this and that this week...

tree in the living room...

tree in the kitchen...

I am leaving it like this this year...

simple...

some of our lights...

another drive around town found more displays...

this is just inside the door of one of the churches here in town...

and these flank the doors...

finished the candy bags tonight for the toy drive...

so, we are as ready as we can be...

one more trip around to pick up canisters and donation boxes tomorrow...

meeting with the editor of the newspaper...

tweaking here and there and gathering the needed supplies for the big day...

most of the parents come the first day, so Saturday will be swamped...

being good is hard to do with so much to get done around here, be I can do that later when this is finished...

Sunday, when we shut down, we have to tub what's left and clean up...

move things back and leave it like we found it...

got a snow storm brewing here and about to move in...

not sure what we are going to get...

we are right on the line of iffy to really bad...

we had 62F here yesterday...

and its a whole whoppin' 25F now...

yeah, I didn't go out...

not my thing...

I need time to get used to it...

LOL

have a great night and a good weekend...

I will post again soon...

;)

Thursday's thoughts and dreams...

well, what have we here?

I thought this was a wonderful idea...

drive your neighbors nuts!

pretty...

we can all make these...

get an old cutter quilt and stitch it up quick...

a hippy moment...

yes we do...

the original GPS...

isn't this so cute?

I do like it...

just a tad short...

love that top!

here is a super easy and cheap advent calendar idea...

cute...

I know we all expect things to go right all the time...

but they just aren't supposed to...

how would you learn anything at all?

I use this idea all the time...

stick lights in glass containers...

you can use anything...

it just looks magical that way...

and I love this...

so, we had another busy day...

sorting and hauling...

hauling and sorting...

but we are done and ready now...

got a storm coming in...

1-2 or 3-5...

they aren't sure...

and then we are going from the 60s to the single digits at night...

its going to be hard to take...

and I will have more time to be inside...

and I promise...

after the weekend, and maybe a day or two to recover...

I will be back in here more...

taking some down time the next couple of days to rest up for it...

and prevent a flair, if I can...

;)

thoughts and dreams for today...

here are few pretty Christmas rooms...

are you done decorating?

I'm not, but it can wait until after this weekend...

pretty...

I could hurt myself in those heels, though...

love all the things in this...

I didn't mean to do a pink theme today...

I do that!

ok, I don't know if you know this...

but your dishwasher front panel is removable...

there are sometimes 2 in there...

and the fronts will be different from the back..

some have a wood panel or it could be black...

you just have to check on yours...

and if you don't like what's in there...

you can put your on in it...

a couple of small screws and it slides out of the top...

so you don't forget summer...

or, for those of you heading for the south for a little get away...

that's a huge fireplace...

big and chunky...

love this color...

and as the snow moves in later this week...

just remember, there's summer under there somewhere...

love this, the color is really my favorite...

oh, so there is your major thought for the day...

if we only didn't give a care what others thought...

but no matter how hard you try...

there is always someone who you do care about what they think...

but save that for someone who loves you...

not on people you don't even know...

busy here...

fought off a migraine yesterday, so was down in my quiet, dark bedroom for most of it...

heating pad and pain meds...

but nipped that thing in the bud...

don't have time for that...

too much to get done before Sat and Sun...

and then I can rest...

I will have the rest of the month...

we could have some S^#@ coming in late Thursday and Friday...

might make the distribution of toys a little interesting...

I think there will elf prints in the snow!

now, to get me back to bed so I am ready to go in the morning...

more sorting to do...

and candy bags to put together...

;)

we had a warmer day today...

we put the trees up inside and then we went out to do the rest of that...

greenery from our shrubs...

the one out front also got some sedum...

got another set of lights coming to finish this up and then we will be done...

this is so cute in the dark...

got some tweaking to do...

the wise men,,,

and the elf shoes...

and baby Jesus...

the mantle in the living room...

Diana's grandson is doing better and responding to treatments!

go check her blog!

I am sure she has posted something on it...

if the fever stays down, he will be home in a couple of days!

God is good!

a week from now, we will be cleaning up and it will all be done for another year...

by the end of the week, these tables will be heaping...

a few of the things that DH and I picked up yesterday...

the monetary donations are used to shop for those ages and genders we seem to be lacking...

we use those to fill in the gaps...

there is still much money left for the last minute shopping spree...

its always a mad dash to the finish line...

and this year, its just been the three of us setting up...

we have is down pretty good and know where to put things...

even in a new building for us...

and the parents will line up and come in...

and we will help them through the process and make it as easy and fun as possible...

there will be tears and hugs and promises of better days ahead...

and the promise that God heard their prayers...

and that he has them covered...

that this program is the effort of so many, too many to count...

that together, as a community, we make a difference in the lives of many children...

and their families...

and the ones who are changed the most...

are the ones who give...

we never see the children...

ever...

but that's ok...

God knows who they are...

and we do not do this for the glory of ourselves...

this is to Glorify God and his gift of his son...

He makes this all possible...

we are only servants...

doing His work...

teaching the art of giving...

freely and completely...

because a child given freely to...

will grow up to give freely to others...

and that makes the world a better place...

;)