Merry Christmas!



Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, Happy Saturday if you don't!



Wired For Christmas

Even at 17, she still gets wired for Christmas!

And then, the crash!

Some Works In Progress

First, the house:

Next, the quilt:

And finally, the tree:

Ginny checks out the salad bar tree.



Weasley discovers a tree where his litterbox had been.

 Not really a nice trick to play on a blind rabbit.....

The Work Has Begun

On Sunday, the south side of our house looked like this.

On Monday, the workers got started. They were lucky that the predicted snow stayed along the coast. The siding was removed, and they were getting ready to shift the small downstairs window.  Both downstairs windows were replaced. 

This morning they were not as lucky, as it was flurrying a bit. They cut the hole for the new upstairs window, and are getting ready to replace the other upstairs one.

As of this moment, they are replacing the attic vent, and we are wide open to the outside, but at least the sun has come out.

Did you notice the ladder in the last picture? Patrick, the guy on the scaffolding, caught the ladder with his foot just in time! And for once, the camera was handy.

Do You Think It's The Testosterone?

Does anyone out there think it's a good idea to call a contractor to come start work on your house on the Monday of Christmas week? Some male living in our house thinks it's just fine.

Nope. Not Weasley. If the idea doesn't involve sleeping, or food, or maybe both, Weasley isn't interested.  No, the Man Who Lives In This House decided that after waiting three years, now is a good time to replace windows, add a window, and replace the siding on the south side of the house. I admit that it really needs to be done, but starting Monday??? And of course there is a snowstorm expected Sunday into Monday. Followed soon after by Holiday guests.....Yeah.

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Aren't the shadows on the house from the dead trees across the street cool? As you can see, some supplies have been delivered already, and will soon be covered with snow. This should be interesting.....

Christmas List

Out at the shops this morning, I was listening to the people around me talk. So many of them seemed to be in the same state I was in. That is, trying to buy gifts for people who really don't need more things. We seem to be trapped in this cycle of obligation, where love is equated with how many presents you can provide. I know that if we stop and think about it, this is clearly not the case, but we still let the culture guilt us into this type of action. We know it's the love, and the warm thoughts, that count, but we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, either. I wonder how this cycle can be broken.

When I had some time, I made a list of what I am really looking forward to this holiday season.

Other than for the little kids, there is not much buying involved here. And we all know that the kids will usually spend more time playing with the boxes the toys arrived in! I hope that your holiday season is filled with lots of whatever is most important to you.

Check out Aimee's list to see her "pathetic Christmas houses", and to find links to more lists.

Time Out

It's gloomy here outside today, and that suits the mood inside, as well. I'm taking time out from all the things I am supposed to be doing today, and instead I am sleeping, and drinking hot tea, and eating chicken soup.

Seems the sick Daughter passed on her germs.

Moral of the story:  Do not hug or cuddle your children when they are sick.

You would think I would know that one after all these years, but I still let them climb into my lap and sneeze on me! Back to sleep now, until I have to take Weasley to the vet for a glaucoma check. Can't skip that one. Hope that all of you are feeling well today. 

Doing Some Printing

There was a little playing going on here yesterday, working on something that will be turned into birthday presents. Not Christmas presents. I can't seem to get a grip on the Christmas thing this year. Not sure why.

Anyway, here are two pieces of fabric that I made from some hand-dyes, and stamps that I carved this year. The first has swirls and stars, which are not as subtle as they look on camera.

The next piece is made from the window stamp I carved recently.

And then I tried out a new toy that I got at the junk  antique store on Thanksgiving weekend. I found several of these Indian(?) woodblocks in a back corner of the shop, and this one came home with me. It's slightly damaged, but that's OK.

Printing with it proved to be tricky. I think it might need a more padded printing surface than I use for the rubber stamps.  

When I have more time, I will try it again.  And maybe next time I will try adding another color on the border edge.

What interesting projects or materials are you having fun with this holiday season?

Before And After And Before And After

Over the last few days, I have been giving haircuts to Ginny and Weasley. They are both so fragile now, with their various illnesses that I was worried about whether they could handle the stress. If not for the threat of the dreaded GI Stasis, I would have been tempted to wait awhile longer. Luckily, they seem to have come through it without too much trouble.

This is Ginny looking coy, before her haircut.

Ginny again, with extra shine.

Ginny posing as the rare (in these parts) Jakalope.

Here she is looking tiny after her haircut. Don't you love the shadow?

And in this one, she throws her shadow onto Weasley. If you throw your voice, you are a ventriloquist. What are you called if you throw your shadow? 

Weasely, before his haircut, with a bird on his head.

Here he is, showing off his ear trumpet. "I can't see you, Mom, but I can hear you. I know you are up to no good!" 

The post-haircut grooming standoff, and requisite glare at Mom. How can he still glare so well, when he can't see?

And finally, the post-haircut nap. We are all relieved!

A Little Cheer

The Christmas tree at the Leominster Art Center was looking a little bare, so I made some ornaments to hang on it.

First, I carved the "Love" stamp, and stamped with red paint on white fabric.I stitched these hearts onto hearts made from strip pieced red and white fabric. Added a little stuffing, and some hanging loops, with little buttons, just for fun, and hopefully the tree will look much happier.

Just in time for tomorrow afternoon's Winter Stroll, with lots of festivities downtown, finishing with a laser light show, and a tree lighting. Should be a fun weekend, and I hope yours is fun, also.

Weasley On The Bunway

Weasley may not be able to see anymore, and he is having some other difficulties getting around, but he surely does perk up those ears at the sound of produce bags being unpacked after a trip to the grocery store.

We added some extra runners, to act as a runway for him, as he makes his wobbly way around the house. At first he continued to try to hug the walls as he moved, but he's got the idea now, and follows the paths pretty well. And he can find the food dish with no problems at all! Bunnies are amazing, aren't they?