OUR FORGETFUL ELF STRIKES AGAIN

Believe it or not, my hubby was actually a bit of a Grinch before I met him. But, then I introduced him to The Thomas Way of doing Christmas. He was especially impressed by the fact that, in my family, you were never too old for a fully-stuffed stocking! Eventually, that became his "thing", and before we knew it, he'd begin hoarding stuffers mid-summer and, come Christmas, he was adding goodies to any stocking within shouting distance. In fact, he was stashing so very many stuffers that he was having trouble remembering what all he had and where it was hidden. Inevitably, sometime in January, or even later, he'd come out wagging something in his hand, saying "You'll never guess what I just found!" In fact, it became so routine that the kids and I began taking bets on when it would happen, and who it would be for. This year I was the lucky recipient! Just the other day he came into the bathroom where I was putting on my makeup, and plopped this down in front of me, saying "Guess what I had 'squirreled away' downstairs!"

I just about dropped my teeth. I've been wanting a good squirrel watercolor mop ever since I started taking on-line classes with Junelle Jacobsen and saw her using one. But, every time I started to buy one, I'd chicken out. They're expensive. And here he'd bought me a whole set, complete with a bamboo roll-up holder, then managed to forget all about it!

So, between those and my new set of really-good Windsor & Newton watercolors, purchased with a couple of gift certificates from the kids, I feel I really must get back to painting! A couple of years ago -- back before I got distracted by weddings and travel journals and collage and paper-painting and grandbabies -- I was having a lot of fun with my then-new Creative Girl workbook by Danielle Donaldson.

I'm thinking it's really time I got back to that. Don't you agree?