~:: Tis the Season ::~

The horse arena is sopping.  Sopping, soaked, swampy.  And there’s more rain coming.  We woke to snow.  But the rain washed it away.  This on top of other snow and subsequent rain.  Even the high stalls are now turning to mud, and the mud everywhere is the consistence of heavy chocolate frosting.

All these shots are in low light, and so are blurry.  This is our creche.  There are not many nativity sets I have liked; the Pure of Heart one is my favorite.  But I am a scrap quilter in all ways, so we stick together whatever we like – including camels from Egypt, home made sheep, child painted reindeer—all there to love the baby Jesus.

Guy has been walking like a fragile old man, having put his back out.  He’s spent a lot of time on the floor.  And the rest of the time doing more than he should, considering.

Before this noon, I had not yet wrapped a single gift.  And I am usually finished with all that by the first week of December.  I trotted my gifts for the neighbors around yesterday, so behind that I left some hanging on door knobs when people weren’t home, rather than going back to deliver good wishes face to face.

REALLY blurry.  But I love how the inside lights reflect in all the windows, and the outside lights mix with them, reflecting front to back.  The white lights are our two deer – who have presently, in all the rain, shorted themselves out.

This takes me by surprise.  Even the Great Party ornament (the Party will be its own story here, in the next post) was made at the last desperate moment.  I don’t understand how all this happened.  Or why we are getting rain instead of snow.  Or why some of the lights in the back yard are shorting out.  But inside (dare I say this?), we are cozy, and fat with Christmas treating.

The pre-party house.  Clean.  CLEAN, do you hear?

I had time to make some things.  I’ve put up pictures that showed the first couple of peppermint skins.  Finally finished the little herd.  I never do enough to get to everyone I care for.  And here I say, it’s so hard for me to give away things I’ve made (like giving away my kids) that only four people in all the world have one of my hardy little horses.  Yeah.  I’m stingy.  I know it.

Gin’s filly in the middle.  My very favorite one.

Or wait.  Maybe Murphy’s is my very favorite.

Remember this?  I asked if anybody knew what this was.  Chaz guessed.

Now, you know.  I really like this guy.  Did you notice him at the creche?

And his little brother, the ornament.

Much doing.  Much decorating.  Much merry making in a rushing around, overwhelmed and sleep-deprived way.

I hope you, too, are making Merry – even if it’s madly.