January Challenge

The stockings were hung at the chimney with care, in hopes that nobody got close enough to stare
Masons stocking belonged to our first dog Buster Brown, I embroidered Masons name on a piece of flannel then basted it over Busters name. By next year Mason will have his very own stocking (I think)

Kara and Karsyn's stockings are finished except for the sequins work, just no time to finish before Christmas, they are now setting in my hand work basket to finish over the winter.

Scored big at the grocery store and CVS on a ton of hot chocolate mix,
candy, and a tin of cookies. Hot chocolate was marked down to $.25 @, saved $.75 on each one, everything else was 75% off.

I ran out this AM to pick up quilt batting that was on sale 50% off, I now have enough for 3 "Quilt of Valor" quilts and 6 "Linus Project" quilts. The sale runs until Sunday so I am contemplating picking up 3 more full size for "Quilt of Valor" quilts, that would get me through 6 months of charity quilting. Need to take a peek in the checking account to help make the decision! While I was out and about I ran by CVS looking for a few little things that might be on clearance for my Senior Pal. The tin of cookies along with a box of Werthers caramel and chocolate will work great, also picked up a pair of snuggly socks with the little rubber grips on the bottom. I was on the lookout for some instant hot chocolate mix but they were sold out so on to the grocery store. I hit the Mother lobe at the grocery on Hot cocoa mix, regular price $.97, sale price $.25. I have enough to make up lots of cute little feel better gifts for the winter and next Christmas as well (no expiration date!) Of course I couldn't pass up the M&M's that were 50% off, hubby and Tyler's favorite cookie is M&M's, they could care less what color the candy is.

We finished getting all the Christmas decorations down and packed away for next year, even got 3 rooms cleaned from top to bottom, our house looks so bare :(. Hope to knock out a few more rooms tomorrow then the big clean out of the kitchen, pantry and freezers next week when hubby goes back to work (please don't let me kill him before then) As much as I wanted to get busy on the last quilt I need to get in the mail having the house back in order took priority for today. Now on to next months challenge.

I have joined in with Clara and a large group of other bloggers for a No Spend in January challenge, check it out here
http://halfdozendaily.blog.com/2011/12/28/anyone-else-care-to-join-my-no-low-spend-challenge/. Many of us are making our own rules for the challenge, it should be fun to join in or follow along. Here is what I have come up with for our goals

No spending for anything not necessary;

Gas, groceries and prescription meds are excluded however...

Gas - I don't have Daughter #1 children until March 1st when she returns to work, I should be able to save on gas for my car this month since I won't be picking up and dropping off her little ones. I am going to do my best to stay the heck off the roads to save even more gas $$, I have plenty to do at home, no need to do much running around. Hubby has a crazy commute into the city each day, his gas $$ won't be changing
Groceries - Until I get the kitchen, pantry, refrigerator and freezers back in order I'm not sure where we stand on food other than I know we have enough to last us a good long time. I am thinking our grocery bill will be super low.

Prescription Meds - We can't do without!!

We have no Birthday's in January, the only gift giving we will be doing are the quilts I need to mail for some sweet little girls. I also have what I need to send my Senior buddy her January gift other than postage, need to get that gift prepared!!

I have the $$ put back to take a quilting class 2 times a month for 3 month's that I am thinking of taking, need to sleep on it for an additional night. I always pick up so many tricks and tips in class that I hate not joining in on this one, however it would require I buy fabric for the class in January :(

We will stay entertained in the evenings with the volumes of DVD's that haven't been opened hubby has received for the past year (maybe longer) I never have a problem entertaining myself, cooking, sewing, scrapbooking and working on taxes will keep me busier than I want to be!
We have never been into New Years resulutions but having goals for 2012 is a diffrent story, I am hoping that starting the year with a no/low spend month will kick the New Year off with a bang to our savings account!!

Christmas/Gift Giving account is ready

Here is the front of the first quilt I finished last night
And the back, done in a soft cuddly flannel

It's a good thing we are not wealthy people or I would have run out yesterday and thrown down $25,000.00 for a long arm quilting machine. Free motion quilting is HARD work, my arms and shoulders are killing me after 11 1/2 hours of quilting, but it's DONE!! I have to run out this AM to pick up a little more fabric to piece the backing on the second quilt (why do my quilts always grow?) then it's back to the workout again. On breaks from the sewing machine I have started taking down Christmas decorations, I want everything cleared out before New Years day so we can start the New Year with a sorta clean house!

We opened our Christmas/gift giving account yesterday with a refund I received from returning a Christmas gift Hubby bought me, we also had a check from DD#1 reimbursing us for gifts hubby picked up for her at Christmas so she didn't have to get out with the little ones. Our account now has $777.00 to start the year off with, we will also throw vacation $$ into this account. My hope is by having a separate accounts this year for gifts and vacations things won't be so confusing. Until hubby receives his first pay in 2012 I have no idea how much I will regularly put in the account, for now it will just be found money!

Another area that will need to be funded is our charity goals. I received my senior name yesterday for the Senior Angel Project, thankfully it's a lady!! I find shopping for men very hard, many things that are on her profile she enjoys as small gifts are on clearance right now, gonna keep my eye out for some little prizes to send during the year. The organization requests you send a card or letter at least once a week and a small gift once a month, maybe a little something extra for Birthday's.

I am also challenging myself to one "Quilt of Valor" each month. Quilts are NOT cheap endeavors!!! Our big box fabric store is running a 50% off sale Friday/Saturday on batting and thread, you can bet I will be in line for that deal. Quilt fabric must come from a quilt shop, the big box stores fabric doesn't hold up to the wear and tear a quilt gets. My quilt store gives me 25% off fabric for "Quilts of Valor" which will help but I check out the clearance fabric first to get the best deal I can on quality yardage. I also have set a goal of 12 "Linus Project" quilts, I have lots of fabric I picked up last year on clearance that should give me a good start, I will have to watch the sales for some flannel backing.

"For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required." -- Luke 12:48
We believe strongly in this passage but along with that we try to be good stewards of what we have been blessed with, sales, clearance, coupons and rewards points help us find the balance with savings and giving.

Have you started your goals for 2012 yet? What the heck have another cookie or piece of fudge and shoot for the moon, with a little bit of planning you can do most anything!!!

Another Piggy Back

Here is a little jewel I picked up yesterday at the after Christmas sales, Its about the size of a lunch box.
Inside it holds a loaf pan, how cute will this be to sew up for next Christmas?

I'm gonna send you over to Carla at http://halfdozendaily.blog.com/ today to check out her "Ti's The Season" post from December 26th, this is a GREAT post to help you get on track for Christmas 2012. After 8 hours of free motion quilting yesterday afternoon I sat down and did some planning of our own for next Christmas. Here is what I came up with

We went over budget this year but manly due to some large charitable donations, we were pretty much on track for gift giving (other than hubby who never stays on budget) Here are a few of the keys for us staying on track.

I shopped sales during the year for practical useful things for our big kids, even found a few fun things along the way. I made all of our gifts for friends as well as a few for our own family that were all a hit. We shopped early then stayed out of the stores, good thing since Masons arrival and jury duty came into play!! I squirreled away $$ during the year to have cash available at Christmas time. On to what we will be changing.

We are headed to the bank this AM to open an additional checking account that will be devoted to Christmas, gift giving and vacations. I am driving myself crazy playing with numbers for various things we save for during the year, we can have up to 5 free accounts at our bank so there will be no cost involved. At some point I will figure out how much we need to add to the account each pay period so we are set for Christmas and the trips we have planed, all in good time! We or our girls always need some last minute inexpensive gifts during the holidays, the bag pictured above might just be the thing for next year. I wish I was a better photo taker, the picture doesn't do the bag justice, sewn up in some bright cute fabric it could be a super cute Birthday gift or pick me up gift for a friend in need. At Christmas a nice loaf of bread or bag of cookies would be simple, affordable, yet appreciated by anyone. Cost of the bag, $3.00!! I can't buy a pattern for that price, I have a few GC from Christmas that I can use to hit the after Christmas fabric sales, gonna hold off and hit the sewing center after New Years to see if I can get an even better deal. I also picked up a few other clearance things yesterday as I was returning a gift from hubby (what was he thinking) that will be Christmas gifts for 2012 once I work them over a bit.

Off to shower, breakfast with some buddies, the bank then home for lots more free motion quilting, I have 2 gifts that need to get in the mail ASAP!!

Twelve in 2012

I am piggy backing on a post of Sharon's over at http://midlifemommusings.blogspot.com/ Check it out she is sure to become one of your favorite blogs!

1.) Have pop corn ceiling removed from Kitchen and entrance hall.

2.) Donate 12 "Quilts of Valor"

3.) Enlarge our garden with an additional traditional bed

4.) Donate goodie box each month to the local soup kitchen

5.) Paint walls inside of house

6.) Donate 12 quilts to the "Linus Project"

7.) Sell money pit setting in the water (Boat)

8.) Get busy on scrapbooks for the grands

9.) Learn computer program for the embroidery machine

10.) Organize photo's on PC

11.) Clean out shed

12.) Save $15,000.00 in emergency fund. GULP!!

Now it's time to print this list and hang it on the refrigerator so I can keep it close at hand for motivation!!! Can you come up with 12 goals for 2012? Give it a try, I find I do much better in everything I want to accomplish if I have a clear road map in place. Thanks Sharon for getting me off the couch with a plate full of cookies and motivated to get my rump in gear!!

Great Gift from Hubby

One of my gifts from Hubby is a 5 day 4 night stay in this cabin for a sewing/crafting retreat.

We can take a break and relax in this great room.

Clear off this table along with a few portable tables I will bring along for plenty of space to set up sewing/scrapbook machines, and all our supplies.

Then head to bed after a long day of fun, what the heck we can even take a nap if needed!!

A cup of hot tea or coffee on the deck with this great view. I ask you how great will this trip be!!!

I am so excited to be going on a girls weekend of crafting fun this March with some of my girl friends!! Hubby hit the nail on the head with this gift. I have sent out the announcement to the ladies I think will want to join in, it is always hard to get a time when is best for everyone but they have plenty of time to plan ahead.

He picked a cabin that was affordable (1/2 price sale!) in case I will be going by myself (not likely) I know my lady friends are uncomfortable with a freebee like this so I figured the cost per room so we can all chip in, some will double bunk to save even more $$, some will be like me and want a room to themselves. I went to bed last night thinking of what project or two I want to work on (maybe 10 or 15 in all honesty!) I have lots of time to narrow the list down.

To stay with our frugal living commitment we will each take a turn at a simple meal to cook and share. Maybe even do little secret buddy gifts to have a little added fun.

My house is a mess after 24 hours with all the kids and grands under one roof, eating, unwrapping gifts and merry making. I honesty don't give a hoot, all in good time it will be back to normal, for today hubby and I are enjoying a little quite time.

Hope everyone had a great holiday with family and friends, leave a comment of what your favorite gift, special story or whatever made your Christmas special. I might just have to do a little blog candy later in the week.

Oh Holy Night

It's hard to see from this photo, our Nativity has 20 individual hand made pieces, and sits on hubby's Mothers dinning room tablecloth.
Each one hand painted with beautiful details

I'm of bloggy land for a few days to relax and enjoy this Holy season with our family. We are no different than most typical American families with the ripping, running, shopping, over eating, plates full of sweet treats passed down from generations past, Santa's, and a jolly Ho Ho Ho. But along the way we try very hard to remember the real reason for this season.

Jesus Christ our savior was born.

Our family has been blessed beyond anything we ever imagined it would be, happy healthy children who have gone on to build families of their own that they share nicely with Nanny and Papaw. A home to live in, food to eat, and a little money put back for the rainy days that always come. We have lost many precious family members along the way at such young an age, we have been dirt A.. poor, and at wits end not knowing if we had this parenting thing going right. One thing that has never been in question and has help us through many a hard times is the knowledge that God gave us all his son, Jesus Christ.

The photo's above are of a gift hubby's Mom gave to us in 1979. Ma had terminal cancer and knew she wouldn't be around to much longer, she wanted us to have her Nativity so we could share it with generations to come while she was still with us. She passed away in March of 1982.

She received the Nativity from a neighbor who made one piece each year for each neighbor at Christmas. Christmas 1970 hubby's father was at the end of his fight with terminal cancer. Mrs Denmark wanted to make sure he had the entire set of the Nativity before he passed so she spent endless hours finishing this set. Hubby will never forget her act of kindness to his family at such a hard time, his Father was over the moon to have the whole shebang that Christmas. He passed in March 1971.

I am not sharing this story to make anyone sad on this very special weekend, only to share with all of you small acts of kindness to others can impact future generations none of us will have the pleasure of knowing. Our children, grands, and all that come after we are long gone will know the story of our Nativity. We pray that God will continue to help us be better parents and grandparents so we can share his love and kindness for all eternity.

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you!!!!

Happy mail and lots of Cheer!

No time to fancy up our Christmas Jars this year

Some of the goodies from My Secret Bloggy Santa

My secret Santa filled the box with little prizes

Handmade card from my overachieving buddy, Thanks Val!!!

And a blog award from Carla over at http://halfdozendaily.blog.com/

We have had such a fun filled day delivering little gifts, dropping off our Christmas Jars to the soup kitchen, a visit with Santa for Kara then home to find a mail box full of good cheer!
I'll start with the Christmas Jars, I usually blig them out with scrapbooking supplies but with all the time lost over the past 3 weeks I went with nothing more than a label. While I wish they were decorated in a festive way the important thing was to get them in the hands of 4 needy families in time to help out a little before Christmas. Each jar contains around $130.00-$150.00 in change, to some of us that might not seem like much but for a family who has nothing it will add a little more under the tree and something special to the dinner table.

We delivered bottles of wine along with wine glass charms to some friends who have lost Mothers, Fathers and in one case a Son over the past year. This Christmas will be difficult for all of them, we hope this little act of kindness will let them know we understand the sadness they are enduring and we have not forgotten them or their loved one.

Before Kara went down for her afternoon nap, Mommy and I ran out to meet Santa and have a photo taken. It was love at first sight, she never took her eye's off from him, we jumped around waving our arms trying to get her to look at us but nothing could distract her from melting Santa's heart with that sweet smile. Even Santa got a little teary eyed with her sweet ways.

Then came the mail!! My photo doesn't do the card my buddy Val made for Christmas this year justice, an unbelievable amount of inking, layering and details went into her card. I will treasure it Val, thanks so very much.

And I received a bag full of goodies from my secret bloggy Santa http://fromshoppingtosaving.blogspot.com/ , thank you so much Erika.

Last but not least Carla at http://halfdozendaily.blog.com/ awarded me a Liebster Blog award Liebster is a German word & translates to “good friend” in English, so its a pretty special award!

I need to pass the award on to 5 of my favorite blogs. First I need to check out a few to see if they have already received the award yet then I will do a post to share with everyone some of my favorites. What a happy happy day!!

Card shop is closed

It's hard to see the stamping and glitter each card had from the photo, you will just have to trust me
Lots, and lots of cards

Each one with an Angel ornament for their tree

The last of the Christmas cards were sent out yesterday, if I need to send more they will be store bought! Making our own cards sounds like such a great idea around July, a few days before Christmas I begin questioning my sanity, why do I do some of what I do?

Hubby and I took a break yesterday at 4:00, we decided to sit for the rest of the day an evening and watch Christmas movies, it was the perfect way to spend the rest of a rainy day and night. We had a dinner of nothing but snacks; beef stick, cheese, dips, sauces and of course Christmas baked goodies set on a tray between our chairs so we didn't have to move for hours on end. I finished the handwork on Karsyns stocking for home and made a pretty good dent on Mason's while enjoying some old family favorite movies. Tyler is worried Santa won't bring his little sister and brother anything for Christmas unless Nanny finished the stockings, the heat is on to finish today. I think I can, I think I can....

Our wrapping is so close to being done, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, a very short grocery list is prepared for a quick stop later today and our Christmas Jars are ready to deliver to the soup kitchen today or tomorrow. It's time to set back and truly enjoy Christmas, later than I planned but considering the interruptions I am happy with the results.

As I figured the Drs have increased my meds this time around. I knew my seizure threshold had become very low, I refrained from having a hissy fit. It takes a few weeks to get up to the dose that will be required so that I am firing on all cylinders, until that time I will slow down a bit enjoy the season and be ready to rock and roll by the new year. I HATE taking meds, but am thankful that they are available and BLESSED that we have insurance so I can afford to take them!

Off to the shower to prepare for a day of fun with Hubby. We have some RAK planned along with a few visits to friends then time with Tyler to work on a gift for Mommy. Kara will arrive in the afternoon while her Mommy works. Hope every ones holiday plans are almost done so you too can sit back and enjoy this special time with family and friends

Tis the best time of the year

A bottle of wine with 4 wine glass charms should be a nice little surprise for a few folks who could use a little pick me up this year
Close up of the charms made with the embroidery machine

Looks like I am some kind of drinker with all the bottles lined up ready for new homes

Then an evening of looking at Christmas lights, LOVE it!

What a wonderful productive but restful day, there really is no place like home. I think I would be a good candidate for someplace where you are snowed in for months at a time, never able to leave the house. I finished enough wine charms today for 5 gifts and a few extras I passed on to my sister for her own gift giving, total cost $2.19 for the wire hooks (they are really hoop earring bases for jewelery making) I received the program for free at one of the classes I attended this summer but haven't had the time to work anything up until yesterday. The wine came from a case hubby brought home from his many travels, he assured me it was a great deal. I'm not sure how great a deal a case of wine is for people who NEVER drink wine but they came in handy for gift giving.

We have had way to many friends lose loved ones this past year, we wanted to do a little something to let them know we are thinking of them on this first Christmas without their family member. It just so happens they are all wine drinkers! As much as I would love to make each and every one a warm cozy quilt, the reality is I hardly had time to get our grands quilts finished for Christmas. Hubby will have to be satisfied with his quilt minus the binding for now.

We finished up the evening meeting all the family at Daughter #1 home then tailgating to the speedway for the Christmas light show. Perfect weather, cool with light rain so it felt like Christmas. You get to ride on the track (Charlotte Motor Speedway) for part of the light show, I had no idea the bank on the track was that steep. We were only 1/2 way up and it felt like the car was going to roll over, of course the guys thought it was way cool, we girls, not so much.

Tomorrow is Dr appointments where I get to hear what an incredible example I am for others with my same condition but......I'm sure my levels are all out of whack so they will want to increase my meds :(. I am debating taking in a nice plate of chocolate covered peanuts and some angel sugar cookies to make nice with them.

A little something extra

Here is a sneak peek and one of the extras I didn't think I would have time to get to this year!!

Bath towel and hand towels for Daughter #3 powder room

Remember this window treatment for Daughter #1 way back when?

She will now have towels to match come Christmas morning. The colors look way off in the photo's but it really is the same fabric, just different colored walls and lighting.

I am sooo excited I will be able to pull off a few extra goodies I had wanted to make but didn't think I would ever find the time. Before putting the embroidery machine away for the holiday I thought why not try the design I had in mind before I hauled everything to the sewing room. Wallah, super easy and pretty fast with no cost involved, just as I had envisioned!! I should finish up tomorrow then share with all of you.

I added name tags to both of the Grand boy's quilts today along with a few additional cards (will it never end?) Wrapped a few gifts before I realized my sweet hubby can take over the gift wrapping so I walked away leaving detailed instructions (please get the correct name on the gift) Returned 12 messages that have been on the answering machine for a week, grrr. Cleaned up a ton of e-mails and printed DD#3 Christmas cards for her. I know I got more accomplished than just this but for the life of me I can't remember what. That seems to be the pace around here for the past few days, run from one thing to another, then force myself to set after dinner and relax (work on stockings) The required nap only lasted 20 minutes this afternoon but something is better than nothing I am thinking. Are all of you scrambling around with last minute errands, shopping and finishing touches? I had thought I would be setting sipping tea this year but life seems to have a mind of it's own!

Big old to do list

One of Kara's many faces! She is such a drama queen

My list is in much better shape after a weekend of doing along with making time for some resting, what a difference a few good nights sleep make. As crazy as it seems I will be working an afternoon nap in today, one of the keys for my health issues is enough rest and sleep, without them I can't function.
Here is the update

6 different Christmas cookies are hidden in the freezer

2 different candies are put back

3/4 of the Christmas gifts are wrapped

All of the trees are decorated

Last of the Christmas packages went in the mail this AM

Stockings are coming along at a good pace, some will be ready for Santa Christmas morning

2 trays of Christmas goodies have been delivered

Laundry is caught up

House is clean enough to suit me!

We can walk in the scrap/sewing room

Got in 1 of the 3 Dr appointments I missed from last week, looks like I will be able to catch up with Drs by the end of the week.

Off to cross a few more T's and dot more I's with Christmas music playing in the background.

Home Sweet Home!!!

This is more than I ever dreamed would be under the tree!!!

Jury duty is finally over. I am back to the land where everyone is nice and no one is NAUGHTY!!!! I am still pretty shell shocked by the experience of the past week, as much as I believe in our criminal justice system in this country I don't think I will ever be participating again. I had thought about having my Dr. sign me out from serving but passed on the idea never realizing it could be as bad as it was, I won't be making that mistake again. ENOUGH said.

Lots of plans are off the to do list after missing 2 weeks with Masons arrival then followed by a week of jury trauma, sleepless nights, driving in the city and stress I wasn't expecting. It's baking, SLEEP, and relaxing from here on out. I will finish up the multitude of extras I wanted to do over the winter then be way ahead of the game for Christmas 2012.

I will be back to blogging next week when I get caught up on some sleep and my meds get back to their working levels, looking forward to some sweet smells from the kitchen!!!

Late nights

Card for my Bloggy Secret Santa
Cute tape dispenser for her desk

Sassy apron to inspire her to eat at home

I received the sweetest thank you note from my Bloggy Secret Santa today that she had received my gift. Now I can share with all of you what I sent, this might be the only Christmas gift to be delivered on time this year due to this crazy Jury duty. Hubby will be hitting the post office tomorrow to mail the rest of the packages but they may not make it in time :(

I have resolved myself to the fact that things will be very different this Christmas. I have done all I can to pull it off and have the last 2 weeks to truly enjoy this special time of the year, looks like that ain't gonna happen now. I take whatever little project I can with me each day but its hard to do many things when all you have to work with is a needle and finger nail clippers!! Tomorrow I have my zip lock baggie of the last Christmas cards to finish up, Hubby will be getting the Christmas photo of our grands printed out then they are off to the post office. I have another zip lock baggie with Karsyns stocking for our house to work on, last but not least still an additional baggie with Masons stocking for his home. I think I have come up with a game plan to at least have some semblance of order in this crazy situation but I can tell you right now patience is NOT a virtue of mine!!!!! looks like lots of late nights for me until I finish up with my civic duty.

Planning ahead

As luck would go I am on the jury...... needless to say this was not in my holiday plans :( By the time I arrived home the past two nights my tail has been dragging, it's eat, hit the couch then on to bed, why does just setting all day make me so tired? I hope that today will be a little better but I don't expect much. Hubby was taking off next week for the holiday, he will now be the lead Merry Maker around the place. All last minute shopping, grocery store, gift wrapping and such will be in his rookie hands. If I can find the energy I will finish up Christmas cards and package the gifts to mail tonight, hubby will have the pleasure of standing in line at the post office. Our Daughters are taking the Grands for their group and individual photo's today so I can include them in our cards, photo's with Santa will be when the Mom's get the nerve up to give it a go. I am thankful that we all planned ahead so much due to Mr Masons arrival otherwise we would be in a real mess.

If you are looking to start the New Year off right and like to plan ahead check out Carla's blog 1/2 dozen daily http://halfdozendaily.blog.com/. I did a no spend month last January with pretty good results, I am in for this year as well just don't have the time right now to figure our spending plan, all in good time. Now that the Federal government is paying me $20.00 @ day to set on my rump it could change the whole financial outlook of our life NOTTTTTT!!

Jury Pool

Chocolate covered peanuts, yum
Made a set of Santa hat chair covers for one of DD#1 friends with leftover fabric

And a set of pillows for DD#1 front porch

Thankfully Saturday and Sunday I worked on Christmas the entire day, just when I think I might get back on top of things something always happens, grrrr I am one of the lucky 30 who are now in a jury pool for a federal case :( if picked it will run until Christmas DOUBLE :((((( both sides are throwing off jurors left and right, PLEASE don't call my name!!!!!

My sweet hubby was kind enough to take me to jury duty yesterday and is willing to drop me off again today, he may be worried about the car more than my sanity driving downtown, who cares it works for me. I was able to almost complete the needle work on one of DD#1 Christmas stockings while waiting around yesterday but now that I am in the pool we are not able to do anything but sit and wait. By the time we got home yesterday it was 7:00PM to tired to do anything other than hit the couch for a nap with the poor little beagle that had been left all day then off to bed. I would think they will be finished with the selection by today but in the meantime I will miss my appointment for blood work this AM and a ton of little to do's that were on yesterday and today's list. If picked for the jury I will be in a heck of a mess, who is gonna do all the baking and merry making around this place? Off to the shower and wiggle into uncomfortable dress clothes then off to sit on a wooden bench for the day, but since it's the second day we get a pay increase from $12.00 @ to $20.00 @, that will almost cover the price of gas and lunch :(

We love a parade!

Lawn Mower Drill Team
One of their many formations

My sweet Hubby

Our holiday season has officially started, the lawn mower parade is a tradition started 20 years ago with a few of the fellas that may have had a bit to many adult beverages and came up with the idea. By the end of the day all of the homes in our neighborhood are decked out and ready to greet Christmas. I love our neighborhood, after the parade whoever wants to go has lunch at a local restaurant then on to our local farm to pick up their tree, in the evening a neighbor down the street treats everyone to a party with TONS of food where everyone donates a gift to a local charity. Whats not to love. We have skipped out on lunch and the evening festivities for a few years now, hubby is home so few days we like to spend what little time we do have together with the kids and our grands, everyone understands thankfully!

After being away from home for the most part helping DD#1 out while she recovers from Masons birth over the past 2 weeks, I was happy to have almost 2 full days at home getting caught up (if there is such a thing) Tyler came over today to help us pick out our live tree at the farm then back home to help Papaw with some guy stuff. I got my turn with him when it was time for some Christmas baking, of course we had to start with M&M cookies. It is so nice to see the first container of cookies in the freezer ready to whip out when needed. I also got the chocolate covered peanuts finished today along with a few small sewing projects.

Tonight is finishing the laundry, working on the last of the Christmas cards, (only 10 more to go) and figuring out why in the HECK I got picked for jury duty :(. We need to report at 8:00AM sharp in the morning, that means I will have to leave the house no later than 6:15AM to make it in time (yep the traffic is that bad) If we didn't have so much going on in the family right now I wouldn't mind doing my duty, but new Mommy is still in need of help until she can lift Karsyn and is able to drive, I have a mandatory Dr appt on Wednesday for more blood work, have both little girls on Thursday and Friday and.... I have cookies to bake people!!! Along with lots of other little to do's around the place. We do have a few friends that are local Asst. DA's, hopefully one of them will have the case and I will be excused lickity split, can't take the chance on a conflict of interest!

Busy Day

Karsyn and I finished up her Christmas gift for Mommy this morning!! Shhh don't tell
Then we headed home for a little Christmas cheer and lunch

I finished up the night with adding a friends Mothers name to the back of this chair cover, realized my crappy iron left water spots, no big deal it will be dry by the AM

It has been a steady busy day with Karsyn today, that girl has some moves let me tell you!! We hit the pottery shop first thing after her AM nap to finish up her Birthday pasta dish for Mommy and Daddy, they are going to love it! Of course I had to have something as well to add to my set of grand serving pieces. During her afternoon nap I was able to finish piecing the 2 little girl quilts I have going, now on to the quilting (may have to wait until after Christmas), also set up a table in the family room to work on Christmas cards when I can find the time to set down for a few minutes, I have never been this late in getting my cards made :(

After dropping Karsyn off I got started on a little kindness for a buddy by embroidering the chair cover Santa hat for a friends Mom who is in a nursing home. The chair cover fits perfectly on her wheelchair. My buddy picked the cover up at a dollar store some time back, she was going to take it to the shop to have her Mom's name put on it, NO WAY, I would love to do it. After I finished up I made a pattern to make a few chair covers for Daughter #1 neighbors who helped us all out so much with Tyler while we were focusing on Mommy and new baby. I have lots of red upholstery fabric leftover from recovering a chair I can use, also a bit of white fluffy fleece I can use, just need a pompom and we are set. I am counting the chair covers as my RAK for today, it's all I have the time and energy for!!

Tomorrow is a full day with both girls, Tyler's Christmas program at Pre-school then back home to decorate hubby's lawn mower for the Christmas parade on Saturday morning. Hubby is on his way home but may not get in until late tomorrow night. The man makes me CRAZY, he refuses to fly when going to projects or anywhere else so spends 2 days to get home by driving. We hope he will be able to hang around until the first of the year this time but you never know with his work.

BRRRRRR

How sweet is this little guy
We finished the upstairs railing
Added Christmas ornaments in 40 MPH winds an heavy rain
Here is what we have to look forward to in the morning, YUK

I think DD#1 is finally satisfied with with her Christmas decorations, we moved her Christmas village to a better spot, got the sideboard in the dinning room dressed up a bit, put up garland and a wreath on the upstairs banister and last but not least, hung Christmas balls on the front porch. When I picked Tyler up from pre school we grounded Mommy and Mason upstairs so we could surprise her with a little kitchen tree, Ty made a paper chain out of scrapbook paper to decorate the tree with and gave it the Angel from his little tree in his room. Mom was excited to have a tree they could look at!!

Not sure if I shared the story of their family tree this year, here goes. They had a grand time moving furniture around in the family room to put the tree up, when Karsyn went down for her nap Tyler, Mom and Dad decorated the family tree to perfection, it lasted less than a minute when Karsyn saw it. She was so excited she ran over and pulled the entire thing down on herself...Karsyn can take a linkin and keep on tickin. Dad got the tree back up only to have Karsyn tackle it again, down it can on top of her for the second time. Third time was a charm, they moved the tree to the living room that has no furniture in it as of now but it does have doors so Karsyn can't play lumberjack.They had no tree to sit and enjoy in the evening, I know Tyler and Mom really missed watching the tree, thus the little tree for the kitchen. I put it in a large rod iron planter that Karsyn can't pull over (we think) then wired the sucker in nice and tight. We stuck to only the paper chains as decorations so if the wild girl does pull it over there will be no glass flying everywhere. Karsyn is a mess!!!

For today's RAK (random act of kindness) we donated $$ to our local soup kitchen for holiday meals. Many of the chain restaurants in the area are giving the soup kitchen a break on the price of a full holiday pre-cooked meal so folks can enjoy Christmas dinner in their own homes and of course leftovers (the best part in my book) The soup kitchen needs $$ to purchase the Christmas dinner boxes, if I understand the pricing correctly we hooked up 2 families for all the fixins!! The second sorta RAK was to get my secret blogging Santa a gift in the mail, will post pics of her gift after I am sure she received it, our limit was $15.00 I think I can close to that price if you don't count my time in the price!! Ha Have you thought of a way to do a little something for somebody to put a smile on their face? Let me know!!!!! Please share with the rest of the readers. I have on average 90 hits a day on this blog so I know many of you are doing something special.