Confessions of a Grandma

Maybe it is because we have had an unusually mild autumn that lasted right through November.  No snow yet to remind us of the time of year.  Maybe it is because we bought a winter home in Florida, thereby insuring a lack of a large amount of discretionary cash to spend on the holidays.  Maybe it is just that we have reached that stage in life.  We are not so much slowing down as spending more time examining our intentions.  In any case, less is appealing this year.  The frenzy of the holiday season...I am just not going there. This is not to say that I am ignoring the season.  I put together two advent boxes for my grand kids.  I wrap up little gifts...candy, coins, crayons and colored pencils, stickers, an ornament or two...twenty-four of them for both kids.  I get a real sense of joy in doing this because it makes them happy to pull out a little surprise each day while waiting for Santa. I made most of my Christmas c...

Christmas is coming.  I suspect this is true because Mike had to get out the furniture dolly to bring in the Sunday paper with all the toy catalogs stuffed inside it.  Also, since I did not buy Halloween candy until October 31, I had to hand out candy canes to the trick or treaters.  I guess normal people know enough to buy Halloween candy in August. Finally, one of the local radio stations has always started playing Christmas music exclusively the day after Thanksgiving.  This year the tradition has been altered.  They are all Christmas, all day, every day from November 1st until December 25th.  A bit much, I'm thinking. Don't get me wrong.   Unlike some of us in this two-person household, I actually do enjoy the holiday.  I like getting gifts and I like giving gifts (especially to the kids) even more.  I like the baking and the wrapping and the decorations.  I even like listening to some Christmas music once or twi...

I was doing an online craft workshop and needed to have some felted wool sweaters.  I found a nice supply of wool sweaters at a local thrift shop for very little money, but then I ended up feeling a bit guilty about shrinking down the sweaters and cutting them up for craft purposes.  Cold winter is coming and someone could have worn those sweaters. This was a large men's sweater made of 100% Alpaca wool in Peru.  I felted it, but then I could not force myself to cut it into pieces.  So, instead, I redecorated it and turned it into a girl's jacket.  A local restaurant serves a free Thanksgiving Day dinner and distributes coats and jackets at the same time.  I had planned on donating a pie, and now I will donate this jacket as well.   I hope someone will like it enough to wear. I have a pile of hats ready to donate to the Salvation Army for their gift baskets, along with some toys I have picked up, baby booties and bibs.  The ...