my latest obsession

These are my latest obsession. Searching the internet they seem to be called Putz houses. I think they're so sweet and unassuming, and a great reason to get glittery, yes? The best thing is, with a few supplies you can really rock this out! This picture is from Papa Teds website I think. I didn't make this, just so you know!! I wish I could make one this pretty!

Edited to add: Here's a couple of great links for directions to make these:

urban Debris

And PapaTed

Christmas Eve

and here I sit blogging! I've just run out of steam, I reckon. Tomorrow will be spent trying to squeeze in a lot of family! Then, it'll be over. I've got big plans and goals in 2009!

snow ? no, mud

according to the weather forecast it isn't supposed to snow for Christmas. It's supposed to get wet and rainy and muddy and gross. So bummed! oh well. plan on posting more later.

cookies

hi peeps. I just got done working 9+ hours here at home. Then I made some Christmas cookies. Should have taken pics, I will on the next batch.
I had a caller that made me realize I really need to quit whining about stuff. She got her order, a photo mini book, but it was someone elses pictures. I told her I could refund her or send a new one, but that I doubted it would get there by Christmas. She started crying and said "It's just that it's for my boyfriend and he leaves for Iraq in 2 weeks. could I please get it by then?". I just wanted to drive it out to her, where ever she lived , and give her the right one. She didn't scream or swear, and I thnk she had a right too, even though it was an honest error someone made.
I used to say to Husband around 10 pm every night "aren't you glad we're going to bed and you're not getting ready to go to work?" he used to work 3 rd shift and we hated it. it was so lonely because when we were home together he was usually trying to sleep! Anyway, I need to count my blessings more because he doesn't have to work that shift anymore.
So, I saw a PIF (pay it forward) idea on this blog: right here clickit and thought why not. NOw, bear in mind my crafts aren't picture perfect but I try! My things are made with lots of love!
So my PIF pledge is for the first 3 people who comment that they would like a handmade craft and some surprises,to arrive by January 14, just leave a comment!

TTFN

ahh the holidays

They're coming, ready or not. I've been working as much as I can bear to. OMG,people stop calling and yelling at me because a picture you ordered won't get there in time. First off, I don't really care, esp if you're mean to me. And secondly, you've lost the true meaning of Christmas, so buuu bye.
I"m the best customer service person anyone would wish for. I'm kind, I go above and beyond, but there's some things I just don't have the power to do!!
Anyway, here's some pics of some misc things I've made. Please comment if you feel inclined; my blog is lonely.

Edit: don't know why I can't get my banner to look right and minus that green line, but oh well!

the other side

pig 002
Originally uploaded by grandamdrver2002

of my piggie

more FO

pig 001
Originally uploaded by grandamdrver2002

this was barely a UFO, just overnight until I got the tail glued on.



the pig was inspired by this book

pictures

This picture is just one of those little trees you would use for your Christmas village. I took a string of garland and cut off a piece that fit, then I wound it around the tree.
The top picture is of a the tree I made with my favorite sweater that I talked about in my last post. I wish now I'd bought the tiny sring of snowflake garland at Michaels, too, when I was there. It was only about $.60 or something. Oh well, maybe I'll get back there this week. I do like the little peppermint candy ornaments I sewed on it.

UFO to FO

UFO or unfinished objects of the crafty kind, I have plenty. I've started and never finished more than I've finished. But I have to say I've finished several things over the past week or so that even though the quality isn't fab, I'm happy I didn't just toss it aside. ( Also, I've dug out and came across projects I've started and not finished and decided I didn't want to do them anymore! So I gave them away or donated to Goodwill. It's so freeing to do that and not feel guilty.) The birds, for example, and my village. Even that goofy strawberry pie. I handstitched the birds so I could do it in front of the tv w/ Husband which helped.
I made something that was supposed to look like this . I took my favorite sweater that was just too pilly to wear anymore, and held my breath as I cut out the tree. I'll post pictures later. I've wanted to do that project for a year!
And speaking of Silver Bella, I'd love to go next year. I told myself that last year, and to start saving money ahead of time but just didn't work out!

birds I made

OMG, I sound so well, like myself, I reckon.
Here's the link for spool where I got the pattern for the birds. Husband said these kind of looked like whales. Sorry for all the "like"s I use!

some pictures

Thought I'd post a few pictures. Our tree, of course. And see that bookcase next to it? My dad made that (she says proudly). It's heavy!

And the pillow case I found in my mother in laws things. Have no idea what the MRS is for. That's not her monagram. LOL Also that granny square stocking probably was Husbands first wife.

And my village. I'm not crazy about it, but it's ok!

winter cold

I was getting a cold almost 2 weeks ago and thought I licked it. I was too arrogant, I think, because I started getting the sore throat again andwoke up feeling miserable. I know part of feeling horrible is my stress over money. It's constantly on my mind. I'm trying to make myself work 50 hours a week, which is verrrrry hard for me. Hard to be nice for so many hours. But Husbands job has slowed way down because of the weather. So I feel guilty if I don't grab all the hours I can.
anyway, I added a few pictures to my flickr of my Christmas decorations. I really looked at my decorations w/ a new eye this year. There's some cool vintage stuff in there! Like the fancy schmancy peg lady. These were my husbands ornaments, probably from his first wife, who passed away in 1985.

weekend

I had hoped it would be a relaxing weekend. And it is a little. I'm not working but Granddaugther stayed the night last night. It was fun but I have so much I want to do. I wanted to try to do a version of this but I don't think I'll be able to do it justice. But I'll try. And my house is a wreck, laundry is overflowing, and I have some Christmas crafts I'd love to do, etc etc. But we got groceries and are set for the week in that way. We have some running around to do which I dread because of weekend shopping traffic! Tomorrow is my nephews going away party. He's joining the Air Force !

video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTK9aB32vjw

another posting

I just had to say seriously, check out my granddaughter over there (fyi she's my 'step'daughters little girl. I'm 8 years younger than my husband, my stepdaughter J is only 14 years older than me!that's how I'm a grandma since I'm 38!). I mean, really, how can I whine and be depressed when she's in my life?

4 am snow

Husband got up at 4:00 to go hunting. He thought he'd gotten the car/monterro jumped. But it wouldn't start. He got me up to ask him to give him a lift to his buddy's house so I'd have a running vehicle here. As I layed there trying to figure out how to get out of it , err I mean wake up, I started remembering a dream I was having about going on a cruise. It was funny. Then I started having craft visions of some items made of felt! They're going to be cute if I can get what's on my brain to come out my hands. I'm going to try to sketch them so I don't forget.

Dog was crying to go out so I took him quickly. It was snowing! big beautiful fluffy flakes. I smiled up at God and did a little spinny twirl. It only lasted 15 minutes or so though.
And then Husband got the montero started so off he went and here I am! At 4:38 am. I'll probably snooze a bit and pray for snow and safe travels for my Husband.

I probably shouldn't have

but I just at a double cheesburger from Mcdonalds. psst it was really good!

washing it down w/ a martini! hey, it's Saturday night, I'm allowed!

No snow here yet :( but soon, I'm sure. Last blizzard in 2007 I got pregnant. I later miscarried but I still have a soft spot for blizzards and the coziness!
And am excited about this blog I just found: http://notesfromthefrugaltrenches.com/

I worked today for about 7 hours today, then went to leave to return a book to the library that was due today. My car wouldn't start :( really bummed about that. I think it's the starter, Husband thinks it's just the battery. Let's hope he's right! And my library book is now overdue!! OH no. I love the library. We had bookmobiles when I was a kid. A big RV type vehicle filled w/ books that drove out to remote areas (we weren't that remote but in the late 70's early 80's I guess it kind of was). The man who drove it was kind of mean, I was really afraid of him. I'd run in grab what looked good and try to get out without making eye contact. I lived in fear of overdue books now.

Until tomorrow.

Friday

I wonder why they call it 'black' Friday? I should google that.
Husband is out hunting and I'm glad, he loves it and it gives him a chance to get out and about.
Enjoying leftover comfort food like my baked mac and cheese.
it's pretty sunny here in Indiana, very November weather pretty much, which is nice. I do love winter. I love a good snow.

Thanksgiving 2008

First, I cannot even believe this wonderful woman left me such a kind wonderfull comment! Thank you Elizabeth.
Sooo, today is Thanksgiving. We had my stepdaguthers and their husbands, and Madison my almost 2 year old Granddaughter for dinner. We had so much food. Husband was up at 5 am, and in fact he did most of the cooking. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was wonderful. Lots of laughing and eating and just being mellow. I hated missing going to my folks in Seymour, IN. But just really felt called to stay here and have the kids here. And I'll see my parents and most of my sisters and one of my brothers on Dec 7. My nephew is going into the Air Force and it's a kind of going away party for him.

I'll be working all weekend. I'm glad for the work, but as always wish I could take some time off. I work from home so it's nice not to be out. I also was inspired by Elizabeths blog mentioned above and her hearts. I made one, kind of simple but it felt good, you know? I'll post pictures soon. I'm working on another but can't quite get the lettering right.
As far as the weight, just hanging in there. Not drinking as much has helped, not just the weight but my depression. Money is so tight, as usual. More than usual actually. Gods teaching me something as He always does. Not sure what? Just perserverence. ahh.

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!

really? Really?

Barack? Really? Just because he's not white people think he can walk on water or something? Despite that fact that he can't/won't produce a birth certificate, despite the fact that William Ayers bombed, among other places, the Pentagon, despite all that people really thought he was the best for the job? Really? Oh puh-lease. I will so be laughing and doing the I told you so dance a year from now when everyone's life is down the toilet.
whatever.

ahhh day whatev

so I've lost about 3 ell bees! and I've been working out which helps my brain clear out.
I paid all my bills today and that's all I can ask for at this point.

Day 33

so over 1 month into this and really, things haven't gotten better. I'm tired all the time and all I want to do is sleep, or drink. not good

Day 25

I made an appointment to see a therapist. It was supposed to be this morning. But I cancelled it. I woke just feeling like I couldn't deal w/ the soul searching. I don't regret it really.

Weight watchers is going well, I'm staying within my points.

Day 24

I'm thinking I'd like to start seeing a counselor/therapist. I don't think I can do this alone. With everything going on this world, I just see no end in sight.

Day 22

I joined Weight Watchers online! they have afree 7 day trial so I figured why not?

I realized this blog so far has focused a lot on weight loss. I've got at least 15 lbs before I'd feel good. So it's not a huge weight loss but to me, because I'm so short, it's more like 25 lbs would be on someone taller.
Anyway, I thought it's be good to revisit the other part of this project. Figuring out what the hell I want to do with my life besides just survive. I'll be navel gazing about that todya.

Day 19

Ick, this is hard to try to change my life. This week I'm exceptionally down. I think it's due to the wine I drink. I know alcohol in general is a depressant but wine esp does it to me.

day 16

I'm sort of hating myself right now. Or am I loving myself? I' m not sure. I haven't worked out and done the walking thing. Total laziness

Day 15

I have no talent. for anything. I can't write well. I can't sing. I'm not thin and beautiful. I'm not smart. I can't *do* anything. What the hell am I going to do with my life?

Day 14 already?

What would happen if I started walking everyday? I know it'll turn into a jog/run. But Iwill start today with 1 mile. tomorrow at least 1.25, then 1.50 etc etc etc. Every day. like brushing my teeth.

day 13

I missed a few days, yes! The wedding was good, a lot of fun. Tiring. And I'm just the grooms aunt!
As far as goals go: well listen to this dumb sob story: I went to mop my kitchen floor. I couldn't find the bucket. And the mop is holding up some drywall in the laundry room ( don't ask). So i bought a new bucket, drove home, and right there in the canteloup patch was my other bucket. Anyway , it still hasn't been mopped but baby steps you know?
Food wise, it's going ok. I haven't worked out again due to total laziness. When I have to work later I sleep so late, I'm almost embarassed. I know that's a function of my depression though.
So today my goal is to get the laundry put away and maybe mop the floor.

Day 8 -better

I worked out this morning! yippee yay me!!!
It was less than 30 minutes but it felt great. I've got a full day off work until 9pm which sucks but gotta do it. My nephew is getting married tomorrow so this weekend should be relaxing. Tomorrow is also half priced day at Goodwill and a neighborhood yard sale; both of which I plan to go to. All in all I'm in a good place today, and that's a big improvement.

Day 7

Not a good day today. Big shock huh? I did get the linen closet cleaned , and the cupboard in the bathroom. I had a couple of Target bags full of stuff for Goodwill. But the bathroom still needs work. I didn't work out. And I'm so down that I dropped an hour of work.
Husband came home and said 10 more people got laid off at work. There's barely any more people working there. And this one total ass hole works with him which doesn't help. Anyway, I don't know what we'd do if he loses his job. So what do I go and do? drop an hour of work when I should be working.

DAy 6

I started this blog to keep me on track with this project365change. But I'm feeling like so far day 6 I haven't done much to change my life. Rooted in all this is not knowing what the hell I want to be when I 'grow up'. I'm 40 and honestly don't have a clue. There's lots of things I like, like sewing, fashion, scrapbooking, eating, reading. I work from home as a customer service rep but it's not like that's my lifes goal. How do people figure out what the want to do? Does everyone just know?
I'd thought at one time I'd like to go back to school but there's no money for that. And anyway, I don't know what I'd go back to school for.
I feel so lost and confused. time to go back to day 1 and re-read what my goals are and start figuring out how to achieve them. I'm not going to get there by sleeping until 1030 like I did the other day. So on the agenda for tomorrow
1-real work out, not this half assed shit.
2-organize bathroom drawers and linen closet.

that should keep me busy.
check back in tomorrow

Day 5

I did manage a 20 minute walk the other day, and I was more uncomfortable than I've ever been working out. Today I slept 12 straight hours. Don't know if the bod just needed it or what. Got my quartlery taxes paid and paid bills. Other than, just trying to hang in there.

frustration level: code red

I'm feeling very frustrated today. Not entirely sure why. I've been working from home since March 2008 and I like it. But maybe this isolation is getting to me? Plus, I have to work much later than I like to all this week. I totally hate that. I try to remind myself I'm very lucky not to have to pay for gas. But I feel like all we do is work work work and we'll just have to work until we die. I need something to look forward to but what? Ugh. I don't know.
Anyway, just want to vent that.

Day 3

ughh, sinus headache and too many of these last night. Feeling lazy today. We got our grocery shopping done though which is good. Took a 2 hour nap! my list of to dos include for today to clean out the fridge, write some letters and, well, more of these probably. I don't see very dedicated to this project right now do I?

Day 2

I woke up actually feeling pretty good which is really unusual. It may be due to not having any of this or these and not a one of these . Which is highly unusual for me. But I'll have some tonight I'll just bet.
anyway, I woke up felling energetic and starting thinking about how I didn't want this blog to look dull. Or not only will no one want to read it but I won't want to post on it! I knew there was a way to do it, but that took a few tries and a couple of hours to figure out. I should have been probably cleaning the kitchen which is on the list for the weekend. But I didn't.
I also worked for 2 hours ( I work from home for a large cruise line and a large retail drugstore, taking customer service calls). And I'm due to work another 90 minutes in a while too.
Thrilling, yes?

So The List.

1-lose 20 lbs and get in great shape.
2-save money. I figured out how much extra I'd have to make in a week to pay off my credit card. It's not as bad as I thought :) . But that maybe overshooting a bit. I'm not sure where'd I'd find the time or energy to work more hours. So maybe I'll make the goal to have the debt cut in half in 365 (now 364 days. Or should I have a start date after I've decided what I want to do??? No, 365 days from Sept 11).
3. Keeping a better house. Ok, I need make sure I have tons of rubber gloves. Because I hate getting all sloppy and wet when I'm cleaning. This also means purging. I'm not bad about keeping things, but I'm bad about not getting rid of what I should get rid of. Does that make sense?

I think that's all I can handle just now. And that's ok. I'm not going to beat myself up about the list needing to be bigger or whatever.
I'm out like a trout for now.

It starts now

I started reading the book yesterday and though I'm not even half through it really struck a chord (cord? whatever) with me. It's the thought the plagues me all the time. Seriously. All the fucking time. Can I change my life? Is the life I have now the life I'll always have? Do I want that? And if it's possible to change it, where do I start.
So I thought maybe this 365 day thing is for me. I'm very much the type of person who likes regimented tasks, check it off, follow a plan. But I always want someone else (boss, friend, Husband) to make the list for me. I never want to make the list for myself. Fear of failure I'm sure.
And honestly, I'm not even sure what I want to accomplish by the end of the 365th day from today. Let alone how to do it.
When I say it starts NOW I mean NOW. Now I start really deciding what I want my life to be. And figuring out how to make that happen. It seems like a lot of people list weight loss as a big life goal. Sad to say, I'm no exception. So I know for sure the list will include 20 lb weight loss. I've also always wanted to be much neater and keep a better house than I do now. So that's going on the list. Spirutal growth for sure is on the list. And I want to be credit card debt free, but I don't think that's going to happen in one year. I'm leary of posting the amount I owe. So for now, I won't.
So that's a start.