my creative man

 After fashioning 3 of these chalkboards out of sample cabinet doors
 that we had been given a long time ago,

 my husband made this tree out of scraps remaining from the project

 and presented it to me on Christmas morning!

I had this idea in my Christmas file on Pinterest.

I might stencil some words on its "branches" 

when things calm down a bit around here!

Meanwhile, I'm just enjoying looking at it...

My creative man works wonders!

our backyard christmas cabin

Our 10'x16' backyard cabin is

decorated for Christmas...

 all year 'round...

 It's outfitted with thrift store and garage sale finds

 and ready to sleep families or individuals!

 Christmas trees are the prevalent theme,

 and there is reading material for every age--all Christmas-y, of course.

 The ladder leads to a small sleeping loft (last picture in this post)...

 and there is a simple snack tray waiting to serve!

The cabin is heated in winter; air conditioned in summer.

(Did you find the old fashioned porta-potty????)

Stop in and see us sometime. 

You're welcome to stay overnight, if you'd like!

christmas eve eve fashion

This is what I'm wearing to church, then practice for the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, then dinner at our local restaurant where I'll cash in on my free birthday meal (Thanks, Harlan Cafe)!

So comfortable!

I'm glad to have the soft, flannel-like skirt

in Christmas colors, found at a thrift store last week.

The jacket is one of my favorites - black & vintage

with fabric colored buttons and sweetly tailored.

There's no disguising the rumpled heap on the floor

in the room behind me.  

It's part of my husband's wardrobe--

a sturdy pair of coveralls.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve, y'all!

christmas eve eve eve

 Sitting here early this Christmas Eve Eve Eve morning

 with a cup of coffee and these warm slippers on my feet
(thrift store purchase - $.50)...

 

I'm trying to finalize all plans for Christmas Eve Eve 

and Christmas Eve

and Christmas, 

and the busy days AFTER Christmas when our extended family celebrates.

I'm making a list and checking it twice!

I think I'll wear the "new" skirt (above) on Sunday morning.

Its holiday colors caught my eye at my Second Favorite Thrift Store last week.

 

 A friend gifted me with these pins - one had belonged to her mother-in-law,

 the other was one of hers that "she never wore".  I shall wear them both

today, tomorrow or the next day.

I bought two of these Peace decorations a year or two ago on a Christmas clearance.  

Both are left out all year.

"Peace" is my Christmas wish for ALL.

branching out

  I had the dream for some time but had been too lazy to search

 out a "proper" branch.

Imagine my happiness to find THIS perfect one

lying across an evergreen tree in our backyard--

apparently deposited by the wind in a most convenient place for me!

  I placed it in a tree holder I found recently at a thrift store.

 

Now it stands on our front porch decked sparingly with a few thrifted ornaments.

 Even the "berries" seem suited for the season!

(Bags of assorted and very interesting ornaments were priced at $.25 

at my Second Favorite Thrift Store!  I've used many of them to add 

to bows on gift packaging or even for gifts themselves!)

we do!

"Use it up

Wear it out

Make it do

Or do without"

Most of us have HEARD this adage or a variation of it.

At OUR house, we try to DO it.

This Rubbermaid(?) organizer has hung on cabinet doors

in a few houses I've lived in (THIS one, for the past 9+ years).

No doubt the unit has stretched,
and for sure the packaging of these items has shrunk!

The paper and foil seem to always be falling out - to my aggravation and consternation.

So this morning - EARLY this morning - I asked my husband to help "make it do".

These are his hands and the terrific solution!

Yay!

We DO make it do!

 These slacks just may be as old as the Rubbermaid organizer!
At any rate, they are good quality and lined.
The pleats don't do a thing for my figure,
but I don't mind "making do".
The outfit will see me through a varied schedule from morning through evening.
(Everything I'm wearing came from a thrift store
at one time or another.)

some days...

Some days I don't feel like wearing my typical long skirts.

So, this morning I paired a shorter-than-usual dress

with a nubby jacket with similar colors.

Added an aqua Christmas-y "corsage"

and now I'm off for music practice, church, dinner out,

and a 50th anniversary celebration in the afternoon.

 Some days the small, vintage plaques I've collected over the years

 speak to me more than others.

This is one of those days.
They catch my eye at thrift stores and garage sales
where they are apparently not widely appreciated...

 This particular tiny one hangs in an alcove in our home.

The reference below it directs me to Titus 2:13.

I "went there" this morning and read the verses surrounding it (11 through 14).

I'm LOOKING for that Blessed Hope!

 The jacket and dress both came from the "Give and Take" table
at church at two different times.
 I don't know if they belonged to the same person before,
but NOW they do!

  Some days I just need something sweet.
I really like these - especially when they are fresh and soft and chewy.
Today they ARE.

reflections

Not the greatest pose - but probably the better picture of the two available..

I'm dressed to attend the funeral mass for a friend's mother later this morning.

Clothes - ALL from thrift stores!  It's my favorite vintage black jacket, by the way.

 Yesterday, I found the "lost" stockings.  Was I ever relieved!

 They now are hanging on our staircase banister.
The one on the top in the picture was recently added to the collection
to assure that all 11 of our grandchildren would have a stocking.
(I believe ALL of them were thrift store purchases.)

 I'm enjoying the occasional reflections of the sun shining in a window

 off my "new" vintage tree.

We've decided to enjoy the tree unadorned this Christmas...

...and kind of right out in the middle of the room, too!

i think i "can"

 After seeing the VERY creative "Christmas talisman" Darla fabricated,

 I tried MY hand at it.  (Well, my husband's hand, actually, since

 he was the one who did the bending of the tin can lids.)

MY part was to wield the can opener and select the pictures --

the hard part, you know...

I still need to find a couple more tabs for hangers

and a bauble or two to decorate the corners like Darla did.

But meanwhile, I'm enjoying this creative venture

(and trying to figure out a menu or two that will supply some more can lids)!

By the way, when you're over at Darla's blog,
BE SURE to use the sidebar "index" and take a look
at her OTHER talismans.  They are SO interesting!
 Disclaimer:  I am not a promoter or "believer" in talismans in the traditional sense.
I think of these as purely ornamental.

a very good day

 I just KNEW it was going to be a good day,

and so I donned my "everyday" grey skirt

 and chose a golden top to accompany it!

 I knew I was meeting a friend for an early Christmas lunch at Grabill Inn

so I pinned this festive pin on my shoulder.

(After seeing the picture, I repositioned it....)
The baked cod was delicious - as was the cherry crumb pie!

 What I DIDN'T know was that I'd receive a phone call resulting from an ad I'd placed

 indicating my desire to buy a vintage white or tinsel-style Christmas tree!

 Though I'd hoped to pay less for one, I decided to "give" it to myself

and call it an early birthday present.

I DID meet a charming couple

 in transacting the deal!

 They think this tree is about 60 years old.

Each branch was carefully contained in these "sleeves" (above).

 We began the assembling process as soon as my husband got home from work.

 THIS is the finished product.

I guess all I need is a color wheel.

We ended the day skyping one of our granddaughters to wish her 

 Happy Birthday. 

She lives in Illinois; we live in Indiana.

Except for that (the miles that separate us)
it's been a very good day!