Christmas hat ornament craft

I saw a cute ornament idea so tried it. First cut a section off a toilet paper roll.

Then cut yarn strips. How many and how long will depend on the size you cut your toilet paper roll I had to experiment for a few minutes.

Loop your yarn around the cardboard.

Pull yarn through the loop and snug or up.

Continue this process by tightening the loop and sliding it against the next one until you have the ring full.

Once you have it all. All the loops into the middle and pull out and straighten up. Tie it off and then trim the top to make a pom pom.

Blessings

As I sit here and think about all the blessings God bestows on us daily, I realize a lot of us don't even know what a blessing is when we do receive one. We just take them for granted. We say things like "good karma" or "county my lucky stars" or something similar. This past week, I have received many blessings in small ways. Yet each one was a shot in the arm that filled me up and made me thankful for what the Lord has done for me. 

I thank Him daily for so many things we so often take for granted.... 

A loving family to support us when so many in the world are all alone with no one to care about them. I have so many friends that I can really truly call friends. Those who are there for me when I need them. 

A comfortable home with a bed to lay our head down at night when many will be laying on the cold ground with a piece of clothing wadded up for a pillow

We whine when we can't decide what's for dinner because there are SO MANY choices in our pantry while an old man stands alone in an old alley digging through rubbish for some scrap of food to appease the gnawing hunger he lives with every day.

We fuss at our kids for being so rowdy when a little girl is huddled in a corner trying to be quiet while her mommy drowns her sorrow in a bottle. 

We give a quick hug or kiss to a loved one without even thinking about it while there are those who haven't felt a kind touch or a friendly smile in years.

Do we really realize how blessed we are? Do we reach out to others to ease their pain or share their load? Or do we simply put a few pennies in a donation plate somewhere and assume somebody else will take care of them. 

If I could, I would gather all the lonely, the brokenhearted, the homeless, the unloved and gather them in my arms with a great big hug and tell them I care. 

A busy Monday

I am  not sure where I got my energy yesterday, but wow what a day. I got up and threw on the first load of laundry, cleaned house, scrubbed linoleum (on my hands and needs for a deeper cleaning), empty out storage sections of my coffee table and end tables, dried and folded laundry, washed my throw rugs, went to a friends for 2 1/2 hours to help her go through her "stuff" she is downsizing, went to the store, hurried home for guys to pick up the tables I cleaned out because I sold them, moved furniture around a little, got my big box of pictures out and started a sorting process that is going to take days, took a long hot bubble bath, made tacos for my supper, had a snack and went to bed and read on my book awhile. And I did all this between 8:00 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. What a day.

But on a happy note, I did get some good buys when I went to my friends house. She has tons of stuff for sale and we were trying to figure the best way to sell things. Apparently, inviting me over was the first step because I couldn't resist. I got this Glasbake divided veggie dish.

I couldn't believe she had it. I have been looking for this with the mushroom pattern for about two years. 

I have also wanted a little red ladder to lean against my tree for Edgar my elf to climb on. Dad made me one just like this when I was in my early 20's. Over the years it got broke in storage and I was so upset. Been looking for a replacement for years. 

Check out this huge baking dish. It is oven safe up to 350 degrees or could be used for serving. I fell in love with it. It is from Country Living. I think on the next cool day I am off, I will fix beef stew slowly in it in the oven.

She has a bazillion pieces of Tupperware. I got me a 1 quart water pitcher. It all looks brand new. She had taken great care of it.

And I found this little donkey tray. Mom had one when we were little and I always loved it.

Once the guys picked up the tables I sold, I moved some little side tables around and fixed up the living room. I have so much floor space that I love it. I want to eventually replace the big bulky table and end tables with something smaller and more modern. The one I had were over 25 years old and solid oak with big cabinets under them. Way too much bulk in such a small area. I am ordering gray slip covers. The furniture is in great shape but I am so over the floral. I can't wait to redo the whole living room. I am also going with drapes instead of just valences. But here is what I have for now.

As you can imagine with all I accomplished yesterday, I was exhausted when I went to bed. This is how I felt this morning.

Now to see what I can accomplish today.

Happy birthday, Lori Beth

A very special birthday wish going out to my niece, Lori Beth. She turns the big 40 today! I haven't seen her in a year or more. But I get to see her this weekend and I am super excited. 

She is second from the left. This pic is (L-R) my niece Amy, niece Lori Beth, daughter Diana, nephew Jake, and niece Cindi. 

Lori (right) and my daughter Diana.

Not sure how or when this crazy child ended up being 40. Have a happy birthday, Lori Beth.

Sunday songs

I went back in time to some of my old time favorites for today's Sunday Songs. Take my Hand, Precious Lord is my old time fave that I used to sing in front of the church solo.

This and That

Just catching up on a few things. I am redoing the living room this fall in gray and navy with some pops of red. I may put some plaid pillows on the couch. I saw these I liked.

They have the softest blankets ever at Walmart. They fit a full or queen bed. 

Since they will be under my quilted bedspread, they don't have to match my bedroom. And that is good because I really love this one. 

I picked up a couple of salt and pepper shakers for Halloween from Cracker Barrell. I have a set of pumpkins for fall, a set of turkeys for Thanksgiving and now these for Halloween. 

Now to watch for Christmas ones to come out. 

The Power of Faith

In 2011, I did some research on FAITH. I found out several things about this topic. A lot of people like to believe they have faith; but when it comes down to it, they are reluctant to actually call it that. They will talk about overcoming adversity. They will say they had faith that God would pull them through, but then they like to list the reasons they were able to fight their battle and win and leave out any glory to God.

I worked for a publishing company that interviewed 100's of successful business people over the years for a ten-volume book series they were doing. The last question of every interview was "Does faith play an important part in your life?"

The answers amazed me. Every single person interviewed gave a beautiful, eloquent answer on how important faith was to them. Yet, only one lady was ever brave enough to talk about her faith in God. All the others, even ones who were Christians, discussed faith in themselves, the faith their parents placed in them, faith in hard work, faith in success. But they were all too afraid of offending their readers to actually have it put in print that they were a success because of their faith in God.

Have we become a nation so ashamed of our God that we cannot give Him the glory for what we are? Why is it so easy to talk among other Christians and share our testimony of our deep-rooted belief and faith in God, yet be leery of discussing it with the secular world for fear we may not be politically correct.

It saddens me to think that we feel like we cannot shout it to the roof tops that faith works miracles. I squeeze every possible minute of happiness that I can out of life. The first and foremost reason I am able to do this is faith. I do not have a perfect life and I am not a perfect person. My faith has been tested many times over the years, but none so much as when I lost my husband of 34 years and three months later lost my job. But Faith in my God has gotten me through it all. 

 If you place your trust in God and leave your worries and cares in His hands, you would have so much more joy in your life. Does that mean I never worry? No, it doesn't. It just means that I'm allowed to keep it in perspective. Faith provides us with a positive mental attitude to face the challenges we face and still keep sane.

I saw a quote the other day that I really like:

"A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul. - Author Unknown

This is so true. There is nothing in the world that can compare to the peace, contentment, happiness and joy that will come into your life when you exhibit pure faith in the Lord. Thanks be to God that we can believe He will handle our problems, we have hope that a brighter day is ahead. But if we do NOT have a firm foundation of faith behind that belief and behind that hope, it is simply wishful thinking.

Button, button. Who's got the button?

Thanks to a dear friend I am the one with the buttons. Check out the stash of old buttons he gave me. These had belonged to his Mother and he didn't want them any more. 

I'm excited to use some of them. Here are some crafts that I like that were using buttons. 

Fall is getting closer..

I love fall. By mid August I am completely over summer and ready for fall to start.

I am not as bad as some people but this does describe some of my friends and family. My own daughter is the queen of fall decor.

Pumpkin Spice is everywhere.

My friends are posting on Facebook that as soon as Starbucks starts with the pumpkin spice lattes they are going to decorate.

I am getting excited about decorating because fall and winter are my favorite times of the year. Everybody got me so excited that yesterday I broke protocol and put out two little things for fall. After all it is my house; my rules. And nobody hardly comes over to see my house anyway. And those that do would already know I march to my own beat. 

I'll admit it felt good.

Retirement Rules

I saw this today on Facebook. A lot of people were commenting on it and saying things like "I can't wait to retire." or "Just 2 more years and this will be me." Upon closer inspection of the list, I got to thinking. Hey, this is me NOW! Why do we think we have to wait to retire to do things? Why can't this be a list for life and how to enjoy it. So I am going to comment on each item on the list and how I fulfill it at this point in my life and still manage to work 40+  hours a week. 

The wake up smiling is easy. I try to get a good night sleep every night. Then when I wake up, I stretch and let myself lay there a few minutes before I get up. Of course, I am blessed because I'm a morning person and always wake up fully awake. I never even set an alarm unless I have to be somewhere before 8:00 a.m. If you can't wake up smiling, try to think of something that made you smile lately. For me it was a lady walking her horse down the streets of Pigeon Forge. Oh the humor around us!

Go for a walk. I have spent many mornings take a leisurely walk early in the morning hours or shortly before the sun starts to set. I put my ear buds in and list to music from my phone and walk about an hour or so. It is so relaxing and really helps with weight control.

Read a book. Since I post every time I go to McKay's to do a book exchange, I guess you have concluded I read a lot. There is not one single day in my life that I am not reading. Sometimes I will read for an hour or so and sometimes I will read from evening till the wee hours of the morning. It all depends on the book and what else I have going on.  

Travel the world. Obviously, with working a full time job I can't travel the world. And I really have no desire to travel the world. Although, I do like to travel for quick trips. I did fly for the first time this year when I went to Miami. Next year, I want to fly to New England in the fall. And sometime I plan to think about going to see the Grand Tetons in Wyoming.  Not sure I want to fly that far just yet but it is something to consider. I'm planning a trip soon to Nashville, TN. So see you can still travel the world even if it is only 3 hours from home.

Make memories. This is something I do constantly. That's one reason I blog. I have a place to share my memories and record them. I have tons of photos from all the things I do with family and friends and even things I do by myself. I like to squeeze as much joy from my life as I can.

Take naps. I do this once in a blue moon. I'm just not a nap taker. But I do like to sit in front of a warm fire on cold winter nights and just relax. When I take a nap it is because I make the mistake of laying on my couch which is extremely comfortable. It is hard not to fall asleep when you are on it.

Visit family and friends. This one is a hard one. My family has busy lives and we don't get together as much as I would like. This summer my schedule got changed due to staff changes and I haven't had the time off with the Grands that I wanted to have. But I did get to do several special things with them and have them over some this summer. Colby has been in sports most of the summer and my days off ended up a lot on the weekend when he was traveling for ball. I didn't do much with friends over the summer either. But for the next couple of weeks, we are in our off season and I am not working as much. So Friday, I went shopping and out to lunch with my friend Sherrie. Sunday I had to work, but I have several of my senior friends who decided to go with me to Shoney's for the Senior Buffet special after work. Yesterday, I hung out most of the day and went to out to eat with my friend Aaron. Today, I am meeting my friend Catherine at Cracker Barrel for lunch before I have to go to work. And recently when I went to the Stampede on my day off for Shelby's birthday, I got to visit with my friend Sharon for awhile. So even though it comes in spurts I do still get to visit with family and friends.

And last but definitely not least....BE GRATEFUL FOR THE DAY! I am one of those Pollyanna type people who find happiness in the simplest things. I recently went to Dollywood with my grandchildren, Alexis and Colby. We had a wonderful day. Alexis stopped to look at some hats in a shop and I realized it had Steampunk themed items for sale. I have recently come to love Steampunk stuff. All the cogs and gears fascinate me. I saw this shirt in that shop and I fell in love with it. So I bought it. See? Just some little something can make you happy and bring you joy. So be grateful for each day you have. If you really want to enjoy your life, don't wait for retirement or any milestone. Simply take the time to do things you like and find joy in every moment.

Mish Mash Monday

I was web surfacing the other day and found the Happy Planner I want for 2020. First year I had the Big Size. Last year I had the Classic. I liked the Classic better but it was hard to take with me everywhere. This year I am going to try the mini.

I love Disney's Descendant's movies. The third one just came out on DVD and I went and purchased it the other day. It is my favorite of all three of them. 

There is one song they sing at the end that says....

I see you (you see me)
Imperfect (perfectly)
Face to face 
We can see clearly our similarities...

We will never be perfect, but I love that it is okay to rejoice in the fact that we are imperfect. So I went in search of a t-shirt with the words Perfectly Imperfect. Found this sweatshirt that I loved. 

And there was also a t-shirt. I may put both of these on my wish list. 

For a little humor today, I thought I would close with this.