The Nutcracker Suite and Ostriches

To start this off, I havent written in awhile because I've been trying to catch up with my life. I was sick since Thanksgiving, although I finally got the sniffles and congestion to go with it two weeks ago. It was a nice vindication, "See! I really am sick!" The week following that (last week) as I was just getting over my cold, flu, whatever, I started having serious back pain. It felt like a muscle but usually when you pull a muscle, you're aware of it, immediately. I started out a little uncomfortable in the morning and by lunch I was miserable. My back still hurts a little but atleast I can function.

I finally put up the Christmas decorations last Thursday, and finished shopping yesterday. Man, what a slacker am I. All of my grand plans to be done before Decemeber 1st went straight down the toilet, heh. So, I am done with Christmas presents. I just need to finish my mother's birthday present. Her birthday was the 9th but she's been in Florida scoping things out, so I havent seen her and wont until a few days after Christmas. I started this magnificent horse bust over a year ago, in Ceramics class and never finished it. I base painted it a medium gray and have been dry brushing white over it. I'm going to make the bridle a bright red, basically I'm matching the bust to a puzzle of a horse stamp she's had for eons. The bust is seriously going to be awesome when I finish it. It stands about 9" high, its all very grand looking.

Just because I've finished buying doesnt mean I've finished wrapping, heh. My kitched table and some of the floor has been taken over with boxes, bags, tissue paper, wrapping paper, ribbons and bows, name tags. It looks like part of Michael's exploded in there hehe. I've got to Christmas Eve to get it all wrapped and I'm milking every second.

So, Steve and I talked it over and we decided it was time to get rid of some of our older, worn out decorations and buy a few new ones. I told him I was going to go look in JoAnn Fabrics and he got this look on his face and rolled his eyes. But, I won that conversation because that's where I got all of our Thanksgiving decorations the day after Halloween for 75% off. And, he loved those Thanksgiving decorations. When I reminded him how much he liked them, he was like, "oh, okay." HA! HA I say! I WIN!

I was at JoAnn Fabrics and really, they had the nicest stuff. Apparently this year's theme colors were an Ivory white and a really soft, almost baby green. The whole thing was gorgeous, really, but those colors are so unusual I dont think I could find a lot of decorations in the years coming to match it or recycle it out so I passed over them. Besides, we're definitely not "white" kind of people. We're messy and we ding things and we dont always put things away properly. Color is definitely the way to go. I picked up some nice ornaments but the prize for the day was a Nativity set. It caught my eye almost immediately and I just couldnt let it go. Finally I decided that I was going to buy it. Its actually made out of pottery so the colors have been thrown, which made them amazing. Since its pottery too, everything is a little abstract. Like, they arent trying to make the Virgin Mary look exactly like everyone pictures her, I dunno its weird to describe. Anyway, I was so pleased with that dang thing I kept looking at it the rest of the day. The best part was that Steve liked it too, hehe. The figures are about 6"-7" tall so its pretty big. It fits perfectly on the open counter that separates the kitchen and the living room.

As for the title of today's blog, I was watching The Nutcracker Suite last night. I've always appreciated classical music, and ballet and plays and musicals and the like, but last night was different. I guess I just appreciated what a beautiful story was being told. While I was watching, I was thinking to myself, "what talent, what awesome amazing talent." The set and scenary changed, and out came the ballerinas in a more traditional tu-tu skirt and I was thinking to myself, "with their impossibly long, impossibly skinny legs, and the way the skirt fluffs, they look like ostriches." I have the utmost respect for someone who can give their lives to a dying craft, and I could never ever do what they do but still, they looked like ostriches from the waist down.

Before I forget, I went out to tea with Karen last week. That was a new experience and seriously I loved it. I must be crazy. We had a fun time, laughed and vented and the food was amazing. We've made plans to have a tea party at home and make horribly tacky hats to wear. I'm excited though, it will give me a chance to use all of the tea sets that Steve has here. They are so lovely, and so old. But I know that Karen appreciates their value, and will do her best to not break anything so I feel safe bringing them out.