It's a Wrap and Inflatables

I finished quilting the It's a Wrap quilt tonight, although I still have to sew down the binding. The next time you see it, it will be done, washed, and hanging on the wall behind the kitchen tree--hopefully tomorrow night. I know this isn't a great photo, but I wanted to share--I've been working on it all day. Isn't it funny how quilts always take longer than you expect them to? Or is that just me?

One of the lead news stories tonight was about the theft of a family's inflatable Santa, taken in the middle of the night from their front lawn. Speaking from experience, I'd suggest that guy check his neighbors across the street, the ones who have had to look at the darn thing since he put it up.

If you have an inflatable something-or-other sitting in your front yard, I don't mean to offend you. Seriously, I've seen a few yard displays with inflatable figures that looked just fine, and I kind of like those big inflatable "globes" with all kinds of stuff going on inside, but it just seems to me that a lone plastic inflatable Santa is kind of pathetic.

A few years back, the renters across the street from us put up an inflatable snowman next to a much smaller inflatable Santa/chimney combo. They just stuck them both right out near the sidewalk with no other decorations to make them look at all attractive. From our living room, we had to look at them night after night, and I hated those things! In fact, I considered sneaking over there at night and stabbing them to death (the inflatables, not the neighbors). Boy was I excited to see them sitting in a heap on the grass that first morning--I thought someone had beat me to it! That night, though, they came back to life, much to my dismay!

We have new neighbors over there this year, and when I noticed they were stringing up Christmas lights outside a few days ago, I watched with some apprehension. No, no inflatables, thank goodness! Just a tasteful display of Christmas lights and a Christmas tree in the window, which is pretty much the same thing we have.

Yes, I know I'm a Christmas decorating snob. I don't know why that is or why I'm so hung up on the whole Christmas thing. Yes, I even drive myself nuts sometimes. I wonder if there's a 12-step program?

Well, the weekend's over, and it's back to work in the morning. Time to turn out the lights in the Sweat Shop and head to bed. I'm glad you could stop by and visit!