Happy New Year

“For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning." 

- T.S. Elliot

I truly hope for a wonderful year ahead for anyone reading this and for myself and my family. Last year was a hard one and I don't want to do anything like it again. On to making a new beginning!

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Movie, A Good Person

We watched 2 Prime Video Movies last night. One was good and the other I could not tell you much nice about. So for this blog post we will pretend the second one didn't happen, ok?

The best of the 2 movies was A Good Person (affiliate link) with Morgan Freeman. It followed the pathways of 4 people as they find their way through grief after a tragic car accident. These characters are a father, son, granddaughter and the son's fiancé who was driving the car. The people who died were the parents of the granddaughter. 

We have a Prime membership that we use to watch movies and that works for us. You can also rent movies from Amazon. I read an article yesterday that said Amazon is considering adding a fee to keep your videos from them ad free. I am not happy about that, and I am sure no one else is except for Mr. Bezos and Amazon shareholders.

Have you watched any great movies lately? Let me know about them in the comments. I would love to hear from you!

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to Stay on Track

Everyone has a method or a Non method for keeping your life organized. All your planning might be all in your head, it might be in a paper planner, or you could use an online or app solution. No one method is necessarily better than another. It depends on what works best for you. 

I have tried them all. In my head things get lost or ignored or forgotten. Too much stuff already in there. LOL I have used paper planners or calendars as well. I would start a year with great expectations for staying on top of everything and a couple months in I would stop using them. The one app or website, they have both, that I keep coming back to and using again and again is "Remember the Milk". Even the free plan, which I use, has enough features for me. The best in my mind is the way you can set up repeating tasks or days to remember. You can have any task repeat on chosen dates or days. You can also choose to have a task repeat so many days after the last completion of it. You can sort your tasks by their name or due date or set priorities. You can create lists of tasks that keep categories like personal and work separated. There are some premade lists too that will show you all tasks or what is due today or this week.

For myself I have a few lists to help remember birthdays and anniversaries, craft projects I want to do, and a list of national day celebrations or ideas for affiliate link posts. I also have set up repeating household chores on a list that includes watering my house plants once a week and organizing closets twice a year to keep them tidy. There are a lot more things on my household list, and you can imagine the list if you take care of your own home. 

It's that time of year when organizing for the next one becomes a nagging thought in the back of my mind that won't let me ignore it. If you are that way too, you may want to check out Rememberthemilk.com or download the app.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rethinking My Daily Routines

Yes, the coming new year has me thinking about how I can change routines. The need to change has to include a logical improvement somehow. I have priorities to consider including my home and my health, to keep one clean and organized and the other to stay healthy as I age.

Added to that I want to keep the brain busy with learning. That is why I am a lifelong crafter. That is why I write here and hope to continue this habit for a long time. That is why I love the idea of an online shop even if I have agreed for now to put that on hold while Jim wants to spend so much time traveling. I want to be ready to go when that slows down. In the meantime, I may go back to local craft shows because I can't stop making stuff and have no desire to stop anyway. Making is a very big part of my life and very important to my mental wellbeing. Have you heard the phrase "I (fill in craft here) so I don't kill people"? That's me.

I think it boils down to the fact that I want to wake up with a sense of purpose even if I have to make it up for myself. If I didn't do this, I am afraid I would sit in the recliner and turn into a daytime TV watching, old, wrinkled vegetable. Not gonna happen. These thoughts are what I do in place of resolutions. I design routines and for the most part try to stick to them. If I miss a day for whatever reason, there is no guilt since tomorrow is a fresh new chance to do it better. 

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy!  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Simple Day

There are no big expectations for today. It is trash day so our cans are out at the curb already. Jim took care of that. We will have leftovers for dinner so the planning for that is done. We are going to look at paint chips later this morning. The cool white paint in our bedroom is not working with the new quilt. I am thinking the room will feel cozier with a warmer off white like Swiss Coffee or Navajo White. Those are 2 beige/very light brown colors that I remember the names of but am not committed to either. That is why we are going to collect possible choices in paint colors to bring home and have in the room to decide.

While we are out, we are going to drop by the closest Goodwill Store to us. I have some clothes to drop off. Jim has never wandered through a thrift store so we will wander there for a bit so he can say he did it. 

That means the afternoon might be free for knitting and Netflix time. I do this while he is watching Judge Judy and news which I am not interested in. He watches whatever downstairs and I watch what I want upstairs and after that we have dinner. Dinner is early here because we are old. 

I am currently watching Bloodline. I keep wondering how the kids seem to be so messed up and the mom is an innocent old hippie. There is more to her than has been told so far I think. I look forward to learning her secrets as the story develops. I am in the middle of the first season. The story is a little too gritty for Jim. The softie in him likes a happily ever after story sealed with a Hallmark kiss at the end. Maybe I exaggerated a little bit there, but he doesn't really like thrillers or Sci Fi like I do. To each their own. On Prime Video last night we watched Fathers and Daughters (affiliate link). We both liked it very much. I've left you a link to check it out if you wish.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Life Savers, Little Golden Books and Christmas Long Ago

As Christmas Morning dawned yesterday, I was thinking about other Christmases when my kids were small. For many years the first thing I had to track down was a Life Saver Book. At that time, they always included a Little Golden Book. Remember those? My kids expected one of those every year. It wasn't so bad since Life Savers were one of my favorite candies and they would share. My favorite flavors were butterscotch and tangerine. What were yours?

Searching today I found them at BlairCandy.com. It seems they don't come with those cherished books anymore but still have a Christmas story inside. I am not an affiliate for this link. Just wanted to share in case you have young ones that might like to have them.

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas Day wherever you are.
Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Short Break, Back Tuesday, Merry Christmas

In my tole painting phase of life I cut the wood and then painted this stocking Santa ornament. The pattern came from a book that I have around here somewhere along with a lot of other craft books of stuff I wanna make some day.  Sometimes I think I would like to get back into the tole painting hobby again and maybe quilting and maybe sewing clothes and maybe knitting a couple cardigans for myself and finish all the socks from my souvenir sock yarn. Maybe next year because we all know facing a fresh new year the possibilities are endless. Are you looking forward in this way too? What are you planning for yourself in 2024?

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas! I am going to take off tomorrow and Christmas Day from blogging or tweeting. Hope you find the time to enjoy the holiday too. 

Back with more again soon or Tuesday, whichever comes first. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deer in Snow (My Own Photo)

This morning, searching for inspiration to keep up with a writing daily habit, I came across this photo from December 2011 of deer outside my house in Jackson Wyoming. 

No matter how sneaky you are animals like this are very aware of any kind of movement. It is what keeps them alive. As I, as quietly as possible, came out a back door to take some pictures their heads all turned to look at me. This was the first image and the best of that day. 

I stayed as still as possible and after a while they relaxed, kept eating the leftover dry grasses from summer in the field and moved on. I did add the vignette shading to this image to make sure the animals stood out as the main focus. 

I shared some deer in snow art from eBay and Amazon on X today too. If you want to find your own art or any other treasures from those sites you can use my affiliate links below to start your search. 

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There's No Coming Back From This by Ann Garvin

I have found a new favorite author, Ann Garvin. I should admit that as I finish each book, I have a new favorite author. There are so many great ones I can't be monogamous. Anyway, I finished reading "There's No Coming Back From This" the other day and was sorry to have the book end. I wanted to know more about Poppy Lively, her daughter, the movie star, her boss and of course Kevin the dog. This story was a look into movie making that I had never read or thought about before. It was story was built around the work of the wardrobe department of a major studio in California. Poppy brings midwestern thinking to SoCal makes a place for herself. I enjoyed every page!

I plan to read her other books too. I found that Ann Garvin has a wonderful way of finding the funny in the struggles people have in not so ordinary lives. After reading her bio on Amazon you can see why she can write this way. She even has this attitude about her own life, and you can see that with this quote from the bio.

She thought writing a book would get her a beach house. The beach house hasn’t happened yet, but she's bought sunglasses, so she’s ready.

 

I am putting an affiliate link right here > https://amzn.to/3S1GiW5 if you want to read it for yourself. If you read this or any other Ann Garvin books let me know about it in the comments. Would love to hear from you!

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mandala Designs

Wow! Take a look at what I told Bing Image Creator to make for me. I could study it for a long time to find all the eye pleasing little details in it. The reason I made this image is to let you know that on X today for my "commission earned" links I am sharing mandala designs. 

There are some beautiful designs on eBay and Amazon. Both sites also have supplies for designing your own mandalas and of course lots of coloring books among lots of other items. I found a cute little ring dish on Amazon and a bright red hippie wall hanging on eBay. Both of them are highly rated because I want to share some of the best finds I come across. I searched "mandala" in all categories on both sites and you, if you wish could easily do the same. I've got affiliate links at the end of this post that will take you to either site. I could earn a small commission if you make a qualifying purchase.

Looking at a pattern like this for a while I can sense my racing thoughts slowing down, my breathing become softer and deeper and a feeling of calm growing in me. Can pleasing visuals do anything like that for you or am I the weird one? Maybe don't answer that but say hello if you wish in the comment section below.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sit Down and Chat

I have been on X (twitter) for 13 years or so. I have more than 30 thousand followers. What I am thankful for today is the ones I follow that consistently repost and feel like friends. There are some, gotta say mostly women, who share with me or seem to the same thoughts about politics, women's healthcare, social justice and more. 

I would love to gather these ladies up around a big kitchen table with coffee or tea and a lot of treats and just talk. We could solve all the problems in this country right there. Not really but we could certainly spend time feeling good about progress and be hopeful for the future. The coming election needs to be a big blue wave and I know they would be part of it.

Would you like to join in on that day? We could leave a space at the table for you. Coffee or tea?

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Paisley, Love or Hate?

It is simple and doesn't matter but I love paisley, and my mother hated it. She would have looked at my made-up bedroom from Bing Image Creator and said you should change that. In my mind I am ready to climb in and take a nap. The colors are soothing, and the pattern is pleasing to my eyes. This light filled imaginary room looks like a good place to hide, sleep and recharge.

Are paisley designs as polarizing as the way my mother and I thought about them? Does anyone see this kind of design and think "meh"? Tell me about it. Would love a comment or two.

Over on X (cozyatoz.twitter.com) I will be sharing paisley neckties from eBay and Amazon after I get repost favors taken care of. I just figure if ladies must wear heels to be formal then guys shouldn't complain about a necktie.

I know this blog might seem very random in its topics but that is the way my mind works. With a goal of writing daily there will be great days, good days, and days I should just shut up but don't want to. I would love to share this blog with lots of other people but at the end of the day it really is a place for me to share in small ways random thoughts and feelings without going too deep. It is by and for me. If you want to come along, thanks and welcome.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bad Dreams, Little Sleep

During times of stress like many people I suppose I sleep less, and that sleep is likely to be disrupted or restless. I tend to dream about rodents or insects during stressful times. That is what happened to me last night and it was rodents. Not cute like the ones above but I like what I made with Bing's Image Creator anyway.

Not going into the cause of the stress here. It is what it is, and I know it is a temporary situation and not unusual during the holiday season.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Poinsettia Memories

Over on X (twitter) today my affiliate posts are poinsettia jewelry in brooch form. I found a couple pretty ones, one each from eBay and Amazon. The eBay piece is vintage and the Amazon one is filled with sparkle. My X profile if you are interested is https://twitter.com/CozyAtoZ.

I was thinking back to the first time I knew what a poinsettia was. I was young and we had moved from Kansas to California. This was in the olden days of the 1960s. There was a poinsettia bush in the backyard of the house we lived in. It was more like a tree really because in the nice coastal California climate it was as tall as our single story rented home. We used to break off leaves from it to see the white sap (?) that came out of them. The bright red flowers were so pretty and big and impressive.

In our backyard that plant grew like a weed. At home I have tried many times to keep a poinsettia gift or one I purchased over until the next holiday season and have never been successful. Orchids and poinsettias are my plant mother failures. That said, I still love the beauty of a red blooming poinsettia, do you?

I created the image below with Bing Image Creator (It is definitely not my house!). I think I will use it as my laptop wallpaper for the rest of the month. I like the bright red of the plants surrounded by modern white and gold. I did do a red and gold decorated tree one year and my youngest hated it but that is a story for another day. Somehow, I think a Christmas tree room should always have a fireplace even though I don't have or want one in the house where I live now.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Black River by Matthew Spencer

I finished my bedtime reading on my Kindle book the night before last. The book was Black River (affiliate link) by Matthew Spencer. It was a good keep turning pages read. I didn't figure out the "whodunit" until the story revealed it. My favorite characters were Rose Riley who is a police detective and Adam Bowman a journalist. This is advertised as Book 1 in a series but there is no information on the next book or books yet on Amazon.

In some other bits of news here on the blog I have added one of those cookie notifying things that makes you accept or reject cookies. Google who owns Blogger said I had to do it. I know they can be annoying, sorry. Accept or reject as you wish, either way you can still read and comment.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

13 Years Ago Today

Thirteen years ago this month I got my first ideas about what living in Jackson Wyoming would be like. I loved that town. I loved living with all the seasons. I loved seeing and having animals being part of the environment. I loved the way snow could decorate the town and make everything look so special. That is why I took this picture of the stairs outside the place we were staying at the time.

I do like my life in Arizona now but Jackson was special. At this time of year, you may think I am crazy but I miss snow.

What about you? Love life with four seasons or sunshine all the time?

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Fresh New Look

As I said in a previous post we had the exterior of our house painted. In 2 days it was all done and the guys did a great job. Above is the patio and below is the front door. We kept the door the same color that Jim painted it not long ago. I like the door having contrast with the rest of the house.

Below you see the darker color on the window trim. Most people just do the accent color on the front of their house. It costs more but we put the darker trim color on all the windows and I am glad we did.

On this last picture you can see the difference between the old tired color and the new lighter fresher look. I am so glad we made this change. As picky as our HOA can be we would have been told to paint is soon anyway, so we are ahead of the game.

Next, we are changing the tub and surround in the upstairs bathroom.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gingerbread House Day

It is Gingerbread House Day and I know that from NationalDayCalendar.com. Today I've got some not great photos from our last cruise. We were going through the Panama Canal from Florida to California. The ship set up a display in one of the large public areas onboard. It was huge and a lot of fun to explore and find all the little details. I do wish I had managed to take better pictures but it is what it is.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

International Mountain Day

When we left California for Utah I gave up living near the ocean and got to live in the sight and shadows of mountains. In Utah it was the Wasatch and in Wyoming it was the Tetons. I forget the majestic presence of them when I have been away for awhile. From where I live now I can see the Superstition Mountains and love the red rocky beauty of them too.

The UN has designated December 11th International Mountain Day. I learned this from NationalDayCalendar.com. From that website I got the following information...

In 1992, the UN held the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). As part of the CSD, the UN adopted a document called "Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development." Due to the emphasis on the importance of mountains, the UN declared 2002 the UN International Year of Mountains. In 2003, the United Nations General Assembly designated December 11th as International Mountain Day.

I am sharing here one of my favorite images. I took this on the shores of Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park. What you see is the view across the lake to Mount Moran. I found it so soul soothing to be in a place like this. You discover you are such a small inconsequential bit on the face of the earth but that is okay if you get to spend some of your life looking at scenes like this one. 

Have you ever had an experience where you felt small in the midst of nature but it felt peaceful and good? Please share...

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Holiday Struggles

I have those that are gone and those I have lost contact with on my mind. The holidays always bring these feelings out in me. Enjoying what I have while missing so much is very difficult. Maybe it is the Hallmark Christmas movie curse. If that is not a thing, I am claiming its creation now. All those shows of conflicts solved, families mended and sealed with a kiss at the end, and all done in 2 hours are the stuff of fairy tales. That doesn't make me want the fairy tale for myself any less. 

This is a downer day. It is what it is.

Maybe I should spend time imagining I am in this quiet snowy forest for awhile and get myself recentered.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wait, Wait

If you read here much or know me IRL you know I love podcasts. I have a playlist filled with podcasts with lots of topics. I listen to politics, science, comedy and history and even more. 

One podcast that makes me laugh every week and lifts my spirits no matter what I face in the day is "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" from NPR. I wait for WWDTM eagerly each week to show up with a new episode. It happens to be the podcast currently playing as I write this. It is a fast paced hour filled with silliness, news, a guest, and call in game players. Maybe someday when I grow up, I can go to a live show. That would be so fun!

So do you have favorite podcasts? I use the app "Podcast Addict" to listen to mine what do you use? Let me know all about you and podcasts. Leave a comment!

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Fresh Look at Home

We are painting our house. Well not we but we will have guys painting the house and the process starts today with a power wash. We are doing a couple tones of greige. The main body will be Stone Lion and the accent colors on the window trims and shades for the outdoor lights will be in Tiki Hut.  It will take a couple days. 

The blazing sun and the heat can fade the paint on a house over time and ours was looking rather beaten up. The company painting our house gives a 10 year guarantee. I hope that means a quality job. He also lives in our neighborhood so it would be a good idea to do your best work where you live, right? I am sure I will like the colors we have chosen, and I hope this all goes well and Jim is happy with it too. 

I'll do some pictures of the fresh new look in a couple days. The picture below is from several years ago. You can see in it that the house is all the same color. It just blends into the dirt with nothing special to make it stand out. I am really looking forward to this.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Begin Again, Again

After travel and sciatic pain recovery my routines for exercise have been all messed up. The daily habits were broken. So now I am beginning to begin again. I know I feel much better when I am active every day and that if I want to age well I can't give that up. So while it is nice and cool here in the mornings I am walking each day, actually I've walked a few days so far. Jim has not gone with me but that is his choice. 

On yesterday's walk I saw some shrubs in the green spaces in the neighborhood that always remind me of fall and winter here. From a Google search I think it is called Pyracantha but would love to know from someone who knows plants better what it really is if I am wrong. I just like the look of the bright berries against the green of the leaves.

I also brought home a new pinecone which Jim thinks is silly, but I don't care.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This Day 12 Years Ago, A Photo

On this day 12 years ago, I was in Jackson Wyoming. I would live there for another 10 years. On this day 12 years ago and at about the same early morning time as I am writing this post right now I saw a beautiful sunrise out my windows. This picture captures that time while looking out to Sleeping Indian Mountain. You can see why it has this name if you look for the tip of his nose and see the headdress on the right and his crossed arms over his chest on the left. The house we lived in then had 30 trees on the lot, so it was hard to get a picture without including some of them too.

On some days like this in Wyoming the air would sparkle. The moisture in the air would freeze and when the sun shone it made those frozen bits look like tiny diamonds floating in the air. Have you ever seen this? I almost didn't mind the cold to see something that gave me joy to see.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Being Left Handed

The image today was made by me using Bing's Image Creator. I asked for a left-handed person preparing to write in a blank journal. I had to end up flipping the picture because I could not get the tool to show me a left-handed person. I wanted the image to be that way because I am left-handed and wanted a true representation of what I was feeling as I came upstairs this morning ready to start the day by doing a blog post. 

Was that a lot of words to say I got nothing this morning? I want to remind myself that is just the way it is sometimes. Hope to have something riveting to say tomorrow that will go viral on X when I share it there. Not really, this little blog doesn't need, or I admit even deserve that kind of attention.

So Bing, what is your problem with left handedness? Shouldn't someone have taught you we southpaws exist already? 

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

National Sock Day

I have set aside my sock making project while working on travel shawl knitting. The first sock in this pair is more than half done though and waiting for me patiently. I consider this a practice pair. That is how I think of any pattern when I try it for the first time.  I am liking how it looks very much so far. The true test will be how well it fits and feels on my feet when it is all done. We will see about that later, probably not until sometime next year, which is getting closer amazingly fast, don't you think so?

I shared this progress picture because it is National Sock Day! It is a perfect day to celebrate the simple bits of wool or cotton or whatever fiber that makes your toes cozy!

So, have you knit socks? Crocheted socks? Bought socks? Have favorite socks? Does your sock wardrobe include pairs for all holidays?

Tell me all about the socks in your life.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well I Did It!

It started simple enough. Jim wanted to go stroll a mall. This is something we haven't done in a long time. I guess we got out of the habit of doing this with the realization that Walmart has darn near everything and if they don't Amazon can have it at your door in a couple days. So off we went. 

We found some neck pillows for travel at TJ Maxx so that was good. Jim got a new bath puff at Bath and Body Works. He likes the ones there because they are large and have the silicone ring instead of a simple cord hanging loop. We got soft pretzels for a snack.

Now as for what I did. We were strolling by one of those accessory shops. You know the type, filled with costume jewelry, hair accessories and other stuff. They also do piercings at these places. Years ago after years of not wearing earrings the holes I had closed up. So, I walked in and asked to have my ears pierced and in minutes it was all done. Now I have to take care of my ears for a few weeks and then I can start changing out earrings whenever I want. I still have some choices from when I could wear pierced earrings. I think they are very 1990's looking but I can always update my choices.

I'm glad I did it.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A New Ornament

As I posted here before we took a trip back east earlier this year. We spent time in Pennsylvania wandering through shops in small towns. I did find some more sock yarn. That seems to be my newest souvenir habit. If I can find a nice yarn shop, I pick up a couple skeins. I am going to have very cozy toes some day.

I also try to find locally made things to bring home. I am not fond of buying all the imported things that can be found anywhere in the world, the names of locations are just changed. That locally made idea was the theme of one of the shops we stumbled upon. It was filled with artisan goods and not a single bit of imported junk in sight. I found a small hand-blown glass Christmas ornament as my treasure. It has a place on this year's tree and hopefully many more.  I really admire the magic of a beautiful piece of glass and the delicate precision of this one amazes me.

Do you have handmade treasures in your holiday decorations? Tell me about them.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December Flowers and Birthstones

December, yes, it is already. For December birthdays the flowers of the month seem like a lot. They include Narcissus, Orchids, Holly or Poinsettias. Lovely flowers each and every one. For birthstones it is the lovely blue topaz or Turquoise. 

We have a couple December birthdays in our family. I always tried to keep those celebrations very separate from Christmas, so the person had a special day the same as if they were born in July. Do any of you have the same issues in your family?

On Amazon I found a very pretty pair of earrings that include both of the birthstones. Check then out here > affiliate link. Wouldn't they make a lovely gift for someone you love or even treat yourself no matter when your birthday is?

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon or eBay you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Worth 4 Minutes of Your Time

Hope you enjoyed the message here as much as I did.

As for anything else today there's not much. We watched a couple Christmas movies last night on Netflix. Loved "Christmas with You" and "Father Christmas is Back". Tonight, we'll be watching the Thursday Night Football Game on Amazon Prime. 

I think I am going to fix salmon for dinner with a salad and roasted potatoes. 

It may rain this evening and tomorrow. Here in Arizona rain is something to be feared for the problems it can cause and celebrated because every drop of water is precious.

Image created by Bing's Image Creator from my search phrase.

What are you looking forward to today? Would love to hear all about it!

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A New Wreath

My house will have a new wreath to show off this year and I made it. The beginning of it was a round metal wreath frame. This came from a wreath Jim bought from a Boy Scout fundraiser when we lived in Jackson. It was a big beautiful pine and pinecone wreath. When the season was over, I took off the greenery and saved the frame meaning to do something with it for a long time.

I gathered up some old garlands of poinsettias and holly to wrap the frame in. I used twist ties to keep things in place. I thought the twist ties worked very well and would recommend them highly to anyone wanting to try the same idea. They of course were found on Amazon. 

The angel, I really don't remember where she came from or when I got her. She has just been in my Christmas decor boxes for years. I usually find a place on a wall to hang her, so she watches over us.

As I was putting it all together, figuring how to attach things, twisting the old garlands trying to show off the flowers to look their best I was so pleased with the outcome. Don't you just love it when the idea in your head works out the way you imagined it?

The final touch was to wrap a set of battery-operated lights around the wreath for a bit more Christmas sparkle. The lights came from Amazon too. They have 8 different lighting patterns and a 6 hour timer to save on battery life. We'll see how that goes between now and Christmas. I plan on timing the lights from about 6 pm to midnight. Jim's job today is to figure out how to hang this in our front window. That is his part of the project now that I am done with mine.

I currently have an ear worm. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas". If you have it now, I'm sorry.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~