Is it really tinsel time?

Normally we're not quick to put up our Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving, but this year is different! The tree is up, there are tinsel garlands on the chandelier, a big bowl of ornaments on the coffee table and snowflake lights waiting to be hung on the garage! And I think I like doing it right after Thanksgiving after all-- I feel like Christmas spirit is needed! This is, of course, Finley's first Christmas, which is very exciting!! I saw a little frame ornament at Pottery Barn the other day that is a little dog house! I may have to go back and get it...it's so cute!!

Last Christmas I was living on the east coast and it was Fiona, the kitten's, first Christmas! My mom sent A and me a gorgeous, gorgeous early '60s aluminum tree which she found us on ebay, and when I moved back home this year A sent it with me! So-- you guessed it-- it is now in the living room here, glittering and looking funky and wonderful. I can't find a good photo online and have found it is hard to take one myself-- the glitter and depth of all the branches just don't show up! But I'll try. Here A is putting branches on last year in Virginia.

Anyway, we had a lot of fun decorating last night and Finn has become a fan of tinsel garlands. She loves the feather duster, too, and man is she determined (too determined? more on this later)! I kid you not, she followed me around for at least a half hour on Thanksgiving waiting for me to forget she was there and unsuspectingly drop my dusting arm so she could slowly step forward and then grab the duster in her little jaws and hang on. Then I'd get her to let go and we'd do it all over again!! Here she is investigating a tinsel garland-- we vacuumed thoroughly after (no eating tinsel! no eating anything except dog food!), but I took this first. See the glitter on her nose? :)

Speaking of Finley obsessing over things, here is Finn with M, one of my greatest friends, who came down for Thanksgiving and was super excited to meet Finley. M gives off very good animal vibes-- Westly, who has a very short list of humans she greets and wags her tail for (me, Mom, Dad, K, and M), remembers her after months and months of not seeing her and dashes over to say Hi, which is almost unheard of!! It makes those greetings all the more amazing, I feel.  Here M is with Finn in the park near our house, with Finn in her favorite carrying positiong :)

M's family has a couple dogs here and they think one of them may be part corgi, and M brought up a couple stories of dogs they've had/known who have become TOO obsessed with things-- namely with laser pointers and shadows/light flecks. I had no idea this was something relatively common, but after watching Finn play with the laser pointer and then look for it for a while afterward, we've made the executive decision that she could definitely become obsessed and spend hours looking for it, so no more laser pointer! Weird, no?

On that note, however, I must go. My huge admissions exam is this coming saturday and I do not feel ready at all-- but I don't think I ever will, so I'm trying to not let that bother me. But I am going to really try to study this week. Not sure how many posts I'll make, but I'll be back after the 5th!! Send good thoughts my way next saturday!! :)