Two weeks ’til Christmas.

This morning I woke with not only a ridiculous pile of laundry on my bed I never got around to folding last night, but all three kids. You know, when you buy a king size bed, you imagine it will always be big enough… you’d be wrong.

I do believe I might be on my last pair of socks this Christmas.  I hope my socks don’t become the equivalent of an Ugly Christmas Sweater… Yeah. The knitting is clearly out of control.

Yes, that’s all three kids knitting. I’ve created monsters. Lovely, doubled twisted, woolen, bamboo needled monsters.

I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m just not really all that twisted up about Christmas this year. Usually my house looks like Christmas threw up everywhere, but this year, I didn’t even get out the box of Christmas books. Is that part of the kids getting older? Or is it just me, tired and burnt out? I mean, don’t imagine we’re all severe and ascetic over here- we’ve decorated, the kids are buzzing with excitement, the tree is lovely and overloaded with ornaments… I’m just sort of… meh.

I’m trying to square away my baking list. Baklava, fudge, peanut blossoms, sugar cookies with royal icing, Russian tea cakes, and probably gingerbread. I’ll probably make Rosettes, too, on Christmas. Oh, and eggnog truffles. Can’t forget those.I get to use my Christmas dishes! One of my dear friends had her Christmas plans change, and her parents will be here, instead of in Utah; they’re coming for dinner Christmas night. My townhouse is not very big, and I haven’t had the ability to throw a party, but I adore having a houseful. I’ll be making this, among a host of other things.

My visiting teacher made us the coolest present- Who-flakes! I managed to hide them from the kids and have framed them as a surprise. Don’t forget, new Doctor Who on Christmas night, 9pm on BBC America!I got to go on a fantastic tour of the capitol recently- some friends included me in their visit to their elected friend, and we got to hang out on the congressional balcony and sit in the gallery of the Senate. Anyone can get passes, it’s true, but it was cool getting a personal tour and then hanging out at a famous pub on the Hill afterwards. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to seeing guys in flak jackets and ear-pieces all the time, though.We had our annual watching of ELF the other night, complete with hot chocolate, and caramels. We skipped the spaghetti with maple syrup.

Was treated to my very first Tidewater crab boil recently. I adore crab, but as a Northern Californian, to me crab meant something very different- either King or Dungeness- big, meaty legs and claws, depending on where you went. I’d never had a whole giant bucket of boiled crabs poured out on the table in front of me, all steaming and covered in Old Bay. It was a cultural experience, and certainly a social one. I may have turned a little green when it became clear we had to eviscerate our own dinner, and that dinner still had it’s little beady eyes. I totally squeamed out and had my friend tear their little bodies apart for me. Turns out I’m probably screwed if only crabs are available in a zombie apocalypse.Abby and I team-painted. The goal was to paint our favorite city. I lined stuff out, and we took turns adding things. I think she did a bang-up job. We’re thinking of sending this to Auntie Heather for Christmas. I hope you’re not reading, H!Life may not be perfect, but there is rich beauty to be found. And one final shot, because Dinosaur. Bean. Spaceman Spiff regarding his foe. Or some other lovely little platitude of the beauty of a boy child: