The Reality of it all...

Christmas is coming...ready or not.

Some things are turning out well. I finally put up my Christmas village. It's been several years since I've had it up. I'm not sure why.

Unfortunately, however, my pointsetta got taken down to the church for the Christmas concert and was forgotten there. Apparently it was too cold for it. What a bummer.This is how it looks at the back door...constantly. But I guess that is OK...The reason it looks like this is because this is what it looks like outside...It's very pretty and a Christmas Wonderland...but I think we have enough for awhile. :)

This is what it looked like in my living room this morning. Fortunately, because I was able to have some time home alone today.... I was able to accomplish this:

I haven't posted about the Vintage Christmas Swap yet.

Here are some pictures of what I sent to Debbie at Ribbonwood Cottage.Here are two pictures of what she sent me. I love the "Let it Snow" plaque. It was a fun swap!! Getting lots of supplies for Christmas was great!
I also wanted to share part of an article with you. The following is an excerpt from something that Kevin Bauder wrote. (He is the president of a seminary in MN).

"As we marvel at the beauty and wonder of the Son of God, the lights and tinsel of the cultural Christmas become alien intrusions. This is not to say that they are bad in themselves or that we should not enjoy them as we experience the world at large. When we gather as Christians, however, our purpose in Christmas is to ponder and celebrate the incarnation of our Lord. At such moments, if we must think of a tree, let it be the one that was lifted up on Calvary. If we must ponder a wreath, let it be the one whose thorns pierced our Savior’s brow. If we must consider a gift, let it be the unspeakable gift of God’s own Son, deity robed in flesh, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, who for us men for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man."

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Christmas!!

The Christmas tree went up today!! There are two Rubbermaid totes of decorations sitting in the living room & the plan is to get everything decorated tomorrow!! Then, I will begin in earnest with some holiday cooking, baking, etc. My new grandson will be here in a week & we will be having Christmas with him & his parents then, so I only have a few days to get ready!!!! Tomorrow should be a great day to stay in and accomplish much. We are expecting anywhere from 6-12 inches of snow here in WI tomorrow. I'm not too excited about that, but it will make for a pretty Christmas!

My swap package for the Vintage Christmas swap has been sent. (I will post pictures when I am sure that Debbie has received it). I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my package from her.

He's Here!!

Lincoln Joseph

My first grandchild arrived on November 3rd!!! Mom (my daughter) & baby are doing great!

I just returned from spending a week with them. He is so sweet and a very good baby, too!!

Now it's time to prepare for the fast approaching holidays!!!

I just learned that my partner for the Vintage Holiday Swap is Debbie @ Ribbonwood Cottage. (Check out her blog) I'd best get working on that. :)

Hello!

Just dropping in...something I haven't done in quite some time! It seems that fall just blew by here...the days are still nice and warm, but the leaves all changed and fell so fast that I don't even have any pictures. Well, I have a few that are actually outdoors shots of my son for his Senior pics. He made me promise that I would not be circulating any of those online. Don't know how long I can keep that promise!! ;)

This is a recent picture of my nephew's baby girl. She is a doll. I just got a call from my daughter & the doctor says that she is ready to deliver any time now!! So, I'm doing some packing and looking forward to heading out to MI!!!

Swap Items Sent

Here's a little collage of some of the items that I sent to Laurie for the Artsy Autumn Swap.

Great Graphics

A few weeks ago I happened upon a huge rummage sale, with lots of "junk" to sift through. In a very nasty garage I found a stack of old magazines. They date from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Some are from the U.S., some from Sweden & France. One is from London, England during the time of WWI. The graphics are so fun!! The ads are hilarious and the prices are amazing...$750 for a new car! The articles are interesting...one of them is all about how to add fat to your diet if you need to gain weight - my, how times have changed!! :)

I'm not sure what exactly I will be doing with these, but they have already given me hours of entertainment!

Swap Items!!

I received my package from Laurie for the Artsy Autumn Swap. It was a fun swap, I love the fall colors. Look at some of the goodies I received...a glittery pumpkin, acorns, mulling spices, recipe cards...and more!!
I LOVE the earrings and the stained glass leaf.
An oak leaf...embellished and ready for a photo.
The glass leaf has found a home on my window for awhile! I love it.
Thanks so much Laurie. I appreciate every item.

Cranfest

I got back from Cranfest in Warrens, WI late last night. It is an unbelievable event, with 1,400 food, flea market & craft vendors. I met some great people and had a really fun time.

My daughter and mother-in-law went with me and were a huge help!

We spent a good amount of time on Thursday setting up.

There was some great food...too much to choose from!

The whole town (population around 400, normally) was transformed into a shanty-town of sorts. This is what is looked like arriving each morning.

The mornings were a bit early for my daughter and she took advantage of the slow times!!

My booth - all set up.

Lots of people - as far as the eye could see, in either direction.

My friend Pam, signing one of her watercolor prints. Her booth was next to mine.

One of the highlights of the weekend was seeing my long lost college roommate/best friend. It's been a few years since we were able to see each other.

I received my package from Laurie for the Autumn swap and need to get some pictures taken and posted for that. It was a fun swap and I received some wonderful items from her!!

Sorry, etsy...

I had been hoping to get some items listed in my etsy shop this fall. It has been woefully neglected. BUT...in two weeks I will be a vendor at Warrens Cranfest. I've been spending every day...all day...preparing for it. So...here's a peek... Here is some of my new soap - Clean Fun. It's clean. It's fun!!! (The smell reminds me of Skittles)

These are (like they say) Solid Bath Oils. They are made with cocoa butter and sweet almond oil & scented with Snickerdoodle fragrance oil. Just one little bath melt and your skin feels super soft!!

The laundry soap has been a success this season. I need to make lots and lots more of it. I began using the name "Grandma's Laundry Soap" conjuring up images of some elderly woman fashioning her soap & hanging her laundry on the line...Hmmm...

In 9 weeks, I, myself, will be a grandma. Prepare yourselves for pictures!
I found these cute molds at a garage sale a week or so ago. They make great soaps!!
Still cranking out the cupcake bath bombs. The problem is, my daughter and I feel the need to run a test drive on them approximately once a night.
The dining room table will hopefully be useful for meals again, shortly!!

Once this sale is over, I WILL be dumping everything left into my etsy store!!

Yum!!!

I'm working on some new items. This is a Buttercream & Snickerdoodle scented Bath Bomb cupcake. I'm still doing some experimenting & can't wait to "test" it!! I'm also working on Bath Melts - solid bath oils. New things should be in my etsy store, soon.