It's the most exhausting time of the year

Every year, I think it will be different. I'll get through craft show season, thanksgiving, and craft show season part 2 without turning into a puddle of goo on the living room floor. 

And every year, it happens again.

This year, we actually hosted thanksgiving. It was just the two of us and my sister-in-law, but still. Butternut squash soup, roast turkey breast, duck fat potatoes, Mac and cheese, broccoli, cranberry sauce - from the can, as God intended - with crackers and cheese before and wine throughout (SIL's contribution). Everything came out as intended, and we were flat on the couch by 4:00 p.m.

Which was good, because Friday and Saturday I had a two-day craft show in town, and while it's not the hardest show I do all year, because of the timing, it's one of the most wearing.

But it went off well. Sales were decent, though not as good as previous years - but it seems to be that way across the board with all the crafters I know. I think despite the economy picking back up, we're not all entirely trusting and are sitting on some of our disposable cash. I can't criticize, because I'm doing it too, I just wish it weren't the case.

Now I've got until December 9th to catch up on everything I've let slide since before Las Vegas. That should be fun.

I'm very glad that our Christmas gifts to each other generally just entail buying expensive ingredients and making a complicated, delicious dinner.

FYI: if you're interested in buying paperbacks of any of my books, or complete trilogies, I just got a new shipment of author copies and books are available. Leave a comment with your email, or reach out to me on the website's contact form.

Downhill to the holidays

It's coming. The holidays. 

I'm still stupid tired from the last few weeks and trying to remember what I did when I had the house to myself every day. I'm sure I'll figure it out just as my husband's long break starts (December 23 - January 3), and then I'll have to remember all over again.

It's not looking good, but I still have hopes of finishing the first draft of Coming Closer by Christmas. 

The original end date was Thanksgiving, but obviously that got derailed by family stuff, which is why I build wiggle room into all my deadlines. Something always happens, and even when that something isn't as large and sad as the loss of a family member, it's easy to lose time and get off-track.

Since the extent of my holiday decorating is usually looking at the decorations of others - too many years of adventurous cats to ever want to set up a tree again - I thought I'd share my favorite houses on Baltimore Avenue in West Philly. 

Urban legend says it's two sisters in side-by-side houses. They're decorated when there's no holiday going on, but give them a reason and they pull out all the stops. I'm not even sure this is all the Christmas decorations yet. Since they'll swap it all out again for Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Juneteenth, July 4th, Labor Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, my main question is where do they store it all in the off-season?