merry christmas eve eve

All of our guests are arriving today, so Rick and Julia went to the airport (an all day trip) to pick up my niece Kelsey, and then my son Danny. Lauren and I are home taking care of last minute details and waiting for my sister Linda, her hubby Steve, and the two dogs to pull into the driveway. Everyone will be in late this evening, so I'm going to sneak out to the annual Michael Hearne Sing-Along at the OBL, where Lauren will be working tonight. I don't really have time... There are so many things to do... You know how it is... It can become madness if you let it...

Back in my early beadmaking days, I made long necklaces on hand twisted silk thread. I knotted sections every couple of inches, and each section of beads was different. At first it was hard to decide what beads to put together. Random grabbing wasn't right. I wanted to create balance in each little segment, as well as a completed piece that worked as a whole. I learned pretty quickly to simply start with one bead, and then find the next bead that looked best with that. My early impulses to save the "best beads" faded, and I soon realized that the next best bead would always be a different bead. At some point I relaxed and always picked the best bead. Amazingly, there were endless numbers of best beads.

Today I have a million little things to do. And I'm stringing this day, and probably the next few days, one thing at a time. Kind of like those necklaces, I'm picking the most important thing to do, and then the next and then the next. It looks like I'll even get them all done, and it will probably all work together to make a darn good holiday for all concerned. That's my job this week. I'm stringing up some magic for my family, and loving every minute of it.

Here's wishing you a Merry Christmas (or other Fabulous Holiday of your choice).
I'll be back in a few days with pictures. Carry on... one "bead" at a time!