Happy New Year!

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I am almost finished with the VCR tapes. This week I did 12 DVDs of "Good Eats." I also recorded DVD's of "The Thin Man" series, all 6 films from TCM's marathon showing--that was an all-night project. I picked up "Duck Soup" by the Marx Bros. as well. I purchased two DVD sets of Red Skelton shows and a DVD of various versions of Sherlock Holmes films and radio shows.

All I have left is a smattering of miscellaneous shows and movies, and some snippets recorded of my kids when they were young that appeared on news broadcasts, etc. Those are the only films I have of them as children, we never could afford a videocamera. These 15 second snippets are very special to me. Then I have some sewing and craft shows that I have been recording all this time on videocassettes. I am more comfortable recording that way because I can then rearrange them when I transfer them to DVD. By the end of January I should be totally finished with them all.

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I also need to get started on sorting receipts and such for taxes. We have an accountant do our returns, but I'd like to get it ready for them by the 1st of February. That will be a big job, but it will be nice to get it done early. After that I will have to start packing for the move.

This is the time of year that I can normally take a breather for a few weeks, but this year all I can do is Breathe Deep and Carry On. No time to really think about it, just get in there and do it.

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Christmas Loot!

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Copper hopes everyone had a great Holiday Season! He got TOYS!! Yay!

I also made out like a bandit. This is my pride and joy---


Remember all those quilting lessons I gave my granddaughters? This is the payoff! They made this gorgeous quilt for me. The points all match, the fabrics are perfectly coordinated, even the backing as shown below. It is well bound and beautifully quilted using free-motion. I could cry--it proves they were paying attention! I guess I taught them well. I am so proud of them both!




And they made this one for my hubby. He loves it as well. Again, everything was so well done!




I also got several other gifts, including a new camera (can you tell? LOL!), a Panasonic Home Theater system for hubby and myself, a new herb mill which will be so much fun to use when I get my herb garden going in Arkansas, and a JoAnn gift card from hubby. Below are some other gifts I received.



My stepson sent me the Ball jar lantern which will make a great bathroom nightlight or a decoration in the front window. Very neat! The snow globe was a gift from a friend in Eastern Star, and the glittery ornament was made for me by my 6 year old grandson. He used floor wax and glitter to make it--such a cool idea that I think I will eventually make some more to go with it. He did a very neat job, and put his initials on the back. It will be a cherished heirloom!

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If you have read my blog for very long (see note on that below) you know I love thrift stores. I don't always find anything good, but on Monday I went to two different ones and scored big, especially on Christmas stuff at half the marked price. I got the tramp art twig and pinecone basket below for $2. It's about 8" square, and is a great decor piece.

I bought these items for Easter displays. The bunnies were $1 each and the cart was $2.

The old checker board will hang in the kids room. The metal hangers will show off special ornaments (like my grandson's) although I intend to get rid of the orange berries and the glass pail. The envelope contains a "Saddlebag" plant grower, including two envelopes of seeds. It is meant to drape over a deck or porch railing. It looked interesting. These items cost me $1 each. The hangers were two for $1.


This 9" oriental vase must have once had a lid on it, but for branches of forsythia or dogwood it will be beautiful. The red and white pitcher will go in a vignette with the red cookbook holder I bought a few months ago. I posted a photo of it at that time. The bag of miscellaneous blocks did cost me $6.50, but I intend to use them for crafts projects. There are at least 4 different kinds of blocks, including Lincoln Logs.


I snatched up these bottle brush trees, the glass and plastic ornaments, and the small papier-mache toy shop for next to nothing.


I am a sucker for snowmen. Some people collect Santas or angels, but snowmen are my thing because they can carry over throughout the winter. These cost me about $2 each--the smaller one is a candlestick.



The box in the foreground is full of old glass ornaments (two were broken and I replaced them with others I found with the ones pictured above.) The other set is of wood, and all the pieces are there, although a couple need a touch of E-6000. These sets were $2 each--a real steal!

Altogether I was thrilled with my purchases. I will probably go out again in about a week to see what people got rid of after Christmas. I'd love to score an aluminum tree.

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I mentioned above that if you read these posts you would know I like thrift stores. I really don't think anyone reads this. I never get any comments about my posts and even friends rarely mention my blog. But I don't care. I use this blog mostly as a journal for myself. If anyone reads it that is great. (Please leave a comment! I may not respond, but I do look for the comments.) But I will continue the blog as long as it fulfills a need in me to document the events in my life. I hope to use it more often to document our move to and adjustment to our new home in Arkansas in June.

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Happy Holidays!

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Christmas is ready for takeoff! All packages decorated and labeled, ready to go.

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Just returned from seeing "We Bought a Zoo" with Matt Damon. Wonderful movie--funny, sad, romantic, heartbreak, healing. Highly recommended for family viewing. LOVED IT!!

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

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Ready for Christmas

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I'm finally ready for Christmas--all gifts purchased and wrapped, all cards sent out, everything arranged for the family get-together. This year we are doing it on Christmas Eve--opening gifts around noon, then out to eat at Golden Corral, then all going our separate ways. Not much of a holiday but it will do. Now that the kids are grown and have their own families, getting together with us is not the first priority.

Hubby and I know that moving to the farm will be the last step in distancing from the close-knit family life we once knew. We wish it weren't so. We have loved being near the kids and raising our sons to adulthood, but it is time to step back and let the next generation live their own lives without our input. It will be sad, especially around the holidays, but it is that time in our lives. We hope they will come to visit, but it will be a long trip and we are under no illusions about seeing them more than once a year or so. We are still able to travel, thank goodness. We can visit them probably more easily than they can come to see us.

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I have been sewing more, now that the holiday prep is over. I made the tote below to use when traveling. It is larger than I would normally use as a purse, and much sturdier than most purses, because I used Peltex interfacing in most of the construction, with upholstery grade fabrics. The Peltex was a double-edged sword, I had to re-do the handles because I just could not get them to turn properly with so heavy an interfacing. So I removed the Peltex and used a crinoline that I happened to have on hand for the handles. I also had to improvise on some of the construction techniques, but overall I am pleased with it. It has pockets on each side, two pockets inside, and a magnetic snap closure inside. I used Butterick 5658 View C with contrasting side pieces.



My next project is to make one or two inserts for changing purses, using the Portapockets and Encore purse insert patterns from Studio Kat Designs. I have enough of the fabric left over from the tote that I should be able to make one insert of each size.

These are the Christmas cards I made to send out this year, enclosing the tree ornaments that I showed in past posts. I have gotten several comments on them, so I must have done well. They weren't difficult and went quickly in an assembly line fashion.


I wish everyone who reads this a wonderful holiday season, and a healthy, happy and prosperous new year!

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Gruene is pronounced "green."

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I went on a bus tour to Gruene, Tx yesterday with a few of my Red Hat friends. The town is small and is very proud of its Historic District. The main claim to fame is the oldest dance hall in Texas. The Christmas Market was in full swing, and the town was swarming with tourists. There are several specialty shops and a general store, antique stores and restaurants. It was a wonderful trip. Despite the rain.
I had been saving up for a couple of months, but actually spent only a fraction of what I had saved. I had a delicious lunch at the Gristmill Restaurant--the onion rings are to die for! I traipsed all over town, stopping at every store that interested me, which was most of them. There were vendors set up in tents as well, but I didn't find anything of interest.


I did buy a couple of Christmas gifts for my hubby; some divine Lemon Verbena potpourri shown above, which smells just like lemon drops! and a lovely parure of Peruvian Turquoise (Chrysocolla) consisting of a necklace, bracelet, and earrings, all set in silver wire (below.) I also bought a jar of Pecan Praline Honey Butter spread. Yum!!


In all the bus tour lasted 11 hours- 3 hours getting there, 5 hours in Gruene, then 3 hours back. The trip only cost 30 dollars and was well worth it. (Rockport Tours)

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I have all my Christmas cards mailed, all my gifts purchased and wrapped, and have done all the decorating I am going to do. Now to get back to work on those VHS tapes. Those are going slower than I had hoped, but I must get them done as quickly as possible, because in January I need to start packing for the move in June.

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