Step Two in Party Planning: Presentation is Everything!

This means the outside must look as good as the inside. Lucky for us, this was not a problem. You see, B has been dreaming of owning a home for so long for one main reason. No, not so we no longer had to share a wall with a noisy cougher that would also set things on fire randomly. No, not so we could finally get a dog, and not a brown one. No, not so we could have a lawn that B could cut. Not for a garage for my car. His main reason?

To put up Christmas lights.

Seriously. We would drive around the area we live in now at Christmas because they have the best lights and he would dream about putting up his own and would tell me how he would do it. I think he has always had an exact idea of what he would put up and where, of course, given whatever house we landed in. Then we landed here. Unfortunately, we didn't close until after the new year so no lights for us last year. This year, though? Lights, action and I've got the camera!

Actually this first shot was taken with B's camera. It is a bit blurry, but you get the picture. Ha! Get it? I am cheesy.

First, B put up the lights on the shrubs and on the tree. Then he put the icicle lights over the door and to be honest, I wasn't a fan. They are just so white compared to the other lights. B tells me that is BECAUSE THEY ARE ICICLES. I said it would probably look better when there were more. And it did. And it does. It will also probably look better with s-n-o-w, but I don't really want any of that. Since I spelled it out and didn't say it (type it?), we surely won't get any now.

Oh, and here is a brighter picture.

See that lit up room to the left? That is my office. I would venture a guess that I was up there at the exact moment this picture was being taking. Probably reading blogs. Probably not writing posts. I am horrible about that.

And, then, on the night of our party, B added the bagged candles a/k/a lit candles in a paper bag to light our guests' way. My brother, being the newest firefighter graduate, pondered "Lit candles in a PAPER bag? Is THAT a good idea?" We told him we felt confident knowing we had him around. And he did his job well.

Thanks for going out and re-lighting those candles every 20 minutes, bro! You will be happy to know that at the end of the night *ahem* morning, when everyone left, there were still three candles burning.

You will probably not be happy to note that B threw all of the candle holders and paper bags into our Christmas storage trunk without completely emptying the holders of water.

I know I wasn't.