eeks!

having a bit of trouble posting pictures, tonight.

what's been happening these past few days?

decorated the house for christmas.

tree is up and lights are plugged in.

doctors appointment in the big city, due

south of us.  which included a walk through

trader joe's, barnes and noble and best buy.

finished, under the marble sky... i am extremely

surprised it didn't make the best seller list.

no other book in america has been written about

the meaning of the taj mahal.  

 excellent-excellent.

i didn't go out on black friday.  nor did  i

participate on cyber monday.  i have a thing

about crowds.  shudder.

wishing this rain would turn to snow.

scheduled to work at the mansion, quite a bit

this december.  looking forward to that!

bought red nail polish.

now, off to try to download a picture....

smile, wink, nod.

gift bags or gift wrap? both, but i prefer gift wrap!


real tree or artificial? faux.


when do you put up the tree? yesterday.  usually always the day after thanksgiving, because i'm anti black friday.


when do you take it down? new year's day.


do you like eggnog? nope.  but i'd like to try hot toddy this year.  


favorite gift received as a child?
many, many, many!  barbie doll houses, trailer,  tent, and a big, real life size baby doll with a beautiful crocheted outfit and bonnet..which grandma crocheted me.


hardest person to buy for? my mom!


easiest person to buy for? my cousin cathy and friend rhonda.


do you have a nativity scene? sure do!  my sweet daddy made the manger when he was about 20.  and mom gave me our family nativity set.


email or mail christmas cards? snail mail.


worst christmas gift you've ever received? can't recall.


favorite christmas movie? national lampoon's christmas.  chevy chase.


when do you start shopping for christmas? i'm one of those "year-rounders"... if i find that something special, i pick it up and stash it away~


have you ever recycled a christmas gift? yes.  


favorite thing to eat at christmas? hello dolly bars!  bring them on!  and bring them on now!


lights on the tree? white and lots of them!


favorite christmas song? john mellencamp's version of, "i saw mamma kissing santa claus."  or madonna's, "santa baby!"


travel at christmas or stay home? this year... staying local!


can you name all of santa's reindeer? of course.


angel on the top of the tree or star? the angel gabrielle!


open presents christmas eve or christmas morning? christmas morning.


most annoying thing about this time of year? over-packaged christmas products, made in china, phony and smell toxic.


favorite theme or ornament color? love all the colors!  i'm really enjoying the blue outdoor lights, i've seen this year!


what do you want for christmas this year? black yoga pants, muck-lucks from on-line target, recycled garden art made from metal, a pressure cooker, jovan-orange cap musk, tasha tudor books.

fa-la-la-la la!

happy

thanksgiving!

what makes you smile?

these things make me smile:

hot mandarin tea

pink polar fleece pajamas

looking through black friday newspaper ads

(although i refuse to go... crowd anxiety syndrome)

a new/used novel, sitting on my coffee table... waiting for me.



              my new lemongrass-lavender soy candle
                  supporting local businesses
                   my faux ugs-two years old
              a family of blue birds in my backyard
                  they haven't flown south yet!



a cheap rhinestone candle holder found at salvation army $2.

(see picture)

leftovers of cabbage soup, corn bread, squash and chicken broccoli/cauliflower bake.... all thrown on the table, smorgasbord style!

and

being blessed with free fresh flowers each week, from a vendor-friend, at the market(see pic above)!

what makes you smile?

what's new?

mother-in-law getting a pacemaker tomorrow.  my dog had 8 teeth extracted and is walking around dazed and confused. can't stand the anticipation of who's going to win dancing with the stars tonight; although, i'd bet jennifer grey will. treadmill 2 miles.  looking forward and planning ahead for next week's homeschool lesson's: animal farm by george orwell. thankful, i can self-educate right along side my son. allegory, rhetoric, stalin and the russian revolution, pesto chicken, cauliflower & broccoli bake, and rice for dinner.  house smells garlicky.  would sure like donald trump to run for president.  now, the big decision... do i watch the duggars or dancing with the stars?  problem solved:  i flip back and forth.  smile, wink, nod.

well, i found my christmas gifts... note plural. 

i wear a size 7 shoe.

and, so if you were wondering

what to get me for christmas...

i'd be happy with any one of these or all of them!  click here to see  what i want!   

i made my very own lunch bag.

 first... i found a vintage cloth money bag.

just a dollar at the flea market.

i took my best black sharpie.. and doodled.



 then, i played with vivid, cheap acrylics (walmart under $1.) dipped my paint brush in water and dabbled away... fun watching the colors blend.  tye-dye like.



ta-da! 

 front and back pictures of my project.

the perfect size to stuff a sandwich and chips in.  and a candy bar.

smile, wink, nod.

so....

what kind of handmade gifts will

you be making this

christmas?

i plan to make altered art journals.

favorite craft sites? 

share those, too!

time to start thinking of fun things for christmas~  i found this 1950's retro gift tag, at this blog. i like the blogger's suggestion... attach it to a brown paper bag, with a coffee mug and/or little bags of flavored coffee and top it with a big red bow!  really cute for a hostess gift, don't you think?  click here to see more printables on this site! i really like the blue, blue christmas tag, too~

just for fun on sunday....

do you remember wearing this?

i think i was in 7th grade.

and thought, i was so grown up!

not to proud to dumpster dive......................



while at the market sunday, i meandered over to the plastic trash can to

throw my bacon, ranch salad container from mcdonald's away.  when what did my blue eyes see?  but this discarded vintage scrap book! not bothering to look around... i scooped down and salvaged it from the life of a dead-end landfill.

giddy, is how i felt when i started flipping through the homemade pages and found get well cards from 1962....



playing detective... i noticed this belong to a 16 year old girl from our area.  1962.  her name was sharon.  she must of been quite sick, because this scrapbook was maxed with get well cards.  there were also, letters and notes of get well wishes. 

i especially love the graphics on the cards!

i pitched the book, but did manage to gently peel the cards off to save! 

 safe to say, i've started a new vintage card collection!

smile, wink, nod.

lucy.

my dog.

turns 16 next week.

i adore her.

 she's slept with me

since i brought her home,

sixteen years ago.

she's sleeps right on top of my legs.

she makes sleeping cozy.

smile, wink, nod.

a timer, a doll and a stool.

my blogger friend, janet m., thought i'd like this vintage kitchen timer!

and i do!

and, i've already used it!

thanks janet, for sending it my way!

i couldn't say no to this vintage handmade doll.
i found it at the flea market on sunday.
$2.
i sure do wish i knew the story behind her!


snatched this gypsy-hippy stool up at the market, too.
it is homemade, from a drum-barrel.
cheap thrill at $8.
comfy, too!

today, i wrapped up the glass castle... i simply adored this book... loved the author's message.... a determination to create a good life. and most importantly, make wise choices, in spite of a shaky upbringing. i would hope this book changed many, who spend their lives playing the blame-game and wallow around in self-pity. holding their parents responsible for this, that and the other. tonight, i look forward to a new story... Beneath a Marble Sky by, John Shors. The pages will take me to far away, Taj Mahal ... seventeenth century India. Aside from the fact that it took 20,000 men and 1,000 elephants to build the monument... I've also learned that post-building, the architects and builders had their hand's cut off, so they couldn't ever build anything as beautiful as this, ever again. So, where is your latest reading adventure taking you?

last saturday night, i enjoyed working at a local mansion.

in fact, i really, really like working there.

(when my "work is finished," i am usually done and home by 8-ish.

enough to have family time with my boys.)

before the party started... and before my role as the late

mrs. lambert came into play...

i helped in the kitchen with food prep work.

when the guests arrived... i dashed to the back and up... up... up...

the maid's staircase

and slipped into my role.

which included a fog machine.

i have more plans to work there this weekend.

when am i ever going to write nanowrimo???

smile, wink, nod.

i found this on the daily meme and thought i'd play along...

list the top ten things that put you in the holiday spirit!

1. snow and watching it fall

2. the smell of cinnamon or maple candles

3. decorating for christmas

4. listening to christmas music

5. watching christmas movies

6. christmas shopping

7. baking christmas cookies

8. wrapping presents

9. looking at christmas lights

10. reading children's christmas books

(even though i'm an adult!)

this brisk weather, makes me think of making super quick, simple and easy and cheap crafts.

this one, fits the ticket! here's the tutorial.

monday:

one, tough lay me flat down, all day long migraine. accompanied by chills, sensitivity to the slightest light and sound and a good mix of nausea. not even a vanilla milkshake can cure. nor excedrine migraine medicine. slept deep for a couple hours this afternoon. and woke up, still ill but, honkered down writing my nanowrimo novel. 2000 words. 48,000 to go. what a tough, tough challenge. sure hope i'm up and feeling better tomorrow... too much fun stuff to do and need to do. smile, wink nod~