With the three heavy frosts we have had the garden is definitely coming down. Hubs pulled all the tomatoes yesterday and saved most of the green to ripen. I will go out and really clean up the garden after he is done. I am sorry but he does a man job. I don't want to be pulling up tomatoes starts all year next year, so I have to go out and woman clean it.
Don't die of shock but I actually did quite a bit of ironing yesterday and will probably be able to finish today. Winter and summer clothes will need to be flip flopped soon. So sad as I love the warm weather.
I stayed very busy sewing things in the shop yesterday and I think I will be busy today with pick ups and drop offs. I have three jackets to alter today that will be quite the job plus a pile of shirts to shorten the sleeves on for one of my little clients. Little people are hard to fit. They all have very different needs. Often their bodies are normal sized and their arms and legs are just shorter, so everything must be scaled down. These are tricky alterations. You can't just cut off the pants and hem them. You have to tailor down the legs and arms.Lucky me, I am blessed with work.
I hope to be able to complete another chart before the end of the month, so I have to work to do that.
I have been spending at least an hour every evening working on my plastic bread bag rug. I am anxious to finish this first one and plan on getting started on and oval one. It keeps me out of the bars, as my grandmother used to say.
Also the slower part of my year is coming up. So I need to think about Christmas. I want to make a few more car quilts for family members. I will use scraps from jeans I cut off and remnants of what ever I can find. Also embroidery with things I have purchased at second hand stores. I love to be able to make things that are beautiful by reusing what others have gotten rid of. I have so much embroidery floss that I have picked up for practically nothing.
I am trying to go more toward and family gift of something that is a need and personal gifts of things I make. Things that I put love and time into, that are useful instead of another thing.
Have any of you ever had a home made Christmas? What do you do to encourage this and not get so consumer driven. I don't mind giving things that are needs, but just stuff bothers me. We love having good food and time together. I just don't want to get caught up in the buying gifts that are just useless and expensive.
Well I had better get busy as work does not do itself and I have a house to pay off.
Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.
Kim
You struck a nerve with me. I have a friend who is quite the garment/costume maker. When she invited me to her daughter's first birthday, I gave her some percale pillowcases (with French seams) I had just made, and told her "You know I can't give something store bought to somebody I love." It was a stretch for me to do this, as this woman is one heck of a craftswoman. I only give handmade things to people I really love.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say we have done a homemade Christmas per se, but there are a lot of handmade goods given. I typically make a Christmas quilt every year, alternating the kid I give it to on Thanksgiving. I think I am skipping making one this year, though, because each kid already has two. Our Advent Calendars (filled each day with things like pens, lip balm, etc.) are handmade. Also, don't ask me how it got started, but each year the kids have to devise a new cookie to give to DH for Christmas. It HAS to get packaged in this one special tin we have. I also involve the kids in making up the cookie/candy plates, and homemade baskets of jams for neighbors. They have also made up some of their own baskets/bags for their friends. To quell the crazy consumerism of the holiday, we told our kids from the start that they would get one thing from Santa, one from us. I don't think they look at Christmas so much for the gifts, but for the traditions--the "When are we getting the tree, and whose turn is it to pick it out?" and "Are you going to be making a the peanut butter cups this year? May I help?" Our tradition revolves more around Advent, with its special foods, decorations and candles, than Christmas day.
I have a tried to cut back every year. I use, Something you want something you need, something to wear, something to read and stocking stuffers. But even this is getting hard with 6 to buy for plus, grand kids, in-laws. It just gets to be too much for me.
DeleteJust one year, early in our marriage, I did homemade gifts. We were dead broke and no money for Christmas gifts to DH's large family. I remember my gift to my FIL was homemade banana bread. I think that was his favorite gift and that's what he wanted every year after :)
ReplyDeleteMeg - your Christmas's sound lovely.
Great, I am not the only one that needs a break.
DeleteLike MegB, we don't do much with gift giving/buying, but more about the traditions, fun food, and time with family.
ReplyDeleteWe are planning to give the kids skis this year, and then they will each get a couple of small other gifts. Likely, a soccer ball, a book, & something else. We only buy for a few people (my nephews, and the daughters of my best friend). Otherwise, we don't buy much & it's lovely & so relaxing.
That is what I want relaxing. I look forward to the day that the hose is paid for and I can just send each family a check. I love the food, the meals, the traditions, the kids.
DeleteI love my husband, but his level of cleanliness isn't the same as mine either.
ReplyDeleteIt is called man clean. I just have to be grateful he tries. that is hard.
DeleteI've made stuff for family members lots of years. Some years it's baskets of goodies I bake or jams and jellies or what ever I've managed to make. Other years is mitten hangers for people who have kids and need somewhere to hang mittens to dry. One year I made lavender wands and other herbal goodies for everyone. I can't give the same thing every year so I try to rotate around with baking, jams/preserves, painted items, and handmade knitting or sewn things. And some years I've given everyone something different. It depends on what I have lots of and what I feel I can manage and what I think people will appreciate. I love making things for my family and loved ones.
ReplyDeleteWell I am trying to get to that point. Not that I mind buying gifts. It is the forced expectations of the consumer world I hate.
DeleteMy friend had his cousins, close ones, just four people and their three children. Then, the nieces started marrying, then having babies and fathers of babies. He was over the edge when people started marrying people who already had children. He did not like having to buy so much. I was in charge of his gift-/giving. So, I suggested a family gift which made him grumpy. He liked the idea of giving the one gift and had only five gifts to buy. I got the plywood snowman, reindeer, etc for the yard. They were painted brilliantly and lasted for many years after his death. Maybe a family gift would work for people with so many to buy for.
ReplyDeleteMy sisters loved my handmade gifts--framed needlepoint monograms, crocheted purse and other such heirloom quality items. I was not making piggy banks out of milk jugs!
Oh yes the piggy banks out of milk jugs I remember getting one of those from my grandmother.
DeleteWe have very slow Christmas times. I don't even decorate. I do have a favorite ugly Christmas sweater that I wear to parties, but nothing else.
ReplyDeleteScrooge, I say get thee a used Christmas tree.s
DeleteOh, forgot to ask, is there a post in your archives that explains your charts? Or can you do one?
ReplyDeleteCharts? don't have archives too much work. barely can get my blog posted.
DeleteI try to include something hand made for each of my kids, but they don't reciprocate too much. I think they think their hand made items aren't worth as much as a store bought gift. My daughter has knitted me scarves before!
ReplyDeleteI just want to appreciate time as a family. I think I have two eldest on board, but the baby not married still needs things. Eldest has more money than she knows how to spend so no stopping her.
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