Trying Something New...

My blog address was set up when I first started blogging a few years ago. Now that I've been doing this for a while, It seems silly to me to have my blog titled one thing and the address be something different, so ...
I'm migrating to considermymonkeys.blogspot.com.

All you loyal followers, please update my addy and I'll see you at the new place!

Stubbornly Running in Circles

I’m trying to be good about limiting spending, but I really needed a new office chair. I found one at a consignment store this weekend for $24! It seemed fine except for the broken bulbous part of the chair elevating mechanism. The mechanism works just fine - the bulb on the end is just gone. 

I bought it.

Jon took one look at it and said he didn’t think it was any better than my other chair – except that it has arms. Of course that made me stand my guns and defend my thrifted chair. Dang stubborn self.

Here’s the thing – it pings (like a spring threatening to really spring) whenever I move. The left arm won’t raise as high as the right (by about half an inch – I just measured), and the back tips to the right. The seat is much more comfortable than the old chair, and the back is very much more supportive when I tip it back to the upright position (which it stays in until I get out of the chair).

So – here I sit in my forlorn chair in a conundrum. I called the store and they don’t do returns, but I'm welcome to bring it back and sell it on consignment… Hmm.

A Better Brother

Some of you know the health issues that my younger brother has been having. He hates that I go public with these things, but he's the only brother that I've got, and I seriously worry about the guy.

Just before Christmas he had a colectomy, and I'm fervently praying that this makes things better for him. I'd sure like him to be around to raise his 4 adorable kiddos, support his beautiful wife, look after our stunning mother and step-dad, tease my boys, put up with my hubby, and annoy me to no end.

Anyway - he's going back to work in early February, but in the mean time he's getting things back in order for his other job. So this week he's in Las Vegas for Shot Show. I suppose he's having a great time. Last night he sent this photo -

Do you recognize her? That's Rachel Dratch! Hangin at the shooting range with my bro! Dang. Really though - it's so good to see him smile.

He's also got another article in another magazine. Check out the Jan/Feb 2011 edition of Successful Hunter magazine.

Love you Boog!

Giving Cozy

I'm finally getting around to posting photos of one of the quilts I made for Christmas this year. You know the one I talked about here? Here it is...

You tell me - does it looked like stacked books? It screams it at me, but that may because of me being a bibliophile. Jon said it's a little abstract.

I gave my stepdad this quilt because I have been known to give him books for Christmas. I give him books because I enjoy the conversations where he calls me out of the blue and we talk about the book I've given. I'm hoping that he pulls this one over him while he's reading and still calls me.

The background fabric is Kona Mustard. I wasn't sold on it when it was one solid piece of baby poop, but it's become a favorite color after seeing it with these other fabrics - which I pulled out of the remnant bin by choosing the ones that seemed masculine.

The top is pieced with strips created by cutting my remnant to the desired thickness (I used some 1 1/2" strips and went up to 4") and then cut them in half (resulting in two 22"ish pieces). Then I cut a 22" piece of the background fabric into whatever thickness I needed and sewed each side of the background strip to each side of the book. This created a loop. Then I randomly cut the background fabric, which varies the amount of background on each side of each book. The trick was getting them arranged so that they didn't look like they'd fall over - see that one 7 up from the bottom? I think it needed to be pushed over more to support the books on top of it. Something about this just tells me they're going to topple...

I pieced the back with a luscious gray flannel (which again screamed to me) and a column of squares from each of the book bindings. I quilted in the ditch around each book. I don't remember what I bound it with. 

I'm in serious love with this one - enough that I think I need to make me one. Silly that I didn't remember to take photos of the finished quilt, but I got so excited about giving it that I just rushed right through to wrapping. It makes me want to curl up with a book or one of my guys and spend an afternoon inside.

Gathering Bling

This past Saturday I asked my SIL and niece if they'd like to sew while our hubbies and sons/nephews flew their helicopters and played Heroscape. She was way ahead of me and had been sewing with her friends the night before. So what's my stuff going to add to what she already had out.

I was assembling toppers, and she was working on pillows. She completely made me want to tackle that project - haven't done a pillow since this one...

So Sunday I went through my stash and found some lovely silver satin that we used when Carson was this for Halloween...
















Do you know how difficult satin is to work with? It does not stay in one place. It moooooooooves. I cut mutiple strips in 1 1/2 to 3" widths - kind of. Honestly they were mostly straight. Then I got out my ruffler foot (did you remember to use your jazz hands?), and ran the strips through the ruffler. Then I rolled the ruffled strips just like I was told to over here and made 5 of these. (ignore that they're already attached in this photo - I took these when it was all finished - brain wasn't thinking photo in the middle of this project...).

Now this is where the 2nd diva fit of the afternoon/evening came in. (Tell me you can gather satin with a ruffler foot without throwing the first one) I drive 3 middle school boys in our carpool a few times each week, and they are notorious for finding whatever crap has been stuffed under seats or shoved in pockets or thrown in the back. Seriously. One of the favorite car toys is one of those butane lighter things that make fire starting fairly safe (or encourage it in strange places - so go figure). I don't know why it's in my vehicle in the middle of winter, but I suspect it's a leftover from a scout trip. Anyway - I've seen a lot of blogs that say you should burn the edge of these flowers and that the fabric will curl nicely. SO - I wanted that lighter. Well guess what... It's not a problem locating it on any random Thursday, but when I actually need the thing it's no where to be found. Unless you look in the cupboard where all of my candles are stored... And if I decided to just grab it and sit down without letting my guys know I'd found what I was demanding, so be it... Anyway. Satin burns/melts very easily, and it's a bad thing for a mother of 3 boys to discover this and think it's cool enough that she cuts another strip of fabric and gets caught singe-ing right at the kitchen table. All I'm going to say is that it's a good thing there wasn't any fuel left in that lighter by the time I was finished...

Anyway. I was going to stop with the flowers, but the remaining fabric was calling to me. I needed to make a pillow while my ruffler was still attached to my sewing machine. So - I ended up with this: 

I think it's BE. YOU. TEE. FULL. Doesn't go so well with my white couch & chairs, but there's always a remedy for that isn't there?

I'd started out with 3 flowers and added the other 2 a little while later. When I had it how I wanted, I showed Jon, and do you know what his response was?!

Do you know how many times you swore while making that?

So not what I wanted to hear, but he was correct. There, I said it.

HE WAS RIGHT!!!

In my defense, allow me to say that you should NEVER under these circumstances attempt to make such a thing of purfled beauty. Yes that is a word, and when I'm asked for a word to describe me to a "T", that's the one I pull out - PURFLE. Look it up... What did my guys expect when I'd just switched my happy pill med two days before because my insurance company more than tripled the cost of my old medication? Were these guys supposed to know that I would be experiencing some withdrawal symptoms (headaches, nausea, dizziness, shaking, etc) from the old pills and that it may take some days before I find the new "normal" me? Was Jon really the wisest man when he said - and yes I'm going verbatim again folks,

Don't you think you should just man up and think about how you're acting. You're bigger than this.

Um. Really? You have no idea how upset that comment still makes me, and it's 48 hours later... Oh boy. But I really do love that pillow.

Linking to

We Should Do This More Often

So I'm spending my Sunday morning/early afternoon perusing countertop resurfacing/painting websites and reading lots of blog posts that I've missed in my computer-free weekend.

Yesterday I started dejunking my home office so that I can move a bookshelf into a gift wrap/boy's school work/craft project hoarded corner. I found no less than 4 church bags (the bag that I use to take entertainment for the boys and whatever class I happen to be teaching or attending.) There were some very cool things in these bags, and I have quite the stash of objects that Griff has never seen. Boy is he going to be quiet the next few weeks. At least I can hope anyway.

 One of the things I found was a kids meal toy from Faziolis. These things are cool! Funny thing is that yesterday I immediately assembled a space station with two detachable ships. Then I took it apart and put the pieces in a bag.

Griff came in and saw these, put something together and immediately started flying it around and shooting lasers, torpedoes, and sting rays from various parts of the ship. Great minds think alike.

He played for a bit then walked up to me and gave me a HUGE bear hug.

This is my favorite part...

Mom? We should do this more often.

Apartment 3

First of all I must apologize for all of the background changes going on here at CMM. I just can't find one that I'm in <3 with. Ya know? I do like the books so perhaps that will stick for a while. Anyway. Back to our regularly scheduled program.

Yesterday I met up with three of the best roommates that a girl could ever have. In this lot there's a mechanical engineer, environmental engineer, AP English teacher, and nurse. There are 3 marriages and 9 children between us. See that knockout on the end? She's single. Know any successful, confident, attractive, desirable, single men near 40? Talk to me, and let's see what we can do...

When I've given roommate advice to my college-age nieces, the year I draw on the most is the year I lived with Lisa (pink), Karen (purple), and Julie (white). Apartment 3 was full of emotion. Two of us were engaged, so imagine 2 very tolerant fiancees, hectic school and study schedules, and the hormones associated with starting birth control. You know what? The 4 of us had an unforgettable time together.

At some point we found these 84321 (which was our zip code - think 90210 folks) t-shirts, and we wore them a lot. This photo was taken before one of our volley ball games. I'm not sure who we talked into taking the photo. I'm also not sure how they did it with a straight face...

84321 Angels

I learned a lot from these three:

• They had my back
• They wanted what was best for me and wanted me to do my best
• Visiting teaching is completely enjoyable when done the first week of the month
• Being motivated to go after what you want is a very good thing
• Intelligent women can be powerful and female at the same time - and sometimes that includes nail polish, hair bows, and short skirts
• Most times you need to shave before being seen in your swimsuit
• Decorating is delightful
• Sharing food prep, dinner, and cleanup multiple times each week strengthens relationships and makes home a place you love to be

Lunch was fabulous. And the company was even better. I miss you girls and can't wait until we get together next time.

What Ya Gonna Do with a New Year?

Snowy morning - looks cold and quiet out there. Inside my house? Not so quiet...

I'm prepping for the annual Hill Family Fete. What's on my food list this year? Russian teacakes, stuffed mushrooms, habanero jelly w/ cream cheese & crackers, and pizza of course! I'm in charge of making dough for 6 pizzas and then taking whatever other munchies I'm dying for. So I'm going for sweet, savory, and spicy. Sounds like a fabulous mix to me!

Russian Tea Cakes / Mexican Wedding Cookies / Italian Wedding Cookies / Butterballs
1 1/2 c unsalted butter (or use salted butter and omit salt)
3/4 c powdered sugar
3/4 t salt
1 1/2 c chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, or pecans are my favorite)
4 1/2 t vanilla
3 c sifted, all purpose flour
~1/3 c powdered sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 325.
Cream butter & sugar. Beat until light & fluffy. Add nuts and vanilla. Blend in flour gradually. 
Shape dough into balls (about 1 teaspoon in size) and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 15-20 min. Don't brown.
Cool slightly on wire rack then roll in powdered sugar.

Sounds good eh?
Here's my stuffed mushroom recipe. I use my handy mini food processor when chopping  these ingredients.

Stuffed Mushrooms
Large fresh mushrooms, stems removed (the original recipe only called for 12 large mushrooms - the stuffing fills many more than 12)
1 pkg dry stuffing mix
1 8 oz cream cheese
1/2 pound imitation crab meat (the last package I bought was 12 oz. We used it all and it was just fine)
2 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
Salt & pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Shredded parmesan cheese (the real stuff)

Wash mushrooms. Remove stems (twist out) and reserve. Arrange mushroom tops in baking pan - bottoms up.
Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions.
Preheat oven to 350.
Place cream cheese in large bowl. When stuffing is finished immediately add it to bowl on top of cheese - this will soften/melt the cream cheese with little effort on your part.
Melt butter over medium heat and add garlic. Cook until soft (about 5 min).
Chop crab meat and mushroom stems.
Mix stuffing mix, cream cheese, crab meat, and mushroom stems.
Liberally stuff mushrooms (or if you've completely filled your baking pan with mushroom tops, you can spread the mix over the top and push it down so that it fills the mushrooms. It'll be more difficult to get individual mushrooms, but it'll still be ooey goodness.)
Drizzle with garlic butter.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Top with shredded parmesan.
Bake for 15 min (until stuffing is browned).

I've still got to go to the grocery store and get things cooking, so I'd better be headed out the door.

I hope you all have a safe, enjoyable celebration this evening. See you in 2011!

Post Holiday Wrap Up

This morning I awoke to sun streaming through my bedroom blinds and realized that Jon had slipped off to work without waking anyone. So I called him a couple of hours later and was surprised to hear how happy he was that I'd called. I played with his phone a bit over the weekend and linked my photo with my name so it pops up when I call. He said he'd love it even more if I flashed a bit more cleavage (but don't tell him I told you...).

I sat down at my computer with the last of my mom's delicious cream cheese, lime jello, marshmallow, banana and pineapple salad (probably NOT the one you're thinking of. The cream cheese is in little chunks and mixed with partially jelled jello so that's chunky too) Yum Yum Yum. I've now spent a couple of hours catching up on all of the blog posts from the past week or so, and I discovered a fireplace that I am in LOVE with...

http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/2010/02/anatomy-of-fireplace.html

I'm not in love with the pink couch and chair, but the blue of that fireplace took my breath away. So I spent the next hour reading about her $7500 treasure (bit more than my budget can handle right now) and looking for tile books at my county library. Let's just see what design ideas I can come up with this week...

Shortly after I figured out that the holiday came and went, and my camera never left its spot on the kitchen counter. Seriously - not a single holiday photo. Gack...

I got to talk to my stepdad about the quilt I made him for Christmas (I was thinking that perhaps I love it more than he did, but that's not necessarily the case...) and to my dear friend, April. I've let too much time pass since I had a good conversation with April, and now I'm missing her so much more. Never fear - I get to spend a weekend with her and all our boys in January!

My home office is a bit of a disaster area - wrapping flotsam here and there. Stuff piled on the dresser, couch, and corner that I don't know where else to put. The broken bunk bed ladder from a wrestling match gone awry is leaning against the closet door, and under that are some vacuum attachments, more wrapping scraps, and the crud that got dumped out of the boys' backpacks the day they came home from school last week.

I'm now officially a teleworker, and I need to box up my cubicle and bring all of that home. I'm dreading trying to find a spot for it in here! Jonny - those shelves would be very helpful right about now. If I do the more cleavage photo will you get it done soon???

Good thing I've got a few days to get things whipped into shape.

Christmas Breakfast

We have a lovely tradition with our next door neighbors where we eat Christmas breakfast together. It's something I did when I grew up. We traded hosting with the Harrises for years, and I love that Jon and I have been able to renew this.

My dear neighbor, Debbie, has the exact same Christmas dishes that I do - and Target sold them YEARS ago. I love that we both fell in love with those silly plates the same year and then didn't discover our similar taste until we moved in next door to each other.

Last year we had pancakes at Deb's house, so this year it's my turn. I usually make a bread casserole that I put together on Christmas Eve day and plop in the oven when we wake up to open presents. Oila! Presents are open, and breakfast is ready. A couple of years ago I found a recipe similar to mine that you do in a crockpot. Yah - won't be trying that again. The eggs just can't take overnight heat plus the time it takes to open gifts. It was a little over done.

This year I'm hoping to make some kind of french toast. I know there's a recipe for pre-assembly that you bake while you open, but can I find it now? NO! I'm craving buttermilk syrup, and it doesn't go so well with egg casserole. I don't want to be standing in front of a griddle. I just want to play and enjoy company. Is that such a bad thing?

How about you - what do you eat for Christmas breakfast?

Home for Christmas

You know I'm the sentimental type, and I'm particularly nostalgic about growing up in Provo (please note that I'm completely proud of myself for not attending university there...) Two of my favorite things about Provo are there no more.

This morning the Provo Tabernacle burned. The roof collapsed at about 6:00 am.

Such a magnificent structure! We used to attend stake conference there, and my seminary graduation was there. In fact, one of my most embarassing moments EVER happened during my seminary graduation.

Back when I graduated from seminary, the entire seminary graduated in the same ceremony. (Apparently stakes in the Salt Lake Valley hold individual graduations for seminary seniors now - is that how it is everywhere?) There were probably about 250 of us graduating. Graduates were presented alphabetically by stake and by ward. My stake was the very last stake, and my ward was the last ward. I was the only graduate from my ward, so that made me the very last graduate. I was wearing a navy blue dress with a cinched waist and large white polka dots (very Princess Di).

The tabernacle had stairs leading up to the pulpit, and we had to climb those stairs, walk across the stand, and then walk down the other side. Our stake president and bishop were supposed to be standing on the downward side, but I remember my bishop running up the stairs to get to his place. See how there are 3 or 4 steps and then a landing? Well I figured I'd just meet him further down, and in my haste I slipped off a landing and tripped down a few steps. My bishop caught me so I don't remember landing on the floor, but all of that grace I'd built in my mind flew right out the window...

I loved that the mother's lounge had a great big window so that the moms could still see who was speaking. I thought that room was where people took their crying children (I wasn't around many nursing moms).  If I remember correctly it was beneath the balcony on the south side of the structure (that's too the left in the photo above).

The other Provo landmark? His name is Jesse Marrott. In my mind he was the bishop when my dad passed away, but that may not have been the case. Regardless, he was my bishop for a long time. He was also my home teacher, and by the time I was in high school he had been ordained the stake patriarch and gave me my blessing. 

For a long time our bus stop was next to the Marrott's home, and I remember walking up the street, past the orchard, and waiting in line on the sidewalk. Jesse would be outside many mornings in his overalls doing something near his truck (I think it was a Dodge). He'd always smile and wave.

I remember his hands being pudgy and rough, but they had softness in them too. I never once doubted that that man loved me. Maybe that's why I loved him right back.

Tomorrow I'll be attending Jesse's funeral, which is being held in the church house that was built in that orchard. The church was built after I left home, but there are so many people who still live in that nieghborhood that I'm fond of. Can't think of a better place to spend a few hours remembering an incredible man.

Are We There Yet?

So - have you reached the point that you realize that if you don't get everything done, the holiday will still happen without it all?

I'm quickly arriving. Just this morning I realized that the big day is two weeks away, and my village still isn't up. My very favorite nativity is still boxed up on the floor in front of the dry sink where I love to set it up most years. You know what? I just may not mess with it.

All 3 trees are out. The garland and wreaths are in place. There are already 5 nativities in my front room. Does it really need more?

I think it might be all right if the china cabinet that I bought specifically to display my village sits empty until 2011. (I took out all the usual display stuff when I boxed up Thanksgiving decor).

I have all of the components of my Christmas cards ready to go, but the surge to get them put together just isn't happening.

I also realized that all of the adorable items I was going to assemble for gifts for my book club are still unassembled. Nice. Book club meets in 39 minutes. Dang.

But really? I'm so ready to just sit back and watch holiday movies, drive around looking at holiday lights, and drink hot cocoa with my guys. I may still find it in me to make some toffee and peanut brittle. Oh and some Mexican wedding cookies (aka Russian tea cakes) and cinnamon rolls - got a couple of weeks to fit all that in.

Yep - I'm thinking I'm ready to just ssssssssssssllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllooooooooowwwwwwwww down. A couple of really cool quilt books showed up in my "hold" cache at the library yesterday. They're about modern quilts, which is something I haven't bought into until recently. So I'm very anxious to look through those books.

You?

Advent-itis

Have you seen all the hubbub about advent calendars in the blogosphere? Well,  I'm adding my own to that.

Last night while reading bedtime stories to Griff he asked about our Advent calendar. He wanted to know why we added an ornament to the tree every night. How does that help count down to Christmas? Seriously, dear reader. He has a point. No worries though. He made a paper chain at school and will be removing a link every day. Oh the anticipation!

Boy oh boy did I go overboard on my advent a few years ago - not the number of calendars but the type of things I stuffed in the drawers. Took me a couple month's worth of planning and I ended up hating it and not putting it out the next year.


My boys noticed. OH MAN DID THEY NOTICE, and I had to make some changes to my advent philosophy.
 
Let's back up a bit. I have a chest advent. It has doors that swing open to reveal 24 drawers of varying sizes. My SIL, Chris, gave this to me one year when she & Mike had me & Jon. As if the chest wasn't a gift in itself, they filled the drawers with miscellaneous items such as candy, small additions to my Christmas Village (I still include that tricycle every year), and numbers that corresponded to larger packages in a separate box. Some of the larger gifts included cake mix, frosting and candles (Jon's b-day is in December), a 12x12 paper keeper, movie passes, a duck call etc. They completely spoiled us!
 

 
I wanted to continue this fine feature, but it stressed me out more than any other part of my holiday festivities. So after not getting it out that one year, I picked up a set of small ornaments at Big Lots and placed one in each drawer. The boys get to put an ornament on a small tree every day.
 
 

 
Last year we figured out that the location of the chest was not good for anxious little boys who pull it over and drop all the drawers on the floor, shattering those ornaments on the tile. But don't worry - it was just what we needed to help us all jump out of bed that morning... So - I've picked up some even cheaper ornaments from Dollar Tree (not a glass one in the bunch!).
 
The advent chest and tree weren't out when the boys left for school this morning, but guess what they're coming home to this afternoon!
 
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
 
 

 
I just discovered another reason that I <3 <3 <3 quilting.... See how that shelf is kind of bowed under the weight of the chest? Well, I took the shelf out and couldn't open the doors because of the lip at the bottom of the bookshelf. So I grabbed one of those small phone books that show up on my front step every other month or so (I have a stack of them in my hall closet because they come in handy for cases such as this), topped it with a fabric scrap (I'm SO in love with the project that it's a scrap from) and oila!
 
 

Much better. It looks cozier. I didn't think that fabric was Christmasy - more Indian blanketish. But it's perfect!

See?!

A Tree Here... A Tree There...

That last post had me thinking about all of the decorating I get to do in the next week or so. I don't always like the decorating process, but I <3 how it looks when it's done.

Today I'm going to talk about the Christmas tree. I do 3 trees (I used to think that was SO overkill, but now I LOVE it!).

One of them is a nativity tree. It's in the front room - or as my friend, B, called it last weekend - the "Grown-Up Room". All of the ornaments have something to do with the nativity. I try to add one to it each year. It makes me very upset how many retailers do not carry nativity ornaments. Last year I couldn't find a single one at Shopko. This year I've looked at Shopko, Smith's Marketplace, and Target. Guess what? NO NATIVITY!!! Shame on you retailers! It's a good thing that I have another trick up my sleeve... This tree has white lights, champagne-colored balls, and strings of pearls. It's where my newly completed tree skirt will be residing from this year forward.

The tree in the kitchen has my collection of Hallmark Nostalgic Houses and Shops. I stopped collecting these a couple of years ago because I have every single ornament and most of the special edition ornaments for the first 25 years of the series. I love the detail on these, but come on! There's only so much commitment I can give to tree decorations... This tree is one of those alpine trees that is prelit. Jon and I have found that it's fairly easy to leave all of the ornaments on this every year, wrap it in tall plastic bags, and carefully carry it to the basement. It's one of the first things I get out each year because it's so easy to just plug it in and have the instant gratification of one of my trees being finished.

The year we moved into our house I was anti-Christmas decor (we moved in the first weekend in December). My mother took pity on her grandsons and brought us the alpine tree. I don't think I've told her how grateful I am that she did that - I really would have gone without, but it's not always about just me...

The third tree is down in the family room - AKA the pit. It's a tree that has all of my annual ornaments (at least the ones before I started the Nostalgic Houses), the ornaments that the boys and Jon get each year, and the ornaments that the boys make. If we get a real tree, this is where it goes. If we borrow one from Jon's parents (like we did in this photo), then it fills the space. (One of these years I'm going to let go of the guilt and just get over feeling that I need to have a real tree. I think it will be much simpler). Anyway - the pit tree gets colored lights. Jon does the lights and then the boys hang the ornaments. I don't even intervene with the ornament hanging process. I just turn on the music, cook dinner, and watch them all at work. The pit tree is the one where Santa leaves the goods.

So - Do you have a real tree or a fake one? Do you have more than one? Where are they and how do you decorate them?

How Do You Wrap?

Miranda asked a question about what my wrapping will look like this year (OK she didn't specifically as ME, but play along...), and I started to leave the following as a comment response. It was getting a bit verbose, so I decided to turn it into a post of my own...

My mother's wrapping made Christmas morning look like a scene right out of The Nutcracker. Her bows are BEAUTIFUL!!! She says the trick is using solid color wrapping paper, and she's right. Everything goes better when you use solid colors.

I used to try to duplicate, but then I had boy children and a hubby who grew up with presents wrapped in that green and white stiped dot matrix printer paper (his dad worked for IBM).

One year I wrapped everything in brown paper and tied it all up with rafia... That was our last Christmas in Logan, and I also madeour tree ornaments out of cinnamon sticks, dried oranges, and jute. My tree skirt was a couple of yards of burlap. It was very pretty, but Jon said he was going to take the tree to the elk refuge when we were finished. Did not go well from there.

Now each boy has his own color of wrapping paper. That way I don't have to put tags on anything. They get a gift with their stockings that tells them what their wrap is, and the chaos ensues.

Sometimes I'll fancy wrap stuff that's going to folks outside of my house. Depends how early I get it wrapped and who it's going to. There is just something about an incredibly wrapped package that makes me happy to give the gift.

GIVE-A-WAY!!!

Hey all - there's a give-a-way happening over at Narrating Life. Guess who's wares are being given...

While you're there, take a minute to peruse. I'm sure you'll find some inspiration. I do. All. The. Time.

Craving Cozy

Evan, Griffin and I were at a local thrift store looking for bundt pans and books on Friday evening. No bundt pans, but I scored in the book dept... They also had the PERFECT reading chair-and-a-half! It was missing the back pillow, and it's in desperate need of TLC and reupholstering, but it was only $15!!! I can't get the silly thing off my mind.

I have a corner in my bedroom that's calling out to be reading nook. I have this unused bay window space that needs some attention. I'd recover that chair, make some pillows out of left over fabric from recovering my cedar chest cushion and my bedspread, refurbish a funky lamp, repaint and relocate a small end table from my computer room (doesn't see much guest use anyway) and Oila!

Can't you just see it?! Go ahead. Imagine with me...

eclectic living room design

I know that ottoman would DRIVE ME CRAZY, but there's something about it that I love.



I love this green table!



Now if I could only get the chair in the back of the Yukon and hide it somewhere so that I can get to it after Christmas without Jon pontificating about another undone project...

Do You Know Someone on this Ship?

I do!

Our friends, the Tiptons, left Sunday to enjoy a week on board a Mexican Cruise. I have a feeling that they are not enjoying themselves very much right now.

Mr. Mouse - I will take you any day over being stranded at sea with thousands of strangers, 3 cooped up-uncomfortable children, and a stressed out spouse...

Wishing there was a window into the wall...

Dear little mouse that I can hear scratching inside the wall in front of me - please just go away until Jon can get you some delightful Decon. You can eat all you want and then you won't have to tunnel through the walls to find a warm spot. You'll get to be warm all the time. And I can get some work done without feeling like I'm going to kick a whole in the wall.

Because while it really bothers me to hear you, it would bother me even more to see you.

Oh - and please stay out of the dog food in the garage. It really freaks Evan out when he has to feed the dogs.

Thoughts for a Blah Monday

Anyone out there know whether there's a pattern for creating a Wordle cross-stitch?

The recycle company missed picking up my neighbor's recycle can last Thursday. They're out there right now emptying it. Something didn't make it in the truck, and the driver hopped out to pick it up. It's raining and 34 degrees, and he's wearing shorts and a t-shirt! Guess he didn't pay attention to the forecast...

I was completely quilt productive this weekend. I finished 1 quilt (sandwiched, tied, and bound), pieced the top and sandwiched another, pieced a table runner and a square with the last of the fabric from the 2nd quilt and table runner.

My SIL asked me where I find quilt patterns. I told her that I typically wake up with one on my mind. Other times they appear in doodles while I'm on conference calls. Most of the time though, they end up being drawn in the fogged shower glass while I'm just standing under the warm streams of water. Jon's going to love it when he hears that. 

Funny thing is that Griff must pay attention to what the shower stall looks like when he comes to sit in the warm, humidified bathroom once I'm all dried, lotioned, and dressed. I noticed that he's been drawing patterns on the shower glass too. I love that boy.

Evan asked me if I'd take him to the symphony. He said he only gets to go on field trips, and he would like to go another time. I love that boy.

Carson smiled at me from the bottom of the stairs when I walked out into the hall to mumble good bye to him this morning. I wish I'd hugged him. I'll do it as soon as he gets home today. I love that boy.

Jon and I enjoy sleeping under our down comforter with a window open. I didn't love the down comforter when we first go it, but Jon was persistent in asking when we could put it on the bed. Now I'm anxious for nights to get cold enough for it - heck I'll even put it on when it's not cool enough and just cover one leg. Jon wraps up in it with his - wait for it - seven pillows (seriously - 7 - I just went and counted). Guess what - I love that boy.

Happy Rainy, Cold Monday.