Berries in the tree and Blackberries

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I love getting to spend time with family and only wish we were able to spend more time together. Geographically, we all live pretty close, but it is still a treat to get together.

Yesterday we bought a new (artificial) Christmas tree and decorated it and the interior of the house. The tree has berries and small pine cones in it, making it look a little more natural. I am so glad to have a new tree. The one we had before was a lot smaller, and we didn't replace it last year because we wanted to see how Smokey reacted to a christmas tree before investing in a new one. It is not pre-lit, so I had my first experience of putting lights on the tree. Growing up, I'd help my dad but that was mostly keeping him company and untangling the strands. It looks so great! It is 7'5" tall, so with the topper it is to the ceiling and is very full and takes up the entire corner of our den. I'll have to post photos later. This is the earliest I've decorated for Christmas, but love that we'll get to enjoy it for so long.

Our other splurge yesterday was getting new phones. We now have blackberries! Kevin had been needing to get one for work, and we took the plunge, so we'll be learning how to use those over the next few weeks. It will be great with both of us having the same phone (different colors), so we can both learn from each other :) I never really learned to use his old phone and would try to text for him but it was tough. The full keyboard will be fun, but man the buttons are tiny!