Despite Appearances....

Contrary to how it looks, I've gotten a lot done in the past week. Let's review.

House - decorated (inside anyway, The Cowboy is in charge of the exterior holiday illumination, a la Clark W. Griswold and he's been sick sick sick for over a week, the poor bastard)

Shopping - done (except for a few minor things for The Cowboy for his stocking and what not)

Gifts - wrapped

Tree - up

Cards - signed, sealed and stamped to be dropped in the mailbox tomorrow

Knitted Christmas Items - almost done (save one more that I'm just starting on for one of my cousins, but it will only take me 2 days, MAX)

Blog contest winners packages - mailed, delivered or scheduled delivery (I get to meet Lisatastrophies in person, yay!)

Yarn Swap from Ravelry package - delivered

(those bastards at the US Post Office who I and my friend Heather both hate very much got like $30 of my money today, which I parted with not easily)

Sometimes I ask myself how I do it all. And then I pat myself on the back. All that's left to do is bake cookies and make party mix and I am waiting until the second week of December for that, so now I'm just relaxing, reading (re-reading, actually, Eat, Pray, Love which if you haven't read it you should because it was so good that I'm reading it again. It soothes me), and knitting for pleasure. And drinking wine. Right now, I mean. Not all the time. Hehe, I wish. I could be so lucky.

Hey remember how I told you about those fancy shmancy Christmas decorations I used to make for my friends? Well I took some pictures. Sit down my friends, you're about to get your pants knocked off. I am so damn crafty.

The first year I made these little guys - Snowmen.

Then came the Angels (I KNOW!!!!).

And finally, Rudolph.

I stopped there, though I contemplated doing a Santa Claus, but did not. These little characters are between 3 and 4 inches tall and are among my favorite Christmas decorations. Mostly because I did them myself.

Speaking of things I did myself, I painted this Nativity. I bought the figures plain ceramic and painted them. Damn, I'm good.

I didn't make this, but someone did. Everyone in my family has one of these trees. Do you? I think they're old school. This one belonged to my late great aunt Betty (Betty Six Tooth, we used to call her, for reasons that I don't think need explanation). When she passed, it became mine and I love it. The Cowboy broke the tip off a few years ago and I about died. I was so overcome with grief. He glued it back on, but you can still see where it broke.

Here's our "real" tree. I put it up all by myself while The Cowboy laid his sick ass on the couch and told me where to put stuff. He's awfully bossy when he's sick. And oh. Those lights? Yeah, not my first choice. I prefer the white lights, but the Cowboy went all LED crazy on me last year and bought all new Christmas lights for both the inside and outside, so I have to use them for at least a few years and then I'll switch back and he'll never know.
Moose likes the tree.
I like snow globes.

Coincidentally, the dogs didn't help me one bit. They are so lazy!

But they're also really really cute.
Hope your holiday preparations are coming along as swimmingly as mine!!!