Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra

This is two, yes TWO, day's worth of mail--all catalogs! Geesh. You think I will ever get through them? Doubt it. There are two copies of some. What a waste of paper. My attention span is getting shorter and shorter and I don't find it much fun rummaging through them when they all come at once. I feel like I've just went through the last batch and thrown away a slew of them. My trash bins are getting heavier and heavier!

Yesterday, I started playing Christmas music on my XM. I'm kind of liking the Holiday Traditions station. Oh what would I do without my XM radio? Go back to bed, I suppose. ha. I'm really trying to get into the spirit. I have nil, nada, zilch. I'm going to order my tree tomorrow from North Carolina. I normally go through one of the catalogs to get my fresh tree; and it seems they all come from North Carolina. So this year, I'm going straight to the farm, by phone, that is. Cutting out the middle man. I'll keep my fingers' crossed they are as nice as, say, Williams Sonoma's. As usual, I waited too long and hope that if I go straight to the farm, I can get it before mid-December. If I go through the catalog, it will be after mid December. Seemed it wasn't up very long last year, even if we do keep it up until after mid-January because of Ukrainian Christmas on the 7th. Ok, rambling now. I found the above card holder at one of the antique shops while shopping with my brother and SIL last week. It's not old, but a repro; but I liked it and it was pretty cheap. I found the old Christmas post cards there too. I have it hanging in the front hall. Who knows if it will stay there or not.

I ran to Costco today to get some things and found they are selling amaryllis already in pretty glass vases. Oh yea, I actually went there to look at the Portmeirion they had on sale the last time I was there. I was thinking of putting some amaryllis in one of their bowls. The one bowl they had that was the right size was more springy than wintry or Christmasy like the one on the left there. When I saw they had the amaryllis already in the glass vases, I was quite happy I had made the trip. I bought three. This is where they have ended up, again for the time being, on the kitchen island. Will probably move them to the kitchen table during the day where they will get some awesome light. Grow babies, grow! I hope they'll be blooming by Christmas! I used to grow paper whites in my kitchen window. Now, I can hardly stand the smell of them. They are just too strong. They are so pretty but phew! Or, pee-ew! I switched over to rosemary plants in the windowsill but I can't find them down here. I had the perfect herbist in Virginia, DeBaggio's. They were located not far from where I lived in Arlington and then moved out to the country shortly after I moved out there. It was perfect. That is, until I moved to Tennessee. I bought all my lovely lavender bushes there as small plants and they have just thrived here. Yay. I may just have to look a little harder from some rosemary topiary like DeBaggio's now that I think of it.

I replaced my flowery plates with Christmasy ones in my plate rack. Let's see how long it takes everyone to notice that switch. I found these at TJ Max for dirt cheap a couple of weeks ago. Aren't they lovely? Lovin' them.


Dave is hunkering down early these cold nights. He's taken to his bed, the old suitcase I converted into a cat bed. It has the heat blowing on it so it's the perfect spot. He is still wounded. He got stapled up a couple of weeks ago, got out once while my brother was here and they all disappeared and yet another gap returned to his neck. If you remember, he's had stitches and staples since October! And so I took him back in on Tuesday and they found another hole in his side! I don't know what he is messing with out there. My neighbor told me we have a bobcat living in the woods across the street! Not only do we have to contend with the coyote but now a bobcat! Amazing.

Bella is still Bella. My sweet Bella. Here she is, thinking she's in the jungle, eating the leaves off one of my plants. Should have named her Petunia or something. She's just the best kitty ever. Thank you Jacq for picking the bestest. We all just adore her. Miss Personality, I tell ya. It was sad seeing my niece Jacq saying goodbye to her. Me and Jacq, just too soft hearted for our own good. We cry at the drop of a hat. We got it from my dad, her pa-paw. Miss you Jacq. Miss you all. Pout. Ok, someone pass me a kleenex.