We MADE IT! We have survived the crazy Christmas shipping season here at Pencil Shavings! I’m happy to have passed a third Christmas shipping season here. I owe my mailman an awesome gift, am I right?
When you run a shop of any kind, December is the ultimate sprint at the end of a yearlong marathon. I’m thankful for so many amazing customers who have made this month so fantastic, and I’m also especially thankful for uber-fabulous assistant Nancy. Not only has she helped me carry a brokedown Christmas ferris wheel down our street but she also introduced me to the most amazing coffee cake pictured above which I have consumed at a rapid speed. Oh, and she was a champion pompom maker at our Whole Foods event the other night too. Didn’t our packages look so cute? We had a blast making pompoms and pipe cleaner garland. I wanted it to be a fun, easy craft night that anybody could do and we had a blast.
I love nothing more than a group full of tiny kids singing Christmas songs in a school program. And this year was a doozy what with Jude in a teeny tweed jacket and a bow tie. I CANNOT HANDLE THE CUTENESS. Do your kids come home with copious amounts of Christmas crafts? I took Jude some lunch at school the other day and sat there amongst the 16 precious kindergarteners in his class as he proudly brought me a bag FULL OF ORNAMENTS that he had made for me. Those kids about popped out of their chairs, they were so excited. But my favorite one? This deliciously terrible photo of him below. I mean really? That face! OMG. I will cherish this one forever.
I’ve wrapped almost all our gifts, but I refuse to put them under the tree because of (1) Jude shaking all of them and making me crazy and (2) the poopies eating the packages. Don’t put it past them. For those interested, I think Nickels is finally calming down a little bit and not being so aggressive. He has been curling up and passing out in Jude’s arms every night, and they both love to snuggle in Jude’s bed when we read books and sing songs. Pretty sweet.
And finally, as if our lives aren’t crazy/weird enough, this week Simon filmed with some of the cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County. Yes, you read that right. I am still laughing as I think about it. He is helping the daughter and son-in-law of one of the housewives as they relocate to OKC and was kinda floored when they casually asked if he minded being filmed. “Wait, like, on your iPhone?” he asks. He had no idea what on earth they were talking about.
“Well…. actually, we’re on a show…. ”
And then the next day the producer called. A few days later, 12 camera guys & crew members, a real housewife, her daughter, son-in-law, and grandbaby all toured a few homes with Simon.
Guys, I could not make this stuff up if I tried.
After this commercial break, come back for more Christmas fun next week on Days of Our Shingleton Lives. HAHAAAAAAA
