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!  

US & OZ: October 28, 2010

From OZ:

Australia likes to pretend that their economy is struggling just like the States...

but here is some proof. 

There are jobs here! Lots!

                                          -Kate

From US:

Finding a fuzzy caterpillar on an expedition.