My Boyfriend is Having an Affair...

... with CHRISTMAS.

You heard me. I know it's only  October 25th, that's how I know it's an affair! Follow along, people!

Anyway, Brian has always loved Christmas.

 

[exhibit A... and B]

It's just that this year he has started a little bit early...

[look at him sweating in that Christmas outfit!]

I mean, it's not like the guy doesn't have good reasons for loving Christmas. His choir puts on a fantastic concert, for one thing. Oh, and his family has CRAZY (but awesome) traditions, most notably Cookie Baking Weekend. 

Cookie Baking Weekend is exactly how it sounds. The whole family gets together and bakes hundreds, possibly even thousands, of Christmas cookies. This includes wearing matching aprons, antler headbands, and listening to a constant mix of Christmas tunes.

The first time I joined, Brian asked me if I had any suggestions for the Christmas playlist. I hesitated, then said, "Silent Night?"

This became a joke with the family because they probably had five different versions of Silent Night on the playlist already. What they were looking for was suggestions of songs from specific Christmas albums. Whoops. 

The only Christmas album I know is Harry Connick Jr! It's my mom's favorite.

Anyway, there are many types of cookies made--some I had never even heard of before. Like rossettes, these crispy, fried things shaped like flowers. Spritz is another kind, shaped like 3D trees and wreaths that you get to shoot out of a pump (compare it to a Play-Doh toy, that's what it reminds me of at least).

I suppose the best part is decorating sugar cookies. (Note that each cookie must be decorated in a special way, according to tradition.) We get to draw on hundreds of them with different colors of frosting and sprinkles. And because it's Christmas, there is no ugly pile, just a to-eat pile. 

By now you may have discovered something. I like Christmas too. 

 

[caught in the act]

We practically share a name, for crying out loud! 

(When I was 8 or 9, I tried to make my friend a Christmas card. I accidentally wrote "Merry Christie!" on the front. She gave it back saying, "I don't want to marry you, Christie!")

Now where was I?

Oh yes, Brian is slipping away! He is thinking about ornaments and snow and how my family always sings Christmas carols before we open presents. I mean...

[suspicious]

You see, Brian is cheating. He can't be excited for Christmas before Halloween! Just because Christmas is only 2 months away, just because Christmas means desserts and sparkly lights, just because it's going to be
awesome,

festive,

and pine/cinnamon-scented...

doesn't mean he can break the rules! 

Right?

Actually... I think Brian wins on this one. I'm (SORT OF--IN A HEALTHY AMOUNT) excited for Christmas now.

Congratulations, champ.

Things I've Been Making

Here are my past two sculpture projects!

I was going to show you some great posters Brian and I collaborated on for his musical, but they are saved in a format that doesn't work on my computer.
Don't be so angry, okay? I will show you them later. Also, if there is anything you want me to blog about, please let me know. I have been uninspired as far as the blogging arena goes.

The first sculpture came about when I decided to purchase the cheapest thing at Axman Surplus. Nuts were 72 cents a pound. (The ribbon was from Michael's though, don't tell anyone.)

[closssse up.]

In case you couldn't tell, I made it squiggle all across the pedestal. 

[squigg squigg squigg]

Then we have my second project. We were supposed to do the opposite of a well-known artist. I attempted to do the opposite of Andy Goldsworthy.

He goes outside and uses only the things he finds there to make interesting art, so I went inside and did the same.

[can't find what you wanted to read now, sucker.]

[if you stare at it long enough, you will understand.]

Squiggles somehow became a theme...

[one post-it pack]

 [five post-it packs]

[I'd say you can see the difference.]

[should have put this up earlier... not my fave.]

[let me know if this one is easy to see or not.]

[love the awkwardness of this picture]

[here it is without the distraction]

These were all fun to make, except the large rainbow bookshelf took a tad longer than I'd hoped. You should probably click on it to see it large to appreciate my hard work. Also, I am now in the process of putting the books back (they are sorted by subject) and it is HORRIBLE. Books fall down all the time, space is running out in certain categories, and the overly cheerful/patronizing teacher whose office shares this wall always makes stupid comments about it. 

Lucky you, our next project is metal casting!

Leaving (A Pun*)

I've been trying to think of something to blog about for a LONG time. Today, it seemed like I had to think of something, because I have been borrowing a fancy camera from school for a sculpture project. (Maybe I will show you later.)
The fancy camera did not give me any fancy ideas, but it did made me want to take pictures.

So I took pictures while raking. Yeah, I know.

I'm hoping you'll be forget how cheesy this post idea is when I tell you that we have massive mobs of leaves in our yard.

(Lots of trees. That's where leaves come from.)

[I hope comparing it to a human scale will help you fathom the size of this leaf pile.]

Technically we were bagging already-raked leaves, but you get the point. I found the perfect opportunity to take a break when I decided to get a picture of Fraser trying to find his ball in the leaf-pile. 

Hopefully all of you are just as PSYCHED about this as I was. Imagine you love this dog, it is a fantastically warm fall day, and you are holding a (borrowed) $1,000 camera. 

Now are you psyched?

[so... he was moving, but check out the detail in the leaves.]

[the word "frolicking" may just be appropriate here]

[two butts, no faces]

Eventually he found it somewhere in the center. 

You may not have known, but I am an exquisite dog-photographer. (At least with this camera I am.)

Don't worry, it may seem like my brother

and mom

were doing all the work, but I can assure you I helped after this. (It still counts as helping if they told me I was a bad leaf-scooper.) 

(Oh, and it still counts if Kevin was a better leaf-packer than me. So there.)

Will this picturesque autumn scene hold your attention?

Or do I have to give you a preview of my sculpture project instead?

[make that two previews.]

*Raking leaves and the fact that I left campus for the weekend are what make this title such a brilliant pun. You're very welcome, people who just don't understand.