Looking Back at This Time of Year.

As I have browsed the many postings, I see so many asking for Christmas help, help to get toys/gifts for children. Yes, I can understand how this mindset has been adopted over so many years. But sometimes I wonder if we aren't setting up our children in a very hurtful way. That no matter what, there will magically be toys under the tree for them.

I've seen it all over online, videos of kids getting gifts and then having a royal fit because it isn't what they want, they don't think clothes, books or such is a real gift and tons more. Like complaining that the car you just got sucks because you don't like the color. Like getting mad that you didn't get a top tech toy and a friend did. We are setting up the entitlement mentality that's such an issue in the world today.

I know that there are folks out there that still believe in the same traditions that were popular when I was a kid...several decades ago.

I was taught that any gift was something to be thankful for and that giving a gift meant so much more.

So I'm giving thanks to those I have around me at home. I'm thankful that we're still in our house, the utility bills are paid till the end of this year. That we have food in the house, enough to last as long as we ration it out wisely. That aside from allergies or tummy, head and body aches, we're in fair health for now. (Not counting pre-existing conditions) That so far the heaters, blankets, sweatshirts, gloves, socks and hats are keeping us all warm inside, during this cold snap we're going through. I'm thankful for the simple fact that each morning that I wake up, I wake up. It gives me another day to be grateful for all that I do have right now. It also gives me another chance to keep things going, so that we can keep all these things we have right now.

My daughter has hinted that she'd like an MP3 player, but I've also over heard her telling her siblings that as long as the utilities are paid, the mortgage is paid and we're all okay...it will be an okay holiday. My older son agreed and stated that all he wanted was a job so that he could help out.

The youngest one said he wanted Noble, the sugar fairy from the Thumbelina video. Trouble is there is no such toy or figure that I can find anywhere. He got the video for his birthday in Nov. and has watched it dozens of times already. He has really become charmed by that little fairy. The only thing else he's wanted is Thomas, the train engine play set - he's asked for it every year since he was 4yrs old. He'd gotten a big play set one year, his older brother got it for a little over $50 on sale. Unfortunately, it was stolen a few days later by a guest who was staying with us at the time. Someone my cousin had felt badly for since he had no place to go for the Holiday.

My cousin was a truck driver back then and came to drop by for Christmas. He ran into a guy he had met before some time back. The guy had lost his apt. and had no place to go. He said that he could sleep in the bottom bunk of the truck's cab. He ate with us for Christmas, we treated him well and he seemed alright, pleasant enough. But two days after Christmas, he was gone. The train set was gone, a blender and my daughter's new Mr Coffee was gone. He might have tried to get more, but the only accessible rooms were the living room, kitchen and bathroom. All other doors were locked. But I leave the front door open for my cousin when he's visiting so he can get to those rooms. My cousin locks up his tools, so they were fine. The guy didn't get much, but what he took hurt us.

We never saw him again. My cousin looked for him, but had no luck either. So it's been something that we've wanted to fix ever since. But those Thomas toys are very costly even when on sale. It's not possible to do this yet. I'm hoping that maybe a Carebear will fill in for Noble. Maybe...lol - if I could get the material I'd love to try and make him that sugar fairy. I'm sure that he'd be very surprised. But for now, I just want to make sure he has what he needs. Later I will do what I can to make things nicer.

But as I've said before, I'm hoping that we all remember to be thankful and grateful for all those things that we DO have already. I also hope that those that are needing the very basic things will be able to find help to get them.

A very warm and loving Holiday to all of you and may it be a brighter and better New Year's ahead for us all.

Carpe Diem!

Some Holiday Cheer

It's difficult times and for older kids, I'm hoping that they can understand that the Holidays may not be like those in the past. But there is something that nearly anyone can do to try and make the best of it this year. So dust off your imagination, brush up on your grade school craft and middle school home ec skills and lets get busy.

I recall my own holidays, granted that's a long time ago. But just as things were a bit low tech back then, it may be somewhat low tech now too. What we did was build memories that have stayed with me much longer than others did.

Decorations - what's the holiday without a little cheer. To help make a fake tree feel real, try getting some of those cheap (buck or two) car scent trees or some pine scent candles. Cinnamon and peppermint are also scents to spice up the house.
To decorate the tree, maybe lights aren't available this year. Make a paper link chain for garland. Make foil balls, pop some popcorn and string the popcorn and make garland. Cut out images out of mags or advertisements and if you take tape and put a strip where you then make a hole - it won't tear easy. Then thread, make a loop and hang. You can cut out letters and images to tape to a window. Take a pretty doll, smallish that may or may not have wings and put her at the top of the tree. Or make an aluminum star to put on top.

Now look around the net for a good play dough recipe. I prefer one without a lot of salt. Especially with little kids, they may just try to eat it. Then with a little food coloring, dyes left over from an egg dying kit or some such you can make the clay different colors. It would be a nice little project for making a little gift. Some doughs need to be baked to harden and then painted. Others will air dry - be sure to check out the instructions for the recipe you use.
You could make cute decorations for the tree too.

Cutting out snowflakes is another craft that takes some work. Getting the pattern for the snow flakes is optional, but often recommended so you don't wind up with some very odd looking cut outs. These can be strung about the room or even a garland can be made with the right pattern. There is sure to be an abundance of resources on the net.

Making funnel cakes, sugar cookies, pies and an assortment of treats (recipes online) with the kids in the kitchen can make some fun memories as long as it isn't approached overly serious. Messes happen and it's the sharing and caring, not the condition of the mini concoctions that's important. Look for items at the grocery store that would be perfect for making small cakes/pies and take a small amount of imagination to create.

Hot apple cider, candy canes to decorate the tree, holiday music and the smell of pine and baked goods all can make the whole holiday feel a lot nicer. As for the gifts to put under the tree or in stockings. Think about giving someone a gift of time. A coupon that offers the holder a gift from you. Time to read a story. Time to take a walk. Go to the park for an hour. Watch a movie together. Whatever you want to offer. Just remember, you also have to honor those coupons or they won't be much of a gift.

Even just sending a homemade card and a handwritten note, is a gift of time, to someone special. It can be that simple and mean so very much to that person.

Go through your stored stuff, most people have far too much stuff stored away they haven't seen in ages. Regift some things that you find or hit the dollar store to get the small sample items. Or try a salvation army, good will or thrift store. That's stuff other people finally got rid of - maybe ask if the thrift shop will take some of your things and make some money.

Now for those that would like to get help in the coming months. Get a MyPoints account, then visit your email and click to view the offers that they send you. You get 5 points for each email viewed. Now be sure to fill out their profile questionnaire as that gives more points. They also have surveys...2-3 questions for 50 points. Fairly easy.

Then for you limited few that still shop online, ebay, amazon, etc. Go to the main MyPoints site and THEN go to the ebay (or other) site through their link. Not only are you going to pay for the item you got anyway, by doing a few more clicks to get there through MyPoints you can get points for every dollar you spend, sometimes more.

Now why do you want these points? Because you can trade them in for a gift card. Like $25,$50,$100 cards for Walmart, Kmart and other stores. There are cards for restaurants, book stores, even hotels. The rewards area can tell you more.

Over the last 5yrs that my sister and I've been members of MyPoints, we've spend hundreds of dollars in gift cards. We used to use them as stocking stuffers for the kids, but then it was Walmart/Kmart cards to get stuff that we needed due to not having the money to get it any other way. My sister travels and she's used cards to get a room or food when she needed one due to hiccups during trips.

So hope that some of these idea have been inspiring. There are lots more things that you can do if you think about the old fashioned kind of celebrations that people enjoyed back in the 1950's or around that area. We can do a lot to not only help to enjoy our own holiday, but to help others enjoy their own. It's more than money, it's time, sharing and caring - listening, connecting and making memories together.

I wish you and yours a very warm and wonderful Holiday and a bountiful New Year to come.

Carpe Diem!

Holiday Blues are Getting me Down

Feeling the Holiday Blues starting to creep up on me. What with the financial issues, bills and not having enough to do much of anything - I'm still worried about those out there that are doing worse.
Getting some things together to give out some children books, toys and clothes to a few people I met online. I can't do much for my own, but maybe I can offer something for someone else.

But low energy hasn't been helping me get the boxes and bags packed up very fast. After budgeting in the bills from the income, I'm still short every month - there just isn't enough funds coming in. That's why we'd been scrapping. But with the cooler weather it's getting to be a challenge finding cans in our area. Drinkers are looking for someplace warm to drink, not stand around outside any more.

I've been working on the cooking site, but I'm stuck at the moment due to not having the money to pay for hosting. I'm going to have to figure out a way to set it up for free. Then see if I can get visitors to subscribe to it or to donate funds for the hosting. I'm having a hard time with setting up the database for the recipes since I only have free hosting.

Maybe a few days and I'll feel better. Just feel rather numb, distant and disconnected.
Hope all find some assistance in these hard times...

Happy Thanksgiving

There's always something to be thankful for as long as you can take a breath, there is hope to make some kind of change. So be thankful that you've that opportunity to find help, reach out and live another day.

I've finally added my design page to my homepage website. I wanted to get that done before turkey day takes me away. The turkey has been pardoned, we're having ham this year...lol

Although a friend might let me use her oven while she's off for the Holiday with family, so that bird may get cooked before the end of Nov. yet.

Been stressed lately, but doing okay. Got family here together for now. Not sure about next month, though I'm hoping that my son won't go till after the Holidays. There's a chance that he will have a job up north, staying with my niece there, she's got an extra room for him to use. It will be very odd not having him here since he does a lot of my errands for me.

Heard some possible good news from my cousin the trucker. He may be hired on with a different company. Waiting to hear about that after Thanksgiving. Hopefully it will be good news and he'll be able to get back to work after almost 16 months. Since he was an independent contractor under another trucker before, he received no unemployment benefits. This time he's applying directly to the company instead of just being a freelancer.

Well, hope that everyone can keep it together a little longer. Brightest blessings to you all and to your families.

Thinking ahead to Halloween and other things...

Besides, it takes my mind off all the negative mess that is going on and gives me a much needed break to dwell on something much more fun and fang-tastic...even if it's just for a little while.
I've even something special for anyone that loves Halloween as much as I do. If you've never heard of Dover Publishing, you're in for a treat. I have often wished to go a little spending happy when I get their catalogs. But I resist most of the time, especially with money so tight.

Their books are great, the prices are too...but I just can't do it right now. But here's the treat I can get from Dover and they put it right into my email box...free samples from some of their books. Check out these spirited samples I just got the other day...

Dover Book Sampler - Get Ready for Halloween!

Remember paper dolls and paper clothes...or am I just showing my age? I recall showing my eldest paper dolls, but I don't think my younger daughters ever got a chance to play with them. Well, believe it or not - Dover has them! If my financial situation wasn't so thin, I'd try and get one of their books just to show my teenager what I played with as a young girl. Oddly enough, I have a very curious daughter that likes to know about that sort of thing. She is very much an independent and caring young miss, who still gives me hugs and likes to spend time going for walks with mom.

I don't get anything for anyone going to this site, they don't have an affiliate program. I just wanted to share something I have knowledge about and enjoy. I have other resources for Halloween if you would like to check them out...just know that I will use anything as a teaching or learning experience... Holidays are no exception... As my son's been known to say about my kind of teaching. "You're sneaky..."

Halloween Safety Tips
It may be from Los Angeles, CA - but I think it is a very nicely put together listing.

The Teacher's Corner
There are worksheets and other links here. I'm not sure if this site is updated frequently, but there are some good material resources here.

TeacherVision
It's true that you can only view a few items before they want you to subscribe - but for teachers and home schoolers this resource is just too good to leave out. I love this booklet - it's a lot of fun!

Salvation Army
Now this would apply to your own location, but thrift shops, second hand stores are a treasure trove of wondrous Halloween delight. With a little imagination, perhaps a little glue, glitter or a sewing kit - a vast number of costumes can be created for everyone. With pirates, princesses and the like being so popular - these places would offer a wealth of materials... nurses, superheroes, vampires and witches are all waiting to be discovered among the cast offs and recycled items.

If you have just have to have a store bought costume - don't forget to check for coupons or discount codes to save you a little on the cost - maybe enough for a mini pizza party after trick-or-treating...

Party Time
If you aren't the type to want to go hiking through the neighborhoods looking for the mega score for treats...maybe you like to be the life of the party... Well, this is a great place I found for getting great items for all kinds of parties.

Pretty Party Place
I'm hoping to be able to order up some Wall-E items for my son's birthday in November...the prices are really good, especially if it's only a small gathering. I have had a lot of trouble finding places that would let me get items for a party of under 10 - most of the packages were for 25 or more! That is way too many kids in one place that isn't a park or CiCi's Pizza!

Game Time
Too old to be trick-or-treating? No kids to take out and don't want to have a party or pass out candy? Well, even if you aren't into gaming too much, you can still have some fun online. A bunch of games celebrate the Spooks are loose night in a grand way.

Guild Wars  - purchase and then play for free after...
They celebrate the pumpkin king in a grand way in this online rpg - check out last years event!

World of Warcraft  - purchase and monthly membership fee after 30 days. Offers a limited time trial so you can try it out
This Hallow's End check out what is happening in WoW - at least for those that can afford it.  If not the free trial is available to a at least look around for the spookfest...check out the event happenings here.

Now for those that don't want to buy a game to play, with no fees to worry about...then take a look at this mmo free game list and see if there isn't anything that you might find to have fun with. A little virtual chaos is great stress relief for those that need it and who know who you might meet up with while you're leveling...

MMO Free Game list 

Plus some of the cute games are great rewards for good grades and completed chores. Also some of the keyboard controls help to improve eye and hand coordination. Plus if they want to play and chat to friends they'll have to learn the keys fast, so they can talk while playing...sneaky way to improve their typing skills.

Well, that's all for this post. I'm going to go enjoy a little stress relief myself. Believe it or not, my kids got me hooked on the Disney online game Pirates of the Caribbean - it's just a basic membership, which is free - but as long as Capt. Sparrow is lurking about - I'm game to play. It's actually rather challenging, with ship to ship battles and timed sword play abilities. Has a bit of realism and plenty of familiar faces from the PotC movie. So if you happen to see the White Witch sailing by, call out an ahoy and perhaps we can hoist the colors together...

Till next time mate,  may the wind fill your sails...