"the goat who played santa claus"

few things in life matter as much as family tradition. i was given this book as a child, by my beloved aunt who recently died, and it has been a treasured possession ever since.

although i know the stories and illustrations almost by heart (and used one as the inspiration for this years' christmas card), i still insist on reading the stories aloud before bed. last night our story was "the goat who played santa claus." poor garth. or maybe lucky garth. if you're not familiar with the book, check it out. even if you don't have any little ones, the stories are still sincere heart-warmers. at a time when there is so much heartache and suffering, such sweetness slips further and further away from our daily lives. so my holiday prescription: reclaim a little. christmas is nothing without it.

what does your soul look like?
OR
hurry christmas, hurry fast

so for all you dedicated readers, checking back periodically, wondering, "hey! where are all the crafts? what is this horse DOING?!": fear not! i am indeed working, working, working. or, to be more precise, planning, planning, planning. i am doing that thing that real sewers strongly discourage, namely, attempting to make nearly all my gifts from scratch. so far i haven't actually started any of them. but i have the supplies, and everyone knows that's the...hardest...step. no. seriously, though, i'm getting ready to get ready to start. i designed and created my craft center, made some adorable pillows, and have begun turning kane street into mistletoe lane. awww.

i'll post as i can (don't want to ruin anyone's christmas, after all). but wait for the BIG payoff in january. money.