BUSY MOM DECORATES EARLY FOR HOLIDAY

JACKSON, Mo. -- It seems Merrily Rinehart has spent her whole life racing: First on the track, then from classes to work, then from one job to another. Now it's around the house, chasing three crawling babies and a toddler.

When she found out that a major-magazine photographer had given her just a few days to decorate for Christmas in late August, she panicked.

Just a little.

The woman has competed on a university track team, given birth to triplets, recovered from a malignant brain tumor and worked as a paramedic aboard a Lifebeat helicopter, so she knows how to take pressure.

On the other hand, her house -- in the middle of renovations -- was a mess. She needed a miracle.

Rinehart, 31, understands about miracles. Three years ago she was working three jobs and receiving fertility treatments. Exhausted and discouraged, she and her husband, David, had pretty much given up on having a baby.

Then she got pregnant with Katelyn.

Nearly a year ago, after she gave birth to Sam, Clay and Jack, doctors removed a malignant, golf-ball-sized tumor from her brain.

Her prognosis was so poor the couple discussed funeral arrangements and what would happen to the children if Rinehart didn't survive the surgery.

Tumor gone

She survived. Now finished with radiation therapy, Rinehart's last MRI showed no evidence of the tumor. She feels great, just the normal tiredness that comes with a house full of children.

The community of Jackson, both friends and strangers, have rallied to help the family raise the children, and a group of retired schoolteachers rotates shifts in helping care for the babies. Rinehart's grandmother, Cape Girardeau resident Fern Warpole, also spends each day with her great-grandchildren.

"Jackson has been so helpful," Rinehart said. "They even took care of my ferns during the winter."

Like everything else in the house, the ferns seem to be flourishing.

Christmas in August

But the holiday decorations presented a problem.

Good Housekeeping magazine called Rinehart about four months ago after seeing a Southeast Missourian article about her miraculous recovery from the brain tumor.

A writer came to her house and spent the day with her, not sure when the article would run.

Tuesday, the magazine called and said a photographer would be there Friday. Since the article would be part of their Christmas edition, editors wanted Rinehart to decorate for the holidays.

A friend of Rinehart's went to a Jackson boutique, High Street Station, and mentioned her predicament. Owner Dawn Fallert said she'd be happy to help and arrived at Rinehart's house Thursday to decorate her front room.

Now the mantle is covered with evergreen boughs and holly berries. Reindeer and angels twinkle from the corners, and rustic apples and other country-themed decorations give the room a warm, cozy feel.

Frankly, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Another miracle.