Pictures, Pinterest, Preparation - Gaudete!

Today was the day. I knew you were all patiently waiting.  Okay, maybe you aren't patiently waiting, which doesn't imply you are impatiently waiting either. Most likely you haven't even thought about me and my notion of needing to start taking pictures again. But I'm good at pretending. I mean, most of my friends live in my computer, so I imagine you are all patiently waiting and that spurred me into action.

So instead of correcting an Algebra test, I grabbed my camera and took some pictures.

For the last three years I have set up a wrapping station at Christmas time. The first year it was a table in a room in the basement, which at the time was the toy room. It had the gift bags of all shapes and sizes in baskets on a corner, along with the various colored tissue paper, the tape and scissors, ribbons and gift tags all along the back. Underneath was the long, plastic, under-bed storage box of wrapping paper we've owned since seminary and which I've grown to tolerate, but not like.

It was wonderful. Each person would announce to all in the house to close their eyes. All would oblige and the person would carry the gifts to wrap into the room, shut the door (the rest of us could open our eyes then), and wrap without fear of being interrupted. It was great fun. Especially the closing our eyes and then seeing the person bringing out wrapped gifts to place under the tree when finished.

But I couldn't do it the same way last Christmas because we made the toy room into the boys' bedroom. They didn't really approve of the idea that part of their room should become a wrapping station and that someone could kick them out at anytime.

Plus the table would have had to be placed in the middle of their room which would make for even more chaos. I'm now constantly telling them to put things away in their rightful place. Just imagine giving them another flat surface upon which to toss this, that, and the other! Shudder.

That meant last year I found a table in our office. The table that is supposed to be my craft table, for scrapbooking or sewing. A table clear and ready for me to sit down when the crafting whim hits and go to work. A table, which in reality, is another flat surface. A table conveniently out of the main area of the house which is perfect for piling on all the things from the other rooms we don't know what to do with. I found places for everything stashed everything under the table,  and set up the wrapping station. It wasn't as nice as the year before, but to have all the things needed for wrapping gifts in one place was again helpful to the gift wrappers.

It is that plastic, under-bed storage box for wrapping paper that just hasn't fit this home. But for twelve years, I haven't had any brilliant ideas. But now there is Pinterest, and last year I joined and searched for ideas. I found what I thought could work, showed it to David and he fixed it for me just before Thanksgiving.

He is awesome.

Here it is.

Isn't it fantastic? What, you don't think so?
It is perfect. I just love it.
Wait, I see your point now. You're right. This just shows the empty boxes we have stashed under the table for wrapping purposes.

Alright then, here is the picture which shows the awesome storage for wrapping paper, tissue, and gift bags.

Awesome, right?
I love it.
It is perfect.

Two magazine baskets from the office supply store to hold the gift bags.

Three Ikea plastic bag holders to hold the gift wrap and tissue paper.

And one table to wrap them all.

All in our store room. Out of the way, perfect to be secretive while wrapping the gifts for family and friends. Plus the storeroom is just that, a storeroom. It is one room which hasn't changed in the twelve years we've lived here. That is a good sign that this can become a permanent wrapping station. But like the one ring of power, this one table will be lost stored away till it is needed each Christmas season.

Now you my dear friends are free to breathe. Your patient wait is over. I've picked up my camera. For good or ill. (Probably for ill for awhile at least till I can learn to take better pictures.) Not to mention that I no longer have photoshop to edit pictures (hint hint Christmas wish list), so you my dear subjects are destined to see soc pictures. That is, straight out of the camera, not the fuzzy things you put on your feet to keep your little piggies warm.

And that Algebra test? I was able to grade it while waiting for pictures to load.

This week indeed is Gaudete week!