Sharing the Season...

...because it's been a cold, miserable rotten day, filled with cold, miserable rotten people. So, instead of whining about that, I thought I'd show you guys how pretty part of my house looks. I've been decorating a little haphazardly as thoughts and ideas come to me, and as I think of new ways to use my dollar store finds.
You guys have all seen the chandelier, right? The lovely, classy, elegant chandelier? Coll covered it in that awful fake spider-web stuff for Halloween, so I retaliated this Christmas by covering it in garland and some fake light bulbs. We're very mature in this house, and we show it in our elegant, refined decorating scheme. Martha will be bringing the photo crew later to do some shots for the spread she promised me...



This is my endtable, which in and of itself is not particularly exciting. But look, it has a book on it! That is my very own Christmas book! My parents have a book that they write in every year after the holiday to keep track of what treasures were given and who we celebrated with and to capture the feel of that particular year's Christmas. We love to go back and read it, remembering past holidays and special moments. When I officially moved out for real this time, Momolla and Dadumms gave me one. Apparently, Dadumms picked it out, which touches me.

I found this little guy at the dollar store, and he makes me smile. He's so round and happy looking! The perfect Santa. The fake pine garland behind him came from the same place, and I'm really impressed with how well it looks sitting coiled up with my lights. Not bad for a buck!







My banister was just begging for some decorations, so I wrapped it in more of the pine garland and some ball ornaments I purchased at the dollar store (yes, i bought a lot. the fumes in that place, they make me lightheaded. i go in to browse and come out with a dozen shopping bags and no memory. it's probably better that way). And to cap it off, there's a nice big red bow wrapped around it. Guess where that came from? No, go on, guess!

And this lovely exhibit is my desperate attempt to cover what could be called the world's ugliest coffee table. I took the odd scraps of wrapping paper we had lying around and put them down on the mirrored surface (jim's mom trash picked it for us, we're pretty sure it used to belong in a coke house, and we don't mean the soft drink) and taped it. I added my usual tea lights and TA-DA! Instant holiday cheer. Martha will love this idea, but remember, you saw it here first! Oh, I almost forgot to mention the loveliness that is my centerpiece. I took a glass vase and filled it with the rest of the dollar store ornaments, some dollar store pine bits, and some other dollar store garland. Actually, the whole thing probably only cost me five dollars to make. I feel pretty frugal and smart now!


All right, I'm feeling better, and it's definitely getting on towards time for bed. I wanted to mention that these pictures are only possible because I cleaned the front rooms again. The kitchen is still waiting for me, but it'll keep for another day. I realized about a week ago, we've been living in this house for a year next week. Mike has never yet cleaned the bathroom. Or the front rooms. And I think he's taken the trash out once. He's never mown the lawn. Somehow, this offends me. I'm thinking of going on cleaning strike until we can establish a fair way to divide up chores. Any thoughts on how to present my feelings without being evil? I had an evil roommate for a while, I don't want to be her. Anyway, here's hoping your week goes smoothly and your weekend is lovely. Dadumms and I will be shopping Saturday, I'm excited!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas...

...at least around my house. To be entirely honest, I wasn't quite feeling the whole Christmas Spirit thing until sometime today. Theoretically, I knew it was coming. Logically, I was starting to plan. And yet, I didn't have that special feeling.

I am, by nature I suppose, one of those people that love Christmas. I love the class, the kitsch, the smells and the excuse to buy everyone presents. I love the exquisite agony that is waiting for Christmas morning. I have heard rumors over the years that Christmas is for children, and I think it's a lie. Children aren't the only ones who can feel wonder and joy and anticipation. They're just cuter and less jaded (usually. there are some pretty jaded kids out there) and less affected by all the pressure and the noise and the stress. I have come to believe that Christmas is what you make of it. If you are spending time with those you love, surrounded by warmth and light and laughter, what's not to love and be excited about? If you are listening to the messages around you that if it isn't perfect, it's not worth doing, then you're bound to be stressed. One of my favorite Christmases was the one we all had the flu. We were all exhausted and muddled. But the day was peaceful and joyful in its own way. Sure, there was some puke. But I think it says something about your family when you can remember the less-than-perfect holidays fondly.

I don't mind the bustle of the mall, I don't mind the pressure to find the perfect gift. I am painfully broke, so I just ignore that. Most of the people I know are a little strapped for cash, and we're all on the same page about buying or making something small to let one another know we're all being thought of and cared for. I have knitted/am knitting scarves for my Jersey girls, who I'm hoping to get together with for the first week of January. I guess, when you don't have a lot of cash to spend, it's easier to tune out the messages about perfection and how you have to buy the it gift for everyone or they'll hate you for ruining their holiday. Truth be told, I wouldn't buy the it gift if I had money. Colleen and I went to the dollar store today and came away with some great finds. Who says you need to spend a fortune on tree trimmings and such? We bought toys for our landlady's holiday party, which they have to raise toys and funds for Toys for Tots. How can you say no to that? Everybody deserves a surprise, something special, at this time of year. I just took a little of the money that I'd meant to use for Christmas supplies and re-directed it. I will get by with fewer ornaments on my tree, especially if I know that I made a difference for somebody out there.

And call me naive, but I love that this is the season of light. Sure, people are greedy, selfish, angry buggers. But for a month or two out of every year, most of us can suspend that and believe that magic really can happen and that there really is room for kindness and miracles in our hearts. More than any other time of year (unless you're a knitter; the generosity of knitters knows no bounds and no time constraints, i have found), people are willing to open their hearts and their homes and to try to love and understand one another. That, dear friends, is magic. And there is hope, for peace and for safety and for all the good things that seem so far away the rest of the year. How can you argue with that?

And besides all the mushy stuff, there are Christmas lights, and giant inflatable things and reindeer that light up and move and trees that blink furiously through the night. And there are cookies. Who doesn't love a holiday with cookies? Personally, I'd get behind National Word Problem Day if there were cookies involved. Especially Momolla's cookies. And there are all the wonderful traditions we have. I almost prefer Christmas Eve to Christmas, because we get to trim the tree. Something about putting the lights and the tinsel and the ornaments up is magical and precious to me. When we were small, we were told that Santa decorates the tree every year. Just a little more magic for the season.

So, sorry to dump on you all. I think I've been feeling the need to defend the holiday to myself a little. There are a lot of folks I've met through work, both customers and co-workers, who think I'm not quite all there because I love this time of year. I maintain, Christmas is not just for children. It's for anyone who can still open their heart and feel the wonder and the joy and the and the magic and the possibility.

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play.
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how as the day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had roll'd along th' unbroken song
Of Peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair, I bow'd my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song,
Of Peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With Peace on earth, good will to men."

That's what I wish you all this month, this Christmas, this year. Whatever you celebrate, wherever you go, whoever you are with. Peace on earth, good will to men. And the wild, sweet music and freedom to feel wonder and joy and hope.

Giving Thanks

Because by the time I get done work tomorrow, I won't be thankful for much of anything. And so, here it goes.

I am thankful for big, puffy clouds in a bright blue sky. I am thankful that I can pay rent. I am also thankful that I get to have dinner with my family on Thursday. I am thankful for the strong, beautiful women I am surrounded by, and for the strong, handsome men. I will forever be thankful for chocolate, and for hot tea with lots of sugar. I am thankful to be whole, and to be safe and loved.

I am thankful for my mother, who taught me to be strong and who shows me how to be compassionate and wise and to have fun. I am thankful for my father, who shows me that I have a sense of humor, and that you never have to actually grow up. And who lets me borrow his tools. I am thankful for my sisters, who teach me that I have some pretty killer DNA, and that there is always hope for us, and that we are never alone. I am thankful for my sisters of the heart, who love me completely without reservation, and who teach me about faith and love and art and joy. I am thankful for my man, who teaches me about being loyal and true and who takes such wonderful care of me, whether I like it or not. I am thankful for the internet, which has given me such a wide-spread group of friends. I am also thankful for those internet friends, who give me such a different perspective, who have taught me about generosity, and who share their lives with me so freely and graciously.

I am thankful for yarn, and that I have the time and ability to turn said yarn into something useful and (sometimes) attractive. I am thankful that I have all my limbs and that they are all in working order. I am thankful I live in a place where I have the freedom to go where I choose and to do as I please. I am thankful I have never known true hunger, true hate, and true loss. Mine is a charmed life, and I am grateful each day that it is so. I am grateful for the trees and for the sunlight and for the play of light off the water. I am thankful for the days when my alarm clock doesn't go off, because I hate that little bugger. I am thankful for each morning that I wake up next to the man I love, and each night I can fall asleep next to him. Even when he sneezes on my back at three am and I think I might have to kill him. I am thankful to live in a house full of people who like me, and who are willing to live with me without killing me or locking me in a closet every time I drive them nuts.

I probably bitch about my life much more than is really necessary. It's always easier to dwell on the negatives than to highlight the positives. But really, mine is a pretty good life, full of wonderful people, beautiful scenery, and plenty of yarn.

I hope, whether you celebrate or not, that this Thanksgiving is full of warmth and love and really awesome food. You will all be in my thoughts and my prayers, such as they are.

Baby, it's Cold Outside...

...and I am more glad than ever of my fiber-lovin ways. I find it very comforting on some subconscious level to be making warm, fuzzy things when the temperatures drop. I don't know quite what to make of the weather we've been having; it was almost 70 degrees (21 C) on Saturday and today it's only 39 (3.8 C)! I've taken to keeping an extra jacket in my car in case I'm out somewhere and the weather has another absolutely crazed turn. There's already forecasts for flurries and for snow showers for later in the week, which reminds me, apparently we can get some vicious ice storms up here. I think I'll stock up on some basics like bottled water and such, in case we're without power. The odds are that we'll be fine, but since we had so many issues with keeping our power over the summer through the thunderstorms, I'd rather not risk it.

Jim and I had Saturday off together, and it was a wonderful day. We used to have Tuesdays off as our day to spend time together and relax, but our schedules are both too different for that now. I miss the ability to go out and have adventures and just explore together, and I made sure I wasn't working on Saturday. We woke up late, had a great breakfast, and headed down to Jersey to take a drive through the woods.

A huge tract of the pine barrens (about 1800 acres at the final estimate) burned a few weeks ago, and we wanted to explore and to see the damage. My family has been camping and driving and exploring in the pine barrens (so named because the soil is sandy and loose and good for pines, but not too many other types of trees) for as long as I can remember, and the section that was burned was our stomping grounds. We didn't see too much fire damage on the trail we took, and what we did see seemed pretty close to the ground. I was a little confused at first, looking around. The undersides of the higher branches were singed, but the tops were fine. It took a little while for me to realize that the tough groundcover must have been burning, but not the whole length of the trees. There was only one portion where a large group of trees were charred, and even then, there were fresh bunches of pine needles sprouting. It was encouraging to be reminded that even such a huge blaze can be healthy for a forest, and that nature comes back pretty quickly when it wants to.

Thanksgiving is only a week away, and I am excited to be going home for it. I love being out on my own, and having a home here in PA, but there's something so soothing about going back home to Jersey for holidays. Spending time with family and friends I don't normally see is all the more exciting and special. And, Momolla cooks! What more can a girl ask for from a holiday? I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the week, and that things to well and smoothly for you all.

FONANZA!

It's been longer than I really care to contemplate since I've written for the blog. However, I make good on my promises, so here is a picture, which might just let you know why it is I've been holding out on you all.

Ta-DA! Three finished objects and one in progress. The astute among you will notice that only one of these was on my list of ufos. However, the weather here has been a touch psychotic, bouncing between seventy and thirty degrees. And in these uncertain times, my knitterly soul reacts instinctively. I feel a compulsion to make warm, soft garments that can be worn by my loved ones. I almost can't help it, the need to make warm snuggly things is there. I think of it as being a response similar to the geese flying off or squirrels building stashes of nuts and local folks' flower bulbs. I'm preparing for the real cold.



In other news, Jim had a birthday. A big part of the third week of October was spent in cleaning and shopping and various other company-having related activities. We had the great good luck to go the the PA Renaissance Faire in the pouring rain that Saturday (the next day was cool and sunny and gorgeous. of course.) and have an adventure. The whole experience was pretty interesting, and I think perhaps I'd like to go back when giant umbrellas weren't falling over and we weren't completely soaked. Oh, yes. Through all of the massive amounts of shopping, I forgot birthday candles. We, um, improvised. Instead of twenty three plus one tiny candles, there are two, three, and one candles on the cake. I don't think this will earn me the title of domestic godesshood any time soon, but it worked.

Okay, time for some detail shots of my lovely pile of warm. The first scarf, here modelled by my lovely roommate Colleen, is intended for Mr. Jim's Dad come Christmas time. Mr. Jim's Dad, much like Jim, ,works in a shop and is frequently cold come winter. I chose a lovely autumnal palette of colors that will conveniently blend with rust, grease, oil, dirt, and anti-sieze. Also, being acrylic, it's washable. I feel as though I cheated here, I got back to my roots and crocheted this one. It went so quickly, and the fabric is so thick and cushiony. I just couldn't help myself. Really.











A one-row scarf knitted up in some of my first-ever stash-enhancement yarn, this is intended for one of my Jersey Girls. I'm still not sure who the color will suit best, but I'm sure it'll speak to me before Christmas sometime. Honestly, I haven't measured it. Originally, it came down to just past my knees when I draped it without wrapping. Once I washed it, it stretched to my ankles. Mohair blends get tall when you put them in water. Must remember that for the next scarf. (no, really! i learn. honest!)











And last, but never the least, the original random one-row scarf. I finished it off, and decided it needed some fringe. This lovely little bit of color will be gracing Mrs. Jim's Mom's neck come Christmastime. I wish I had a better detail shot of all of these for you guys, but frankly, my camera sucks lots when it comes to close-ups. The colors in this picture aren't as true, the camera seems to have picked up a lot of the blue and the green, but the expression on the lovely model's face is entirely priceless. I think she's either about to sneeze here, or making fun of Jim. These pictures are all taken in my kitchen, and cropped so that the dirty dishes aren't showing. Ah, the magic of photo-editing. So far as the Bureau for Adults Behaving Like Adults knows, there are no dirty dishes. Kate, if you rat me out, I will turn them on you next!







On a much sadder, and not at all related note, one of my favorite grade school teachers died this past week. It may seem a little melodramatic for me to mention it, but honestly, I'm not even ten years removed from eighth grade yet; and growing up in a small town makes it impossible not to keep up with these things. Mr. Stubbins taught me, my older sister, my younger sister, and a part of me hoped he'd teach my own children one day. History and social studies were always interesting and fun, and always my favorite class of the day. Mr. Stubbins was the teacher that most unfailingly encouraged me to write. He had faith in me, and in all his students, and there is a sad, cold hole in the community now. My condolences go out to his family, friends, and the Somerdale school district. Mr. Stubbins, you will be missed.

Green Thumb...

...I like houseplants. They're green and pretty, and if you talk nice to them, sometimes they flower for you. They make oxygen, and they take up space much more attractively than, say, empty soda cans. There's a ledge in my kitchen that's filling up with plants. It gets more sun than the rest of the kitchen, since it's beneath a big bank of windows, and it's convenient to keep my couple of cooking herbs there.

Jim seems a little confused by my knack for keeping green things alive, and he keeps buying me more plants to keep around because he knows how much I like them. Most notably, he brought home a hanging spider plant which dangles faithfully in my biggest window. It was a clearance plant at the local hardware store and started out a little sickly, but once we put it in the window, it took off. And by took off, I mean it started producing a ton of little shoots with baby plants on them. I trimmed off the paler, less viable looking ones every now and then, and mostly just left the spider plant alone but to water it. About a week ago, I noticed that my friend the plant seems to be trying to take over the house. I pulled the plant down to rotate which side got the most direct sun, and the thing was full of shoots. I trimmed all of them off and kept the biggest, healthiest looking plants to try to pot. Even though I only kept the best of the lot, I had ten tiny plants. I must've tossed two or three times that number. I rummaged around in the kitchen, trying to find anything that i could viably put plants in. I scavenged the soil from some seeds I'd been trying to grow that I thought had failed, I filled in two small fishbowls, one vase, and a couple of various tiny pots and square plastic planters.

So far, all of them are thriving, so near as I can tell. And as a weird bonus, this seems to have somehow encouraged my seeds to sprout, since a couple of the plants have tiny green roommates with them now. I hadn't held out much hope, the seeds were about four years old and had been inconsistently stored at best. I wasn't really surprised when they didn't sprout after they'd been planted. So when I gave up and cannibalized their soil for my new plants (i also got some soil from my yard, since i don't normally stock potting soil. probably a houseplant faux pas, but the plants seem to like it) I was a little startled to see these tiny green shoots in there with them. I figure I'll let them get a little bigger, and then I'll do another toss of the kitchen to see what i can possibly put them in. I'm running out of options, I might have to break down and head to the hardware store. In the meantime, my spider plant hasn't started to put out shoots again yet, but I'm just waiting. If that happens, I may just have to start giving plants away to everyone I meet.

That's all for today, time to go grab a shower and clean a little before work. Next time (probably friday, but don't quote me on that), a finished object! The first off my needles in months! Pictures with it, I swear! Exclamation points are fun!!!

Sharing...

...because this little bit of poetry has been stuck in my head for days now, and I am enchanted with the theme

The dove descending breaks the air
With flame of incandescent terror
Of which the tongues declare
The one discharge from sin and error.
The only hope, or else despair
Lies in the choice of pyre of pyre—
To be redeemed from fire by fire.

Who then devised the torment? Love.
Love is the unfamiliar Name
Behind the hands that wove
The intolerable shirt of flame
Which human power cannot remove.
We only live, only suspire
Consumed by either fire or fire.

---T.S. Eliot

Hopefully, having read it aloud to myself several times now, it'll be out of my system. Of course, that means that Shakespeare's Sonnet 27 will probably promptly take up residence. This, dear friends, is the danger of taking too many English courses in school.