Oh, what a beautiful morning

Oh, what a beautiful day! It's gray and gloomy again today but it was so nice out yesterday, over sixty in the sun. I spent the morning trying to catch up the blog reading I am behind and then went to begin sorting out the stuff in the attic. The boys pulled it all out for me before they left Sunday and it's strewn all around the walls of the pool room.

We have had a small, decorates itself with lights tree for xmas for several years now. It's too frail to hold the ornaments we used to use. I have boxes of them that haven't seen the branch of an evergreen in years. I will be getting rid of the nonfamily ones and thinning the family ones by passing them on. I will only keep the "specials";ones that were like my gramas had, gifts from the mom over the years, and such. Most of those I hang from green tinsel or swags of pine to display them.

My craft items are scattered through many boxes. Most of the small boxes were candy boxes or tins the mate has brought me over the years. He was sweet that way. I saved them all by using them to put notions and buttons and such in.

I bought some clear storage containers to put the craft supplies I am keeping in so I might even get some beading or crocheting done this year and use them up a little. I have weaving looms, handmade crochet hooks of wood and bone, tatting shuttles and thread and jeans I have saved for years for a quilt top. I may even hand sew a denim and flannel quilt. I found the cotton quilt top I was working on and may even finish that this winter. I might have room for a quilting frame in the living room. If not I have several cheats I can try.

There are button boxes and frames and photos that need to be rematched and repaired and hung, my long lost heavy duty hot glue gun, several pair of sissors and more button box stuff than any one in this age of store bought clothes ever needs. I even found the ironing board holding up larger boxes like a shelf.

Scattered through it all I found cards I have kept over the years. Some from family and a few from the mate. He always got me the nicest cards. Even the funny ones were sentimental, not hurtful. I cried as I read them one more time and ran a finger over the signatures filled with loves and truely and always. He never skimped on telling me he loved me. I even had a few sweetest day ones.

Cards are one of the things I have vowed to pass on in crafts and burn material. Unless there is a note written in them I don't save them anymore. I did buy a paper making kit that may recycle some of them this year.

Of course the phone rang while I was sorting and dumping up there. I missed the call and they didn't leave a message, that annoyed me. I went to let the cat in and realized I had to get outside NOW! What I was doing was hurting and I still needed to do outside chores. It was too beautiful a day to spend inside.

I ran in to open the windows and doors then ran out to get my weed whacker and commenced cleaning up the side bed and the giant weeds in the lialacs. I switched over to my hedge trimmer and trimmed the evergreens back then cut back the mini rose bush and the rassberry canes. Best Girl showed up and helped me finish, ran to the store for me and got started on the patio chairs that I want to paint.

I found out the two cans I thought were black paint for over rust are a clear coat to seal the rust. Well, Darn! We got one coat of black on the top of the seats and tables then went to open the last can only to find it was a deep blue, not black. I got tricked at the store. Again, well, DARN!
It was getting late by then so I went in and we tidied up for Bible Study. Somewhere in there I got two loads of wash done and a blanket washed to give away while Best Girl filled my bird feeders. It was a busy day and I really got a lot done.

Today it's off to town for paint for the lawn chair thing and smokes, cat food, along with a few sundries. I don't need much food, I need someone to eat the food I have because I thought the B1son would be here and he won't be back until Friday. I will be making turkey and dumplings again today and then freezing it for another time. I may also get some more of the sorting and fine tuning upstairs finished.

Bible Study went well last night and the sis and I got her easy way to learn mulitplication worked up with hints from The Kid and myself to work into it. Her way there are only 14 "hard" problems that have to be memorized. Our pattern hints will knock it down to just a few. I hope to get that worked up and posted somewhere so people can start using it.
Bible study was great and we got a lot done. The dinner was dotted with dilemmas and dramas faced by our kids and problem solving for them.

If you read here much you know I am 'agin required by social law gift giving. It just doesn't make sense, when we all have so much, to give each other gifts. One of my nieces was upset last week as her cousins had included her family in drawing names when she told them they couldn't afford it. They do twenty dollar gifts. For their family of five that's one hundred dollars better spent on heating costs this winter. She was at her wits end what to do about it and her mom got it worked out for her but she was shamed that they had to tell people they didn't have the money for gifting.

Why would a loving family put their kids in this position? It hurts them emotionally and finacially. That is bad. There are so many better ways to show love than give a gift from the store that I don't know how the retail joints even stay in business.

We discussed our usual practice of boy girl gifts and found that some people didn't like what they get and some people just can't afford it this year. I would like to see us help some kids that won't have big holidays and some families that won't have trees and such.

Most of us don't need anything material and the ones with needs need funds, not presents. If we fund our kids and help some others we will have less holiday stess, less mess to clean up and more fun spending time together for the holiday. Even if the kids give some gently used toys there are kids out there that will be glad to have them, used or new. That is less mess to clean up, too, which makes life easier.

Even making gifts costs money in yarn or supplies to bake with that some of our people just can't swing this year. What I treasure from the holidays are the fun times we have doing things as a group, even just a poker game or a board game with snacks and kids all over the house is fun and filled with love.

The news yesterday said need is up and giving is down this year. Those that have given before in this area are now in need. We have had five factories move out of our area in the last two years. I have been blessed to have a job at all and I am not sure if I still will or not come January. Even if I don't I am better able to help my family and friends right now than I have been in the past.

I am also suggesting you wish your friends a "Merry Christmas" again. Freedom of religion is different than Freedom from religion and the former is what the constitution promises us. If you are not a christian just acknowledge our holiday and move on. I don't celebrate Kwanza, I'm not black. I still don't fault them for wanting to have it on the calendar. It's the same with Passover, I'm not Jewish. Why would I care if they celebrate it? And I love Fat Tuesday!

So there you go, the jumble of things I am thinking about all dumped out for the day. I hope you enjoy yours, I have to go see what mine has to bring. I am hoping a dry day over 55 so I can paint that yard chair set and get it moved on to the back porch and put the tools back in the garage, too. I just have the attic and the back porch to whip and then the websites to catch up and my time will be my own again. Watch me go!