Thursday, December 18, 2008

The risk of sounding trite

...or at least shallow. I'm afraid my blog posts recently (actually, maybe longer than that, you tell me) have been a rather shallow and rushed and pretty much pointless. Granted, this isn't meant to be a super-sober, analytical sort of blog all the time, but I haven't been taking much time to think. In general, actually, not just about blog posts. My thoughtful posts are usually scattered amid stuff about life and posts of things I find funny, but I've been so busy lately (and still blogging!) that it's all been kind of insipid. Funny perhaps, but not exactly sensible...and now I'm sounding stiff and priggish. :D I think you know what I mean though... Or maybe not.

All in all I've been feeling a lack of time to think and it's affected the blogging some as well. Or rather, I have been thinking, but it's all been about what I need to get done, and work, and Christmas plans, and planning for this and planning for that, and whatever else can squeeze into my consciousness has been trivial. I think it will be better after Christmas though...we have about three more things coming up, and then Christmas, and then I should have time to think! Which will be nice.

I try thinking after I get in bed at night but...well, it puts me to sleep thoroughly. ;) To quote from one of Agatha Christie's mysteries:

'You never realize that by lying back in an arm-chair with the eyes closed one can come nearer to the solution of any problem. One sees then with the eyes of the mind.'

'I don't,' I said. 'When I lie back in an arm-chair with my eyes closed one thing happens to me and one thing only!'

So yeah. I've been busy. We have a holiday concert to go to on Saturday, the Christmas service at church with a potluck afterwards, Christmas Eve service, and then Christmas. Which reminds me, I should probably get going on wrapping presents sometime soon this week because I'm not going to have a lot of time! And it's only oh, 6.5 days till Christmas. :) Yay!

And here's the pictures of our Christmas decorations. :) Although some of you have probably seen these already.

Tree before decorating:







See how real it looks?:







After decorating:







Aw, little Petunia:














Nativity scene:









My grandma made these paper cuttings when she worked at Old Salem, and I just thought of mounting them on cardstock this year.











Gracie does not approve of Christmas trees:











Colin asked if the hat helped me decorate faster...well, I was kinda hyper. I scurried around like a...a...an overgrown elf! That's it! ...um, yeah...













Anyway, that's that. Hopefully my blog posts will make more sense when I have more time.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I understand, Natalie...our month has been very busy, too. We're either doing school, going somewhere for a Christmas activity, or having people over! It's busy, but I think it's worth it, although it will be nice to go to sleep before 11:30 one of these days! ;)

The tree looks great!

Anonymous said...

Wow, your tree looks a lot "realer" than ours :) But ours also has five billion ornaments in varying stages of dilapidation and coloured lights layered over one strand of white lights that somehow got in there. So you don't notice the tree itself as much...

Gracie looks very...Grinchly :)

N said...

I thought you'd been up awfully late recently...judging by when you've left comments. ;) Personally I like staying up late. I can't get up in the morning even if I went to bed early. :D

Well, Rebecca, ours is prelit and now the lights on the very bottom layer of branches aren't working because "someone" (i.e. one of the cats) chewed through a wire!!! But yes, it's a very realistic tree...it's awesome. :) ...apart from the light issue...

Amanda A Gordon said...

Great tree! Nice decorations!

The cutouts are great. I need to try cutouts...

We are having a blast but busy getting food and gifts ready for the next dinner as we clean up after the prior engagement. I need to wrap gifts also; my living room is covered in gifts and wrapping materials.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I'd rather stay up late and get up late than the other way around...but sometimes it can be too much! =) But I want to make it clear - what we've been able to do has been such a blessing to all of us, and I think it is worth losing a little sleep for. =)

Jessica said...

Haha, Natalie....looks as though Christmas spirit has gone to your head....j/k! :P

N said...

LOL...what, Jessica?? :D What'd I do? :P

Jessica said...

I don't know exactly. It just sounded like, while you were writing this, you were also making cookies, throwing some tinsel on the tree, decorating the fire place, and trying to get out the door to do some Christmas shopping. But that may have just been my imagination.... :)