First Christmas at My House

I had a great time. And it was cozy with 12 people. Petey got in a bit of trouble nipping Nancy and was banished to the bedroom. Too much excitement for him.

Lots of wonderful and fun gifts and gift cards were given. I think the most wonderful gift of all was a family tree in the form of hands on a quilt. Karen had outlined all of our hands (even Dad’s) a few years back and they were placed in an order and color-coded. Wish I had taken a picture of that!

Noah got a fabulous etch-n-sketch thingie with letters and storage drawers — and a percussion set that I am glad he is taking home with him… 😉

Wendy got a “diamond” ring in anticipation of the formal engagement announcement in February

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I have to brag on my mom a little

Mom made this cross-stitch some years ago. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted it to be a table cloth or a tree skirt. But, I realized this year that it would have a longer life as a tree skirt. The possibility of spilling a glass of red wine on it made me feel ill. So mom turned it into a really, really, beautiful skirt that lives under my very first Christmas tree. The tree is full of handmade ornaments that have been made and given to me over the years as well as some stunning store-bought ornaments that have been gifted to me. It was delightful to remininisce over them as they were hung. Now I know why my sister puts up a tree every year whether she is home or not. The remembering that goes with the hanging of the ornaments is a ritual of gratitude.

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The Review

Well that was an interesting experiment. I have reviewed this experience on BizRate twice and then Uncommon Goods solicited another review with the option to post it to my blog. But good grief the review is buried amongst all the crap. The product was well-packaged and arrived broken anyway. It is a Chinese-made product.

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My Review

Originally submitted at UncommonGoods

Reading will never be the same with this entertaining book and toy set. In this simple and smart book Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, author Mo Willems uses a pigeon to capture the thin line between negotiation and tantrum talents. The book is illustrated in child-like drawings and the easy la…

DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS BOOK SET

It arrived broken

By Petey’s Pam from San Antonio, TX on 12/19/2007

1out of 5

Pros: Nice design

Cons: No voice for pigeon

Best Uses: Children

Describe Yourself: Garden Variety Neurotic

Although packaged very well, the pigeon’s voice box didn’t work at all. But the book and the plush toy are really nicely designed.

(legalese)

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Don’t Know Where the Time Has Gone

Getting ready for family visiting for Christmas and the time has flown by. Of course I had to do the silly dog-owner picture thang. And I have my first Christmas tree… but more about that later. He really doesn’t get embarrassed, he just tosses his head and runs for it.

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Oh for that macro zoom lens

The little digital just doesn’t do justice to the smaller things in life. This is a beautiful cocoon. I have never seen one like it. It is about an inch and a half top to bottom. And I long for the macro lense to pick up all of the textures. Anyone know what the flying flower will be?

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