Birthdays here, birthdays there, birthdays everywhere

Our Saturday is all about birthdays. Our niece, Princess M, officially marked her second birthday with a big blowout including cake, balloons, present opening and a big red wagon.

In a few hours, we'll meet my folks for dinner and a celebration of my mother's 60th birthday. I expect much of the same, sans the red wagon.

And, it's official, Christmas has left the building. We stripped the lights off of our tree in shifts and finally drug it out the door, leaving a wake of needles. Things feel a little barren in our living room, but I have to admit, that I am glad to see it go, it's time to get on with 2007. I have to admit, however, that if it hadn't been a real tree, it might have made it until next week, unless, of course, the tree fairies did carry it away.

I cannot believe that there are only two more days left in our vacation. I am starting to experience that familiar "Ugh, I have to go to work soon" feeling. Gone are the days of sleeping late, wearing my glasses and eating butter cookies for breakfast.

I also need to start on those New Year's resolutions. Maybe the same fairies that I wished would take my tree will get off their tiny little rearends and write them for me.

PS: Still time to enter the "Name The Sock Monkey and Win a Wonderful, Fabulous, Incredible Prize" contest. How about I take submissions until midnight New Year's Eve and announce the winner January 1?

Above is the remnants of Christmas 2006, one gift yet to be delivered and a bare corner. Below is some beautiful Cherry Tree Hill yarn gifted to me by Pilot and Needlefingers and the cutest ornament, which I am pretending isn't an ornament, but rather a little something for my bookshelf. (And a skein I came by in a transaction with Needlefingers, making it double the fun.)