Saturday, December 27, 2008

Quiet Book


This quiet book went off to my good friend's little girl in time for Christmas--but just barely. There are pages for purple, red, yellow, blue, black, orange, green, and pink, and about half of them had some type of interactive--like the goldfish come out of the bowl.

Check Shelley Wallace's Etsy shop for the pattern and more pics.

I loved the final product, but my goodness those pieces were tiny. It took me a lot longer to finish than I thought it would.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Finishing Projects


I finished up this cross stitch a couple of days ago. Yeah, you're reading the date right....I am only four years behind on this one.

Being Truly Thankful

Every day I make a point to say "thank you" for all of the wonderful things and people in my life.

This morning I was overwhelmed in reading this article in our local paper about 700+ families in the local area who had NOTHING for their kids this Christmas.

One of my favorite things to do every Christmas is to shop for gifts off of the angel tree at church. I had a terrible time this year finding the specific toys requested. In some cases, I drove around to four or five stores to find the right thing.

My irritation at finding the presents seems so silly now.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Holiday House Tour

We went on the Holiday House Tour of Winchester, VA today. We saw the public rooms of six historic houses, including the bedroom were Daniel Morgan died. Cold wind about blew us away, but it was neat to see the inside of the houses we have passed by so many times.

It was interesting to see how the people furnished and decorated the spaces.

Most, if not all of them, had:
  • a grandfather clock
  • smallish kitchens
  • furniture of all styles and periods mixed together
  • a print--A View of Winchester
  • formal dining rooms
  • original paintings
  • beautiful drapes
It struck me how understated many of the houses were. "Old money" vs the ostentatious display of new wealth.

The houses were also filled with items of meaning--things the owners had clearly picked because they loved them, and they were interesting items even though, in many cases, they didn't match.

Food for thought as I look around our house.

Fill your house and life with people and things you love and bring you joy and have meaning--get rid of the rest.

Now off to the storage room....