All The Things, crochet, Faith, farmhouse, homemaking, Life in General, Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Hello, November!

Look at me! Posting twice in one week. I honestly should be doing anything else right now. But I happened to have my laptop open for another task I had to do and decided, might as well, since I’m here!

November is here! And I am shooketh. I have so much that I * want* to do, so much I *need* to do. There are lists every where. But you wouldn’t know….

This is my ‘office’. This is the only space I have for anything. Except my baking of course. So from about July/August through December, this is what my living room looks like on any given day. My notebooks fill of lists are under there somewhere. :/ One of these days, I’ll be like the cool kids and either have a dedicated room or a she-shed. A she-shed would be preferable. This is real maker life, friends. I’m not an influencer (nor do I ever want to be). I am a real, small town, God-fearing, God-loving girl. Who would much rather be buried under a pile of yarn, or in the kitchen covered in flour, than be anywhere, or do anything, else.

While in the midst of preparing for next week’s craft show, I went and set up shop! I finally got it set up and somewhat loaded. I have a few items listed and will list a few more once the show is over. Go on over and check it out! I’m super excited to have found this great platform that aligns with my beliefs and values. They are super helpful and go out of their way to support their vendors. Plus, I love that my small business is helping their small business. Win/Win! I hope you will check them out, and if you are a maker with the same values, I hope you will give them a try!

It’s the MOST wonderful time of the year and it’s taking all I have to not drop everything and put the tree up. We would typically be decking the halls this week, but I am so far behind on my prep that I really need to focus on that. I may take a day off (or at least a few hours) on Sunday and do some hall decking then. It’s a busy season already. I want to be able to enjoy my decor for a while! Not just two weeks. I mean, obviously, we’re already watching the movies and listening to the music. And yes, I did in fact, buy some eggnog last night. Merry Christmas! And no, we aren’t skipping Thanksgiving. Silly. Truly the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. Literally no one skips Thanksgiving. We just enjoy our Thanksgiving and give thanks under the glow of Christmas lights. It’s really quite lovely. Maybe you should try it sometime.


PSA: While we’re on the subject… LET PEOPLE DECORATE EARLY AND STOP GIVING THEM GRIEF OVER IT. Let them have their joy, people! It doesn’t affect your life in any way. If you don’t want to decorate early, then don’t. What someone does in THEIR home, with THEIR stuff is NONE of your dang business and absolutely does NOT affect what goes on in YOUR home. You really ought to do some soul searching and figure out why it bothers you so much. Bless your heart.

But, I digress.

I’ve had to really discipline myself to not take on any other social commitments until after the craft show is done. It’s been hard. But I’m standing strong! This isn’t to say that I don’t already have a calendar full of commitments, I’m just not taking on any new ones. I even kind of wish I could back out of some the ones I’ve already made, but…integrity, and all. It’s important to me.

Me and all my delusions of grandeur have decided to try to make a display wall to set atop my table for the craft show. I will try to document the process. If it’s any good, I’ll share it. If it sucks, I’ll probably share that, too. Stay tuned for that.

I’ll leave you with that. And this Scripture.

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 ESV

lifestyle

Perpetual Christmas

I popped onto Pinterest to look for a recipe I was planning to make this week for Christmas. Does anyone ‘just pop onto Pinterest’? Asking for a friend.

But I digress…

When scrolling through my Merry & Bright board, I saw all the things I still want to do/make/create/experience. So I made a decision. I’m going to keep doing/making/creating/experiencing ALL THE THINGS until I get it the way I want it. This may take some time. I figure it will be done by the time Christmas rolls around again in 2021.

On that same thread, we went Christmas lights looking last night and came across the most festive subdivision I’ve ever seen. Talk about Merry & Bright! All the feels were had. I wish we could have Christmas lights all year long. So much joy and merriment in those lights. They just make my heart happy.

I think I just need to build a Christmas town. Whomever wishes to live there may do so. There is but one rule. You must love Christmas as much as we do and ache at the thought of taking all of the decorations and lights down enough that you want them up all year long.

By March I’ll probably be sick of it and pack it away. But I’m thinking I will definitely work on the doing/making/creating year long so that I will be ready for Christmas 2021 on November 1.

I just love ALL THE CHRISTMAS THINGS and feel shafted this year. We’re trying our best with what we have and the current circumstances. But it’s hard! This year has been hard. The true Spirit of Christmas lies in our hearts, yes. But part of the joy for me is shopping for that perfect gift, wrapping it thoughtfully and watching the recipient open it and love it. This year, it was all we could do to stay afloat and keep the lights on.

I’m making my son a stocking and I have one gift. I’m baking everyone else’s gifts. I wanted to make things for the whole family, but I had to fill that time with making things for other people to gift so that we could keep a roof over our heads. It’s what you do when you had to make the choice to save your mental health. Retail is not for the faint of heart, especially at Christmas time. Retail is definitely not for everyone. HA! Bless those that love it!

Making that choice left me no other option than to put everything into my makeup business. Crochet helps fill in the gaps. Despite the current and temporary struggles, I’m much happier and more at peace. And I think it shows.

So who’s down for Christmas Town?

Our Cozy Christmas Cottage 🎄