A Simple Christmas Centerpiece

Every year I like to create a new centerpiece for my dining room table, and this one just happened to fall into place.
Antique fishing floats, frosted pinecones created by Hope and I, some greenery a candle and voila!
Easy and festive and not so high that you can't see the loved one sitting across from you.

Carved Santa Pencils

These little fellows were created for the sweet kids in Hope's class and also for my nephews.
I think I gave her teacher anxiety because she was scared the kids would lose them before they even made it home. I took that in mind and wasn't worried at all.
They were very hard to photograph so I hope you can see them.
Glenda has been dying to.xo

A Labor Of Love

My 7 year old daughter Hope loves to create as much as I do and is always dreaming up something to make. (what she can do with a toilet paper tube)
Her latest whim has been to create tiny yarn braids, she makes them into book marks, bracelets and necklaces.
The past 2 days she was so busy creating and made 9 tiny braids for a sweet little friend in Virginia. These braids were to become a scarf with my help.
Yesterday I sat down for a nice break from carving with these colorful braids in my lap to sew them together as promised.
4 hours of hand sewing later and much shock at how long it took me, this is what it looked like.
Hope was so proud of her creation and I was so proud of her for seeing how special hand made gifts are, a true labor of love.
xo

Christmas Party Weekend

My husband's company hosted their Christmas party last weekend at the Hilton Head yacht club and it was the most wonderful time.
The next day we took in the sites in absolute awe. I can't believe how tropical it is there, only 1 1/2 hours from us.
I loved the lighthouse, it just looked so Christmassy.
I am ready to pack my bags, and the house:)
xo

The Stockings were Hung

Today is the day I have been waiting for all week.
It will be a day of Christmas fun!!

Ofcourse the carols will be playing, they have been since September.
We will discover a new tree farm with southern Christmas trees that we have never heard of.
We will make Pralines for gifts for family and friends.
Wrap presents for packages to be mailed to my family in Massachusetts.
Perhaps finish with stringing of popcorn and cranberries.

I'm very excited and need to get going. I will take pictures of the tree farm to share.xo

Sending Thoughts and Prayers

My stomach has hurt for days, and my heart is aching.
Sending more thoughts and prayers to the Kim family.xo

Doing Dishes By Hand

Ever since my dishwasher broke a couple of months ago, I've been forced to wash dishes by hand. When there are tons of them, I sure miss that machine. But it brings me back to a simpler time in my life when I stood at the window and looked out at the mountains across the field and thought deep thoughts about life and most likely uttered a simple prayer for people I know. The scripture in the Psalms would come to mind about looking to the hills from whence cometh my help and my help coming from the Lord.

I uttered a prayer for the Kim family again tonight. Words cannot be found to express the sadness and heartache I feel for that family. I pray God will sustain them and wrap them in His arms of love.

My oldest son Brendt (24 yrs.) brought me the dishes in the photo today, some stash he had from a yard sale this summer. There were some neat dishes in the two boxes he gave me; a belated birthday present for my birthday on Monday. I'm loving the one green and blue flowered glass-and the saucers were pfaltzgraff (sp?-don't have the umph to go to the kitchen to check spelling) and three saucers that say "Best China Property of New York City 1966 and 1967...not sure what that's about. Then there were pretty plates I'll use for Christmas cookie gifts. A really pretty plate I am going to hang somewhere (I'll send a photo when it's hung) and several neato glasses. I love anything that might have been thrifted-as most of us do...and these made me happy to do the dishes this evening...I had to share a picture.

Sleep tight and be thankful tonight...and please pray for someone you love. Goodnight. x0

Taking Time......

We have been crazy busy, as everyone is at this time of year, and I'm quite frazzled with things other than Christmas.

Saturday evening, as we rushed to the boat parade in downtown Charleston, thinking we were late, I ALMOST hurried past this beautiful doorway. (the photo doesn't do it justice at all)
I actually past it telling myself I would take it on the way back, which was silly because it would've been completely dark out, but thankfully a voice inside my head said,"NO!!!!!!"
I went back with my family looking at me like I was nuts, not the first time:)
and I am just so pleased that I took the time.
Here's wishing everyone out there with your over loaded calendars a peaceful moment and a little time just to enjoy the simple sights around you.

More Studio Work and Griping!

Now that my daughter Jynette has moved into her new apartment and the space her bed took up in my studio is now empty I can focus on finishing up the redo. I moved my computer stuff into my studio today and finished installing Lydia's curriculum on my laptop. My desktop decided to exit this life and now I have to wait to get the data off the hard drive, Thank God for laptops!!

Back to the redo...I am in the process of placing shelving where it's going for now and situating my desk and tables where they might be most efficient. I want Lydia to do her schoolwork in here away from all outward distractions and also be where I'm going to spend most of my day-if she has any questions. It will be easier for me to grab my emails at intervals from here as well.

I am sooooooo loving this "studio of my own" thing! It really reminds me of having my own bedroom as a kid! Sure my sisters had to sleep with me every night-they were terribly afraid of the dark in our spooky, old 9-room house...but during the day it was my own room and I didn't have to share with anyone. My Mom painted it two-tone pink...light on the top and the wainscot was a hotter pink. Then she got some far-out flower-power humungo pink flowers that stuck on the wall and man alive was my room the most neato thing going! Granted it was in the upstairs kitchen and I had a big ole' kitchen sink in my room, but I didn't care! It was mine (and anyway the sink proved useful when I had to change my fishtank or when we needed to dump hot toddies Mommy made for us when we were sick...ewww...how gross!) We never told her about that until we were grown-otherwise she would have stood there while we drank them. It was pure survival (anyone who's ever had to endure Mommy Hot Toddies while ill knows exactly what I'm talking about!)

Back to the studio...all this moving is getting old though and I'm hoping it feels right when I get it together. I don't really have any knowledge of fung shui...it would be great if I could pull the room together to make my business successful and prosperous...and to make it so everyone who doesn't understand the stay-at-home working/homeschooling Mom-would. Is there such a room placement magic? I am having the hardest time with people dropping by for hours and then griping if I don't sit and visit with them (?)!! I guess a sincere heart-to-heart is in order. I have made a lifestyle of helping others with their problems and being that shoulder for everyone, that they just keep coming. If I had a degree in counseling, and an "800" number/hotline for phone advice I'd be rich by now. I have a soft heart for people with plights and try my best to give them advice...not that they take it...which makes for terrible wastes of my time! I am totally needing to give myself advice and tell it straight to myself like I tell them-do what you need to do to get yourself on that road to inner peace. Inner peace for me would be just one day without any interruptions at all and actually finishing one thing I start without having to put it down to answer the door or the phone or any Mom or Glenda question. My days are totally bogged and it's sapping my much needed creativity. No one takes me seriously because I guess I don't. I should put a pretty, decorative sign on my door that says, "Leave Me Alone Today!!" I think they'd come in anyway-really. I know part of me wants everyone's world to be OK because I grew up with no control over my own world and always strived for perfect-which cannot ever be-and is impossible to obtain. Still, I'm always trying to help everyone and then accomplish nothing for myself or my own family...and it's funny, but when I get overwhelmed by this, none of the people I "help" are around to help me! How sick!! They would actually be helping me if they just didn't and went away for awhile...don't I sound mean? I'm feeling very much like a combination between Oscar the Grouch and Eeyore right now!

How did I get here? I was talking about my studio and then BANG...went there!

So...I am hoping to get brave and honest with these people and just say..."Please do me a favor for once and let it be about me...I need too..." How desperate sounding! I wonder what they would do? Maybe step up and get a life of their own and not suck the life out of me!

I did it again!

The photo above is one my sister Angie took this afternoon from her front porch. It looks toward the next town over and across the road and fields at the recent storm that raged across the midwest. When we left there Monday it was in the 60's! I guess we got out of there in the nick of time! Still it would have been nice to be stuck there with my family for another week!

I need some Tigger juice...right away!! Anyone got any?