out with the old, ring in the new

What better way to welcome the new year than by (finally) replacing the leaping elk towel bar?

Happy New Year, all!

man of the hour

Poor Mark often gets the short end of the stick when it comes to birthday celebrations. He turned 48 today, and in completely uncharacteristic Wood family fashion, we did little more than eat take-out Mexican food from our favorite local dive in the basement tonight to honor the occasion. No cake. No pie. No singing. No gifts. No photographs.

I could bore you with my detailed excuses and promised plans to make it all up to him, but instead I want to share what I had planned to say about him at the birthday dinner table. (Have I ever mentioned our birthday tradition of going around the dinner table and saying something you like, admire, or remember about the birthday honoree?)

I can never narrow my comments to just one thing, so here a few things I love about Mark on his 48th birthday:

• He drives John to early-morning seminary at 6 a.m. Monday - Friday--as in, EVERY day, not taking turns with me, no matter the weather or the amount (or lack thereof) of sleep he has received the night before. He also picks up another seminary student in our ward on the way. Did I mention that I have NEVER driven to seminary this year?
• I have absolute and complete trust in his fidelity and faithfulness to me. I have never doubted it.
  
• He never makes me feel guilty for doing the things I like to do, whether it's scrapbooking with my friends into the wee hours of the morning, singing and performing, going to Philadelphia for a week to work with my sister, or the insane costuming gig I take on every spring. This is not to say that he loves me doing all of these things, or that he doesn't secretly roll his eyes when I complain about being tired and over-booked, but he nevertheless allows me the freedom of creative expression and supports me in doing so.
• He saves the last bite of chocolate pie for me when it's left in the refrigerator after a Sunday dinner.
• He loves my dog quite possibly as much as I do and secretly does things to spoil her.
• He does dishes, cleans bathrooms, and vacuums.
• Though he likes to keep it quiet, he's a closet Jane Austen fan.

Happy birthday Mark! One of these days I'll make all of those lost December birthdays up to you.

Christmas: Black-Eyed Susan style!

15 bolts of satin ribbon: $450

30 boxes of fresh greens for outdoor urns: $1,800

1 tube of heavy-duty hand lotion to soothe hands scratched from endless tree primping: $13

1 scary New York Yankees ornament that had to be worked into an otherwise beautiful tree: $9.95

1 early Christmas present--a warm and very stylish scarf from Paris: undisclosed amount of Euros

Dinner on the run (that's Diet Coke, in case you're wondering): $15

60+ work hours in 4 1/2 days spent with my best sister and friend: Priceless.

'tis the season

This year I have two friend "clients" for whom I did Christmas set-ups. I'm almost finished, except for a little accessorizing at both places, and now I'm faced with the piles of Rubbermaid bins stacked in my own dining room.

Part of me has been energized by the creativity of setting up Christmas for other people, and the other part--unfortunately the dominate, aching back, and very tired part of me tonight--perishes the thought of having to primp more garland and trees with my pricked and sore fingertips.

Hooray for Charlotte and Emily's imminent arrival, because when it comes to Rubbermaid bins, it's always best to have a buddy or two in your back pocket.

put on the hot cocoa!

It's not often church is canceled here in Colorado, but I got a call at 7 a.m. today to inform me that it was.

This is my front porch:

And here is the back yard:

I can't honestly say that I'm disappointed.

Do you think it's time for a new blog banner?

progress

Ta-dum! The first set of dance team costume tops completed:

Count them: eleven.

Now, on to the red polka-dotted satin. . . .

Halloween hauntings

I felt somewhat conspicuous last night walking into our ward party dressed in my trusty Cruella DeVille costume. Our missionaries--from Samoa and Mongolia--seemed to get a kick out of my get-up and asked to have their picture taken with me. (Yes, the wig is extremely itchy!)

Upon Emily's suggestion, I tried to convince Mark to go as either Horace or Jasper (Cruella's dimwitted henchmen) but he didn't go for the idea, claiming no one would recognize who he was. I told him that no one recognizes him anyway.

I was pleased that, in addition to using my nearly ten-year-old Cruella costume, I was able to recycle several others as well. Sarah wore a cute witch outfit I made for Emily when she was in about 6th or 7th grade.

This picture was taken at her school class party on Friday:

And this photo was taken with her friends just before they left for an evening of trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. Her other friends went for the scary makeup look. I'm glad that Sarah still likes to be the "pretty" witch.

A really cute little boy in my ward, Hyrum, wore the Batman costume I made for John when he was three years old. I can't believe John was ever that small! (Sorry for the blurry photo--I just wish you could see Hyrum with the Batman satin hood/mask on!)

Another friend in my ward borrowed one of the Elvis costumes I made for a Roadshow many years ago for her sixth-grade son Ramsey. He was a hit in white satin and gold sequins; sadly, I have no photo.

Thankfully I had costumes I could recycle for Halloween this year, as there is no way I could have sewn anything given the sweatshop production line I've got going in the basement. I've now finished 2 1/2 dance tops for Sarah's clogging team.


Only 18 1/2 to go. . . .