{ Blink and it's almost Christmas }

 

Anyone else feel like they blinked and we went from the 1st of December to the 16th?  I don't know if I skipped the first two weeks of this month, or what on earth is happening, but Christmas is next week folks.  Next.week!!

Guess who is not ready and hasn't finished shopping or preparing?  

*sigh*

Anyway, good morning on this chilly day.  It is currently 30 degrees with a real feel of 21.  I just finished my cup of coffee and not a minute too soon, as the mug has gone freezing cold.  Usually I would make another, but this morning I decided to have my coffee in my huge Christmas mug, so this will suffice.

 

The babies are laying next to me in bed.  Elliott is fast asleep and Kaia is still playing with her chew bone, but she will be under the blankets and asleep pretty soon.

That's what winter days are for right?  Snuggling under warm blankets and napping.  At least for the furry babies, I would love to join them, but I have a house to clean, so here shortly I will be getting up, putting on some warm clothes and starting my day.

I need to call our plumber this morning.  We started hearing water running behind the wall in the laundry room, which is never a good sign.  We turned off the water hoses to the washer and also turned off the water to the laundry room sink, but it's still running.  It's not exactly an expense that we want to have at this time of the year, but it's a necessary one.

Praying it's not something like broken pipes or leaks.

 

I have taken some pictures over the past few days, so going to share them with you.  I've been doing the usual homemaking and preparing for Christmas.  My vacuum decided to bust it's belt, so I'm out of a vacuum for the moment, until I make it to the store to buy another.  It means, that I've been sweeping, yes you hear right, sweeping my entire house.

It's not a fun job and it's hard work, but it made me stop and think about my grandmother and great grandmother.  They didn't have vacuums, they had brooms and elbow grease and they got right to work.  We have gotten so used to gadgets that take the hard work out of our daily chores, that when we have to revert to doing something the old way, we tend to turn our noses up at it.....and by we, I mean me.  

Who knew sweeping an entire house would be so humbling?  It sure makes me appreciate what we have, but also makes me realize how good we have it too and just how hard our ancestors worked.

It's gotten cold enough where flannel sheets have been put on beds, and summer comforters have been replaced by winter ones with Sherpa fleece.  Does anyone else find that they sleep better with winter bedding?

 

 

 

This time of the year also means, that any computer work I have to do, whether bill paying, blogging, editing photos, meal planning and so forth, is always and I mean ALWAYS done, with a Christmas movie of some kind in the background.

 

And usually, the furry babies are nearby, enjoying it too.  

 

Something else I've been doing lately, is sewing....or mending socks I should say.   I've talked many times about my grandmother Odete and how she was a seamstress.  How I worked with her, helping at her store, how she taught me how to sew by hand, by machine, how to rip seams (my absolute least favorite thing to do hahah ), and just instilled in me this love for this art.

 

She used to gently remind me that I would one day need it.  I would need to mend something, or make something.  That it was an important skill to have.  I may not have been too keen on it in the beginning, after all, I was about 11 when I first started helping her.  Of course as I grew up, I saw how right she was, and just how much I actually enjoyed being able to sew.

 

As I got busy with these socks, I remembered how she always had a thimble on her thumb.  I remember the way it looked and felt, and I remember trying to use one and how it constantly slipped off, leading to numerous needle pricks on my fingertips.  I did not enjoy that part, but we would just laugh about it.

 

Another memory that stayed etched in my mind, and I hadn't even thought of it in years, was the smooth rock she used to insert into the socks, to stretch them out and make the mending of the hole, much easier. 

 

 

 

It's funny how these little things stick with you.  Truth be told, it is much easier to throw out a sock with a hole and just buy another, but there's something so relaxing and so rewarding about sitting down with your sewing basket, and working at this little hole.  The needled sliding back and forth between the threads.

It is in these moments that I think about times gone by.  Moments with my grandmother and great grandmother Ema.  Cups of hot tea and biscuits dunked in.  Stories of their childhoods, places they had been, things they did.  Funny stories and sometimes heartbreaking ones filled with tears, as they remembered their parents and siblings.

How I miss those days, how I miss them both so much.  

 

I have sent out some Christmas cards, something I hadn't done in a few years, but just felt it in my heart to do this year.  

My days have been filled with goodness, from homemaking, to writing cards, to wrapping my own Christmas presents (I bought myself 2 new books on sale), ironing, homemaking, lighting candles and enjoying warm glow on early chilly mornings.

I've decorated a little, folded tons of laundry, washed floors, and swept carpets, wiped counters and chopped veggies.  

Watched Christmas themed series and movies, read books, read the Bible, read my devotionals, and braved the cold weather for errands.

I've snuggled my furry babies, prepared delicious home cooked meals and indulged in bites of yummy chocolate.

In other words, I have been living my homemaker life, as best as I can.

I know this time of year is hard for some many, but remember to take time to do the little things that bring you joy.  We can't have our loved ones here in physical presence, but we can have them in spirit and memory.  Do something they enjoyed, make something they loved eating, talk about them, it will make it easier, at least for me it does.

Now, I need to get off here, call the plumber and hope they can fix my water problem without breaking my bank.

Wishing you all a very blessed Friday!

Sandra

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