Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Life in the Pre-Busy Season!

I've been sneaking Christmas into the house before Thanksgiving. A woman's gotta do what a woman's gotta do! Mostly it's in the office, some wreaths, that sort of thing. The guest room is stuffed with holiday things, just waiting, waiting, waiting for me! (If you missed my last post with some vintage Thanksgiving postcard printables you can download for the holiday, check it out here.)


I am eagerly awaiting December 1. A dear friend sent me the Jacqie Lawson advent calendar of the Cotswolds, which I love with all my heart. One can do a few activities on the interactive calendar prior to December 1 but that's when you start opening the days. Last year there was this fun game that turned me into a nutcase, trying to get the most points as the animated skier made it down the hill to the tune of jolly holiday music. I can still hear those songs in my head! I wonder what they'll have this time around!


One of the things you can do is "design" your own wreaths or snowmen or decorate the trees in your "Cotswold cottage." It's highly addictive!


Lizzie's birds are back and she's loving them.


We've even seen the elusive blue jay. Usually I see him in the backyard, not at the feeder, so that's a treat!


Skippy the chipmunk is back, too. Well, it may be an entirely different chipmunk but they are all Skippy, like all the squirrels are Bushy. (Unless I'm at Rick's. Then they are Stuffy.)


Speaking of Bushy, I finished a couple of special order felties, one of Bushy and one of a cardinal. I call all the cardinals outside Mr. Bobby C. and Mrs. Bobby C. This is a mister.


And another Santa!


Finally, Lizzie had her annual check-up this year, along with her pedicure.


And she was a very good girl, once she couldn't see what was going on!


Thank you, Dr. Anne! And thanks to Rick for making this wonderful mushroom/chicken risotto, the perfect dinner after hitting the greens market!


I even beat him in Scrabble! This doesn't happen often!


Here's to a good week for one and all!


And, to a few minutes of peaceful backyard birding before the Thanksgiving mania sets in!

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32 comments:

Valerie-Jael said...

Sounds like you are all, people and visitors, having a great time. You sure have a load of decorations, the few things I have fit in one shoe-box! Love the gorgeous felties. Have BIG fun at Thanksgiving! Hugs, Valerie

Karen said...

Does Lizzy "talk" to the creatures outdoors? Mine sound so funny nattering away.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

I am happy to see that in all the turmoil you have not forgotten your feathered friends. Today they barely needed help here. The temperature climbed up to eleven degrees - and it is almost December!

Rustic Pumpkin said...

Great to see your wildlife at the birdfeeder photos. Got to watch out for our garden friends now. Well, isn't the JL electronic Advent calendar brilliant? I have had them all, from the very beginning, and they've certainly grown. Addictive? Only to the point that I plugged on and on with that downhill skiing teddy last year until I got the full house on achievements! Shhhh! Don't tell, will you?

~~~Waving~~~Deb in Wales

Marilyn Miller said...

Oh birding with Lizzie would be fun. Love the felties. I need your doctor to come give Joey a pedicure. He chews his nails and won't let me get close. I get the J.Lawson advent calendar every year. I love smashing ornaments. I must have missed the skier last year. Humm? Looking forward to the Cotswold one. I sent one to my D this year and hoping he enjoys it. My Christmas stuff will come out on Friday and I hope to be done decorating by Sunday. Today I finished getting my cards ready to send and a large portion of my shopping is done. Now let the fun begin.

Misadventures of Widowhood said...

I love that Blue Jay!

Can't believe how much Christmas stuff you've got packed in your guest room. Your house is going to look like a holiday show piece fit for a slot on the open house tour.

Lynne said...

Hit the road running with that decorating.
Looks like you are looking for someone to say go!
GO

Prims By The Water said...

What a cute felted Santa. Shhh, I started decorating for Christmas in late September. However now everything is up and magical with the lights at night now and I can relax for the Holidays. Loved the kitty watching the birdies too! Happy Thanksgiving! Janice

Susan Kane said...

I love the J. Lawson site!! I'm so ready to visit the Cotswolds!

Iris Flavia said...

My Christmas decorations are out. Still. They live here all year round :-)
Ohhh, that sure is a very, very beautiful blue bird, ohhh, and Skippy!
Wow. I´d freak out if someone covered my eyes and touched me. But great it works with animals. Which I still find strange. Aren´t we actually all the same?
Hmm, yummy, that risotto! Always good to have a man who can cook :-)
Scarbble.. hm. I only know it from movies!
The birds here knocked their new house over...
Well, I´m wishing you a yummy Thanksgiving mania! :-)
And I hope for a post on it later!

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

Lizzie has a great spot to watch the birds. Pretty birds and a cute chipmunk. Your felt decorations are so cute, I love the Santa and Cardinal. I like making the chicken/mushroom risotto, my hubby loves it too. My SIL turned me on to an Australian wine called 19 crimes. Wishing you and your family a blessed and happy Thanksgiving.

Carol said...

I usually have all of my Christmas up and finished by now, but barely have started. I will certainly have to hit it hard this week.

Sami said...

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Jeanie.
I've been reading your last 3 posts as I haven't been much around the computer since Monday.
I too find November starts to get crazy for me too, and this year worse still as we've been doing small home improvements before our Christmas guests arrive mid December!
My tree is actually already up since Sunday as we were cleaning out the garage and I decided to bring the boxes with the ornaments inside.
I can't imagine my cats would allow the vet to cut their nails. In fact they haven't been to the vet in about 4 years as they just stress out getting in the car.
So nice to get the squirrels and birds in the garden. Lizzie is a great bird watcher, mine are too old to bother, sometimes the doves are walking around the garden just metres from them and they just look at them with no interest at all :)

Sami said...

Can't imagine that my cats would stay still while having their nails trimmed. In fact they haven't been to the vet in the last 3 or 4 years as they just stress so much.
Love Risotto, my husband is a good cook too, so we are quite lucky.
Great to see birds and squirrels in the garden, so cute.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Jeanie.

Mae Travels said...

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And then enjoy decorating every square inch of your house. Your imagination on decorating always amazes me, but you give me a clue when you talk about playing a game that designs wreaths!

best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Evi Erlinda said...

Lizzie has many friends :)
Super cute felties, love them so much.
Yummy chicken mushroom

shoreacres said...

My whole house looks like your Christmas-filled guest room -- except everything's in boxes, or ready to go in boxes, or ready to be toted with out boxes. I am so ready for this move to be over with, so I can do a little Christmas myself!

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a blessed day!

Pam Richardson said...

Jeanie, I am in the middle of preparing for Thanksgiving dinner and decorating for Christmas. I enjoyed spending a little time at your home this morning! Let the decorating begin!

Linda said...

Hadn't even given that a thought!

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

I love your felties! I thought of you when I saw some pretty felted trees at our local garden/decorating shop.

I'm glad Lizzie's check up went well. So nice that the vet comes to you! Oscar needs some dental surgery so we will tackle that after she settles into our new house. She has some inflammation in her gums so the vet recommended getting some teeth removed. We are dreading it as I know it will be hard on her but the vet said she is likely in pain so it's the right thing to do.

Sandra at Maison De Jardin said...

Jeanie, I so love your Christmas-filled guest room. So, glad I am not the only one who has a room like that, although I have two. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The French Hutch said...

Love the sweet little felties. I's a beautiful autumn day here, almost 70 today and the color is blazing. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving..........

Pom Pom said...

Your guest room full of festive fun looks exciting! Happy Thanksgiving!

My name is Erika. said...

I am getting excited to decorate for the Christmas also. This weekend I need to get everything out of the attic and we'll go chop our tree. It is hard to believe we are just about there. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and hopefully those scrabble wins won't be limited to just 1. Hugs-Erika

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

You and I have similar tastes where we love to decorate our home for Christmas. I don't have room for large trees, so I'm always on the lookout for tabletop trees. You have several I would love to have, including your kitchen tabletop tree.

LOVE those felties. They are awesome. Had to laugh at Lizzie. The birds are great entertainment for her, I'm sure. And it's good her annual check-up was good, too. I always worry, especially since Bleubeard is getting up in age.

Hope your Thanksgiving is safe, warm, and thankful.

Jenny Woolf said...

Sounds like a good week! And the little birds and animals in the garden are joining in too. Nobody has come to my bird feeder recently. I took it down for a while and I think they've all forgotten it - that includes the pesky squirrels! Well done on Scrabble! I haven't played it for years, but we do have a box. Must get it out when we have people over. Have a good Thanksgiving!

Victoria Zigler said...

It all sounds really pleasant.

The calender thingy sounds fun. Hope you enjoy whatever they do this year as much as you did last year.

Also, glad Lizzie's check-up went well.

Happy Thanksgiving.

William Kendall said...

Lizzie is quite entertained by all that's outdoors.

Lowcarb team member said...

Your guest room looks full of great Christmas things, so lovely!
How sweet to see Lizzie viewing the birds :)

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

All the best Jan

Katie Mansfield said...

Now, I thought Blue Jays were common everywhere. I always learn something when I visit you. I love your felt creatures. I started before Thanksgiving too. Have fun.

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