I focused on buying a few decorative items. It all looked pretty good. I did learn that the faux spider webs are a pain in the ass to clean up. I will do less of that and try some other material for spider webs this year, torn gauze or something. And as soon as I find my Halloween decorations in my garage, I will put everything up! This year I am getting much more crafty. I have about 4 craft projects going on for Halloween decor and each one is spooooky. One that I am particularly excited about is shrunken heads made out of carved and dried apples. I think I'll hang them from the big tree in the living room. And I purchased a Styrofoam head online that I will transform into a decapitated mummy head. I will be sure to take after pictures to brag to everyone about my masterful creativity! :P I haven't figured out my costume yet. That one is always a trouble spot for me. I have a couple ideas, but nothing solid. I better figure it out soon!

Thanksgiving: Again, SOOOOO excited!! My Aunt Christine, Uncle Todd, Alexander, and... drum roll please... OMA are coming into town! (Oma is my paternal grandmother.) None of these people have stayed at my house (or even been to my house come to think of it) and I am tickled pink to be able to play hostess to them. They are some of my favorite people in the entire world. I am particularly excited to have Oma come and stay. I adore Oma. She is one of those people that bring instant comfort to me when I am in her presence. This whole crew mean so much to me and it is an honor that I get to host Thanksgiving for them. I am already thinking about my menu and how I can awe them with my cooking prowess. (My goodness, I am particularly confident this morning, aren't I? lol.) And I am already jotting down ideas of local places to bring them to visit. One place I love is the Queen Creek Olive Mill. It is locally grown and produced olives and olive oil. They give tours of the mill and explain the process. They also have a little deli with really fresh produce that they grow themselves. There's a garden patio area that makes you feel like you in Tuscany. Another place I love to bring people to is Frank & Lupe's. Adorable and quirky little Mexican restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale. And there is always, of course, the Desert Botanical Garden. And November is excellent hiking season. There are so many great trails in the area. Can you tell how excited I am?

Christmas: Oh, how I love thee Christmas! The sparkly lights, the food, the food, the cookies, the giving of gifts... Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE giving gifts. I love finding the perfect thing for someone. I already have a few gifts planned out and even a couple purchased. Yep, I think of these things WELL in advance. (P.s. I love getting gifts too. In fact, I now have a wish list on Amazon.com. Feel free to visit it!) My Christmas decorations are pretty much complete. Until I want to do a complete overhaul of my Christmas decor, I don't think there is anything I need to purchase! Maybe some outdoor stuff. I have long wanted those lighted balls that hang from outdoor trees. I have an excellent tree in my from yard for them too. I don't have solid plans yet for visiting MN or having visitors here. The idea has been tossed around about my Dad and Betty coming for Christmas. They have come to visit before, but not for Christmas... I have yet to impress them with the beautiful splendor of my home during the Christmas season! (Now I am bordering on cocky! Hee hee!) And I am excited for the sorority annual Ornament and Cookie Exchange party as well! I already have my ornaments to exchange. And I already know exactly which cookies to make. I am going to make gingerbread men and ladies (hope that doesn't ruin the surprise for any sorority members who may read this- sorry). I found these adorable little boxes that look like gingerbread houses. How perfect is that?!? Gingerbread man cookies packaged in gingerbread houses... Love it!

New Year's Eve: Hmmm... No plans yet. I'll have to figure that one out. I suppose that will all depend upon my condition.

Whew! I am exhausted already! At least there is a great big, happy grin on my face...