Christmas is coming...

Well, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here. The tree went up yesterday afternoon, with much "help" from the young 'uns. It even has the "beautiful" angel that older-DS made with Gramma a couple of years ago.





The youngest found his favorite part of the festivities, as well.



It took a while, but we finally managed to get all of the ornaments up without too many problems, and gathered around for a mug of hot mulled cider. DD was enthralled with my old smiley face mug, and showed it off to all of us, over and over and over.

The tree is surviving the best that it can. I have never seen an artificial tree have to try so hard...it's been knocked down twice so far, with glass balls flying. Oh well, younger-DS will grow and lose his fascination with pushing it over (hopefully). Last year, we put our tree away on the 26th, after older-DS and DD were running around like banshees and caused the poor tree to topple. This poor tree has had more bad luck than the one in the Charlie Brown special.

At least we haven't had to pull either of the cats out of it...(knock on wood). Although, they may have knocked it down in years past, too.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am posting a couple of pics of my recent creations.

This sterling bracelet is made with a Bali silver ball, noodles (aka tube beads, but that doesn't sound as fun), various SS beads and crystal rondells.



The necklace on the right was stitched in odd-count tubular peyote with silver-lined, matte cyrstal , size 11 Japanese seed beeds, with SS beadcaps and AB crystals.











Here on the left is an illusion necklace, this time with 10mm amazonite rounds with SS diamond dust (aka snowball) beads, spiral spacers and crystals.

I've made a couple of pairs of earrings, too, but have not tried to photograph them. They are based on a pair that I saw in one of my beading books. I would give credit if I could remember off hand who designed them, but I can't, and I don't feel like getting up to find the book, and have been fighting with the pictures in this post, which wouldn't move where I wanted them, and then wouldn't let me type where I needed to. Grrrr.

That's it for now. Need to get back to the laundry and give the stew a stir. Maybe I will post a second time in December...it's worth a shot.


A special note from DD, to wish you a happy holiday season (OK, I admit that I like the term "happy holidays" because to me, (1) it's inclusive of all the celebrations around and this time and (2) it's alliterative):
VVBHGGFGFdtffRUJYHGYTUGSYFTEYGTYTRTF HUU
UTYTTYRTREU
FGHfgffdfDDSGHJHGHFGSHF
MOM FF DADDY TTFTEREDRT
FDSFAGSDAFGDTGHDSRDRSDTDRRRDSXSZTADFDSG

R5RT55 R6TRREDRSWUJGTTWADFRDRWHYER
,TFGFTDRSQESW.GFTERF FTFDADGSA
HYGTFHFRTHDRSDRWSDHTWTEDER
frgdcfGXSDFSZDFSDFXGVGFCFGHDFGDCGDFGHffgdfrghfsgtfxgxfdfdx
sedsdesd
tdrderdertererewsreaa
gfyggugytfrytgfrugumgggggggmggyrftfrnfrnhtertffffcedxfAFGFGHFGH
SHFGHFDSGFCGEYFTEYSGYWRTRFD
FFGTDTGDTHRDRESW
Love, DD

Now a special note from Older-DS:
Happy Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!