Keeping Up With The Joneses

Do you keep up with the Joneses? I was watching an episode of Andy Griffith the other day, and it was about this very thing. It got me to thinking..."Do I do that"? I came to the conclusion that I don't exactly try to "keep pace" with the things that other people have, (you know things that keep the social ladder even or whatever), but I certainly do try to "Keep Up With the Joneses" on a different level. For example:

I raked the leaves in my yard a few days ago. They were deep. I just kept hoping that the neighborhood kids would trample through them, scattering them to the wind. But then I remembered that neighborhood kids don't exactly trample much anymore, for the most part. My neighbor has a humungo pine tree that is shaking it's needles to the ground with every little puff of wind. They have raked them (this is no lie), about 6 or 7 times so far this fall. So I didn't want the yard to look shabby compared to the rest on the block, so 20 bags later it is clean.

Nobody in the neighborhood (at least that I've ever seen) goes outside in their pajama's. I took my dog outside last night, for what I thought was the last time for the evening. When I got back inside, naturally I put my PJ's on. Approximately one hour later he decided that he needed to head back to the great outdoors! I was tempted to just throw a coat on over my PJ's, but decided that I didn't want to get caught by the neighbors, so I changed back into my clothes.

I visit the neighbor lady when she walks her dog. Her dogs name is Dutch. He is a Scottish Terrier. He is always clean. I gave my dog a bath today.

I stayed up late last night and couldn't tear myself away from the computer. Many ladies have their blogs decorated for Thanksgiving, and other bloggers have started with Christmas decorations already. I understand the early Christmas thing because some bloggers have a business that thrives during the holiday season. So in the spirit of "Keeping Up With the Joneses", I went ahead and went the Christmas route on my blog. I figured if it takes me two hours to publish a post, I had better get started on changing the layout for Christmas!

So the moral of the story... I think this "Keeping Up With the Joneses" thing is still around.

Anyhoo...Have you ever read the comic strip Get Fuzzy? It is my absolute favorite! The dudes name is Rob, the dog is Satchel, and the cat is Bucky. If you're an animal lover, you should read some of them! Bucky is such a cat!

SheetLoad's Blog Candy Blow Out

Over at Sheetload of Cards, they are having a BIG giveaway! Today is the last day to enter, so hurry up and scadoodle on over there to sign up! You can check out the details right here! Good luck to all that enter!

12 Days of Junkie giveaway!

Over at Tip Junkie, they are into Day 5 of their "12 Days of Junkie" giveaway. They are having 2 winners (yep, two!) each day! Head on over there to check it out. I hope add this link thing, and do the Mister Linky doom-a-hicky correctly! I still haven't figured out this whole process yet!

Tag Challenge and Some Trivia

The challenge this week over at Tag You're It, was to create a tag with the theme "red & green". It didn't have to be Christmas, but I try to create the first thing that comes to my mind and this is what I thought of...sort of!


Any who... Here is a little back story on the song "O Holy Night" in case you've ever wondered!

"O Holy Night" ("Cantique de Noël") is a well-known Christmas Carol composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the French poem "Minuit, chrétiens" by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877), a wine merchant and poet. Cappeau was asked to write a Christmas poem by a parish priest. It has become a standard modern carol for solo performance with an operatic finish.

In the carol, the singer recalls the birth of Jesus. It was translated into English by Unitarian minister John Sullivan Dwight, editor of Dwight's Journal of Music in 1855, and lyrics also exist in other languages.

On December 24 1906, Reginald Fessenden a Canadian inventor, broadcast the first AM radio program, which included him playing "O Holy Night" on the violin. The carol therefore appears to have been the first piece of music to be broadcast on radio. It later appeared in an edition of carols by Josiah Armes, published by Oxford in 1936, subsequently increasing its popularity.

information from Wikipedia.

The Old Red Barn Co. is having a quilt giveaway! Three winners will each get one of these lovely quilts! You'll have 4 ways to enter, and one of them you earn 50 extra entries (if you're brave, which I am not)!! So go over there and check it out....Good Luck!

Good News This Morning!

Why oh why does it take me forever to complete a post!! I thought I would start with that, and get it out of the way. I'm just not very fast at this stuff! So... I have some awesome, good news to share with everyone (doing a little happy dance here). I am the lucky winner of one BEEEAUTIFUL bracelet crafted by Aleta over at Fleur de Aleta! Woo Hoo! I left a comment over there stating that I had never won anything in my life, and I thought that was true, until I spoke to my Mom and told her the good news! So I thought I had better clear up my faux pas!

Apparently when I was only 4 years old, I attended a Christmas party for my brothers' Cub Scout pack. There was a drawing, and (according to my Mother) I won a fabulous espresso machine. When I was four. I don't remember winning that machine, but I do remember it sitting on our kitchen counter taking up TONS of space! From what my Mother tells me, (since I didn't seem to excited about the ginormous metal machine) they let me choose a "prize" also. I chose this plasticky, glittery, el-cheapo nativity scene. Which I totally remember, and I totally loved it! And I totally still have it! So... I didn't mean to fib about not winning anything, but can you blame me for forgetting it!? I don't consider the Nativity scene a prize that I won, I always remembered it as a gift!

These are a few "girly" Christmas tags I made over the weekend. I thought they would be cute for my nieces.


Have a good week everyone!

They Did Their Share

On Veteran’s Day we honor
Soldiers who protect our nation.
For their service as our warriors,
They deserve our admiration.

Some of them were drafted;
Some were volunteers;
For some it was just yesterday;
For some it’s been many years;

In the jungle or the desert,
On land or on the sea,
They did whatever was assigned
To produce a victory.

Some came back; some didn’t.
They defended us everywhere.
Some saw combat; some rode a desk;
All of them did their share.

No matter what the duty,
For low pay and little glory,
These soldiers gave up normal lives,
For duties mundane and gory.

Let every veteran be honored;
Don’t let politics get in the way.
Without them, freedom would have died;
What they did, we can’t repay.

We owe so much to them,
Who kept us safe from terror,
So when we see a uniform,
Let’s say "thank you" to every wearer.

By Joanna Fuchs

Tag Challenge

The theme for the challenge this week at Tag You're It is, "Tic Toc". We were to create a tag using a theme that has anything to do with time, clocks, watches, etc.

For some reason the theme instantly brought to mind one of my favorite poems, "The Children's Hour" by Longfellow.

Dawn at Crafty Ramblings chose the theme this week!

Thank you for taking a peek at it! Have a great weekend everyone!

I noticed after I posted this (and made it uber-huge by clicking on it) that I forgot to credit the author on the tag! I will be fixing it!

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Children’s Hour

Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day’s occupations
That is known as the Children’s Hour.

I hear the clamber above me,
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet

From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.

A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.

A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!

They climb up into my turret
O’er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.

They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!

Do you think, O blue-eyed banditti,
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old mustache as I am
Is not a match for you all!

I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeon
In the round-tower of my heart.

And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away!

What Time Is It?

This blog sure has kept me busy! All I do is read other blogs!! I decided since I haven't posted anything in a few days, (and have not worked on any crafts, or cooking or anything!), that I would post a quick little note about my own personal Bah-Hum-Bug! Usually by this time of year, I am INFECTED with the holiday spirit! I mean, listening to Christmas music, watching all of my holiday movies, filling the house with pine scented candles....you know the drill! But I'm just not into it! One of my favorite holiday movies was on television last night, and I skipped right over it with a siiiiighhhh. I'm just not ready for this...



... or this...



And certainly not this...

... or this...



What I think I really want, is to eat a piece of pumpkin pie everyday until Thanksgiving! I know some believe that to celebrate Christmas before Thanksgiving is wrong. I don't really usually "celebrate" it that early, I just like the "warm fuzzies" that comes with it all. Maybe this weekend, I will throw some pine needles in the simmer pot, and crank up some Christmas music. Maybe that will get me going! Some people have snow at home already. I have to wonder if this has given them the Christmas bug......hmmm.....