It was 76 degrees in Dallas today . . .

and I spent a good bit of time just cruising around with the top down on my car. The air felt like silk. I wish the weather could always be like this. Just when I was about to forget what time of year it is, I saw a Santa sitting in his Ford Explorer, adjusting his hat.

Also on my agenda for today was choosing a new color for the outside of my house. This isn't my house, but it's the color scheme I'm considering--what I think of as a spicy brown color, with a deep blue-purple color for the shutters:



On the second floor, there is a porch that runs the width of the house, and its rails will be painted the oyster color that you see on this house. I still have to try out my samples on the back of the house to see how they look in real life, but I think I'm going to like it.

I also finished my personal holiday cards this weekend. This was a first for me, but I drafted a "holiday letter" to include in my cards to give an actual update that I never would have had time to write by hand in every card. I tried not to agonize over it too much, hoping that those who receive it know me well enough not to hold it against me. Still, I am nervous about it.

UPDATE: Thanks so much for the comments, guys! Finding the affirmation I needed, I have now deleted the letter so anyone receiving it won't read it here first! Though I did decide not to include the letter in the cards of people I talk to often, for whom none of this would be news.