Christmas Bells!!!

Sleigh bells...they bring to mind Victorian paintings of families in horse-drawn sleighs out for a ride in the beautiful snowy countryside in a time before automobiles.  They conjure memories of seeing Santa ride through town in the Christmas parade before the world went crazy and banned the term "Christmas".  They're nostalgic, and while they are heard only infrequently at most nowadays, I love them.

"Sleigh Ride 1838" by Thomas Birch

"Sleigh Ride" by Thomas Kincade

I mentioned last year that I had purchased a set of antique sleigh bells from our local antique store.  Knowing that the place I wanted to send them for restoration, Classic Bells, would be quite busy around the holidays, I waited until January to send them off for cleaning and re-setting on a leather strap.  Earlier this week, I received a notification that my bells were finished and on their way back home, and I was so excited to see the finished product!  I highly recommend them to anyone who has antique bells to be restored.  Their finished product is well worth the wait!

Before:

After:

I absolutely love them.  It's hard to believe that they are the same bells!  They are just as I imagined they would be...the perfect size for the door, and just in time for Christmas decorating!

We just got our Christmas lights up this year, and our decorating is almost done.  I love decorating for Christmas, but since it's a short time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, we're just going to put our fake tree. 

Also because of the short Christmas season this year, I'm going to take a break from blog posts until after the first of the year.  I wish everyone a blessed and joyous Christmas season!

More Than I Can Chew

Update: Thanks to Adorned From Above for featuring this post in their blog hop (#62)!

Yes, I've bitten off more than I can chew.  I do it often.  I'm sure I'm not the only one.  Please, please tell me I'm not the only one.

The problem is that my brain works a lot faster than my body.  I'm not an old hen, but I'm also not a spring chicken, either.  My mind comes up with all kinds of ideas that my body just can't keep up with.

Here is one project that has yet to be touched:  a simple mantle runner.  Just one yard of homespun fabric.  All I have to do is cut it in half lengthwise and sew it all closed.  It would take me about 20 minutes to make.  No batting, no quilting, nothing that is even remotely complicated.  But it's not done.  It's just staring at me, laughing.

Another project: produce bags for grocery shopping.  I thought it would be a great idea to get some mesh fabric and make some produce bags for the store, instead of using the plastic bags on the little wire racks.  Again, this is a 20 minute project, maybe 30 tops.  I bought the fabric, and there it sits.

My sleigh bells.  While I sent out the large set to be finished professionally, I did some research on my own about refinishing bells and purchased these two small straps at the antique store.  Then I went out and bought everything I would need to clean and refinish the bells, including professionally-made replacement straps.  I had planned on working on these while my hubby was gone on a trip.  He's been on several trips since I got all of these supplies...so why haven't I gotten around to this?

Here is my fabric for making a new dress for the McKinnis house.  I have the design drawn, but this is a fairly complicated project; it will take a while from the time I draw out the pattern to the last hand stitches in the hemline.  This project, I give myself a bit of leeway on, due to the complexity.  But I've been planning on starting it for about a year now.  Not a whole lot of room for much more leniency.

My husband's scarf.  Pretty self-explanatory.

My work bag.  So many little sewing project in there that I can't keep up.

Here's a piece of Roseville pottery that my neighbor kindly gave to me.  It just needs some cleaning up--a soak in soapy water and maybe a little scrubbing with a toothbrush.  Still not done.

Honestly, this list is just the tip of the iceberg.  I have a bunch of ideas in my head still.  I am also working hard on new items for my Etsy stores (I opened up a second shop just because I was getting too wide of a selection of items in my first one) and am trying to prepare for the upcoming holiday sales.  Right now, I'm concentrating on fall, but it takes up a lot of time.  I spend my evenings on the couch with the hubs, working away, putting all other projects aside.  Whether it'll turn out to be worth it, we'll just have to wait and see.  I'm looking forward to some down time...but I don't think it's coming!

What are you working (or not working) on?

Happy Easter!

Romans 6:8-11: "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Happy Easter!  I hope everyone has had a great day.  I had a nice, relaxing long weekend with my husband, who didn't have to work on Good Friday.  It's a nice little bonus holiday for him.


Tomato Seedling Update
Well, I lost my patients.  All but one of the tomato transplants have withered and died.  I was so sad when I saw them the next morning...one of the plants was doing well until a few days ago, when it too began to wilt, and there was no recovering it.  One plant remains, and it's better than none, but I had hoped for a better outcome.  Lesson learned, sadly.

There is still hope for the tomatoes.  Click on this post to see what happened!  Tomato Seedling Surgery 2.0


Gluten-Free...For Now?
I have had quite an eventful week this past week.  After a month of having strange stomach and intestinal problems, I visited my doctor, who thinks I have a gluten allergy.  Not the greatest news for one who lives for gluten-based foods like pizza, pasta, breads, cereals, cakes and cookies.  I have been ordered to remove any gluten from my eating choices for a month, and then return for a check-up.  I haven't had stomach problems up to this point, so I'm hoping that the diagnosis is not accurate.  Honestly, I have really struggled with this, because that completely destroys all of my meal planning for the month.  I have no idea what to make for meals now.  I don't have the time or interest to make every single meal from scratch...I, as most people do, depend a lot on convenient pre-packaged grocery items to help me with cooking.  I spent $56 on baking and cooking substitutions of rice flour, gluten-free all-purpose baking mix, gluten-free bread crumbs, gluten-free quick oats, and a few other things.  Gluten-free items are very expensive.  Should it be determined that I'm allergic to wheat, or that I have celiac's disease, I'm  honestly not sure how I will afford the new grocery bills.  It's a huge adjustment in lifestyle, and one that I really don't want to make unless I absolutely have to.  I'm sure that I'll post more about this at a later time.  For now, I ask for prayer, that God will heal me and my life won't have to drastically change.  It's not just my life that will change; my husband will be affected, too.  It's difficult to know that you will suddenly become a burden or annoyance to others.  I know that those who love and care about me will be understanding, but those people are few, and the world is a huge, unaccommodating place.

If you are interested in more information, visit this page: Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity

For some gluten-free recipes, visit my Pinterest board: Gluten-Free.  I have tried the pizza crust recipe posted there (not terrible), and I hope to try more of these these recipes soon!

Another Project
Hubby and I spent Friday and Saturday having fun together.  While we were out on Friday, we went to the local antique shop to look for something specific.  However, I walked out with another set of sleigh bells!  Oops, I just can't help it.  These are smaller bells than the last set I purchased, but I will be restoring these myself.  I sent the last set away to be restored, but I feel confident enough now to want to try this on my own.  These bells are quite a bit smaller than the others, only about 2" wide, and will make a nice small decorative strap in the future.  I'll post the process on here when I have time to start working on them.

Happy Easter...He is Risen!!

Just An Update

Wow, what is going on with the weather?  A week ago, we had a thick covering of snow; today, we have no snow left and it's spring-like outside.  It rained last night, and is supposed to rain more this weekend.  I know it's not uncommon to have a thaw in January--I remember when I was in high school, there was a day in January where we were in shorts and t-shirts in Michigan.  It's still a pretty clear memory for me!  It's a nice change from the dry, cold air that we have during the winter, but I still like the snow, too.

Today I sent in my antique sleigh bells.  I mentioned them originally in this post.  I researched and investigated the option of cleaning and restoring them myself, but realized that I was woefully unable and unequipped for the job.  I decided to send them off to a place in Iowa called Classic Bells, and am so very eager to see them when they are finished!  They will be cleaned, polished, sealed, and re-strapped onto a beautiful piece of laced leather.  I have chosen to use my Christmas money that my mom gave me to do this, because it's going to be a little pricey.  It'll be well worth the cost, though, because they will hang in our home forever.  I'll post pictures of the bells when I get them back (it'll be a while, though).

A while back, my husband and I met my mother and stepfather at the Toledo Zoo for a day of zoo fun.  While we were there, we had lunch, and I got a pudding cup that had crushed Oreos and whipped cream on top, and it was sooooo good.  For some reason, I was craving that the other night, so I came home and had to make it myself!  It's easy to make, but in case you are unfamiliar, here's what you do:

Make a six-serving package of instant chocolate pudding according to the box directions.  Pour into four or six individual serving cups and allow it to chill and set for about a half an hour in the fridge.  Then, take around 10 Oreos (I prefer Double-Stuffed), put them in a resealable baggie, and crush the snot out of them.  Sprinkle the crumbles on top of the pudding, evenly distributing them.  Spoon whipped cream onto the top (I just used Cool Whip, but if you have fresh whipped cream, that's the way to go!), then crush a few more Oreos and sprinkle it on top of the whipped cream.  Refrigerate until you're ready to eat them, and then enjoy!  It was a fun treat for us, and I'll have to remember it for the future (or any time I need an excuse to buy Oreos).

Have a good weekend!

Saturday Fun--Pumpkins and Sleigh Bells. What?!?

Saturday was a fun day.  Hubby and I spent the day together, which is my favorite way to spend the day.  We started out our adventures by heading to the local pumpkin farm.  I purchased four pie pumpkins, which I will puree and freeze for later, then I purchased an arrangement of broom corn, some mini pumpkins, a medium-sized white pumpkin, and something called an apple gourd.  We'd never seen the apple gourds before, so I was intrigued.  It's green, and shaped like a giant apple, hence the name.  We walked around the pumpkin yard, visited a tom turkey in a cage (for a funny turkey song by comedian Heywood Banks, click here--no worries, perfectly family-friendly), and petted a girl's pet kitten.  It was a good time.  We plan on going back for a Christmas tree in a few months, when they go from selling fall items to Christmas items.  On a side note, I always thought it would be fun to have a Christmas tree farm!  In my head, it would be awesome.  There would be snow, of course, because people like snow and picturesque Norman Rockwell-type memories.  There would be horses and sleigh rides, and hot cocoa, and nice customers, and just all-around fun.  I have a friend whose parents have a tree farm in southern Indiana, and I enjoy reading about their fun times during the Christmas season.  Anyway, we enjoy having a live Christmas tree and the fragrance of fresh pine.  I'm looking forward to it already!

I love the simple elegance of a white pumpkin.

Apple gourd--isn't it neat?

Small pumpkins drying before being placed about the house.

Two of my four pie pumpkins.  They are good sized--hopefully I'll get a lot of seeds to roast and pumpkin to freeze!

Speaking of sleighs and horses, our next destination was the local antiques store just north of town.  (I know, weird transition.  Just stay with me here.)  I was on a mission for two things: a one cent coin from 1847 and a set of antique sleigh bells.  Earlier this week, while perusing Etsy and Ebay for other reasons, I came across both and decided that my life would not be complete without either item.  The sleigh bells, I wanted for Christmas decorating (more on that below), and the coin, for the living history programs that I volunteer for at the McKinnis House.  I thought the coin would be a neat conversation piece, as in "my husband gave me an allowance this week".  I plan to investigate just how much that coin would buy a hundred and sixty-five years ago (I just looked it up; it is the equivalent of a quarter today.  Still wouldn't buy much--maybe just a newspaper).  After walking around the antiques store for a few hours, I finally found both!  This is a large antique store, the kind where dealers can rent booth space, so there are well over two hundred booths/vendors that comprise the store.  In the whole place, I found a total of three sleigh bell straps, and two were in terrible condition.  The third was priced a bit higher than I wanted to pay, but was exactly what I had in mind, so we were able to haggle the price down to something more affordable.  The coin, while not exactly common, is also not exactly rare, but I was able to find a coin in good condition for a decent price.  I left there feeling like I had struck gold, so happy was I with my purchases!  It was already Christmas for me.

For the sleigh bells, I plan on hopefully being able to preserve and restore the leather strap on which the bells are mounted.  I will contact the local tack stores to see what they might recommend.  However, if anyone has any suggestions about restoring old leather, please feel free to leave a comment at the end of this post.  I will be sure to post what I find out as well.  I considered trying to shine up the old bells too, but after considering it more, I have come to the conclusion that I like the patina on them too much to do anything.  Once I get the leather back to good condition, I plan on mounting the whole strap onto some greenery and adding a bow or some type of festive decoration, and possibly hanging it on the side of the front door that faces into the living room.  I am also considering hanging it on the wall next to where the tree will be, but that would require having something to hang it on, like a nail, and I don't want to put holes into the wall.  Removable 3M hangers might be an option, though.  Oh, I'm so excited!!

If you have an interest in sleigh bells, and don't know much about them, I suggest checking out this website: Classic Bells.  With the information on that site, you'll know what you're looking at in no time! 


After that, we had pizza, and it was gooooood.  We made a few more stops, then headed home.  As I said before, I love having Saturdays with my bestest bud, where we have no place to be, nothing to do, and can just go at our leisure.  Plus, the weather was gorgeous--seventy degrees and bright blue skies.  What a great day! 

What are some of your favorite things to do with your husband?  Keep it PG-rated!!  :-)

One thing I like to think about regularly is the Garden of Eden.  The Bible says that God created the heavens and earth, land and seas, plants and trees, the sun and moon, fish and birds, cattle and beasts of the earth, and finally man and woman (Genesis 1-2).  All this in the span of a week!  My weeks are never that productive, no matter how hard I try to get things done.  Anyway, for man and woman to live in, God created the Garden of Eden, and from Biblical accounts, it was a spectacular place to dwell.  Not only was it perfect, but it was beautiful, lush, and probably unlike anything we see now (or will ever see) on earth.  I wonder what it might have looked like.  I wonder if there were plants and animals there that were never seen again once Adam and Eve were cast out.  I wonder if there were colors in there that we know nothing of today.  In short, I wonder if it was a literal heaven on earth.  Even on perfect, beautiful days like Saturday, I know that it's nothing compared to what we have to look forward to in eternity with our Heavenly Father one day.  Something to always look forward to!