Christmas is Coming...

The fireplace is burning, the hot chocolate is brewing, the sewing machine is whirring...
yes, Christmas is coming!

Our latest endeavor is a spin-off of something I saw on an Etsy site.

We tweaked the idea a little,
and had our little neighbors over for an afternoon fashion show.

Miss Jenny

Little Miss Morgan

These precious little girls like to come over and hang out.

Between "photo shoots", they watched Madagascar and ate left-over Halloween candy.

The Spirit of Christmas...magic...and creativity...is alive and well on County Road R.
These new duds will hopefully make their way across the country
to spark other little girls imaginations.

Chicken Soup for a Kitten's Soul

2008 was not a successful year for kittens.

Each spring brings the promise of sweet new kittens to cuddle. This year, we had three mama cats who dutifully tried to populate our acreage so as to keep the mice away. And I must say, in the past six years, I have not seen one mouse (well, ONE, and that was when Tam was visiting. It was wearing cowboy boots...I think it was Texan.) Anyway, I have not observed any mice in our house, so our idea to feed cats instead of mice must be working.

But this year, I'm not so sure. We had a total of 21 (!!!) kittens this birthing season, and one by one, they went to the great nursery in the sky. I didn't fall into the trap of naming them, but Kaitlyn and others sharpened up their imaginations and named them all, until at the last, we had only two left. No names. Just little fluff balls. Kaitlyn and I were inspired one day, and began calling them names according to their looks...Pumpkin, a yellow and white sweetie..and Spice, a soft little calico. One day later, Spice disappears. Gone. No fluff, no trail, just gone. Then, while Kaitlyn and I were in Texas, Pumpkin gave up the ghost.

I'm not naming any more kittens. Or mice. They can stay in Texas.

Things I Know

My husband loves me. He is patient and kind. Not perfect, but I would never trade him in.

I have friends. Sometimes they just hold me.

I don't like gossip. When I have contributed, it makes me feel guilty and I have to apologize. When I hear others, it makes me feel uncomfortable, like a walnut in my shoe. When I am the subject, it tears at my soul, at who I am.

My family is the most important thing to me, to my world, to my aspirations, to my future.

I love sunshine.