Over the River and Through the Woods . . . Here Come the Kids!

Oh boy, oh boy! The first group of family and friends arrives tonight. I'm looking forward to having a houseful of people again, though we won't have as many as in some previous years. Only 13 total this year. This year we are dispensing of the kid's table. We moved nearly everything out of the family room (the piano being a notable, heavy exception) and put in our big table, along with our recent craigslist find table. Notice the refinishing-a-la-tablecloth method I used:

Because the tables are pushed together, the idea is that everyone can join in one conversation if desired.

Some of the furniture from the family room made its way to the dining room:

I rather like the coziness of the room now. (I think it feels more cozy than it looks.) I'll probably keep it that way, at least through Christmastime, since we will be in need of the large table arrangement through the holidays. I envision putting the Christmas tree in that room--which, of course, will add to the comfortable feeling.

Today will be spent making beds, cleaning bathrooms, and stopping at Trader Joe's for the obligatory Tofurkey for the vegetarians of the bunch. Reno helped me out already today by sleeping in! He was probably all tuckered out from waking up so many times during the night. However, I appreciated a couple of hours of uninterrupted work time this morning.

Thankful thought: I'm thankful for anticipation and the fun of planning.

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