Welcome to Christmas in Crazyville.

We are still fighting the Christmas tree. I came home last night and HTB declared the tree was a mess, only not using those words. He said he had spent time trying to wipe the mud from the field off the branches, without success. He actually asked me what the deal is with artificial trees and said we're getting one next year. I'm fine with that; I like getting the live tree, but it is kinda messy to cut it down in the field and we bicker. It would be fun to just go along on the tree-getting party next year and not have to deal with getting the tree. He said he was going to go look at them today. I have a suspicion the tree may not be there when I get home tonight. I'm OK with it being crooked, really I am. He said, "It's really bad when you look at it from the side," so I told him we just wouldn't look at it from that angle. Simple, no?

I came home late last night, so not a lot of stitching occurred. I did sit down and sew buttons on two finishes, my Pine Mountain pillow from last week, and the LK Land that I Love. I'm glad the stitching is done, and glad the buttons are on. I tried to bead Fa La La, but that was not happening. I will get that finished TONIGHT. I promise.

We got our Christmas bonuses yesterday. I used most of it for Christmas shopping and to get groceries, but I also went to AC Moore. I needed to pick up some things for Christmas gifts, but I also wanted a little something for me--I mean, I was the one who earned that bonus, and it's the first one I have ever gotten since I started working at at 16. I treated myself to a pretty pair of scissors, and kitted up two Diane Graebner designs, Sharing the Harvest and Time to Leave. They put all their Christmas stuff on sale, and had some cute decorations for a tiny tree at 50% off, so I bought a few packs of those fixings--I thought they would be good to cover the ends of ribbon on ornaments. So they're going in my finishing tin! Woo hoo!

And, joy of all joys, they had matboard! I have been searching for it in ready quantities since October, and found a bunch of off-cuts at Joann's. I was OK with those, but I knew there had to be bigger size boards. Well, there were! It's only about $8 a sheet for the same size sheet as I've been getting in foamcore, so really, for a thinner finish, it's not such a bad buy. I knew I wasn't crazy when I thought I had seen it at a craft store. I have just been looking at Michaels, and you can't get it there. Woo hoo!

That's pretty much all that's going on here. Hopefully we'll get this tree situation dealt with tonight. I really don't have time to keep messing around with it and debating whether or not we should stick with this tree.