awesome possum

We've had rain...

...frost...

..and finally, our first snow!

Hopefully this will upload!

It wasn't much...but definitely a sign of things to come!

The deer have been coming in droves to collect our fallen apples.

A possum has been visiting at night, looking for some spare cat food.

Claudia soaks up the sun whenever she can get it.

Our front pond has a skim of ice most mornings now...

...and our porch pumpkins are slowly changing color in their constant freeze/thaw habitat.  Hopefully it's not too late to collect seeds!

Somehow, there are still spiderwebs...

...and sunrises continue to be glorious.  It's a perfect morning view from my office window!

I've been frantically working on Christmas gift lists and craft projects, but I did find one shortcut that utilizes my Cricut machine.  I'm cutting out Star Wars snowflakes with it instead of by hand, and it's so much easier!

I love how the leftover bits on the cutting mat look like Gremlin faces.  :)

I think I'm on track to completing everything right on time. Phew!

Have a great week!  

dozing by the dozer...

I think I'm enjoying this year's Advent calendar even more than Todd!  I couldn't wait for him to open these new Star Wars snowflakes that I made for one recent Advent gift:  the Rancor, the Wampa, and R2-D2.

This rounds out our "collection" nicely!

I'm a total sucker for December.  I love when it's sunny, because the skies are so gorgeous!

The trees and sky reflected in the pond...

When it's sunny, the horses are out...

...and we're out, too, taking a little jaunt around the property.

Of course, we've usually got company.

Claudia hunts more on sunny days, I've noticed.  I can see her working the fields from my office window.

A few moments, later, I usually hear a yowling from the front porch.  She's sharing her bounty...and that's the Christmas spirit, isn't it?

Sunny days are great...but to be honest, I prefer overcast winter days.  I turn on all the Christmas lights, and leave them on.  Sometimes we have a fire (and ALWAYS a cat)...

...and it's so cozy in contrast to the grey outdoors. I love seeing all of our beloved ornaments illuminated.  They all have some sort of meaning.  Animals that we've had a special connection to, like Pepito and Pepita from South Carolina...

One of our old cats, Clotilde...

...and various milestones, such as a new house.

I didn't want 2020's ornament to bring up memories of a less-than-stellar year, so I decided to make a felt bulldozer, to remind us of all that we've accomplished in rehabbing this property.  We've definitely had a few bulldozers around!

Hmmm...maybe I should've made the ornament orange and white?

I also love seeing beloved ornaments from my childhood, and favorite ornaments that I've made, like this felt wool coat from the 1940s with teeny attached gloves...

...and the large Scandinavian mitten ornament that I cross-stitched a few years ago.

No matter what kind of weather we're having, the sunrises are amazing.  I have the perfect view from my office window, and they're always different.

I look forward to it every morning.

I hope that everyone is enjoying the lights right now, even if you're stuck at home.

Have a great week!

Handmade Star (Wars) Flakes

The candles are lit...

...and the ornaments are up.

We've put up the Christmas cards we've received, and prepared a batch of cards to go out.

Todd is faithfully opening up his daily advent calendar. I just cut old envelopes in half and stamped the date...

...and filled them with silly jokes, Bible verses, songs, and other little things.

I've been in a rush, because we're getting ready to start our hectic Christmas season, full of family time. I had time, though, to pound out one final Christmas craft and hastily photograph it this morning before it gets tossed in a suitcase.

Star Wars snowflakes!


These weren't nearly as difficult as I expected. I went to Anthony Herrera's website and downloaded the templates for the characters. The printout shows a large circle sectioned off like a color wheel, with one sliver showing half of a Star Wars character's face. You cut out the circle, fold it in half, and fold it, accordian-style, until the character's face is at the top of your wedge. Then, using scissors and a sharp X-acto knife, just cut out the shaded areas.

I made General Ackbar...

Yoda...

C-3PO...

Storm Troopers...

Boba Fett...

...and Darth Vader.

It's a great craft for kids and Star Wars fans alike!

Signing off until next year...have a great holiday season!