Christmas Shopping

The Christmas shopping is almost complete!  It feels so good to say that because a week ago I had not even really started, except for Rory.  A week later and I only have two more people to buy for and hopefully  that will be completed today!  Tim and I went Christmas shopping after my Dr appt in Morristown then headed over to Greeneville to hit some more stores.  The stores were busier but they did have cashiers so the lines to check out were not bad at all.  The one place they were the worse we did not buy anything.  It does feel good to almost be done but I am racking my brain trying to figure out what to get the last two.  Hmmm, maybe that is what gift cards are for?  Thanks Tim for shopping with me!

Making Tags

I know that you can buy 100 gift tags, usually the small stick on ones for $1.00 and everyone is happy with that but I decided a few years ago that I would start making my own tags because I could.  I know no one really looks at the tag except to see two things; to: and from:.  Other than that the tag is just there and is forgotten except for the few that save the tag to remember who the gift was from.  I still make my own tags knowing they are all going in the garbage but I don't care.  They do add to a package that is sitting under the tree and I have fun making them.  So this year, I will not get offended if my tag just gets tossed, I am use to it, but I will enjoy the fact that I did make them and, in my personal opinion, they turned out great.  It is 12 days until Christmas!

Look What's Back...

The rental backhoe is back and George has been on it since it has returned.  The RV pad that was built earlier needed a little reinforcement so George started adding to it by continuing to dig out the turn around spot by the house.  It is a win win situation where down by the house vehicles, no matter what their size, can turn around and the RV pad gets more dirt making it even bigger and stronger. The whole dirt thing is all done by a couple of guys and a big machine; amazing!  Way to go George and Tim!

Tomato Basil Soup

Last night we enjoyed the fruits of our labor from last summer.  A hot steaming bowl of Tomato Basil soup that we made from the tomatoes in the garden.  Lisa and I decided to freeze the soup in canning jars instead of processing the soup.  It was delicious and it tasted as fresh as the day we made it.  We know this because we did sample the soup when we first made it.  We teamed the soup up with some grilled cheese sandwiches and it was a delicious dinner that was perfect on a cold night in the mountains.  I think it was already 25 degrees outside.  It was good to sit down and have dinner again on the week end like we have done all summer long and I know I am the one that was not here for quite a while but it was good to be together again and the soup was good!

I Hate Ladybugs Right Now

I know lady bugs are cute and harmless unless they are Asian Lady Bugs.  Asian Lady bugs are orange with black spots and are great during the Spring and Summer months where they are outside eating aphids.  They were introduced in our country in 1916 and now are all over the world.  In the Fall and Winter months these lady bugs look for warm places to live and they especially like light southern exposure areas...like my Crafty Cottage.  I was gone when they first infested my Crafty Cottage and now I am fighting the battle with hundreds of lady bugs everyday.  Did you know lady bugs bite and they also dive bomb you?  I battle them everyday.  My day begins with sweeping up several hundred off my floor, work bench, desk, etc.  While I work they dive bomb me, they crawl all over the place and they smell.  I heard burning a lemon scented candle and sweeping them up help control them.  So it that is the case I think I will also start wearing lemon scented lotion and body spray.  I hate lady bugs right now!

Protection For The RV

On our RV we have slide covers to help protect our slides from the elements.  Well, with how we sit on the mountain for our great view we also fight a wind element that can play havoc on the slide protector.  Tim designed a way to protect the slide and make it last.  He purchased tin, like the kind they use for tin roofs and figured out how to secure it to the main slide.  It looks nice and will protect that slide for years.  Way to go Tim!

The Outdoor Christmas Lights

We are not decorating the RV this year for Christmas because we are only here for a couple of weeks and then we are gone for a couple of months so decorating just does not make sense.  That is not to say I do not have Christmas decorations up because I do I just an not doing our trees and everything else this year.  We did, however, put up our outdoor Christmas lights.  We chose to try something different and purchases one of those spot lights that move and makes patterns on your house.  I got a very inexpensive on due to the fact we were not sure how well it would turn out but it was great and next year we will get a better one to really look like Christmas lights.  Until then we are happy with our current display and it took Tim about 5 minutes top to set up.