Merry Christmas!!

Christmas is almost here, I have run myself silly and still have a million things to do. I haven't gotten gifts wrapped but I have finished grocery shopping. We have so much food in the house I had to bring the cooler upstairs and store some of the extra stuff in it. All the boys (and girls) will be here and the house will be full. That's all I need for Christmas.

I saw a young father on television a few weeks ago, who was at the unemployment office signing up. He had gotten laid off and was so upset that he laid his head on the table and cried during the interview. He and his wife had 2 young children. It tore me apart. No one should go without at any time of the year. I have tried to be as generous as possible with charities especially this year. So many people are out of work already, Christmas presents don't really seem that important to me.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope that you enjoy spending time with your family and friends.

You Never Know

This weekend I was one of the vendors at the Two Rivers Mansion Open House hosted by the gracious Stones River Women's Club. I was invited by my neighbor who is a member of the club. This was my first time there so I wasn't sure what to expect. Several vendors were no-shows, so there were only 4 of us on the 2nd floor of this fabulous 1850's mansion. I don't think I have ever met so many nice people at an event, which was the smallest I had been to this year but well attended. I sold more stained glass this weekend than I have all year. Several of my more expensive pieces sold this weekend. And I discovered that I have been targeting the wrong age group. My daughter-in-law helped me Saturday, which was really special. When she married my son, their wedding reception was held at the Two Rivers Mansion (see the photo), so we both loved being there again.

The downstairs parlors and main hallway were decorated by local florists. They were serving punch or hot spiced tea and cookies in the dining room. The upstairs vendors got the broken cookies and they didn't last long! I had so much fun and have been invited back next year.

Reflections of My Life

I just heard that song by Marmalade and it seems relevant to the thoughts that I always have as the year ends. This year has been a wild ride. Some crazy stuff has happened. Like twisting an ankle chasing a dog, falling and ending up having surgery. Of course, ignoring the injury and continuing to plant 24 (5 gallon) shrubs and shoveling 2 trailer loads of mulch didn't help, either. My very first surgery. But the recovery was quick, but it did teach me that taking a break is an option. I don't have to do everything right now, this minute. I truly enjoyed the summer because I did slow down. And I did get the front yard re-landscaped, all by myself.

There were frustrations - the jet ski still doesn't run right even after $300 worth of repairs. We had some successes - our house is now paid in full! We had our physicals and are healthy. That is a relief! Something to look forward to - I found a new site to sell my stained glass on, Artfire, which is shaping up to be very promising. In 6 months we will be debt free. Dave Ramsey will be proud. Married for 35 years, now that's a milestone!

All in all, this year hasn't been bad, even with the recession. I'm a friggin' genius because I said a year ago we were in a recession! But, I am truly thankful for what we have. We have worked hard for a long time. And even though our boys have gone their separate ways, we are still close. It's been a pretty good year. And I feel very fortunate.

Merry Christmas!!