Weekend plans

It being the Christmas season, I actually have both horsey and non-horsey plans this weekend.

This week I pulled out all the Christmas boxes anticipating some big decorating.  Let me tell you, decorations for an 800 square foot house are not the same as decorations for an 1,800 square foot house with a yard. And I just happened to have whittled down my decorations last year when I put everything away, thinking that I would never need to keep all that stuff, because I would never have a house big enough to display it. Let's just say the two quilts, two pillows, 5 small table top things and one strand of lit garland just does not go very far.  And my manger, which is all of 8 inches tall.

I did manage to do this.  Then it fell down, but I got it back up.  The tree will go where the chair is currently.

We went out on a "shopping spree" knowing that we don't have money to spend on such this year.  Our big splurge for decorating will be the tree, because I always have a live tree.  I will use rolls of quarters if I have to, but I will have a tree.  Anyway, we went to all the Dollar stores and managed to find 5 battery powered candles for the windows (only had one left over from last year).  That would be our big outdoor display this year.  The man will have to wait until next year when he (Gods willing) has a job to do any lights outside. Apparently, that is a big deal in our new neighborhood.

2012 tree.  Apparently I haven't gotten pictures of the last couple.

We do have one big thing planned for the weekend to start the Christmas season.  I splurged (when the boy had a job) on tickets to Trans-Siberian Orchestra for both of us and my mother.  My older brother and his girlfriend have gone the last 4 years and Mom always says how she wants to go, so I bought us tickets.  So she arrives tonight for the show.  It will be her first time seeing the house, so the boy has spent this whole week cleaning the house, from dusting ceiling fans to scrubbing the floors (between looking for jobs, of course).  

Or an unemployed man.

So this weekend it will be going to the concert, a lesson Saturday (YAY!), getting the Christmas tree, maybe a trip to St. Augustine's Nights of Lights, and then Mom heads home Monday morning.   I'm not sure, but she may spend Sunday with my older brother.  I'm looking forward to it, and hope that all goes well having her at the house with us.

And of course, I'm really looking forward to actually being able to ride!  And have someone take pictures!  Of me actually on my horse!  Maybe I can get some video, but maybe that's pushing it a bit much, lol.  And we're just flatting.  We'll see if I can last more than 20 minutes.  And it's supposed to be in the 80's, so it will be warmer than I am used to right now.  I don't care.  Mom hasn't seen Violet in a couple of years now, so I'm excited to show her what all we've learned.  Last time she watched a lesson was probably one of the first times we actually got engagement at the trot, lol.  It'll be interesting to hear what she has to say after the lesson.