Homer Time & ch ch ch Changes

It's almost time for this guy to show up. Homer makes me laugh in the afternoon when he comes to life around 4 pm.

I decided I was tired of the way things looked around here so I changed the template. The same limey green was getting to me.

We are experiencing the changing weather this season. Daily changes from icy to temperate. Today it's sort of temperate with rain. I think I will take this opportunity to go out and do a few shopping things. I bought a pair of pants the other day and want to see if they have another couple of pair. They're very comfortable for going to Curves and not looking too crappy for errands afterward. Needless to say it's a crap-shoot finding comfortable clothes so they probably will be sold out. Cross your fingers! I need to make a trip to Borders and Target as well and maybe a stop at Macy's for a new handbag. Roger is, right about now, wiping his face with a tissue at the thought of the credit card statement but I haven't bought a new bag in a couple of years and that's pretty good. I'm getting James a couple of pairs of pants for wearing outside work.

Better get going before the rest of the world gets there. Hope I can get to something quilty soon. I'm so enjoying looking at what you all are doing to decorate and make things festive. On that note I'll leave you with an image that also makes me laugh this time of year.

Thinking of my friend Jodi, who is having some surgery today. Jodi, your e-mail keeps bouncing back-it says your mailbox is full....so what I said was this...:"You will be beautiful inside and out no matter what, sending you hugs"

This & That

Here's a shot of the new Christmas toppers. I just cannot get a good picture of things around the house. My lighting is so bad-sorry for the crappy pic. I think I may have miss-informed you the other day about this fabric. I bought it at JoAnn Fabrics. Wally Mart has fabric but, at least in my area, the fabric is so crappy and feels like cheesecloth that I wouldn't bother with it. Maybe it's different elsewhere but here they only offer really out of date calico fabrics you didn't want when they were in style 10 years ago. You can tell that the fabric itself is so low grade that it will all but shred when washed. They do have lots of Barbie and kiddie fabric and plushy type stuff is that's your bag. Sometimes JoAnn's is not much better but most of the time it is. I really wish I could afford to buy the quilt shop grade fabric all the time but frankly, at 9, 10, and 11 dollars a yard-it's a bit out there for my wallet.

I am in the midst of a letter-writing frenzy for the Pantry. I'm trying to keep the decks clear with that stuff but people are being extraordinary in the gifts this year. Little kids giving $10.00 they saved-really kind of gets me misty. Kids are so great sometimes. They have garage sales, craft sales and lemonade stands. Most of the parents match their earnings and it is very touching.

Well, I better get to the letters and some thinking about dinner. Maybe a trip to the store if it warms up a bit. It needs to be 30 or above before I venture out-brrrrr.

Talk to you soon.

for Darcie-super sucker results, Roger 1-glove 0

Just a quick second entry today-This is what happens when gloves go bad. Let that be a lesson to it! I do think that it's giving me a completely inappropriate gesture though-

Thanks to Roger-for wrangling the great glove debacle for me. You're the best!

WIP Wed-Found (unearthed & unfinished) item

In keeping with my rather child-like mania for beginning things and, not only not finishing them but burying them a couple of layers deep, this is a piece that I got a couple of years ago. It really only need a couple of stitches and a binding so I have moved it to the top of the heap. It matches the color of my living room wall so after Christmas, it will look nice finally finished.

The Christmas tree came yesterday. Very heavy box. Not sure how this is going to turn out but I'll keep you posted. It must be fairly sturdy since it took 2 of us to lift and carry it in the house. I think the thing I'll miss is the smell of a live tree. I do enjoy that but this will make life easier(hope springs eternal)

I noticed that a few people mentioned that it is Advent and shown lovely decorations. Several strong memories from childhood have stayed with me through the years. One of them is when Oma used to make the Advent wreath and the house was filled with decorated evergreen boughs. We had several very large evergreens in the yard and so the cutting could be taken when she wanted them and they remained very fresh and fragrant. The Advent wreath had 4 red candles and one white Christ candle in the center. I noticed later on that many, if not all, of the wreaths I saw had purple candles and a white Christ candle in the center. I guess Oma just had her way of doing things because I never saw a purple candle in any decoration she ever made. Not sure but maybe it's a German thing.

She also made great Stollen (a type of fruit cake more like bread)and once you've had fresh-made Stollen, the memory remains with you as well. I saw Martha Stewart make one that was from her Mom's recipe a few years ago. It really seemed like the same thing. One day I may have to look up the recipe and try it. The experience of going to a German Restaurant is lost on me because Oma made all the food in our house. She would marinate the Sauerbraten herself and make my favorite dumpling with it. They were made with farina and called greiskloppfen(sp) They were so good and I have never had any since that time and can still call up the memory of those flavors. She made a warm cabbage salad with bacon dressing that I would give anything to taste again. Memories of food and flavors are so strong. I'm not sure if that's a gift or a curse. It makes me wish so much that I had paid attention but I was only a young girl then. Other things were more important. It remains a nice memory and aren't memories the best part of this time of year. They really are for me since it was one of the few times a year that people in my family behaved themselves like human beings. It was short-lived but nice.

I must go wrestle with the tree and try to get to Curves earlier than yesterday. It seems like the days are flying faster than usual.

Hope your day is peaceful. I'll be back with a meme later or tomorrow

Tuesday torment& shopping success

My Tuesday is not getting off to a great start. I'm nearly convinced that the cold has as much to do with joint pain as damp and I live on an island-there are two types of weather here. Cold and damp or hot and damp. There are about three days in fall and spring where it deviates and I missed those this year. Meanwhile I have considerable pain in my leg and a weird kind of pain in the ball of my right foot. Anyway while I was lumbering along trying to vacuum the lint from around the dryer filter with the SuperSucker-I sucked up a big yellow Playtex hand glove. It was gone before I could pull away. So now, I need to find the thingy that is long and brush-like for cleaning out the filter, so I can push it through the Super Sucker hose. I really should have stayed in bed. In fact I may just return there soon and try again tomorrow.

On the very plus side...I went to TJ Maxx yesterday and found several cotton sweaters and then went over to Dress Barn where I found a great pair of black pants and another two sweaters. I may go back and buy another pair of the pants before they're all gone. These are really comfortable and that's a tough one for me. I'm not that heavy except in the belly area and I'm short-so pants purchases are not fun times. I, like nearly every woman I know, hate clothes shopping. I really needed some things though since I can't find anything decent in the closet to wear even to the grocery store. I also found a nice red shirt with very tiny black dots to wear with the black pants for our annual New Years Dinner. The only other thing I got was a really pretty grey and black velvet scarf to go with a black sweater.

I'm going to eat some breakfast and try taking an Ibuprofen. I have had stomach problems in the past so I hesitate to take aspirin or anything like it. The pain is keeping me from functioning though so I will give it a try. Wish me luck-that I don't exchange one pain for another. See you tomorrow.

Holiday Rush & Mail Surprise

I know I'm not alone in the feeling that I've been swooped up in a tornado. The holiday may be 20 odd days ahead but it always begins to feel like the day after tomorrow about this time. In keeping with my great organizational skills (not) I have nothing ready and everything to get. I'll keep it short today, since the weather is being wonderful. It snowed and was frigid yesterday so I thought maybe I would postpone my "going out" chores. Today the light has dawned and it's nearly 50 and sunny. I must get going to Curves and then to several places to to the important work of Santa.

Above you will see the pretty surprise I got from my good friend Gerrie as a PIF gift. It's really pretty and I'm sorry for the not so great photo. It has sparkly Angelina fibers on it and the light just kept glaring in every photo. It's clickable for a better look. If you haven't visited Gerrie and checked out her artwork, don't miss it. Anyway, the colors are yummy and she sent along a pretty post card with it. Thanks Gerrie, Love you!

I'm offering another PIF, also to be completed after the New Year-way after, like February, since I still haven't gotten the other one done. I do have a year to complete but I don't think I would put them off for a possible 365 days as it's suggested that you may.

I went back to Curves on Saturday and I feel good mentally but the pain of the re-start is considerable. That's what I get for putting it off so long.

Hope your day is lovely. Back soon.