So before the northeast wintertime came in and froze everything (including my toes, I’ve gone past wool socks and straight to an electric heating pad), I spied these berries at the old Sleepy Hollow Cemetary. Does anyone know what these beautiful specimens are called? Clearly if there was a Miss Universe Pageant for berries, these would take the crown.

But for serious you guys, the cold. Each fall this southerner forgets. I’m all “look at the leaves, I can wear boots in October without sweating, the hills are alive, the south sucks” and then November hits and I’m all “oh, yeah, crap.” I still wouldn’t trade it. I have no desire to run my a/c unit in December. But that little electric heating pad will be my life source until April.

We spent Thanksgiving back in Queens. It was a veritable ghost world driving out of New Jersey and through the Holland Tunnel, crossing Manhattan and then getting into Queens. I was slightly worried the rapture had happened and we were the dregs left over.

I’m just kidding. The Left Behind books skew a little Jonestownish for me.

But we were so grateful to spend Thanksgiving with friends. The hostesses’ house was adorable, and her kitchen, well, this speaks for itself. She informed me there is only ONE person on the east coast who repairs vintage stoves like hers. I coveted. She also had Donald Trump toilet paper in her vintage tiled Mamie pink bathroom. I could not have wished for a better Thanksgiving locale.

This kiddo. This school year. THE HOMEWORK. I don’t know what has happened to first grade curriculum, but I’m fairly sure I wasn’t doing this kind of work until second grade (“many many many years ago” as Jane was kind enough to point out). There are some late nights and some tears, but I’m trying very hard to make sure we do a lot of art to offset the stress. This kiddo is INTO art, and she reminds me so much of my mom and sister. Current art project: The United States of Space.

And then all of a sudden it was Christmas. The last time I felt fully cognizant was Halloween. The bullet train of life is leaving me a bit winded.

Last night we went to our little town’s tree lighting ceremony, and after meeting Santa, Jane dodged under the branches and found the prime under-tree location, and staked it out. I love this shot, because the other kids were darting around like bees in a jar and Jane was just standing there, basking in the glory of it all. They looked like a group of tiny tree elves, running through the shadows, their little faces illuminated by the twinkle lights.

Christmas with kids is magical. I love it all. Even the bugs in my teeth.