There is a lot to catch up on here.

For now, I’ll start with the smell of cinnamon and sugar and the pumpkin pie just now deposited into the warm oven.

It’s quiet here except for the halting sounds of my young neighbor practicing the piano. He’s started learning some Christmas songs now, although I’ve heard him sneaking them into his practice sessions since July. Do you know that song “Up on the Rooftop”?

Up on the rooftop reindeer pause
Out jumps good ol’ Santa Clause

I’m convinced it’s not a real Christmas song – just one that was written for new piano students. I can’t imagine a choir or a Christmas caroler breaking that out at a holiday event. In fact, I’m sure that it never goes on anyone’s list of favorite Christmas songs, but it’s easy to play and seems to find its way in to every child’s anthology of easy Christmas piano tunes. He’s moved on to a shaky version of “Deck the Halls,” and I’m feeling grateful.

I have until noon to bake my pie, sip some coffee, and enjoy the morning. I do like baking, but I rarely leave enough time to actually enjoy the experience. It’s usually done at a manic pace that leaves flour on my shoes (yes, it happens regularly!) and a ruin of dishes, measuring cups, and other assorted supplies towering precariously in the sink. It is not usually done meditatively -- where one has a chance to savor the smell of spices, ponder thoughts of thankfulness and shared hospitality, or most importantly -- stir at a gradual pace that does not leave bits of mixed ingredients flying through the air and deposited on fronts of cabinets and floors. This methodical state allowed me to catch a most grievous error in the creation of this pie, my first pumpkin pie ever. Perhaps I was reflective almost to the point of sedation, because I nearly added one tablespoon of salt instead of a teaspoon. Mayhem was avoided, but it was a close call and some spices had to be sacrificed down the drain although I did take a moment to inhale their delicious aroma before washing them away.

It is almost time to go and wake my husband(!) who doesn’t have the same affinity for leisurely, early mornings. And here is where we arrive at the explanation for my long absence. (I am supposed to apologize profusely here for being away – aren’t I? It seems to be a rule.)

I have been on a whirlwind since August, when Mr. Bunny Slippers and I started planning to get married. I think we did everything just slightly out of order and at a brisk pace that left some of our unsuspecting friends a little startled. There is a lot to tell about planning a wedding in just a couple of months while working a very full-time job. Despite our abbreviated schedule and intimate scale (families only), we did not skimp on details. There really hasn’t been space in my head to hold a single other task or thought.
So here it is November, on Thanksgiving, and I feel I am waking from a very long sleep in which I had some panicked nightmares and some of the most beautiful, lovely dreams I’ve ever had.

I return here excited (and a little nervous), but ready to embark on the holiday festivities. I feel v-e-r-y, very behind. It may not be sane, but I usually begin my Christmas planning in August. I’m realizing that this year I’ll have to scale back quite a bit on my “to do” list as well as my expectations. But I’m starting this morning, and I’m going to try to enjoy the things I can do – like making a pumpkin pie and recording these thoughts.

I hope you’ll come back and indulge me while I share some Christmas projects (some old, some new) as well as some details from our wedding day. I want to get them down mostly for myself and my family, but we did do a lot of the design and decoration ourselves. I think there might be something craft-related in there worth sharing.

So here’s to making space for the little touches and pies. Happy Thanksgiving.