Homemade Gifts

I was recently inspired by a friend's Facebook status update to buy homemade gifts for the holidays.  Specifically from Etsy.  As this friend is an artist and sells some of her stuff on Etsy she is fond of the artist community that exists on Etsy.  Another girl I went to High School with sells her wares on Etsy as well.  She is a wonderful artist who combines painting and photography into her portraits.  They really are wonderful.  Check it out...

Every year I say, 'I am going to make all my Christmas gifts next year' and then I end up giving only one or two homemade items, or sometimes none at all.  This year, I am afraid it might be none at all, as it's going to be December 1st tomorrow and I got nothing!  So, I did peruse Etsy and have already found some delightful stuff.  I ordered an item or two and will let you know when it arrives if it looks as good in person as it did online!

So, as we rush out to the stores to get prefabricated gifts made in China, let's stop a minute and think about homemade gifts.  Last year my sister-in-law gave us all a loaf of delicious bread.  I can't remember what it was called, but I do remember the chocolate chips!  mmmm...  It was one of the best gifts I got.  We had it for breakfast Christmas morning.  So, if you think, well, it's not like I can give everyone a loaf of banana bread, uh, YES YOU CAN!!  Bake em, freeze em, stick a bow on em and then hand em out!

mmmmm...who wouldn't want a piece of that?!??

So, get your creative juices flowing, or take a look at Etsy to check out other people's creative juices.  Or, one more thing, challenge yourself to check where the items you are buying are made.  Buy it if it says, ' Made in the USA.'

Good luck!!

Illness

Illness has been making its rounds in our house.

My daughter was sick with a high fever and had to miss a day or two of school.  This made her very upset and subsequently very angry with me.  She said she was NOT SICK and that I MADE her stay home from school.  That's just the kind of evil mother I am....you like school so much?  Well, in that case, you can't go!!  You have to stay home!!  bwah ha ha ha ha...

ahem.

My son contracted strep throat and then kindly passed it on to me for Thanksgiving.

Then my dog (I am guessing this is how the story goes) brought a tick into the house and the next morning I pulled it out of my leg.  A bulls-eye instantly appeared, so it appears I have Lyme Disease as well.

Woe is me
Alas Alack
boo hoo hoo
wee wee wee all the way home

Anyhoo, as it is easy to get down in the dumps when one bad thing happens after another I try to focus on the positive.  I got a nice kick in the pants when I took my son to the doctor's office to be tested for strep and a young mother was there with a toddler and a 2 month old baby who was sick.  I heard the receptionist say to her (as we were leaving) 'you don't have any health insurance right now?' and the young mother shook her head no.  I walked outside and thanked my lucky stars and the God who made them that my family and I had health insurance.  Thankful that my husband is still employed in this economy when so many people are not.  It is so easy to forget this since millions of catalogs are coming in the mail asking you to buy this that and the other.  Sales flyers promoting this that and the other for Black Friday.  And then you see a young mother with a sick baby lying on her shoulder and realize things aren't always what the talking heads are saying.  There may be an upturn for some people, but there are still millions of people who will not feel that upturn for a long time, if ever.

So, I am thankful that I have health insurance, even if I have to be sick to remember to be thankful.  I am thankful that I contracted strep throat, even it was painful when I woke up Thanksgiving morning.

I mean every swallow burned.  
Did you hear me??  It burned!!  

The on-call doctor called in some antibiotics for me and I am thankful for that because when I realized the bulls-eye rash the antibiotics were already working through my system and started sweeping that lymes right out the door.

Apparently, everything does happen for a reason!  

Secretariat

I recently saw the movie Secretariat with my children.

It was wonderful.

Magical.

I highly recommend it.

There is a chance I cried for the entire length of the movie.
I neither confirm nor deny whether or not I did or did not.

(aren't you glad election season is over and we don't have to listen to or watch those ridiculous commercials any more??  gee zoo...)

Now listen, I know I have a special affinity for horses so I am sure that played into my love for the movie, but it really was wonderful.  I aint lyin' people.

You are rooting for the owner (a woman in a man's world); you are rooting for the horse; you are rooting for the trainer; you are rooting for the jockey.  It's just a feel-good movie.

Although, it made me thankful that I was not a housewife in the 70's.
But, enough about that.

Get thee to the cinema!

Penny Tweedy with Big Red (Secretariat)

An Extra Hour

will get you a nice sleep

will allow your children to wake up happy and rested

will get you a freshly mown lawn

a relaxing breakfast

all of this before noon

the day is still young

love me an extra hour

thank you daylight savings

you have definitely saved my day

Right Now

I am battling an addiction to the Sudoku app I downloaded.

Even my photos are being affected.  Don't worry, you're not sea-sick.  I just can't play Sudoku and take a straight photo at the same time.  Soon, one passion will win...

Send help~

Thank you, Kate!

Well, I had a great time participating in the US & OZ photography series.  Thanks so much, Kate, for doing this with me.  I would love to do it again in December.  I hope you are available!!

I loved all the photographs, but I think my favorite OZ photos were from Day 1 and Day 2.  What can I say?  I love photographs of flora and foliage.

What do you think?  Which ones were your favorites?