December thoughts and tidbits of info.....

Here it is the first week in December and I haven't done much as far as getting ready for the holidays or even thinking about Christmas. There are some of you that have already decorated your homes beautifully and festive, even have presents wrapped......and here I am still trying to organize my thoughts and figure out what I'm doing. I know it will all come together, and I try to keep things simple, but it's a bit overwhelming, and probably more so this year with the economy the way it is and people still out of work, Galen among them, and people trying to do the best in the situation they are in.

Makes life more challenging, and given a challenge, I get more creative.

My December Old Farmer's Almanac calendar has a few interesting tidbits of info.

If you burn hardwood in your fireplace, save the ashes to use for fertilizer in the spring. Wood ashes spread around berries and fruit trees sweeten the fruit.

To prepare a snack for the birds, combine one part cornmeal with four to six parts of peanut butter and roll pinecones in the mixture. Hang them outside.

Full Cold Moon ~ Winter Solstice on the 21st.

And I love these two quotes:

Every mile is two in winter ~ George Herbert

"I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do." ~Willa Cather

Using the beauty of nature and what you can find in your own back yard is one of the ways I like to decorate....

evergreens, berries, pine cones and ivy. Very simple.

I hung a string of white twinkle lights in the jasmine over the front door and probably this weekend I'll head up to the attic and bring down all the Christmas boxes and get started. Then, I'll put on the holiday music and decorate the house from top to bottom!

My sister and I are getting together to bake cookies next weekend.

And this year for Christmas both of our girls will be here.

Family.

That's all I really need...and is isn't that what Christmas is all about?