WEEK IN REVIEW

This has been a week of "getting things done," or at least having men in to get things done. Plumbers, to fix the leaky outdoor faucets, a handyman to replace the foggy windows and haul away the junk from the garage, the farriers to trim feet and put Abby's "snow tires" on. Cleaning out the garage? That was all me. How did I manage such a productive week? Our girl is home for the holidays, so I've had very little barn work to do.
We've also made time to work with the horses, play with the dogs, make cookies, and take lots of pictures. And, I am running. It has always been my policy not to run unless something was chasing me, but that girl of ours convinced me to download a running app, "Ease into 5K." Don't laugh.
On Saturday, we planned to go to Holiday Heap in Baltimore, my favorite Christmas craft sale, but at the last minute, and owing to the beautiful weather and our girl's new camera, we opted to load up the dogs and head to the beach. You can still do your Christmas shopping with the many talented vendors of the Charm City Craft Mafia. Visit their website here. It was unseasonably warm for the first day of December. A perfect day for beach combing and introducing  Scout to the ocean. First stop, Assateague Island State Park, then Assateague Island National Seashore, and a quick trip to the boardwalk in Ocean City, which was surprisingly busy.

My mister and Scout.

Interesting beach combing courtesy of Hurricane Sandy. Found several large, wooden pegged ship's timbers.

Nigel

Scoutie's first horseshoe crab.

Nigel's find.

This section of the dunes washed away in the hurricane. We could see where the ocean and bay met during the storm.

Wild ponies.

Old pair dozing in the sun.

The dogs had a great time and were asleep before we left the parking lot.

Today was a pleasant mix of puttering and chores. Tried to take outdoor photos of Christmas ornaments, but clouds moved in and we lost the good light. Also, had way too much help from the cats who seemed to think we were hanging cat toys in the trees.

Hope your week was productive. Now, I'm panicking because I haven't done my Christmas shopping and December has sneaked up on me. Still waiting for those Wish Lists, offspring of mine!!

Saturday Things on Sunday

Had a much needed day away from the manure fork yesterday. Drove up to Baltimore with Mr. C. and met our handsome firstborn for a late breakfast at Golden West in Hampden. Then off to shop the Holiday Heap at 2640 St. Paul St., the community space at St. John's Church. There, I was very excited to meet fellow blogger Meg, of Pigtown Design, who braved the crowded arts and crafts show with us, and then whisked me off to a couple more of her favorite Baltimore shopping spots, The Book Thing of Baltimore and Trohv. Such fun! Thank you, Meg! I had a great time and look forward to seeing more of Baltimore's hidden treasures.

As for the Heap, there were so many lovely things to buy (and I bought a few). It's not too late to shop, click on Charm City Craft Mafia for a list of vendors. Many of them have etsy shops online.

Bought a sweet little rabbit bowl from this pretty lady, Shawna Pincus of PinkKissPottery. Wanted it last year but didn't buy it because, hey, I was Christmas shopping. Fortunately, she had them again this year, so I bought one because you really shouldn't miss an opportunity twice.

Wooly Baby

Tasha McKelvey

The Broken Plate Pendant Company

If you promise not to tell my daughter's cat, Evie, I'll show you the cat toy I bought from this nice lady...

Lazymuse

...a crocheted severed finger! It's going to be a Merry Christmas.

Foxfire Pottery

Almanac Industries

Recycled Rowhouse

So many talented vendors in such a cool space...

Stopped in Annapolis on the way home to stock up on Christmas goodies at Trader Joe's.  Another quick stop at the outlets in Queenstown and finally, home. Checked on the animals before hopping back in the car and driving to Easton, where we weaved our way through the Christmas parade crowd to Martini's, for a relaxing dinner and then, one last bit of window shopping...

A very full day indeed!