Time Off

I'm taking a break from blogging for a little while. My step-father of 30+ years has been admitted to hospice care, and I will be spending a lot of time with him and my mother in the days to come. Pray with me for God's mercy to surround all.

Merry Christmas

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I Timothy 1:15
Wishing you all the blessings of Christmas.

Almost Ready!

The turkey and dressing are just about ready to go into the oven, and the tables are set. The dining room table will seat 12 and the extra table set up in the den will seat 8. I hope the rain holds off until tonight.

What Do You Do Two Days Before Christmas?

In Georgia, you mow the lawn. Actually, it didn't need cutting, but James uses the lawnmower to mulch and vacuum up leaves. Our yard will be nice and tidy tomorrow when our guests arrive. I need to tell you about the weekend parties, but I'm still in the midst of housework and then I have some cooking to do. But for now, I'm catching my breath.

Getting Paid to Shop

It's been a long time since CVS (or any other store) has paid me to shop, but I got a great deal today. When I scanned my card upon entering the store, I got a coupon for $5 off of a $15 purchase! Wow! The best I've ever seen has been $5 off of $20, and those coupons are few and far between. I also got a coupon for $5 off any two Excedrin, and there was no restriction on package size. What I planned to purchase was already nearly $13, so when I found the travel-sized Excedrin for $2.49 each, that put me over the $15 I needed and the Excedrin was free anyway!

Here's how it all worked out:

Body wash $5.99, EB reward $5.00; net price 99 cents. I used a $2 MF coupon, so I earned $1.01.

Dental floss $2.88, EB reward $2.00; net price 88 cents. I used a $1 MF coupon, so I earned $0.12.

Listerine $3.99, EB reward $3.00; net price $0.99. I used a $0.50 MF coupon, so this cost $0.49.

Excedrin $2.49 each, used $5 CVS coupon. I earned $0.02.

Here's all the math, for you math geeks out there.
Listerine $3.99
Floss $2.88
Body wash $5.99
Excedrin $2.49
Excedrin $2.49
TOTAL - $17.84
Less $5 off of $15 purchase = $12.84
Less CVS and MF coupons of $8.50 = $4.34 final cost
Extra bucks received (to use on a future purchase) $10.00 - $4.34 = $5.66 EARNED AT CVS TODAY! I love free stuff.

The Rush is On

Later today I will have 18 (or thereabouts) people at my house for a Christmas party. My family has the best time exchanging white elephant gifts. Rarely is anything given that is either pretty or useful. The "best" gifts are exceedingly tacky. We excel at tacky.

James' family will be gathering at our house for lunch on the 24th. That guest list is around 20 people. Yikes! Beyond 18 means it is likely to be disposable plates and not the china.

Here's the denim purse I made for Angi.And here's the cute teapot and cup she gave me.

Christmas Event # 1

Angi and I take every opportunity to celebrate virtually anything with lunch and sometimes another activity, usually shopping. We didn't have much of a shopping list yesterday, but we did try a new place for lunch: Douceur De France. It is a local French bakery/cafe, and I had heard really good things about it, all well-deserved as we experienced first-hand. In addition to the quiche and chocolate-filled eclair consumed on site, I brought home a dessert for James and one for me. His was the cute, little snowman, and mine was a chocolate tart. Yummy! The snowman had sponge cake, coconut, and strawberries inside his belly. Now it's inside James' belly.

Trade-Offs

I usually get my hair cut at a salon at the mall by Mona who has been doing it for years. The cost for a shampoo, cut, and blow-dry is $36. I could go elsewhere and pay less, but since it's only a couple of times a year, I don't mind paying a little extra. The last cut I got there in September is growing out rather raggedy, and it's been bugging me for a couple of weeks. This morning I decided that I would run in one of those "quick cut-no-appointment-needed" places and get it trimmed up. And they might as well shampoo and blow-dry it, too, and save me the trouble. It cost $25, which was a bit more than I expected, but it's done. During the thirty minutes that I was there, Rosa tried to sell me (in this order) shampoo, hair color, eyebrow waxing, manicure and polish, a gift set of salon products, gift certificates, a fluff-up blow-dry prior to parties, and hair spray. Mona, with our long history, doesn't try to sell me anything I didn't ask for. As a matter of fact, she always comments on how pretty my graying hair is, and discourages me from ever coloring it. I think having to schedule an appointment, driving to the mall, parking at the mall, and paying an extra $11 are worth not having to listen to a thirty-minute sales pitch. What trade-offs in life are you willing to make?

How Many Days Do I Have Left?

As I tidied up in the sewing room this morning, it occurred to me that even this little pile of swept-up stuff tells what season of the year it is. Have I finished my gift sewing? That would be a negatory, captain. But I'm hopeful of reaching the finish line. I've wrapped only one present, and it is too large to fit under the tree. Actually, I've wrapped James' birthday gift, too (December 22) so that should also count. Here sits poor, little Chilly Willy, all alone under the tree. (Technically, he's not alone. You can see a bit of Rudolph's haunches in the background.)

Feeling a Little Foggy

This is the view off my screened porch this morning. Forty-eight degrees and 100% humidity. Monday is when I usually do my grocery/drug store shopping, but I'm going to wait a bit until I can see more than ten feet in front of the car!

Finishing is Good

I finished baby Jordanna's dress on Saturday. It seemed like I was making doll clothes! I hope I'll get to see (and post pictures) of the three kids in their matching Christmas outfits..

Coming Soon to a Mailbox Near You?

Yesterday I finished sewing two dozen unique Christmas cards. It was fun!

It Never Hurts to Ask

Eight days ago I spent $32 at J C Penney. The next day, I got a coupon in the mail for $10 off of a $25 purchase. So I went back to Penneys yesterday, showed them my receipt and the coupon, and asked what they could do for me. At first the cashier told me that the dates of the coupon were still valid, so go ahead and use it. But I pointed out that I would have to spend another $25 to do so. Then she told me that if I would come back to her register, she would give me $10 off a purchase of any amount. I got a Christmas ornament on sale (regular price $11.99), and a three-pack of men's socks on clearance (regularly $12). I didn't make a photo because I hope you know what socks look like, and the ornament is a gift. I paid less than a dollar out of pocket for both the socks and the ornament. As a matter of fact, once the $10 discount was taken, the socks rang up at 43 cents, and the ornament at 35 cents. Not a bad deal at all!

New Grandbaby Today

Jordanna Ruth was born today at 2:20 p.m. weighing in at a "small" 9 pounds, 8 ounces. I say "small" because she is the smallest of Emily's three. Enjoy these sweet pictures!

Out With Old

I never liked the fireplace mantle in this house. It was supposed to look like a rough-hewn piece of wood, but to me it always looked like a scorched, rough-hewn piece of junk. I kept it covered with a quilted mantle scarf that I made. When we got the plasma TV, we hung it above the mantle, but it was really too high. Sometime this year (boy, doesn't it fly!) we took the mantle off and lowered the television. I would like to lower it some more, but that is still being discussed around here. When he'll listen to me. Anyway, without a mantle, I had no place to put the stocking hangers I formerly used. They were "gold" and spelled out N - O - E - L. Here's my new solution. The stockings are "still hung by the chimney with care."

I made these stockings the first year James and I were married, and they originally said "James" and "Joan" in red felt letters. I took those off when the children came along, and made their stockings in a green stripe. I wanted green pom-pom fringe on theirs, but I couldn't find any nearly thirty years ago. I'm not sure if this photo will enlarge, but across the toe, the girls' stockings have a bit of lace, and the boys' stockings have rick-rack. I traced the shape of the stocking from the one given to me by my great-grandmother when I was a child.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Two Down, One to Go

Alexa's dress is finished, Caleb's vest is finished, and both have been delivered. All that remains is baby Jordanna's dress, but she's not even here yet, so I don't think it will be needed for Sunday. Alexa let me put the dress on her when I got to her house, and she liked twirling around in it so much that she wouldn't take it off and return to her play clothes. Caleb was pretty indifferent as he usually is about clothing, but there you have one of the defining differences between males and females, manifesting itself at the ripe old ages of two and four.

One Done

It's not pink, but I still think Alexa will like her Christmas dress. One outfit down, two to go.