Fantastic Friday.

Friday is fantastic because it means that my 3 day weekend is about to begin. We don't have any plans, other than to go grocery shopping. We don't generally do much for New Year's Eve because people tend to get drunk, ridiculous, and shoot off fire works. There isn't anything wrong with that, but it usually doesn't go well with PTSD so we try and avoid the shenanigans.

I have made a weekend to-do list in my mind though.

I'd like to take down the tree, it's beyond dead. Our cat kept drinking all of the water that was supposed to keep the tree alive. Apparently the cat water wasn't good enough for him and he only wanted tree water. Snob.

I'd like to find homes for all of the goodies we were given at Christmas. We were given some amazing stuff and I can't wait to unpack it and tell you all about it.

I'd like to catch up on laundry. Our washer was broken for 2 weeks but the repairman came yesterday and found the problem. There was a bobby pin stuck in the pump. The one and only time I use a bobby pin, look what it goes and does.

I'd like to get some blog posts ready to go. My blog has been neglected lately, not because I don't love it, but because the evil work monster has swallowed me. Luckily, we've hired a new girl (that still leaves us 4 people short). She was supposed to start this week but had the flu so our boss had her stay home. Having a new girl doesn't mean much for at least 3 or 4 weeks while she's in training, but at least maybe I'll be able to cut a few hours in February.

And lastly, I'd like to get a little bit of canning done. I have some fruit that is just screaming my name. Not calling, it's screaming to me, "hey lady, stuff me in a jar, please, pretty please, NOW!"

What are your weekend plans?

Volunteering at the Lights.

We're back in Idaho, after a very very long drive yesterday. I don't want to sit in a car for at least a month. I work 3 days this week and then I have a 3 day weekend! I'm going to take full advantage of it and try out my Christmas presents. I got some pretty amazing gifts, but more on that another time.

In my hometown there is a botanical garden that is lit up with over 300,000 Christmas lights for the month of December. Every year my mom organizes a little group of family and friends to volunteer on Christmas night. I usually don't go because I used to work retail and Christmas was my only day off, which I used to catch up on sleep. This year Jake and I got to go and it was so much fun.

Since the garden overlooks the ocean, it's only fitting to have a ship.

I love how they bunched the yellow lights to look like flowers. All of it was done by hand.

That shadowy figure in front of the whale is Jake. It kind of gives you and idea of how large the whale installation is. The coolest part is that it's animated and you can watch him spout water.

I can't recall if these mushrooms were there when I was a child but I think they're too cute to pass up a photo.

A view from above. 

Christmas Day.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas yesterday. Jake and I are in my hometown on the Oregon coast. We were lucky enough to receive some really cool presents and to spend some time with loved ones. We have to leave on Tuesday and I'm not looking forward to it at all.

Random Tidbits...

First of all, the most important item of the day, a photo of my co-worker in the awesome Christmas sweater we made him. He's such a great sport and didn't even complain one time. The only thing that fell off was one little star at the very end of the day. Fabri-tac is amazing.

Our sweet elderly neighbors dropped by a plate of cookies and candies the other night. It was so cute. He said, "My, you two are hard ones to find home." I have no idea what he was talking about, Jake is home 24/7, but it was cute nonetheless.

Question: What do you get for someone who travels for work, doesn't have a home base, and is constantly flying so can't really have a lot of possessions? I wanted to get him Diablo III but it hasn't come out yet. Any other ideas?

I forgot to announce the giveaway winner yesterday because I was so excited to tell you all about my ugly Christmas sweater. The winning comment was #15:

Angie said...

This Christmas, seriously, all I care about is spending time with my little family. I'm excited for food, gifts, etc. But it's that family warmth that I love the most.

Congrats to Angie of Lariats & Lavender, I'll be contacting you soon for shipping information. 

Ugly Sweater Making Party!

Today we're having an ugly Christmas sweater dress up party at work. So we had to have a sweater decorating party last night in order to get ready. The thrift store didn't have any Christmas gems so we decided to create our own.

I decided to have a simple Christmas tree. After this photo was taken I added some bells so I'll jingle as I walk around.

My co-worker bought a reindeer template and was able to make this adorable sweater with it. I love the googly eyes.

This pretty is for the guy who didn't want to come over to decorate and said we could make his for him. His loss. We went all out with his sweater, I think he wins any ugly sweater contest we might have, ever.

Needlepoint.

Next time I want to try something new in the crafty world I think I might go for needlepoint. I have a giant book of needlecraft that has the basics of knitting, crochet, embroidery, quilting, needlepoint and applique. Some of the basic designs in the needlepoint section looked cool but I didn't think much about them. My interest has been growing though as I come across more and more of these pieces (these two are from Jake's relative's home). I love the bright farms and floral patterns the best.

Hopefully I'll have some time to try it out after all the Christmas shenanigans have passed. They look like they take awhile to finish but I think I'm up for it. Now, does anyone know where to find cool needlepoint patterns?

A Rockin' Weekend.

We went to Jake's dad's house over the weekend since we're going to Oregon for Christmas. After rushing dinner and exchanging gifts we went over to their cousin's Christmas party. Those of us who were having beers were made to hang out in their gigantic shop as to not drink in front of the little kids. So you had a group of 20 somethings and 3 men in their 50s hanging out in the garage. It was really fun, and very entertaining.

One thing that people in that part of Idaho are really into (maybe it's just Jake's family and friends) is collecting interesting rocks and arrowheads. Apparently it has recently become illegal to take arrowheads from where you found them. Jake's cousins had a large selection of rocks. Some were polished, some cut into 1/4 inch slabs, and others remained just as they were found. 

We all picked out our favorite rough rocks and they cut them in half for us so we could see the insides. It was really awesome and fun to see how everyone's rocks differed. I might try to make a necklace out of mine just for fun, once I dig it out of my bag. 

The store we stopped at to buy beer carried Ninkasi so I was a happy camper. I love supporting Oregon breweries, especially when their beer is that delicious! There was a shop cat hanging around who didn't have a name so I named him Hitch and took a shot of whiskey in honor of Christopher Hitchens who died last week.

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway. Unfortunately it's not for a bunch of cool rocks but there is a lot of other awesome stuff you could win! 

F it.

Sometimes I really just want to say F it and walk out. My job really isn't that bad but being short staffed is exhausting, frustrating, irritating, and a few other descriptive words we'll leave out of this rant. Instead I've just decided to say F it, show up, do the best job I can do, not let customers get to me, and leave and go home. Work isn't what my life is about, and I don't ever want my life to be about some job that won't matter in the long run. So while I'll do my best while I'm there, as soon as I'm gone for the day, I don't give a F anymore, just as it should be.

In other news, we're going to Jake's dad's this weekend. It's kind of nice because he lives out in the boonies and there aren't a lot of distractions there so I know I'll make a lot of progress toward my Christmas gifts. I can't wait to go to Oregon for Christmas. I'm so excited to see my family and check in on my dad who broke his foot a couple months ago. Hopefully I'll get to see my sweet little niece for a moment too, they're arriving late one night and I leave first thing the next morning.

I opened my etsy shop last week and thanks to family, friends, and my wonderful blog readers, I've made some sales and felt so loved. Thank you for all of your support. Don't forget to check out the Not So Christmas Giveaway I'm having as a thank you.

Also, isn't that print killer? I think I may order it for my living room. If you'd like your own F it print or one of many others, check out Hannes Beer's flikr, the shop is linked below the prints.

I'm Having Nutcracker Nightmares.

Once upon a time there was an exhausted over worked girl who melted into the couch just as soon as she got home from work. Last week some guy came to the girl's work and changed the music system. Now there is only one station. The girl hates this, mostly because the one station plays horrible jazz/pop/elevator versions of popular songs. That wouldn't even really be all that bad if the station played more than 5 songs on a continuous loop. Today the girl kept a tally of how many times the annoying rat song from The Nutcracker came on, she stopped tallying once she got to 17. The girl decided it wasn't worth it anymore, she had proved her point, that listening to the same horrible song 17+ times in half a day is akin to torture. They're torturing us, help!

Seriously, the song is stuck in my head, no matter how many other songs I listen to. This is worse than when I get the hiccups.

The Not So Christmas Giveaway!

You know how Christmas is really hyped up and you get very excited and it's an awesome day full of family, food, and presents and then the rest of the week afterward seems so dull? Well one lucky winner is going to get a package from me right after Christmas, to help extend their holiday happiness.

Since you can't see it in the first photo, here's a pic of the batch of pear jam I made.



The package will include:

One cowl to keep you warm in the chilly months to come, it looks kind of greyish in the photo but it's actually a very light and soft blue.

One mustard colored rose pin, to add some fun to your long winter days.

One small jar of pear jam, to remind you that summer will come again!

To Enter - each of the following is worth one entry, please leave a separate comment for each:

1. Leave a comment about what you're most looking forward to this Christmas

2. Follow my blog

3. Tweet about this giveaway

This giveaway will close Dec. 20th at midnight. 

Shop Trailer Gypsy!

This weekend I started listing items in my etsy shop. I'm so excited to be able to share my work with you! It's really difficult for me to take photos during the week as it is pitch black when I get off work. I'm hoping to get a few more photos during my lunch breaks throughout the week so I can add more items. 

I'm offering these cowls for a steal, I've changed my pattern for crocheting cowls so I've decided to list those made with the old pattern at a great price. 

Also, because I love my blog readers, you've all been such great friends to me and so supportive, and because saving money at Christmastime is important, I've made a little promo code so you can save even more!

Just enter: HolidayCheer at checkout to save an additional 15%

Our Christmas Tree!

Last night I finally talked Jake into a Christmas tree. I was kind of sad because they only sell them at the grocery store here. They're all wrapped up so you don't even know what your tree is going to look like until you get it home. When I was a kid we used to go to this place up in the mountains, walk through the snow, find the perfect tree, and my dad would cut it down. Then we'd get apple cider and go for a sleigh ride behind a horse. It was magical. Someday I want Jake to be able to have an awesome Christmas tree experience like that. I'm bound and determined to get him to like Christmas.

After Jake cut off the bottom of the tree, he drilled a hole in it so I could hang it as an ornament. We didn't do that last year but it's a tradition I hope to continue in the future. Jake teased me for listening to Christmas songs as I hung ornaments but it's December so it's perfectly acceptable. If you've been in these parts awhile you know I love She & Him and their Christmas album is no exception. I'm pretty obsessed with their version of Baby, It's Cold Outside. love it!

Do you have your Christmas tree yet? Are you going to get one?

Upcycled Christmas Ornaments.

I bought these ornaments from two ladies at the craft fair but they'd be so simple and fun to make at home. I like seeing how people upcycle and reinvent things they have laying around their house.

This cute little penguin is made from an old lightbulb painted black. The materials are really basic, lightbulb, paint, felt, hot glue, a little bit of yarn and some googly eyes. I have most of that in my house already.

John Wayne over here is made of a shotgun shell. They had several other shotgun shell men but they had santa hats on and I just couldn't pass up this little cowboy with his lasso.

I think next year I might have to make a few ornaments out of random household objects for myself.

Craft Fair Was A Bust.

So the craft fair was a bust. There were a lot of vendors with some pretty cool stuff but there just weren't a lot of shoppers. No traffic means no sales. Unless of course you're the lady selling cookies, she made out like a bandit. It wasn't a total failure though, I got to meet some nice people, had some fun, and got to hang out with Jake's family the night before.

The plan was to have a hot pink tablecloth but I couldn't find it anywhere so I opted for the green instead. It's fun, but it kind of annoyed me since my garland was green too.

I have a weakness for cute holiday tins. 

I brought along some friends. 

My mom sent me a bunch of Christmas cards to sell because she's awesome like that. 

I made that skinny blue scalloped scarf while I was sitting there in the morning. Craft fairs should not begin at 7 am, especially when there isn't a coffee shop nearby. It's just cruel.

The good news is, I'll be listing the items that didn't sell in my etsy shop today and Wednesday and I'll probably get a giveaway going soon too. Stay tuned!

Christmas Candy Advent Calendar.

My mom made us the best advent calendar ever. Why is it the best? It's simple really, it's the best because we get to eat candy every single day until Christmas arrives! Awesome!

Since variety is the spice of life she's included m&ms, peanut m&ms, skittles, sour skittles, gum drops, sixlets, licorice, jelly beans, pixi stix, reese's pieces, and even some pencils. There are a few that I'm not even sure what they are, red hots? gumballs? I guess we'll find out when we try them!

I love the little stamps used on the tags. They're adorable and I like that she used all different colors and not just red and green.

Thanks mama for the awesome advent calendar. We love it, and we love that it's candy! I call dibs on the sixlets!

Why Are Guys Giant Scrooges Concerning Christmas?

What is with guys not being into the whole Christmas spirit thing? Last night I was talking with Jake about when we should go get a tree and he was not at all interested. Maybe it's because last year I made him take this ridiculous photo with me and he's still traumatized?

It's not just Jake though. I make small talk with my customers at the bank and the women are gung ho and excited for Christmas and the men are really bah humbug. My co-worker's husband even went so far as to throw out their inflatable snowman without telling her.

Yes, the guys generally have to go out in the cold and hang the lights but other than that, I think Christmas is a pretty cake job if you're male. Women usually do the baking, the present shopping, the wrapping and the decorating. So what's the big deal, guys? Why no Christmas cheer?