Christmas Crafts and Lists

This week, I finally opened one of my Christmas presents from last year. Of course, I unwrapped it on Christmas day with my other presents, but I haven't opened it to use it since then. It's been lying on a shelf in my closet waiting for me to take it out of the package. With this Christmas approaching I decided that I needed to get to work if I wanted to hang them on the tree this year. Here they are: http://www.michellesneedlecrafts.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=6519

Every year I ask for a new cross-stitch sampler for Christmas, but last year I asked for a sampler and the ornament kit. I thought these ornaments were sooo cute. Now I have to finish all six in time to use them. I'm also trying to decide which sampler to ask for this year. There are so many beautiful scenes to choose from. I think I might go with either this one http://www.michellesneedlecrafts.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=7044 or
http://www.michellesneedlecrafts.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=6582.

We have been out Christmas shopping twice already. Once was for my dad. We picked out a couple of dress shirts and ties for him. The second time was yesterday, when my mom wanted my sister and I to try to pick out some clothes for ourselves, but I couldn't find anything. I have my shopping list made up this year (for once), so when Gabrielle and I go out on our annual all-day shopping adventure after Thanksgiving, I will actually know what I want to buy and which stores I need to go to. Last year was such a nightmare. The traffic was so heavy it took 45 minutes for me to drive just from the stoplight in front of the mall, through the parking lot, and find a parking space. That's not even counting the rest of the time we spent driving. Then, when we got inside the mall, neither one of us could decide what we wanted to buy our parents, so we spent hours going through every store in the mall trying to make a decision. After that, I promised myself I would be better organized this year and so far, I've succeeded. The only problem is, if we get to the mall, and they have sold out of the gifts we're planning to buy, we are going to be in the same predicament we were last year. I really hope that is not going to be the case!