New Artificial Tree

With limited storage space and the wish to simplify holiday decorating,

we decided to create a flat artificial tree.
2 yards of tan cotton,
1 yard of green fleece,
two 36" dowels
and about 100 green buttons later...

Per tradition, the 'ugly ball' was of course the first to go on the tree

Artificial trees just aren't the same without that fresh pine scent,
so I crocheted an ornament holder for a 'Scentportable' refill from Bath & Body Works. The how-to is on hdwu's blog.

Christmas is almost here!

Paint is (almost) done!

We still need to paint the house number on the front
and choose an interesting color for the front door.
But the painting is mostly done:

Red House, Wrong Trim

The house is red!
Unfortunately they used the wrong paint for the trim,
which makes the house feel really dark and depressing.
The painters will be back today to fix it...

Primed!

Forecast for the next few days is 'partly cloudy',

with 60% showers on Saturday.
Hopefully the rain can hold out for just a few more days...

Paint colors:

(brown for fascia, red for most of house, gray for trim)

BEFORE New Paint

After 5 years of waiting,
the house will soon no longer be dirty pink & cream!

BEFORE:

142 Miles

Heather participated in the Bike MS ride this weekend- an organized bike ride benefitting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. 74 miles (~3,500 feet total climb) on the first day, 68 miles (~2,300 feet total climb) on the second day, camping at the fairgrounds in the evenings.