It's beginning to look....

..... a lot like Christmas....

Ever since the Halloween decorations came down, I've been taking out the Christmas table-top trees, the Santas, the angels, the little porcelain elves.... and today, Miss C spent most of the afternoon here helping me put up the larger of the trees. She did the aluminum tree in the living room by herself, as well as the gold feather-tree in the breakfast room. On each of those trees, she made sure not to have ornaments of the same colors too close together--- that was her idea, not mine. I make it a point not to tell her how to do anything, other than to say this tree goes on that table.

Miss C also re-decorated the top of the buffet in the dining room. I had already done it last week, but she reminded me that I would have to re-arrange everything when we have our Christmas party, so she moved the tree that was on the buffet into my bedroom so the small teacup tree is now on my dresser, and not in the way of the plates and flatware that will be lined up on the buffet for our party.

We decided (or C decided) that more decorations were needed for the glass shelves of the coffee bar, so all the little angels are now arranged inbetween the glassware and the cups and saucers, as well as some of my red and green glassware-- "You might as well use those Christmas-colored glasses as decorations!" -- and Miss C was right..... the coffee bar looks very festive, all decked out in red and green and angels.... all ready for the party next month.

C gave me some pictures of herself with the three cows that she's taking care of for the Longhorn Project at school. I didn't realize how big those cows really are, especially when petite little C is standing next to them. So I now have photos of C with Natalie, Bubba, and Cookie-- her three longhorns, which have already won her nearly a thousand dollars in scholarship money at their first showing up in Dallas last week.

The senior pictures from the high school are already printed out.... her parents have to pick out the ones they want enlarged. I saw those also this afternoon, and it was amazing to see how grown-up and mature C looked in the photographs. When C comes to our house, she's usually in shorts or jeans, with her hair piled up in a high pony-tail at the back of her head. For the senior pictures, of course, she's in her graduation cap and gown, then in a black sweater, then in her school jacket. Her hair is down and flowing long past her shoulders, her smile is happy, and you can tell from the pictures that she's excited beyond words to be a graduating senior.

Last year, C raised a tiny bunny; this year, she's raising three huge longhorns. Next year-- college. Lots of changes next year, for all of us. But for right now.... we're getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas.