Let's grant some holiday wishes!

Wanna do something good over the holidays for some kids who will really need the help? Read on!

Most of you know that I have a big soft spot for children in the foster care system and do what I can to help raise money for one of my favorite charities, Kid's Charity of Tampa Bay. Through my great friends at Whim So Doodle we have participated in luggage drives, school supply drives and help to make the Kid's Krop a grand success in raising all kinds of crazy money for A Kid's Place, a special and unique foster facility in Brandon, FL. Well, this year our goal is to try to grant some holiday wishes of some of the kids who have "aged out" of the system. These are the 18-22 year old young adults who have spent a great deal of time in the foster care system and once they reach age 18, they are sent off into the world with little assistance. Can you imagine not having parents in your life to borrow money from, get advice from, borrow their car, go to in times of trouble...just basic "get through these first years on your own" kind of things? And I'm sure it is especially rough at this time of year to have no one to spend the holidays with or get a gift from? It just makes my heart break.

Some of these kids have asked for the basic stuff like iPods & Docking Stations, Digital Cameras, Jewelry, Bath & Body Sets, CD's, Games, Sports Clothing & Equipment, etc. But some have asked for life essentials like Bedding, Home Goods, Towels and Cleaning Supplies. If you would like to help in any way that you can, there are many options!
1-You can go directly to the Kid's Charity website and donate by using a major credit card.
2-You can purchase a gift card and send to Kid's Charity at the address listed on their website. Please mark it for the age group listed and put it to the attention of Head Elf, Nanci March.
3-You can pick up your items and if you are in the Tampa Bay area, you can drop them off at Whim So Doodle located in downtown St. Petersburg.
4-You can order items on-line and have them shipped directly to Whim So Doodle or to Kid's Charity at either addresses listed on their websites.

The Kid's Charity is a beloved and trusted charity that is VERY dear to my heart!! Whatever is donated to them goes directly to the kids. It doesn't pass go. It doesn't collect $200. It goes directly to the kids, who deserve in every way possible the love and caring we can show them!

Toss Ten Tuesdays

Holy Moly, but I have been a HUGH slacker! Not on the Toss Ten Tuesday project itself, but just about posting updates, photos and inspiration! I have remained on the path and my closets, cupboards and basement call all confirm this! After I had gotten rid of almost all of what needed to be weeded out in the main part of the house and all it's closets, I set my sights on the basement and some of the unopened boxes from the move. I figured if I hadn't opened them in a year, now was a good time to get rid of some more stuff. I was ruthless! It got ugly a few days down in the basement, but I got rid of at least 5 full boxes of stuff. Some books went to our church's fundraiser, some counted cross stitched works are now hanging in the church's nursery and some of the girls at work all have new bottles of nail polish. And of course, the Goodwill drive-through drop off site and I are grand friends!

I would like to tell you all how sorry I am that I have not kept up with posting about all the things I am getting rid of! I know and I've heard from some of y'all that you, too are still hard at work purging-purging-purging. For me, all it takes to get re-motivated is watching an episode of Hoarders. God bless those people, but thank goodness that this show is on the air to help people like me! It is always like a dose of cold water in the face, huh?!

I will share a couple of photos from the last few months that I've been secretly tossing ten! Lemme know how you are doing!


OK, this month might have been cheating a bit, because I tossed (more than) 10 bottles of nail polish. Normally I would count multiples like this as ONE item, but this month I was pretty sick with a cold, so this was as good as I could get! But, I will say this: I have looked at these bottles of OPI nail polish for months cursing myself for buying so many. See, the OPI brand of nail polish, while having a fantastic reputation, is terrible for my nails. The polish itself will wear off on the tips in a matter of hours and then my nails will get snags and tears in them in the days after. Don't know if it is me and my nails alone, but OPI just stinks for me and I continued to buy them because I LOVE their colors. Finally I had enough, piled them all into a container and made all the girls at work happy with a "free nail polish day"!


This month I concentrated on framed art work. Some were pieces were ones that I had hanging in my home a decade ago and I will never want them hanging on my walls again. Some were slightly sentimental and hard to part with, but are not something I will use anymore. Some went to Goodwill and the sentimental ones went to my niece and her sigo for their new home.


In this pile was a couple of lamps that I loved, but I figured that I haven't loved them in over a year, so to Goodwill they went. Also was some stuff for Kayla's room that never made it to the walls. Good bye to some totes (I have WAY too many!), a second blender, some rubber stamps, a really cool eggplant/bird ornament from Regan that I never knew where to hang, a corner shelf, some tubes of paint, a kitchen container that Charles got for something he couldn't remember and misc. stuff from the bathroom.

This "journey" stills feels good. Still feels like I am doing something that is good for my soul. And it has not once yet, never, been something I've regretted. I have not looked back over these photos and thought, "Oh, I wish that I still had that lamp." Or, "Where are those cake pans when I really need them?" Nope. Instead I feel a sense of lightness when I toss my ten things. I feel happy. I enjoy my space and the organization that has deeply rooted itself in my mind and home. And with only one more month in 2010 in which to enjoy Toss Ten Tuesday I am gonna make the most of my December "toss".

What will 2011 bring? I am thinking my next big tackling idea will be "De-Clutter Sunday". Every Sunday I'm gonna devote 1/2 of an hour to just de-cluttering those pesky spots in the house that seem to attract and hold onto junk mail, old keys, "notes to self", things to be filed that never get filed, recipes to be tried, brochures of places to visit, clippings from the Penny Saver, etc. Maybe if I openly devote a year to De-Clutter Sunday, then that too will enmesh itself into my routine and viola, I will be a de-clutterer. Who's with me?!

Rockin' in November

To this southern girl there is nothing quite like rocking on a rocking chair. My love affair with rockin' started on my Great Aunt A's porch. I can remember many hours spent rocking (or swingin') there and for me an hour spent with my hind end parked on some wooden slats are equal for most folks to an hour on a thearapist's couch. Nothing eases my soul more. So it is hard luck for me that I cannot sit on my front porch rocker for so many months of they year without risk of frostbite. I actually look out with yearning to my rockers and wait for sunshine. Well, lo and behold, today we had some good 'ole sunshine and I wasn't long to take advantage of it. I took the dogs out 'cause they'll soon be missing the sunshine too and we just soaked it all in this afternoon. The temprature was around 56 degrees with a very slight breeze, so it was perfect for sitting outside. I was amazed that here we are in mid November in Pennsylvania and here was the perfect day for front porch sittin'! The sun was just above the mountian tops and at it's warmest around 3pm and we sat outside for almost a full hour! It was amazing! The afternoon was mostly quiet with only the sound of the stream, Luna purring on my lap and an occasional truck headed up the road. Bliss!

Couldn't be lovlier...

Today has been just a lovely, good day. And it isn't over yet. I still have 45 minutes until Dancing with the Stars comes on and I can watch some fun ballroom dancing and possibly a shirtless dancer or two! But today has been spent getting ready for my trip to Florida in a couple of days and I always love to pack. I love to get everything organized and arrange it in my suitcases. I know that might seem wierd, but I love making everything fit. I loved Tetris as a teenager, so I think it might just be an oddball thing of mine. But my suitcases are getting full and this makes my husband sad. He has said on more than one evening that he really wants me to stay 'cause he is gonna miss me too much. Aaawww. I've also been finishing up a crafting project. I had this idea for months and I finally had the time and products to work on it. It is my contribution to the October Swarm I'll be going to in Florida. We are all handmaking a little goody for each other and I had an idea in my mind to do, but couldn't find the exact thing I needed, so I had to improvise. I REALLY love it when the improvation turns out better than the original. I took photos, but I cannot post them yet, 'cause I want this to be a surprise and someone could read this that will be getting these lovlies! Maybe later. But the most lovely thing that happened today was when Charlie came home and asked if there was anything he could do to help me get ready. I said, "Sure. You can make supper tonight." Knowing full well that he has NEVER made supper for us. That he HATES to cook and flat out refuses to do it. And that the last time I talked him into it we ate macaroni and chesse that tasted like cheese and paste. So I quit asking. But tonight he took pity on me and said, "OK, what'da want?" I knew that there was a package of this new meat-free "beef" tips in the freezer and that they should be easy to fix, so I picked that with some veggies. Knowing that he could nuke 'em and the food would be edible. So about 1/2 hour later my husband comes down to the basement with a plate of food he is delivering to my craft desk. It looked GREAT! The tips were char-grilled and I asked him how he cooked them? "In the skillet." He said. He must have noticed the shock on my face so he continued, "And I didn't just cook 'em up, I added seasonings!" I took a bite and was confused. It was not only edible, but damn GOOD! I said, "What kind of seasonings did you use?" He said, "You are shocked, aren't you? I'm shocked too. I just thought that I have all these spices at my fingertips and I should use some. So I added blackening spice, soy sauce and seasoned salt." Holy crap. These all go together well and he figured it out on his own. Then he said something that almost brought a tear to my eye. "I also used olive oil AND butter in the pan." That is exactly what I do...I consider it one of my "secrets"...and he must have been paying attention. Well, I set to on that plate. He came back down a few minutes later with my camera and said, "Don't you wanna take a photo?" I was so distracted by the yumminess that I totally forgot that I take photos of monumental occasions and this one was about to pass me by. So here is my supper plate. Half gone.

Now I just don't know if I should ask him to cook supper again on another night or just hold the memory of this evening dear....

Another great find.

I love finding fun and unique stores and this little shop on Market Street in Corning is just that. I found this store when I first moved up here and always make sure to take visiting folks there.
Corning Stitch Works is a collection of all the stuff that I love-vintage fabrics (mixed in with some really cool, new stuff!), vintage bric-a-brac, vintage furnishings and lamps, vintage ribbons and trim and (my favorite) vintage findings. LOTS of vintage stuff! This store is stocked from the floor to the rafters with amazing stuff. The owner (lady who is usually there) is so nice and helpful and is always working on an interesting project. I love to just poke around in there and see what I can find. I usually leave there wishing that I could sew. But using this stuff in crafting projects will have to do.
Recently I was on the hunt for some cool Halloween stuff to put in a goody bag for my Swarm Sisters in Florida, so that was my first stop! I had to take some photos to share. This last photo is my favorite! This is a skirt made from a pattern called "The Study Hall Skirt" (the one on top in the fall colors). The lady there said she made it using 1970's curtain panels and some vintage brown material as trim and inserts. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this skirt!

PS to the last blog post

This post is my version of a wifely chuckle!

On Monday evening I was taking the dogs out after dark. I am not the one who normally takes them out after dark, but Charles was busy, so what the hey. I turned on the front and back porch lights because if I'm going out in the dark the more lights I can turn on the merrier! So while I am out there waiting on the dogs, the lights go off! What the hey?! I rush in and have a few words with my darling husband about safety and lights and night time critters and wanting to see them just before they attack me, etc. He counters that he was just trying to save on electric. (Now is the part of the story that I'll tell you that inside the house the following lights were on: kitchen, living room, hallway #1, bathroom, bedroom #1, hallway #2 and master bedroom-where was Mr. Frugal IN the house?) Anyway...I stuck with my guns about safety and keeping outside lights on when we are outside.
Now we arrive to last night. BIG...GIANT thunderstorm brewing in the mountains. Very creepy-like setting. I put two baskets of recycling on the front porch to remind us to take it to Bloss this weekend. Charles wants to move it to the garage. OK, have at it. He sets off to move the baskets to the garage in the dark.

Now, my dear readers, remember what is in 3-4 mounds in the back yard? "Bird seed!" That's right? And remember what bird seed is called when it is not winter? "Bear food!" That is also right! And one more question. Remember what my rule is about outside lights on? "It helps to let you see the animal who is about to attack you!" Now back to Charles and that recycling!

He is in between the house and the garage when he hears snorting, huffing and lip smacking from a bear who is at or near the treeline. But he can't see 'cause he didn't turn the back porch lights on! His first thought is not to take a few steps to safety, no. He calls me on the phone! He is literally just a few steps from the house. All he would have to do is holler into an open window to get my attention. But he calls me. For what? To possibly ask me to turn on the back porch light to scare away the bear? To take photos as he wrestles a bear in the yard? I simply am dumbfounded!

Now I would like to add to the last post that HUSBANDS DO THE DARNEDEST THINGS!!!

Charles' Magnificent Obsession.

My husband is funny to me. Kids say the darnedest things?! Ha! I believe that Husbands say the darnedest things! Here's the story...

We were big fans of the HBO show, The Sopranos. If you were too, and watched from the beginning, you will understand the reference: "Wild birds are to Charles as ducks were to Tony." If you do not understand that, then suffice it to say that Charles is obsessed with the wild birds in our area.
When we first moved into this house, all he wanted to do was feed them. Since we moved in here in the summer, he had to wait until the late fall and winter to feed them. You see, we are not supposed to put out bird seed until the bears are hibernating. This is considered "feeding" bears and will help to turn a wild bear into a nuisance bear. So he waited until it was "all clear" and he could feed the birds. Last year he put out more bags of seed than I could count. He would sit at the windows and watch birds. He would pick up binoculars and watch them up close. He put out feeders for the smaller birds. He talked about the birds and their feeding habits. Oh, yeah. He was really into those birds. Now when spring came he was sad that he couldn't "take care" of them anymore. I have overheard him on more than one occasion talking to birds telling them he was "sorry, but to come back in the winter." Remember that word I used? Obsessed? OK...
All spring he's been waiting. All summer he's been waiting. Now it's fall and he is still waiting. BUT the other day a bag of birdseed appeared in the hall closet. He, it appears, is done waiting.
On Saturday we got a weather alert from the Weather Channel saying that we were getting our first frost warning of the season. Temperatures were going into the low 30's and so that afternoon we started to "winterize" our porches. Bringing in perennial plants, covering others. Then Charles went to the hall closet and brought out his big bag of seed. I could almost hear his inner monologue..."temperatures at freezing, frost on the ground, frost is like snow, snow equals winter, winter is here! I can feed the birds again!!" Off he went.
Charles has given up on the bird feeders. The bears have knocked down and/or destroyed each of the ones he has put up, so instead of feeders Charles will just make 3-4 giant mounds of seed near the tree line. Kind-of like the buffet line for birds. He is a happy man. His birds will be back shortly. We wake up Sunday morning, just a few short hours from when he put out the birdseed, and while getting ready to go to fellowship, we notice a ton of blue jays, some crows, a few random brown birds, a rabbit, a hand full of squirrels and eight turkeys all feeding from the mounds. As I was standing there taking photos of the turkeys, who were the last to arrive, my crazy, funny husband says..., "I just wish that more of a variety of critters showed up."
Again I say, Husbands say the darnedest things!
(Charles, last winter. Notice the spots in the yard where he removed the snow to put down the seed?)