Toss It Out!

Did you get one of these for Christmas?

Does any one give fruitcakes as Christmas gifts?

 

Why, yes, they do.

 

Hubs and I received a Sear's fruitcake via USPS from his brother and sister-in-law our first Christmas.  Sear's?  Really?  Can you find those next to the snow shovels and Ice Melt?  Hubs and I got a good laugh at our gift.  The fruitcake went into the freezer (I think they last forever without freezing!) and we sent it back to his brother and sister-in-law the next Christmas.  We've all heard stories of families passing the same fruitcake back and forth for decades.  It was a big disappointment when we didn't get the fruitcake back the following holiday.

 

 

This question begs to be asked.  What did they do with the fruitcake?  Maybe they still have it and are using it as a doorstop or bookends.  It might have kept them warm that winter if they used it as firewood.  Oh, I know!  That was the year Hub's brother was into working out.  Bet he used it as a free weight...

 

 

Or maybe they just waited until January 3, which is Fruitcake Toss Day.  Yes, the day when every one who received a fruitcake over the holidays gets the opportunity to toss it. Just be careful not to toss it AT some one.  Those thing could cause bodily injury.  And if you still have fruitcakes in laws mooching visiting, toss them out too!

 

Aftermas

That is my term for the days following Christmas.

We were some of the lucky ones to have a white Christmas...  Actually the snow didn't start falling until just about dusk Christmas Day.  By the time it stopped snowing here in the Carolina pines, we had about eight inches.

Today is the first day since Christmas that I am going to leave the house.  I am taking my Christmas cookie filled butt to the gym...

Move Over, Santa!

His list of all the good boys and girls may be long, but I'm thinking my list of things to do to prepare for the holiday is longer!

I still do not have my Christmas tree decorated!  Since most of the kids live away and their gifts need shipped,  I should have had four huge boxes at the post office this week so we do not have to spend $1,000,000 on postage.  But I'm still shopping!

 If you have kids - big or small - on your holiday shopping list, you have to make a video of Santa talking to them from Portable North Pole.  They will love it and want to watch it over and over again.  I took time out yesterday to make a message from Santa to one of the grandsons and will make one for the other tonight.  Be prepared with pictures so Santa can put them in his book for the message...

Have you heard of "Elf on a Shelf"?  Today was the first time I've heard of him.  You can check him out here.   I'm thinking I've got two little guys that may need their own elf.

With so much to do, I doubt I will be blogging over the next fifteen (FIFTEEN!  IS THAT ALL THE TIME I HAVE LEFT????) days...

Help Wanted

Must be able to cook, clean, bake, sew, decorate, wrap, stand in long lines at post office.

December 1 already???

Happy Thanksgiving

May your stuffing be tasty.
May your turkey plump.
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize.
And may your Thanksgiving dinner 

Stay off your thighs.

Stay off your thighs.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 234th Birthday America!

Please be safe in your celebrations of this great country we call home.

Happy Easter!

Enjoy hanging with your Peeps!

Finished ON Friday - Holiday Decorating...

...or maybe I should say Holiday UN-decorating.

It has been a real struggle for me this week. Last night I decided I just needed to push through the blue funk that has been surrounding me for the last couple of weeks. I decided that if I got the Christmas decorations put away, I would feel better.

This is what my dining room looked like this morning.

This is what it looks like now.

Where did all that stuff go? Back in the TEN plastic totes where they belong eleven months of the year. All of these totes are stuffed.

Please! Someone tell me they have as much, if not more Christmas decorations. Shortly after taking this picture, Hubs put his muscles to work and carried all these boxes to the garage. Some time next week, we will move them to the loft in the garage.

It was a beautiful day here today with lots of warm sunshine. I made sure to get outside to soak up some yellow light. It seems the blue has disappeared.

Have you managed to accomplish something this week - big or small? Tell us about it at "Finished for Friday" at Lit and Literature. Threeundertwo is our host and she has a new look. Check it out!

May you have a productive weekend!

Happy New Year 2000!

Remember when every one was worried about the havoc that would be caused when the new millennium would begin? Y2K. People were concerned that the Y2K bug would shut down everything.

Not me. I was only concerned with finding someone, anyone who would perform a wedding ceremony on that day. That is the day Hubs chose to marry me. I did find a minister and we have lived happily ever after.

Happy Anniversary, my love!


Happy 2010 to you, my blog reader! I hope the new year and the new decade are all that you want.

Finished for Friday - Some Christmas Stuff

Why is it no matter how early I start preparing for Christmas, the closer it gets the more I have to do?

Boogie made a visit last weekend. He and Papa went to get the Christmas tree and he helped decorate it.

We made and ate Rice Krispie Treats.


Then came Monday and a flare up of my lower back. The back is much better today thanks to nsaids, ice and heat.

Despite the back, I did complete the tree decorating Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday was spent decorating and cleaning the rest of the house.

I also got three packages put together and mailed this week. One was a new iPhone for the youngest daughter. Her Christmas present early. A package filled with ornaments went to daughter #3. She wanted all the ornaments she had made and collected over the years. The third package went to my girlfriends back home. They will be having our Christmas gathering on Sunday.

I have been a busy Bea in my studio these last months. These are not things I have finished this week, but I wanted to share them. I will not be letting any secrets out as none of these gifts will be going to friends and family that read my blog.

This is a quilted thread catcher. A pin cushion filled with sand rests on the table and holds the little basket. I made two of these; one for my mom and one for Hub's mom.

I made a handbag for one of my girlfriend's who celebrates a December birthday. I was so pleased with the way this turned out. Hope she likes it.

Below is one of the reusable shopping bags I made from fabric in my stash. The blue print was four yards I found at a flea market and paid $2. The red polka dot used for the pocket and lining was a damaged piece I found in a remnant basket.
Next is one of the crayon keepers I made for the grandsons. These were fun and fast to put together. Here it is all rolled up.

This is the back.

And the inside.

*You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

What's next? This weekend I need to wrap, wrap, wrap! Monday morning I want to be at the post office with huge boxes going to the grandson and kids in Milwaukee, the parents and kids in Kansas and the MIL in St. Louis. Last year everything had to be sent priority mail. Ouch! I am hoping to save some money this year by getting things shipped earlier.

My little Singer will be humming again this weekend as I have two more handbags to construct. Then next week I can get the last of my gifts for Hubs and start the cookie baking.

Are you beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel? Join threeundertwo and tell us what you have accomplished this week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

You're going to eat what???

Hello to all my blog buddies! So sorry I have been AWOL. I have been working my fingers to the bone in my studio making Christmas and birthday gifts but I think I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. All the wonderful gifts should be complete and ready to post in time for me to start baking all those holiday cookies.

Are you busy with the preparation for Thanksgiving? Are you hosting or guesting? Staying home or traveling? We will be going to Raleigh for the day. It has been two weeks since I have seen grandson and I am missing him terribly. His momma and I decided that since it was just the five of us for the day, we would not clean, cook, clean and then deal with leftovers. We have reservations at a fancy schmancy restaurant for our Thanksgiving meal.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and food. Travel safely!

I'm back! See you soon!