In recent weeks and months I have turned my attention towards planning and preparing for the upcoming holidays. My nesting instinct seems to be in full force and is focused more on these holiday preparations than other projects that I need to complete before the baby is born (I still need to finish a couple of ballet paintings for the nursery and make the crib bumper!). Alas my mind is consumed with both Thanksgiving and Christmas plans; Christmas of course being the greater focus of the two.
I began my preparations for Thanksgiving with the ordering of lard. This year my contribution to Thanksgiving Dinner will be homemade “old fashion” pies …. which of course requires lard (and I have been wanting to use lard for pie crust for over a year!). Preparations continued when the local organic orchard opened for business whereby I set to work experimenting with different pie making techniques and ingredients. The experimenting phase is complete. Now I am just waiting for the day before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving morning to make my pies.
While Thanksgiving is ever present in my mind, it is a far less demanding holiday (especially this year). Christmas is of particular focus because our daughter is due to be born very near to Christmas Day. Knowing full well that the baby can come (without emergency concern) up to two weeks before or two weeks after my due date, I really feel the urge to get things in order for Christmas now! I began by making gift lists a couple of months ago (a list for our son, a list for my husband, and a list for close family; parents, brothers, and sisters etc.). In the past week or so I have been working my way through the lists for my son and husband and wrapping the gifts as they come in the mail (which is my preferred way to shop when possible). I am also getting stocking stuffers together for our son, unborn daughter (I ordered her a stocking with her unrevealed name embroidered on it), and my husband. I have made plans for our prospective families gifts as well and I am in the process of getting those together too. With only a few short weeks to go, I hope I can get everything done while I have the energy and drive. Either way, I am really looking forward to the holidays, especially Christmas!!!