Organizing Christmas?

I feel a bit more discombobulated than usual this Christmas. I'm not sure what it is. It's probably just me, but my Powers of Organization have gone from capitalized powers to itty bitty barely recognizable ones. *sigh* Can I blame it on age and the constant reminders from AARP? ;)

This weekend our four children were under the same roof with us for 22 hours. wow. That doesn't happen very often any more. We were still missing one - our daughter's husband stayed home to work. :(

But that didn't mean we didn't try to be festive. I did my part to decorate the kitchen, with a little help from my friend Pat. Thank you, Pat!! :)

Here we are, once again saying, "Cheese!" for the camera. I'm not sure if you can tell, but every one of the cats is ready to bolt. Two photos and they were done. Party poopers!! :) (The guitars to the side are part of the game "Rock Band."

Finally, our daughter opened this gift before she left. I thought you might enjoy seeing it. Earlier this year, she went snorkeling in Maui and ended up swimming with sea turtles. (They were swimming with her, she was trying to avoid them.)

If you click on the picture, you'll see it much bigger. I've used some of the silk ribbon I bought in August, along with some puka shells from a necklace I bought at a thrift store. The turtle is a cloisonne pin that I purchased at a local museum.

And on that, I've got so much to do I amaze myself. How did I get so far behind this close to Christmas? One of these years I'll get it right. Right?

P.S. I picked up my photo albums and journals from Arts Visalia. If anyone is in the market for gifts, just let me know. They are for sale...