Merry Christmas from My House to Yours

Wishing you and your loved ones and friends, the very best of the season.

Buttons and Blankets

Two days in a row I made it to the local goodwill just after they closed. I was laden with heavy items that I carried several blocks to donate so fortunately the clerk let me in both nights. The first night I was there just after 5 p.m. and she had a customer. I refused to leave so she finally took my bags *smile. The second night, I made sure I got there a half hour before closing, only to find a note on the door that said "Closed early for Christmas Party". This time there were several customers in the shop so the clerk readily took my donations. Whew!

It is very cold here and so one doesn't want to venture too far. Instead it is good to savour some hot tea or coffee and try to keep warm. I continue trying to find a place for, and organize things, as I go along.

Not so long ago, I purchased two of those very large bags for vacuum packing bulky belongings. I managed to pack away 4 large cushions in one and several sheets and pillow cases in another. It still takes up a lot of space but perhaps now it can go in my chest (Yah! it does. I managed to squish this wide bag into my cedar blanket chest. The cushions I'll have to store in my closet until I replace the covers; a project with unspecified time line.

Another organizing project that didn't take so long was taking a very large bag of assorted buttons which I had purchased years ago and sorting them by colour. It seems they fall into several colours: white/creams, black, blue, gold and silver. They are so pretty that I just like looking at them. I no doubt have more buttons in these colours than I will ever need for sewing. Some day I will have to come up with a project to embellish with buttons and if not, I can gift them to someone who will put them to good use.

Christmas Bell

The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
The LORD turn His face toward you
And give you peace...

Numbers 6:24-26

This Year's Cards

I got the idea to post my Christmas cards for the year from Mary-Laure over at Aurea. I love these cards because they resemble home-made (the Christmas baubles are three dimensional). I am never organized enough to make my own cards as I have to do shopping and Christmas preparations, not only for my household but for my mom's as well.

I usually have a selection of 4 or 5 different types of Christmas cards to send each year. I managed to get a photo of this one before I post it tomorrow. I don't have photos of the other cards as they have already been posted. What cards are you sending?

Decorating ~ Tis the Season

Stockings are set out by the fireplace for those surprise presents Santa always brings. Truthfully, I haven't been a stocking stuffer recipient since childhood. I just like looking at the stockings on the mantle.


My little tree has stood in for Christmas tree duty now for several years. I bought it because I thought it would be quicker to decorate each year and also, it saves on buying and throwing away trees. The tree is not so big but it does have full some boughs so it carries quite a lot of decorations.

Some years I don't trim the tree in lights at all. Some years, I use multi-coloured lights. Mostly, I like clear lights.

I thought I would go for a gold theme this year but when I finished, I saw that the gold bulbs looked too large for my little tree. I removed them and started the decorating anew.

Here is the little tree after I added white stars and red sparkling bulbs.

Now here is the little tree with the lights on.

I usually keep my holiday decor quite simple. I add some red, glittering bells to my door, instead of a wreath and I often adorn the fireplace mantle with holly and red berries. Some years, I don't decorate at all. I do like to look at glittering things, so I decorate as often as I can. I don't bother with lights and tinsel around the walls and windows.

This year I added a beautiful red skirt to the tree. I tried to add a metal star but that only fell over, lol, so back to the trusted angel on top. There is a way to light her up too but I don't like to fiddle with the electrical wiring and I think she looks fine just as she is.

Now that my decorating is done, I can get on to other things like preparing for and discussing with the Missions of Hope leader, Pastor Jonah, what we should do for Christmas celebrations in the village. I am excited. This year, I launched my Etsy shop and am raising funds to help the villagers. The first project is to provide some jiko stoves and a Christmas party. If you can help, I'd love to have you stop by my shop. If you want to help but don't want a photo or a disciple cross, please contact me and we can discuss. Looking forward to hearing from you.