Catching Up

Time for a little bit of blogging...I keep thinking of things I want to write, so I'd better get some of them down.

Christmas season is in full swing, though apparently the weather hasn't figured that out yet. It's still quite warm most of the time. It's supposed to cool down later this week, though--cheers! We could do with a whopping snowstorm.

Life has been b.u.s.y. Lots of practicing and performances; today finished a run of 5 days of concerts or jobs for me. (Different music for each one, too.) It's been fun, though I will certainly enjoy having a break over Christmas.

Our Colonial Living History Christmas party was on Dec. 2. I did finish my cloak (random piece of info: it weighs 4.5 lbs), and I also finished a green caraco that matches my petticoat (shown here). I really like it; I hope to do a real post about the whole outfit sometime after I've had time to dress up again and get Sarah to take some pictures.

The Sonshine Girls had a concert Friday. We pulled through nicely, by dint of Throat Coat tea, ZipFizz, and the grace of God. (Some of the girls are fighting colds.) Afterwards the girls did some caroling at an outdoor mall; that was a lot of fun. You should hear some of their music; they've really improved and have some great songs.

Tonight was our family concert. It felt a little scatterbrained to me, but that might just be me. The girls sang, and the boys sang, some of my students played, and Michael and I played some Chopin (third and fourth movements). It's good to share our music and to see friends. The evening closed with three brothers, friends of ours, giving an informal though quite smashing performance of the Peanut Butter and Jelly Song (..."the American Legend, Good Old PBJ" or whatever it is). Absolutely hilarious.

I'm developing a rather large list of what I want to read over Christmas break. Nicholas Nickleby, A Severe Mercy, Discipline by E. Elliot, maybe some C. S. Lewis, T. S. Eliot poetry, possibly some George MacDonald? I want to re-read An Old-Fashioned Girl by Alcott, and maybe read some more Anne of Green Gables. There are always history books around, too. Must keep things balanced. What are you reading--any recommendations? (Speaking of which, I do have intentions of getting back into writing book reviews here. I just need to find the time to write them up...)

Well, it's very late here and I teach tomorrow--must get to bed. God bless you as you go about your Christmas activities! It's easy to just get caught up in the busyness. Have you ever noticed that it seems easier to just keep messing around on the computer or puttering around the house than it is to go do something purposeful, even if it's devotions or resting? Kind of crazy. I want to take time to think and remember and enjoy people and life and to learn more of God during this Christmas season.

Till later...
Rachel