~Merry Christmas!~

I wanted to take a moment and wish everyone who comes by here, a very Merry Christmas!

This Christmas marks our first Christmas as a family of three. We haven't opened gifts yet, but I'm excited to see The Baby's face as she sees all the gifts. I am quite sure that she'll be far more interested in the paper and bows than the actual gifts! :-)

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

(Isaiah 9:6)

~Busy~

No matter how much I plan ahead, this time of year is always busy! Same for you?

I finished getting my Christmas cards out today, so that's one check off my to-do list! :-)

The biggest items on my list are to finish my sister's wedding afghan, and to finish The Baby's Christmas dress! Both need to be finished within the next few days.

Right now I'm relaxing for a few minutes before I start working on them. I ran out of bread so I've got a loaf baking in the bread machine.

Just wanted to say "hi"! Have a great day!

~No Cavities!~

It has been well over a year since I got my teeth cleaned. I've been experiencing some teeth sensitivity so I really needed to get to the dentist.

I didn't get to the dentist often while I was growing up, and my first experience going to the dentist as an adult was not so very fun. We were still in California at the time, and the hygienist and dentist spoke in another language the whole time they were working on my teeth. Except for when they said, "open wider!" which they said quite loud and often. My jaw ached for the rest of that day!

Well, there is value in seeing a good dentist, and I found a great dentist here. While I still didn't like people's hands in my mouth, at least they didn't keep barking "open wider" (they actually used their little dental mirrors - imagine that!).

And then, our insurance changed. I was quite miffed about that. Well, I finally looked up a dentist that will accept our plan and trekked off to the dentist last week. No cavities! Whew! And this dentist and hygienist did just fine. In fact, dare I say, they were just as good as my old dentist's office. Though I'm still not happy about losing my old dentist, at least I found a comparable replacement!

Now I just need to remember to floss daily. I hate flossing! But I know it is important for the health of my teeth and gums! As for the sensitivity, I got some new toothpaste to try, and if that doesn't work there are several more options that the dentist can provide. Hopefully the toothpaste will do the trick!

When was the last time you went to the dentist? Did you get a good report? Or are you like me and need a reminder to floss? ;-) Have a great day!

~Sunday~

Psalm 34:8

O taste and see that the LORD is good:

blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

~Christmas gifts~

I just love the Christmas season! I love the music, the weather (especially when we get to go to California and escape the snow! LOL), picking out perfect presents for loved ones, and of course celebrating our Savior's birth!

We've decided to start the tradition of giving three gifts to The Baby for Christmas. I have seen this several places, and I really liked the idea!

Each gift represents one of the gifts the Wise Men brought to Jesus. I've seen several different ways to do this, but this is the way we chose:

something to treasure
something to grow spiritually
something for the body

This year, the gift to treasure is Sophie the Giraffe:


The second gift, CBH Ministries' Songtime Vol. 2:


And the last gift, three hairbows from Briar Claire:


I really think that this "formula" for gift-giving will be something that will grow well along with The Baby.

Images from each respective link above them.

~Looking out the window~

~This one's for my mom~

My mom somehow doesn't find as much humor in the Baby Blues comic strip as I do. Maybe it's too true to life? Anyhow, I got a big laugh out of this strip, from November 15:



My sisters and I used to put on circus shows for my mom. We'd drag her out to the swing set and have her watch our show. She'd grimace and groan and squelch screams. And say, "Are you done yet?" "No, Mom! The best part is still coming!!!"

Because, after all, we were The Winner Girls!!!! Dun-tu-dun!

Comic strip image source

~Sunday~

Galatians 6:10

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men,

especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

~Snow!~

We had a cold October with no snow, followed by a warmer November. We had a dusting of snow the day after Thanksgiving, but it didn't stick long.

Our first real snow for the year started yesterday.


The snow sat on top of the power line until the sun came out, and then it looked like this:


I always enjoy the first snow. There is something magical about it, until it turns into black slush in the grocery store parking lot. ;-)

~Cleaning Project~

Yesterday I took advantage of a very long nap, and cleaned my hallway.

Our house does not have a back porch, mud room, coat closet, front entryway, etc. So we have nowhere to hang coats and store stuff. Except, there is a hallway right off the kitchen, and the second half has some hooks. So we use that area for a coat closet. There is no real purpose to this hallway, since it doesn't go anywhere. The attic door is off the back part of the hallway, and the bathroom is off to the right.

I'd rather not have anything in this hallway, because I just don't like seeing it all out in the open, but it is what it is. =)

It has been ignored for far too long. Here's a before:


I took everything out, washed the curtains, cleaned the floors and woodwork:


And then put the necessary items back in:




All the lovely stuff junk in the front part of the hallway got put away, thrown away, or given away. The stereo had a mind of its own! It would randomly turn itself on, if you pushed the volume button, it would switch from cd to radio, etc. I gave away the table, CD holder, and stereo on Freecycle.

Now I need to find a suitable container for the gloves and hats, and I'll be done. I'm much happier with this space now!

~Hello, Hello!~

Hi! I didn't really mean to take a break over Thanksgiving, but it kind of just happened! It was a nice break, anyhow!

I hope you all (the American readers) had a great Thanksgiving! My brother is attending college about 14 hours away from us and he was able to get a ride to be with us over the holiday. It was so nice to have him with us! We enjoyed being together.

We didn't do anything ultra-fancy. We had ton-zoodles of leftovers, which were all gone by the time my brother left! We had Thanksgiving leftovers for more meals than I had planned on. But they were good the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth time, so why not? LOL

Today I was going to do a WIP Wednesday post and then I realized that today is Thursday. Haha. Even though we went to church last night I was still thinking today was Wednesday!

I'll be back to posting regularly! (As soon as I get my days figured out! LOL) Have a great day!

~Sunday~

Jeremiah 31:3

...I have loved thee with an everlasting love...

~Perfume~

After my Fiestaware purchase, I still had some birthday money left. About 6 years ago, a friend gave me a small bottle of perfume that was partially used. She liked it, but her husband didn't care for it that much. I really liked it, and my husband did too. :-) Since I only wear a small amount of perfume and usually only on Sundays, the bottle lasted quite a while. I still have a little left, but not much. So I used the rest of my money to make my purchase. The perfume is Halston by Halston. Here's the description from The Perfume Spot (image source as well):

Launched by the design house of Halston in 1975, HALSTON is classified as a refreshing, woody, mossy fragrance. This feminine scent possesses a blend of woody, amber, rose and various fruity notes.

What is your favorite perfume?

~Just a note~

If you subscribe to my blog in a feed reader, and all of a sudden you've gotten flooded with posts - I apologize!

I decided to merge the pictures I've taken for my photo blog with my posts here at this blog. At the rate I was going, it was going to be several years before I got up to 365 photos. I enjoyed the challenge of taking a picture a day, but it just wasn't working to get a photo each day!

~Sunday~

Psalm 135:1

Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the LORD;

praise him, O ye servants of the Lord.

~FO Friday~

It has actually been awhile since I finished these two projects. These were both very quick projects, which I enjoyed very much.

As I've previously shown in my WIP Wednesday posts, I made another bonnet for The Baby.


Pattern: Top Down Bonnet (Ravelry link)
Size: Child
Yarn: Bernat Baby Jaquards
Needles: DPN size 3

...and matching mitts to go with it.


These are more to be considered dangling decorations or possibly chew toys. These get pulled off right away! I'll have to come up with something else to keep The Baby's hands warm in the winter!

Pattern: My Magic Baby Mitts
Size: No size
Yarn: Bernat Baby Jaquards
Needles: DPN size 3

For more information, and to view my pattern variation, please see the details on Ravelry.

(FO = "Finished Object")

~Snippets~

I have some little snippets of information and chatter, and decided to put it all in one post. =)

First up: I got a free box of chocolate-dipped fruit from one of those companies that makes fruit arrangements. It was beautiful. It tasted yummy too. Normally, it costs $15. There were 6 pieces of fruit in the box: 4 strawberries and 2 apple slices. Now, if I had paid for it, I would not have thought that each fruit was worth $2.50! It was pretty though...

How did I get this great freebie? Well, I read several frugal blogs, and get lots of great tips, recipe ideas, coupon matchups, and freebie alerts from them. Here are the blogs I subscribe to:
$30 Weekly Grocery Challenge
Domestic Cents
Money Saving Mom
The Bargain Jargon

Next: I have been searching and getting Swagbucks. Are you signed up? It's so much fun. :-) When I do a search and win a Swagbuck I almost stop and do a little happy dance. ;-) I'm almost ready to buy another $5 Amazon gift card with my Swagbucks, which will make my total $25. It's an easy way to get a little extra money (and an easy way to keep seated at the computer just a little longer! LOL)

I recently went to a Pampered Chef party. I can't wait to get my large bar pan that I ordered. In the several years I've had my pizza stone, I've used it for pizza and also cookies and such, but I know a rectangular pan will be easier to work with for the cookies. Plus, it has sides, so I can do things like chicken in it. (Image from Pampered Chef)

And finally: a friend mentioned that I don't have blog links on my blog. So over the next week or so I'm going to work at putting a few of my favorite links in the sidebar!

OK! I'm done chattering. Once I start, it's hard to stop...(I'm this way in "real life" too! LOL)

Hope you have a great day!

~Fiestaware~

I've been contemplating a new set of dishes for a while. I have my china which I use for special occasions, and I have a set of dishes that are decorated with apples, which I use for everyday. My apple decorations that I have hanging in the kitchen are starting to look a little dilapidated and the dishes have broken here and there.

I looked at the dishes in WalMart and Meijer, but even the cheaper ones were still expensive. Then I started thinking about and looking at Fiestaware. It is so bright and cheerful! Kevin and I looked at it in several stores, and finally I made up my mind! I decided to get Fiestaware. Fiestaware is expensive, but it is always on sale somewhere, and it is so sturdy! There are two different place settings you can get, and the difference is in the cups. There is a 5-piece place setting that comes with a cup and saucer. Or there is a 4-piece place setting which comes with just a mug. I chose to buy the 4-piece place settings.

We were in Macy's Friday night and the saleslady came to see if we needed help. She alerted us to a good sale on Wednesday and said we could pre-purchase using the sale price, but we would have to pick them up on Wednesday or later. Kevin decided to get me two sets for my Christmas present. And since I was still hanging on to my birthday money, I decided to buy two more sets.

The sets that I have pictured in this post are the colors that we got; Cobalt, Lemongrass, Chocolate, and Scarlet. All the images came from Betty Crocker's site. I usually get some money at Christmastime, and if that is the case this year, I plan on purchasing two more sets. I think I'll wait to begin using the Fiestaware until I have six sets. That way I can clear the cupboards out and just have the Fiestaware in the cupboards. I am so excited about my new dishes!

~At the park~

{taken last month}

~Monday's Daybook: November 16~

Outside My Window...a crisp November day.

I am thinking...about the work I need to get done today.

I am thankful for...our church. We had a "faith and finances" seminar over the weekend and it gave us a lot to think about.

From the kitchen...(last night) hot chocolate.

I am wearing...a pink long sleeved shirt, jean skirt, and slippers.

I am creating...my menu for the week.

I am going...grocery shopping, to the bank, and possibly to the fabric store. We'll see how today goes. :-)

I am reading...I need a new book...any suggestions??? Fiction or non-fiction - anything interesting you've read lately?

I am hoping...Flight Time and Big Easy win The Amazing Race. Yup, totally sucked into it this season. LOL I've never watched it, but I've really enjoyed it!

I am hearing...quiet!

Around the house...bananas to be made into banana bread, toys to be picked up, clutter reigned in, and then some candles to be lit and a home-made meal to be enjoyed (this evening).

One of my favorite things...a meal made in the crockpot. It is so nice when dinner time comes along. I really should utilize my crockpot more often!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...meeting a friend for lunch, otherwise just a quiet week.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...a treasured keepsake...the creamer from a melamine dinnerware set my grandma had years ago. She kept the creamer and used it in her sewing room to put water in her iron. From a very young age, I loved to go into my grandma's sewing room and this creamer was always in there. My grandma stopped using it when her iron came with a little pitcher, so she gave it to me when I expressed interest in having it. I use it to throw pins in while I'm sewing.


For more Daybook entries, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook.