Merry Christmas

The children stood trembling with excitement by our bed this morning at 5:50 a.m.

We go from being in technology overload,

to retro,


to complete bliss, all in just one quick glance around the room.

Of course Big Kid #1 is napping in the other room, completely worn out from all the excitement and/or food. I hope you've had a wonderful Christmas.

My List

In a season where people often ask, "What's on your list?" I'd like to share my list of a different sort, things I'm thankful for this holiday season. Here goes...in no particular order

1. Time off (yay!)
2. gift buying, card sending completed a whole week early (first time ever)
3. tons of help from my husband :) #2 would otherwise not exist
4. my chickens started laying eggs again! their second winter they don't lay unless you trick them with a light to extend their daylight hours (thanks again to the hubby and daughters who rigged the light for me)
5. a babysitter that puts me totally at ease and fills the house with smells of Christmas baking and who has a mellowing effect on the kids (jaw drops open here)
6. my busiest and most successful Christmas knitting season ever (and I thought quitting the farmers market would be my downfall)
7. happy dogs
8. happy kids
9. happy marriage
10. the chance to bake way more than I need to, just because
11. an old friend hopefully moving back to town (fingers crossed!)
12. my ideal job, without it #1 wouldn't be possible either
13. friends
14. creativity. the kind that prompts my son to make a punching bag out of pillows with his friend, and my daughter to write a book so intriguing that her tablemates at school snatch it during free reading time
15. my other daughter's two front teeth
16. hope for the future. for changes coming, for hearts softening, reality hitting. for eyes lifting and a life that continually moves forward.

Maize

as promised...the hat....and booties to match

Is it over yet?

It has been one of those weeks. You know (those weeks), where so many things happen, big and little, stressful things, tiring things, exciting, good, confusing, mundane, exhausting things that by Wednesday you find yourself curled up and squished together in a big chair with your husband for a very long time watching the Blue Lagoon (of all movies) because there's nothing better on but you don't care and you don't want to move and all you need is to veg out. And it wasn't just me, it was him too and today just added to it all and he said he wished for seventeen Saturdays beginning tomorrow. One of those weeks.

But the good news is I made a new hat, and some booties to match, and they'll be up in the shop just as soon as I can snap some more good shots of them both. And the shop is doing well, folks are getting ready for Christmas, I see it every time a man buys a necklace from me. I know it's for his wife and I secretly love the way he's shopping for her from her list because I know he didn't find it by accident.

So here's to a happy Friday tomorrow, some curling up and squishing together time, some vegging out, and wishing for seventeen Saturdays to follow.