Sunday Stills and Simply Snickers

Well, I know I'm posting pretty late in the day, but what can I say? I've been busy. Classes over for now, but still busy as can be. This morning we had to leave early for church because we were doing some songs and a dramatic reading this morning...and then this afternoon I was out running errands.......well actually, if you can keep a secret.....I was doing Christmas shopping -- shhh, don't tell anyone!! Anyway, this is the first chance I've had to post these.

First of all, y'all know about Sunday Stills. Here are my photos for this week's theme, Christmas decorations. I didn't have time to take photos of all our decorations and all...well, to be truthful and honest...we don't have all our decorations up yet. Between finals, and being sick, and all, we just haven't had time yet. Yes, I know -- four days till Christmas. Oh well. Not this year. We do have a tree, though (got that last Friday), and I figured I'd just post photos of the tree decoration saga. Because, of course, it was photographically documented. As is pretty much everything I do. But you know that already!! ;)

First step -- soaking. Yes, that is a bathtub. Do you like my equine shower curtain? Remind me sometime to post photos of my horsey-decorated bathroom. :)


After soaking overnight, it was ready to be put up and decorated. However, when we went to put it in the stand, we discovered *gasp* it was too big!! So I got out the trusty hatchet and whittled it down some. I've never yet chopped down a Christmas tree, but I have whittled one! (no, I did not take this photo, my mom took it for me -- ditto with the one two photos down)


Here we have it upright, and all the lights properly strung. Children, this was done by professionals. Do not try this at home without the help of a qualified professional (i.e., mom or dad!!).

And then we must organize the ornaments. Just because one is an only child does not mean that one does not have Firstborn Child Syndrome -- in fact, one may even have an overdose of it.

Ornaments organized and evenly distributed. Ain't it purty? (Oh and by the way, this entire time I'm talking on the phone -- isn't speakerphone wonderful? -- to my lovely sister Kryssy...yes I know I said I was an only child, we're not actually sisters, just very very close friends and cousins).

Kind of an interesting tree topper, if I do say so myself. Creative, at least! Some people have stars, some have angels...ours changes every year, this year I tied a silk pointsettia on!

I'd like to highlight a few specific ornaments for your enjoyment. :)

First of all, the felt and glitter star. Oh yes. I made this in Sunday School when I was three years old. Amazing what a mom can hang on to, isn't it?!!

Some of my younger readers...ehem...may recognize this as an easy craft, called Cat's Eyes (or God's Eyes). Fun little ornaments, easy to make. I don't know if you can find instructions somewhere on the internet, because this is not something I can really describe. You have to see it done to understand. It's easy once you catch the hang of it, though.

When I was very little, my mom got a bunch of papier-mache ornaments and let me paint them. Over time, however, we lost some, and eventually about four years ago I got in a painting mood and repainted them. Here's one of my favorites, the mitten.

This snowman is another one of them...and the mouse on the bicycle was a gift from a relative years ago.

It's kind of hard to see -- can you see the plastic gold ball? I call it the kitty ball, because this is the one ornament that not only can our cat play with, but we actually encourage her to play with it. Our previous kitty used to play with it some, but Skeeter-cat doesn't really care for the tree, doesn't want to come near it, and refuses to play with or around it. Cats. No accounting for taste.

This ornament is very special, it's always one of the first ornaments hung. Mom and Dad got this on their first Christmas after being married.

Finally, this is a very unusual and creative ornament. It was given to me by a kid at work. Very inguenuitive, I think! She colored a pinecone, put a thumbtack in the top, tied a rubber band around the thumbtack, and slid a paperclip onto the rubber band, and gave it to me! Isn't that sweet?

Alrighty, Sunday Stills taken care of, I'd like to introduce you to a new weekly challenge that I'm just starting to participate in. I probably won't do it on Sundays usually, because I already have Sunday Stills for that. This is a weekly poetry challenge, Simply Snickers. This past week's poetry words were: fair, fine, frost. This is what I came up with:

Winter Dawn

How fair the dawn, how fine the frost
Tender twigs encased in ice
Sunrays, gently beaming, toss’d
Fields of virgin snow entice

The frozen wind, the winter chill
The barren trees their vigil keep
Sun’s slow rise o’er distant hill
While woodland creatures gently sleep

That's all for now, folks! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!