FIRST PROJECT OF THE YEAR & SOME MUSINGS

First of all, I have to apologize that I had to take all the pictures for this post with my phone camera.  The battery on my camera needed recharging, I couldn't find my smaller camera I keep in my purse and I even had to charge my phone for awhile.  Nothing comes easy for me!  Anyway, I started a little project today and was quite proud of myself considering I am sorely lacking the creative gene.  And, I was on a mission.  When we bought our Christmas tree at the nursery in early December, I was appalled at the prices of live wreaths.  I dug my heels in and refused to buy one.  I then perused catalogs and the internet and couldn't find anything artificial that I liked.  So, we were wreathless this past Christmas.  I began to toy with the idea of making my own and I had this old grapevine wreath with yellow flowers on it that had seen better days so I dismantled it.  I picked up some decorative picks at Michael's and this is what I made...

I'm so sorry about the quality of the pictures...it did turn out cute though.  I just poked the picks in and glue gunned them (I also glued the cord of the glue gun to the counter!).  And I used a long strip of the endless supply I have of bleached burlap to make a tie for it to hang.  When Emily and I were foraging through the clearance bins at Michael's (the picks were .25 cents a piece.  I Made this wreath for about $2.00), she looked at my little pile and said, "Do you even have a plan???"  I kept smiling but inside I was like, do I need a plan?  Am I supposed to have a plan??  Meanwhile, Emily (The Planner) was going through the bins.  Let me add that this girl of mine is not married yet, has no house yet, but she has two Christmas trees planned for this year.  One traditional and one done in silver and gold.  Yep, she's a planner.  She has a huge plastic bin with ornaments and decorations that she has been collecting, for which I am grateful because she was hungrily eying some of my things this Christmas.  And I just can't say no to her.  So...I made my wreath this morning and kissed it goodbye until next year.

This is the last of it.  Saturday night when I was snuggled in bed with a book, The Planner popped in my room and said, "Let's take Christmas down, I'll help."  I honestly tried to worm my way out of it.  Even though the tree was so dead, the ornaments were dropping on the floor, and I had brought all the empty boxes upstairs days before, I had "plans" to just chill all night.  And I was willing to turn down help!  But she won and I took the ornaments off the tree while she wrapped and boxed up the decorations.  She swept and vacuumed while I carried the boxes and bins downstairs.  And then I woke up Sunday morning with a pulled muscle in my neck and left shoulder.  Only me!  I've been living on Tylenol and trying not to turn my head suddenly.  But you know, I am sucking it up because next year Emily will have her own home and she won't be here to help me put it up and take it down.  I won't have her enthusiasm getting me off my bum and motivating me.  I refuse to be an old lady that says, "This is getting to be too much for me!", and end up with an artificial tree on a table.  Wake up call, Jane!

I think we are being robbed.  All of us.  While I love a good deal and love to brag about it more, I was appalled to find these amaryllis bulbs marked down to $2.50 at my grocery store from, $19.99.  And there was a live wreath at the front of the store for $1.50.  Of course I have hit a lot of online holiday clearance sales and I'm working my way through the white sales at a steady pace, but why are we paying so much for things in season to begin with?  I guess I could go on to a long tirade about this but I won't.  This is going to be a positive, glass half full year for me.  I just feel bad for people (like me) that had to go through the holidays without a wreath because people are making a ton of money off of Mother Nature.  And I applaud all of you Do It Yourself ladies out there that learned this lesson a long time ago.  

Day 8 of the New Year.  The Husband started back at work yesterday, just a few days a week and only 4 hours at a time.  He is also parking in the garage in his building so he won't have that long walk.  He's still very sore from the surgery but soldiers on and only takes a pain pill if he is too uncomfortable to sleep.  Abby has one more week off school, Emily has 3 days off from work per week as she works some 12 hour days, Kevin is off work since the golf season ended and Jeff, who works from home, now works from my home, my coffee table is his desk and I run the cafeteria.  Today I woke up at nine and the house was incredibly quiet.  I thought they had all gone out to breakfast without me again.  Nope, just no one here but me and the dogs and strangely, the TV wasn't blaring.  I blogged through a pot of coffee and got used to what real peace and quiet is all about! lol!  It didn't last long but it was quite fun while it did! :)

I'm joining Claudia from Mockingbird Hill Cottage for Favorite Things Saturday.