These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Well it’s now three days after Christmas and I am just getting around to blogging. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. My favorite time was Christmas morning when I could slow down a couple hours and enjoy a cup of coffee and homemade sausage balls. 

After a couple hours of quiet time, my twenty nine year old daughter came running into the living room to see what Santa had brought. He indeed stopped by. She got almost everything she asked for. She also surprised me and Nick with a few gifts. She got me some little things she knew I had been wanting. 

Here are a few of my favorite things.

Turkish beach towel. These towels are thin and soft. They are absorbent and light. Turkish towels can also be used for a light blanket or scarf.  

I have also been wanting some silicone cupcake liners. I got both.

There was a sweater I seen on the internet that I had my eye on and she managed to get the exact sweater I wanted.

 

She also got me some slippers, make up brushes and make up. I was happy but all I really wanted and needed was her just being here at home with me.

Her boyfriend got me this nice oil defuser. I love it and it is so relaxing. 

Something else I got for Christmas was a future new Sister in Law. My brother in law preposed to his girlfriend on Christmas Morning. I have only met her a couple of times when I visited the beach this past Summer. She is a sweet girl and I wish them the best. 

Later my Mom and Dad stopped in for a visit and then we headed off to Nicks other brothers house for Christmas Dinner and watched some of the little ones play and open gifts. 

I even snuggled my Nephews bearded dragon. I think it liked me and I’m showing some guts here. I’d much rather be snuggling a puppy. 

I slept late on Sunday and that was nice except I missed church. Then my daughter left to go back to her place and I spent the rest of the day taking down Christmas decorations and cleaning the house. 

This coming weekend will be busy again. I will be doing my traditional New years dinner. Boy I’m tired!

What are some of the special moments you had this Christmas? 

Feeling Elfie

Happy Christmas Eve yall!

I have a day off today from both jobs. My daughter is home, presents are all wrapped and the cooking has begun.

Last night I felt a little elfie. You see, at my seasonal job, they have had these little Christmas accessories for us to wear all month. My job is picking orders and getting them prepared for store pick ups. Often I would have to run them out to a car on curbside. They wanted us to look festive I guess. 

But not me, no no. 

I snarled my nose up at the lighted necklaces, antler head bands and paper elf hats. I just was not going there! Nope.

Well last night while I was darting around the store grabbing items for those last minute shoppers, I got in the mood to put on one of the elf hats. “Ok, I’ll do it”. And just like that, I became a jingly elf. I had fun passing children as I was working. Some would be acting up in the store and when they saw me, they would straighten up and their little eyes would just stare at me until I disappeared. Some kids would run and hide. I would just wave and point as I walked by. I had fun. Now I know what Santa must feel like. 

I began to think about those little kids. I could have been their only little Christmas hope they had.

To me it was just a stupid little paper hat with bells on it. 

To them, I was an elf. I was one of Santas helpers. 

I was running my legs off, my feet hurt and I was tired from working my day job then coming here to work at nights.

But if it wasn’t for me and others doing this task, some one would not have their present under the tree in time. I carried around a handheld device that would let me know when an order was placed and what to grab. (Aka Santas list). 

Sometimes I would have to reject orders when there was no inventory to be found. Even though they ordered online as it was in stock, an inside shopper could buy it off the shelf before I could fill the order. Every time this happened I would feel sad. They would get an email letting them know it was not in stock. I just hope they had a plan B in these cases. 

Now it’s time for me to relax. I have a big day ahead of me. I have some cookies to make. I will also be making sausage balls, grape salad and broccoli salad for tomorrow. I need to get my nails painted and my house cleaned. 

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. 

Puppy Chow Muddy Buddy

I finally got my Christmas shopping finished. I actually finished last week. It feels great to get that behind me and now I can sit back and enjoy the rest of the season. 

With my work schedule, I have to find time to get things done. I was off on Sunday so I was able to enjoy church again. My daughter came home and we spent the afternoon baking cookies and making treats to hand out to the neighbors. 

This year I will be handing out tins of “puppy chow”. It’s not really puppy chow but that what it’s called because of how it looks. If you buy it in the store, it is called Muddy Buddy.

It is made by coating chex cereal with a peanut butter and chocolate mixture then tossing it into powder sugar. It is absolutely delicious!

Incases you want the recipe, here it is.....

PUPPY CHOW (Muddy Buddy)

6 cups Chex rice cereal.

1/2 Cup peanut butter.

1 Cup chocolate chips.

1/4 Cup butter.

1 Teaspoon vanilla.

2 Cups powder sugar.

In microwave, melt chocolate chips, butter and peanut butter together on high for 30 seconds. 

Microwave 15 seconds at a time until mixture becomes smooth.

Stir in vanilla and pour over cereal mixture. Stir to coat. 

Pour into a 2 gallon resealable food storage bag or a container with a lid.

Shake until coated. 

Transfer into a serving container and add extras of your choice such as pretzels, marshmallows, M&Ms, or other candies.

I just added some Christmas colored M&Ms. 

We also made my favorite holiday cookie, “Pecan balls”. I filled a tin with those to take to work and we have a container of our own. 

I could eat my weight in those things. 

Pocket Prayer Cloths

Between working, shopping, wrapping gifts, cooking and somewhat keeping the house clean, I worked in a few minutes to create these little pocket prayer cloths. My friend and neighbor asked if I would make her a few to give to some people she knew that might want one.

Once they were completed, I held them in my hands and prayed a little prayer over them, then packaged them ready to give.

What is a prayer cloth?

A prayer cloth is used by an individual or group of people that are praying for an ailing or sick friend or family member. The prayer cloth is usually prayed upon by the individual or group, and then given to or wrapped around the sick person.

The ones I made were small pocket size. They can be kept in your pocket, or purse. They are small enough to hold securely in your hands when you want to feel comfort. 

I remember a church group giving one to my mother-in-law when she was sick. I thought it was so precious. It meant a lot to her.

My neighbor wrote me the other day and told me that the little prayer clothes were appreciated and loved by those that received one. She said it also brought tears to one of the receivers. This touches me heart. In the world we live in today, we all need to know someone out there is praying for us. 

Now keep in mind, a prayer cloth does not heal. It is only a token of prayers said for the person it’s given to. Prayers, believing, and faith in God brings healing. 

“So that from his body were brought unto the sick, handkerchiefs or 
aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of 
them”.

Act 19:12.

  

You can find the free pattern HERE.

Prayer cloths are not to be sold, only given.

 

First Week New Job

Everyone keeps asking for an update on my new job.  Well, I made it through the week without crying and only suffered 2 paper cuts. I think it went ok. It’s a little overwhelming for me right now, but I think I will like it better once I’m more comfortable. It’s for a CPA and I have no clue about taxes and accounting, so it’s a lot to sink in. There are 4 of us and we each have our own office but my desk is more of a reception area. 

It is very quiet. Much different than my old office job. My past job was real laid back. I could wear jeans and tshirts and practically do what I wanted to in my space. In my new workplace, I have to dress officey (yes I just made up a new word). It’s quiet and everyone seems serious and professional. I’m hoping I will fit in soon.

I am only working til 2 each day until January then I will be working full time 9-5. Meanwhile, I leave the office job and drive to the mall to work my seasonal job. The two places are only 8 minutes apart. I really do enjoy the my seasonal job at Belk. Everyone seems to like me, everyonce is friendly, and I am getting my steps in because I walk around all night picking clothes and merchandise from the sales floor to be shipped. I have averaged walking 20k steps. It’s like a long shopping trip. Of course, I have already spent my first pay check on clothes. This job is dangerous to my pocketbook. Haha.

But I'm tired. 

Going in early at one job and work til 10 at another and then working weekends on top of that, I’m wore out. I come home, take a shower and do it all over again the next day. I feel like I have no home life. I do not have time to blog much or craft (my two stress relievers). I barely have time to eat and my Christmas tree rarely gets noticed. But it will be all over soon and I will be back to regular work days with nights and weekends free. I figured this year of 2020 has been a mess so why not just finish it out with a bang. 

Do I plan to keep my new office job. Of course I do, but after a six months or so, if I am unhappy, I will start looking around again. I have worked all my life and at my age I think it is important to have a job that you enjoy. Lets face it, Taxes and accounting are not my thing. I have no interest in it. But things could change. It’s only been a week so I can not let that influence me right now. Just being the new girl sucks.

I hope this post makes sense. I can barely keep my eyes open.

Thank you all again for you prayers and concerns. 

I plan to catch up on my blogs reads this week. 

Back In The Office Chair

I have some good news to share. I am excited to announce that I have finally found me a new job. 

If you know me or have been following my blog, you know that I lost my job in October of 2019. I was an office manager for 26 years until the company sold halfway out and my boss said he could no longer afford me, so he let me go. From that day on, I have searched for another full time office job. I applied to over 280 jobs with no luck. I was devastated. I was losing hope. There were days I hated myself and times I was afraid I was getting depression, But everyone kept telling me to trust in God and I will find a job on his timing. I guess that time is now. 

A friend had reached out to see if I’d be interested in this position. When I said yes, she made arrangements for me to do an interview with the owner. I went for the interview and it seemed to go well as expected. He noted that he was definitely interested in hiring me. I left his office without much hope as this was pretty much how all the other interviews have gone. I was becoming a pro at accepting rejection.

The next week he called me back and formally offered me the job and after a couple of questions, I accepted. 

I will be an administrative assistant for a CPA office.

I start Monday. 

Meanwhile, I have been working a seasonal job at Belk department store for the past few weeks. I like it though it can be tiring working on your feet all day. I have enjoyed working with customers and it’s giving me something to keep busy and lots of exercise.

I plan to continue with the seasonal job on nights and weekends as long as I can. This will give me some 10 and 12 hour days. I can give up the seasonal job anytime but we’ll see how it goes.

I am going to be a busy bee until January.

I am pretty excited about the new position but I have so much anxiety built up right now. I hope they like me and I hope I will be a great asset to the office and enjoy it. 

I want to thank all of my friends that have been keeping me in their prayers and my spirits high.

2020 has been a rough year.

Porch Snowman

While my daughter was home for Thanksgiving, we decorated for Christmas. I decided to use a lot of red and black buffalo plaid as my theme this year. I think it has a nice Winter cabin feel about it. My den looks cozy now with blankets and big buffalo plaid throw pillows on the couch. Winter will be here before you know it. I am not a big fan. I would much rather be talking about the beach and sunshine right now. 

A friend of my daughters offered her some slats of wood of different lengths. She brought them home thinking her dad would like to have them. No, he did not need them, but he put them away just in case (It’s a man thing I guess). 

Before he stashed them in the storage building, I grabbed two of the shorter pieces to use on a craft idea I had. I knew that when my daughter came to visit, she would want us to do some crafting together. 

We created these adorable porch snowmen. Perfect for propping against the house, doorway or fireplace hearth. 

We sanded down two slats of wood and headed to Walmart for some ribbon and toboggan hats. I grabbed some ribbon to match my Christmas theme and she opt for the blue for a frosty look. When we got home, our painted slats were dry. I only applied one coat because I wanted it to have a washed out or rustic look.

We laughed a lot while creating these cute porch snowmen because of how they each turned out different and had their own personality. 

I have mine propped up on my porch beside my front door. He welcomes everyone that stops by.