Blog Posts

This has been something that's annoyed me ever since I started writing my blog. There are people in the goerie.com blog site that don't update their blogs for months. I feel that you shouldn't take up the space if you're not going to keep up with it. That might not be accurate about the space thing but I'm sure others will not bother checking your blog if it's not updated. There are so many sports and specialized blogs such as Tall Ships, etc. that I think someone should have made them broaden their subject a tad so they could do more with it. Some of them have said at the beginning that they would write on weekdays only and take weekends off. I get the impression that it is more of a job to some. Others, I realize, are busy and this is just one more thing they've gotten themselves into. All that said, it only takes a couple minutes, you're writers anyway, and it shouldn't be that big of a deal to blurt out a few sentences about anything just to keep us informed. Maybe I'm too critical but that's the way I feel. Me, I'm looking forward to my 100th blog post coming up in a couple days. Stay tuned.

Craft Supplies

I'm feeling overwhelmed by all my craft supplies. I did make a dent in it over the holidays and I certainly have more ideas but it all seems like a bottomless pit. I started last summer in getting rid of some books and magazines related to crafts. I sorted through every book and decided what I honestly thought I would make. If it didn't make the cut, it was out. Then this spring I got rid of more through the garage sales which made a little money, hopefully not for more craft supplies. I still find myself now with a ton of pictures that need to be scrapbooked and 3 full bins - one full bin each of material, yarn and crochet thread. I know what I want to do with most of it, it's just a matter of time. All this stuff can't be relocated to the cabin - that's the bottom line so I either use of lose it. So what I did last night was pull out all the baby yarn. I found some more purple (I must have torn something else out) and I'll make another blankey for Audrey as that might be the last of it. Then with the rest I will make another baby blanket to put away for who knows who. The thing about crocheting is that I can do it even while I'm engrossed in another project such as scrapbooking. It sits with me in the living room as I'm watching TV. I've also been looking for another scrap afghan project to use up the rest of the yarn. This is a tough one because I usually don't make a pattern twice and there aren't a lot of patterns that I like. I know that unless I find one that I can work with, I'll give up on this before it's done. I remember my smart goal blog and the timely part and I want to say Easter for that yarn bin to be empty. Then I will use the bin to store my completed items. That seems like a plan and now it's in print for everyone to see.

After Christmas Sales

As strange as it may seem, by the time Christmas is over I am so done with shopping that I don't even want to look at another ad or go to a store. Then I start thinking about all the Christmas stuff that's on sale, especially at Target, where I've gone before. However the last couple of years I haven't even been interested in the Christmas stuff. I had to buy rolls of wrapping paper so I'm good with that and I picked up Christmas cards at Ollie's this fall so I'm stocked for next year. The only thing I've considered going shopping for this week is a new pair of winter boots for myself and maybe a few things at JoAnn's (I will try and resist this urge). I'm really itchin to start some new projects so maybe I'll do some research and gets some good ideas. Otherwise I think this week will be spent eating the leftover foods, nibbling at some goodies, finishing a couple things for the next leg of Christmas travels and getting myself prepped for the New Year.

Merry Christmas

Well, this is my first Christmas Day blog. It is nice to have the girls home overnight and they seemed to like their gifts. We found out that my younger daughter knew about the t-shirt quilt I was making so I hid that in the bedroom until we were all done with the other presents. I still wanted it to be a surprise. I think she liked it and I certainly enjoyed making it. I'm already thinking about what to make for next Christmas. In the oven I have a prime rib cooking and it is starting to smell really good. I'm keeping it simple beyond that but I am making a winter fruit salad that I saw in a magazine. We're used to the summer ones when everything is in season but tend to forget that there's fruit we can use now. Pineapples were .99 apiece at Aldi's so I put that and canned mandarin oranges, kiwi and maraschino cherries in the salad. It smells wonderful. My cookies and candy are going over pretty well - more than enough to constitute dessert - however I did take a key lime pie out of the freezer. We'll just be relaxing after dinner and taking in a movie. You'd be amazed at how many other people have the same idea. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Christmas Cookie Marathon

I just finished my annual Christmas cookie marathon which this time also includes candy. There were some new ones on the list this year that I hope are good. Also a suggestion from my husband about putting orange extract in the sugar cookies. It tastes pretty good but my attempt at saving some time and doing slice and bake sugar cookies didn't hit the mark in my opinion. My slice and bake always turn out misshapen. A new one called Coconut Tea Cookies turned out good and very delicate. I was a little disappointed in my truffles this year but I did make the orange for the first time. It hardened up a little too quick so the verdict is still out on those. I tried to continue my desire to use up some of my pantry stash with my cookies. The coconut is gone but I can't seem to get rid of that almond bark no matter how hard I try. I thought I'd give some to my daughter for her peanut butter balls, but by the time I asked her, she had already bought her own. I'm also trying to improve on things for next Christmas so my marathon doesn't need to take place 2 days before Christmas. Unfortunately, my freezer has been too full to store any cookies that were made ahead of time. I guess that's all something to work on for next year. Merry Christmas Eve!

Christmas Presents

There have been alot of articles in the paper lately about memories of Christmas's past so I'll share one of mine. I'm not sure how old I was or even if I still believed but one year I received a table and set of chairs for Christmas. It's always been a struggle for me and I'm sure the same was true for my mom, to keep everything a surprise until Christmas morning. That year it was my brother who found my gift in a little room off my parent's bedroom. This was an early edition of a walk-in closet, I'd say, and later on it would even become my brother's bedroom (but I digress). Anyway, when he found it, he shared his enthusiasm for his find with me. My parents overheard the conversation and quickly went upstairs and moved it. As my brother took me up to see it, it was no where to be found. Of course, I was very upset with him and thought he was just teasing me and being mean. He was dumbfounded! He was certain he had seen it. I can't remember the reaction on Christmas morning when it appeared again or if I got an "I told you so" from my brother. I think hiding presents has to be the hardest thing for a parent. Every time I thought I had a good spot, the kids would see something and I'd have to start all over again. Some years I would keep them in my trunk, but that didn't work well with the station wagon. A few years ago I decided enough is enough and as I bought the gifts I would put them under the tree. That met with much resistance from my older daughter who still wanted everything put out late Christmas Eve. I should have taken some advice from someone at work who said her daughter-in-law saved one big gift from Santa for Christmas morning and the rest were wrapped, put under the tree and were tagged from the parents. That would have saved me alot of hassle over the years.

The Christmas Re-gift

We've all done it so let's be honest. Usually it doesn't happen with good friends or family but there have been times when I'm getting gifts that I know are more of an obligation and sometimes I pass them on. I believe there are some rules involved like not giving it to someone who might know the original giver and having a quick come-back if asked where I got it, so we need to be careful. I've found myself, this year more than ever, trying to use up things and not necessarily re-gift. If I don't have any use for something and I know someone else might then it's re-gift time (plus a little candy). Of course, some gifts have too much meaning such as many of the gifts I got from preschool. I can never get rid of anything that is personalized even if it sits in my ornament box Christmas after Christmas. That's one thing I learned about gifts this year - if you put their name on it, they'll have it forever!