It's Winter...

It's Minnesota.  It's 6 degrees below zero this morning.  Am I surprised?  Nope.  Am I grateful that I don't need to get out in the cold?  You betcha!

After Christmas is when I settle in for a few months of sewing, quilting, crocheting or scrapbooking.  I don't go out to celebrate the New Year.  It seems as though folks around here feel obligated to over indulge in adult beverages on that occasion.  I don't drink any more.  So I find that I'm happier just being home.  The cat will celebrate with some tuna - the dog with a taste of whatever I fix myself for supper that night - and we are all happy.

Some of my kids know that I want to make two or three new quilts this winter.  So a couple of gift cards for Joann Fabrics appeared in my Christmas stocking.  Or taped to my box of chocolate covered cherries!  I dislike shopping.  I have never understood women who consider shopping as entertainment.  I'm more of a get in, find what is on my list and get out kind of shopper.  Except when it comes to fabric stores.  Then you might as well go find a place to sit and be comfortable, because it will take me some time.  Along with the cards was the promise of transportation to and from Joann's.  This is gonna be fun!

And my kids know that I am working on restocking my supply of home canned meat, so a gift card for my local grocery was also taped to the candy box.  That will go a long way toward filling my shelves.  I know there are some who think that gift cards are impersonal.  Not me.  When a couple of my kids asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I replied that I wanted their time.  I explained that I have a small apartment.  I don't have room for extra "stuff."  What I really would like was if they could take the time to ferry me to the fabric store or to the grocery to buy the things I wanted to get at those two stores.  At present a bus ride to shop is out of the question as my legs are giving me problems.  But I can manage a short car ride.  So I wanted their time.  The gift cards were a bonus, bless their hearts.

Youngest daughter asked me the same question, and for her, the answer was different.  I wanted framed graduation photos of both of her children.  And they delivered!

Chris' graduation was a couple of years ago and Nicki graduates this spring.  I love grandkid pictures.  And I find it hard to believe that they are both grown up.  Both were just babies when I moved back to Minnesota and now both are taller than I am.  I am so proud of the people they have become.

So I'm off to go through my quilt books and the patterns I have stored on my computer and to make a list of fabrics I need for the patterns I choose.  And decide on any other crafty supplies I need for other projects.

Because once my little shopping trips are done, I don't plan to stick my nose out the door until spring!

Time for Elves to Go Home

The elves are nearly ready to go back to the North Pole until next year.  I hear from reliable sources that my Grands have been pretty good so there will be no coal in their Christmas stockings.

Personally, I think the elves are headed home because they have run out of places to hide!

Chippy and Daisy found the Blessings Jar.

I wonder just what is in Santa's Ho Ho Ho drink that kept Chippy and Daisy warm while hiding out in the fridge?!

I know it is silly, but I look forward to their appearance every Christmas Season.
Their antics make me smile.

The Elf

This morning I read a report from Drudge that stated the "Elf on the Shelf" conditions children to believe that spying is OK.  Really?  How incredibly paranoid we have become.

I don't recall anyone ever accusing Santa Claus of spying all those years ago when parents told their children that Santa knew if they were naughty or nice.  Even had a Christmas song that proved it with the words, "He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake."

Me...I made up all sorts of silly facts to get my children to behave when they were young.  I told them that raw cookie dough causes worms.  I told them that if they didn't straighten out, I was going to line them up along the highway with "Give Away" signs around their necks.  And I told them if they weren't good, Santa was going to leave a lump of coal in their Christmas stockings.

They didn't believe a word of it.

The same way that kids don't equate the Elf with spying.

Only adults do that.  The kind of adults who want to suck the fun and joy out of everything.

And with that in mind, here is what the Elves who live with my grandchildren were up to last week.

They were watching from the ledge above the kitchen cupboards.

They got themselves stuck in the VCR.  (David said he was surprised that they still owned a VCR!)

And they made snow angels.

Sometimes an elf is just an elf.  And kids having fun are just kids having fun with no sinister hidden meanings.

Some adults really need to find a life.  Preferably one with a little bit of fun in it.

Made My Day

So the middle of this afternoon my phone rings.  Youngest Son wants to know if I would like some company.  Of course I would.

He has one stop to make and then he will go to the Dairy Queen.  He wants to know what flavor Blizzard I would like.  I tell him.  He says he will see me in about 15 minutes.

We sit at my kitchen table and eat ice cream and talk.  He tells me what his family has been doing.  We talk of other things.  It is good to be able to sit and talk with my son.

I would have let him in, even if he didn't bring ice cream.  :)

A Quiet Week

It's been a quiet week here in the frozen north.  I've been puttering.  That's what my Dad called it when he was just fiddling about with this and that.  His puttering was along the lines of fixing a hole in the porch screen or weeding a bit in his garden.

My puttering has been along the lines of organizing photos on my computer.  Or going through my quilt patterns and deciding which quilts I will sew over the winter.  Or adding photos of my ancestors to my genealogy program.

It appears Chippy the Elf and his new girlfriend Daisy have been busier than I have.

On Monday Chippy and Daisy were sitting in a tree.

On Tuesday they went on a double date with Ken and Barbie.

Wednesday found them involved in a serious game of Uno with their friends.

And on Thursday they were looking cozy inside a lantern.

This morning they were hanging out in the bathroom.  Maddie Mae said they were probably watching to make sure she didn't spend too much time doing her hair!

Guess I'm going to have to get busy if I'm going to have a social life that equals those two elves.