H A P P Y N E W Y E A R ! !

Depending upon where you live, you have already rung in the year 2010. So many people are anxious for '09 to leave and ready for a new decade to begin. NostraDana thinks 2010 will be full of opportunities for us all, maybe not the ones we want, but opportunities none the less.
What better way to ring in the New Year than with a clean house? The Christmas decor is stored away; and, I decorated my mantle in things symbolizing the advent of new beginnings. Clocks, eggs, birds, candles and topiaries. Yes! I am ready for spring to begin! Meanwhile, there is still snow on the lawn from our White Christmas, but one can dream, n'est çe pas?
Do you eat black eyed peas on New Years Day? Well, I don't. Never liked them! And no, you do NOT have a recipe to make me change my mind. So, I'm going to be feasting on New Year's day on a bourbon soaked ham, cheese grits and sauteed spinach in bacon fat. Obviously my NYD resolutions do not have to do with food and restrictions, ha ha! But I will start the day with a bagel and scrambled eggs and a tall sparkling mimosa! yum yum!

WHAT? You don't know how to make a Mimosa! Heaven forbid! Well, from my days keeping the barstools all firmly planted at my local bar and pub, this is how they made them:

• The better half of a glass of champagne or sparkling wine
• a smidgeon of cointreau or triple sec
• a generous splash of orange juice
• Shake with ice and strain into a champagne flute
• Garnish with an orange zest or heck, just plop a slice of orange right in there!

Honestly, if you're on a budgie, skip the cointreau and most people couldn't tell the difference, especially if they got their party on the night before.

If you lived in the Philippines, you might celebrate in wildly different ways than we do here in the states. My friend, Lady Prism, tells me they wear polka dots to represent the shape of money. The eat 12 grapes, one each minute on the 12 preceding the strike of midnight, and they leave bags of coins on neighbors porches to bring in prosperity for the New Year. Isn't that a delightful idea!

Everyone have a safe and joyful New Year and don't forget to kiss the ones you love at Midnight!

Re-Nesting Urges

Does anyone else suffer from this ailment at the onset of a New Year? Nothing ever feels just right to me, and for some reason, it all becomes so much more apparent during winter. Maybe since the light is grey and wintery and makes me feel blah!

What home projects do you wish to tackle in the coming year?

Mine is going to involve lots of paint, probably a hired painter, and lots of mess while it's happening. Which just unnerves me to no end. Or maybe I'll just cope another year?

Look who came to visit!

Look who braved the blizzard and came to Grandma and Grandpa's house!
Cause she heard that Santa came to our house too! Plus she needed some sugars from Grandpa as she was running low on them.
And she loved Grandma's pretties.
And even though she is not quite crawling, she "ooched" herself all the way across the room and found Grandma's yarn sack. Oh Boy!
She had to pull every single one out of the bag! ha ha!

But it was worth the effort cause it scored her some facetime with Grandma!

Now forgive me for going on and on about her, but just wait till you have one of your own!

How to write thank-you notes, and why and when.

Has anyone else noticed that there's a decline in the number of people sending thank-you notes? In the last couple of years we've given and mailed several graduation and wedding gifts and only one couple has properly thanked us with a note.

Most families, like mine, don't send a note after every gift occasion. My family was happy with a hug around the neck, a big smile and a happy thank-you. But special occasions; graduations, and weddings, and gifts that arrived by mail, need to be acknowledged, and in a timely manner. Sometimes this is the only way the giver knows the gift was received. And to not send a note allows room for wondering: "Did they get it?" "Did the card fall off?" Did they not like it?" "Did they. . . the giver begins to question all sorts of things.

Etiquette has not gone out of fashion. Emily Post's advice is still current today. From her 75th Anniversary of her famous book, Emily Post's Etiquette, we read very good advice.

"Saying thank you is one of the common precepts of good manners—it always has been, and it always will be!" [In her book there is a handy chart for when a note of thanks is obligatory and when it is optional, but she goes on to say,] "... always remember that it is never wrong to write a thank-you note."

Okay, now that I've shamed us all enough, let's get to the fun part shall we? One of the best parts about writing a thank-you note, for me anyway, is selecting the stationery.
I mean who among us does not like to keep a desk full of exquisite cards and envelopes? So think of it like this, the more cards you send, the more often you get to buy new ones! Wedding stationery packages often include engraved cards with monograms or are themed to go with your invitations. But notes for every day use don't have to be expensive. I keep an eye open year round at places like TJMaax and Target. I visit stationery stores on vacation. And I have even been known to make my own. A beautiful photo printed from your ink jet printer, and a glue stick and a plain note card can yield excellent results. Or a few scrapbook supplies can yield a one-of-a-kind card. Some people also like to purchase a nice pen for writing or use a calligraphy pen if they are experienced. I try to just keep a black ball point pen handy and it does the trick. But sure, splurge a little if it puts you in the mood to write notes more often!

Now as to how. I've found that the note sounds more genuine if I don't try to write formally. I'm not a formal person in my demeanor (you may have noticed). The message can be as simple as this:

Dear Aunt Sue,

Thank you for the towels you sent for our wedding gift. We will enjoy them in our new home together for many years!

Love,

Tracey and Jim

The nice thing about writing a note like this, it has a pleasant salutation, it says thank you, it acknowledges what the gift is and how much it is appreciated and it has an air of familiarity. It's hardly stuffy. I'm sure Aunt Sue would be glad to receive it, and I bet she will mention what a nice note she received the next time she sees you or your mother.

Now if someone sends money, maybe you feel awkward and don't know what to say. It's easy. You don't have to mention the sum. You can say something like this:

Dear Grandmother,

Thank you for your generous wedding gift to us. We plan to save our gifts of money to purchase a new piece of furniture for our home. (or whatever you plan) We look forward to having you over when we are settled.

Love, Micki and Jojo

*And it is a nice idea to have your note arrive before the cancelled check.

Now in today's modern technology, some people may acknowledge their gift electronically. I think this is okay for informal occasions, such as birthdays. But I still think a hand-written note cannot be beat for corresponding with people. It heightens the experience of receiving the note. It is more memorable and is tangible. Some people even save them on bulletin boards or such to think fondly of the person writing. Think about it, if you were to receive an email from a celebrity or a hand-written one, which one would you cherish more? There is just something still magical about opening an envelope and finding a hand-written personal memo.

Since the gift-giving season has just passed, this is a good time to practice this lost art of writing a thank-you note. I hope this little how-to helps! Happy New Year all!

Yes, we had a White Christmas!

Oklahoma had record snowfalls in the last 24 hours. Tulsa got about 5 inches, more fell further south. But we all stayed home today. And you know, I was fine with that. A last minute trip to the grocery yielded a nice sized hen that I roasted and dinner was delish. Here are a few pics to share the view (snow, not food)! Hope you had a Merry Christmas! By the way, in Tulsa, historically, we have less than a 5% chance of having a White Christmas, according to NOAA.gov. But I can recall several.

Glad Tidings to all! Not that you have to be glad.

My brother emailed this to me this week. In the spirit of being all things to all people, I thought I would share it. You may get a giggle out of it. Or not.

"For My "Sensitive" Friends: "

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms.

This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher."

For My Republican Friends: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

On a brighter note...

I've been a busy little weaver in 2009. I've woven all these since getting my cricket loom in August, this year. All but two have found new homes. I have one more on the loom now as a last minute gift for someone special.

These little scarves seem to hold some magic in them. People love them! I'm so happy about that. They are all made with love, and I think that's the secret ingredient. I've given them to cousins and friends, and there are still several more on the waiting list who I want to give a scarf.

Some of you have asked how you could have one, too. I haven't put them for sale yet, because I've been so busy weaving for my gifted scarves. But I will put my head to it and see if there is a way I can offer my scarves to more people in 2010!

I think 2010 holds promise for us all. What are you hoping will happen in the coming year for you?

I don't know what to say, but still I type...

Christmas is a mixed bag of emotions for me again this year. On one hand we have a grandbaby who's having her first Christmas and we're excited to be able to shower her with gifts of love. And on the other hand, my own family is kind of struggling. My sister is mad at me. And I really don't think I deserve her anger. But there it is. My brother is going through a rough time, divorce, and that saddens me for him. And I have an unresolved issue between my dad and me that happened about a year ago.

You know I usually don't open up like this on my blog. It's a little easier to pretend all is well, peace on earth, goodwill towards men. But I think I'm not alone in all this. Lots of families struggle and the holidays just seems to make things worse. I've noticed that if you get a group of people together once or twice a year, who really don't take any interest in each other the whole rest of the year, that somebody is gonna get their toes stepped on. That's kind of how it works in my family.

I have a friend, whom I've known since 5th grade. Her mom is not in good health. And just a few months ago she found out her dad is in stage 4 inoperable cancer. They gave him two months to live, about three months ago. She and her husband live on the same street and are their closest support and caregivers. I think about situations like this one and I think, my family has so much to celebrate together. We're healthy, we're financially secure, we're all here and we could really be enjoying this age of our lives if we chose to. But for some reason, the old dysfunctions roar their ugly heads every time we're together. So, I decided to opt out of the gathering again. It's the second year I've done that. And there are other reasons that it has become more and more difficult to see everyone. I have a blended family. Our kids have three Christmases to have to make time for and they are all gone from home except the youngest. They are all finding partners in life and are expanding their own family demands ever-increasing. It seems like my family has never embraced my step kids as part of the family. I don't blame my family entirely, there have been many conflicting feelings among everyone about the ties of family and who belongs where. We haven't forced an "everyone is family" attitude. So, I think my family could be a little more understanding that I belong to another family now, and I need to make opportunities for my step kids and grandkids to be with us if they want to be.

It doesn't mean I don't love my family anymore. Even though our dysfunctions are a big cause for my change of heart about where I want to be for Christmas. But I still love my sister, my dad, my mom and my brothers. But I feel as if life has changed and it's time to do things differently for the holidays. Is that so bad? My own sister has taken so much offense to it that she "unfriended me" on facebook. Ouch! Not once, but twice!

I don't know... I see other families who enjoy being together and share words of affirmation and love to one another. For some reason, my family has been more of the "kick em when they're down" sort. Don't let anyone get too high of an opinion of themselves, or as my dad has said, too big for your britches. And I just don't want to be around it anymore. I want it to be different, but I can't change a family dynamic that has been in place for over 50 years all by myself.

Okay, is this a brick on the head from above or what? While writing this woe is me post, my friend (mentioned above) sent me an email telling me her mom was admitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure and pneumonia on Friday and that she has been told she cannot care for her husband anymore. He has been admitted to a nursing home in the last stages of his cancer. She says Christmas will be different this year and all this will be hard felt, but they have their love and memories.

Sometimes I just feel like my family are such goobers.

It seems small and meaningless now, but the picture above is my Santa bank. My grandma bought each of her three grandkids one, many years ago. My sister came along 7 years later and never had one. They used to all three sit on our mantle at Christmas, and my sister felt left out. One year I found one at the flea market and bought it for her as a gift. She cried and cried when she opened it. I love my sister. I just wanted her to have a santa just like our santa's and hoped she wouldn't feel left out anymore.

Pink cards, Pink Ornaments, Pink Saturday.

Welcome to my pink Saturday post. How would you like to receive a hand-made Christmas card with pretty pink angels on it?

You could save it in this pretty pink card box, fashioned from a cigar box and decoupaged with lovely vintage Christmas ephemera.

Click to view any of these photos larger. Don't forget to decorate the inside!

Tip: when using vintage ephemera for collage art, make ink jet copies and preserve your originals for later.
I bet some of you have seen these choir boys before. Remember caroling? I added a little red sparkle to their choir robes.

A few card and postal pieces collaged on the bottom of the box gives the recipient a hint what to use it for. This box will be a gift for a friend.

And now for my pink ornaments on parade... talk about vintage!

The little pink and orange bell, maybe one of my most favorite ornaments! Which one is yours?

But there are so many, it's hard to choose!

Maybe this one?

Oh, no, definitely these fluted bells are my favorite!

No shedding of tear drops now! Santa is on his way!

Mmm! Sparkly!
Merry Christmas everyone!

For more pink Saturday posts, please visit our hostess, Beverly at How Sweet the Sound!