XMAS THRIFTY FINDS

And so I was browsing "The Daisy" thrift store the other day looking for a black skirt; when all of a sudden I hear:
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"Hey hey hey! Ho ho ho!

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You there!

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Yes you! The good little girl from Newfoundland! (And aren't you a cutie too!)

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You look like a gal who might need a couple of good old fellas around the house. Two fat jolly boy-toys with roguish grins and twinkly eyes (and high black boots and a belt!). A couple of guys who will lavish you with gifts this Christmas. (Did we mention yet that it would be at your expense?).

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And don't worry -- we promise to only smoke our pipes outside (and that what we smoke will be legal). And really -- our red cheeks and nose are not from excessive drinking -- you have our word on that!

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You see, we need a good home where we'll be lovingly washed and put in a place of honor and fondly admired during the upcoming season before being carefully wrapped up and gently packed away for 11 months. And you look like the kind of girl who could really care for a guy!

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What do you say? Our arms are open just waiting for you to take us home!"

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Well, how could I say no! I mean, at my age, a girl's got to take a man (or two) where she can find them. And at this price (50 cents), these good-time Charlies were a real bargain!

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PS -- I just have to ignore the holes in the back of their heads and the plugs up their butts! But then, we all make concessions for the men we love, right?

INTERNATIONAL NAPKINS

I've been following a lovely little blog from Italy called "Il mondo di Iris" or The World of Iris. http://ilmondodiiris.blogspot.com
Angela is fortunate to be able to understand English: and I try my best (along with my faithful Google translator) to get the gist of what The World of Iris has to say. I enjoy this blog very much; and quite often, we will comment on the others posts.

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I took part in a giveaway in early October. And although I wasn't one of the winners, because Angela knew that I loved napkins, she offered to send me a few -- all the way from Italy! The package arrived last week, and it was such a wonderful treat to open it and see over 5 dozen different napkins!

How was I to share them with the bloggie world? Then I decided that I would create a "cover" for my couch. Just look at these beautiful napkins!

Here are some close-ups.

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I also got an unopened package of Christmas napkins. In Canada when you buy a package of napkins, you get one design per package. So, this again was a real treat to open it and find 4 different designs.

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I've been blogging for a little over a year; and I'm still finding out just how generous and loving and encouraging and kind most bloggers are.

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Thank you Angela!

Grazie mille. Siete così gentili.

A NEW LOOK

As you can see, I've changed the look of my blog site just a little; I thought I'd like to look a more Christmas-seasonal. (I'm pretty limited as to what my choices are though. )

It's not perfect (like some of your bee-u-tea-ful blog sites out there). If any of my bloggie friends can tell me how to pretty up my site, I'd welcome your comments.

In the meantime, as they say - a change is as good as a rest!

I WON A GIVEAWAY!

I have been blessed so many times over the past year by wonderful giveaway prizes. And this is yet another of which I've been the fortunate recepient.
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This one arrived last Friday from at http://junk-fest.blogspot.com/
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Isn't this pillow just beautiful. I love that they were able to correctly identify me as royalty! (Yeah; more likely, it was recognition of me as a Royal pain in the $@#.)



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I also got this book and this vintage wind-up clock. The clock reminds me of being a child because I had one very similar when I was a young girl. I've wound it up and put it next to my digital and surprisingly, it only loses about 5 min in a 14-16 hr period.



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A huge thank you to the gals at Junk Fest for your generosity. If you haven't checked them out yet, click on the address above. They have a really great site.

A GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY

Have you checked out Teresa's blog at http://grammyababychangeseverything.blogspot.com/

If you haven't and you're a lover of Christmas and all things leading up to Christmas, I'd encourage you to check it out. It's full of wonderful stories and tidbits shared by author and viewers; all sorts of Christmas ideas, recipes, etc.

She's offering a wonderful chance to win a giveaway. All you have to do is check out her blog; and if you decide to follow, just tell her that Sandy aka Doris at Aging Disgracefully sent you and we'll both get our names put in for some great seasonal giveaways.

As she says, it's a win-win situation!

ADORABLE TRICK OR TREATERS

I didn't have a lot of Trick or Treaters Saturday night .... probably around 2 dozen. But I love the look of delight on little children's faces when they come to your door! Here are some of my visitors.

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These are my 2 lovely students, getting ready to Trick or Treat for their very first time (and probably their only time!)

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And look at these little cuties!

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I also got visits from a few older kids -- teenagers; and one time, 2 teens came with what I believe was their mom who was dressed as a witch. But even that green make-up couldn't hide those wrinkles and I was a little surprised when she opened her treat bag for a handout. But, mine is not to judge -- she got her treats!

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(Do you suppose there'll come a day when I'll be reduced to putting on costumes and begging door to door for chocolate???)

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But none of my Trick or Treaters were as old OR as silly as this one. It's my good friend Eva; and she was on her way to the Senior's Home to hand out treats to the residents.

Eva says she has another costume just like this at home for me. Because I was manning the door at home, I narrowly missed being part of the Halloween version of Dum and Dummer!

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Ah well, there's always next year!!

IS IT TIME TO BEGIN THINKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS?

Rabbit, rabbit everyone. Here it is November 1st.

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And that means that there's only 54 more days until Christmas day .....

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and even less to Christmas season!

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And I know that we celebrate the big day as the birth of Christ; and we open our gifts on that one big day (or perhaps slightly before); and we usually cook our big family dinners that day .....

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But it's the "season" of Christmas -- the many days that lead up to the big day -- where a lot of the fun and kurfluffle happens. Those wonderful things like .....

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• the composition of the annual Xmas letter and trying to come up with cheerful antidotes to write rather than telling how the septic bed exploded or your youngest narrowly avoided prison


• the addressing of a zillion Xmas cards and subsequent having to wear your carpel tunnel wrist bands to bed for 2 weeks
• the preparation of kilos of gorgeously decadent once-a-year foods that will cause our arteries to harden, our hips to broaden and our bowels to stop working until mid-January


• the decorating -- in every room -- until the house resembles something between a French whorehouse and a bad Italian restaurant and you look like a cross between Bozo the Clown and Lady GaGa


• the overspending on gifts for your often ungrateful kin-folk


• the hundreds of yards of giftwrapping and taping and ribboning
  
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• the standing in the local supermarket ringing the Sally Ann bell in front of the big black kettle while using the Vulcan mind-meld to try to get people to part with their hard earned dollars


• the fighting with other shoppers to try to get the last pair of musical reindeer slippers for Aunt Mable
  
• the craft fairs and parties and pot lucks and concerts and visiting .....



• and sore feet and dunch bum cheeks and fuzzy/buzzy brain condition

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This is what we wait all year for, right? I can hear so many of you out there yelling along with me:

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YES, YES, YES! I LOVE CHRISTMAS

AND ALL THAT GOES ALONG WITH IT!

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(I can also hear the rest of you retching violently. But I choose to ignore you!)

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So, in anticipation of this "Most wonderful time ... of the year"..........**

And in appreciation of so many of my bloggie friends who have faithfully followed me and sent me words of encouragement and made me laugh or made me think, I'd like to add you to my Christmas card list. So, if you'd like to receive one of my cards (which could have been "hand painted by mouth" by various needy artists ....whose cards I use but am embarassed to say I've never sent money to) then please - send me your home address.

And if I enclose my annual Xmas letter, you'll have the awesome opportunity to hear even more mind-numbing drivel about my whole household, including the cat!!

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Woohoo! Now that's an offer that's hard to refuse!!