TYPICAL THURSDAY AT HOME

HOW I LOOK.

HOW I THINK I LOOK.

PUTTING AROUND THE HOUSE BEING THAT WE HAVE NO MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS.  Stayed in my housecoat the entire day.  Can you believe that?  I had grand ideas about going to town for fun and failed to get dressed.  The thought came across my mind that I could drive to the Post Office in my housecoat to drop off some envelopes. Not a good thought because somebody would see me and I don't really want to drive the car in my housecoat.  ha.

I worked on correspondences and it took me all morning.  I was going to walk to the Post Office for exercise and talked myself out of it.  The stack of envelopes will be mailed later.

Folded towels and put them away.  Put another load of towels in the dryer.  When I was looking at the stacks of towels in the Bathroom, I decided to rearrange the linen cabinet, which I did. Made quick work out of it and now it is much neater.

Needless to say I did not make my walk today.  I did take a 3 o'clock nap which I sorely needed.

As I looked across the room at the Christmas wreath hanging on the Bedroom door, I noticed it had about a dozen fern stems sticking out of it, so I decided to pull these sprigs to clean up the wreath.  Fluffing the ribbons made the large wreath look like new.  Glad I did this.  The sprigs I pulled out of it went into a shinny vase placed on top of Mom's antique china cabinet.  Looks nice there.  Added a splash of glittery sparkle to the Dining room.

THEN I decided to place the Nativity Scene's three Wisemen figurines with a camel on top of the china cabinet.  The Bible says that the Wisemen entered the house to see the young child, Jesus not a stable.  Believe I should go with this.  My Nativity Scene had the Wisemen at the stable so I relocated them in the Dining room as if they are traveling to see the Christ child living in a house in the next room.  I still have a shepherd with sheep at the Nativity Scene.  I like the way it looks.

We still do not have a CHRISTMAS TREE up.  I'm not sure we will.  The most important thing about CHRISTMAS should not be about decorating or baking.  It should be about the LORD JESUS, so I relaxed about having no tree.  If we get there, we'll get there.  Having the Nativity Scene means more to me than ever.  Merry Christmas!

We skipped watching a movie this evening.  I worked on sorting through a pile of papers that needed stapled together.  I'll do something with them accordingly tomorrow.  I sure have lots of paper that I want to file to keep.  A basket with books was gone through.  For now they are by my chair.  

I wiped down some storage tubs that will be put back into storage.  These will disappear in the morning.  What else did I do?  Listened to some podcast.  Watched a interview on the television. Cut out some newspaper articles and sleeved paper.  Sorted through a laundry basket full of dirty clothing grouping them into piles to be laundered.  Typical. 

With it being Thursday, I really do need to go walking again.  A trip to town to mail some letters. More laundry done.  Work at clearing off the table again.  Place my Geraniums that I am wintering on the metal rack Hubby brought into the house from the shed.  It's a temporary fix for now.  The rack will need polished before things go on the shelves.  

Being THANKFUL my day was typical without any hiccups.  PTL.  

~d

GARLAND TIME WITH HANGING OF THE GREENS and DISPLAYING THE NATIVITY SCENE

THE HANGING OF THE GREENS.  GARLAND IS GOING UP IN THE HOUSE.  Sunday, garland went up around the dining room chandy, in the living room on the door casing and above the kitchen windows.  Tis GREEN around here.  Last week, greenery went above the living room windows.  A large wreath was hung on the bedroom door.  I think it's beginning to look like CHRISTMAS.

The garland glitters some.  Liking the results so much in our tiny COTTAGE.

As for hanging greenery above the Kitchen windows and the doorway, I bought really cheap imitation Dollar General command hooks and they are not holding up very well, so when we journey next to Topeka, I'll purchase some real command hooks replacing the imitation ones. The greenery has fallen down so back up it will go on the door casing this week.  I may wind the greener y around a spring rod like I did last year.  It stood the test of time.  grins.  

TIP.  DG's brown paper for wrapping mailing boxes in isn't as thick as what I have bought from Hobby Lobby.  The mailing tape is thinner also.  Little inconveniences until assembling mail boxes to go than it can be very annoying especially when in a hurry.
  

NATIVITY SCENE.  The NATIVITY SCENE is displayed on the walnut chest in the Living room. Each year, there is a sense of satisfaction when I display my Nativity Scene.  Of all the Christmas decorating, this means so much to me next to having a decorated Christmas Tree indoors.  The Nativity pulls me in to remember Jesus is the reason for the season.  All the hustle and bustle can slow down and be still.

Gazing at the scene warms my heart.  I have a very good view of it from across the Living room as I sit in my blue wing chair.

After the TV and buffet disappear from the living room, then a CHRISTMAS TREE will pop up to be decorated.  Praise the LORD.  Let it be soon.  

CHRISTMAS CARDS will go out, I may do some baking and making some sweets...then the SEASON will be slower paced to where I can sit and listen to Bing Crosby dreaming of a WHITE CHRISTMAS.  All those neat CHRISTMAS songs will be listened to as I drift off into a calm state.

TODAY IS MONDAY.  Plans for the day are flexible.  Laundry to be folded and put away.  More done. Some phone calls to make.  Hair shampooed and styled.  Storage boxes to the cellar.  Some messes to deal with.  Christmas letter to write.  Hopefully an afternoon walk around the track. Go shopping for goodies for Mom.  Bills to write out.  Boxing up items in one bedroom as preparations for moving the furniture.  Anything else needed.  Wrapping the front porch columns with greenery and lights?  Hope so.  The month will get away from me.      

Thinking about the yearly trip to Topeka to view Potwin Place's Christmas decorations.  It can't have been a year already that we looked at the lights, but it has.  I drove the neighborhood twice in the cold weather admiring the houses last year.  Here it is time to do it again.

I need to make a drive around the small communities here to see the decorations and lights.  I'll be on the hunt for a live Nativity Scene. 

God bless you and yours,

~d🎄🤶

SOME DECORATING AT THE COTTAGE

Some greenery above the antique mirror brings the outdoors indoors to warm the room and I really like having greens above mirrors, pictures and windows.

Greenery at Christmas: an overview
The history of bringing greenery indoors pre-dates Romans.  In early times, evergreen plants represented new life in mid winter, and gave hope for the spring. The Romans had a Saturn Festival at a similar time to Christmas, and decorated with greenery.

Why do we bring greenery in at Christmas?

By the late Middle Ages almost all surviving church records include entries for the purchase of holly and ivy in the winter. For Christians evergreens symbolized eternal life and the promise of the return of life in the spring.  We know that private homes would also have been dressed in greenery at this time of year.

A NATIVITY SCENE IS DISPLAYED on the antique walnut chest that sits in the Living room on December 1st which pleases me that we started the month out with placing the Nativity Scene.  I placed some twinkle lights behind the scene.  Makes for a HAPPY face to have this Nativity scene out.  I wasn't sure if we'd get to the place where we would even have one due to overcrowding from moving boxes.  

A few days ago, we came across two vinyl storage boxes in one of our storage units holding the stable in one and the people with animals in the other.  Took these boxes HOME and today the pieces were unwrapped and displayed.

This morning I woke early because my neck hurt.  A pain in the neck stands true.  I got up and took a potty break then sat in my blue chair reading.  In the early hours of the morning I located a red table runner to lay on the chest before getting the stable out.

I made a special trip to St. Marys to purchase two faux Juniper Berry garlands that I hung above the mirror and above the HOME SWEET HOME picture.  

I know 37 PINE has faux garland when I saw them about ten days ago.  They are 20% off.  37 PINE is beautifully decorated for the Christmas HOLIDAY.  So festive.  They'll be having their OPEN HOUSE on Saturday and more than likely they'll sell out of their garland that looks so real.  

I bought some last year and have yet to get it out of the shed.  Where are you and in which BOX is a mystery.  I had truly hoped that before CHRISTMAS I would have gone through all the CHRISTMAS DECOR and thinned down also relocating the boxes into the cellar.  AUTUMN was so busy I didn't get to this.  Didn't happen, but it's not the end of the world.  When we have a warm snap I hope I can get back to it.

Back to bed I went and fell asleep waking mid morning.  I felt better after sleeping.  My stomach has been a little queasy.  7-up time.  

I'm staying in my housecoat today all day resting.  A load of laundry is going.  The rubber seal around the door of the machine was cleaned as the machine smells slightly musty.  Washing blue jeans.  Will launder some towels and curtain panels through the day.  I'll be tinkering on everything else.  

It will be pleasant to have more things off the floor and in cabinets.  The KITCHEN pans will be worked on off and on.  

YESTERDAY was a very full day as we returned the moving truck to it's rightful place.  VICTORY.  We accomplished getting much off the property.  Hubby had emptied the truck earlier in the morning and we needed to return her before 1.  We succeeded then drove on over to Manhattan to get Hubby a BIG BRUNCH at IHOP.  We went to TARGET to look for blue carrots and of course I just wanted to browse.  I visited with my Mom and Sister ON THE CELL PHONE while browsing the store.  They are both terribly ill.  

Remembering that 37 PINE in St. Marys would be having their OPEN HOUSE on Saturday, I drove on over to St. Marys to purchase some Juniper Berry garland.

There will be little decorating in our HOME this year, but will have some greenery in various places.  No tree.  For the front door, I would like to find my plain faux green wreaths that are in the shed and simply place Burgundy colored velvet ribbon on them.  Burgundy instead of red.

UPDATE on the selling of the house.  We have a contract.  Inspections were done along with the appraisal.  There is additional expense when selling property and the expense of it comes out of the proceeds.  If everything goes well, we are thankful that we will not have to WINTER the property.  Closing date will be soon and we will celebrate.  PRAISE GOD.  Praise GOD.

When I go over to the house, it's like a dream that we have moved.  Already a month has passed since we started sleeping at the COTTAGE.  Our big adventure started.  The digging out of the boxes will be a thing of the past in 2024.  Clearing the storage units will take us until SPRING.  I'm not going to kid myself, it will take until SPRING.  SO much stuff.  It will be answered prayer to be in order and have downsized.

ANSWERED PRAYER,

~d

NATIVITY SCENE

Setting out the Nativity Scene is one of those things that brings me great joy.  I have several other sets that could be set out in various places in our HOME.  Perhaps I will do this in the future, but for now, this is it.  

As a 25 year old mother, I worked on a Nativity Scene in Liberal, Kansas at a ceramic shop.  This isn't the set I did.  One day I will return to displaying it.  Each week a couple of my friends and I had a momma's night out where we went to work on ceramics.  It was a highlight of my week.  I made a Nativity Scene, a couple of E.T. banks for my boys, a lamp for my daughter, cups and a orange pumpkin.  Maybe I need to return to a ceramics studio and be creative. 

Over the years, I have purchased two bigger Nativity Scenes.  This one that is shown here is much enjoyed.     

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS,

d

 

DECEMBER 16th NATIVITY

Scholars still DEBATE with arguments about the actual calendar date of when baby JESUS was born.  Also when the WISEMEN arrived on the scene bearing gifts for the young CHRIST child.  

I do have three WISEMEN at the Nativity Scene and I won't get overly offensive that they are there.  Our Nativity Scene is symbolic of the birth of the Messiah.  HE WAS BORN.  Baby Jesus makes HIS way to EARTH to give people a much needed second birth.  

Hallelujah and a half.
MERRY CHRISTMAS,
d

MATTHEW 7:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

MATTHEW 7:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew 2:7-13  7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.