It's a Freaking Winter Wonderland Out There

We're on a two-hour delay this morning. It works out well because Bug has a head cold and wasn't feeling all that perky when she woke up. She'll rally by 10 though, I'm positive. Bobo has caught her cold, but the good news is that they'll be over it by Christmas.

So we were hit by that storm that passed through most of the northern states yesterday. We got at least 6 inches of snow, maybe a bit more, and then it turned to a "wintry mix" after that, but that wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be. Today it's cold and windy and you would know that we ran out of pellets for the stove last night. And that poor old furnace isn't doing much to keep this poor old house warm on its own. Alas.

We finally got the tree up. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. It's up, and Bug's been putting the ornaments on it. She still has a few to go, and I've already decided that if she doesn't finish before she leaves for school that I'm going to finish it myself so I can get the ornament boxes back in the shed and out of my living room.

I got my Christmas cards sent out on Saturday. Finally.

I also got a start on my Christmas shopping last week. Again, nothing like waiting until the last minute. Bobo and I are heading out tomorrow and I plan on finishing it up then. I lucked out in that I sold a bunch of my knitting to a lady from our choir, so I had a big fat check to go out shopping with last time, and this time I'll go armed with payment for a funeral I cantored on Friday and from Sister for some little felted purses she contracted for her nieces. We've so far done all our Christmas shopping on money from my talents. How weird is that? We haven't yet had to dip into the household budget funds for such things.

I'm not going crazy with gifts this year. People will have to be happy with what they get. I also realized that my shopping list is extensive. I have to get gifts not only for my two kids and husband, but Sister and Baboo, Dad and Bonnie, Ma, DH's parents, DH's brother and sister and their spouses and kids. And my cousin's three girls when we get together with my mother's family. The adults don't exchange gifts and thank God we opted out of yet another heinous Yankee swap. We just get gifts for the kids.

But enough of Christmas.

Here are the bags I made for Sister's nieces. You can see Emma's grubby paw helping out in a Price is Right kind of way.

In other news of the knitting sort, I'm working on a scarf for Erly's husband Jack as a thank you for letting me use her wheel to learn to spin. The yarn is my own homespun, of course. I've frogged it at least three times so far. It's all black and it will match the Norwegian sweater he wears when he snowblows. That sweater is testimony to good knitting and the insulating properties of wool. The man never wears a coat when he works outside, just his sweater and a turtleneck. And gloves. Well, and pants and boots...it's cold!

In other news of the non-knitting sort, I spent the day Saturday helping take care of baby twins! I fed them both, changed them both, and both of them took a nap on me at one time or another. I left the house smelling of newborn...it was lovely. And then it was off to a Christmas party at another friend's house where we stayed until 10:30. I was pooped. Which is sad because I remember a time in my misspent youth when we didn't even get dressed to go out until 11! Now, my coach turns back into a pumpkin well before midnight.

I can't believe it'll be Christmas Eve in a week.

It's sure to be a white one!