Busy

Here are a few projects that kept me busy during the holiday/new year season. It has been one of my goals this year to be more grateful. I got this idea from a few blogs I frequent, quite a while ago. It's been stewing in my head, and I finally got around to, no pun intended, putting it down on paper! It's a gratitude journal, with 52 pages for each week of the year. I figured that I wouldn't be able to do a daily entry, but weekly entries would probably be do-able. I made the binder out of cardstock and put random sizes of paper inside. No rhyme or reason to it.











I've also been wanting to do a little album about myself for quite awhile. I have been wondering why and decided that I wish that I had some fun, unique memories and facts about my parents from when they were my age. I filled each page with a different idea. Of course I put in all of my current favorite things, but also some unusual questions like "what I would do if I had the day to myself", or "what I love about myself". Bonnie helped me think of some of them. Thanks girl! Some of my favorites are: "What I want to be remembered for", "What's in my closet", "I had a fabulous childhood", and "I want to learn how to".

A Few of my favorite things

A fab kitchen tray. A great place to put mugs for cocoa and my potted flowers.


A shelving unit I stumbled upon that works great to get stuff off of the countertop. (also the new plates I found on my shopping spree. Thanks Kathi)


I think if anyone was watching when I first saw this apron, they probably must have thought I was going into cardiac arrest. Let's just say I made record time grabbing it off of the shelf.


I found this basket for all my small, hard to find a place for, albums. I thought storing them like this would give visitors the all-clear to grab and read away.

Time for lights off

(a post by the Dusty half)

I had the opportunity on Saturday to take down the Christmas lights and decorations. They hadn't been on since the 20th of December since we were on vacation. When we returned, we decided that since it was almost New Years, we wouldn't plug them in. However, across the street, the neighbors have been turning their lights on well past New Years Day, which makes me wonder, are they celebrating a birthday? An anniversary? An ancient family tradition? When should be the official day to take down Christmas? Some people take theirs down a day or two after Christmas, as in the Challis family :), others wait until they can pester their husband on New Years day right in the middle of a bowl game..... So, I pose the question. Should there be an official holiday in America for taking down decorations? England has Boxing Day. I THINK that means that they box all of their decor up. What do you think?