It’s been an interesting week. Busy too. Good and bad, mostly good with just a hint of annoying. The annoying isn’t even worth mentioning, really. But there have been some really fun highlights!

Last Thursday I went with Ashley and her kids to a local paint your own pottery place called Art Attack. Those who already know that not only do I have a degree in sculpture but I used to teach pottery classes at a small local studio when I was in high school not to mention poured and glazed tiles for a tile artist in Santa Fe will no doubt find the idea of me actually buying an item already in bisque form then painting it to be freakin hi-larious.

Believe me, I did too! To be honest I consider it cheating but it’s not like we were there to create high art or try to sell it or something. Ashley just wanted her kids to paint some mugs for their grandparents’ xmaskkah gifts. I couldn’t resist joining in the fun though. It had been a long time since I’d glazed pottery. So I made a little present for Cody. It’s nothing big but I think he’ll like it. (Side One) (Side Two)

We enjoyed the whole experience, and the cheap prices, so much that we’re going to go again this week! And there’s a monthly “Ladies’ Night Out on every first friday of the month. Totally think all the snb people should go.

Then on Saturday we took Winter for her annual photo with Santa at Petsmart. She’s had one every year since she was a puppy so we had to go. Even though it made me a little sad that Zola wouldn’t be in the pictures this year. The Santa photo people remembered us and asked about the hedgehog. It’s always hard to tell people about her cancer but it’s also always nice to hear when they remember her.

The Second Mrs. deWinter wore her red sweater, a matching leash, and a pink faux silk collar from San Francisco to the occasion. I was dressed like someone who would be wrestling a giant dog so she’d sit still next to a stranger. You can imagine what that looks like.

I’ve been moving my workroom stuff from the living room into the fourth bedroom (aka The Scary Room). (God I need to really work on getting that scary room organized). We finally got to break out the prelit tree we bought three years ago in a post Xmas sale. I was in Birmingham the last two xmases so it just wasn’t worth it to break the big one out. So yay it works! And it’s not too tall! This prelit tree thing is great! I know, I can hear the purists out there: blah blah tacky fake tree blah blah lighting is the fun part blah fffft. We can’t have a real tree. It would kill Mr. Man. And I think having to untangle and restring lights one more time might kill him too. So for the safety, peace, and general good of our household we got the big fake prestrung tree. So there.

Now to clean the house for my parents’ arrival in one week from today (it’s not panic attack-inducing bad though which is kind of nice), wrap some presents, knit Jocelyn’s grandmother’s shawl (Sorry about that Joce!), and hang all the ornaments. The big aunts’ annual ornament party is on Friday! Busy week indeed.