Somethings, are just Great!

Our Christmas was perfect, the people in my life know me pretty good...

A little something to unwind with And the name is perfect too...

 Something to make me smile...
I guess I'm the only person who never knew about these ...bird window magnets half on inside half on outside....so it looks like a bird that can travel through glass...I just love this!

( It rained for 3 days prior to Christmas...)

Something to comfort me,
many nice greetings and an entire yard of chocolate candy ...

Something to remind me of the importance of friends..
and  bigger is better when coffee is involved....

Something to keep balance...
some things are better in small packages  nesting owl measuring cups---

these are precious!

...so many thoughtful gifts I received...

 it was such fun in the end...I DID NOT stress out about it...

 now the family is safe back in their own homes, the table is cleared, the gift wrap is secured, the left overs await,  and the SUN came out--awwww finally

It's time to rest up and regenerate...

How can anyone get the holiday blues when this is your closest neighbor

Appreciate the daily gifts we take for granted sometimes...

...and something to look forward to

                                  A Breaking Bad marathon on TV starts tomorrow...
                                                                  Im excited since.... 

I CAME DOWN WITH A COLD on Christmas Eve I lost my voice so I did a lot of listening, and not much talking---and I feel like being a couch potato for a day or two now....
this is the most I've said in 4 days!! TG for the Sun returning it may help!

Last post of 2014!

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

Enjoy Your Years end!

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

SO Simple Even a Scrooge Can Do It.

Part 2:

Well I told y'all I was going to enjoy Christmas this year and so far so good!  I'm not allowing it to get o me!! No way Jose!

 Today I packed up a box and it's labeled with shipping & ready to go to my son and his GF...now this is something I enjoy doing! I fill it with stuff they would never bother to waste money on, like reindeer antler headbands and Elf hats with big ears on it...and chocolate candy!!

So on the way to the post office I stopped and had a walk around the lake at Goodale park, my local...IT was so warm high was 70 today!  I was the only person at the lake...it was nice to be alone!  Nature provided me with easy, simple, pleasures!

Like these berries  decorating a cedar tree Nature has her own way of sprucing things up..

...here is a yellow rump who followed me around for a while enjoying a berry snack..

                 ... you can almost see a glint of red on the crown of this Ruby Crowned Kinglet,  he was eyeing me up pretty good!

red 

A Northern Mockingbird,  looked a little ruffled!

                 These 2 Pied Billed Grebes were calm as cucumbers not a care in the world...

We are hosting the Holiday meal this year and it will be a simple root roast with Potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sweet onion, mushrooms and peppers! I'll add some sweet peas a couple of store bought pies and Mom is making her Cornbread Stuffing. 

Easy Peasy!  

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

Made in America: Part One Keeping it Simple!

A HOLIDAY TRILOGY-- In my effort to ENJOY CHRISTMAS no matter what this year I selfishly put my name on top of my list..(yikes) and got these wonderful things for myself....

I found via blogging! 

If you are trying to give to someone who has everything..maybe they are ready for something made by an individual not a corporation or a retailer...my Father used to weave! So when I found the Etsy site of

Karen In The Woods, I was so excited!! My father made a small loom and he used to make wool scarves to keep away the winter chill I have 2 that he made before I was born, and a rug he loomed also, probably on one similar to the one Karen uses.

She weaves on old fashioned vintage looms no electricity needed! And she makes knit socks using a 100 year old (if I'm not mistaken)  sock knitting machine!  I ordered a pair of her warm socks and  I love them!

This is not the exact pair I got but this is another pair of her great socks! She looms awesome rugs and makes other items that are one of a kind!

Last year before I had the accident...I had ordered some wonderful soap and planned to give it to my Mom I had a ticket to fly to CO that fall and she was there... so the soap was going to be a surprise for her...I didn't get to take that flight but I did give her the soap and I got to use it too...Heavenly!!

I got the soap from 

The Common Milkweed

A wonderful young couple by the name of Steve and Jennifer who live in a 100 year old farm house  in the lovely state of Ohio and we all should strive to live the way they do...they grow wonderful gardens full of organic food, they reuse and recreate the things they need and they strive to live a renewable lifestyle.  Their items are completely Vegan and wonderful...

this year I ordered:

and this ..

being a creative person and a past business owner I know each one of these items is the very best it can be because when you make something and put your name on it- it's done with pride! 

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

Scrooged... Again?

For me its like both the Bill Murray films, Groundhog Day and Scrooged all in one.....  

24 days till Christmas? How can this be? Not that I dislike the idea of Christmas, I can take it or leave it... another year is gone!!  I've always wanted one of those "old fashioned Christmases" like the ones on the Lifetime specials...a house in the woods, the tree touching the ceiling, a cozy fire, eggnog and carols, snow on Christmas morning...ETC..everyone laughing and being so cheerful and caring...WHO am I kidding eh?  Ours normally turns out somewhere between The Grinch and the National Lampoons Christmas.
"that tree is way too big for this room" 
"put those candles out... they stink"
"it's 65 degrees outside"
"oh that's not my size, I wish you hadn't"
although I'm kinda exaggerating here...my family would deny these accusations!

I've tried to refuse to do it, that blew up in my face, I've tried to pass it off onto other family members, that was a mess, I've tried to have NO gifts present some got bent over that, I've tried running away from home, they actually seemed to enjoy that....hmmmm and yet I came back...so here I am facing yet another Christmas reluctantly! ...the truth is I LIVE IN A HOUSE IN THE WOODS, its normally not cold enough to light a fire on Christmas, and we have a snowballs chance in h**l of having a white Christmas, although we usually get it the week after, if we get it in December!  People are normally grumpy, stressed, and not in good cheer.  I hate that call ---

1. Q. What are we gonna do for Christmas?      A. I have no clue.
2. Q. What do  you want for Christmas?
   A. I have no clue.
3. Q. Why do we even bother?
   A. I have no clue

HUM BUG

One thing that terrifies me now is going into the attic to get down decorations and left over wrapping paper etc...the attic stairs in this house is metal, the project house where I fell is NOT ... I get that knot in my stomach...but like riding a horse when you fall off you gotta get back in the
saddle,,,, at least once the casts come off ! DO yourself a favor if you have one of those staircases with wooden steps replace it right away!! 

I love twinkling lights any time of year..so I put those up outside, I love the baked goods so I bake, I love family so they come over, I enjoy wrapping gifts, so why do I dread it so? IT's when you ADD it all together makes me a  scrooge and there is no getting around it...

This year Im making a personal vow---I will enjoy the hoopla, the shopping, the cooking, the family, the gifting, and all that
...but I'm not putting up an inside tree....

 Then put the left overs back in the attic Pandora's Box until next year!  

...and so it is that I celebrate once more...
this post from 2010 in Writtn's  details how Christmas came into my life IT KINDA EXPLAINS why I get this way...

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.