6 Days and Counting!

Wow!  Is it only 6 days till Christmas?  12 days till we say "goodbye" to 2011?  Is it less than 2 months till my 1st "Blogiversary????"  Time does fly, and sadly...a little too fast sometimes.  Things are "cookin'" in the Hess household as we finish preps for Christmas.  Looking back to Saturday, we had a ball at Tucson's Gaslight Theater where we saw "Christmas In  The Big Apple." It was a great way to kick off our Holiday season.

Swaps have been "wrapped" up for this year....I had the good fortune to participate in Cassandra's Handmade Ornament Swap.  My partners were Terri at Tinker Through Time

Freda at Sew What's New

And Michelle and Ashley at The Tattered Quilt

All these ladies have such amazing talent and I was so privileged to be paired with them for this swap.
And here's what I sent to my partners....

Thanks to Cassandra for hosting!

Dear friend JoAnne at Vintage Dragonfly hosted a Secret Santa 25 Days of Christmas Swap and I've been a good girl and have only opened one little gifty a day...so here's the first 7...I have a pretty amazing SS!

the top of the double matchbox

side view

the presents - one for each day

the first 7 days

Next Monday I will show you the rest, and hopefully be able to identify my SS!!! (And the ones I sent to my "good girl!")

Debi at Bloggerette Sorority hosted a "Make One Buy One" ornament swap.  My partner was CeeKay
who is also a fellow Arizonan.  Here's the darlings she sent to me...

Made One

Bought One

Happy Birthdays abound this month... to dear bil Paul in Lancaster, PA

and sweet Aunt Debbie in Douglassville, PA

 who celebrated theirs on December 6th ~

my dh who celebrated on December 16th ~

and my sweet  baby brother, Erik, who celebrated on December 17th ~

and my dd, who will celebrate his in Heaven on December 20th ~

We are quite the family of Sagittarius, aren't we? lol

Well, that's it for now...I've got a brunch date this morning with a special friend,  a holiday party tonight, and start food preps for Christmas Eve (Feast of the 7 Fishes) and Christmas (traditional sticky buns and quiche in the a.m.;  baked ziti  and roast organic turkey with trimmings in the p.m.)....and gift WRAPPING!!!

Happy Hanukkah to those celebrating at sundown tomorrow night, and Christmas blessings to one and all.  Take a deep breath and remember...it will go by all toooooo fast! You are ALL a blessing to me and I love you!!  I leave you with this little prayer from Jane Austen (1775-1817).
xoxo
Karen

Incline us, O God,

to think humbly on ourselves,

to be saved only in the

examination of our own conduct, 

to consider our fellow creatures with kindness,

and to judge of all they say and do

with the charity which we would desire

from them ourselves.

          Amen.