Christmas Clearance

Santa used to arrive in the wee hours, long after the kiddies had gone to bed. The kids grew up, and eventually had more stamina than Santa. It got to the point where Santa finally put us at the end of his evening, swinging by around 6:30am instead of in the 1am time slot.

This year, he came early. wow. I got up at 7am (a couple of the boys were up visiting until 4am), to find this. ooh aah!!

Not only did Santa visit, but he cleaned the living room!!! When I went to bed, the floor was littered with proof that three grown men/boys had come back for a visit. When I got up, the only sign of them was deep breathing, aka snoring, coming from the bedrooms. Amazing!!!

I didn't get any great group pictures, but I did get this picture of Malcolm. It is the best picture he's ever taken. Doesn't he look great?!! I wonder if he remembers that he was a Christmas kitty, given to me by Andrew so many years ago? He sure looks like he remembers. He also looks like he's certain that he was the Best Christmas Present Ever...(other than Jesus, of course.)

This morning I got up with a sense of anticipation. Three of the local quilt stores are having clearance sales, all on different days. How great is that? I can hit them all, and rest between each spree. Today's destination was World Handcrafts, home of the Mennonite Quilt Center in Reedley. I can't believe what I found. Such a deal, such a deal!!

First, there was this basket. I saw it a few months ago, and REALLY wanted it. But $63 for a basket? I couldn't justify it then. But today? It was 25% off, plus I had a $35 gift certificate. I brought it home for $12.50 + tax. How could I NOT get it?!!

And since I was saving money, I saved another...wow too much math...I saved $127 on fabric! I bought 16.25 yards for $1.99/yard, and 6 yards for $4/yard. Woohoo! And no, I don't want anyone saying a word about adding another 22.25 yards to my stash. I needed it. Really. I did.


And if that wasn't enough, the handmade ornaments from 10,000 Villages were all 75% off. wow. I bought these.


And then there was this set from Peru. It's made of clay and hand-painted. Originally $48, it was marked down to $12.


When all was said and done, I wrote a check for $105 (including tax), and had so much to carry that I needed help taking it to my car. oh my goodness.

I did so well, I can't imagine what deals I will find tomorrow! I'll keep you posted!