Thanksgiving wishes

To all my friends and family i wish you a pleasant Thanksgiving..That you get enough of your favorite foods, the conversations are pleasant at the table, and that you find contentment with your family and friends. 
My home is always open to those who may be far from their families, or choose not to be with their families.  My parents home always had a houseful, with my mothers siblings and their children, my grandmother, and other relatives.  Thanksgiving was and all day process.  It started the day before, with preparing the house, extra cleaning and shopping.  Then early Thursday morning mom would begin the turkey, and whatever else she had in mind.  Her siblings came with more food, there was always more than we could even begin to eat.  Plus we had to have not only pumpkin pies, but mince pie, and either cherry, pecan or apple.  The meal started about 2.  People ate and then went to do things, we watched football, played scrabble, talked, the adults drank, and then you might eat some more.  Eventually pies and coffee were served about 4- 5 hours after the original meal was started and family started to go home.  My parents didn't have  a dishwasher, but the dishes were always done, and put away before everyone left.  We had the usual family disagreements, arguments and comraderie. 
These same individuals came over 4 weeks later for Christmas eve.  Where upon we also tried to sing carols- you have never heard so many interesting versions of rudolph the rednosed reindeer, silent night, or  up on the house top among others that we joyfully destroyed from the original versions, from lack of memory.  These holidays at my parents home were truly communal.  Everyone did something to help prepare the meal, eat the meal, and also clean up the meal.  There was never a little red Hen syndrome.   I only remember a few times during the my childhood, and the life of my mother, that we didn't go to my mothers home for Thanksgiving and Christmas eve.  She passed from cancer when i was 23, and those famous holidays seemed to slowly dissapate.  She was the oldest of four, and somehow she was the one who kept things together.  I moved with my husband several states away, and we usually then celebrated with my in-laws.  It was not the same as my own parents but it had traditions just the same..A few years ago, i started to be the hostess for Thanksgiving.  Too much work for my husbands mother, although she insisted to still hold Christmas dinner.  Its never going to be like my mothers and my childhood memories, but all the same its a time to celebrate friends and family.
So to all of you - begin your own or continue your traditions, and celebrate those whom you love.  This year we will have one less at our table as my mother in law passed in June.   But in her own way, as my  mother is, she will still be with us...

Looking for Labels

Blog will be short this week.  Celebrated daughters birthday!  She's officially and adult, but will always be my little girl.
I've been busy working on the shop. As I'm preparing items to get ready for my etsy shop, I need to find a good label maker.  I have a temporary solution but if anyone knows of a label company that makes nice labels, reasonably priced, I would love to know of them. 
And as today is absolutely beautiful after having such a dredge of hard rainy days, its hard to be inside, but with the sun shining through my windows it does offer an extra bit of energy to work. 
Sunny wishes to you!
~Treva

New Digs!

Well life around here has been quite busy.  My daughter will be turning 18 in two days, which in some ways is very hard to believe!  Who ever thinks when you bring that little bundle home from the hospital, that 18 years will pass so fast, as if you turned around, blinked and turned back.  It all seems a blur at the moment.
We've been dealing with so many things trying to get college information in and applications filled out.  We had to buy her a new car, following a nasty car accident during foul weather a couple weeks ago.  That was no fun either.  When i have to make big purchases, especially unplanned ones i always have a sick feeling in my stomach as if things aren't in my favor, but i know this time we were treated fairly as a friends lovely husband helped us with his contacts to get the best deal. 
And now after much contemplation I've decided to open an etsy shop.  Hopefully by the end of the week i will have all the finer details worked out and announce my shops name here.  I've been making baby gifts for years, since I first learned to do embroidery and handsewing at the tender age of 10.  I've decided to take the skills i've learned over the years doing fine hand work, as well as costume work, and just knowing what a parent needs for their little bundle and create a baby line of goods. 
Starting with lovely blankets that are crisp cotton on one side and flannel or minkie on the other side.  This was my daughters favorite type of blankie when she was little.  We did not have minkie then but she had the flannel on one side. and they were great for all year long.  When it was cold, you put the flannel side by your skin, and when it was warm you put the crisp cotton by your skin.  they made great blankies for tummy time, sitting and snuggling especially as she got older. I've been making these for friends over the years transitioning to minkie instead of flannel.  Some of the children call them "Butta" blankets, because the minkie is soft like butter feel. Each one is one of a kind creation.  I will also have binkie bibs, burp cloths, and eventually a few clothing items.  I love to create these items, because i know they turn into treasures.
Well that's it for today.  Hope you have a great week, and keep and eye out for my announcement of shop opening.
Treva

Thankful She's Safe

When November started here in Washington, so did the rain. It has been the hard, windy, hailing, torrential rains that make it hard to drive in.  My sweet daughter  finally consented to get her license back in august.  This was not without a lot of pushing and shoving from her parents.  She only wants to drive an automatic, and we are a family of  manual cars, with one Excpetion our truck we use for hauling things.  It is automatic and equipped with 4 wheel drive, but is huge and a bugger to drive especially if you are short and petite as she is.  G-pa gave her his favorite car a saturn coupe that was a classic at 15 years old and perfect condition.  He had purchased a new car, and was helping her out.  Well as the story here started the weather turned nasty.  We live about 30 miles from everything she does- school, dance, boyfriend, going to performances in town etc.  She was heading home from class, entering the freeway from on ramp, there was standing water and hail, along with heavy rain, when she hit the standing water, she lost traction and control, spun out, across the freeway lanes and hit the median.  We got that awful phone call that we worry about every night, when she's out, that she was in a wreck.  She had the airbag go off in her face, bloody nose, some whiplash, scared.  Fortunately there were some good samartins, a car full of guys, who stopped, called 911 sending police and paramedics. They helped her until the official help came.  As she & they, talk to my husband on the phone, i get in the car to drive 30 miles quickly to get to her.  Its hard to know what to expect when you get there.  I didnt expect her to have bloody and swollen face.  That really took me off guard.  I've been in hit before but fortunately had not suffered any injuries, so really wasn't expected.  The paramedics had cleaned her up a little. Still a shock.  And I was so overwhelmed that she was ok,  she kept saying I'm sorry.  Hard to make your child know you dont care about the car, as long as they survive.  To bring some levity to the situation, the paramedic says to her, "Hey this never happens to guys when they crash, no car load of girls stops to help" and look at all the men you have here.  Wow. 
So my days over the past 10 days have been spent driving my daughter to all her activities, college, dance lessons, rehearsals, dr appoints, waiting for hours inbetween these things- as its too wasteful for gas to drive home and most times not really worth the time.  I had to find something to do while waiting.  I read, I window shopped- unfortunately that gives me more ideas of things i would like to be doing, sewing, cleaning, scrapbooking. I went to the movies, i drank coffee . I factored in how to pay a new carpayment-ugh, not the head of my list when i'm already factoring in how i'm going to cover college expenses for my daughter next year. I researched cars, their safety factors and if the insurance was favorable of them. 
In the meantime, I finally found a replacement vehicle. Something considered very safe- subaru legacy- all wheel drive, dependable.  A car that hopefully will last her for several years, make it thru the mountain weather until we move, and keep her safe.  That's what its all about.  Keeping them safe.  So she has wheels again as of yesterday, and already is back to driving the miles.  And we waited and worried until she got home late last night. Off again this morning, how quickly they return to their routine. And as parents we have to let them, its our job to help them grow, and worry about their safety!

Too much stuff!

Oh i know its been a bit since i've been on here.  I was starting to feel like i was spending too much time on the computer, and i'm going thru this phase of trying to de-clutter my home.  It gets pretty ruthless when i do this.  I start off just annoyed with too much stuff, and then i start throwing things away, or putting them in the goodwill pile because i just dont want to deal with them anymore.  I started in my pantry.  I keep alot of appliances you use only a few times a year, but when you do, they make your life so much easier. So as i wander thru re-organizing every shelf, getting rid of old spices, attempting to put all the party supplies in one place, deciding i almost hate tupperware, because my family does not look for things in it. Do I need a wok? actually i dont think i do, so this will be leaving. I always use my black iron skillets and i prefer them for most of that kind of cooking. Yes it turns into a job of i think i want to throw all this out, rather than deal with it.

Next i started with my desk.  You know the horror, of you have things organized for you, but no one else can find a thing.  I had carefully placed and important card from my father in law, to return to him, and all of a sudden it disappeared under the mounds of papers that must be sorted, filed, placed in the shredder.  I found it! Yeah, now i would like to set a fire to every paper that needs to go into the shredder, rather than take the time to shred.  UGH. I'm all into recycling, and wish i didnt have to worry about identity theft when i do so.

We have officially lived in this house for 5 years.  I thought when we moved here it was my dream house.  And it was, but its in the wrong place.  Too far out from where i live my life, my old friends, and the places i like to hang out.  So now, i'm ready to move, and if that means leaving the perfect house, then so be it.  It will  have to fall to the house gods or whoever makes sure you sell your house, so you can buy a new one. 
I've been planning this for about 6 months now, and when i want to market the house etc, one more christmas & new years here.  All of sudden I see that my neighbor has put there house up for sale.  Our homes are very different floor plans, but to think of having two houses next door on the market at the same time, worries me as people will wonder if something is wrong with the homes or neighborhood.  Understand we live on the first hole of a golf course. These are very nice homes, there is nothing wrong with them, and we have gorgeous mountain views on one side, and the golf course on the back side.  I love the mountains, and clean feeling of nature, but i know i love the water more.  I have lived by water-lakes and beaches since i first went to college most of my adult life. I grew up in the foothills and thought i wanted to be back there but finally realized that its the water that keeps me going.  Unfortunately for my family, i dragged them with me, but we all have gotten something from the move.  Its not without some benefits.
So enough time spent worrying, and back to the clutter/toss/give away mode.