Thrifty Christmas Tree

For the first time in years, we won't be hosting Christmas for either side of the family.  Kids and grandkid won't make it home this year and, with this economy, I just didn't feel we needed to buy a tree.  I realized no tree at all would be too depressing, so I went about creating a no-cost Christmas tree.  I cut some limbs off a blue spruce in the backyard that is slated for trimming anyway (two birds with one stone) and arranged them in a large bucket, using wire to tie them together.  Water in the bucket keeps the limbs green.  Set it on a side table, hide the bucket with a red afghan, string some red and white lights and there you have it - Recession Tree!  I am once again reminded that the holidays are not about how much you spend, but about how much you love.

Thanksgiving

We get busy, we get worn down, we deal with daily irritations, annoyances, problems, difficulties, disasters...things.  The hamster wheel of OMG!, oh sh**, weary sighs and eye rolling.  I have to say thank you to whoever thought of naming one thing I'm thankful for every day this month and posting it on Facebook.  As I consciously thought of things to be thankful for, I realized that they were directly tied to the things that drive us nuts.  Maybe being happy is really as simple as a personal choice.  Maybe all the day-to-day stress I struggle through is being piled on by...me.  Maybe, just maybe, I am my own worst enemy.  This last ends with a nudge and a wink because I kind of already knew that.  Being thankful does require self-discipline, but anything worth having takes effort. Today I am thankful for everything in this life, because it means I'm still here and an active participant.

It's the little things in life...

Sitting at the computer, nose to the grindstone, committed to getting a lot done today.  Elvis, never too far away, is snoozing on the carpet just behind my chair...snoozing and, um...passing gas.  Though that doesn't exactly describe what a fifty pound blue heeler can emit when he's on a roll.  Suffice it to say that my commitment is being thoroughly tested...wonder how long I can hold my breath...

Autumn...

The sun goes down much earlier today, but for now it's smiling down.  A perfect day to rake leaves and clean up the last of the flowerbeds.

But first, I wanted to share my latest finished project - a wool soaker in denim stripes. I wanted it to fit well over a cloth diaper and so I took the shape from a diaper pattern.