Frosty the Pumpkin

Gotta love Blogland where when you have a question, you often get an answer. Case in point...my question yesterday about what to do with a leftover lumina pumpkin. Dawn provided the answer in comments. I followed through. Voilà! Frosty the Pumpkin was born.

I hope that this amuses the grandchildren. The oldest could never figure out why I kept a plain old pumpkin hanging around without a face. Now I've remedied that.

Oh, remember when I was asking about what to do with begging dogs? Vickie came up with the working answer to that one ...we locked Molly in the car. It worked like a charm. She took a lovely nap in her snuggly bed and we had some peace and quiet all through Thanksgiving dinner.

So go ahead...ask! You'll probably get some answers.

A happy weekend to you!

Seeing Stars

We finally got down to it around three in the afternoon. By nine last evening, we were still involved. I'm not sure how John found a spot at the table this morning to have his coffee and read the paper, but that is where I found him. (Why, yes! That is a leftover Thanksgiving pumpkin. Whatever am I going to do with it?)

I first spoke of this sweet and easy project last year on *this post.* If interested, you'll find everything there that you need to know.  I spoke then of the possibility of using old Christmas cards and that's just what we did. We tried a few other star patterns, but we are challenged by much beyond simple cutting and pasting. I'm working on overcoming one I found too complicated yesterday afternoon by this morning's light. I'll let you know.

I am avoiding all blogs that announce the countdown to Christmas. Yes, that should go a long way toward maintaining calm and equilibrium. :D

Enjoy your Friday...

My Daughter's Hat

Okay, this is the scoop: If you're a member of any blogger's family, you must be willing from time to time to become blog fodder. Now I know that there are a few exceptions to this because some of you respect your family members so much that you would never subject them to the rigors of repeated photos and efforts to get just the right angle and whatever.it.is.that.control.freak.bloggers.such.as.I.with.camera.in.hand.wish.to.do.with.my.subject.

For some time, my daughter and I have been waiting to show what I did with the Anthropologie gift certificate won awhile ago at Penny's The Comforts of Home. (Have you seen Penny's new header?) I gave it to my daughter who ordered two caps...one fit; one didn't. It takes time to make the switch, but the new cap came in this week. I begged her to come and show me—photo op. I twisted her arm just a titch. She was pretty okay with it despite a long day at the office, but by the last row there...not so much. And by the last photo ... if looks could kill!

My daughter, she's an "L," loves both her hats and says that this one is very nice and warm and is going to complement all of her winter coats. Perfect! (And when I catch her wearing the other one...)

Have a great Thursday! (Today is craft day at my house starting in about an hour. I'll be catching up with all of you later.)

Tote Bag Gift

My mother is such a Keeper of Christmas that I have often used her November birthday to gift her with items that she can use at Christmas time. When the good folks at Simply-Bags contacted me a week or so before my mother's birthday asking me to write a review in exchange for this bag, I jumped at the opportunity.

It's a beautiful, quilted *red velvet tote* that can be used either as a large purse or a tote. Let me show you why...

As a tote...

Tote Cinched

(Please forgive the quality of the photos...raining here today.)

My mom is an "M" and she's also my "mom" so that "M" really works. (One gets to choose her own monogram when ordering.) There is an inner zippered pocket on the side and also an attached zippered change purse. (I'd be tempted to use that for my keys, which are always getting lost in the bottom of my bag.) The tote is lightweight so when it is filled it is not much heavier than the contents. This works perfectly for my mother who has RA and has been using heavy canvas bags as totes in the past. She's finding this one much easier on her hands.

This is truly a beautiful tote and I thank the folks at Simply-Bags. You can find them on my sidebar under Personalized Tote Bags for future reference or just follow the highlighted links above. Take a look, I'm sure that you'll like what you see.

Happy first of December!

The Tree and An Early Gift

It's so much fun reading comments. I'd never bother to write another post if I could just guarantee reading comments. Many times I cry when reading them. Yes, I'm weird that way. On the other hand, when I read Lea's comment on my Monday Mosaic post, "are you saying your tree is only three feet tall?" I burst out laughing. Why have I gone this mini-tree route when I am only a sweet young'un not even having reached my sixtieth year? It's all about the lack of space. If I put up a full-sized tree, I lose seating space in our living area and I can't afford to lose any seating space when this is the home where my family gathers. This way I can comfortably seat eight; I can uncomfortably seat fifteen. ;>

An early gift came from my dear friend Miss Sandy@ Quill Cottage. I nearly keeled over seeing the book she sent and the materials that I can use to make some of the projects. Such a thoughtful thing to do! Keep your eyes on Quill Cottage as Miss Sandy loves to share Christmas crafts with her readers. She's already been busy! Thank you so very much, Sandy. You bless my soul.

November 30 and I have reached the end of my commitment to the Giving Thanks Challenge. It became a gift to me (thank you, *Leah*! ) very early on. Some days were such a struggle that I found it difficult to think of anything positive. It's a very good thing when one must examine gratitude. God's gifts abound especially in those tough days. All we have to do is look for them. Today I am grateful for a living hope: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable...reserved in heaven for you. I Peter 1:3–4 

Stay tuned tomorrow when I share another gift from a completely different source based on my review thereof... It's pretty. It's red. It looks like Christmas.

Edited to Add: My daughter just walked up to this tree that I have had since 1995 and asked if it were real. No, it is as fake as fake can be. It is a 6.5 foot tree, but thankfully it comes in sections so I didn't even need John to cut the trunk. I just used the top section.

Mosaic Monday~Hodge-Podge Christmas Decorating

This week marked the first snow of the season, which has helped to set the mood. I've been puttering with Christmas decorations. Something here; something there; nothing pulled together. I included the little graphic (from my own collection) because it so perfectly represents the size of my tree this year. Why, you might be tempted to think that I am growing old!

Join Mary at Little Red House for more mosaics. They're always a lot of fun. This week and next and next..., I'll be looking for ideas!

Prepare the Way

Checking the Lights

A voice of one calling:

In the wilderness prepare
the way for the LORD;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
~Isaiah 40: 3–5

It is wonderful to make our Christmas preparations a "preparing of the way." I am not John the Baptist, but I want to do the work he did. Every little thing from the checking of the lights to the topping of the tree can lift up Jesus. Blessings to you this Sunday!