My Pinterest addiction, and the holidays

I tried to stay away from Pinterest.com but I just couldn't.  I have succumbed to the temptation and am now fully addicted! My sister, daughter, and many many friends are all on there sharing ideas and pictures and links.  I love it!
I have been completely inspired for the holidays too!  I have found so many crafts and recipes to make for gifts this year!  It has been a HUGE help!!  I have actually completed one gift for Mike, and one for Bug.  I am almost finished with Becky's too!
I knew the holidays were going to be tough this year, but they had to be better than last year when Mike was deployed right?  I knew that they could NEVER live up to what i wanted them to be in my mind. I WANTED to go home to AK for Thanksgiving, but finances being what they are for everyone there was just no way that could happen.  I WANTED to go home for Christmas,  but that can't happen for the same reason.  I now WANT to just be home and have a nice relaxing day with my family.  Sadly, that isn't going to happen either because I have to work.  The suck of it all is that because I'm not a full time regular employee I don't even get holiday pay for it.  LAME!! 
We are having a MOSTLY homemade Christmas this year.  I am making as much as possible in an effort to stretch our money as far as possible this year.  Most people will be receiving food type gifts, and close family will be receiving hand crafted items.
Pinterest and Ravelry have been life savers for me this year.  They are really keeping me inspired!
On top of it all Becky and I decided that we aren't going to stress over trying to get gifts out in time for Christmas.  We are going to plan on giving ourselves a little time to get things sent out and just enjoy the holiday with those who are near.  Lucky for her she has most of our immediate family to enjoy the holiday with.  Lucky for me we have Mike's cousins & their families to spend the holidays with.
Oh, yeah - and we had a pretty great Thanksgiving too.

Another Great Giveaway!

You have to check out this great new blog I found.  2 Boys + 1 girl = One Crazy Mom 

If you go check it out right now they are hosting a great giveaway for

It looks like so much fun!

I really think that Bug woulsd like making May some barrettes!  I remember making some like it when I was a kid.  What a great chance for her to make some fun memories!

There are lots of ways to enter multiple times so go check it out and share the love for a great blog!

Firestarters

M family lives in Alaska.  Things are super expensive there, especially heating fuel!  Most everyone I know has a wood stove to help heat their house during the winter.  I loved my furnace, but I depended on my wood stove and fireplace when I lived there too!  Fire starters are huge sellers too!  They sell them in varying kinds at almost every store in town!  I always wanted to make some myself from all the crafty tutorials around the web.  When we lived in Florida I started collecting the great big pine cones that were all over base, and dryer lint.  I never had dryer lint when I had the pine cones, and I never had pine cones when I had the dryer lint.  So, they never got made.  When we were packing up to move my husband asked me about my shoebox full of lint... "yeah, ok, I know I'm never gonna make them so throw it out."

So then last week I decided  that this year we were going to do homemade gifts for Christmas.  I knew my sister would LOVE some fire starters!!! 

Hmmmm.... I had egg cartons, and wax, but no dryer lint (because I have no dryer) and no sawdust....

Good thing she made her own!  She did a great tutorial on her bog too!  Check it out!  So, now I need more ideas for Christmas gifts for the best sister ever! 
Come on people - I need Ideas!!!!

Random Catching up

I have so much to blog about, but here's a few thoughts for today:

1. Things I love today
1. May holds her hand together while she sleeps, it's precious
2. I am DONE Christmas shopping! As usual, I bought/spent WAY WAY too much and some things will have to be held over for their birthdays!
3. Mike will be home soon. I don't have an exact date, but we're down to weeks instead of months, so that makes me happy! 
2. Dad & Theresa surprised us with a visit & they were able to stay for a week.  I will blog about it soon.
3. No Christmas cards got sent out this year.  Sorry.  I emailed some to people that I had email addresses for.  Cheesy I know, but it was all I had the energy for.
4. I am quitting Swap-Bot again.  I mailed everything out that I had to, but people just aren't getting it & I don't have the time or money to keep resending!  Sorry everyone, but I quit!
5. I am disappointed in myself for:
1. not having a cleaner house
2. not being a better, more attentive parent
3. not being more organized
4. over-eating
5. Not keeping promises - I should have done something a very long time ago, not it's been so long that I have no idea how to follow through.  Just the thought of it kept me up ALL NIGHT last night & is making me cry right now.
6. crying so much
7. playing into the stupid things that close minded people assume when they see a group of Moms, kids and 1 man hanging out in the mall
6. Was I really supposed to sit around and do nothing for these last 6 months??
7. Where is the GOOD Christmas music???  All this crap I am hearing is CRAP!!!!  Where did the classic songs go?  Why did everyone feel the need to remake them into some other kind of crappy pseudo-holiday thing??
8. Oh, crap - I am NOT done Christmas shopping - just realized I haven't gotten my brothers family anything!!!  SHIT!