I realized at 10 p.m. last night that I had planned to mail out gifts this morning and went into hyperdrive. Made two boxes and one parcel, and this morning printed out another of our annual Christmas letters to enclose with the card to friends in England.

Only fly in the mailing ointment was that I realized this morning that I didn't have Nicki's address to send her her Christmas gift. Unless she is coming home for Christmas, in which case never mind.

So I hit the bank first, then the post awful, where it wasn't much of a wait (which was the reason for mailing early anyway, besides being able to send parcel post instead of first class). Next I stopped by the Marietta Welcome Center to get tickets for the Holiday Tour of Homes this weekend.

After that I was free to amuse myself. I stopped at Michael's, then dropped in a couple of stores at the Avenue at East Cobb, including Bath and Body Works. James has been asking me for gift hints; I think I want some of their Japanese Cherry Blossom eau de toilette. Yeah, I know, something "girly." Sometimes a girl just wants to smell like a girl.

When I finished up there, I drove about a mile or so west to St. Ann's Church and School. They were having something called the "Apple Annie Christmas Market." I had never gone to this and was surprised at how crowded it was. People were parked on the grass verges on both sides of Roswell Road, which is a busy four lane highway. Luckily there is a light right at Bishop's Lane Road (great name for a road next to a Catholic church, right?). I turned into the road and found only an exit to the parking lot of the church, but I could see empty spaces. I tried to find an entrance, but finally had to turn around and come back. The cop guarding the entrance told me I absolutely could not get in because the parking lot was full, I would have to park on the street. I tried to tell him there were parking places, but he just told me to quit blocking the road.

So I went out to Roswell Road and parked. When I walked across the parking lot there were at least a dozen spaces in eye view. When I got into the show you betcha I complained.

This was an excellent craft show. The sellers, I overheard, are picked by judges; you can't just rent a booth and sell your product. The only problem was that these were good crafts, therefore pretty steep prices. I didn't buy much—some all-natural air freshener from one herbal vendor and a cute snowflake pin from another—until I got downstairs and found the lady who was selling primitive Christmas decorations. I have always wanted blocks that spell out "Merry Christmas"—well, now I do. I also got two tiny candles in small star-shaped pewter-like candle holders that duplicated old-fashioned candle holders, two cornucopias, a little embroidered sign that says "comfort and joy," and a winged cow made out of jingle bells labeled "Holy Cow!"

One artist was selling beautiful chickadee prints, but I simply didn't have the money for one.

I came home by Abecedarius, the needlework store, and had to laugh at her "no solicitors" sign on the door, because she had added to it "NO AT&T, Hawks, Thrashers." She told me when she asked the AT&T guy to leave because she didn't want solicitors that he had given her the finger. Geez. I would have called AT&T on the jerk. Anyway, I agonized over a gorgeous band-sampler winter design before deciding I really didn't have the time to do it. Abecedarius doesn't stock the usual cross-stitch patterns you see in the craft stores like Michaels and JoAnn, but has specialty samplers, including stuff from Shepherd's Bush and reproductions of antique samplers. I just like to go in there and drool over the samples.

A fruitless stop at Book Nook, then home to a late lunch of leftover turkey soup and noodles. I'd only had a meal bar and half a gingerbread doughnut (nice and spicy; pity Dunkin Donuts feels it has to put that gross overly-sweet sugar icing on it—I guess they want to keep up with [gag] Krispy Kreme) for breakfast, so I had a headache and ended up lying down until James got home. We had supper at Sweet Tomatoes, where I chowed down on lots of salad and another bowl of soup, then visited JoAnn and Linens'n'Things before heading home.

Unfortunately I still had the headache when I got home so I had to take something for it, which meant I was late taking my heart pill which meant I couldn't take anything for my stomach, which means I'm now nauseated re-tasting salad dressing. ::sigh:: I guess it's long enough that I can go chew on a Pepto Bismol...

Labels: Christmas, crafts, decorating, events, food, gifts, shopping

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 11:59:00 PM

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