A naked tree and rotting pumpkins......

Well, good morning Blogland Neighborhood! I can't believe it's been almost a week since my last blog post ! I don't know where the heck the week went ..... it's not like I've been a busy elf out getting my Christmas shopping finished, or writing Christmas cards, or getting the house all decorated ...... nope ..... so far we've got .......



......a naked Christmas tree (well, naked except for the angel on top) in the living room ...... and the only reason we have that up already is because of my elf Evan. Evan went with his Dad yesterday afternoon to the Christmas tree farm to help cut down the great big tree that goes in the hotel lobby (he's been doing this since he was old enough to walk ..... Matt usually goes too, but he had late classes yesterday and couldn't go .... and the hotel tree has to be up and decorated by this Friday for the start of Old Time Christmas ..... anyhow, every year Evan is anxious to cut down a tree for our house on the same day that he helps get the hotel tree ..... and every year I tell him to wait a couple of weeks because I'm just not ready for the tree in our house yet ..... but, sometimes, including yesterday , Evan just can't wait until his mother gets herself motivated to start with all the Christmas stuff, so he surprises me with a tree!! .... and now that he's a big guy, he goes up in the attic, digs around to find the tree stand .... and the angel, so far ..... and gets it set up all by himself. So, now , everyday after school he'll be asking if I want to decorate the tree yet .... and eventually, he'll get tired of waiting for me and he'll drag all that crap .... um, I mean all those boxes down from the attic and he'll get the lights on, and start decorating the tree .... bless his impatient little heart!

So, other than the naked Christmas tree in the living room, the only other Christmas decorating I've done so far is .....



......putting my fall placemats and candles away that were on the kitchen table, and replacing them with red candles and my cheapo plastic winter placemats .... (unfortunately no pretty handmade quilted placemats in this sloppy eaters' household!) ..... oh, and I put my everyday mugs (including "Lucy") away for the season and got my Christmas mugs out ..... and I only did this stuff because it doesn't involve crawling around in the attic looking through boxes and then dragging those boxes down 1 ladder and 1 set of stairs. YIKES .... don't I sound like "Bah Humbug!" .... sorry!! I'm not, really ..... I'm just getting LAZIER and LAZIER every year!!! I love the Christmas seasons and all the pretty decorations .... as long as somebody else puts them up and takes them down!!!

Anyhow, even though we're zipping right along with our Christmas decorating here at MBIAJ Headquarters, there still are telltale signs of the most recent holidays still hanging around ... like my fall wreaths on the doors, the fall garden flag, a pilgim or two, and ......




.....a couple of rotting pumpkins on the front porch ..... which the chippies seem to be enjoying .....













So, like I said .... I don't know what the heck I did over the past week ..... apparantly not a heck of alot!! oh, I did the usual laundry, grocery shopping, and other mundane chores, and had to work in the afternoons, .... OH!! I know .... I did get some sewing time in last Friday ....I think ..... ummmmm, yea .... it was last Friday ...... I worked on ....




......this ! This is about half way finished .... I hope to have it finished in the next few days .... and if the stars align and that should happen .... you all will be the first to see it ! (now don't go holding your breath!)

OK ... now I must haul myself away from my "happy place" (i.e. Blogland) and get my day organized and sort of productive ..... be back soon!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)