An Explanation and A Little Excitement

I had this post nearly ready when life happened.

Thank you all for your patience, prayers, and kindness 

while our family dealt with my dad being sent to another city 

where he underwent two major surgeries in 5 days.

He was in the hospital for 17 days (? I think)

and was allowed only 1 visit from my mom 1 day before his second surgery.

He had never spent the night in a hospital in his life.

He has been healthy all his life.

This was so difficult for all of us who should have been there with him.

He was scared and knew nobody or nothing around him

and wasn't even allowed to have his shaving kit.

I just got to go get him and bring him home today.  

One of the first things Mom did was take the clippers to him

so he can shave later.

We are so relieved to have him home.

Again thank you.

And now the real post.

As many of you are aware, 

we moved about a year and a half ago.

It doesn't seem like it's been that long.

I s'pose that means I'm getting old.

Source

About the time of our move, I put my Etsy shoppe on vacation mode.

A few months after moving, we had a huge yard sale.

We down-sized by about 40%.

I know I've shared that before,

but in doing so, I parted with a lot of vintage items.

I've spent a good part of my 29 years on this earth

(wink wink, gasp, cough - heehee)

attracting vintage items into my life.

Parting with some items has been difficult for me.

That probably sounds silly to some of you.

Anyways, we hope to one day downsize a little more.

Not quite as drastically as another 40%,

but continue to part with the excess.

Hubby and I each have our own areas of collectorism.

Yep, had to make up another word just for y'all.

It seems a little easier for me to part with things little by little.

Source

Also, I finally have my sewing all in one room

which makes knowing what I have and have to do a bit more manageable.

Oh the UFOs I have discovered!

(un-finished objects) 

Up the mountain, I had shelves in the house

and totes on big shelves out in the shop, 

so I was constantly looking for things.

I am working to decrease my stash and have made some progress.

It's slow, but moving in the right direction.

Source

(It's all up to God.)

And the last piece to all of this is: I have a goal.

And like so many lofty goals, it requires an investment.

I have recently begun a "Happy" fund.

It's really a savings.

I am saving to try to reach my goal - yay!

With that, I have decided to reopen my Etsy shoppe.

I am trying to figure out the best place for picture taking

at the new place and am not quite satisfied with the quality

(or lack there of) of photos I've taken.

As I get at least acceptable photos and appropriate packaging for mailing,

I am listing items both vintage and made by me.

I can't believe how the availability of normal mailing supplies

has been altered in recent months - nutty!

I've already made a couple sales - Wahoo!

And I have several listings in draft waiting for pictures

which haven't happened in the past 2 weeks.

Hopefully, things are calming down now

and I will be adding a couple quilts, bonnets, and vintage items

in the next few days.

If you would like to doddle on over and take a peek,

I am ever grateful.

If you have any questions about any of the items,

please feel free to contact me.

I don't mind questions at all and will do my best 

to answer them quickly and accurately.

So that's my "Little Excitement."

It's a fun outlet for me.

In the upcoming weeks, I am hoping to share

"A Big Excitement."

Well, at least for li'l ol' me.

And lastly, the photos above are of an old ghost town not far

from where I grew up.

About Gifts and Giving Ideas

Each year about this time, I struggle just a little.

Consumerism and advertising seem to be wearing battle armor

and are charging full force towards all of us.

Of course, this is no new song I'm singing here,

but it almost makes me want to hide.

I'm not stingy ~ I love to give,

but who wants to give something because there is a feeling of obligation

or give with the thought that it will be unappreciated and/or end up

in the trash within a month.

(Mom's gift wrapped in a dish towel ~ she likes "fat birds")

That said, the piles of gifts we unwrap are a little different in a couple ways:

first, they aren't piles and 

second, the items themselves might not look like gifts to most folks.

We have a rule in our family~

no gift (with the exception of the kids) can cost more than $10.

Yep, that's right, not $20 or $50, but $10.

After the first year or two of books and slippers,

it began to get more fun.

It's a whole different mind set.

We shop throughout the year thus thinking of giving to loved-ones often.

I have only a gift card to purchase for my grandmother

and a specific stocking stuffer for hubby.

(Grammy is nearly 92 and doesn't need stuff.  She enjoys being able to

go to the store for the few things she needs and having the card.)

We don't have to take out a loan for Christmas:)

Children no longer wish for a simple toy or sweet treat.

Expensive techno-gadgets of various sorts have replaced those things.

Children have no idea how to play marbles ~

you know, draw a big circle in the dirt.

Dirt! Heaven forbid! Get the hand sanitizer quick! (sorry)

They don't know about clearies or cats eyes or how to hold a shooter.

That makes me a little sad 

as do the expectations they seem to associate with the season. 

If you can at all follow me here to where I find myself and can relate,

(am I really alone here?) then here are some gift ideas for various ages.

Marbles~ and show them how to play.

Pick up Sticks~ click here for instructions to make your own

A Jar of Color~ whatever the recipient's favorite color, fill the jar with items of that color: handkerchief, gum, treats, shoe laces, screw driver (or sm. tools,) you will be surprised what you find when looking for color rather than items.

Reusable veggie and grocery bags~ lots of options here

Food~ this one is obvious, but here are a couple gifts in a jar which are nice

because they don't have to be 'dealt with' right away: 

Sandcastle Brownies and Six Bean Soup Mix 

Wool~ various forms available: scarf, mittens, gloves, socks, dryer balls, hat

Not Paper~ We have several quilters in the family so those gifts are wrapped in fabric, but alternatives you might use are: handkerchiefs, dish towels, pillow case, cotton shop rags, etc. - use your imagination

And now my favorite~ an idea from the three wisemen

Gold: of course jewelry which isn't for everybody, but you can get creative and use candies in gold foil, hinges/hardware for a crafter, yellow stoneware, sports team items if gold is one of the team colors, 'dewalt' tools are yellow (gold:)

Frankincense: perfume or candles, spices - something fragrant

Myrrh: oils - either edible cooking oils or soaps/lotions etc (made with oils) 

I realize these are not the original uses and intents for the items, but they do serve as a reminder of what the season is really about.

There is a message on the reader board at the bank across the street from where I work offering Christmas loans.

To me, that seems a bit (read a lot) offensive.

I hope nobody I truly care about would want me to go into debt to buy them a gift.  The truth is Christmas is what we make it.  We have the opportunity to celebrate a very special birthday.  

The gift of love and friendship are all that we can really wish for.

Without those two things what are we?

I'll have more soon,

but for now, enjoy this Christmastime.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches