Christmas Tree!

I finally got a new camera last week and I LOVE it! I'm so over the Kodak cameras I've been using - they take crappy pictures, especially with a flash. But my new Canon Elph is faaaantastic! Here are some pics of our Christmas tree, which still needs a few finishing touches - the hubs won't call it a "Christmas Tree" until it has candy canes on it. Right now it's just the "Decorative Pine" in our front window.



Now, here's where the great camera comes in. Every year I try to take a picture of these particular ornaments - my baby booties and my first Christmas ornament. And every year the pictures don't turn out because of the flash - it's either too bright and you can't see the ornaments, or it's off and the picture is blurry. But here you can see them both! No one remembers who made the booties for me when I was a baby - mom swears that Grandma made them, but Grandma insists that it wasn't her. So the mystery goes unsolved! The First Christmas ornament was a gift from my Godmother, Cindy, who passed away in 2000 with Lou Gehrig's Disease, so this ornament is quite special. I like to put them both way up top where everyone can see them!



My favorite part of the tree this year is certainly my new tree topper! I made it myself! The battle rages on between me and my mother as far at tree toppers are concerned. She has always insisted that big, giant, red bows belong on the tops of Christmas trees and I have always vied for a star. She always used to say, "Someday, when you have your own tree, you can put anything you want on top!" And now I do. For the last few years I've really enjoyed putting a star on top, but this year I wanted a bigger, better star - one that lights up or something. So off to Garden Ridge went I. I wandered up and down every giant aisle of Christmas decorations - one could seriously get lost in that place - and there were NO stars to be found. Can you believe that? But alas! I DID find this beautiful red bird and I promptly purchased it (for 50% off, no less) and carried the darling thing home. Now she sits atop my tree with the beaded twig thingies that I almost used as wedding centerpieces. See! There's a purpose for everything, isn't there? I know she doesn't look like much when you stand back and see the sad tree under her (we need some ribbons or something, oh yes, and candy canes) but I can fix that next year. For now, you just have to "ooh and ahh" over the bird, okay? Just look at the bird (NOT the ugly curtains either, people - keep your eyes on THE BIRD)!

Now isn't she purty??

Merry Christmas, everyone! And if you're working on a birth story, get it to me soon! I need more to fill up all my *free* time (he he...that means procrastination station). Get 'em in!